Category Archives: Writing

MileHiCon 48 Schedule

By lytspeed Posted in Conventions, Geek, Writing Leave a reply

It’s that time again! MileHiCon 48 is taking place at the usual place (Hyatt Regency Hotel – Tech Center, 7800 E. Tufts Ave., Denver CO, 80237) on the weekend of October 28-30, 2016. I’m on six panels this year, and I intend to defend my Hold ‘Em poker championship on Saturday night. C’mon out! I hope to see some familiar, friendly faces over the course of the weekend.

Friday, October 28, 2016
3:00 PM: The Ship: Close Environment, Set Characters (Mesa Verde C)
Nathan Beauchamp, C.A. Hartman, Sourdough Jackson, Stace Johnson (Moderator), Marc MacYoung

Unlike other environments, a shipboard setting is limited in place and characters – how do you handle this well? How do you create tension and excitement?

5:00 PM: Creativity Salon Roundtable (Bristlecone/Other)
Chaz Kemp (Moderator), Stace Johnson, Corinne O’Flynn, Ronnie Seagren, et al

What is creativity, how important is it to productivity in art/writing/other creative pursuits, how can you get into/stay in a creative mood, how can everyone bring more creativity into their everyday life? Join the discussion!

— — —

Saturday, October 29, 2016
12:00 PM: Agent Carter / Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Fan Forum (Bristlecone)
Stace Johnson (Moderator), Sherry Ficklin

Let’s talk about the highly competent women of S.H.I.E.L.D. from Agent Carter through Agent May and beyond (and of course, the men of S.H.I.E.L.D. as well).

2:00 PM: David Bowie & SF (Wind River A)
Boom Baumgartner, J.L. Forrest, Jason Heller (Moderator), Stace Johnson, Carrie Vaughn

David Bowie is the only rock star who has been inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Celebrate the life, music, and film work of Ziggy Stardust, the Man Who Fell to Earth.

3:00 PM: Cybersecurity: Reality vs. Paranoia (Wind River C)
John Barnes, Dr. Andrew Burt, Cynthia Felice, Stace Johnson (Moderator), Wendy Terrien

Omniscient governments, corporations, and hackers: they will know everything, from your credit card to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) massive data breach.(Is Mr. Robot overblown, or scratching the surface?)

— — —

Sunday, October 30, 2016
4:00 PM: Can AIs Have Souls? (Wind River C)
Michael Lee Burgess, Jim Gunderson, Louise Gunderson (Moderator), Stace Johnson, Dr. Rob S. Rice, Tim Simpson

Once we can answer the question, “Is there artificial intelligence?” with yes, it just opens up more questions. Does a self-aware artificial intelligence have a soul? How could we tell?

H8

By lytspeed Posted in Original Poetry Leave a reply

H8
for Sandra

Among the murals of
    Jim and
    Jimi and
    Janis and
    Jerry she
Walks with the spirit of her mother,

Absorbing the afterglow of
The Summer of Love,
Transcending her troubles and
    Resetting
    Her Compass to Compassion
    Restoring
    The bit of her heart that she left with Ganesha
        for safekeeping.

For her, Art equals Love.
For her, Love equals Haight.

— Stace Johnson, 2016

Myths & Legends Con 2016 – Panel Schedule

By lytspeed Posted in Conventions, Geek, Poetry, Science, Writing Leave a reply

MALCon 2016 is just around the corner — like, four days away! Here is my official MALCon panel schedule for those who are interested. It’s going to be a busy con! The convention will be taking place at the Ramada in Northglenn, CO, just off 120th and I-25, from August 12 through August 14. The items in parentheses are the room names where the panels will be convening.

Friday, August 12, 2016
7:00 PM: Critique Groups: Care and Feeding Without Getting Your Hand Bitten (Lawrence, KS)
Christopher Katava, J.A. Campbell, Stace Johnson
Many (most?) established authors will recommend “the right” critique group for aspiring writers. What are some of the things to look for and pitfalls to avoid? Be wary and be wise by knowing how to get yourself into the right company.

9:00 PM: Polyamory and Non-monogamy in Science Fiction and Fantasy (Serenity)
Emily Godhand, Nancy Kay Clark, Stace Johnson, Tanya Hixson
Panelists will review SFF genre fiction throughout the decades with non-monogamous and polyamorous themes and how they have influenced current lifestyle trends.

10:00 PM: Verse in the ‘Verse: Poetry and the Firefly Universe (Nevernever)
Stace Johnson
Readings of fan poetry, impromptu Firefly poetry, and any poetry based on Firefly topics. Bring your material to share or provide prompts to the panelists.

—- —- —-

Saturday, August 13, 2016
9:00 AM: Science Fiction or Science Fact (Serenity)
Brian Ziman, Stace Johnson, Veronica Calisto
How to make Sci-Fi more believable. The Plausibility of Sci-Fi concepts found in places like Firefly, Doctor Who and others.

11:00 AM: Commission Work: Designing Others’ Visions (Lawrence, KS)
Kathryn Renta, Sarin Tatroe, Stace Johnson, Tawny Fritz
Why is it so hard to design for someone else’s vision? Why have some of us given up on commission work all together?

12:00 PM: Writing in the 21st Century: What can we do now that we couldn’t do before? (The Shire)
Aaron Michael Ritchey, Stace Johnson, Tonya L. De Marco
Are there topics, characters, or situations that we can write about now that were taboo or forbidden in the past?

3:00 PM: Heroes and Monsters: What Separates the Two? (The Shire)
Paul Lell, Stace Johnson, Tonya L. De Marco
In modern and ancient times, there are figures who straddle the lines, being both monstrous and heroic. What separates the two; is monstrousness something characters are born to or do they have a choice; and are heroes those who are born to it or do they transcend their own monstrousness to become great.

6:00 PM: Story in an Hour (Serenity)
Carolyn Kay, Lou J Berger, Stace Johnson
Panelists and the audience will collaborate in a one-hour fun adventure, outlining a new story together.

10:00 PM: Incorporating Familiar Yet Larger than Life Characters into Fictional Worlds (Helms Deep)
Stace Johnson, Tonya L. De Marco
Writing fictional worlds means creating characters and situations to keep the reader engaged, but where is the balance? How to incorporate larger-than-life characters that are relatable yet interesting.

—- —- —-

Sunday, August 14, 2016
9:00 AM: Learn to Love Your Writing (Serenity)
Christopher Katava, Kevin Frost, LJ Hachmeister, Mike Cervantes, Stace Johnson
Everyone is their own worst critic. Stop worrying and love your writing: a motivational panel. How to stop hesitating because you feel you work isn’t “good enough” and put words on the paper.

12:00 PM: Marketing for Writers (Serenity)
Aaron Michael Ritchey, Kimberly Kennedy, Stace Johnson
Don’t publishers handle all that marketing mumbo jumbo? In this booming era of indie authors, hybrids, and small presses, what does it take to get your name out there? How does a writer market him or herself?

 

The Kestrel

By lytspeed Posted in Geek, Original Poetry, Poetry Leave a reply

The Kestrel

I spied this evening gravity's bane, ground-
  Defying dusk's dirigible: an airship, soaring,
  Drifting in the dust-driven draft, mooring-
Mounted, engines churning, yearning to bound
Into the sky! Then, down, ‘round, and ‘round,
  As a raptor circles groundling prey, spooring,
  The Kestrel met the mooring, engines roaring.
Breath broken, I watched as her tether wound.
The ship's skin stretched, struts strained,
  Snapped! AND the fire that bloomed from within
Eclipsed the setting sun.  Downward sparks rained,
  Fiery teardrops reflected in their salty kin.
And yet, fantasies of flight remain;
  A tragic crash shan't quash the dreams of men.

— Stace Johnson, 2013

This poem appeared in Volume 9, issue 4 of Tales of the Talisman in May of 2014. It’s a pastiche of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “The Windhover“, hence the odd, “sprung” meter.

MileHiCon 47

By lytspeed Posted in Conventions, Geek, Poetry, Poker Leave a reply

Hmmm … it’s gotten to the point where the main thing I use my blog for is posting MileHiCon schedules. I need to change that. There are a lot of changes afoot, and my blog can be much better utilized than it is.

Anyway, MileHiCon is around the corner again, running October 23-25 at the Hyatt Regency DTC, as usual. Here’s my preliminary schedule:

Friday, October 23, 2015, 5:00 pm
Gained in Translation — Mesa Verde C
What genre novels originally written in other languages have seen success when translated into English? This seems like a fun and fascinating panel; I’m looking forward to it.

Saturday, October 24, 2015, 2:00 pm
MHC Poetry Reading — Mesa Verde A
David Lee Summers is back as moderator for this year’s poetry panel. I will read a few of my older SF poems and hopefully I will have something new to share, as well.

Sunday, October 25, 2015, 1:00 pm
Strange Stars: How SF&F Transformed Popular Music — Wind River A
This should be a fun panel. I’ve participated on panels like this before at MHC, and they were always a blast. There is a surprising amount of crossover influence between SF and music.

I will also be participating in the Texas Hold ‘Em tournament on Saturday night at 9pm, so if you’re a poker player, come join the game!