Think GalactiCon Programming
Think GalactiCon will be held July 13-15, 2007 at Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago, Illinois. For information regarding registration and accomodations, please visit the registration page.
FINAL Schedule
THURSDAY, July 12:
7:30pm: ThinkGalactic July book discussion
We're discussing two short stories:
Anyone local or in town
early is welcome to join us for our monthly
discussion at Myopic Books (1564 N. Milwaukee Ave in Chicago, near the
Damen stop on the Blue Line).
FRIDAY, July 13:
7:00pm- Opening Ceremonies and Party
SATURDAY, July 14:
9:00-10:15am 2 panels
10:30-11:45am 2 panels
12 noon-1:15pm lunch break
1:30-2:45pm 3 panels
3:00-4:15pm 3 panels
4:30-5:45pm 3 panels
5:45-7:15pm dinner break
7:30-8:30pm Nalo Hopkinson reading, with discussion
8:30-10:30pm Screening of Jim Munroe's movie Infest Wisely
SUNDAY, July 15:
10:30-11:45am 2 panels
12 noon-1:15pm lunch break
1:30-2:45pm 2 panels
3:00-4:00pm feedback session, wrap up and goodbyes!
Current Panels
1. (de)Constructing Class-- Class in SF part 1
Social class is a complex topic to tackle—this panel is
designed to facilitate more in-depth discussions of class in SF by
first giving participants a common framework for that
discussion—we'll discuss terminology and definitions, as well
as other issues that affect peoples' conceptions of class, such as
race. Issues of class within fandom may also be discussed.
2. Class & Superheroism
This panel is partly intended compliment "(de)Constructing Class" by
applying what was discussed there to a specific topic. Let's think
about class and heroes! What percent of superheroes are wealthy? Most,
if not all. The modern equivalent of the knight errant is, in comics,
the playground of a leasure class who can afford the temporal and
physical logistics-- not to mention the moral absolutism of
vigilantism. There are strikingly few working- or even middle-class
superheroes.
3. Cultural Appropriation
We've gotten a lot of interest (in fact, it seems that this will likely
be our Controversy Du Jour from Wiscon panel) in a panel on Cultural
Appropriation that "isn't CA 101, Race 101, or How to Assuage White
Guilt for Writers?" Discussion on what constitutes a good Cultural
Appropriation panel is ongoing here.
4. If You Want it Done Right, DIY!
The mainstream film industry [aka Hollywood] has a history and current
practice of dissing of people of color, women, and others in film and
TV.
All too often their approach to important social issues is cavalier and
their adaptations of speculative fiction are more concerned with
titillation then thoughtfulness. Happily, the march of technology more
and more brings the tools of filmmaking into everyone's hands and the
Internet makes audiences just a click away. How can this convergence
inspire a new generation of filmmakers to work outside of the
established system and finally, possibly, "get it right"?
5.Let's Put the "Revel" in Revolution: a Geek Activist Workshop
It's often the case that activism can be hard, hard work. Working for
change in our current climate can be exhausting, frustrating, and
all-too demoralizing. Think Galactic (and this con) is founded on the
notion of using popular literature (SF/F/Horror) to raise people's
political consciousnesses. How might SF be used in activism? How can we
approach activism and political engagement in ways that energize
people, involve them, and engage their sense of play? Let's also
discuss how geeks (of assorted persuasions and professions) can bring
their skills to activist endeavours.
6. Decloaking the Invisible Spaceship of Privilege: Being a
Good Ally
This panel aims to address the issue of conduct and
etiquette when venturing into minority spaces (straight folks moving
into queer space, white people being involved in POC [people of color]
space, etc.). How to be respectful but also become comfortable enough
to be engaged. This would also be a great panel to talk about the issue
of classic [White? Straight? Check all that apply] Liberal Guilt.
7. Future (in)Justices
Lots of SF has imagined future prison and punishment systems. There are
quite a few "prison planet" stories (Midnight Robber, The Moon is a
Harsh Mistress, etc.), stories where people are forcibly physically or
mentally altered (like the stories in the con chapbook), and so forth.
Are there stories imagining a more just justice system, perhaps along
the lines of current restorative justice initiatives? How do these
stories relect or fail to reflect the realities and issues surrounding
criminal justice (e.g. who is affected and how, whether they actually
work)? Also, do the stories provide any models/inspriation for
resistance, or illuminate in any way resistance that is going on
now?
8. Lovecraft and Asia, Lovecraft and People of Color
H.P. Lovecraft has had an international influence even as many of his
views were... controversial, to say the least. How do Asian,
Asian-American and other writers and audiences respond to his work, and
how might the new work that's emerging within a Lovecraftian vein shape
future dialogues on this writer? Given Lovecraft's views on race and
other topics, how can we approach his work and his influence, accepting
the inspiration of his imagination while also being aware and critical
of his problematic opinions? And, in general, how do we approach
authors or works that present the reader with this type of
quandary?
9. BDSM and consent: The Radical Politics of Kinky Sex
Whether or not you find spanking to be titillating, the philosophy of
BDSM is well worth considering for its political ramifications. We'd
like to have a panel that explores what it means to be safe, sane, and
consensual as a society at large. BDSM insists on acknowledging the
relationship between power and consent. There are very few spaces that
allow for direct discussion of what consent really means and what it
has to do with power; how ironic that we can talk about these issues so
easily in the context of "taboo" sex!
10. Publishing and Hierarchy
Published authors have higher status than unpublished; there are
rankings within published authors as well, which are based on: sales
figures; advances and publicity budgets; frequency of publication;
visibility, size, and prestige of the publisher; print or online
publication format; etc. SF is notable among genres for the way it
blurs boundaries between readers and writers, but these rankings still
exist and make themselves felt. How can we work against these
hierarchical tendencies? What might be beneficial about a more
participatory culture? Self-publishing, small presses, collaborative
efforts, cooperative business models, circulating editorships, and
other possible tactics will be discussed.
11. Queerness in genre television
It's here, it's queer… sort of. From Babylon 5 to Buffy to
Doctor Who, a variety of genre shows have included queer characters at
some point in their series. What did they get right? What could have
been better? And what would we like to see on shows that haven't gone
there yet?
12. Brave New Categories
Many classic SF futures depict societies in which race is no longer an
issue: either all non-whites have inexplicably disappeared, or we've
bred our way into homogeneity. But humans love to categorize our
experience, and we'll probably continue to do so--it just makes
thinking a whole lot easier. Let's imagine and cite from examples
futures in which for one reason or another race persists as a category.
AND, let's also imagine and cite from examples futures in which new
categories complement, trump, or replace race.
13. Transhumanism
This discussion will start as a presentation about the accelerating
pace of technological change and how these changes will be disruptive
to society. It will cover advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology,
cognitive science, and computer science, and how these will recursively
interact and potentially lead us towards a technological
“singularity.” Specific topics will include genetic
engineering, longevity, communication networks, open source
initiatives, nanofabrication, and the militarization of space. These
technologies and inevitable changes pose many risks both to our
personal freedoms and to humanity and the Earth as a whole but they
might also provide activists with the tools and opportunities to
undertake drastic social change in our lifetimes. After the
presentation, we are interested in having a discussion on how pro-tech
activists can best position ourselves to take advantage of these
technologies/changes and use them to our advantage to establish a free,
transhuman, post-scarcity society.
14. We Could be Heroes
There are a lot of sf/f stories with a central "destined for greatness"
character (whether its a biological destiny, eg the inheritor of a
ruling position or some spritual type destiny you are nonetheless born
into eg Neo or Frodo). Let's talk about stories that subvert the idea
of a special person and that "destiny" determines whether you get to
change the world.
15. When Fans Get Creative
Let's talk about things fans create (fan fiction, fan art, vids, etc.)
in terms of their role in fan community, and the interaction between
fans, creators, and corporations. How are these interactions changing?
Are there creators moving away from a stance of strictly "I am the
creator, you are the consumer"? Where is it all going? Where do we want
it to go? Some specific examples/points of discussion: The Browncoats'
marketing efforts for Serenity, attempts at for-profit fan fiction
archives (i.e. FanLib), fan film creations such as Star Wars fan films
or the various Star Trek fan series in production, corporate
sponsored/sanctioned vid contests (e.g. SciFi's Battlestar Galactica
one), different authors' stances on interacting with fans and fan
creations (e.g. some writers communicate with fans regularly, some link
to fan creations on their websites, others prefer that fans not create
anything based on their works at all...) etc.
Descriptions for items number 16 and 17 are still going through final revisions. The general topics are:
16. A discussion of gender and sexuality in terms of binaries, dichotomies, dialectics, and continuums, and how SF can give us some perspectives for thinking outside the binary.
17. A look at what people have done and are doing right with race in SF, from the foundations built by early writers to the innovations of today's writers.
Think you've got a good description or panel that addresses items 16 & 17? Please e-mail programming [at] thinkgalactic [dot] org!
Want to be on a Panel?
Got a lot to say about one of these topics? We'd like to invite YOU to be a panelist. Please e-mail programming [at] thinkgalactic [dot] org if you're interested!
Questions about programming should also go to that address. Please be sure to include:
- the panel name(s)
- something about why you're interested (there are no particular qualifications needed, other than having something to say on the subject! We'd just like to know how your interests and perspectives compliment those of the other panelists).
- if you're interested in moderating a panel
- any scheduling constraints, panels you'd like to attend (and therefore not be scheduled opposite)