Con Season is upon us yet again! On the last weekend of August, I will be at LAcon V in Anaheim, California! Here's some of the stuff I will be up to while there!
Poetry Deathmatch!
Can you survive the POETRY DEEEAATTTHMATTCCHHH?! cough Sorry, don't know where that came from. Join us as professional poets and random audience members face off in front of an audience of judgmental amateurs and pros who will vote for the winner of this game of wits!
with Geoffrey A. Landis, Terese Mason Pierre, Trish Matson, and moderator Rebecca A. Demarest
Thursday August 27 | 6pm PT | Hilton: Huntington
Recital: Best Poem Finalists
Our Best Poem finalists read their nominated poems and have space to discuss them.
with Angela Liu, Elis Montgomery, Jennifer Hudak, Mari Ness, and Theodora Goss
Friday August 28 | 6pm PT | ACC North: 261A
Brandon O'Brien's Reading
Come hear me read some poetry! I'll be reading from my poetry collection in progress, currently titled An Outline of Injuries.
Friday August 28 | 8:10pm PT | Hilton: Carmel
Worldbuilding Is the Point: Building Universes Through Play
Shock: Social Science Fiction, Fantasy Map Maker, For the Queen, and others are games that are to some extent explicitly for building worlds, or parts of a world. We can play to build worlds with games not designed for this, too: James D’Amato used Star-Crossed to inform the world of his actual play podcast Campaign: Skyjacks, for instance. How can we build worlds through play?
moderating, with Gail 'RGB" Terman, Kat Bradbury, Nikhil Prabala, and W. Jade Young
Saturday August 29 | 9am PT | Hilton: Redondo
Counting Lines: Hugo Best Poem Finalists
In only its second year, the Hugo Award for Best Poem looks like it might be here to stay! These poets have shown us their hearts, line by line, in this lyrical and moving format. Come hear them talk about their process for writing, how these poems came about specifically, and what it’s like to finally have their art form recognized by the Worldcon community in this way.
moderating, with Angela Liu, Elis Montgomery, Jennifer Hudak, Mari Ness, and Theodora Goss
Saturday August 29 | 12pm PT | ACC North: 263A
What Makes A Poem Award Worthy
Poets and editors discuss award winning speculative poems and collections exploring what elements stood out.
with Heidi Kasa and moderator Brian U. Garrison
Saturday August 29 | 4:30pm PT | ACC North: 261A
Special Guest Interview: Tracey Baptiste
Join Tracey Baptiste, a bestselling author of acclaimed middle grade and young adult fiction, for an engaging conversation with Brandon O’Brien. Known for weaving Caribbean folklore, history, and imagination into unforgettable stories, Baptiste has inspired readers around the world. Together, they’ll discuss her creative process, the power of myth and storytelling, and her journey as a writer.
Sunday August 30 | 10:30am PT | ACC North: 255
The Hugo Awards Ceremony
The Best Poem special category is back this year AND I'M A FINALIST?! So this is here so you can support me and my fellow rhymesmiths!
Sunday August 30 | 8pm PT | ACC Arena
Brandon O'Brien's Table Talk
Come chat with me about poetry, TTRPG writing, my love of tea, my undying fandom for the Japanese tokusatsu franchise Kamen Rider, and other things!
Monday August 31 | 9am PT | Hilton: Monterey
Live Podcast: The Skiffy & Fanty Show—Strange New Selves!
The Skiffy and Fanty Show is a four-time Hugo-finalist fancast and blog focusing on SFF, including reviews, interviews, and discussions.
LACon V says "Dare to Discover, Dare to Explore, Dare to be Uncharted!" Early SF’s discovery, exploration, and charting focused on outer space. Now, many interesting explorations in speculative fiction are about what it means to be human, or sentient, plus how we're transforming ourselves. What will we become?
with Jennifer Brozek, Paul Weimer, and moderator Trish Matson
Sunday 17 August | 1:30pm PT | Room 420-422
A Reminder To Vote In The Hugos!
If you're seeing this before August 8th, here's your reminder that voting for the Hugo Awards is still open! That means you can still vote for Best Poem, which includes my Seattle Worldcon Opening Ceremonies piece 'Landing: Seattle', as well as five other astounding works of speculative verse.
If you didn't already know, anyone can vote so long as you have at least a WSFS membership to LAcon V!
I would love it if you voted for me! But more importantly even than that, I would love it if you voted for anything in the Best Poem category. This is the second year that poetry has been recognised via a special category in the Hugos, and thanks to the most recent Business Meeting, next year will be the first that it will be a permanent fixture on the ballot—but even the future of the category beyond that point is dependent on the support of the voting fandom. Even if you aren't sure if you'd like to attend the convention even virtually, and especially if you have never voted for the Hugo Awards before, I implore you to read the poems in the category and cast your vote if you are able.