the Worldcon countdown commences

The programme of events for the 2005 Worldcon in Glasgow next month has been released–the document runs to 99 pages!

It includes panels, film screenings, comic book events, an academic stream, a programme for young adults, signings, readings, and a science track. It’s going to be a difficult task to pick what I want to attend.

I might as well note the panels I’ll be on as it’s hardly a secret at this point:

Saturday August 6th; 10:00am Does Tolkien’s misogynistic British Christian writing still have relevance to kids today?
I’ll be moderating a panel with such luminaries as Mark Chadbourn, Gregory Frost, Mary Kay Kare, and George R. R. Martin.

Saturday August 6th; 12:00 noon. Donnie Darko: The Greatest Teen Movie Ever?
I’ll be on a panel among Paul Billinger, Claire Brialey and Stef Lancaster where we’ll watch clips and discuss the film’s intricate time lines and teenage angst. The official programme states that the erudite Kim Newman will be on this panel, but last I heard he wasn’t able to make it due to preparations for the Hugo Awards (he’s the Master of Ceremonies with his good friend Paul McAuley).

Saturday August 6th; 4:00pm Comics are for Girls, Too.
Flipping right they are! I’ll be moderating a panel featuring Mari (Tatsumi) Kotani and Rebecca Moesta.

Sunday August 7th. 11:00am Patronising Youth: Your Chance to Speak Up
A panel that will look at the young adult publishing market, with input from both editors and authors. I’ll be moderating, and the stellar line-up for this panel is: Jo Fletcher, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Irene Radford and Guest of Honour Jane Yolen.

I’m honoured to be among such talented company.

I had a bit of a shock a couple of weeks ago when BA cancelled the flight I was on from Galway to Glasgow. The alternative dates they offered meant that I would miss the first and last day of the convention, so I opted for a reimbursement and I’ve booked a flight via Ryanair from Shannon. This entails extra travel, as it’s further to Shannon, and I’m flying into Prestwick, which is a 45 minute train ride into Glasgow. Still, at least I got the dates I wanted, and I ended up saving money as the flights were damn cheap. Fingers crossed everything else goes well for my flights to and from Scotland.

Before all of that I have the second draft of my screenplay to complete. In fact, it has to be completed by next weekend in order to pass it by my screenwriting group. So far I’m pleased with how it’s progressing.