Tag Archive for worldcon

Where to Find Me at Worldcon

I’m leaving in just a few hours to join my writer and fan compatriots at Worldcon 77! Also known as Worldcon Dublin. Also known as Worldcon 2019. We like options. 😉

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I will be busy while attending Worldcon, and not just sightseeing! I’m a program participant this year, for the first time ever. I’ll have four panels, one reading, one autograph session, and one kaffeklatsch. Here’s a graphic summarizing my schedule at a quick glance.

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And here’s a more detailed list, should you be attending and want to join me for any of them! I’ll, of course, be conquering my Dublin Foodie Hit List in my off-time. But I’ll also be at the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America table Saturday morning, at the Hugos, and variously wandering the halls of the Dublin Convention Centre. Don’t hesitate to say hi!

Rebecca Gomez Farrell’s Worldcon 77 Official Schedule:

Thursday, 15 August

-VR and AR: the future of gaming or a fad?

Panelist, 12:00 – 12:50, Wicklow Room-1

In 2015 the gaming industry was abuzz with the potential of both virtual and augmented reality. However, the expected explosive growth of these technologies did not happen. This panel will discuss the potential of these exciting technologies and whether or not they will ever achieve the potential people believed they would have a few short years ago.

-Found in translation: SFF translated works

Moderator, 15:00 – 15:50, Wicklow Room-4

English is the current lingua franca, making it easy to forget that a lot of genre fiction is translated from other languages. Who are the best authors of translated SFF? Are particular languages more likely to be translated than others? The panel will discuss the status of translated works in the wider context of SFF and which non-English books we should be reading.

Friday, 16 August

-Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading

Reader, 17:00 – 17:50, Liffey Room-3

Broad Universe is an international organization for women and female-identifying authors of science fiction, fantasy and horror, working together to promote women’s works in the genres! Our signature event, the Rapid Fire Reading, gives each author a few minutes to read from their work. It’s like a living anthology of women writers.

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Saturday, 17 August

-Kaffeeklatsch: Rebecca Gomez Farrell

Author, 13:00 – 13:50, Level 3 Foyer

A Kaffeeklatsch is a unique opportunity at some conventions to meet up with a writer in a casual setting–in this case, right by one of Worldcon’s onsite cafes–and spend time shooting the breeze on whatever topic floats everyone’s boats. The cutoff is usually around 10 or so people–I’m not sure what it’ll be for Dublin, but I doubt it’ll get too high. And I’ll be thrilled if anyone comes!

Sign up for my kaffeeklatsch at the Infodesk if you want to talk about my writing, about our shared love of good food and drink, about the writing business from a small press author’s perspective, about favorite SF/F shows and movies and books this year, or about…cats! I’m planning to give away at least one book during this session as well.

-Window to the soul: a character’s favourite song

Moderator, 14:00 – 14:50, Wicklow Room-4

Creators often use a character’s musical choices to show us their inner thoughts and hidden motivations: in Guardians of the Galaxy the music Peter plays is a link to his lost mother, in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Miles’s favourite song places him as a member of Generation Z, and Alex’s callous rendition of ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ in A Clockwork Orange has gone down in infamy. Join our panellists for a walk through our favourite characters’ musical memories.

Sunday, 18 August

-Internet, Censorship, Control, and Influence

Moderator, 13:00 – 13:50, Wicklow Room-1

Innovations on the Internet transformed the ability to have global conversations about politics but also heightened capacities for censorship & control. Have these affected the Internet’s original doctrine? Do they provide greater transparency or muddy the water? We’ll discuss the evolution of the idea behind censorship and control as applied to the Internet in terms of law and modern society.

-Group Autograph Session

Signing, 15:00 – 15:50, Level 4 Foyer

The authors signing for this session include myself, Pat Cadigan, Derwin Mak, RJ Barker, Kathryn Sullivan, and Jim Doty, PhD.

And that’s if for my official schedule! And it’s enough, let me tell you. 😉 But I think I’ll actually feel prepared by the time I step on that plane…soon, very soon.

My Dublin Foodie Hit List

Starting 8/14, I’ll be in Dublin, Ireland, for Worldcon 77, or Worldcon 2019, if you prefer. Whatever number you affix, Worldcon is the annual meeting of the World Science Fiction Convention, the longest running fan convention in, well, the world. This year, I am a program participant, meaning I will be very, very busy moderating and being on panels, signing books, et cetera, and so on. I will post that schedule soon. But when my presence is not required at Worldcon itself, you can bet I will be checking out every foodie wonder in Dublin that I can get to–and not just the hotel bar.

My hit list:

1. The Guinness Storehouse: This is where the famed stout is made! I’m not much of a beer drinker, but I can’t be in Dublin without checking this world wonder out.

2. Caramelized Brown Bread Ice Cream at Murphy’s: There are many other flavors at this Dublin ice cream hot spot, such as apple balsamic and Irish cream. But I have to try that classic Irish bread in ice cream form – it is my destiny.

3. Cockles and Mussels at the Winding Stair: The iconic cockles and mussels that old Molly Malone sang about are a must for my list, yet many of the Irish restaurants renowned for them have only mussels on the menu. Not at the Winding Stair! This Dublin landmark is also renowned for being a popular meeting place for creative types throughout its years as a bookshop and cafe. Now it’s a bookshop and restaurant instead, but it looks just as happening! Reservations will likely be made.

4. Dublin coddle, Gurr cake, and other traditional Irish baked goods at the Bakehouse: This eatery in downtown Dublin serves up the most highly respected versions of Irish classics – you can bet I’ll pick up some soda bread, too, when I stop by the counter. Or maybe dine in at lunch for eggs & soldiers or a pottage?

5. Whiskey tastings at the Dingle Whiskey Bar: Located in downtown Dublin, this bar is made of reclaimed wood from whiskey barrels…and looks like you’re inside one too! Offers flights or a five-page-long list of whiskeys and cocktails.May make a reservation depending on interest.

I already have high tea plans at the Shelbourne Hotel on the books, so I think that’s enough of a hit list for a seven-day trip…though there are plenty of other options tempting me, like cocktails at Delahunt and dinner at the Vintage Kitchen. Care to join me for any of them? Let me know! But be forewarned–per my Worldcon schedule, I’ll mostly be available in the evenings.