My ConFusion schedule, Jan. 16 to 19, 2020

I'm a participating author at ConFusion in Detroit, January 16 to 19. ConFusion is one of my favorite conventions and features a strong literary focus, excellent programming, and a laid-back and accessible attitude.

Here are the panels I'm taking part in. In addition, I’ll have copies of my new short story collection Heaven’s Touch and Other Science Fiction Dreams in case anyone wants one.

I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Evolving Visions of Toxic Masculinity
Saturday 10:00AM Isle Royale
Jason Sanford (m), Marsalis, Jim C. Hines, Kameron Hurley, Brandon O'Brien
Awareness is on the rise about how toxic social expectations placed on men and masculinity poison men, their relationships, and society at large. We now have the vocabulary to discuss the precise ways in which patriarchy hurts men, too, and how that hurt bleeds into the rest of the world. How has this growing awareness changed our speculative visions of masculinity, and how can speculative fiction help dismantle the cultural poison backing social ills from rape culture to mass shootings?

Emotional Non-Violence In Fiction
Saturday 11:00AM Petoskey
E.D.E. Bell (m), Jason Sanford, R.B. Lemberg, Brandon O'Brien
A discussion on what it looks like and what it means to integrate themes of emotional non-violence in fiction - is emotionally non-violent fiction important? Going beyond higher level issues of emotional abuse to more subtle topics such as consent, misidentification, and personal questions.

Mass Autographing Session
Saturday 3:00PM St. Clair

The Art of Writing Non-Linear Narratives
Saturday 4:00PM Charlevoix
E.D.E. Bell (m), Jason Sanford, Gwenda Bond, Kameron Hurley
Time travel, alternate realities - what makes a good non-linear story? How is an airtight plot balanced against suspension of disbelief?

Heaven’s Touch and Other Science Fiction Dreams

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My second short story collection Heaven’s Touch and Other Science Fiction Dreams is now out, bringing together nine of my stories previously published in magazines such as Asimov's Science Fiction, Interzone, Apex Magazine, and Analog.

This collection wouldn't have been published without the support of my amazing Patreon backers. As thanks all of my patrons can access free editions of the e-book. To learn more, check out my Patreon.

The collection is also available on Amazon in Kindle and print editions.

The cover art is an illustration from the collection's title story, which was also my first story accepted by Asimov's. The book's art and cover design is by Paul Drummond, who also created the book's e-editions along with illustrating my Nebula Award nominated novella “Sublimation Angels” a while back.

Many thanks to everyone for supporting my science fiction dreams!

New Voices of Science Fiction

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Excited to announce that my short story “Toppers,” originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, will be reprinted in the upcoming anthology The New Voices of Science Fiction. The anthology, edited by Hannu Rajaniemi and Jacob Weisman, is the follow-up to the award-winning The New Voices of Fantasy.

Per the book blurb: “The avant garde of science fiction has appeared, arriving via time machines and portals that may (or may not) work properly. In this space-age sequel to award-winning anthology, The New Voices of Fantasy, The New Voices of Science Fiction has launched the rising stars of the last five years of science fiction, including Rebecca Roanhorse, Amal El-Mohtar, Alice Sola Kim, Sam J. Miller, E. Lily Yu, Rich Larson, Vina Jie-Min Prasad, Sarah Pinsker, Darcie Little Badger, S. Qiouyi Lu, Kelly Robson, Suzanne Palmer, Nino Cipri, and more. “

The New Voices of Science Fiction will be released November 11 .

First draft of novel Plague Birds now complete

Art by Hugo Award winning artist Jim Burns for the second Plague Birds story "The Ever-Dreaming Verdict of Plagues." See below for more artistic interpretations of my Plague Birds universe.

Good news for fans of my Plague Birds stories: I've completed the initial draft of my first science fiction novel and it's set in that far future world of genetic manipulation and god-like AIs.

For those who haven't read these stories, the first one — "Plague Birds" — was published in the acclaimed British magazine Interzone, where it won the magazine's annual Readers' Poll. The story was subsequently translated into a number of languages (including Czech and Chinese) and was the subject of a well-received podcast on Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine.

The following year I wrote a sequel called "The Ever-Dreaming Verdict of Plagues," which was also published in Interzone. Translations of this story were published around the world while its podcast edition was named a finalist for the 2012 Parsec Awards.

My new novel is also titled Plague Birds and includes the original story (but not the "The Ever-Dreaming Verdict of Plagues," which functions as a stand-alone tale in the universe).

The coming months will see revisions of the novel. Then I’ll start submitting it around.

The original publication of the first "Plague Birds" story in Interzone. Cool art by Ben Baldwin, although there are artistic liberties. (Meaning no red leather skin-tight suits in my story or novel. Sorry.)

Artwork from the Chinese edition of the original Plague Birds short story. And no, the main character doesn't let her shirt fly up like that in the original story or the novel. Definitely artistic liberties at work again.

Eligible for Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer

A quick note that I'm eligible for nomination for the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer. I write a weekly column called Genre Grapevine on my Patreon, along with publishing other original essays and commentary on both Patreon and my website.

In 2018 my original reporting on genre issues covered topics as diverse as issues with the Writers of the Future contest, problems with the contract offered by the now-defunct SF magazine Spectacle, and concerns with presses such as Left Hand Publishers.

The following are a sample of my genre-related essays published in 2018. All of these examples were released free to the public, making them eligible for Best Fan Writer consideration.

Thanks for considering me for a nomination. And if you like the samples of my Genre Grapevine column linked to below, consider backing my Patreon.

Samples of public Genre Grapevine columns

Samples of genre commentary and reporting