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Author
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Comment
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Helen
Registered User
(3/6/04 6:43 pm)
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ICFA
Dear All:
As we usually have lovely discussions surrounding the anticipation for and participation in conferences, I thought that I'd start a thread for the upcoming ICFA on the Global Fantastic. I'll be there presenting on Russian fairy tales - any other takers?
Best,
Helen
P.S. - If there should be other attendees on-board, would anyone, by any chance, be looking for a roommate?
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Nalo
Registered User
(3/8/04 11:24 pm)
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Re: ICFA
I'll be there. I'll be taking part on a panel arranged by Andy Duncan about my anthology _Mojo: Conjure Stories._ Greg, you'll be on that too, won't you? And I'm taking part in a smut reading on one of the evenings of the conference. That one's arranged by Jennifer Stevenson. Basically, we read our favourite sex scenes from our favourite genres, and talk about how the different genres handle sex, and the use of sex in them. And I hope to be eating a lot of crab at the crab shack, and drinking a moderate amount of gin, and getting browner in the sun.
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Helen
J Pilinovsky
Registered User
(3/31/04 8:59 am)
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Re: ICFA
I just thought that I'd cross-post an ICFA rundown from the Endicott board: it was a blast to see some of you again, and I know that some regulars couldn't make it, sooooo ... hopefully this will encourage the returns of all and the new arrivals of many? It's just more fun with more of a crowd (especially when that crowd consists of fanatical fairy tale fans intent on ruling, if not the world, then at least the panels).
The 25th Annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, centered on the Global Fantastic, was a pleasure to attend for devotees of the fantastic of any stripe, but particularly for fans of mythic literature.
The guest of honor, author Elizabeth Hand, has produced a number of works of mythic literature, including the beautiful Black Light and Waking the Moon: she has recently released a lovely collection of stories, Bibliomancy, reviewed elsewhere on this site, which includes the beautiful "Cleopatra Brimstone," a graphic exploration of the butterfly as psychopomp, and woman as either victim or predator, as well as the thought-provoking "The Least Trumps," which plays with the ideas of time and alterity, and how we, as individuals and as artists, can affect them. "The Least Trumps" ties in to her forthcoming novel tangentially, through the protagonist's residence on the island of Arenbega, home to one of the characters of Mortal Love: the idea of the artist's community is one that she has used previously, in Summer at Mars Hill, and one which exemplifies the pleasure of partaking of such an atmosphere, however briefly, at a conference or convention such as the one which so recently paid homage to her.
The conference was, as usual, concerned with all elements of speculative fiction, from science fiction to fantasy to children's literature to fairy tales: two panels in particular were devoted to the latter, being titled, respectively, simply "Fairy Tales," and "International Folklore." At the first, we heard Darell Dobsen provide an archeytpal analysis of "The Singing Springing Lark"; Kristy Sutorious spoke on "The Redefinition of Fairy Characteristics" as a launch-pad for criticism; and Alaine Martaus discussed the morally ambiguous fairies of recent YA literature, all to great aplomb. In the second, Sharon King addressed the question of "The Ghost in the Latrine: Potty Phantoms and Toilet Demons in World Literature and Film," Sonia Miller presented a marvelous examination of the uses of skin and shape-shifting in folk and fairy tales, and I concerned myself with the effects of the Russian fairy tale tradition upon the fantastic traditions of the East and West.
Ellen Klages and Ellen Kushner put on a wonderful caberet to introduce
ICFA attendees with the Interstitial Arts movement, and to inform
the audience of the forthcoming reedition of Kushner's classic Thomas
the Rhymer. Nalo Hopkinson, Andy Duncan, and Ellen Klages spoke
on some of the underlying issues in producing the acclaimed volume
Mojo: Conjure Stories, sharing some fascinating tidbits
about its composition, and performing impromptu readings: and that's
just the tip of the iceberg! Next year's ICFA will concern "The
Transreal and Other Literary Movements": I'll look forward
to seeing you all there.
Best,
Helen
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