conference Archives • Vera Brook

This weekend (July 29-31) I attended my first Confluence in Pittsburgh, and I’m so glad I did!

Confluence is a small but incredibly fun, welcoming & inspiring conference that brings together writers, editors, readers & fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It’s organized by Parsec, Pittsburgh’s speculative fiction organization, and I highly recommend it. I had a blast.

Here are some highlights.

Meeting friends, old and new

Writing can get lonely, and I haven’t been to any writerly event since the pandemic started, so the biggest highlight of the conference for me was the people (isn’t it always?).

I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to catch up with old friends, see some of my Twitter friends face to face for the first time, and make new friends & connections. (I wish I remembered to take more photos!)

It was lovely to finally meet Susan Kaye Quinn, a scientist-turned-science-fiction-writer like myself, and my long-time inspiration and role model in the indie publishing world. Like Susan, I crave and try to write science fiction that’s hopeful & optimistic, at least to some degree, including solarpunk. After all, science fiction can do more than identify problems and warn of dangers ahead. It’s also a laboratory for ideas and a testing ground for solutions. (In my excitement, I forgot to take a photo with Susan. Next time!)

It was also terrific to hang out with my writer friend Marie Vibbert; to talk short fiction with Scott H. Andrews (editor of Beneath Ceaseless Skies), Neil Clarke (editor of Clarkesworld), and Charlie Oberndorf; to swap novels with Shannon Eichorn (I can’t wait to read Rights of Use); to chat about the writing life with Herb Kauderer; to play board games with Michelle Steiner and Mowgli Assor, both librarians extraordinaire; and to meet so many other amazing writers, editors, publishers, and fans.

A selfie of Vera Brook and her friend Marie Vibbert, both smiling at the camera. Marie is wearing awesome crystal cube earrings. — Marie Vibbert (left) and Vera Brook (right) at Confluence 2022.

Conference programming

Another highlight of the conference was the programming. Lots of fun & informative sessions to attend! But don’t take my word for it – see for yourself. The full Confluence 2022 schedule can be found here.

I had the pleasure of moderating two panels (with thanks to the Confluence organizers for trusting me with the job!):

“Reading Short SF: Why You Should Be Reading Short Fiction, Both Classic and New“ – with panelists Neil Clarke (Confluence’s Guest of Honor) and Michael Swanwick, and moderated by yours truly
“Suspended animation, FTL, AI: Which common SF ideas may become reality (and which are unlikely)” – with panelists Marianne Porter, Alan Katerinsky, Charles Oberndorf, and Barton Paul Levenson, and moderated by yours truly

Writing workshop

Finally, I participated in “Your Story’s First Five Pages” writing workshop taught by Scott H. Andrews, and it was excellent! A lecture on short-fiction craft from a long-time editor is always a treat, but we also submitted, read, and discussed each other’s work (the first five pages of a short story, as the name of the workshop suggests). Thank you, Scott! The workshop was super helpful. Now to apply it to my own short fiction…

In conclusion, I can’t wait for Confluence 2023!

Here are some highlights from my first ever Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) Nebula Conference, which took place May 17-20, 2018, in Pittsburgh, PA, as well as some lessons learned, inspiration, and my (revised) writing plans for the future.

Highlights

First of all – the conference was a BLAST! If you write science fiction, fantasy, horror, or any other type of speculative fiction, and can attend, I highly recommend it. You don’t have to be a SFWA member, by the way (I am not eligible myself yet, although I’m working on it). SFWA is wonderfully open, supportive, and generous toward all new writers, no matter your level of experience or publication track.

My favorite thing about the conference, hands down, was meeting other writers, learning about their writing journeys and their current projects, and talking shop! Cheers to all my new writer friends!

The full 2018 Nebulas Conference schedule is here. You can also check out the #Nebulas2018 hashtag on Twitter.

Here is a session I had the honor & pleasure of being a panelist on!

“We Are New Here: How to Navigate Being an Emerging Author” – moderated by Fonda Lee, with panelists Peng Shepherd, Rebecca Thorne, Tracy Townsend, and Vera Brook (me)

Vera Brook on the We Are New Here panel at SFWA Nebulas conference

Vera Brook, Fonda Lee, Peng Shepherd, Tracy Townsend, and Rebecca Thorne at a SFWA conference We Are New Here panel — From left to right: Tracy Townsend, Fonda Lee, Peng Shepherd, Vera Brook, and Rebecca Thorne at a SFWA 2018 conference “We Are New Here” panel.

Are here are some other sessions I attended, enjoyed, and learned a great deal from:

“Making Hopeful Art in Hopeless Times” (aka Hopepunk) – moderated by J.R. Dawson, with panelists Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Lettie Prell, Michael R. Underwood, and Alexandra Rowland (who coined the term hopepunk, but sadly couldn’t make it)
“How to Decolonize Your Fiction” – moderated by DongWon Song, with panelists Fonda Lee, Rebecca Roanhorse, JY Yang, and Bill Campbell
“Considering Gender While Worldbuilding” – moderated by K.M. Szpara, with panelists Vanessa Rose Phin, Merc Rustad, JY Yang
“SFWA Services: What SFWA Can Do for You” – an expert panel of SFWA officials and organizers led by President Cat Rambo
“SFWA Self-Publishing Committee: Plans, Projects, and Q&A” – moderated by Daniel Potter, with panelists Jeffe Kennedy, Nathan Lowell, Craig Martelle, Terry Mixon
“What Teens are Looking for in YA Literature” – moderated by Ana Maria Curtis, with (teenage!) panelists Ophelia Goss, Isaac Payne, Alina Sichevaya, and George Stewart-Walkling
“Skynet, Matrix, Other: Where Will AI Lead Us?” – moderated by Martha Wells, with panelists PJ Manney, David D. Levine, Matthew Kressel, and Ken Chiacchia
“Structuring A Series” – moderated by Laura Anne Gilman, with panelists Martha Wells, Susan Forest, Mark Tompkins, and Kevin McLaughlin
“The Money is in Your Backlist” – moderated by Margot Atwell, with panelists Cat Rambo, DongWon Song, Michael Anderle, and Jonathan Brazee
“Self-Publishing an Audiobook” – moderated by Mary Robinette Kowal (I’m a huge fan of the Writing Excuses podcast!), with panelists Kate Baker (a writer & the wonderful narrator of Clarkesworld story podcast!), Jane Love, Colin Coyle, and Dave Robison

And, of course, the Nebulas Awards Banquet, which was great fun and very moving!

Hey, I sat at Sam J. Miller‘s table when he won the Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult Science Fiction Novel for The Art of Starving! How cool is that?! #table14forever

You can see the full list of the 2017 Nebulas nominees and winners here (by the way, the nominees are already winners in my book). Here are some photos from the event. And finally, you can watch the entire Nebulas Awards ceremony on SFWA YouTube channel–enjoy!

Lessons Learned

As a newcomer and an indie author to boot, I was hesitant to promote my books the first time I attended the Nebulas, and among so many authors and editors whose work I’ve read and admired for years.

The restraint wasn’t altogether a bad thing. I was already busy attending the sessions, absorbing the knowledge, meeting people, and just enjoying being part of the SFWA community. But there were a few simple things I could have done (and plan to do next time):

Every attendee gets an amazing book bag full of books and magazines. The contents of every bag are different, and a long table is set up for people to swap at any point during the conference. If you have a book out, or an advance reader copy, you can bring copies of your book and put them on the swap table. There! An easy way to promote your writing to the most hardcore fans of the genre–your fellow writers and editors!
Print some business cards ahead of time, bring them with you to the conference, and give them away freely. You will meet a lot of people, but some encounters may be brief.
I was lucky to be on a panel, and it was a great experience. I also held “office hours” on neuroscience, psychology, and genetics. But there were definitely more opportunities to present (like the Ignite Talks), had I been more prepared and maybe a little braver.
Finally, even writers who aren’t SFWA members yet can put their books in the conference bookstore, either via Ingram or on consignment, and sell them at the conference. There is even a mass autographing session!

Inspiration & Future Plans

I was already an avid reader of short fiction, including online story podcasts, before I attended the Nebulas, and I wrote a few short stories here and there. But my focus was on novels (or series, to be precise), and I was committed to braving the indie author publication path for all my writing.

Attending the Nebulas inspired me to revise and expand my writing plans! First, to write and publish more short fiction, in addition to my novels. And second, to be a hybrid author: sticking to the indie route for my novels (at least for now), but aiming at publication of my shorter fiction in traditional SFF magazines.