My final Arisia schedule, let me show you it

Arisia takes place in downtown Boston next weekend: http://www.arisia.org

Gender Limitations in SF/F
Adams
Fri 5:30 PM
Duration: 01:15
Often, strong female characters are portrayed in such a way that seem to be a rejection not just of traditional gender roles but of all things feminine. Similarly, male characters that take on what are regarded as traditional female roles are viewed as emasculated figures incapable of pro-active action. Where are the strong warrior women that can also be compassionate or the house-husbands that have a role beyond being the punchline of a joke?

When Authors Critique the Critic
Adams
Fri 7:00 PM
Duration: 01:15
Your book got a bad review and you feel it's unfair. It's your baby, after all! What do you do? Correct the review, ask friends to counter-post good reviews to boost sales, or grumble and move on? We'll talk about some classic examples of authors gone wild over bad reviews, and what they should have done.

Reading: Eldredge, Longyear, & Pelland
Quincy
Sat 10:00 AM
Duration: 01:15


Don't Quit Your Day Job
Adams
Sat 1:00 PM
Duration: 01:15
Hal Clement, Alice Sheldon (aka James Tiptree Jr), and so many other authors kept working their mundane jobs while writing. What can a day job bring to your art? Should going full time be the goal?

How Not To Suppress Women's Writing
Douglas
Sat 7:00 PM
Duration: 01:15
Almost 30 years after Joanna Russ's famous essay "How to Suppress Women's Writing", a Guardian survey of reader's favorite SF turns up 4% women writers. A recent anthology of Masters of Science Fiction includes no women. And Nicola Griffith suggests something to do about it: The single most important thing we can do is talk about women writers whenever we talk about men. What else can we do to redress gender imbalances in SF?

SF vs. the Body
Douglas
Sat 8:30 PM
Duration: 01:15
SF's depictions of physical pleasures are rare. People seem to prefer their characters to pop nutrition pills rather than delight in a gourmet meal and dwell 24/7 in sterile environments rather than wander through a wood. SF still subscribes to Cartesian dualism: the mind is pure, adamantine, and noble, the body bestial, soft, and squicky. Even a hint of sex can be enough to "demote" a novel to soft SF.

Belly Dance Show
Grand Ballroom AB (1W)
Sun 3:00 PM
Duration: 02:00
From Star Trek to Firefly, science fiction has long been entranced by the shimmying undulations of belly dance. Join us as belly dancers explore brave new worlds of geeky belly dance fusion, featuring inventive performances from some of the Milky Way's finest dancers! (Shown live on Arisia-TV.)

Belly Dance Class
Commonwealth Ballroom ABC
Sun 5:30 PM
Duration: 01:00
Come learn some basic bellydance moves from the white and nerdy women of Tassellations. All you need are comfortable clothes and a willingness to move. Everyone in the room will be expected to dance -- no spectators allowed! Don't worry about your creaky knees or bum hip. So long as you have one or two working body parts, we can teach you how to move them. And if there's time, you'll also learn a little Improvisational Tribal Style bellydance.