Boskone, Boston's longest-running SFF convention will be held at the Westin Waterfront Hotel on the weekend of February 15th - 17th. I am thrilled to return to mingle with my fellow muggles and pontificate alongside some of SFF's renown potentates.
[Yes, yes. Forgive the alliteration. It's a bit much, but I excite easily. ]
My panelist schedule has arrived and follows:
Medical Ethics in the 21st Century
15 Feb 2019, Friday 16:00 - 16:50, Marina 3
Panel: Robert B. Finegold M.D. (Mod), Paul Jeter, Julie C. Day, Frank Wu, Justin Key
As the ancient adjuration to physicians goes, “First, do no harm.” But how do modern issues around patient privacy, genetic screening, transplants, and immunotherapy jibe with the classical ideas of medical ethics? What about previously SFnal developments like recombinant RNA and gene tailoring? Or cloning? How can (should?) doctors cope?
The Paranormal Detective
15 Feb 2019, Friday 19:00 - 19:50, Burroughs
Panel: Brendan DuBois (Mod), Dana Cameron, Thomas Sniegoski, Sarah Smith, Robert B. Finegold M.D.
Literary examples of the occult detective story are legion. From sleuths in Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" or Dracula or Lovecraft, to Douglas Adam's Dirk Gently, Charles Stross's Bob Howard, or Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden — all have featured in popular and captivating tales. What itch does this subgenre scratch? What makes it different from pure horror, dark fantasy, or mainstream mysteries? How does going supernatural improve these detective stories in a way that couldn't be accomplished otherwise?
Reading by Robert Finegold
16 Feb 2019, Saturday 12:30 - 12:55, Independence
Robert B. Finegold M.D.
Gotta Great Anthology Idea: Now What?
16 Feb 2019, Saturday 14:00 - 14:50, Marina 2
Panel: Julia Rios (Fireside Magazine) (Mod), Ms Ellen Datlow, Neil Clarke (Clarkesworld Magazine), Melanie Meadors, Robert B. Finegold M.D
From Year's Best to themed stories, general topics, and shared worlds, any number of concepts would make fantastic anthologies. However, even a great concept can be a hard sell. If great ideas don't guarantee a sale, what does it really take? What kinds of collections do people want to read, or more to the point, what are they willing to buy? Whether you are a genre luminary who is guest-editing an annual anthology, or a new editor — what are the critical steps to conceiving, planning, and implementing the pitch, sale, and production of an anthology? And what do you do when you just can't sell the book, despite a list of fantastic contributors?
The Hospital of the Future
17 Feb 2019, Sunday 12:00 - 12:50, Marina 2
Panel: Priscilla Olson (M), Robert B. Finegold M.D., Christopher Paniccia (Gridiron Publishing), Mary Anne Mohanraj (Speculative Literature Foundation), Justin Key
How will hospitals evolve, and what technologies are already driving those changes? How soon till computerized (and/or long-distance) surgery becomes routine? Will robots replace human healthcare workers? What about genetic therapies, targeted and/or individualized treatments, and (finally) a real emphasis on prevention? How will future patients fare in terms of costs and care?
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