Enjoy the World Fantasy Convention and find Ellen on the following panels:

Friday, October 23, 2026

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
The Mermaids Are Singing: Music and Composition in Fantasy Literature
Room 201

Music can charm, warn, terrify, or comfort, depending on how it’s used in the plot. A simple piano tune can call up eldritch horrors; a brass band can delight a dragon; your mermaid might be an opera star! What musical motif enhances your story? Featuring: Gregory Norman Bossert, Curtis Chen, Ellen Kushner, Elise Stephens, Cliff Winnig, and moderator Emily Jiang.

Saturday, October 24, 2026

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
“Crochet hooks at dawn!” Fighting a Realistic Sword Fight in Your Fiction
Room 204

Among all the characters Robert E. Howard created, Agnes the Sword Woman is one of the most overlooked. Join authors Steven Boyett, Robin Hobb, Ellen Kushner, and Madeleine Robins, who have all written weapon-wielding female or nonbinary characters, as they discuss turning the sword and sorcery tropes on its head.

Readercon, while modeled on general science fiction conventions, features a near-total focus on the written word.

Their programming consists of two tracks each of panel discussions, author readings, and solo talks or workshops, plus kaffeeklatsches, autograph signings, and more including the presentation of the Shirley Jackson Awards for dark fantasy and psychological suspense.

Sirens is a place for reading, discussion, and learning.

From their website:

“Speculative fiction gives us blueprints for worlds full of hope, joy, justice, and revolution for people of all genders. If you love progressive stories of what could be, if you want to study with expert faculty in a variety of fields, or if you simply want to join a community of voracious readers, we invite you to attend.”