Hello! This weekend is Flights of Foundry, a virtual convention that is free to attend! I’ll be on a few program items there, including:

Editing in the Speculative Fiction Magazine Industry
Friday, April 16th 23:00 UTC / 7pm Boston time

Moderator: Angelica Fyfe
Panelists: Aimee Ogden, Julia Rios, Wendy Nikel, Zelda Knight

Ever wondered about editing in the speculative fiction magazine industry, or just wanted to know more about how they operate? In this panel we will be discussing what editing in the speculative fiction magazine industry is like with editors from different speculative fiction magazines. We will discuss what trials or struggles might be involved, how they choose the best stories, what tools they might use for the job, and more.

Inclusion in Publishing
Saturday, April 17th 23:00 UTC / 7pm Boston time

Moderator: Julia Rios
Panelists: Arley Sorg, Elsa Sjunneson, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki

A panel of writers and editors will discuss different avenues of inclusivity in publishing, including accessibility and sensitivity to issues of race, gender and sexuality, and class. We'll also discuss the obstacles non-western authors face in getting published and celebrated in an industry that is weighted heavily towards the US and UK. This panel will discuss both problems and potential solutions, including ways publishers both large and small can strive to be more inclusive.

How We Made Mermaids Monthly
Sunday, April 18th 16:00 UTC / 12 noon Boston time

Presenter: Julia Rios

If you have ever thought about creating a magazine or wondered what sorts of things go on in the background to make magazines happen, this is the session for you! Julia Rios can't tell you how every magazine works, but they will share all the steps they took with Meg Frank to create Mermaids Monthly. This will cover crowdfunding, deciding on budgets, selecting staff, setting up infrastructure and documentation, mistakes we made along the way, and of course the editing and designing and sharing awesome stories parts that are what draw people into this kind of project to begin with!

I also have a Kaffeklatsch on Saturday, but it’s full, so I’m not going to link it here. On Sunday at my presentation about Mermaids Monthly I will be making a giant announcement about the magazine, and I am really excited about it!

Will I see you at Flights of Foundry?