Title: AI: Creativity and Sci-fi influences
Time: Saturday 9:30 (covers two slots)
Location: Mees
Description: The current AI is beginning to resemble the Sci-fi stories. Have the visions of the future according to science fiction proved useful, now that AI is becoming part of our every day lives? Or is it actually, as a growing group of critics say, a hindrance? Are science fiction ideas and apocalyptic scenarios just being misused by the industry to sell their product, or to cloud the discussion by diverting attention from the problems already at hand? Does it give us a good frame of mind to appreciate the risks of AI?
And what responsibility do creators of new fiction have in this now that AI is among us? Can AI ever be truly creative? What ís creativity, anyway? And how should creators of (genre) fiction relate to it? Does it offer opportunities, would you use it yourself for your work (as an idea generator, as a final editor, or even partly as a text producer)? Or is it an existential threat to the craft?
Moderator: George van Hal
Panelists: Iris Compiet, Sandy Butchers, Leadie Jo Flowers, Adam Gerenscér, Frank van Dongen, Valentin Ivanov, Paul Bouman, Joro Penchev
Title: Panel National identities in science fiction
Time: Saturday 13:45
Location: Penn
Description: Sci-fi and fantasy bring us to fantasy worlds that do not have to resemble the world we are living in. But how much can you truly escape the influence of your daily life and your identity in it? This panel will explore how national identity may show up in sci-fi and fantasy stories.
Moderator: Eddie van Dijk
Panelists: Roderick Leeuwenhart, Robert Corvus, Valentin Ivanov, Kat Clay, Rogerio Ribeiro
Title: Panel Painting someone else’s picture
Time: Saturday 9:30
Location: Leeuwen
Description: Illustrations can be key in bringing a story to life. Just think of a book’s cover; we’re told not to judge the book by it, but we all know it doesn’t work that way. However, the creator of the story and the creator of the illustration tend to be two different people. How can an artist translate a storyteller’s ideas to a canvas? What are the pitfalls, and are there any tips and tricks? This panel will discuss the challenges when working with someone else’s story and their vision for it.
Moderator: Pam Hage
Panelists: Chantal Visser, Robin Rozendal, Bonsart Bokel, Snail Scott
Title: Panel Music & Science Fiction Inspirations (Synergy of Story and Symphony)
Time: Saturday10:30
Location: Leeuw
Description: Science Fiction, and other Fantastika throughout history, has inspired the creation of amazing works of music: classical, religious, songs including Filk, and more recently for film, TV and games. Music has also inspired the writing of, or been a key part of, many SF & Fantasy stories. Panelists will discuss the many and varied examples of Music and SF, including some of the practicalities of translating across different artistic formats and languages!
Moderator: Carolina Gomez Lagerlöf
Panelists: Vincent Docherty, Marieke Frankema, Eddie van Dijk, Klara Lammers
Title: Panel The sense of sensitivity readers
Time: Saturday13:45
Location: Leeuwen
Description: Last year, the literary world was in an upheaval when certain words in Roald Dahl’s books got ‘banned’. Some felt it was a logical consequence of a society developing different standards, others were outraged about the changes they felt were overly meddlesome and nitpicky. Are sensitivity readers really necessary? And, for novels yet to come, do beta readers need to also take on the role of sensitivity reader? What is the difference between the two? And how can a sensitivity reader improve the story?
Moderator: Alexander Verbeek – van den Toren
Panelists: Helen Gould, Robin Rozendal, Adam Gerencsér, Jasper Fforde
Title: Panel LGBTQIA+ Diversity
Time: Saturday14:45
Location: Leeuwen
Description: In a world as diverse and multi-faceted as ours, we want our books to also represent all possibilities of gender and sexuality. How can we write characters whose gender and sexual preferences differ from our own, and do so with respect and authenticity? Join this panel to discuss how to create well-rounded, believable LGBTQIA+ characters and their importance in our stories.
Moderator: Kelly van der Laan
Panelists: Robin Rozendal, Bo Balder, Kate Wood, Alexander Verbeek – van den Toren, ilana