Oh no, you may be saying, Fourth Street is over, and I don’t know where else to see Marissa blather on any time soon. Other than the internet. Well, worry not! I will be at Readercon July 9-12, a.k.a. Real Soon Now, and here is my schedule!
Beyond Treevenge: Environmental Justice Stories of Hope and Resistance. Friday, July 10, 1:00 PM, Salon E. Fiyah, Reckoning, Solarpunk Magazine, Stelliform Press, Tractor Beam, Sieze the Press, DreamForge, the new Eco24 anthology from Apex; the list goes on. New markets for ecological and progressive speculative fiction and poetry keep appearing, and given the state of the world and people’s growing desperation for positive change, it’s not hard to see why. Let’s explore what drives this exploding field. How is art rebuilding our capacity to imagine optimistic futures?
Secretly Brilliant Strategists. Friday, July 10, 2:00 PM, Salon A/B. Ivan Vorpatril of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan Saga is handsome and vacuous: a himbo. And yet, despite his seemingly unimpressive mental faculties, Ivan repeatedly makes good strategic choices—even when they don’t initially appear to be. What do we love (or hate!) about characters whose intelligence is camouflaged? What do they do for their narratives that more obviously clever characters can’t?
Lois, Megan, and Tammy: Miles, Gen, and Alanna. Friday, July 10, 6:00 PM, Salon A/B. Fans of Lois McMaster Bujold often speak of both Megan Whalen Turner and Tamora Pierce in the same breath, saying their writing and characterization feel the same, that these women are writing in the same vein, scratching the same itch for their readers. Why are these writers being grouped together by fans? How are their works in conversation with each other? Are there additional authors and series that belong on the same list?
Meet the Prose Party. Friday, July 10, 10:15 PM, Salon E.
Kaffeeklatsch: Marissa Lingen. Saturday, July 11, 12:00 PM, Suite 830.
Reading: Marissa Lingen. Saturday, July 11, 6:00 PM, Empower/Embrace. (Yes, apparently there is a room named Empower/Embrace. I do not guarantee embraces for all who enter there, because I am empowered.)
The Limits of Hope: A Meditation on Fiction as an Activist Force. Sunday, July 12, 10 AM, Salon C/D. In a keynote at the 2025 Locus Awards, Sarah Gailey challenged the focus on literature conferring hope on the reader, asking, “Are we here to provide comfort to the inert? Are we here to reassure people that experiencing a positive feeling is the end of their work?” They noted that hopelessness, fear, and despair all can be motivating, but regardless, “you are also powerful enough to act on your principles even when they oppose your emotions.” How can we keep a clear eye about the practical effects of stories? How can we take lessons from fiction and writing and apply them to activism?
Reckoning at 10. Sunday, July 12, 12 PM, Salon C/D. Reckoning launched its first issue at Readercon 27, back in 2016. Join Reckoning contributors and staff in celebrating ten years of creative writing on environmental justice with readings of work from the new issue and highlights from the past.