Tachyon authors Nancy Kress, James Morrow, and Carrie Vaughn will participate in the virtual Capclave 2020, October 17-18.

Sponsored by the Washington Science Fiction Association, Capclave is a small relaxed literary convention with a program that usually focuses on the short fiction form. Guests of Honor and other notable authors, editors, artists, and fans of the short fiction form will explore the creation and enjoyment of short fantasy and science fiction genre stories.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Due to the novel coronavirus, the Capclave team has made the decision to be virtual this year. We will be holding Capclave October 17-18. Yes, this is two days, but we will run longer on Sunday than is typical. We will be focused on presentations, panels, and small group activities such as author readings or discussions.

Going virtual does present the opportunity to include people who would likely not be able to participate in a normal year. Keep an eye on our website and social media for news regarding new participants.

We plan to use Zoom for most activities, but we are looking at adding a text chat area via Discord as well. We will be updating our Code of Conduct to reflect the online nature of the convention. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact chair@capclave.org.

As a special deal, if you purchase a full membership for $55, you will be able to attend both Virtual Capclave 2020 and next year’s Capclave, to be held October 1-3, 2021. For those of you who can’t attend in 2021, we are offering a $10 Capclave 2020 only membership as well. Memberships can be purchased on our registration page.

Bill Lawhorn
Capclave 2020 Chair

Capclave offers a large selection of readings, signings, and panels including several with the Tachyon authors.

Saturday, October 17

10:30 am ET

Overused Mistakes in Hard SF (Ends at: 11:25 am)
Participants: Charles Gannon, Inge Heyer (M), Nancy Kress, Bud Sparhawk
Hard SF is all about accurate science. So why do authors frequently fall into clichés and outright errors. The same writer who works out elaborate orbits can have FTL drives, lag-free interstellar communications, temperatures below absolute zero, and so on. How can writers tell their story without without breaking the laws of physics along the way? Are some exceptions to scientific plausibility “grandfathered” into hard sf? What can be done to encourage greater plausibility?

Noon ET

Carrie Vaughn discussion with Connie Willis (Ends at: 12:55 pm)
Participants: Carrie Vaughn, Connie Willis
Two of Colorado’s finest authors, Carrie Vaughn and Connie Willis, discuss anything and everything.

Laughter with Bite: Satire and Other Funny Stuff (Ends at: 12:55 pm)
Participants: Charlotte Honigman, James Morrow, Alex Shvartsman (M), Michael Alan Ventrella
What is the difference between satire and other forms of humor? Is satire just humor with a purpose? Is all political humor satire? What is the difference between satire and mocking something? What can you do in satire that you cannot do in other humor? Is satire always funny (or at least trying to be funny)? Why or why not? What are some satires that worked and ones that have failed?

1:30 pm ET

Connie Willis and Nancy Kress Discussion (Ends at: 2:25 pm)
Participants: Nancy Kress, Connie Willis
Past Guests of honor Connie Willis and Nancy Kress discuss a little bit of everything.

Magic – Obvious or Mysterious? (Ends at: 2:25 pm)
Participants: Sarah Beth Durst, Charlotte Honigman, Jon Skovron, Carrie Vaughn, Jean Marie Ward (M)
Some modern fantasy settings have the existence of magic and magical creatures known to the public – think True Blood, or Poul Anderson’s Operation Chaos. Others have the magic secret, such as Incryptid or Supernatural. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach? Why might an author choose one or the other? Are some authors better at one than the other?

3:00 pm ET

Writing Time Travel and Paradoxes (Ends at: 3:55 pm)
Participants: Iver Cooper, Aliza Greenblatt, James Morrow, Ian Randal Strock
Time travel stories date to the 19th century. How can you make your type of time travel unique, or have all the twists already been mined? How do writers keep everything (relatively) straight for the writer and readers, even while the characters are facing convolutions? How can you explain worldbuilding challenges, such as why time travellers don’t mob every historical event? Panelists will discuss what makes some time travel stories work and which ones do not.

4:30 pm ET

Author Reading – Carrie Vaughn (Ends at: 4:55 pm)
Participants: Carrie Vaughn (M)
Author Carrie Vaughn reads from their recent and upcoming work.

7:30 pm ET

Sharing a Universe (Ends at: 8:25 pm)
Participants: Iver Cooper, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Carrie Vaughn, Jean Marie Ward
Shared universes have been around years. 1632 is its own cottage industry these days and WildCards has experienced rebirth. Panelists will discuss the advantage, disadvantages and what it take to work in this type of writing. What is the appeal to authors and readers? Why do some shared universes work while others produced a handful of volumes and vanished? What caused Thieves’ World to turn dark and toxic and how can other shared worlds escape this?

Sunday, October 18

10:30 am ET

Biology – the other hard SF (Ends at: 11:25 am)
Participants: Charles Gannon, Nancy Kress, Seanan McGuire, Ted Weber (M)
It’s not all spaceships and physics.  Where’s the love for the genetically altered and the killer viruses? Why is biology seen as less hard than FTL drives? Which stories rigorously explore the science of biology and its implications? Where can writers go to get good insights on using biology in their stories?

Noon ET

Book Launch – Carrie Vaughn (Ends at: 1:55 pm)
Participants: Carrie Vaughn
Join Carrie Vaughn to celebrate the launch of her collection KITTY’S MIX-TAPE from Tachyon Publications.

James Morrow Returning GoH Interview (Ends at: 12:55 pm)
Participants: Jim Freund, James Morrow
James Morrow interviewed by Jim Freund.

It’s the End of the World and I Feel Fine (Ends at: 12:55 pm)
Participants: Sarah Avery, Tom Doyle (M), Juliet Kemp, Nancy Kress
Alien invasions, giant meteors, nuclear war, global pandemics. The end of the world usually does not sound like a fun time. But in fiction, and real history too, there are frequently people who want to cause the Apocalypse or bring on the end of days. Others want anarchy so they can punish everyone who looks at them funny. What works does this the best and what falls short? What are some humorous approaches to the end of everything?

1:30 pm ET

Kaffeeklatsch – Nancy Kress (Ends at: 2:25 pm)
Participants: Nancy Kress (M)
Join Nancy Kress for a small-group discussion on anything of interest. Limited spaces, advanced sign-up required.

3:00 pm ET

Kaffeeklatsch – Carrie Vaughn (Ends at: 3:55 pm)
Participants: Carrie Vaughn (M)
Join Carrie Vaughn for a small-group discussion on anything of interest. Limited spaces, advanced sign-up required.