Finncon 2009 Program

The Finncon program has been published (more or less—it has been living in a wiki, and the final version should be appearing any moment now).

Collected here is a listing of the program items that will be held in English. This should be final, but if I spot changes later on, I’ll update them here. Duration of the items is one hour unless specified otherwise.

Friday

• 15.00 Science in Science Fiction (Pannuhalli)
  How much is enough science in science fiction? And how much is TOO much? Tommy Persson (chair), Toni Jerrman, Alastair Reynolds, Johan Jönsson, J. Pekka Mäkelä
  
• 16.00 Adam Roberts Interview (Valssaamo)
• 17.00 On Writing: The GoHs are interviewed on writing (Merikaapelihalli)
• 18.?? (after the opening ceremony) George R.R. Martin GoH Speech (Merikaapelihalli)

Saturday

• 11.00 The New Breed—Modern Vampire Mythos (Pannuhalli)
  Ever since Anne Rice introduced vampire Lestat to the unsuspecting audience, the children of the night have transformed from blood-thirsty Balkan nobility into something a bit more… sexier and about as blood-thirsty. Tanja Sihvonen (chair), George R.R. Martin, Tarja Rainio, Päivi Väätänen
  
• 14.00–15.30 George R.R. Martin GoH Interview (Merikaapelihalli)
• 15.00 Alastair Reynolds Speaks and Reads (Valssaamo)
• 16.00 Hugo 2009 Discussion (Turbiinisali)
  The panel of experts say what they think about the current crop of the Hugo Award nominees. Marianna Leikomaa (chair), Ben Roimola, Tommy Persson, Cheryl Morgan, Adam Roberts
  
• 17.00–18.30 Adam Roberts Speech (Turbiinisali)
• 18.00 Alastair Reynolds GoH Interview (Pannuhalli)

Sunday

• 11.00 Journey into Space (Turbiinisali)
  Have space, will travel. A serious discussion about possibilities, fantasies and realites of the space travel. Alastair Reynolds, Antti Oikarinen
  
• 12.00 Big Is Better But Small Is Beautiful (Pannuhalli)
  Does fantasy have to be big and epic? Is there room for something less grandeur? General preconception of fantasy still tends to veer toward the door stopping bulky pseudo medieval mammoth, but that is not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Jukka Halme (chair), George R.R. Martin, Johan Anglemark, Markku Soikkeli, Cheryl Morgan
  
• 13.00–15.00 Researchers’ Field-Trips to SF (Watti-Kela)
  SF Research in Finland: A Report from the FINFAR Meeting. Merja Polvinen; The Rise of Post-Pulp: Jack Vance's Dying Earth Series. Mika Loponen; others TBA
• 14.00 Book Talk (Turbiinisali)
  What to read when all the translated books have been read? Jukka Halme (chair), Cheryl Morgan, Hannu Blommila, Marianna Leikomaa
  
• 15.00 Book Then, Book Now, Book in the Future (Valssaamo)
  Book is a book, except when it’s not. The future of book is the question: will there still be books as we know them now? Is the electronic version The Way or is there a third alternative? Jukka Halme (chair), Tommy Persson, Johan Jönsson, Alastair Reynolds, Juhani Hinkkanen
  
• 16.00 Doctor Who (Valssaamo)
  Travel with the Timelord through time and space. Kristoffer Lawson.
  
• 17.00 George R.R. Martin Reading (Merikaapelihalli)

In addition there will also be kaffeeklatch sessions with the GoHs—inquire at the info desk if you want some face time with them at the convention.

Update July 7: Minor corrections to program participants
Update July 1: Researchers’s Field-Trips to SF added (Sunday)