afrofuturism – ArmadilloCon 43 https://armadillocon.org/d43 Celebrating SF, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction! Mon, 11 Oct 2021 14:31:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.9 https://i0.wp.com/armadillocon.org/d43/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cropped-Dillotex-SMall-1.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 afrofuturism – ArmadilloCon 43 https://armadillocon.org/d43 32 32 193438733 Nicky Drayden’s ArmadilloCon Schedule https://armadillocon.org/d43/index.php/2021/10/11/nicky-draydens-armadillocon-schedule/ Mon, 11 Oct 2021 14:30:59 +0000 https://armadillocon.org/d43/?p=1777 ArmadilloCon 2021 Guest of Honor Nicky Drayden will be doing something a little different as Guest of Honor.  She is not be able to physically be at the hotel, but she’s participating anyway! Expect to see her on panels, a reading, and, yes, even possibly chatting with people as she goes down the hall (so cyberpunk!).  If you were hoping to get books signed by her, don’t worry. We’re doing a virtual signing with real books.  This is going to be different, but FUN — we promise! 

Friday 1900 Ballroom D Opening Ceremonies
Fri 7:00 PM-7:30 PM Ballroom D
N. Drayden, D. Liss, M. R. Maresca, G. Villarreal, J. Miles*
The formal start of the con. Get introduced to the con’s major guests, and attend the Meet the Pros party afterward.

Saturday 1200 Ballroom D LIVE PODCAST: Bad Roll Models
Sat Noon-1:00 PM Ballroom D
M. Bey*, N. Drayden, S. G. Wilson
We’re an RPG improv comedy podcast playing the not-QUITE-forgotten role playing games of the 1980s. We’re having fun around the kitchen table just like we used to do it, except now we have mics and can legally buy beer.

Saturday 1600 Ballroom D Nicky Drayden Interview
Sat 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Ballroom D
M. Bey*, N. Drayden
An interview with our Guest of Honor.

Saturday 1700 Dealers’ Room Virtual Meet Nicky Drayden & Autographing
Sat 5:00 PM-6:00 PM Dealers’ Room
D. Cherry, N. Drayden, J. Fotinos, P. Griffin, B. Gibbs
Talk to our Guest of Honor online. Also get in-person autographs from other guests.

Saturday 2000 Ballroom F The Joy of Podcasting
Sat 8:00 PM-9:00 PM Ballroom F
M. Bey, N. Drayden, M. Finn, B. Gibbs*
What makes people gather to record and broadcast their discussions about shared interests? How do they build and attract an audience of devoted listeners? What makes this medium special?

Sunday 1500 Ballroom D Reading
Sun 3:00 PM-4:00 PM Ballroom D
Nicky Drayden
Our Guest of Honor reads.

]]> 1777 Guest of Honor Nicky Drayden https://armadillocon.org/d43/index.php/2021/06/11/guest-of-honor-nicky-drayden/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 13:43:27 +0000 https://armadillocon.org/d43/?p=309 ArmadilloCon 2021 welcomes Compton Crook Award winner Nicky Drayden as our 2021 Guest of Honor! Nicky Drayden is a systems analyst, and when she’s not debugging code, she writes weird and wonderful stories that keep us turning the pages while our brains explode!

New Book: Symbiosis

Her new novel, Symbiosis, is the second in a series that started with Escaping Exodus. Kirkus described the first book as “an Afrofuturist love story, set inside a giant space-creature, about two women of different castes” and praised it for “top-notch worldbuilding and sharp characterization.” Lightspeed said, “Escaping Exodus is another fine entry from a clearly talented writer. Read if you ever wondered what it would be like if the Millennium Falcon decided to live inside that asteroid worm.”

Minecraft Book Coming in July!

Speaking of new things, Drayden has a new book coming out in July — Minecraft: The Dragon! We are betting that her new Minecraft story will be as much fun as her previous game-related book, The Hero of Numbani! Kirkus described The Hero of Numbani as an “engrossing read with smooth pacing and action-packed scenes.” While Hero is set in the world of Overwatch, you don’t need to be familiar with the game to enjoy the book.

Don’t Miss Her Earlier Books!

The New York Times featured her debut novel, The Prey of Gods in their 2017 list Best of New Science Fiction and Fantasy. The Wall Street Journal featured it in Summer Reading: One Expert, One Book. Her second novel, Temper, is an exciting blend of Afrofuturism and New Weird, praised by Kirkus for its “wildly imaginative worldbuilding.”

Drayden frequently dabbles in short fiction, with over 50 publications in Fiyah, Shimmer, Daily Science Fiction, Space and Time Magazine and more. We are proud to note that one of her early stories, “The Atmosphere Man,” appeared in our anthology Rayguns Over Texas!

You can find out more about her at nickydrayden.com.

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