Hi All,

This is my preliminary panel list for SFContario. Sounds like it should be interesting. SFContario 2 is a SF convention with a literary focus being held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel, 300 Jarvis Street, Toronto Ontario Canada on the 18, 19 20, of November 2011. Last year it was a great con and this year it should be even better. Come out and have some fun if you can and don’t forget to stop by my dealers' table, say hello and check the ticket for the Stephen B. Pear pyramid prize lottery that will be included in your con bag.

Your Techno babble is in my Science (M)  – Friday 7 PM Gardenview

In writing one often finds oneself having to fake an advanced level of science. What happens when reality catches up or contradicts your fakery? How much science is necessary to drive a plot? How do you successfully fake it to make a story flow? (Eric Choi, Ian Keeling, Shirley Meier, Stephen B Pearl(M))

Weapons and Armour – Fri. 8 PM, Parkview

An examination of the historical and ongoing technological race between weapons and the equipment that makes them obsolete. (Erik Buchanan, Stephen B Pearl, Adam Shaftoe(M), David Stephenson)

Contagion fantasies.  – Sat 11 AM Solarium

Zombies, disease outbreaks, computer viruses, and nanotechnologies run amok - these are all popular themes in recent popular SF (novels and film). What anxieties do these contagion fantasies (or rather, fears) speak to - are we worried about technology out of control, our inability to protect ourselves from "invisible enemies," growing consumerization, etc? (Kathryn Allan, Stephanie Bedwell-Grime, David Nickle(M), Virginia O’Dine, Stephen B Pearl)

The Near Future of Earth's Environment – Sat. 12 PM, Ballroom A

Biological species invasions, species extinctions, peak water, peak oil, new shifting watersheds, carbon sequestration, dramatically changing weather patterns…and that’s just this year. Has the climate changed too much? How can we adapt? (Peter Halasz, Simon McNeil, Stephen B Pearl, Hayden Trenholm(M))

Autograph session 2:00PM – Stephen B. Pearl and Matthew Johnson

Powering the Future – Sun. 10 AM, Ballroom BC

You want to write a hard SF story set in 2100. How will your world be powered? Will it be technical urban/nuclear, or subsistence rural/ renewable or something in between. (Eric Choi(M), James Nicoll, Stephen B Pearl, David Stephenson)

Accents and Speech Patterns(M) – Sun. 11 PM Ballroom BC

When representing accents and ways of speaking in fiction some authors choose to add slang terms while others may write entire novels in a vernacular accent. When is it too much? Is it worth sacrificing readability for authenticity? Our panel will give tips, strategies and techniques for accurately representing speech in fiction. (Richard Baldwin, Erik Buchanan, Ian Keeling, Stephen B Pearl(M), Robert Charles Wilson)

Reading by Stephen B. Pearl 12:30pm - Stephen B. Pearl Pyramid Prize Lottery prizes awarded.

KaffeeKlatsch with Stephen B. Pearl 3:00pm - Stephen B. Pearl Pyramid Prize Lottery prizes awarded.

Looking forward to seeing you there. For more information about SFContario please visit : http://2011.sfcontario.ca/site . Last year it was great and there’s no reason this year should be even better.