Westeros

It’s just two weeks to the Dublin 2019 Worldcon, and three weeks to Titancon, Eurocon 2019, and there’s a lot of things to see as both conventions have now published their schedules. Below, we’re going to list appearances, events, panels, and so on featuring George (who actually has one public event taking place before Worldcon) as well as Linda and I, and others who have worked with him in adapting or illustrating his work at one time or another, or otherwise have some connection to the larger universe of Martin’s work. Among these others are the artists John Picacio, Charles Vess, and Raya Golden, actor Miltos Yerolemou

August 8

• A sold out event at the Emmanuel Centre in London, presented by Waterstones and featuring George R.R. Martin discussing Fire and Blood

Worldcon Events
Thursday, August 15

• 14:00 Wild Cards: Wild West Trivia - The Wild Cards superhero series encompasses anthologies, mosaic novels, and solo novels, written by over forty authors across more than thirty years. George R. R. Martin and three teams of Wild Cards authors embark on an epic Wild West Trivia contest. Who knows what will happen? (George R.R. Martin (M), Mary Anne Mohanraj, Carrie Vaughn, Paul Cornell, Charles Stross, Peadar Ó Guilín)
• 16:00 George R.R. Martin Autograph Session #1 (of 2)
• 16:30 The art of John Picacio - Hugo Award-winning artist John Picacio has created bestselling book cover art for works by George R. R. Martin, Michael Moorcock, Ian McDonald, Dan Simmons, Sheri Tepper, Joe R. Lansdale, and many more. He’ll answer questions from the audience and present a brand-new slideshow of his work and process. He’ll reveal his latest covers and product artworks, and share a few super-secret sneak peeks into what he’s currently working on.
• 17:00 Autographs: Linda Antonsson, Elio García Jr., Melissa Caruso, Tasha Suri, Amy McCulloch, Karl Schroeder (this will be the easiest time to get The World of Ice and Fire signed by us, but we’re open to signing for anyoen who asks provided we’re not in a hurry to be somewhere!)

Friday, August 16

• 14:00 An interview with Parris McBride and George R. R. Martin - Parris McBride and George R. R. Martin sit down for a conversation. Please join them as they chat about their lives in science fiction and fandom.

Saturday, August 17

• 10:30 The cost of comics: what format works best? - Roy of the Rovers went from a weekly strip to a book and is now being relaunched as quarterly graphic novels. Shonen Jump (the world’s most famous weekly comic) is moving to a free online model with downloads on subscription. As costs increase for individual issues, should we move to larger publications released at longer intervals? Is it possible to balance what is best for readers, creators, and publishers? (Raya Golden, artist/writer of adaptations of Martin’s Meathouse Man and Starport)
• 12:00 Building the SFF community online - What practices help with – or work against – building an online community for SFF fans and creators to enable us to support, strengthen, and celebrate each other? How does social media fit into this, and what pitfalls does it present? Our panellists will discuss building structures that can support their members and resist trolls and other organised online disruptions. (Christopher Davis (M), Heather Rose Jones, Kat Tanaka Okopnik, fromankyra, Elio García Jr.)
• 12:30 Artists and authors collaborating- Comics are an inherently collaborative medium. Join our panellists to talk about the creative give-and-take, the differing and perhaps overlapping responsibilities of the author and the artist, and how to juggle all these balls under a strict deadline! (Francesca T Barbini (M), Paul Cornell, Sana Takeda, Raya Golden)
• 14:00 George R.R. Martin Autograph Session #2 (of 2)
• 15:30 Graphic novel adaptations of genre work - Is there such a thing as a good adaptation of a pure prose text? While some people argue that movies can never live up to the reader’s imagination, graphic novels have fewer limits and can add a significant visual element to our favourite genre literature. But they still might not look ‘right’, and a picture might not always be worth losing a thousand words. Join us to consider the challenges! (Holly Black (M), Victoria “V.E.” Schwab, Gail Carriger, Raya Golden)
• 15:30 Charles Vess Autograph Session - Vess illustrated the Subterranean Press A Storm of Swords limited edition.
• 17:00 Winter came Panel 50 minutes CCD: Wicklow Room-4 It’s over. Let’s talk about how it ended: what worked, what didn’t, and what the legacy and influence of Game of Thrones is likely to be. (Laura Antoniou (M), Marina Berlin, Mr Adam Whitehead, Charlie Jane Anders, Linda Antonsson)
• 20:00 Forbidden Planet at the IFI – with GRRM Media 150 minutes Other: Fringe George R. R. Martin will attend a screening of the classic SF film Forbidden Planet (1965) at the Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Temple Bar, Dublin: ‘A starship crew investigates the silence of a planet’s colony, only to discover two survivors – and a deadly secret.’ After the screening Maura McHugh will be in conversation with George R. R. Martin about his love for the film and its impact on him and his writing. This event is separately ticketed via the IFI and is completely sold out. (Maura McHugh (M), George R.R. Martin)

Sunday, August 18

• 10:30 Robert Silverberg Autograph Session - Silverberg edited the Legends anthologies in which “The Hedge Knight” and “The Sworn Sword” were first published.
• 11:30 Interview with Charles Vess - The hugely accomplished artist talks about his life and career in a one-to-one interview with William Simpson. Charles Vess is an award-winning illustrator and a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Artist. From his work on Sandman with Neil Gaiman and his covers for Charles de Lint to the beautifully illustrated volume of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Books of Earthsea, Charles’s art spans not only book covers but comics as well. (Vess is being interviewed by William Simpson, illustrator known for his storyboard work on Game of Thrones)
• 14:00 Will Simpson Autuograph Session - Noted comic book illustrator and storyboard artist, Simpson has worked on the storyboards for Game of Thrones from the very beginning.
• 15:00 Creating healthy fannish communities - Gatekeeping and other toxic behaviours are easy to slip into and unfortunately have become entrenched in some fan communities. What can we do to combat these and, more importantly, prevent them from becoming dominant in the first place? Our panellists will strategise ways to keep these behaviours from taking root, so that we can have the positive, accepting, and diverse fan cultures that we deserve. (Meg Frank (M), Elio García Jr., Bruno Puelles, Michi Trota)

Monday, August 19

• 14:00 GRRM: the Irish connections Talk 80 minutes CCD: Liffey-B (Second Stage) George R. R. Martin and Parris McBride Martin look at the connections in Ireland that the Martins have fostered, encouraged, and helped to create. They are joined by Wild Cards writer Peadar Ó Guilín and Game of Thrones storyboard artist William Simpson, moderated by Colm Lundberg. (Mr. Colm Lundberg (M), George R.R. Martin, William Simpson, Peadar Ó Guilín)

Titancon Events
Friday, August 23

• 13:00 George R.R. Martin Autograph Session
• 17:00 Water Dancing Workshop I - Learn the arts of swordplay from the First Sword of Braavos himself, Miltos Yerolemou (Ticketed event)

Saturday, August 24

• 9:30 Water Dancing Workshop II - Learn the arts of swordplay from the First Sword of Braavos himself, Miltos Yerolemou (Ticketed event)
• 12:00 Weapons of Westeros - From Valryain steel blades to anti-aircraft ballistate, a look at the many and varied weapons to be found in A Song of Ice and Fire (QelDoQ (M), Zoë Sumra, Miltos Yerolemou, Lincoln Peters M)
• 14:00 GRRM panel, with George R.R. Martin
• 15:00 Where next for Westeros? - The series may be over, but with HBO’s companion series in the pipeline, there’s plenty more to see in Westeros. Discussion and speculation will abound! Mr Adam Whitehead (The Wertzone/Atlas of Ice and Fire), Mr Peadar Ó Guilín (M), Ashaya (History of Westeros), Elio García Jr. (Westeros.org), Aziz (History of Westeros)