Although SFF written and translated into English is growing in diversity and prominence, there are still rich worlds of SFF that are beyond the Anglocentric markets of North America and the UK. What narratives and structures do these international writing communities use? What do their publishing landscapes look like, and what relationships do they have with the Anglophone world? How do writers from “the rest of the world” negotiate their careers between their local literary landscapes and the dominance of Anglocentric publishing?

Publishing Trends. At a recent LGBTQ+ meetup at an SFF convention, the attendees made a list of their favorite recent queer SFF books, webcomics, and shows, and after an hour, the list was still growing. Even as books are getting banned, and anti-trans and homophobic legislation is on the rise in the USA (and elsewhere), an explosion is happening within our genre — and from the major publishers! Thirty years ago you could list every queer SFF book in a single 200-page book. Now, that number is published every year in indie publishing, with scads of new titles coming from major imprints as well. Books like Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, and even Chuck Tingle’s Camp Damascus span styles and themes and genres. How did we get here and how do we keep it going?

In genres filled with magic, monsters, and epic battles, death is an ever-present theme. Join a panel of speculative fiction authors as they explore the delicate balance of handling mortality in fiction. They’ll delve into the challenges and opportunities of portraying death and dying with sensitivity, death, and emotional resonance.