Tag Archives: Janet Johnston

Janet Johnston at Worldcon in Helsinki

By Janet Johnston

I just returned from Worldcon 2017 in Helsinki, Finland.  It was the second largest Worldcon ever and it was wild! The crowd was so big the Program Committee had to scramble to engage extra space for the over 10,000 registrants.

Worldcon Panel, Janet Johnston, Helsinki
The crowd at one of Janet’s panels

I was on the agenda as the speaker/moderator for five panels that were attended by hundreds of fans.  Then I realized that I had also been designated as the moderator for the panel with biggest draw — the Guest of Honor.

The Big  Surprise

I was expecting to talk on panels with a maximum of 30 people in attendance but, boy, did I get surprised. There were a couple of hundred people at the “Right Stuff” panel and hundreds at the “Generation Ships Morality” panel. The other three panels had standing room only.

Janet with Brother Guy Consolmagno and Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren
Janet with Astronaut GOH, Dr. Kjell Lindgren, and Brother Guy Consolmagno, head of the Vatican Observatory

Also, David Clements got sick at the last minute and I ended up moderating some of the other hard SF panels I was on without any warning.

The photo at right is small but there I am with  Astronaut GOH, Dr. Kjell Lindgren, and Brother Guy Consolmagno, the head of the Vatican Observatory. We were on “The Right Stuff” panel discussion of what it takes for space exploration.

Janet Speaks on Two Boskone Panels

Boskone 54

Join our own Janet Johnston at Boskone 54, New England’s longest-running science fiction and fantasy convention. It’s being held this year  from February 17-19, 2017 at the Westin Waterfront hotel in Boston, MA

Janet’s Boskone 54 Panels

Janet will be speaking on two panels this year:

  • Earth 2.0: Manned Space Flight in the 21st Century
    Saturday 15:00 – 16:00, Burroughs (Westin)
    “From SpaceX orbital jaunts to interstellar travel, the practical boundaries of 21st-century manned space exploration are expanding with each new technical advance. What space flight possibilities have we got in the works today? What more might we achieve in the not-so-distant future? How about a little later out? What are our chances of reaching any of the potential New Earths?”
  • The Year in Astronomy and Physics
    Saturday 16:00 – 17:00, Burroughs (Westin)
    “An annual roundup of the latest research and discoveries in two sciences that matter. Our experts will share what’s new and interesting, cutting-edge and speculative. From planets to particles, and beyond!”

It’s going to be a fun weekend filled with discussions of books, films, art, music, gaming, and more.

For more information about Boskone by visiting The Boskone Blog, Boskone on Twitter, and Facebook as well as by going to the Boskone website to register.

Register Now

Janet Reads at Newburyport Literary Festival

NBPTJanet Johnston will be speaking at the Newburyport Literary Festival, which is being held on April 25 and 26 in various locations around the scenic waterfront town of Newburyport, MA.

Janet is joining an outstanding group of authors that includes Andre Dubus III, Hallie Ephron, Wally Lamb, Richard Russo and Claire Messud.

On the topic of speculative fiction, she will be reading from her novella, “Lune Bleue,” which was published in October of 2013 by Analog, the magazine of science fiction and fact. In this story, astronauts on a routine tour of a moon-base get much more than they bargained for.

Come and join the fun in Newburyport and listen to Janet read on Saturday, April 26 at 1:00 p.m. at The Book Rack. You’ll find it at 52 State Street.

@NBPTLit Fest

@AnalogMag