The NYCC LGBTQIA+ Sci-Fi Fantasy Love Panel was held in the first-floor literary group room, bringing together three emerging writers emory robin (The stars are immortal), Gentle Ducey (Magic and Little Magic), and km enright (mistress of lies).
The panel discussion began with the moderator asking three panelists about their first experience encountering LGBTQIA+ characters in science fiction and fantasy novels. Ducey and Enright both reference fan fiction, while Robin references historical drama lion in winter. As an attendee hoping to see a discussion of the history of LGBTQIA+ representation in genre fiction, this opening successfully redefined my expectations for the panel.
The authors go on to discuss different aspects of their work. Discussing the appeal of science fiction and fantasy, Robin noted that readers crave experiences that have elements of escapism but reflect their lived experiences, including the impact of patriarchy and homophobia. Enright agreed, adding that’s the beauty of SFF.
After fifteen minutes of Q&A by the moderator, the panel began to take questions from the attendees. When asked why she wanted to write LGBTQIA+ characters in novels, Robin said, “I don’t think straight people are very interesting,” to laughter from the audience, while Enright said, “There was a strong ‘why not’ Elements of it,” Ducey said, “I never thought about writing anything else.
The authors discuss their writing process, book recommendations, and their favorite titles from research for the novel. Ducey said that playing Dungeons and Dragons every week helped her figure out the logical details of her narrative, and that her main inspirations for writing cozy fantasy novels were Howl’s Moving Castle and The Jungle Book. .
In offering advice to aspiring writers, Ducey’s advice was: “The wider you can live, the wider you can write.” Enright, who worked in publishing before becoming a writer, told the audience Remember that everyone is human and be generous with deadlines and response times. All three authors stress the importance of having a support network and having people read your work before publishing it.
Ducey’s novel, Magic and Little Magica queer comfort fantasy featuring rival lovers. Robin’s novel, The stars are immortala sapphire space opera retelling the life of Cleopatra. Enright’s mistress of lies is a polyamorous dark fantasy about vampires.
The three authors just recently published their debut novel, Maiga Doocy’s Magic and Little Magic Released on October 15, less than a week before NYCC. Although the panel’s description and title seemed to suggest a celebration of LGBTQIA+ love stories in science fiction and fantasy, the focus of the panel was on promoting these new works, and neither the panelists nor the moderator seemed prepared for it. I believe that future groups will be more enriched once these authors gain more experience.
Stay tuned for more coverage of NYCC ’24 beat.
