Author: Sue Burke

You’ll be able to find me in a variety of places at Capricon 42, a four-day science fiction convention held annually in the Chicagoland area. This year it will be from February 3 to 6 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk hotel downtown — in person with proof of vaccination and a high-quality mask. (Also with a virtual component. See you there, too!)

You can find me on some panels, and I’ll wander through the dealer’s room and art show looking for unique purchases. In the evening, I hope to pop into a few parties to meet old friends and make new ones. If you’re at Capricon, say hello!

My schedule:

How to Moderate Panels, Missouri Room, Friday, 2:00 p.m. Great moderation can make the difference between a mediocre panel and a fantastic one. Janice Gelb, moderator; Sue Burke, Helen Montgomery, Brother Guy Consolmagno.

Writing Serial Fiction, Huron Room, Friday, 6:00 p.m. Serialization has come to dominate many corners of science fiction and fantasy. What unique challenges does it present and how can they be managed or even used to make a work better? Mark Huston, moderator; Bob J. Koester, Kathryn Sullivan, Sue Burke.

Regional/International Fandom, Missouri Room, Saturday, 1:00 p.m. Hear about different fan cultures across North America and throughout the world from fans who live in places outside Chicagoland. Janice Gelb, moderator; Sue Burke, Alexander von Thorn.

We Can (Can We?) Fix Global Warming! Superior Room, Saturday, 2:00 p.m. Geoengineering, large-scale deliberate changes to the atmosphere (etc.) to deal with global warming, is almost a taboo topic in environmental circles, often met with open hostility. What are the possibilities, why are they so unpopular, and can we really avoid needing them? Sue Burke, moderator; Chris Gerrib, Brother Guy Consolmagno.

Whose Hero’s Journey? Erie Room, Saturday, 4:00 p.m. The Hero’s Journey is a storytelling staple. But to what extent does it encode a male point of view? People criticize the protagonists of Mulan and Captain Marvel for being “Mary Sues” who didn’t work to achieve their powers. Men get told to roll up their sleeves and work their way to the top while women have to struggle to be heard and recognized for their contributions. Is the Hero’s Journey fantasy for women about the fight to be acknowledged for the power they already possess? Maria Schrater, moderator; Karen Herkes, Ada Palmer, Sue Burke, Jeana Jorgensen, Michi Trota.

How I Wrote This, Erie Room, Sunday, 12:00 noon. A panel of authors will describe the path of a work of fiction from idea to first draft, second draft, beta reader, more drafts, and finally publication. Where did the idea come from and how did the storytelling take shape? Here’s a chance to look at how inspiration intersects with craft in real life. Maria Schrater, moderator; Sue Burke, Brendan Detzner, John Everson, Cassandra R. Moritz, Chris Gerrib.

I’ll be participating in the second annual online Stabbycon convention at r/fantasy at Reddit. Specifically, I’ll be on the February 1 panel about “Unusual Biology.” It should open around noon.

If you’re a redditor, drop in, join the discussion, and, as is the Reddit way, ask questions somewhat relevant to the panel topic.

If you don’t know much about Reddit, it’s a text-based social media site. What I love are the lively, unpredictable conversations. You can find plenty of humor, lots of comradery, and occasional glimpses of wisdom. I don’t post much, but I lurk regularly and sometimes upvote.

I’ve discovered that one more work of mine appeared in 2021, a republication of my translation into English of the short story “Francine (draft for the September lecture)” by Maria Antònia Martí Escayol, at Apex Magazine on December 28. This evocative, haunting story will make you wonder what’s real: after Renée Descartes’s daughter dies, he and his fellow scientists try to bring her back to life using 17th-century science.

As a reminder, here are my works that were first published in 2021 (and eligible for awards):

Immunity Index, a novel, published by Tor (read an excerpt). It’s about a coronavirus epidemic, but a much better one than our own covid-19 — because it’s over at the end of the book. Also, the novel includes a very loveable woolly mammoth.

“Embracing the Movement” by Cristina Jurado, which I translated into English, published in Clarkesworld Magazine’s June 2021 edition. The original short story, “Abrazar el movimiento,” won Spain’s Ignotus Award for Best Short Story 2021, the equivalent of a Hugo Award. The story’s lush prose hides horror.

Two of my short works were republished in 2021:

“Who Won the Battle of Arsia Mons,” a novelette about robots in a fight to the death on Mars, in Clarkesworld Year Twelve: Volume One (Clarkesworld Anthology).

“In the Weeds,” a short story about plants fighting climate change, in Over the Edge Again: The Edgy Writers Anthology. Other members of the Edgy Writers Critique Group shared some thoughts about their stories in these posts: “Sport” by Z Jeffries, and “Wild Heart” by Samuel Durr.

Wildfires have a “30-30-30 Rule”: they most likely burn when temperatures are above 30C/86F, winds are above 30 kph/18.6 mph, and humidity is below 30%. That threshold is being crossed more often lately.

What does this mean to trees? If we talked to them, we might learn their stories before the disaster.

The eucalyptus grove, planted for cellulose but abandoned when prices fell, has grown old and resin-rich, and now its denizens live in fear.

Cork oaks know that their bark, if left unharvested, will save them from small fires, but rarely do they get to keep their precious bark.

Lofty holm oaks hope they have grown higher than the flames will reach, but how can they be sure?

Some pines live fast, die young, and don’t care; a fire will open their cones for the next generation.

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Photo by John McColgan, Bureau of Land Management, public domain. It’s sometimes called Elk Bath, and was taken on August 6, 2000, in the Bitterroot National Forest, Montana. It was one of Time Magazine’s Photographs of the Year 2000.

I had a few things published in 2021.

Immunity Index, a novel, published by Tor.

Library Journal gave it a starred review: “★ This dystopian biothriller reads like a 21st-century version of Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain, crossed with George Orwell’s 1984. The clone sisters and their creator each provide alternating perspectives of a chaotic world and evince that individuals can make a difference. The story they tell is hopeful, heartbreaking, and compelling at every turn. Highly recommended for readers of dystopian science fiction or political technothrillers.”

Publishers Weekly: “Burke endows her characters with distinct personalities and conjures a frighteningly real sense of national destabilization as events spiral out of their control.…This hits close to home.”

Amazon named it one of the best SFF books for May, and Bustle recommended it as one of the 40 best books out in May.

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“Embracing the Movement” by Cristina Jurado, which I translated, published in Clarkesworld Magazine’s June 2021 edition. The original story, “Abrazar el movimiento,” won Spain’s Ignotus Award for Best Short Story 2021, the equivalent of a Hugo Award. (Yay, Cristina!)

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Two of my short works were republished in 2021:

“Who Won the Battle of Arsia Mons,” a novelette about robots in a fight to the death on Mars, in Clarkesworld Year Twelve: Volume One (Clarkesworld Anthology).

“In the Weeds,” a short story about plants fighting climate change, in Over the Edge Again: The Edgy Writers Anthology.

Some of my houseplants have names. Steve, the lucky bamboo, was named by my sister-in-law. Coy is the aspiring gingko bonsai that does not reveal its growth plans. Swamp Thing is a palm tree native to wetlands. Bambino is literally its name: Alocasia amazonica ‘Bambino.’

The basil plants and scallions have no names — because we eat them, and they shouldn’t be treated as pets. I was taught this by my paternal grandfather, Peter Burke, who grew up on a farm. When the time came for his family to eat Hardhead, the beloved calf, no one could bear to kill it, even though they were hard-scrabble poor. They had to trade it for an anonymous calf from another family.

Food is best thought of as food. I trim back some of my plants with names to keep them healthy and well shaped. Cutting up Helen and eating it would be a step too far.

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Growing herbs and vegetables is a delicious way to justify a house full of plants. In fact, my husband jokes that they’re all I should grow. Scallions are especially easy:

Buy a bunch of scallions, also called green onions, at the grocery store. Choose a bunch that looks healthy and has relatively long roots. Chop off the white part with an inch or two of the green leaves, and put them in water. (Eat the rest.) The roots will grow, and you can plant them in soil. They like lots of sunshine and moist soil. Eventually, you can harvest the plants, and if you only take the mature leaves, you’ll have fresh green onions forever.

Among my houseplants, large and small, is this little tillandsia, probably a Tillandsia ionantha, also known as an air plant. I got it several years ago, either at a local plant shop or the grocery store’s flower department.

It’s easy to grow. Just dunk it or spray it with water once or twice a week. It doesn’t have roots to absorb water, although it might sprout roots to try to grab onto things. I saw this kind of tillandsia growing on tree branches in Mexico. At home, you can set the plant inside a pretty glass or on a plate, rock, or chunk of bark. It likes lots of sunlight.

And, every few years, it will bloom. Flowers will emerge from the center of the rosette of leaves, and the leaves may turn pink to attract pollinators. Then, slowly, it will die back, but the plant will normally grow offsets of more rosettes, so life goes on.

My tillandsia has just bloomed, right in time for the holidays, so my decorating woes have been solved. Behold these small but superb flowers!

I’ll be at C2E2, the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, which will be held December 10 to 12 at McCormick Place on the lakefront here in Chicago. It’s one of the nerd highlights of the year, and it may draw 50,000 people — wear your mask and get your vaccine or covid test to attend.

I’ll be on two panels:

Beyond the Stars: Worldbuilding in Science Fiction, Friday, December 10, 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Location: S405B. The greatest science fiction is all about grappling with the question: what else is there? Whether it’s exploring far-off galaxies or looking ahead to our tomorrow, these authors have seen what is and looked beyond to what could be. Join them as they discuss how they created whole new worlds that still feel real and relatable, and what issues they hoped to confront while leaving the present behind. Guests: Timothy Zahn, Delilah S. Dawson, J.S. Dewes, Sue Burke.

I’ll be signing books from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop, Booth 1049

Women in Sci-Fi, Saturday, December 11, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Location: S405B. Join two friends and sci fi authors as they discuss their new books, their writing tips, their favorites of the genre, and more. J.S. Dewes, Sue Burke.

I’ll be signing books from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Anderson’s Bookshop, Booth 1049.

Finally, I’ll be volunteering both afternoons at the Science Fiction Outreach Project, Booth 1865. We will be giving away information about science fiction — and free books for all ages! Come anytime and choose a free book to take home.

This fippokat has read and enjoyed my most recent novel, Immunity Index. Books make an excellent Christmas gift for others and for yourself!

Windycon, Chicagoland’s longest-running science fiction convention, is back in person for 2021! This year’s theme is “Urban Fantastic.”

Windycon 47 will be held from Friday to Sunday, November 12 to 14, at the Westin Lombard Yorktown Center in Lombard, Illinois. At its core, it’s a literary-based convention, but we’ll also enjoy games, costumes, art, filk and other music, science, poetry, anime, a dealer’s room, theater, and miscellaneous fooling around.

Last year’s Windycon was canceled due to covid complications, and this year masks and other restrictions will be required — and for me, welcome. We can see our friends again and be safe doing it.

Due to restrictions, there will be fewer panels this year. I’ll be on this one:

Representation of Space in Science Fiction in Lilac B/D room, Saturday, November 13, at 1 p.m.: Few settings in science fiction have received as much attention or excited the imagination as much as outer space. Our panelists discuss the different ways that space has been portrayed. AJ Rocca (moderator), Toni Lichtenstein Bogolub, Sue Burke, John O’Neill.

Personally, I think the show that gets it the most right is Doctor Who. Don’t start me on Star Wars…

I imagine the usually lively evening party scene will be a bit chilled, but I’ll be at the party Friday and Saturday night starting at 9 p.m. in Room 1421, hosted by Capricon, Chicago’s other major convention (February 3 to 6, 2022), and by Chicon 8, the World Science Fiction Convention (September 1 to 5, 2022). Come enjoy some refreshments and chat about the coming year in local and world fandom.