Programming Update
First, thank you to everyone who submitted a programming proposal this year! Whether your proposal was chosen for 2010 or not, please know that our staff and the vetting board appreciated that all of you offered up so many enticing ideas. We’re looking forward to this year’s conference sessions and the discussions they will spark among attendees!

All notices about proposals were e-mailed by June 1. If you’ve checked your inbox and bulk folder and yours is missing, please write to (programming at sirensconference.org) with your proposal title to have your status letter sent again.

Finally, it’s not too early to start planning for next year. You’ve got time to start researching that topic, to refine your abstract, to plan that workshop, or to generate discussion questions. The proposal submissions system will open again this autumn, and we’ll offer a session at Sirens this October designed to help you plan for 2011.

Accepted Proposals
As presenters register and confirm their participation at Sirens, we’ll be adding their presentations to the accepted proposals page on the Sirens website. Keep an eye out here to see what will be on the programming schedule, which will be available in August.

Guests of Honor Summer Book Discussions
Over the next few months, we’ll be discussing works by our 2010 Guests of Honor. We’ll be posting weekly discussion topics on our LiveJournal according to the schedule below, and everyone is welcome to stop by and offer thoughts, whether you plan to attend Sirens this year or not.

June: Holly Black’s Tithe (first three weeks), and Kin and Kith (last two weeks)

July: Terri Windling’s The Changeling and A Midsummer Night’s Faery Tale (first two weeks), and some of the works that she has edited (last two weeks)

August: Marie Brennan’s Midnight Never Come (all four weeks)

Books and Breakfast
Speaking of books, we’ll be hosting our Books and Breakfast program again this year. After last year’s rousing success, with attendees showing up to discuss books they’d never read, how could we not? Like last year, all attendees are welcome to grab their own breakfasts and join a group to discuss influential, controversial and fun faery literature spanning new works and old favorites. Here is the schedule, and if you’d like some help choosing a book or two to read, just let us know!

Friday, October 8:
Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope
Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Saturday:
Ash by Malinda Lo
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
Tam Lin by Pamela Dean
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Sirens Chat
Our next chat is scheduled for this weekend. General chatter, book discussions, and Sirens questions are all welcome, and we’ll be ready with plot summaries and thoughts on our Books and Breakfast books. This one is a morning chat in the U.S., and we’ll continue move them around so that people in different parts of the world can join in.

DATE: Saturday, June 12
TIME: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Eastern/10 a.m.-noon Central/9-11 a.m. Mountain/8-10 a.m. Pacific
LOCATION: www.sirensconference.org/chat/

You don’t need to download anything or have any special software to participate; the webpage will turn into a chat room when the chat begins.

Sirens Supper
If you’ll be in Vail prior to the start of Sirens on Thursday, October 7, please feel free to join us for our staff dinner on Wednesday, October 6. (The conference shuttle is scheduled to run that day, as well as on Thursday, if you need a ride to Vail.) The western-style buffet will start at 7:00 p.m., and we have only eight places still available! The buffet costs $60, which includes food, non-alcoholic drinks, and gratuity, and offerings on the buffet usually feature several entrée options such as local fish and steak; soup, salad and sides; and a variety of desserts. You may add this option with a new registration or via the change registration link on the left side of the registration page. We had a blast at last year’s Sirens Supper, and we hope you’ll be able to join us this year!

Quick Links
The Sirens Website and Tell a Friend
Registration
Travel
Become a Supporter
Read the FAQ

For More Information
Please feel free to contact us at (help at sirensconference.org). We’re happy to answer any questions you might have. You can leave general questions in the comments here as well.

We hope to see you in Vail!