What programming topic do you wish someone would present at Sirens?

I love anime and manga. I really hope that someone proposes topics that are either focused on anime and manga, or has topics where anime and manga are included. I do enjoy how Sirens doesn’t treat any genre or storytelling form as less-than. Stories with pictures are awesome!

 
If you’ve attended Sirens more than once, why did you decide to come back to Sirens?

I’m addicted. Sirens gives me a place to relax and rejuvenate myself as a reader and writer, spurring me forward for the next year to push harder as a diverse reader and budding writer. Pretty much it crams a university-level education in women in fantasy over a weekend without the harshness of grades, incompatible professors who look down on genre, and contradictory students.

 
Tell us about a Sirens Guest of Honor that you’ve found particularly inspiring.

I have found many of the Sirens Guests of Honor to be inspiring. But if I am going to go off keynote speeches, Alaya Dawn Johnson blew me away in year 5. Articulate and thought-provoking, her talk really opened my eyes to things I had been missing in terms of reading and writing, life and diversity.

 
What is your favorite part of Sirens?

Every year is a bit different. Some years, I fall in love with the Bedtime Stories. Other years, the ball delights me. But every year, the quality of the programming and keynotes gives me creative energy for the year to come.

–Kate Larking