It’s time! Time to make a programming proposal, and for you to participate in programming for Sirens. Here are our top six tips for getting ready, based on some common issues that we notice in proposals.

1. You should take a few minutes to look through the programming section of the Sirens website. If you’ve attended or presented before, this will refresh your memory and give you the chance to see if something you need to know has changed. If you’re a newbie, welcome, and we hope this provides you with plenty of preparation information.
    
2. Use fantasy as your frame. This is vital. No matter what topic you’d like to present on, you have to make clear how it relates to fantasy, and you have to do that explicitly in your abstract and summary. Explicitly might mean mentioning a fantasy book—or film! Or story!—in your summary, which is posted on the website and published in the program book, as well as including fantasy-specific information and examples in your abstract. Find out why.
    
3. Push beyond “101” on topics. There is always some room for beginner-level programming, especially if that topic hasn’t been explored at Sirens before or if it’s part of an ongoing, current conversation, because there are always new people finding out about and coming to Sirens who will appreciate the introduction. However, you will find that even new attendees can catch up quickly, and that everyone is seeking smart, savvy, thoughtful, challenging presentations to attend. Avoid repeating what has been presented before, unless it hasn’t been addressed in a long time, or unless you can update and extend the conversation. Plan to dig deep!
    
4. Carefully match your topic to a presentation style. For example, if you want to communicate a lot of information that your audience won’t necessarily have, you probably want a paper/lecture/talk or a workshop, rather than, say, a roundtable, where you’re posing questions for the audience to answer. You can find more information in our presentation guidelines, and we love nothing more than consulting before you turn in your proposal.
    
5. Write a strong summary and a thoughtful abstract. They are not the same thing! You can see examples of summaries in the conference archives, and an abstract is going to be a paragraph or two, or a lesson plan, or sample questions for a roundtable. We’ll be posting more help on abstracts in the coming weeks.
    
6. This year’s theme is lovers, and we encourage you to engage with that theme in proposals, which might mean exploring relationships, examining love, or pushing back against the very idea of the theme in fantasy. (We do hope that you’ll offer proposals on fantasy outside of this year’s theme as well, of course!)
    

If you have any questions about programming, we’re happy to help answer them. Write to us at (programming at sirensconference.org).

Cora Anderson
Hallie Tibbetts
Programming Coordinators
 

We’ve got about eight weeks before the programming proposal deadline of May 9, and…

Sirens is designed specifically as a space where you can discuss fantasy literature and its remarkable women. We hear you asking questions and having discussions, so we know you have something to say. It’s particularly great when you have something to share that’s related to women authors, characters, or professionals, or when it’s related to the Sirens theme for the year (this year, lovers!). We hope you also know that you can discuss fantasy more generally, as well as all topics that always—and should, and must—come up when we take a look at what we’re reading and writing, like gender, sexuality, diversity and intersectionality, politics, economics, business, art… We could go on, but that’s where you come in.

Most programming for Sirens is conceived and presented by attendees. You create it, you submit it, and—when approved by our vetting board—you present it. We’re able to support presentations in a number of styles; you can see more about what those are on the proposals page of the Sirens website.

While you’re pondering topics and presentation styles, please feel free to check out the entire programming section of the Sirens website, our 2016 suggested reading list, and the conference archives for inspiration. Keep an eye out for more helpful preparation information in the coming months.

And while you’re pondering, you might also like to know…

1. We ask you to submit proposals so that we can get an idea of what we need to plan for at the conference—and to help us get a sense of what people want to discuss. We hope the proposal process also helps you organize your thoughts!
    
2. The Sirens website has lots of information about how to prepare a proposal. If you have a question about any part of what you need to make a proposal, please don’t hesitate to email us; we love helping you put together something wonderful.
    
3. We have a vetting board choose presentations from among the proposals you make. The more proposals, the merrier! That said, we’d prefer that you focus on the proposal or two that’s closest to your heart; not only does the vetting board like to receive a thoughtful proposal, we like to see lots of people presenting once or twice, instead of one person presenting a dozen times.
    
4. If you’re saying oh, I couldn’t, we encourage you to say yes, I can! If you have more questions than answers, maybe you’d make a great moderator for a panel or roundtable discussion. If you feel more comfortable reading from prepared notes, consider a paper. If you have resources or a skill to share, consider a workshop or an afternoon class.
    
5. There are no “requirements” to be a presenter; anyone and everyone is welcome to make a proposal.
    
6. We’re here to help! Reach us at (programming at sirensconference.org).