Quasar 2025 Round Up!

This year, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association hosted the very first Quasar Event: an online extension of the Nebula Conference. Quasar was a weekend of professional development for creators of all genres and in all formats that included panels, workshops, seminars, presentations, office hours, and even yoga/meditation (shout-out to Jennifer Hudak)!

I was absolutely thrilled to be invited to participate as a panelist at Quasar and even more delighted to attend many of the other events over the weekend. I didn’t get to everything I wanted to thanks to silly things like needing to eat and internet woes and being unable to time travel, but what I did participate in was educational, enlightening, and a whole ton of fun. I met a lot of new people, added another tower of stories and poems to my TBR, and got inspired to work on my own projects.

And, of course, I documented it all to share with you in a round up!

(The event where I was a panelist is marked with an asterisk*, and all event descriptions are taken from the Quasar program schedule.)

Opening Act

Poetry by Brandon O’Brien & Greetings from SFWA Director Isis Asare
Key Takeaways:

• We should all be reading O’Brien’s speculative poetry. They have so much joy and passion for the form, and their poems are simply amazing.

Contract Need-to-Knows for a Challenging Year in Industry

Moderator: Victoria Strauss
Speakers: Alice Speilburg and Natascha Morris
Description: In a year that has brought us many major industry discussions around AI piracy, merch clauses, moral rights waivers, copyright, and rights reversion, it’s time for seasoned and early professionals alike to empower ourselves and one another.
Key Takeaways:

• A contract is there for a worst case scenario and should reflect that accordingly.

  • Mindset: what if your worst enemy took over the publication. How would you want the contract to protect you and your work in that scenario?

• There should be equal responsibility placed on both the author and the publishers, ex: if the author is held to a deadline, then so should the publisher.

• Think of your contract as the story for your work, where it will go and what will happen to it once it leaves your hands.

• When in doubt: ASK. Ask your network, ask the publisher.

• Know your lines in the sand and be ready and willing to walk away. It will be okay.

*Centering Wellness as Creators

Moderator: Catherine Tavares (it me!)
Speakers: Eugen Bacon, Vanessa Ricci-Thode, Scott Edelman, and Catherine Tavares (it me still!)
Description: One of the most important lessons writers learn over their careers is adaptation. There is no “one size fits all” for creative success, especially when each of us has a different relationship to disability, illness, and neuro-variation. What happens when that relationship is further changed mid-stream? When something that worked for you for years is now affected by new challenges? For Quasar, SFF creators share their experiences with adjusted workflows, and offer insight into centering wellness all along.
Key Takeaways:

• Take up other hobbies besides writing to fill the well.

• Everything can be a part of your writing process—your whole life experience contributes to your creativity.

• Your mind thrives on what you feed it.

• Find a solid community and surround yourself with the people in it.

Science Fact in Science Fiction: Getting It Right in SFF

Moderator: Kemi Ashing-Gawa
Speakers: Julie Nováková, Steven D. Brewer, Gabrielle K. Byrne, and Bert-Oliver Boehmer.
Description: We’ve come a long way since early commercial science fiction, which boasted scientific components that were often wedged in as heavy-handed asides to the plot. Now, we still have SFF writers who can rock a good scientific tangent, and others who have subtler strategies for depicting scientific concepts well in their speculative prose. In this opening panel for Quasar: Day 2, we’re thrilled to talk with accomplished SFF writers who have differently blended fact in fiction. Join us to figure out which approach is right for you!
Key Takeaways:

• Science as a profession/action/pursuit is rarely depicted in SF.

• There is always something at stake with science, especially personally and professionally. It doesn’t have to be world-shaking stakes.

• Three layers of science in SF: the mundane/recognizable, the spec elements grounded in reality, and the far-out fictional stuff.

• Don’t forget about the social sciences!!! Those count for SF, too.

Science Fiction in Science Fact: Myth-Busting with the National Association of Science Writers

Moderator: Takara Small
Speakers: Corey Powell, Jane C. Hu, and Tara C. Smith
Description: Nonfiction science writers love a good tall tale as much as anyone – but that doesn’t mean they don’t wince when a beloved subfield is poorly represented in SFF! So here’s a terrific opportunity, brought to us by the brilliant minds at the National Association of Science Writers, for speculative writers to sharpen their game. Join moderator Takara Small, in conversation with Corey Powell, Jane C. Hu, and Tara C. Smith to shake off misconceptions about a number of key scientific concepts for our most far-ranging and “out there” prose.
Key Takeaways:

• Bad science and bad storytelling are often the same thing.

• Collective intelligence plays a huge role in real science, and the One Genius to Rule Them All doesn’t hold water in real life or for characters.

• Truth is strange and weird and ripe for spec interpretation and use.

• Many researchers are quite open to be approached and interviewed for consults on their field.

  • Do your homework first to make sure they are willing and able and respect the boundaries they set.

  • Meta level insights into the culture behind science is also really useful for writing SF.

Poetry, Flash, & the Power of Hybrid Storytelling

Moderator: Wendy Van Camp
Speakers: Mary Soon Lee, Brian U. Garrison, Gwynne Garfinkle, and Jennifer Hudak
Description: Where does “the poetic” begin and end? What differentiates a prose poem from flash fiction? And why are we so hung up on dividing lines in genre in the first place – and not on the power of hybrid storytelling? In this panel, members of SFWA’s Poetry Committee are in conversation with a dynamic creator of flash and other experimental SFF forms, to explore the liminal in speculative writing – and to encourage fellow writers to make full use of whatever medium best reflects the idea they wish to convey.
Key Takeaways:

• Poetry is an utterance; prose about ramifications across time and actions.

  • Poetry is more welcome to letting go of the need for a resolution or a narrative.

• Form can help you display a new POV or a new angle of a character or story arc.

• Creating friction between a title and a poem forces the reader to stop and think about the poem differently and adds layers of meaning to the work.

• Blackout poetry! It’s a thing! And it’s cool!

Keynote

Speakers: Kate Ristau, Nicola Griffith, and Lois McMaster Bujold
Description: Grandmasters Lois McMaster Bujold and Nicola Griffith join SFWA’s President, Kate Ristau, in conversation – followed by an exciting announcement about the 2026 Nebulas!
Key Takeaways:

• “It doesn’t pay to be impatient.” —Nicola Griffith

  • have an idea and let it sit and grow and wait for it to beg to be written/start writing itself.

• Nested avoidance behavior—avoid working on anything by working on everything!

• Never let anyone tell you what does and does not sell.

• N.K. Jemisin is the new Grand Master!!!

It’s a Scream: Writing Horror Across the Ages

Moderator: Michael Solis
Speakers: Tracey Baptiste, Rob Costello, Maxwell Gold, and Scott Edelman
Description: Horror and dark fantasy are having a real time to shine in middle grade and young adult fiction—but we all know the love of scary transcends age. Check out this discussion of how to make the story scary. What tricks and tips do authors use? How do they know it’s scary enough—or when it might be too scary? Whether an author is amplifying suspense, giving gothic flair, or just plain spilling blood across the floor, attendees are sure to shiver hearing these authors share their experience of writing scary.
Key Takeaways:

• Horror can be less about fear and more about trauma and survival.

• Horror is innately transgressive.

• As a reader, we should worry about the character—if they’ll live, if they’ll get their happy ending, what kind of fate awaits the consequences of their actions and the actions of others.

• Focus on what is horrific to the character, not to the reader.

  • Let the reader feel the character’s fear and make it their own.

I want to end with a huge shout-out of thanks. I had so much fun participating. Massive thanks to SFWA for hosting the event and inviting me to be a part of it, the SFWA Flight Crew that was working behind the scenes (Wen Wen Yang was the tech genius behind my panel. Thank you Wen Wen!), my fellow panelists and presenters, and to everyone who participated online, in the chats, and over on Discord. Thank you!

SFWA is a great organization full of resources for creators across genres and formats, and much of their website is free to access, no membership required. Please check out the work they are doing in the industry that goes far beyond the Nebula conference.