Missoula's Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention

Manny Frishberg

MisCon 40 Attending Professional

Manny Frishberg has been making up stories since he first stared out a window. He spent the first half of his life learning how to write them and the second half learning what to write about, He is now spending the third half of his life making up stories, just like when he was eight years old.

Scheduled Panels and Games:

Key: =On a Panel =Moderating =GMing

(Tentative)

• Thu 6:00 - 6:50 PM, What AI and Large Language Models Can and Can't Do, Monster Tent
  Panelists: Manny Frishberg

  Let's take a look at the abilities and limitations of today's LLM artificial intelligence.

• Break Thu 6:50 - Fri 1:00
• Fri 1:00 - 1:50 PM, Informal Author Meet & Greet: Speedfriending Edition, Dragon Pavilion
  Moderator: Justin Barba; Panelists: Justin Barba, Jessica Brawner, C E Chester, Stoney Compton, Katie Cross, Laramie Dean, Jayel Draco, Manny Frishberg, James Glass, Lynsey Griswold (Lynsey G), Rhiannon Held, GS Jennsen, Esther Jones, Frog Jones, Sanan Kolva, Tess Langston, Todd Lockwood, Joseph Malik, Tod McCoy, Danith McPherson, Theresa Miller, Gwendolyn Nix, AM Scott, Steven L Sears, D.L. Solum, Jeff Sturgeon, Patrick Swenson: Fairwood Press, Hunter Kay Wallace, Dean Wells, Danica Winters, Jim Wright (Stonekettle), Matthew Yetter

  If you want to get to know some of MisCon 40's writers/editors, this is the place for you! It's like speed dating, but without the romance. We'll provide lists of question prompts to help break the ice (though you can ask whatever you want), split everyone into pairs, and run quick 3 to 5-minute rounds before rotating to a new conversation partner. Come swap stories, talk art, movies, anime, pop culture, and make a new connection.

• Break Fri 1:50 - Fri 3:00
• Fri 3:00 - 3:50 PM, Talk to the Aliens? , Great Hall 2
  Panelists: Manny Frishberg

  People have been communicating with ASL-signing great apes and talking parrots for decades, but we have yet to decode the language(?) of elephants, whales or other large-brained animals. So, why should we think we'll be able to converse with aliens, and what can we learn from bonobos, elephants and dolphins (among others)?

• overbooked
• Fri 3:00 - 3:50 PM, Who Needs an Editor?, Dragon Pavilion
  Panelists: Manny Frishberg, Lynsey Griswold (Lynsey G), Gwendolyn Nix

  What exactly do editors do? Let's discuss the different types of editing (developmental, line, copy, proofreading etc), what editors look for in a manuscript, and how a good editor helps authors refine their voices and strengthen their narratives.

• Fri 4:00 - 4:50 PM, Magic System Design, Great Hall 3
  Panelists: Manny Frishberg, Rhiannon Held, AM Scott, Matthew Yetter

  Magic is a cornerstone of fantasy, but what is a magic system? Join our panelists as we delve into the workings of magic, discuss examples, and provide insights into balancing magic with world and plot elements.

• Break Fri 4:50 - Sat 10:00
• Sat 10:00 - 11:50 AM, Writers' Workshop, Green Room
  Moderator: Nicole Edington; Panelists: Manny Frishberg, James Glass, Sanan Kolva

  This restricted event is only open to people with submissions accepted into the writers' workshop.

• Sat Noon - 12:50 PM, Ethical AI for Authors: Creativity, Credit, and Responsibility, Dragon Pavilion
  Panelists: Manny Frishberg, Frog Jones, Matthew Yetter

  Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the creative landscape—but where are the ethical boundaries for authors? This panel explores responsible uses of AI in writing, publishing, and marketing, including questions of authorship, originality, transparency, and reader trust. How can writers use these tools without compromising the integrity of their work?

• Break Sat 12:50 - Sat 2:00
• Sat 2:00 - 2:50 PM, Artificial Intelligence in Fiction vs Reality, Dragon Pavilion
  Moderator: GS Jennsen; Panelists: Manny Frishberg, GS Jennsen, Jim Wright (Stonekettle)

  Let's discuss the current versions of artificial intelligence and how it compares what we've dreamed up across fiction, from short stories to novels, to comics, and films.

• Break Sat 2:50 - Sat 4:00
• Sat 4:00 - 4:50 PM, Climate as Character, Great Hall 3
  Panelists: Stoney Compton, Manny Frishberg, D.L. Solum, Hunter Kay Wallace

  Is your setting working as hard as your characters? A world’s climate and ecology can do far more than establish a mood—it can be a major antagonist or an ally. Let's explore how extreme environments, local flora, and fauna shape stories, create conflict, and breathe life into speculative fiction.

• Sat 5:00 - 5:50 PM, It Was a Dark and Stormy Night . . ., Great Hall 1
  Panelists: Katie Cross, Manny Frishberg, Rhiannon Held, Danith McPherson

  What makes a good opening for a novel? What is most likely to entice you to read the book? What should a first sentence/first paragraph accomplish? We’ll discuss openings, both good and bad.

• Break Sat 5:50 - Sun 10:00
• Sun 10:00 - 10:50 AM, I’ve Started a Novel but Now My World is Broken, Rocket Tent
  Panelists: Manny Frishberg, Tod McCoy, Gwendolyn Nix, Dean Wells

  Ever start a novel then realize your world makes no sense? In this panel, pros will discuss how to create believable worlds and the questions to ask yourself before you start writing.

• Break Sun 10:50 - Sun 2:00
• Sun 2:00 - 2:50 PM, Writing Stories without Heroes and Villains, Dragon Pavilion
  Moderator: Manny Frishberg; Panelists: Laramie Dean, Manny Frishberg, Joseph Malik, Dean Wells

  "Nobody is the villain in her own movie" (except some sociopaths). But more often than not we are kind and decent sometimes, thoughtless or cruel at others. And, sometimes, even good people are left with nothing but bad choices. Can you write satisfying adventure stories without twirling mustaches and capes flapping in the breeze?

• Break Sun 2:50 - Sun 5:00
• Sun 5:00 - 5:50 PM, Good News about the Environment, Monster Tent
  Panelists: Manny Frishberg

  The terrible news about climate change are can lead to despair or just turning away. Yet, there is not only hope, but real cause for optimism: solar power is now the cheapest form of energy and new battery chemistries promise lighter, more powerful and eco-friendly alternatives to lithium, and new plastic-eating organisms are being discovered on the edges of landfills worldwide, to name just a few.