Animal, Human, Alien (WisCon 30 Panel)
Panelists
Elizabeth Bear (moderator), Liz Henry, Tom La Farge, Ursula K. Le Guin, David D. Levine, Lisa Tuttle
Panel Description
Let's talk about books which explore animal/human boundaries as a way to explore gender and, often, race. Books where women become animals, or animals take on a narratively feminine gender role. Examples would be Carmen Dog, Troll, Mister Boots, books like that. What roles do we project on animals? The trope of the telepathic companion animal as perfect Wife, or as the externalization of the heroine's object position and disempowerment. What are the boundaries of sentience? In fact, animals, aliens, and AIs all explore this idea.