LTUE starts tomorrow (Thursday) in Provo, with guest of honor Orson Scott Card, and I’ll be playing in the Magic tournament on Thursday night. I’ll also be on a couple of panels on Friday and Saturday, and I’ll do a reading and signing Saturday afternoon.

Saturday evening I’ll be the toastmaster at the yearly banquet, and my toastmaster speech will be a rousing response to a certain recent New York Times article. Registration for the banquet is separate from the rest of the symposium, as it involves dinner.

Here are some more details about the symposium, followed by my personal schedule for the weekend.

Life, the Universe, & Everything symposium, commonly referred to as LTUE, is a three-day academic symposium on all aspects of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

LTUE is comprised of panels, workshops, presentations and papers on writing, art, literature, media, science and other aspects of speculative fiction. It is the longest, student run symposium of its nature in the nation (or so we have been told).

At-the-door registration: $45
Student registration: Free with valid current student ID

2014 Guest of Honor: Orson Scott Card

Special Guests: Blake Casselman, Michael Collings, Michaelbrent Collings, David Farland, Brian Hailes, L.E. Modesitt Jr., Brandon Sanderson, Anne Sowards

Banquet toastmaster: Brandon Sanderson

Thursday, February 13, 2014

8:00 p.m., Canyon Room
Magic the Gathering Celebrity Tournament (4–6 hours)

LTUE is proud to announce its first ever celebrity Magic the Gathering tournament for its 2014 Symposium. The event will be an official tournament sponsored by Dragon’s Keep, so if you have a Wizards Playing Network (WPN) number, remember to bring it when you sign in. You don’t need to bring anything to participate—your WPN is only required if you wish to receive tournament points, and Dragon’s Keep will also be our sponsor for the draft.

This tournament is not only a celebrity event where you will be given the chance to interact with some of our celebrity guests, but also a charity event to raise money for Ben Wolverton. As such, all of our prizes have been donated by our celebrity participants, such as signed copies of Kevin J Anderson and Brian Herbert’s The Winds of Dune and The Sisterhood of Dune. There will be multiple opportunities to win prizes.

The fee for tournament participation is $15. At-the-door registrations will be accepted begining February 13, 2014 at 7:00 a.m. Check in will start at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, February 13 so we can start the tournament at 8:15 p.m.

Here’s a list of our celebrity players:
Brandon Sanderson, Scott William Taylor, Tom Carr, Isaac Stewart, Adam Meyers, Peter Orullian, Shirley Bahlmann, Bryan Beus, Johnny Worthen, Bryce Cundick, Stacy Whitman, Stan Johnson, Brett T M Peterson, Travis Walton, Karen Anne Webb

Friday, February 14, 2014

12:00 p.m., Canyon Room
Prologues and Epilogues (1 hour)
Find out what sets prologues and epilogues apart from ordinary chapters, and learn how to use them to enhance your story.
Brandon Sanderson, David Powers King, Anne Sowards, Marinne Carter, Michael Young, Paul Genesse

5:00 p.m., Zion Room
Rules for Writing Magic (1 hour)
Writing magic can be tricky; this panel discusses what boundaries and limitations to set for the way magic works in your story.
Al Carlisle, Brandon Sanderson, Emily Martha Sorensen, John Brown, Natalie Whipple, Teri Harman

Saturday, February 15, 2014

1:00 p.m., Bryce Room
Reading and Signing: Brandon Sanderson (1+ hour)

3:00 p.m., Canyon Room
Wrapping Things Up (1 hour)
The hero is victorious and the villain’s evil plan lies in ruins…now what?
Bree Despain, Chad Morris, Janci Patterson, Megan Hutchins, Michael Young, Brandon Sanderson

6:00 p.m., Cedar Room
The Funny Men: Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett (1 hour)
Humor, especially broad humor, in speculative fiction
Jaleta Clegg, Brandon Sanderson, Daniel Coleman, Karen Anne Webb, Jenniffer Wardell

7:00 p.m., Zion Room
Banquet ($30, prepaid. Purchase in advance.)
Toastmaster: Brandon Sanderson

This year’s menu is house salad, grilled pork chop or chicken chasseur, and garlic mashed potatoes. There will be an option of cakes for dessert. Please tell us about any dietary requirements you might have, and we’ll try to accommodate them. At-the-door banquet registrations will be accepted beginning February 13, 2014 at 7:00 a.m.