Can*Con 2019: The Conference on Canadian Content in Speculative... has ended

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Can*Con 2019: The Conference on Canadian Content in Speculative Arts

4:00pm EDT

Readings: 16:00 - TBD; 16:30 - Matt Moore

Panelists

Matt Moore

Matt Moore is an Aurora Award-winning author, poet and columnist. His collection It’s Not the End and Other Lies was published by ChiZine Publications in 2018. He’s also a Contributing Editor for AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review, Co-Chair of the Ottawa Chiaroscuro Reading... Read More →

Friday October 18, 2019 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

5:00pm EDT

Readings: 17:00 - Derek Newman-Stille; 17:30 - Sylvain Neuvel

Panelists

Derek Newman-Stille

Derek Newman-Stille (they/them) PhD ABD is a queer, nonbinary, disabled activist, artist, author, and academic. Derek teaches at Trent University, where they research representations of disability in Canadian Speculative Fiction. Derek has two new books out this year - We Shall Be... Read More →

Sylvain Neuvel

Sylvain Neuvel dropped out of high school at age 15. Along the way, he has been a journalist, worked in soil decontamination, sold ice cream in California, and peddled furniture across Canada. He received a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Chicago. He taught linguistics... Read More →

Friday October 18, 2019 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

6:00pm EDT

Difficult Passages

Struggling to write a particular scene? Authors who have experienced that same challenge read a short passage they struggled to write, followed by a Q&A on writing difficult scenes.

Panelists

L.X. Beckett

Toronto author and editor L.X. Beckett frittered their misbegotten youth working as an actor and theater technician in Southern Alberta before deciding to make a shift into writing science fiction. Their first novella, “Freezing Rain, a Chance of Falling,” appeared in the July/August... Read More →

K.V. Johansen

K.V. Johansen is the author of the five-book epic fantasy series Gods of the Caravan Road, which includes the Sunburst-shortlisted Blackdog and the just-released concluding volume, The Last Road, all published by Pyr. She has an M.A. in Medieval Studies from the Centre for Medieval... Read More →

Friday October 18, 2019 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

7:00pm EDT

Readings: 19:00 - S.M. Beiko; 19:30 - Charlie Jane Anders

Panelists

S.M. Beiko

Based in Winnipeg, S.M. Beiko has worked in the speculative fiction publishing industry since 2010 as a consultant, developmental editor, and graphic designer, and has done so for novels, short fiction, children's books, and graphic novels. She is also an author of young adult fantasy... Read More →

Charlie Jane Anders

Attendee

Charlie Jane Anders is the author of the forthcoming Victories Greater Than Death, the first book in a young adult trilogy. Plus an upcoming short story collection, Even Greater Mistakes. And a collection of essays about how to make up stories during tough times, called Never Say You Can't Survive. With Annalee Newitz, she co-hosts the Hugo Award-winning podc... Read More →

Friday October 18, 2019 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

10:00am EDT

New Voices Reading

Join first-time readers at Can*Con and authors celebrating their first publication, as they read a short passage with time for a brief Q&A.

Panelists

Michael Libling

Michael Libling's fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Amazing Stories, SciFiction, Realms of Fantasy, OnSpec, and several anthologies, including Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Fantasy & Horror, Peter Crowther’s Destination... Read More →

J. M. Tibbott

J. M. Tibbott has writing stories since childhood. Known in her other life as Marilyn Kleiber, she is an award winning author. She planned a series of seven novels covering the story of Kat, a strong minded video game designer. The first novel, The Arrival achieved a Kindle #1 Best... Read More →

Sandra Wickham

Sandra Wickham lives in London, Canada with her super powered son with Down syndrome. Her friends call her a needle crafting aficionado, health guru and ninja-in-training. Sandra’s short stories have appeared in The Urban Green Man, Sirens, Equus, Evolve: Vampires of the New Undead... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

11:00am EDT

Readings: 11:00 - Kari Maaren 11:30 KT Bryski

Panelists

Kari Maaren

Instructor, Ryerson University

Kari Maaren is a writer, cartoonist, musician, and academic whose first novel, the YA fantasy Weave a Circle Round, was published by Tor Books in 2017. It tied for the 2018 Copper Cylinder Award (YA category), was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction... Read More →

KT Bryski

Author

KT Bryski is a Canadian author, playwright, and podcaster. She has stories in Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, and Apex (among others), and her audio dramas Coxwood History Fun Park and Six Stories, Told at Night are available wherever fine podcasts are found.She’s won the Parsec and... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

12:00pm EDT

Nothing Without Us Reading

Panelists

Talia C. Johnson

Talia C. Johnson is a writer, poet, sensitivity editor, public speaker, workshop facilitator, ritual and service leader, educator, mentor, coach, and activist. She is an out queer autistic trans woman. Talia is a member of the Heartspark Press Executive Committee. She is currently... Read More →

Cait Gordon

Cait Gordon is the author of Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers (Renaissance). Her short stories have appeared in Alice Unbound: Beyond Wonderland (Exile Editions), We Shall Be Monsters (Renaissance), and the upcoming Space Opera Libretti (McNett and Rossman). She is a disability... Read More →

Carolyn Charron

Carolyn Charron‘s short stories have appeared in three Flame Tree Publishing anthologies and in the Nothing Without Us anthology. On the editor’s side of her desk, she was a slush reader for Apex and Lightspeed magazines and volunteers as juror for the Speculative Literature Foundation... Read More →

Nathan Fréchette

Nathan Fréchette is a queer, transgender sequential artist, publisher, illustrator, designer, and author. He has published over a dozen graphic and prose short stories, as well as five novels, three graphic novels, two works of nonfiction, and the online comic Some Assembly Required... Read More →

Tonya Patricia Liburd

Attendee, Abyss & Apex Magazine

Tonya Liburd's fiction is used in Nisi Shawl's workshops and Tananarive Due’s UCLA Horror course. Her poetry has been nominated for the 2017 and 2018 Rhysling awards, and her fiction has been longlisted for the 2015 Carter V. Cooper (Vanderbilt)/Exile Short Fiction Competition... Read More →

Laurie Stewart

Everything, Corvid Moon Publishing

Laurie Stewart has been writing since about the sixth grade, but only started submitting and publishing in 2015. She writes Urban Fantasy, high fantasy, and character-based Science Fiction. She lives near Ottawa and is mobility impaired, a chronic pain and migraine sufferer, and so... Read More →

Madona Skaff

Mystery and SF Author

I've published several short stories and a mystery novel, Journey of a Thousand Steps about a woman recently disabled by MS, turns sleuth to find her friend. The sequel, Death by Association will be released spring of 2020. I'm proud to announce that I have a short story in Nothing... Read More →

Jamieson Wolf

Jamieson has been writing since a young age when he realized he could be writing instead of paying attention in school. Since then, he has created many worlds in which to live his fantasies and live out his dreams. He is a number-one bestselling author—he likes to tell people that... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

1:00pm EDT

New Voices Reading

Join first-time readers at Can*Con and authors celebrating their first publication, as they read a short passage with time for a brief Q&A.

Panelists

Christian Baines

Christian Baines has written on travel, theatre, film, television, and various aspects of gay life, factual_x000D_ and fictional. Some of his stranger thoughts have spawned novels, including queer urban fantasy series_x000D_ The Arcadia Trust, the horror novella Skin, and Puppet Boy... Read More →

Elliott Dunstan

Elliott Dunstan is an Ottawa-based historian, poet and author with a special interest in queer history, mental illness, trauma and the places that time forgot. He is currently self-publishing an online serial novel available on his website, and has also been published by Queen of... Read More →

Avi Silver

Co-founder, The Shale Project

Avi Silver is one of the co-founders of "The Shale Project" and author of the project's second novel, "Two Dark Moons". Through Shale, they have also worked as the editor for Sienna Tristen's "The Heretic's Guide to Homecoming", and authored the web serial "Tales from a Library... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

2:00pm EDT

Readings - 16:00 Charles de Lint; 16:30 Ryan T. McFadden

Panelists

Charles de Lint

Charles de Lint is a full-time writer and musician who makes his home in Ottawa, Canada. This author of more than seventy adult, young adult, and children’s books has won the World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others. Modern Library’s Top 100 Books of... Read More →

Ryan T. McFadden

Ryan T. McFadden is a writer of fantasy , horror, and science fiction. He is a three-time winner of the Aurora including in 2014 when he won in the short fiction category for his novella Ghost in the Machine. Past work has been published through Dragonmoon Press, Edge SF&F, and Absolute... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

3:00pm EDT

Dramatic Reading Hour!

More than just a reading! Join authors Julie Czerneda, Susan Forest and Ed Willett as they act out passages from their latest releases: The Gossamer Mage (Czerneda), Bursts of Fire (Forest), and Master of the World (Willett).

Panelists

Julie E. Czerneda

What is magic? As imagined by Julie E. Czerneda, it’s wild and free, a force of nature and source of wonder. She first explored this theme in her Night’s Edge series, starting with the award-winning Turn of Light. In The Gossamer Mage, Julie goes further, envisioning magic not... Read More →

Susan Forest

Laksa Media Groups

Susan Forest writes SF, fantasy and horror, and is an award-winning fiction editor for Laksa Media. Her novel, Bursts of Fire, came out in 2019, to be followed by Flights of Marigolds. She has published over 25 short stories, contributes to When Words Collide, and has appeared at... Read More →

Edward Willett

Edward Willett is the award-winning author of more than sixty books of science fiction, fantasy, and non-fiction for readers of all ages. His latest fantasy/science fiction novel for DAW Books, MASTER OF THE WORLD, will be brand-new at Can-Con, having released in mid-September; it’s... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Salon C - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

3:00pm EDT

Works in Progress Readings

Want a glimpse into what one of your favorite authors is working on? Sit in for a brief glimpse into these authors’ upcoming publications, with time at the end for a brief Q&A.

Panelists

Eric Choi

Editor, Author, Aerospace Engineer, AeroScribe Consulting

Eric Choi is a Toronto-based writer, editor and aerospace engineer. His work has appeared in over 20 publications. He co-edited the hard SF anthology Carbide Tipped Pens with Ben Bova and the Chinese-themed anthology The Dragon and the Stars with Derwin Mak. His latest story “F... Read More →

James Alan Gardner

James Alan Gardner is the author of ten published novels and numerous short stories. His most recent novels are ALL THOSE EXPLOSIONS WERE SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT and THEY PROMISED ME THE GUN WASN’T LOADED, both from Tor. He has won the Aurora Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial... Read More →

Rati Mehrotra

Born and raised in India, Rati Mehrotra makes her home in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of epic science fantasies MARKSWOMAN and MAHIMATA. Her stories have appeared in Lightspeed, Apex Magazine, AE – The Canadian Science Fiction Review, IGMS, Podcastle, Cast of Wonders, and... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

5:00pm EDT

Readings: 17:00 - David Demchuk; 17:30 - Phoebe Barton

Panelists

David Demchuk

David Demchuk has been writing for print, stage, digital and other media for nearly 40 years. His debut horror novel The Bone Mother won the 2018 Sunburst Award in the Adult Fiction category, and was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Amazon First Novel Award, the Toronto... Read More →

Phoebe Barton

Attendee

Phoebe Barton is a queer trans science fiction writer of short stories and interactive fiction. Her fiction has appeared in venues such as Analog Science Fiction and Fact, On Spec, and Persistent Visions, and anthologies from Bundoran Press and Alliteration Ink. She lives with a robot... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

6:00pm EDT

The Indescribable

How do you describe something that’s impossible to understand, like an eldritch horror or a complicated emotion? Authors read and discuss an excerpt from their work or someone else’s, focusing on how to accomplish exactly that.

Panelists

J-F. Dubeau

J-F. Dubeau is a twice Dragon Award nominated science fiction and paranormal horror writer. His debut novel, "The Life Engineered" was picked for the Sword & Laser Collection. Meanwhile, his second book, "A God in the Shed" has been optioned for development for television. "Song of... Read More →

C.J. Lavigne

Attendee

C.J. Lavigne is a Canadian speculative fiction writer who divides her time between Ottawa, ON, and Red Deer, AB. Her hobbies include petting the cat, drinking coffee, and being a full-time college communications professor. Her debut novel, In Veritas, is a literary urban fantasy... Read More →

Nisa Malli

Nisa Malli is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship, where she leads speculative and realistic research at the intersection of technology, labour, economic growth, and inequality. Her first chapbook of slipstream body-horror ghost... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

7:00pm EDT

Reading - Geoff Hart

Panelists

Geoffrey Hart

Geoff works primarily as a scientific editor, specializing in authors who have English as their second or third language. He's a fellow of the Society for Technical Communication, and has published hundreds of articles and several books to help others communicate better. In his spare... Read More →

Saturday October 19, 2019 7:00pm - 7:30pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

7:00pm EDT

Works That Scare Us

What makes these authors shiver with fear? Join authors as they read a short passage from someone else’s work that scared the hell out of them and discuss what frightens them in fiction and why.

Panelists

Amelinda Berube

Amelinda Bérubé writes about ghosts and monsters and other things that go bump in the night; she is the author of two spooky YA novels, The Dark Beneath the Ice and Here There Are Monsters. In her other lives, Amelinda is an editor, a mother of two, and a passionate gardener. She... Read More →

Nina Nesseth

Writer and Science Communicator

Nina Nesseth is a professional science communicator whose background is rooted in biomedical sciences and science communication (with a special non-science interest in horror!). She is a staff scientist at Science North in Sudbury, Ontario. Nina's debut, The Science of Orphan Black... Read More →

Mary Pletsch

Mary Pletsch is a toy collector and graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada. She attended Superstars Writing Seminars in Pasadena in 2010, and has since published short stories and novellas in a variety of genres including science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Saturday October 19, 2019 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT
Salon C - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

10:00am EDT

Works in Progress Readings

Want a glimpse into what one of your favorite authors is working on? Sit in for a brief glimpse into these authors’ upcoming publications, with time at the end for a brief Q&A.

Panelists

Mark Robinson

Mark Robinson is a Canadian adventurer, storm chaser, and meteorologist. Recently named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Explorers by Canadian Geographic, he is also a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. Mark has chased (and has been chased) by tornadoes across Canada and... Read More →

Sienna Tristen

Sienna Tristen is a writer and artist based out of Toronto. She is the author of The Heretic's Guide to Homecoming, the flagship fantasy story of The Shale Project, and her first work of poetry, The Insomniac's Assistant , is available through Penrose Press. A purveyor of many skills... Read More →

Maaja Wentz

Maaja's first novel, Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer, won a Wattpad Watty award. “Inside of a Dog,” appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. “You,” won a short story prize in the national Norma Epstein Foundation competition for Creative Writing, University of Toronto... Read More →

Sunday October 20, 2019 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

11:00am EDT

Tesseracts 22: Reading and Q&A

Magic and history, fantasy and reality, all in one anthology. Meet some of this anthology's talented authors as they read and discuss their stories, where they got their ideas and the research involved.

Moderators

Mike Rimar

Bon Vivant, Bundoran Press

Mike Rimar has matured. He no longer writes witty bios with clever puns. He has stopped comparing his two daughters to pets, especially after the cease and desist order. He sees nothing funny about writing science fiction, fantasy, and some horror, although many of his stories might... Read More →

Panelists

Leslie Brown

Leslie Brown has published short stories in On Spec, Tesseracts 15, 20, 22, Strange Horizons and numerous anthologies. She is a member of SFCanada and the Ottawa Romance Writers Association (ORWA).

Geoff Gander

Prior to writing fiction, Geoff Gander was heavily involved in the roleplaying community and wrote many game products. He has been published by Metahuman Press, AE SciFi, Exile Editions, Nelson Publishing, Expeditious Retreat Press, and Sentinel Hill Press. One of his horror pieces... Read More →

Michael Skeet

Michael Skeet is an award-winning Canadian writer and broadcaster. Born in Calgary, Alberta, he began writing for radio before finishing college. He has published two novels (A Poisoned Prayer; A Tangled Weave) with Five Rivers Publishing, a third (Dixie's Land) under his own HLPL... Read More →

Liz Westbrook-Trenholm

Writer

Liz Westbrook-Trenholm has published or aired mainstream and speculative short fiction in Prix Aurora-winning or nominated anthologies, The Sum of Us, (Laksa Media), 49th Parallels (Bundoran Press) and Shades Within Us (Laksa Media) and, most recently, in Over the Rainbow (Exile Press... Read More →

Sunday October 20, 2019 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

12:00pm EDT

Readings: 12:00 - Éric Desmarais; 12:30 - Rebecca Simkin

Panelists

Éric Desmarais

Éric has had an eclectic career which ranges from casino dealer to canal boat captain to radio station DJ. Since 2009, he’s worked as a layout artist and desktop publisher for the federal government. During his off time he works as a freelance layout artist for various Canadian-based... Read More →

Rebecca Simkin

Rebecca Simkin has many fancy gowns in her wardrobe from her work as a non-profit sector fundraiser, but she’s most happy writing in pyjamas in her home office. Between planning galas, coordinating volunteers, writing press releases, direct mail letters and funding proposals, she... Read More →

Sunday October 20, 2019 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

1:00pm EDT

CUFF Presents: Turkey Readings - Fran Skene

Come have fun with overwrought works of SF and fantasy that were actually published! Panelists read scenes from these books while brave volunteers from the audience act them out. When audience members can't take it any more, they can bid actual money to make a reading stop – or others can bid to make the reading continue! Then, when the very last bid is for stop, the next panelist reads from another book. Proceeds from Turkey Readings go to the Canadian Unity Fan Fund, which helps a Canadian fan attend a convention in the other side of the country.

Panelists

Fran Skene

Fran Skene is a member of the Puppetry Renaissance Troupe and has extensive experience in scripting, producing, and performing in puppet shows. In fandom, Fran's credits include chairing/working on a number of conventions, plus she edited the local clubzine, helped to start two apazines... Read More →

Sunday October 20, 2019 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Salon C - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

1:00pm EDT

Readings: 13:00 - Hayden Trenholm; 13:30 - Sarah Tolmie

Sunday October 20, 2019 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

2:00pm EDT

Other Covenants Reading and Q&A

Coming soon from ChiZine Publications, Other Covenants is the first-ever anthology of Jewish alternate history. Join editors and contributors as they share their visions for “what if” scenarios related to the Jewish people, and what they hope to highlight or explore through this anthology.

Panelists

Eric Choi

Editor, Author, Aerospace Engineer, AeroScribe Consulting

Eric Choi is a Toronto-based writer, editor and aerospace engineer. His work has appeared in over 20 publications. He co-edited the hard SF anthology Carbide Tipped Pens with Ben Bova and the Chinese-themed anthology The Dragon and the Stars with Derwin Mak. His latest story “F... Read More →

Sandra Kasturi

Andrea D. Lobel

Andrea D. Lobel is co-editor (with Mark Shainblum) of Other Covenants: Alternate Histories of the Jewish People, scheduled for publication in spring, 2020. She received her Ph.D. in Religion from Concordia University in 2015, and is an ordained rabbi. She teaches Religion and Humanities... Read More →

Mark Shainblum

Mark Shainblum was born and raised in Montreal, where he and illustrator Gabriel Morrissette co-created the acclaimed indy superhero series Northguard. Later, the team created the parody series Angloman, which appeared in two bestselling books from Signature Editons, and later as... Read More →

Milton Verskin

I am now retired.Amongst other things, I enjoy classical music, going for walks, mild bicycle riding, grandchildren and siestas. I like talking to people and will be happy to have them talk to me about whatever interests them.

Sunday October 20, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Salon C - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading

2:00pm EDT

Works in Progress Readings

Want a glimpse into what one of your favorite authors is working on? Sit in for a brief glimpse into these authors’ upcoming publications, with time at the end for a brief Q&A.

Panelists

Joe Mahoney

I’m a writer/broadcaster currently working full-time for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. _x000D_ _x000D_ My first novel, A Time and a Place, was published in October 2017 by Five Rivers Press._x000D_ _x000D_ My short fiction has been published in Canada, Australia and Greece... Read More →

Su J. Sokol

Su J. Sokol is a social rights advocate and a writer of speculative, liminal, and interstitial fiction. A former legal services lawyer from New York City, she now makes Montréal her home. Su is the author of two novels, Cycling to Asylum, which was long-listed for the Sunburst Award... Read More →

Gregory A. Wilson

Gregory A. Wilson is Professor of English at St. John's University in New York City, where he teaches creative writing, speculative fiction, and various other courses in literature. In addition to academic work, he is the author of the epic fantasy The Third Sign, the graphic novel... Read More →

Sunday October 20, 2019 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Salon B - 20 seats 150 Albert St, Ottawa, ON K1P 5G2, Canada

Literary, Reading