For many readers, there's something magical about hearing a story told out loud, whether that's audiobooks for longer works or podcasts featuring short fiction. This panel will examine how the medium of audio stories changes their character compared to to the written version—how our experience as listeners is affected by the readers' and producers' choices. Why do some stories work better out loud, and what are some examples of things being lost (or gained) in translation?

Cats in Science Fiction and Fantasy: From Data's pet Spot in Star Trek: TNG to the feline quests and myths in Tad Williams' Tailchaser's Song, from the giant cat steeds in Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone to C.J. Cherryh's space-faring hani and many similarly furry, bewhiskered aliens—what is it about cats that capture the characters' and readers' interest? How do they help the plot or enhance the setting? This panel will discuss all things feline in speculative fiction.