Boskone 54’s Science Speaker Milton Davis is coming to Boskone to talk chemisty, science fiction, fantasy, writing, and much more! Help us give Milton a warm Boston welcome as it’s likely to be a little cooler here than back home in Atlanta.

Bio: Milton Davis is currently a Research and Development Chemist for Chemtronics, a company specializing in chemicals and coating used for reworking and repairing circuit boards. Milton has been a research chemist for over thirty years specializing in polymer coatings. He is a 1983 cum laude graduate from Fort Valley State University with a B.S. Degree in Pure Chemistry with a Math Minor. Milton has utilized his skill to develop polymer compounds for the textile, janitorial, and computer industry. In 2004, Milton received a U.S. patent for his Cleaning Solvent and dispenser pen designed to remove conformal coatings and adhesives from circuit boards and other electrical equipment.

In addition to being a research chemist, Milton Davis is a speculative fiction writer and owner of MVmedia, LLC, a micro publishing company specializing in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Sword and Soul. MVmedia’s mission is to provide speculative fiction books that represent people of color in a positive manner. Milton is the author of Changa’s Safari Volumes One, Two and Three. His most recent releases are Woman of the Woods and Amber and the Hidden City. He is co-editor of four anthologies; Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology and Griot: Sisters of the Spear, with Charles R. Saunders; The Ki Khanga Anthology with Balogun Ojetade and the Steamfunk! Anthology, also with Balogun Ojetade. Milton Davis and Balogun Ojetade recently received the Best Screenplay Award for 2014 from the Urban Action Showcase for their African martial arts script, Ngolo. His current projects include The City, a cyberfunk anthology, Dark Universe, a space opera anthology based on a galactic empire ruled by people of African American descent, and From Here to Timbuktu, a steamfunk novel.

Milton resides in Metro Atlanta with his wife Vickie and his children Brandon and Alana.

Visit Milton on his website, friend him on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter.

Milton’s Schedule at Boskone:

Friday 5:00 PM (free to public)
Autographing: Brandon Sanderson, Milton Davis
Brandon Sanderson, Milton Davis
Galleria · 60 min · Autographing

Friday 8:00 PM & Reception
Opening Ceremony: Meet the Guests
Brandon Sanderson, Dave Seeley, Maryelizabeth Yturralde, Lorraine Garland, Lojo Russo, Milton Davis, Ken MacLeod
Galleria – Stage · 120 min · Event
Welcome to Boskone, New England’s longest-running convention for science fiction, fantasy, and horror! Whether you are attending for the first time or the fifty-fourth, we invite you to join us in the Galleria to meet this year’s guests and program participants while enjoying refreshments, stimulating conversation, and exceptional art that’s a feast for the eyes. Experience the music and the festivities as Boskone celebrates another year of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in Boston.

Saturday 12:00 NOON
Fiction From Abroad
Robert J. Sawyer (M), Ken MacLeod, John Chu, Milton Davis
Marina 3 · 60 min · Panel
International fiction is a wonderful thing! Let’s celebrate some of the great genre fiction being written beyond the borders of the United States. What should we be reading? What do we want more of? And … where can we get it?

Saturday 2:00 PM
Afrofuturism in Speculative Fiction
Errick Nunnally, Christine Taylor-Butler, William Hayashi (M), Milton Davis
Marina 2 · 60 min · Panel
The New York Times defines it as a “social, political, and cultural genre that projects black space voyagers, warriors, and their heroic like into a fantasy landscape.” Rihanna and Beyonce are onboard; so, it seems, are the Black Panther and the newest wearer of Iron Man’s mantle. However, Nnedi Okorafor says, ““I understand the uses of it, but I do not consider myself an Afrofuturist.” Let’s briefly discuss the labels, then move on to the literature. What are its origins? What recent work shouldn’t be missed? How is Afrofuturism influencing science fiction, fantasy, and horror today?

Saturday 4:00 PM
“Chemistry Is Everything” — Science Speaker Presentation by Milton Davis
Milton Davis
Harbor II · 60 min · Solo Talk
Milton Davis, Boskone 54’s Science Guest, talks chemistry. What is it? Why is it important? Why is chemistry, well, everything? From polymers to global warming, the magic of chemistry binds matter together — or breaks it apart. Milton dives into fundamentals as well as specifics, with a special focus on acrylic polymer chemistry … A research and development chemist who’s specialized in acrylic polymer coatings for 30 years, Milton Davis is an industry expert in floor finish technologies, and holds a patent in electronic circuit board cleaning technology.

Saturday 5:00 PM
Kaffeeklatsch: Milton Davis
Milton Davis
Harbor I · 60 min · Kaffeeklatsch

Saturday 6:30 PM
Boskone Book Party
Galleria – Stage · 60 min · Event
Join us for Boskone’s Book Party! See what’s just out from authors you love, and discover new favorites. The book party will include E. C. Ambrose ( Elaine Isaak ), Neil Clarke, LJ Cohen, Milton Davis, Grady Hendrix, Carlos Hernandez, Jeremy Flagg, Kristin Janz, Hillary Monahan, Cerece Rennie Murphy, Ian Randal Strock, Christine Taylor-Butler, and more!

Saturday 8:00 PM
Open Mic: Villains!
Kenneth Schneyer (M), Linda Addison (M), C. S. E. Cooney, Kate Baker, Milton Davis, Ada Palmer, Vincent O’Neil, Don Pizarro, Tom Kidd, Julie C. Day, Emma Caywood
Galleria · 90 min · Event
Live from Boskone … enjoy the unsavory stylings of our program participants and audience members. They share their open mic skills in the second annual Boskone Open Mic, which this year features our favorite fictitious villains! Each person gives his/her best 5-minute villainous performance — story, poem, song, skit, interpretive dance, or whatever!

Sunday 10:00 AM
Chemistry: Spec Fic’s Critical Compound
Milton Davis, Kristin Janz, Mark L. Olson (M), Justine Graykin, Steven Popkes
Marina 2 · 60 min · Panel
It’s got a long history within speculative fiction, but it’s often overshadowed by biology, physics, and astronomy. From transmutating metals to creating fuels, gunpowder, poisons, and (in The Martian) oxygen, chemistry is often the unsung science of our genres. We’ll discuss chemistry’s practical aspects, and how they are successfully applied within a story. We’ll also look at a few bang-up examples where the science went wrong …

Sunday 12:00 NOON
Mythologies of the World
Ken Altabef, Ada Palmer (M), Max Gladstone, Milton Davis, Peter Muise
Burroughs · 60 min · Panel
From the Norse to the Inuit, cultures around the world have developed complex and intricate mythologies. How have those mythologies found new life in modern fiction? How do authors like Neil Gaiman, Rick Riordan and others incorporate myths and mythological creatures into their work while honoring the originals?

Sunday 2:00 PM
Reading by Milton Davis
Milton Davis
Griffin · 30 min · Reading

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Want to attend Boskone? We’d love to see you there. All attendees need to purchase a Boskone 54 convention membership. Click here to buy yours today! 

Note: Boskone Programming starts at 2:00 pm on Friday, February 17th and is open to the public from 2:00-6:00 pm. A membership is required after 6:00 pm on Friday, February 17th and through the rest of the weekend.

Full Weekend Rates

• Adult Full Convention: $65
• College Student Full Convention: $40 (school ID required)
• K-6 Full Convention: $25 (school ID may be required)
• 7-12 Full Convention: $25 (school ID may be required)

One Day Rates

• Friday One Day: $25
• Saturday One Day: $45
• Sunday One Day: $25