#Diversicon

[twincitiesgeek]

The Twin Cities Geek 2024 Minnesota Convention Guide

Our guide to the coming year of conventions in Minnesota is here! Which ones will you be attending?

A new year is here, and that means it’s time to update your convention calendar. There’s at least one con happening in almost every month of the year, with events focusing on gaming, comics, sci fi and fantasy, anime, horror, LEGOs, Broadway musicals, general pop culture, and more. Fandom-specific events include conventions dedicated entirely to Doctor Who, Pokémon, The Vampire Diaries, and…

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Diversicon 2019

I'll be attending Diversicon, a cozy speculative fiction convention July 26-28.  This year's theme is "The Next Step."  

This year's guest of honor is Nisi Shawl, a Tiptree-award-winning author who excels at teaching speculative fiction writers about how we can reflect real world diversity in our work.

The special guest this year is Ben Huset, a photographer and life-long advocate of science and space travel.

My Programming

I will be moderating seven panels over the course of the convention (and I'm prepping for those right now). Given the size of the panels and the convention, most of these will likely be more along the lines of structured conversations.

Friday, July 26

4:00-4:55 p.m. - Editors and Authors S.N. Arly, mod.: Nisi Shawl

5:00-5:55 p.m. Good Blog/Bad Blog--Modern Technology and Artists. S.N. Arly, mod.; Conrad Zero ( @conradzero )

8:30-9:25 p.m. A Peek Into the Indie Writer World S.N. Arly, mod.; Conrad Zero

Saturday, July 27

Noon-12:55 p.m. Not My Beautiful Minnesota! S.N. Arly, mod.; Brian K. Perry, Conrad Zero

1:00-1:55 p.m. Resources for Spec Fic Writers S.N. Arly, mod.; Conrad Zero

3:00-3:55 p.m. Critique Groups--Functional and Dysfunctional S. N. Arly, mod.; Brian K. Perry, Conrad Zero. 

Sunday, July 28

Noon-12:55 p.m. Preparing for Readings S.N. Arly, mod.; Conrad Zero

[thaoworra]

Thank you to everyone who came to Diversicon this year and showed such warm hospitality to Guest of Honor @charliejane-anders and I throughout the weekend! We appreciate it so much!

[elvisomar]

My friend Blair was a world-class prop-maker and cosplayer. Today I went to his memorial. The service opened with the playing of the original Star Trek theme, followed by an hour and a half of people sharing funny and sweet stories about what a generous, joyful, and kind man he was. The service ended with a Klingon tradition: a loud and spirited yell, from the more than 100 attendees. Klingons scream at a funeral, but not in anger nor in fear—they scream as a warning to the other dead that a great warrior is coming into their midst. Then we toasted with Klingon blood wine.

The twinkle of joy in his eye when we talked about a shared fandom is something that will be difficult to replace for me. 

Fuck cancer. 

[twincitiesgeek]

The Twin Cities Geek 2022 Minnesota Convention Guide

Our annual guide to Minnesota conventions is here—featuring a few new events on the scene in 20231

Doom Patrol cosplayers at Twin Cities Con 2022. Madeleine Vasaly If you’re like me and your 2023 New Year’s resolution is to make more adult friends with similar interests but also keep up with the young ones and make more trendy TikToks, then you probably want to hit up as many conventions as you can this year. As always, Twin Cities Geek is your go-to resource. Check out our list below to find…

[twincitiesgeek]

The Twin Cities Geek 2022 Minnesota Convention Guide

Here's what we know so far about Minnesota's 2022 convention schedule, including which cons have announced COVID safety policies and virtual programming so far.

While 2020 brought the cancellation of many conventions, 2021 saw their return, many with innovative formats. Some conventions opted to sit out 2021 as well, but many others were creative with their format, with some migrating to virtual platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, and Discord to provide places for convention-goers to participate without leaving their homes. Cosplayers at Twin Cities Con…

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Diversicon 2019 - Overview

Had a lovely time at Diversicon. For a small convention it has great enthusiasm and energy. I started the con on a panel with Nisi Shawl, who is amazing and thoughtful (and who I'd only gotten to observe from afar at Wiscons past). I wrapped up by watching Ben Huset's excellent presentation on the Chinese space program. I would have liked to catch the Star Party Saturday night but I was unconscious, alas. Several people tuned in to the Conrad and Shari show (we had six panels together, we decided we were a show), and I got to meet some great people. 

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Diversicon - Day 1

I’m up early, because that’s how my brain works, so here’s a quick look at yesterday’s brief adventure at the con.

The panel on fate and free will turned out a lot more Christian in nature than I’d expected. This is fine, but it’s not a topic that I consider myself remotely acquainted with. Fortunately the moderator and Bryan Thao Worra (who we drafted to join us) kept things moving, and once in a while I was able to contribute something.

Bryan is one of the writer guests of honor.  He’s an amazing poet and, as we say here in Minnesota, a heckuva nice guy.  If you ever have a chance to hear him talk about Laotian mythology, poetry, or cryptids in general, don’t pass it up. He’ll be on the Midwestern monsters of myth panel with me on Sunday afternoon.

@charliejane-anders is the other writer guest of honor, and I really enjoyed the interview with her.  She’s engaging and funny, but she’s also genuinely nice.  She shared a story about a past experience with the express desire that it not be recorded and shared online because she didn’t want anyone to feel bad.  Never mind that it says something about our culture that this kind of sensitivity is remarkable, this made me really happy.  She’ll have a YA trilogy coming out in the future, and I’m really looking forward to that.

I’m on a panel this morning with Charlie Jane Anders on the topics of science and magic, and I’m hoping my moderator skills are fully on, because this could be a ton of fun. 

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Diversicon

I’m preparing for a small local convention this coming weekend.  There’s a little disorganization in the programming department, but I’m going to be on three panels. Friday, 6 pm -  Writing and Religion: A Cup of Coffee with God Saturday, 11 am -  Magic: Is it Both Witchcraft and Science?   Sunday, 4 pm -  Midwest Mythologic Creatures 

I’m not sure how I ended up on that Friday panel (other than the fact that I’m amiable and willing to pinch hit as needed).  From the description, there’s a chance we’ll be covering how religion works in fiction and how we write characters who have religions other than our own.  If it’s about Christianity in science fiction and fantasy it’s a doomed panel.

I’m moderating the Saturday and Sunday panels, and I’m freaking jazzed about the Midwest mythologic creature panel.  I realized last year, at this same con, that fantasy tends to lean on and borrow European and Greco-Roman mythologies, even when the writers are die hard Americans.  Some folks are starting to look at Asian culture for resources, but maybe it’s time to look closer to home as a way to avoid cultural appropriation while doing something new and different.

I’ll be adding a resource page here when I’m done with this.

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Diversicon - Day 3

Originally planned to do this yesterday, but it was a good day for the paying gig, and I had LOTS of editing to do there.

I’ve been trying to attend a fiction reading by Rob Callahan for roughly five years.  He’s a really nice guy and we’ve been on panels together several times.  He was also  kind enough to talk to me about freelancing when I first started my own business. Once again, something got in the way, and I missed his 10 am reading, dangit.  I’m beginning to suspect a curse, and I will break it one of these days.

We had the honor of taking @charliejane-anders to lunch, which was a nice opportunity to get to know her better.  We picked up sandwiches from Nelson Cheese & Deli (if you haven’t been there, it’s a fantastic little local place) and found a table with some shade in the nearby, and mostly vacant, Minnesota State Fairgrounds. It was lovely time. In an effort to combat the odd genderfication of all things, we are trying to replace “guys” with “moops,” when used for groups of people not necessarily of a specific gender.  Eg: Come on moops, let’s get this done.  I’ve been trying to switch to “peeps” for a while, and it hasn’t quite stuck, so my brain clearly has some work to do.

I attended a panel on the use of fairy tales in science fiction and fantasy.  Much of this ended up being a platform for apologizing for past cultural appropriation and warning against future offenses.  Not quite what I was hoping for, but there were a couple of really good points that I hope to explore further in the future.

I spent most of my downtime tweaking stuff for my Midwest Mythologic Creatures panel with Bryan Thao Worra and Brian K. Perry.  Bryan and I had come up with this idea last Diversicon, and it’s always a ton of fun to be on a panel with him.  It took a little longer than anticipated to get through my intro questions on the creation and use of mythological creatures, so we didn’t get through even a quarter of our possible monsters and beasties.  Since I did a bunch of research, and found some wickedly cool North American creatures, I’m going to be posting some sort of series here with that information in the near future.  I just need to figure out the best way to share this information without it becoming an overload.

[s-n-arly]

Diversicon - Day 2

So Saturday was a good but very long day. 

I started my day with an 11 am panel titled Magic: Is it Both Witchcraft and Sicence.  Knowing it was just me and @charliejane-anders I prepped more questions than I normally would, but they weren’t needed.  We had a great interactive audience to really hold a conversation with, and Charlie Jane is a great panelist.  I even came out of the panel with a few story ideas.

I did not get to bring up the uses of sleight of hand in scientific research.

Bryan Thao Worra’s presentation on Southeast Asian speculative poetry was fantastic.  Bryan is a highly decorated poet, and the president of the Science Fiction Poetry Association.  He’s an engaging speaker, and described the conundrum Lao American writers face as refugee immigrants while highlighting other less well known poets.

Charlie Jane’s reading gave us an excellent introduction to her work, hitting four different pieces in the hour. She’s an enthusiastic reader, so if you ever get a chance to hear her, do it.  I plan on checking out more of her work and her podcast in the future.

At the annual auction, we went home with a bunch of new manga to check out (great since the kids are super on the manga bandwagon at the moment).  I also picked up a book described as an “ethical vampire story.”  We also went home with a collection of speculative poetry, including a delightfully cursed copy of Bryan’s Demonstra and a piece of artwork.

During the lulls, I visited with folks and did a little writing for fun.Attendance is a little down this year, which is unfortunate, but all in all, a good day was had.

[twincitiesgeek]

An Amazing Community of Refugee Geekery Lives in Minnesota

Between the Stars and Memory: Refugee Geekery

As you can imagine, Minnesota is about as far removed from life in tropical nations as you get—virtually an alien landscape. You try explaining ice fishing and lutefisk to people living along the Mekong. “What are grape nuts?” “Tell me about these foods-on-a-stick at the fair. Are they like chicken satay?” “You sculpt beauty queens with butter?” For some, connections between geeks and refugees…

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Diversicon 2019 - Writing the Other

Writing the other involves creating characters who differ from us (ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, age, personal philosophy, etc). When writers don’t take the time to research and think this through, it can come off artificial and supports stereotypes rather than contributing to the work’s diversity.

In written works, skin color is overvalued as a difference, and tends to be described in great detail when the character isn’t white (socially emphasized as the norm or primary color in the US).

Comparing the skin of people of color with food (she had a cafe au lait complexion, her dark chocolate hand, etc) can be a way of othering the characters, making them less human than the characters who don’t get compared to food.  Are they people or something to consume? This method of description is almost never used with white characters.   She stood in the sun, her cheeks like silken tofu, as she waited for her Uber. Her hand, the rich color of peeled garlic held him back. Mayonnaise boy quickly joined the group. 

While it’s true some writers will describe white characters as having creamy or milky skin, it’s not the norm to even note white character’s colors, as they are seen as the default. The connotations are also very different when a person in a position of social power or privilege granted  by skin color does this to someone who is often othered.

⁂

Writing the Other is both a book and a class for writers developed by Nisi Shawl and Cynthia Ward.

Including diversity in sensitive ways can contribute to the richness of a work, and should be encouraged.  However writers need to plan to avoid the pitfalls and things that can go very wrong.

[s-n-arly]

Re-Embracing an Artist's Discipline

I spent the last few days without internet or phone service, with nothing to do but play in the water with my family, read (on the bench swing or while sitting on a chair plopped in two feet of water), write, and think. While it was a little frustrating to not drop into my usual habits of spending time online, it was super productive and helped me develop my career plan for the next twelve months.

As both a freelancer and an indie writer, I need to be responsible for driving both of my careers. Neither will progress without my direct action. Having a plan is really helpful for focusing my efforts in a useful direction. Without a plan, most careers merely tread water and many eventually flounder. This doesn’t necessarily need to be a formal structured business plan, but it definitely needs to be more defined than “write some stuff and get published” or “get new clients.” How much detail you include really depends on what your career needs at this moment, and what works best for you. We aren’t all wired the same. I’m goal-oriented and very fond of lists, so my plan is a table with lists of the activities or goals I need to complete each month; freelancing is in one column and fiction writing is in the other.

While preparing for and attending Diversicon back in July, I did some research on gaining traction and becoming successful as an indie writer. My primary focus in this regard is stepping up my game. I used to be very disciplined about my writing goals, but that fell away when I was burned out from a crappy work environment. The chaos of going through a career change prevented me from establishing a routine. I’ve been working on returning to my old level of discipline with original world and fanfic challenges. My work life has stabilized and my kids go back to school in September, so I’m ready and excited to step up my fiction writing.

In the next few weeks I’ll be plotting out the two sequels I have planned for Something Familiar. I’ll also be picking up regular writing sprints to get the creativity flowing and generate some stories that I can ideally share here and on Curious Fictions. When the kids return to school, I’ll be focusing on writing the first one with a fast track plan for publication before the end of the year. It’s well within my abilities, and I’m eager to make this happen.

Buckle up; we’re going for a ride!

[twincitiesgeek]

This Week in Geek (7/22/19–7/28/19)

This week, learn about making safe costumes, check out the ArtCar parade, and gear up for Diversicon 27!

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, July 22, to Sunday, July 28.

Monday Night Game Night

What: Gaming When: Monday, July 22, at 5:00 p.m. Where: Level Up Games (South St. Paul)

While it may be tough diving back into the workweek (at least for those of us with Monday-to-Friday jobs), this event seeks to add fun and…

[twincitiesgeek]

This Week in Geek (7/23/18–7/29/18)

This week, check out Diversicon, Circus Juventas, and plenty of other geeky events going on around the cities!

Welcome to This Week in Geek, your guide to events of interest to the Minnesota geek community for the week of Monday, July 23rd to Sunday, July 29th.

Creative Night

What: Arts, Community When: Monday, July 23rd at 6:30 p.m. Where: Event Horizon at the Waterbury Building

Let your creativity shine with drawing, painting, crafting, or whatever your heart desires at Creative Night, a weekly event…