Programming
NOTE: there is still one space for Building a World: The Genre Fiction Workshop. Email us to reserve it! Full schedule with descriptions is below. Other options:
View only the gaming schedules
View only the reading schedule
| Friday |
|---|
| 03:00 PM - 05:15 PM Videogaming: Flashback Friday |
| The Chessiecon Video Game Room opens its doors with a blast to the past, giving older games on the Nintendo 64 or even older a time to shine. If we don't have it on cartridge, we might have it on emulator or virtual console, just ask! |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Concert: Cade Tinney (with S. J. Tucker & Betsy Tinney) |
| Cade is an excellent performer, and with the able help of our musical Guests (GOH and Special Guest), is sure to knock your socks off. |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM The Business of Writing: an Introduction |
| Open to all authors wishing to start, or jump-start, their writing careers. Whether you're an independent, hybrid, or traditionally published author, come get the lowdown on such topics as: Do I really need to incorporate? If so, what "flavor" of company should I set up, and how do I go about taking the plunge? What is an ISBN, how do I get one, and how many will I really need? What is an Imprint and how do I establish one for my books? Print and e-book layout, cover design, editing, and other production details: DIY versus contracting professional service providers. The care and feeding of the author's brand, in person as well as online. |
| Kim Headlee |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Autism, Asperger's, and Fandom |
| Dozens of fannish children and adults are being diagnosed with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome. Recent novels such as Elizabeth Moon's Speed of Dark feature autistic protagonists. Panelists discuss the nature of these disorders, the range of functionality in individuals, and the various realistic and unrealistic ways they have been presented in fiction. |
| Carl Cipra, Harrison Demchick, Don Sakers, Pam Smith, Michelle D. Sonnier |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Gadgets in Fiction |
| It's easy to get too passionate about your faster-than-light drive or the workings of your hand-held ray gun, but your audience doesn't want a textbook. How do you share your geeky idea without straying into too much? When does over-reliance on gadgetry start to take away from the plot and characterization? |
| Nicole "Nickie" Jamison, Steve Kozeniewski, Jessica Moran, Steven R. Southard (M), Martin Wilsey |
| 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM Diana Wynne Jones, Complex Plot and Backstory Details |
| Jones deliberately did not spell out complex details in her books. The age and physical description of characters was deliberately obscured so more people could identify easily with them, but the clues are there. She expected her readers to work out the details if they really wanted to know, yet she also put in "deliberate mystifiers." Have you found any of them? Emphasis is on but not limited to Dark Lord of Derkholm and Deep Secret. |
| Tamar Lindsay |
| 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM Top 7 Thematic Board Games |
| Everyone wants to love a game based on a series they've seen. Which ones are worth trying and which should you skip? |
| Mike Brown, Dom Eggert, Drew Star, Dave Wright |
| 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM How Do We Get To Funny In Star Wars and Star Trek? |
| Authors of the comedic science fiction book series Prison Dad and hosts of the Silly Talks About Science Fiction podcast break down the funniest moments in both the Star Wars and Star Trek franchise. |
| Jeff Gritman, Cristin Kist |
| 04:15 PM - 04:45 PM Reading: Sarah Pinsker |
| 04:15 PM - 04:45 PM Concert: Lee Budar-Danoff (with Jon Budar-Danoff) |
| Lee (on voice and guitar) and her husband Jon (on bass) wow us with original songs and covers. |
| 04:45 PM - 05:15 PM Group Sing: Shabbos Song Circle |
| A kabbalat Shabbos singing circle (no candle-lighting will be offered). |
| Merav Hoffman, Ben Newman, Batya Wittenberg |
| 04:45 PM - 05:15 PM Reading: Broad Universe |
| Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Elektra Hammond, Kelly A. Harmon, Nicole "Nickie" Jamison, Roberta Rogow |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM Group Sing: Candlelight Song Circle |
| Throughout human history, music and stories shared face-to-face have kept us going through the dark months of winter. There's something about sharing a song or a story by firelight that makes it more compelling. Some are chilling, some are warm; all folklore is welcome, so long as it helps us pass the time! Even house-trained Yeti have a place at this fireside. Bring your best "getting through winter together" tunes and (short) tales - S. J. will bring the (battery-powered) candlelight! |
| S. J. Tucker |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM How to Handle Domestic Abuse in Fiction |
| Domestic abuse of all sorts is an extremely sensitive subject in the real world, and yet oftentimes in fiction it is used either as a hook to create a gritty, brooding protagonist, or for cheap shock value, making the victim a piece of scenery for other characters. In honor of International Day For the Elimination of Violence Against Women, this panel discusses how to properly write about abuse in a way that neither insults the reader nor invalidates the character. |
| Carl Cipra (M), Harrison Demchick, Jessica Moran, Meg Nicholas, Pam Smith |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM Videogaming: Kinect Sports |
| A variety of sports are available in this Kinect-controlled collection. Use your whole body to play soccer, volleyball, bowling and more! Do the thing, win the points! Towels and water will be available. (Xbox 360, Sports, E10+, 1-4 players) |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM The Other Side of Over the Top: Writing Your Turkey Award Entry |
| Previous winners and judges give advice on how to make your bad writing the best kind of bad it can be. The deadline for entries is 9pm, so you still have time to write yours after the panel, or you can start planning for next year! |
| Beth Chandler, Luke Katafiasz, Steve Kozeniewski (M), Eileen Martz, Elizabeth Schechter |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM Setting the Wards |
| It's time to bless the mythic track room in the hopes that it will be a peaceful, playful, learning environment. Open participation. |
| Charles Butler |
| 05:30 PM - 09:30 PM Learn a Game: They Stole Grandma's Brain |
| The heroes, Luchadors of great fame, are beset with personal tragedy when Grandma calls from the retirement home describing a weird situation of bright lights, strange noises, and missing persons. Suddenly, the phone goes dead... Players: 2-4. |
| Christian Strama |
| 05:30 PM - 07:30 PM Learn a Game: Revolution! |
| Blackmail the printer. Threaten the innkeeper. Bribe the priest. Welcome to Revolution! Secretly bid against your opponents to gain victory points, control territories (worth victory points at the end of the game) and collect more Gold, Blackmail, and Force tokens for the next round of bidding! Will you try to control the tavern or the fortress? The harbor or the plantation? Knowing where to push for points -- and where to back away and let your opponents fight -- is the key to victory. Whoever has the most victory points at the end of the game wins. It's a game of bluff, counter-bluff, and surprise! Players: 2-4. |
| Stephen Brinich |
| 05:30 PM - 06:00 PM Reading: J.L. Gribble |
| Short scenes from her newest book, Steel Magic (book 2 in the Steel Empires series). |
| 06:00 PM - 06:30 PM Reading: Heather Rose Jones |
| Heather will be reading from -- and celebrating the release of! -- her new novel Mother of Souls, the third book in the Alpennia series. She will have some celebratory freebies to give away to attendees. |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Care and Feeding of Critique Groups |
| Participating in a critique group can be a great way to improve your writing. Not all such groups work out well, though. The panel will discuss ways to keep a critique group helpful, vibrant, and long-lived. |
| Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Margaret Carter, J.L. Gribble, Jay Smith, Steven R. Southard (M) |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Workshop: Cosplay From Your Closet |
| Need a quick costume on a limited budget? We have some creative ideas on how to put together a costume with items from your closet and around town. Just in time for the Time Travelers' Social! |
| Pam Smith |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Hula Hoop Jam |
| Come out and let your inner child play. There will be hula hoops to use or you can bring your own. Other toys welcome too. All levels and ages of hoopers welcome, Patches has a pretty good track record of getting people to hoop who swore they couldn't. Music will be provided. |
| Sonya Gross |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Prison Planets - Orange Black and Blue |
| Prison life can lend itself as a backdrop for some intense story telling, as seen in the Netflix show, Orange is the New Black. But when you work in the Criminal Justice system, how often do you want to throw something across the room because it is a stock character, stock situation, and just plain 'not real'? If we create a fictional prison system, where can writers go for Subject Matter Experts? For the good AND bad judges, cops, politicians, guards, parole officers, legal aides, and don't forget the picayune procedural information. This is intended to be an open-ended discussion. |
| Charles Butler |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Concert: Sarah Pinsker |
| Sarah isn't just a Nebula-winning author, she's also an excellent musician and singer. Join us for an hour of her music. |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Accessibility in Gaming |
| What makes a video game accessible? What do designers need to take into account for hearing impaired, vision-impaired, or hands-limited users? What other needs might users have? What games are headed in the right direction, and what more can be done? What do you do when the nature of a game is inherently inaccessible? |
| Margaret Hogan, Nicole "Nickie" Jamison, Karen MacLeod, Jessica Moran, Jan Whiteley (M) |
| 06:45 PM - 08:00 PM Learn a Game: Sentinels of the Multiverse |
| Sentinels of the Multiverse is the award-winning game in which players join forces as heroes to combat a dastardly villain in a dynamic environment! Players: 3-5. |
| Mike Brown |
| 06:45 PM - 07:15 PM Reading: Andrew Hiller |
| 07:15 PM - 07:45 PM Reading: Andi O'Connor |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Songwriting, Big Fears, and Deadlines, Oh My! |
| If you were invited to work with a random, weekly writing prompt AND a weekly deadline for a whole year, would you say yes? Would you be scared to death? Might you just surprise yourself? Performing songwriter S. J. Tucker shares her best experiences and tips for creative types on writing music and lyrics, getting over impostor syndrome and stage fright, working with deadlines, and more, in this presentation that's part pep talk and part mini-concert. |
| S. J. Tucker |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Writing Outside the Lines |
| Writers live with a cast of thousands inside their heads, all vying to come out and play on the page. The dilemma comes when the writer must write a character outside their experience -- be it race, gender identity or sexual orientation. How does a writer accurately portray a character with whom they can't fully identify? Join us for a discussion of writing outside of your identity -- how do you do it? What kind of research is required? Should it even be done? |
| Harrison Demchick (M), Kim Headlee, Andi O'Connor, Elizabeth Schechter, Kelly Szpara |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Never Say "I'll Be Right Back" |
| What are some obvious (or unobvious) ways to survive being in a horror story? And, while you're at it, what's your zombie apocalypse survival plan? |
| Jeff Gritman, Kelly A. Harmon (M), Cristin Kist, Mike McPhail, Jay Smith |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Science-Compatible Religions in Fiction: An Exploration of Spiritual Traditions Supportive of Intellectual Growth |
| The too-common narrative of "superstition" oppressing rationality calls for a counter-narrative. In real life, Al-Jazari was a Muslim and Darwin was a Christian. West African religious figures include deities dedicated to science and technology. Let's explore specific books and stories in which spiritual practices help rather than hinder their characters' use of the scientific method, such as Lois McMaster Bujold's Chalion series, which depicts well the things a religion can do in and for society. |
| D.H. Aire, Carl Cipra, Cathy Hird, TJ Perkins, Michelle D. Sonnier |
| 08:00 PM - 10:00 PM Learn a Game: The Pursuit of Happiness |
| We all have one common desire: the desire for happiness. As we build our life, taking steps towards the pursuit of happiness, we come closer to the realization that happiness lies in the pursuit. In The Pursuit of Happiness, you take a character from birth and you live the life you always wanted. Using card drafting and a unique "reverse worker-placement" mechanism with time as your workers, you can take on projects, get jobs, buy items, establish relationships and raise families as you work towards fulfilling common life goals. What kind of life will you lead? Players: 2-4. |
| Trevor Schadt |
| 08:00 PM - 09:15 PM Learn a Game: Eminent Domain |
| Survey the galaxy to expand your civilization -- will you colonize nearby planets, or take them over by force? Harvest resources for trade, and do research to improve your technology. Build the best civilization and win the game! Players: 2-4. |
| Mike Brown |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Early Bardic Circle (Open) |
| Get the song circle going, as all are invited to share stories, songs, and other performances--but be clear if you don't want others helping, because otherwise they almost certainly will. Moderator: Roberta Rogow to begin with, later will vary. |
| Roberta Rogow |
| 09:15 PM - 10:30 PM Learn a Game: Movie Buff |
| Movie Buff is the game where folks who pass the time quoting lines and fun film trivia can show off their big screen skills. Each round relies on players' own movie knowledge, so you can never play the same game twice. You guide the game; we just give you the tools to best show off your skills. Whether it's a fiercely competitive game with your best buds, or a fun family night, Movie Buff brings it! |
| Mike Brown |
| 09:15 PM - 10:15 PM Workshop: Needle Bracelets |
| Not EVER to be made with needles, this bracelet is actually made of metal and plastic. It is meant to hold your needles and pins to corral them for your successlful sewing project later on. The bracelets will be specially fit to each person so try to arrive early. |
| Sue Bowen |
| 09:15 PM - 10:15 PM Videogaming: Dance Dance Revolution |
| Step on the arrows on the dance pad in time to catchy technopop music. Fun and a good source of exercise! Towels and water will be available. (Playstation 2, rhythm/dance, E for Everyone, 1-2 Players) |
| 09:15 PM - 10:15 PM Combining Hard Science and Fantasy (or: High-Tech Magic) |
| Just because some of the laws of physics are different doesn't mean they aren't laws. What does technology look like in a fantasy universe? How has this been explored in speculative fiction, and how might it be explored? How many elements of magic, (e.g. teleportation, FTL travel) can be included in hard SF before it becomes fantasy? Some classic noteworthy interplay exists in Ringworld (Niven), Operation Chaos (Anderson), and Darkover (Bradley). |
| D.H. Aire, Leslie Roy Carter, Cathy Hird (M), Heather Rose Jones, Martin Wilsey |
| 09:15 PM - 11:45 PM Time Travelers' Social |
| Highlights of this event include costume presentations, live music, dancing, food, and games. You can choose to come in quietly or have your costume/persona announced at the Stonehenge arch before entering. |
| D. Glenn Arthur, Karen Osborne, Pam Smith, Emory Stagmer, Mike Stoddard, John Ward, Trix Whitehall |
| 09:15 PM - 10:15 PM Slash: The Card Game |
| Slash: Romance Without Boundaries is a game all about matching romantic partners from across the canons of pop culture, literature and history. Our panelists pick their favorite characters and pitch their love stories to a matchmaker in search of the ultimate One True Pairing. |
| Nicole "Nickie" Jamison, Sarah Pinsker, Elizabeth Schechter, Kelly Szpara |
| 09:15 PM - 03:00 AM Group Sing: Bardic Circle |
| Join us for an open sharing circle of music, poetry, story and song. At other conventions, this might be called a "filk sing", but here at Chessiecon, we like to be a little different. Depending on the mood of the circle, it might be a "strict bardic" -- or it might be substantially more chaotic. |
| 09:15 PM - 10:15 PM Transformation Tarot |
| An overview of a 5-suit Tarot deck based loosely on the Cluster Tarot of Piers Anthony and other variations. The map of the deck is a double-laced pentagram rather than the Kabbalah, so that the path, for example, from Earth to Air is not the same path as Air to Earth so that one can use the deck to direct magic toward a specific end. Decks available for demonstration and sale in the class. Book is in progress. |
| Charles Butler |
| 09:15 PM - 09:45 PM Reading: Don Sakers |
| Don will read from The Rule of Five, a serial space opera he's co-authoring with Melissa Scott. Details are at rule-of-five.com. |
| 09:45 PM - 10:15 PM Reading: Mary Fan |
| Imagine a sci-fi world where brainy young heroines use their smarts to save the day. Girls who fix robots and construct superhero suits, hack interstellar corporations and build virtual reality platforms. Author and co-editor Mary Fan of the Brave New Girls: Tales of Girls and Gadgets will read excerpts of selected stories from the anthology. |
| 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM LGBTQ Content: Plot or Set Dressing? |
| Putting some hot sex in a book doesn't make it LGBTQ-friendly. Does every book with a "non-traditional" hero or heroine have to carry the banner forward, or is it OK to write frivolous LGBTQ material? |
| Carl Cipra (M), Harrison Demchick, Mary Fan, Meg Nicholas, Don Sakers |
| 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM Seven African Powers Ritual |
| What if the Divinities don't get along, in fact they get divorced. African spirituality takes a turn in this Seven African Powers Ritual. Oggun - the Blacksmith, and Yemaya, the Ocean Mother have a child that doesn't fit in. He's gay, and he's being passed back and forth between his parents, living on the seashore where he learns from Pombagira the Prostitute and the old Gruff Ossain of the swamp. Come as swamp things, blacksmiths, mermaids, all parts are open. Charles Butler is the narrator, but anyone can act. |
| Charles Butler, Fancy Butler, Peggy Thompson |
| 10:30 PM - 01:00 AM Learn a Game: The Devil's Playground |
| 18+ ONLY. What happens when you and your friends have to survive a weekend in the world's most diabolical city while trying to be the one with the most money when it's over? Prepare to use money, wits, people, and a dash of good, old-fashioned luck as you swindle, bribe, steal, and kill your way to the top! Players 3-6. |
| Mike Brown |
| 10:30 PM - 11:00 PM Reading: Elizabeth Schechter |
| Elizabeth will be reading "Layover". Vampires exist, their ritualized society and strict laws allowing them to live peacefully alongside mortal men, feeding on the blood of those who chose to enter vampire service as bond-slaves. The ignorant believed that vampires were savages, that they would half-murder their bond-slaves with their brutality. Daniel, bond-slave to the vampire Itami Hiro, knows better. |
| 11:00 PM - 11:30 PM Reading: Michelle D. Sonnier |
| Saturday |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Videogaming: Super Smash Brothers Novice Hour |
| Enjoy Super Smash Brothers but still learning the ropes playing it? Frustrated with being constantly outclassed with no chance to practice? This is the panel for you; for one hour, we ask the experts to sit aside a while and let newbies and novice players take the wheel. If you're a skilled player, we also encourage you to come by as a tutor to offer advice for new players to help them improve! |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Literary Agents and Query Letters: What, How, and Why |
| One of the toughest parts about being a writer is selling your work before it's even published. For those aiming to publish traditionally, the first step after polishing your novel is to query literary agents - the gatekeepers to the major publishers. But just what does an agent do? How do you approach them? And how do you capture the spirit of your book in a few short paragraphs? This panel will discuss the what, how, and why of agents and query letters. |
| Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Mary Fan (M), Steve Kozeniewski, Jessica Moran, Kelly Szpara |
| 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Reading: Mike McAfee |
| Audience members draw Tarot cards to determine which of Mike's 78 poems he will read. |
| 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Workshop: Demos and Hands-on Craft Workshops |
| Come to the atrium where people will demo and teach various skills such as spinning, weaving, knitting, beading, chain mail, paper beads, and origami. Feel free to just watch, or try your hand at any of the crafts available. Children welcome! |
| Sue Cochran, Loren Damewood, Yakira Heistand, Margaret Hogan, Kirsten Houseknecht, Meg Nicholas |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM What's New in the Prehistoric Past? |
| Dinosaurs! And other things...Tom Holtz talks about the latest discoveries, developments, and news in the field of Paleontology. |
| Tom Holtz |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Dive! Dive! Submarines in Science Fiction |
| Not all SF takes place in outer space. Panelists will discuss their favorite undersea fiction and undersea vehicles. |
| D.H. Aire, Leslie Roy Carter, Kelly A. Harmon, Steven R. Southard (M), Martin Wilsey |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Tea with the Ancestors |
| A time to reflect on and discuss those who have passed from your life this year. This is not a memorial service, but a celebration. Come and drink tea or your preferred drink and tell stories of your loved ones and welcome them. |
| Charles Butler |
| 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM Learn a Game: Red Dragon Inn |
| You've raided the dungeon, killed the monsters, and taken their treasure. Now you're back, and what better way to celebrate your most recent victory than to spend an evening at the Red Dragon Inn. You and your adventuring companions will spend the night drinking, gambling, and roughhousing. The last person who is both sober enough to remain conscious and shrewd enough to hold onto his Gold Coins wins the game. |
| Mike Brown |
| 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Learn a Game: The Networks |
| Welcome to the TV business! You are the owner of a new television network. All you have are three awful public access shows, a small amount of cash, and endless ambition. Plus it looks like you're not the only new TV network in town... Can you snatch up the best Shows with the most popular Stars and the most lucrative Ads? Can you get enough Shows of the same Genre to make your network stand out? Can you best utilize the powers of the handy Network Cards? Whose network will get the most Viewers and win the game? Players: 2-5 |
| Trevor Schadt |
| 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM Learn a Game: Solar Echoes |
| As seven alien races struggle to co-exist in an uneasy alliance, the Inter-Stellar Union sends specialized forces of agents on missions to preserve the balance. Do you have what it takes to serve in the Union Guard? Solar Echoes is a sci-fi tabletop RPG designed to move fast, encourage teamwork, and to provide a variety of challenging scenarios including squad combat, vehicle chases, starship combat, hacking, and dialogue encounters. In Solar Echoes, each player designs a character from one of 7 different alien races and becomes a Union Guard agent on a special-forces team. The game moves fast because no initiative rolls means no more waiting for your turn -- players plan their movements and actions together and can react to anything whenever they choose. Solar Echoes encourages tactics and team-play because wound penalties and smaller hit point totals make team tactics crucial for success. Every system in the game is designed to involve all players working together! Players: 2-8. |
| Andy Mitchell |
| 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM Learn a Game: Spring Beginnings |
| After a long and harsh winter, the Duchy of Kent is cleaning up and preparing for a late spring planting. Seed must be checked for spoilage. People are hiring workers for field preparation. News is being exchanged. Illness is still somewhat rampant from the winter. Into this mixture come the unusual caravans that one particular merchant has been receiving from the Horde. What do they bring to Arketton and where does the Merchant's true loyalties lie? Players: 2-8. |
| Allison Kaese |
| 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM Learn a Game: The Treasure of One-Eyed Jimmy |
| The group has recently acquired a map that legend says leads to the treasure of the infamous pirate and smuggler "One-eyed" Jimmy McQuill. Jimmy was well-known for finding, trading, and stealing items both magical and technological. Does the map truly lead to one of Jimmy's treasure stashes? Or does it lead to deadly traps? Those who have studied Jimmy's legend say both! No experience with AGE system required, super easy to learn and play! A selection of characters will be provided to choose from along with pen, paper, etc. Dice will also be provided/available if needed. However, if you have your own lucky dice and want to bring three of your favorite dice with you, please bring 3D6 and make sure 1D6 is unique from the others. Players: 3-6. |
| Jim Garner |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Workshop: Intro to Belly Dance |
| It's fun, it's pretty, and it's excellent exercise! Learn how to belly dance or bring your expertise and help others learn. |
| Melanie Mansfield |
| 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM Learn a Game: Munchkin: Marvel/Nightmare |
| Munchkin Marvel fuses the classic card game fun of monster-slaying and role-playing with the most iconic characters from the Marvel universe. Players: 2-6. |
| Mike Brown |
| 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM Learn a Game: Dazzle |
| A polygonal matching game where strategy is the key. Players: 2-6. |
| Charles Butler |
| 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM Workshop: Exploring the Magick & Lore of the Celtic/Norse Gods/Goddesses |
| This is a writing workshop. Please bring items to create. TJ Perkins will lead you through a step-by-step process to character creation using the Celtic & Norse Gods/Goddesses. Take a journey into the world of epic fantasy character creation and cover such topics as personality, likes/dislikes, motivation, appearance, name, weapons, powers, and how your character fits into the world you build, just to name a few. Create a hero that your readers will love, or a villain that your readers will love to hate! There will be a short Pathworking to help you 'meet' a character that you may work with in your creation. |
| TJ Perkins |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Silent Symphonies: Incorporating Music into Literature |
| Music is an important part of many stories, but writing about it presents an innate paradox: music is sound, while the page of a book is silent. How do you capture song through words alone? This panel will discuss the role of music in various works of literature and the methods writers have used to tackle this challenge. |
| Marc Drexler, Mary Fan, Heather Rose Jones, Sarah Pinsker, Don Sakers (M) |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Videogaming: Videogaming TV Special - The Legend of Zelda: The Animated Series (1989) |
| This cheesy miniseries ran as a special in the Super Mario Brothers Super Show, and though it hasn't aged well it's still a fun ride in the days of Nintendo's infancy, when the land of Hyrule was not so well established and developed. Princess Zelda commissions the wisecracking, slightly sexist hero Link to assist in guarding the Triforce of Wisdom from the evil wizard Ganon, who owns the Triforce of Power and intends to complete the set. Magic, swordplay, bickering, and comedy (intentional or not) abound on a quest to protect the kingdom. Episodes: The Ringer, Sing for the Unicorn, Underworld Connections, and The Missing Link. Videos are captioned. |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM House Protection and Blessings |
| In this class we will look at different ways of blessing and protecting a dwelling. We will look at ways different cultures have created spells to do this, and examine how we protect and bless our own houses. You can also attend the 3pm workshop to create your own house blessing lantern. |
| Peggy Thompson |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM The Business of Writing: Diving Deeper |
| "Plans? We don't need no stinking plans!" If you're an author trying to function as your own publisher, yes, you do. "Diving Deeper" covers such topics as the publication plan, the promotion plan, developing a great book cover, and obtaining book reviews. Take a lot of notes -- or you might just end up taking a dive. |
| Kim Headlee |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Gruesome Deaths: GRRM vs. GRIMM |
| We've all heard the comments and jokes about how many deaths there are in Game of Thrones, but how does George R.R. Martin really stack up against the classics? Are his deaths more numerous or more ghastly than those in the Grimm fairy tales? Which other authors have a similar reputation? Come discuss various creative nasty ways to die in a story! |
| D.H. Aire (M), Steve Kozeniewski, Meg Nicholas, Jay Smith, Martin Wilsey |
| 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Reading: Cristin Kist and Jeff Gritman. The Squirrelicane II - The Revenge! |
| Last year we introduced you to the menace that is the Squirrelicane! We told you the tale of what happened when a hurricane of squirrels attacked Prison Dad and his friends at the Shady Pines Trailer Park. Now, the storm is back and it's hungry for more! Join our friends Les, Jed, Sarah, and Franny in this Chessiecon exclusive squirrel squealquel about silliness, survival, snacks, and evil, red-eyed squirrels! For those who missed it, read part one for free on our website: prisondad.com. |
| 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM Reading: Danielle Ackley-McPhail |
| Danielle will read excerpts of her fantasy, science fiction and steampunk stories, as time allows. |
| 12:30 PM - 02:45 PM Videogaming: Pokemon BinGO! |
| If you play Pokemon GO, and like catching them all and winning prizes, join your fellow trainers in a guided tour around the hotel and nearby shopping center. If you catch, hatch, or evolve a Pokemon on your Bingo card (designed and created by Jason Metcalf!), mark it off! ConCardia cards will be handed out for participating, prizes will be awarded for five in a row, and a grand prize for filling the board! Maximum 30 people, please sign up before 12 PM Saturday in Timonium and make sure to stock up on supplies, especially Pokeballs, before the event! Please try to meet 15 minutes early to speed up the setup process, and we encourage parents to come with younger children as we will be leaving the hotel for a portion of the event. |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Concert: Totally Not The Clams |
| A collection of mollusks and a friend or two who have been around for a while will make some old music or new, borrowed or possibly blue. Will probably include some sing-alongs and a waltz. |
| Bob and Sue Esty, John Huff, Kathleen Sobansky |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Eurogames: Why You Want to Play Them |
| TDS explains the difference between Eurogames and "Ameritrash". We will also provide a list of games you should check out to up your skills. |
| Mike Brown, Dom Eggert, Drew Star, Dave Wright |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Learn a Game: Learn to Play Concardia! |
| You've collected some cards in the scavenger hunt, now learn how to play the game. Don't have your deck yet? It's not too late! The inventor of Concardia will give a rules explanation and strategy tips, and sign up any newcomers. |
| Michael Whitehouse |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Women of Westeros |
| Our panelists discuss the role of women in A Song of Ice and Fire (book series)/Game of Thrones (TV Series). The books & TV series feature a very western culture-oriented tight control of women's roles in society, and the ways the women in that society work around those controls and become powerful. |
| Vonnie Winslow Crist (M), Tom Holtz, Nicole "Nickie" Jamison, Cristin Kist, Jessica Moran |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Steam Engines: Putting the Steam in Steampunk |
| Of all the artifacts that define Steampunk, none is more significant than the steam-engine. Although wind & water power have been available since Roman times, the Industrial Revolution was powered by steam. Even in the 21st Century, steam has not been entirely supplanted. A nuclear power-plant is still just a glorified steam-engine. This talk will cover the invention of the Atmospheric Steam Engine by Thomas Newcomen and its improvement by James Watt, and the High-Pressure Engine invented by Richard Trevithick, who mounted one on a carriage running on rails, creating the first steam locomotive. Fred will discuss steam railway locomotives at length, and will also discuss other engines, such as the most steampunk of all: The Corliss Engine. |
| Fred Blonder |
| 12:30 PM - 01:00 PM Reading: Steve Kozeniewski |
| Stephen will be reading an excerpt from his latest release, Hunter of the Dead, a hardcore horror novel about a young Chinese farmgirl coming to grips with suddenly being the most powerful vampire in the world. Cemetery Dance Magazine said Hunter of the Dead is "At times mesmerizing and breathtaking...a complex tapestry of blood and violence." |
| 01:00 PM - 01:30 PM Reading: Jay Smith |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Group Sing: Musical Jam |
| Bring an instrument, your voice, and/or dancing shoes as we play through a mostly free-flowing series of music and songs that anyone can play or sing along to. |
| Bob and Sue Esty, Ben Newman |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Workshop: Jewelry-Making Workshop |
| Learn to make a bracelet or earrings from paper beads. It is recommended to attend the workshop fair at 10am Saturday to prepare the beads for your project. Limit 7 participants. |
| Sue Cochran |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Round Table Sharing: Beliefs, Doubts, and Stories |
| Everyone has a world view and a story of how they came to it. This is an attempt to create a safe space focused on spiritual beliefs, personal exploration and mutual understanding. To that end, we'll have an open forum where participants share stories of their individual walks and how they got to where they are now. Hopefully by hearing about each other's journeys we can better understand our own. Doubts are welcome! |
| Luke Katafiasz |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Turkey Awards Panel |
| Writers were asked to send in the best terrible paragraph they could write, as the beginning of the best terrible science fiction novel you (n)ever read. Finalist entries will be presented, and judged with humor and harshness. The panelists will decide who gets this year's dubious prizes! |
| Lee Budar-Danoff, Harrison Demchick, Steve Kozeniewski, Don Sakers (M), Elizabeth Schechter |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Videogaming: Surgeon Simulator |
| Control a single surgeon's hand using the mouse and keyboard to perform various surgeries. Easy to explain, intentionally difficult to play and entertainingly brutal and violent. Take turns one at a time, or coordinate with another to make a team effort. (PC, simulation, Not Rated, 1-2 Players). |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Tamora Pierce: A Discussion of her Works and Worlds |
| This is your time to discuss anything related to Tamora Pierce. We are sure you are all as sad as we are that Tammy had to cancel this year, but that doesn't mean you can't talk about her books and meet other fans of her work. Share your excitement over your favorite parts of her stories, talk about her characters, and discuss how her novels have affected your life. |
| Jamaila Brinkley, Cathy Hird |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Learn a Game: Seasons |
| The greatest sorcerers of the kingdom have gathered at the heart of the Argos forest, where the legendary tournament of the 12 seasons is taking place. At the end of the three-year competition, the new archmage of the kingdom of Xidit will be chosen from among the competitors. Take your place, wizard! Equip your ancestral magical items, summon your most faithful familiars to your side and be ready to face the challenge! Players: 2-4. |
| Dave Wright |
| 01:45 PM - 05:30 PM Learn a Game: Scythe |
| It is a time of unrest in 1920s Europa. The ashes from the first great war still darken the snow. The capitalistic city-state known simply as "The Factory", which fueled the war with heavily armored mechs, has closed its doors, drawing the attention of several nearby countries. Scythe is a 4X-esque board game set in an alternate-history 1920s period. It is a time of farming and war, broken hearts and rusted gears, innovation and valor. In Scythe, each player represents a character from one of five factions of Eastern Europa who are attempting to earn their fortune and claim their faction's stake in the land around the mysterious Factory. Players conquer territory, enlist new recruits, reap resources, gain villagers, build structures, and activate monstrous mechs. Players: 2-5. |
| Trevor Schadt |
| 01:45 PM - 02:15 PM Reading: Steven R. Southard |
| Steve will read from his sci-fi story "The Cats of Nerio-3" in the just-launched anthology In a Cat's Eye. If time allows, he'll also read from one of his alternate history stories. |
| 02:15 PM - 02:45 PM Reading: Scott Edelman |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Little Red Riding Hood: An Archetypal Analysis of an Ancient Rite of Passage |
| "Little Red Riding Hood" as you have never heard it before. A girl loved by everyone - especially her grandmother, who gave her her Little Red Cap. Was the wolf always a bad creature? This exploration is Katrina Messenger's doctoral thesis as an Archetypal Pattern Analyst. |
| Katrina Messenger |
| 03:00 PM - 04:15 PM Learn a Game: Eminent Domain, Take 2 |
| See Friday 8:00pm. |
| Mike Brown |
| 03:00 PM - 05:00 PM Learn a Game: Castles of Burgundy |
| Become an autocrat in the Burgundy region of High Medieval France. You start the game controlling a small princedom; build your estate by completing cities, pastures, mines, castles, waterways, and knowledge. Players: 2-4. |
| Stephen Brinich |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Chessiecon Storytime |
| Our Performing Storytellers take turns telling stories, with maybe a poem or song thrown in for good measure. |
| Harold Feld, Ed Sobansky |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Cosplay for Beginners |
| You have your costume idea, now how do you go about creating it? What happens when you get to the con? What do you need to know if you enter a masquerade or costume contest? How do you handle the body police? Here's a chance to ask questions of cosplayers and costumers. |
| Thomas Atkinson, Meg Nicholas, Don Sakers (M), Pam Smith |
| 03:00 PM - 05:00 PM Renaissance Dance |
| Come and learn some wonderful dances from the Renaissance and Medieval periods. Partners and fancy garb not required! There will be an open band led by Maugorn - the more musicians the merrier. Dances covered will depend on audience interest but will include some English Country (Gathering Peasecods, New Bo Peep, Rufty Tufty, along with others) and possibly other types of dances such as dances from the Inns of the Court (Black Alman), Bransles, and 15th century Italian dances. Again, don't worry if this list is meaningless; all dances will be taught. |
| Sonya Gross |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM GoH Interview |
| Join K.M. Szpara while he attempts to crack Guest of Honor Sarah Pinsker's plan for world domination, which he suspects involves music, science fiction, and murder houses. |
| Sarah Pinsker, Kelly Szpara |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Field Guide to Steampunk Submarines of the Eastern US |
| The best-known place to find a steampunk submarine is in Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. However, there are three places in the eastern US where you can visit actual 19th century subs. The most famous of these subs is the Confederate HL Hunley, recently raised and on display in Charleston SC. Our presenter will discuss where you can find these subs today, point out how they differ from Verne's fictional Nautilus, and describe how Verne's Nautilus, the three real subs, and modern submarines are similar to each other, but different from World War II subs and U-boats. This is a case where "Everything old is new again!" |
| Brent Warner |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Workshop: House Blessing Lanterns |
| In this workshop we will be making House Blessing Lanterns. These lanterns are designed to help protect and bless a dwelling and those that live there. Class fee is $10 for supplies. There is a maximum of 15 participants. It is recommended to attend the class "House Protection and Blessings" at 11:15am Saturday if you wish to participate in this workshop. |
| Peggy Thompson |
| 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM It's Awesome, Well-Written, and Groundbreaking...But Do You Like It? |
| Sometimes the greatest thing since sliced bread isn't your cup of tea. How do you handle it when everyone around you is singing the praises of something that just didn't click for you? Is it OK to dislike something even if it's changing the world? Can you appreciate it for what it tried to do even if it didn't do it for you? Are there ways to still usefully participate in the conversation? |
| Nicole "Nickie" Jamison, Heather Rose Jones, Elizabeth Schechter, Mary Spila, Kelly Szpara (M) |
| 04:15 PM - 05:00 PM Character Building: Quirks, Hobbies and Passions |
| Characters feel more whole when they're given something that they do outside of the story, such as hobbies, passions, and favorite foods or media. Talk about memorable characters that have jumped off the page. Discuss what details make a character real. |
| Jamaila Brinkley, C.S. Friedman, Cathy Hird (M), Steve Kozeniewski, TJ Perkins |
| 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM Concert: Ben Newman |
| Join filk favorite Ben Newman, as he sings songs from his amazing repetoire--everything from mash-ups to songs about Tolkien, songs about religion to songs about technology, and songs about cartography to songs about dragons. Often multiples at the same time! |
| 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM Videogaming: Turbo Dismount |
| Do you consider mom's warnings not to play in traffic a challenge? Here's a game to give you the thrill of breaking all the laws with none of the hospital bills! Pick a vehicle, pick a track, rev up and watch the carnage! (PC, simulation, Not Rated, 1 Player) |
| 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM Falling Stars |
| A place to remember, celebrate, and/or mourn lost loved ones. |
| Charles Butler |
| 04:15 PM - 05:15 PM Artist GoH Slideshow: Tabitha Ladin |
| 04:15 PM - 05:30 PM Learn a Game: Movie Buff, Take 2 |
| See Friday 9:15pm. |
| Mike Brown |
| 05:30 PM - 06:45 PM Learn a Game: Crazy Karts |
| Crazy Karts is a team-based, fast-paced racing game for 3-8 players, who compete in teams of 2. Each player controls specific actions of their kart, but they cannot communicate with their teammate! |
| Mike Brown |
| 05:30 PM - 09:30 PM Learn a Game: The Duke's Own |
| It's a tough life, being a member of the Duke of Regina's personal troubleshooting team. But you've never had trouble to shoot like this. Players: 2-6. |
| Steve Osmanski |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM Concert: Betsy Tinney (with S. J. Tucker and Cade Tinney) |
| Join us and our musical Special Guest, Betsy Tinney, as she shows us that a cello is far more than just a classical instrument, in a display of instrumental skill that will leave you dancing for days. Expect layered music and surprises. |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM Evolution of Women in Fantasy |
| From Gor to Dune to Buffy, how have female characters become more realistic over time? One could argue that the evolution of women in fantasy has outpaced real life. What works have effected major advances in the quest for strong believable female characters? What works are still problematic in their depiction of women? Can fantasy writers lead to real-world improvement? Where do we go from here? |
| Jamaila Brinkley, Mary Fan, C.S. Friedman, J.L. Gribble, Kim Headlee (M) |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM Tales of the Orisha |
| Beyond the stories from West African tradition that you may be familiar with from (such as Kipling's Just So Stories), exists a wealth of non-Abrahamic myth and fantasy. Join us for storytelling from various West African and other diaspora traditions. |
| 05:30 PM - 06:30 PM Steven Universe Squee Panel |
| Panelists and fans discuss the awesomeness that is Steven Universe. From diversity and positive same-sex relationships to trope-defying father/son interactions and outside-the-box coming of age stories, creator Rebecca Sugar has given us a show like no other. Come tell us why you love the show, and how you think it may affect the entertainment industry and the world in the future. |
| Margaret Carter, Mike McAfee, Don Sakers (M), Batya Wittenberg |
| 05:30 PM - 06:00 PM Reading: D.H. Aire |
| For Whom the Bell Trolls: The fate of the world hinges on prophecies that depend on the last unicorn, a pair of trolls, and lost girls fleeing the shattering of their House. What are two trolls supposed to do, discovering goblins are about to dine upon innocent little girls? Though, the girls find it difficult to credit, when facing goblins, brigands, Hellcats, and worse, trolls seem rather nice to have around. Though, against the dragon? Even a fourteen foot troll and his half size companion may not be enough. If time remains: Terran Catalyst: Henry Blue is a Spacer. His family facing financial ruin, he takes a desperate gamble and steals the family's the oldest and recently retrofitted freighter, the Charlie B., to make a final run with a crew that no one else would want... to a restricted planet, Earth. Meanwhile on Earth, a tragedy starts an investigation, which will take a Terran Catalyst to both save a starship freight company and solve a mystery that might being to a distant world that which it needs most...hope. |
| 06:00 PM - 06:30 PM Reading: Kelly Szpara |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 AM Concert: Maugorn the Stray |
| Maugorn, a Chessiecon regular, provides his classic folk-sounding multi-instrumentalism for which he is known. |
| Steve Haug |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Creating Geeky Menus on a Budget |
| Learn to create geek-chic dishes with a tiny budget so you can wow friends and family. We will walk you through the process of creating menus, shopping lists, and integrating the food into your daily life to create deliciously nerdy food without complicated recipes or difficult pastry skills. |
| Jessica Moran |
| 06:45 PM - 08:00 PM Group Book / Art / CD Signing |
| Authors, artists, and musicians gather in one room for signing/book-selling/chatting with fans. |
| Danielle Ackley-McPhail, D.H. Aire, Charles Butler, Margaret Carter, Leslie Roy Carter, Vonnie Winslow Crist, Mary Fan, C.S. Friedman, J.L. Gribble, Elektra Hammond, Kim Headlee, Andrew Hiller, Heather Rose Jones, Steve Kozeniewski, Tabitha Ladin, Katrina Messenger, Andi O'Connor, TJ Perkins, Sarah Pinsker, Don Sakers, Elizabeth Schechter, Jay Smith, Michelle D. Sonnier, Steven R. Southard, Martin Wilsey |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Dark Shadows |
| A discussion of Dark Shadows (as well as its Canadian rip-off: Strange Paradise), and how it relates to other contemporary TV shows that drew in the same nerd crowd, such as Dr. Who and Star Trek. |
| Fred Blonder, Karen MacLeod, Kathleen Sobansky, Mary Spila |
| 06:45 PM - 07:45 PM Videogaming: Crypt of the Necrodancer |
| Give beatdowns to the beat in this Roguelike rhythm game! Use the keyboard or dance pad to explore randomly-generated corridors, collect treasure, and fight your way through a medley of music-driven monsters, but remember to keep the rhythm going! Comes with an exciting original soundtrack, plus playlists of custom music from the Crazy Headcrab Lady herself, or bring your own MP3s to add to the fun! (WARNING: Lyrics of custom music may contain mature, obscene, or offensive content. Please be respectful of other people's music tastes.) (PC, Rhythm/Roguelike, Not Rated, 1-2 Players) . |
| 06:45 PM - 08:00 PM Learn a Game: Hidden Identity Game Extravaganza |
| Various quick-play games of mystery and intrigue will be represented. Classics such as Werewolf, Resistance, Exploit!, and more. |
| Mike Brown |
| 08:00 PM - 09:15 PM Learn a Game: Mysterium |
| Become a psychic investigator attempting to quell the restless spirit of a murder victim in a haunted mansion. Mysterium is a cooperative communication game with elements of Dixit and Clue, where a single player takes the role of the ghost and attempts to help the other players guess their individual suspect, location and murder weapon, then communally identify the real killer! For this instructional session, your GM will be playing the role of the ghost. Afterwards, if you're interested in taking a turn behind the mortal veil, see Saturday, 9:15pm. Players: 3-6. |
| Trevor Schadt |
| 08:00 PM - 09:15 PM Learn a Game: Chairman Mao |
| Shh... less is more. |
| Mike Brown |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Workshop: Furry Flowers |
| Make furry flowers that will last past the winter. Use locks of colored wool to create a multitude of flowers for an arrangement or to add a warm and furry touch at home. These wool locks will be dyed with Kool-Aid so the colors should be jewel-toned but you can also make plain white flowers to dye later. |
| Sue Bowen |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Queer Identities After the Apocalypse |
| When survival is all that matters, who will be prioritized? Will repopulating the planet override or impact queer sexualities? Will transgender people's medical needs become "luxuries" if cisgender people still represent the majority of survivors? This panel will extrapolate from books and lived experiences to discuss how the apocalypse will affect the lives of queer folks. |
| D. Glenn Arthur, Carl Cipra, C.S. Friedman, Don Sakers (M), Kelly Szpara |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Non-Abrahamic Religion and Spirituality in SF/F |
| Speculative fiction abounds with examples of belief systems that go beyond the continuum of Judaism/Christianity/Islam. We will examine some of these, and the influence these belief systems have had not only on SF/F fandom, but society at large. |
| Charles Butler |
| 08:00 PM - 09:00 PM Concert: S. J. Tucker (with Betsy Tinney) |
| Come to our main concert, featuring our music GOH, S. J. Tucker, aided by her long-time musical partner and our Special Music Guest Bestey Tinney! Sooj's songs are filled with wisdom, magic, wickedness, and additude. She brings all of that, and more, to Chessiecon! |
| 08:00 PM - 10:00 PM Learn a Game: Wings of Glory Learn & Play |
| Alexander Poryshkin will present a scenario of this miniatures-based, easy-to-learn tactical air combat game. Note: there are two incompatible versions of this game: one for each of the world wars. The version presented here is the First World War version. Limited to a total of 8 players. The scenario: In the heavily-contested skies above the Somme, a mixed patrol of Allied fighters encounters the elite Jagdstaffel 2, led by the renowned ace, Oswald Boelcke. Can you, as one of his hand-picked staffel camarades, seek out and destroy the enemy? Or, as one of the Allied pilots, drive the invading Germans from the sky? |
| Aleksandr Poryshkin |
| 09:15 PM - 10:15 PM Videogaming: Robot Roller-Derby Disco Dodgeball |
| Who needs the bruises and phys ed class flashbacks when you can have robots do the dirty work! Now with local multiplayer, up to four players can duck, dive and dodge in this chaotic dodgeball game with exciting music and atmosphere just like that of a laser tag arena! (PC, first-person sports shooter, Not Rated, 1-4 Players) |
| 09:15 PM - 10:15 PM What's My Line? |
| Contestants roleplay SF/F characters with unusual occupations; panelists ask questions to try to figure out who they are/what they do. |
| D.H. Aire, Carl Cipra, J.L. Gribble, Jeff Gritman, Cristin Kist, Steve Kozeniewski, Batya Wittenberg |
| 09:15 PM - 10:15 PM When Does Homage Become Cultural Appropriation? |
| Everyone copies from other cultures; it's a basic unit of human trade. We learn, distort, and make foreign ideas our own. Homage borrows ideas from others and attempts to credit those ideas and honor the original source. But when do we cross the line from homage to appropriation -- where this borrowing takes on a sour feel, as it enhances an existing power imbalance, insults the originators of the idea, and may even pass on our own prejudices to our audience? How can we honor and homage (and yes, steal from) other cultures without insulting or harming them -- and without having to become a college-level expert on our sources first? |
| Charles Butler |
| 09:15 PM - 10:30 PM Learn a Game: Mysterium, Take 2 |
| See Saturday, 8:00pm for a description of this game. After we're done with the first introductory round, and your GM's spirit has been (we hope!) finally sent to its final resting place, it's time for someone else to die and take up the mantle of storyteller! Let's shuffle up the cards and play again, with a different ghost and different suspects, locations and weapons guaranteed to make a very different game. Spectators who didn't get a chance to play in the first game can take the places of the GM or any players who don't want to play again. Players: 3-7. |
| Trevor Schadt |
| 09:15 PM - 11:45 PM Learn a Game: Awful Green Things from Outer Space |
| Your exploration expedition has discovered an interesting oval green rock which turned out to be an interesting oval green egg. Try to survive and figure out how to destroy the Awful Green Things before they overrun the ship. Players: 2 (possibly 4) |
| Stephen Brinich |
| 10:30 PM - 01:00 AM Learn a Game: The Devil's Playground, Take 2 |
| 18+ ONLY. See Friday 10:30pm. |
| Mike Brown |
| 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM Dangers of the Fae : Music, Myth, and Mayhem |
| From "Puck of Pook's Hill" (among other stories) to the various songs of Thomas the Rhymer, the Faery Folk are shown to be indifferent to unfriendly. We'll discuss the dangerous Fae in song and story, the musical genres that lend themselves to these stories, and quite likely diverge into the various types of Fae, and the cultures that created the music. |
| Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Fancy Butler, Jan Whiteley (M) |
| 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About (Writing) Sex |
| We discuss the how-tos, the pitfalls, the throbbing purple prose to avoid. |
| Cristin Kist, Meg Nicholas, Don Sakers (M), Elizabeth Schechter, Kelly Szpara |
| 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM Group Sing: Show Tunes Singalong |
| Filthy Pierre leads the masses in singing Show Tunes. |
| Erwin S. Strauss |
| 10:30 PM - 03:00 AM Bardic Circle, Again |
| Second verse, same as the first. See Friday. Gary Erlich will moderate, possibly after the Halelujah Chorus ends. |
| 11:45 PM - 12:00 AM Turkey Awards Presentation |
| "It's like winning a Hugo!!" Beth Jenkins Chandler reads the three top (bottom?) Turkey Award entries and gives out the Dubious Prizes. |
| Beth Chandler, Jo Hogan |
| 12:00 AM - 12:15 AM Group Sing: Hallelujah Chorus |
| A standing feature of Chessiecon is singing the Hallelujah Chorus at midnight on Saturday in the Lobby. All are welcome. Voiced for the signing impaired. |
| Charles Butler |
| 12:00 AM - 03:00 AM Group Sing: Caroling |
| Begin the holiday season here with some old favorites accompanied by Filthy Pierre. Goes until the carolers give up. |
| Erwin S. Strauss |
| 12:00 AM - 01:00 AM Healing Circle (begins after chorus) |
| Charles Butler |
| Sunday |
| 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Michaeline Mass |
| Order of St. Michael Christian Mass offered for any Chessiecon participants. |
| Fr. TommyLee Whitlock |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Videogaming: Kids' Swim |
| Family-friendly hours; all games are rated E for Everyone/E10+ and inappropriate language is forbidden. Talk to Saria and get a free temporary tattoo applied! (children under 13 must have parents' permission) |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Street of the Gods |
| Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories introduced us to the concept of the Street of the Gods, where the priests and their temple furnishings move up and down the street depending on the popularity of the worship. What happens when Gods gain more followers, or are revived? Possum Gods, Return of the Gods, and Leiber's tales all have interesting implications. Come explore with us the return of the ancients. |
| Charles Butler, Cathy Hird (M), Tamar Lindsay |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Being a Woman on the Internet |
| The dudebro phenomenon is only the tip of the iceberg. From "you're not a real gamer" to rape and death threats, as a woman, how do you safely navigate the web? |
| Mary Fan, J.L. Gribble, Elektra Hammond (M), Andi O'Connor, Pam Smith |
| 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Boffer Swords |
| Have fun, hang out, hit people with padded sticks. Whether you are a master of the padded sword or have never even considered the possibilities of percussion therapy, stop by to just watch, or to engage us in boffer combat. Time will include open practice, melee free-for-all, one-on-one and team battles. |
| Luke Katafiasz |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Concert: Roberta Rogow |
| Roberta's songs range from old Star Trek classics to modern parodies about Schindler and video games. Wake up to music both sunny and dark. |
| 10:00 AM - 11:15 AM Learn a Game: Mystic Vale |
| In Mystic Vale, players take on the role of druidic clans trying to cleanse the curse upon the land. Each turn, you play cards into your field to gain powerful advancements and useful vale cards. Use your power wisely, or decay will end your turn prematurely. Score the most victory points to win the game! Players: 2-4 |
| Mike Brown |
| 10:00 AM - 03:00 PM Learn a Game: Solar Echoes, Take 2 |
| See Saturday 10:00am. |
| Andy Mitchell |
| 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM Learn a Game: The Treasure of One-Eyed Jimmy, Take 2 |
| See Saturday 10:00am. |
| Jim Garner |
| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM The Martian -- Repopularizing the Robinsonade |
| What's so intriguing and enduring about the "marooned on an island (or planet)" story? Why is the rescue of one person so satisfying even at great cost and risk to others? |
| D.H. Aire, Steve Kozeniewski (M), Jessica Moran, Jay Smith, Martin Wilsey |
| 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Reading: Kelly A. Harmon |
| 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM Reading: Vonnie Winslow Crist |
| Vonnie will read from one of her L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Contest Honorable Mention winning stories. Plus, she'll remind others when and how to enter the next contest. |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Videogaming: 1-Cup: Video Gaming Talk over Tea - Baby's First Video Game |
| Enjoy a hot drink and some cookies as we sit together and talk about video games in a light-hearted round-table discussion. This year's topic: Baby's First Video Game - We all had to start somewhere. What was the first game you ever played? The first console you owned? What influenced you to start playing video games? Do you have any funny stories about playing games as a child? What games do your children play? Share your stories with us or just laugh along with others'. |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Who's Writing Optimistic Science Fiction? |
| Some of the most famous SF/F stories are about dystopias, post-apocalyptic societies, and imminent destruction. Who is writing on the other side of the spectrum? Where is the hopeful future, The Federation, worlds working together for the common good? Are these even opposites, or is there some inherent optimism in stories of people facing disaster? |
| Jeff Gritman, Cristin Kist, Meg Nicholas, Sarah Pinsker, Don Sakers (M) |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Protagonists With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder |
| First recognized among soldiers, 'Shell-shock' and 'Battle Fatigue' has become PTSD, and the awareness of it has gone mainstream. Has the SF/F genre kept up with science in this case? This panel examines several stories which feature characters who have some emotional-trauma-causing incident in their background, how the story progresses as the character(s) deal with PTSD (or not), and how that particular viewpoint changes the sympathy factor of the character, and affects the story line itself. |
| Steve Kozeniewski, Jessica Moran, Jay Smith, Pam Smith, Batya Wittenberg (M) |
| 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM Workshop: Musical Improv with S. J. and Friends |
| Love music, but don't know where to begin? Play music all the time, but rarely get to just make stuff up? Wanna play music with others at festivals or cons, but you're not sure how to start? Join touring songwriter S. J. Tucker for a little bit of thinking outside the box and singing/playing outside the lines. All experience levels welcome- ESPECIALLY if you've never had the chance to improvise before. All instruments and voices welcome- no egos allowed. This is about tapping into your community and making some sweet noise together. Let's jam! This class includes some slightly silly warmup techniques, but don't let that intimidate you; we'll all be making the same goofy faces at the same time. If possible, bring water to drink, and wear clothing that allows for a little movement. |
| Betsy Tinney, S. J. Tucker |
| 11:15 AM - 01:30 PM Learn a Game: Vinhos |
| Vinhos (Portuguese for "wines") is a trading and economic game about winemaking in Portugal, one of the world's leading wine producers. Over six years of harvests, cultivate your vines, choose the best varieties, hire the best oenologists, take part in trade fairs, and show your opponents you are the best winemaker in the game. The 2016 Deluxe Edition of Vinhos introduces new art, some new game features, and a generally streamlined set of rules from the original 2010 version; if you tried the original version of Vinhos and found it intimidating or overly complicated, this is the perfect time to give this intriguing and satisfying strategy game another taste. |
| Trevor Schadt |
| 11:15 AM - 01:30 PM Concardia Tournament |
| Bring your deck and all the spiffy new cards you found and/or earned throughout the con. Have fun! Win prizes! |
| Michael Whitehouse |
| 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM Learn a Game: Red Dragon Inn, Take 2 |
| See Saturday 10:00am. |
| Mike Brown |
| 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Reading: C.S. Friedman |
| An excerpt from her upcoming novel Dreamweaver. |
| 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM Reading: Kim Headlee |
| Come listen to a dramatic reading from King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court, acknowledged by Publishers Weekly as "a solidly entertaining tale... written in a credible pastiche of Twain's style." |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Belly Dance Jam |
| Watch and/or participate. Beginners welcome! If you want some practice before trying it in the lobby, come to the intro class at 10am Saturday. |
| Melanie Mansfield |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Prison Ministry |
| No family is immune from the Criminal Justice system. It may be as minor as a kid beyond curfew, or it may be a larger offense. We want to sweep it under the rug, consider it confidential or try to ignore it. What can we do as a community to reach out to those in prison rather than hide them away and shun them when they return to society? |
| Charles Butler, Michael Powers, Peggy Thompson |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM Not All Dragons Sleep on Gold |
| In which we discuss the varying styles of dragons as portrayed in fiction, art, and myths from around the world. |
| Kelly A. Harmon (M), Tabitha Ladin, Mike McAfee, Jessica Moran, Michelle D. Sonnier |
| 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM The Handmaid's Tale in the Real World |
| Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Shannon Stoker's The Registry both presented plausible dystopias which developed out of contemporary American culture. Are we sliding towards such societies, and if so, how far along the slippery slope are we? How do we stop? |
| Mary Fan (M), C.S. Friedman, Cristin Kist, Sarah Pinsker, Kelly Szpara |
| 12:30 PM - CLOSED. See Greenspring1 and 2 for previously scheduled items |
| 12:30 PM - 01:45 PM Learn a Game: Eminent Domain, Take 3 |
| See Friday 8:00pm. |
| Mike Brown |
| 12:30 PM - 01:00 PM Concert: Mark Mandel |
| Mark -- singer, storyteller, and linguist, regales us with stories and/or songs. |
| 01:00 PM - 01:30 PM Concert: Goldberry |
| Merav, Batya, Lisa, and the Chessiecon Music Director, Josh, fill half an hour with a capella close harmony maudlin and/or funny. |
| Merav Hoffman, Joshua Kronengold, Lisa Padol, Batya Wittenberg |
| 01:45 PM - 03:00 PM Learn a Game: Tales of Arabian Nights |
| In Tales of the Arabian Nights, you are the hero or heroine in a story of adventure and wonder just like those told by Scheherazade to her spellbound sultan! You will travel the land seeking your own destiny and fortune. You will learn stories and gain wisdom to share with others. Will you be the first to fulfill your destiny? The next Tale is yours to tell! There is, of course, a winner in Tales of the Arabian Nights, but the point of the game is less to see who wins and more to enjoy the unfolding and telling of a great story! Players: 2-6 |
| Mike Brown |
| 01:45 PM - 03:00 PM Tammy Talks to Her Fans via the Internet |
| Tammy will not be able to attend this year's convention, but she will attend via Skype to have her annual conversation with fans. |
| Tamora Pierce |
| 01:45 PM - 04:00 PM Videogaming: PC Games Only -- Featuring Jackbox Party Games |
| The convention is drawing to a close and it's time to start putting our toys away. From now until closing time, the only things left out to play with are our computers. But you're welcome to stay and join us in a few hilarious rounds of Jackbox Party Pack games (PC/mobile, Party/Trivia, T for Teen, 1-8+ Players), a set of wacky party games from the creators of You Don't Know Jack. Use your laptop, tablet, phone, or one of our provided computers to play You Don't Know Jack, Quiplash, Fibbage, Drawful, Earwax and more! Easy to sign in and play, always good for a final laugh, and maybe you'll even learn something about the world...or your friends. |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Homespun Ceilidh Band |
| A Chessiecon favorite, the HCB will play an array of dance tunes. We are in a bigger room than last year, so there should be space for dancing. |
| D. Glenn Arthur, Felicia Eberling, Jennifer Lubell, Karen Osborne, Mike Stoddard, John Ward, Trix Whitehall |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Concert: Maugorn the Stray |
| Come by and listen to whatever Maugie wants to do that he didn't do during his first concert. |
| Steve Haug |
| 01:45 PM - 02:45 PM Why Do They Keep Doing That? Common Scientific Mistakes in Film and Books |
| Why does Sturgeon's law seem to hold true particularly for the scientific aspects of SF/F? Do SF/F writers or editors believe the misconceptions, or are the writers & editors only able to sell their stories because the audience has come to accept and expect hokey science from the genre? Or is something else going on here? |
| J.L. Gribble, Jeff Gritman, Mike McPhail, Don Sakers (M), Jan Whiteley |
| 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM Feedback Session |
| Come tell us what went right, what went wrong, and what we can do better next year. |