Friday
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM      First Chessiecon
What Chessiecon is about, and Introduction to how to use Discord and Zoom, if you're new to those platforms, as well.
Aleksandr Poryshkin,
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM      Book Covers: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Panelists show examples of what to do and what not to do in book cover design
Linda Adams,  D.H. Aire,  Nate Hoffelder,  Karen MacLeod,  Don Sakers (M)
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM      HU: A Love Song to the Eternal
The song of HU is an invitation to be filled by -- and be a vessel for -- the love of the Creator for all Creation. It can be sung alone, in the privacy of one's heart, or with many others. It is not sung with a specific intent or outcome -- it is not a directed prayer. Instead, it is an invitation to those blessings that are already around us to manifest in their fullest form. Please join us as we sing HU to ground, center, and extend unconditional love to all life.
Jan Whiteley
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM      Regency Tea
Dress in your finest outfits and meet for a Regency Tea with Susan de Guardiola.
Susan de Guardiola
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM      Craft circle
Join in to chat and show off your current handcraft (e.g., knitting, jewelry, beading, weaving, kumihimo) just like we would do in the hotel lobby
Marilyn Mix
04:00 PM -      Concert: Dr. Mary Crowell
Original songs & piano wizardry.
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM      Turkey Awards Judging Panel
At our somewhat misguided request, authors created the opening paragraph to the worst SF/F novel they could conceive of. For four years running, our imaginative and inspired writers have come up with some beautiful, horrible, awful, and awe-inspiring works. Come hear what our finalists have written this year, and what our judges have to say about it. Winners will be awarded dubious prizes later in the evening.
Steve Kozeniewski,  Don Sakers
05:30 PM -      Concert: Maugorn the Stray
05:30 PM - 06:30 PM      How To Get Published
Overview of process from story idea to editing to submission to publishing.
Linda Adams,  Meg Eden,  Nate Hoffelder,  Steve Kozeniewski,  Steven R. Southard (M)
05:30 PM - 06:30 PM      Karen MacLeod Kaffeeklatsch
Small group conversation with Karen MacLeod, Attendance is limited to the first 15 people in the Zoom waiting room.
Karen MacLeod
07:00 PM - 08:00 PM      Don Sakers Reading
07:00 PM - 08:00 PM      Hall Costume Meetup
Wear your favorite Hall Costume and give us a twirl on Zoom
Thomas Atkinson
08:30 PM - 09:30 PM      Humor in SF/F Writing
How to make something funny, what makes someone laugh. Humor as 'the tragedy you survived.'
Charlie Jane Anders,  Steve Kozeniewski,  Don Sakers,  Steven R. Southard (M)
08:30 PM - 09:30 PM      D.H. Aire Reading
08:30 PM -      Concert: Gary Ehrlich
Original Songs & Guitar
 
Saturday
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM      Memorial for Friends and Fans Lost in the Past Year
For some we loved, the loveliest and the best/ That from his Vintage rolling Time hath prest/ Have drunk their Cup a Round or two before, / And one by one crept silently to rest_* Come join us in a celebration and remembrance of those close to us who have died recently. *Edward FitzGerald,_The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam_.
Jan Whiteley
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM      Making an Unlikeable Person a Likeable Character
Discuss how to write a person with unpleasant characteristics or behavior can still be a character that appeals to readers
Mary Fan (M),  Steve Kozeniewski,  Karen MacLeod,  Valerie Mikles,  Steven R. Southard
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM      Steven R. Southard Reading
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM      Dinosaur Update 2020
Paleontologist Dr. Tom Holtz (University of Maryland) presents the latest news from the Age of Dinosaurs.
Tom Holtz
11:30 AM -      Concert: Bob & Sue Esty
Original & traditional songs, harps, & more.
01:00 PM -      Concert: Mary Muholland & Matt Leger
Original songs
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM      Crowdfunding for the Beginner
Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Patreon are just a few of the crowdfunding sites created to help you make your creative dreams come true. Learn from seasoned vets how to put together and run a successful campaign.
Mary Fan (M),  Steve Kozeniewski,  Timothy Liebe
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM      Women Have Always Been in STEM
Little known Women in science or engineering (historical and/or current)
Meg Nicholas,  Jan Whiteley (M)
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM      Guest of Honor Presentation
Celebrate our Guest of Honor by listening to a conversation between Charlie Jane Anders and K. M. Szpara. Charlie Jane will also do a reading of a recent work.
Charlie Jane Anders,  K.M. Szpara
04:00 PM -      Concert: Elena Stark
Vocalist & harpist
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM      Dance Lesson
Learn a dance
Susan de Guardiola
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM      Guided interactive storytelling
Participatory panel where the group creates a story with guidance from the panelists. Starting with a sentence, attendees add one sentence to continue the story.
Nate Hoffelder,  Valerie Mikles,  Don Sakers
05:30 PM - 06:30 PM      Ted Weber Reading
The author will read from Zero-Day Rising, the final book of the near-future BetterWorld cyberpunk trilogy.
05:30 PM - 06:30 PM      Turkey Awards Presentation
Join us for our event, where we torture the Guest of Honor by making her cold-read the Turkey Award "Winners", and present the prizes to the authors.
Charlie Jane Anders,  Jo Hogan,  Aleksandr Poryshkin,  Aleksandr Poryshkin
07:00 PM - 08:00 PM      Music Guest of Honor Concert
Concert by our Music Guest of Honor, Tom Smith
Tom Smith
08:30 PM - 09:30 PM      How to Ruin a Revolution
Discuss protests and revolutions have an effect that was not anticipated by the organizers. Do revolutions need to be violent to be effective? Consider Heinlein’s Moon is a Harsh Mistress as an example.
Cathy Hird,  Don Sakers,  Steven R. Southard (M),  Ted Weber
08:30 PM - 09:30 PM      D. H. Aire Kaffeeklatsch
Chat with author D. H. Aire. Attendance is limited to the first 15 people in the Zoom waiting room.
D.H. Aire
08:30 PM -      Concert: Randy Hoffman
10:00 PM -      Fallen Stars Theme Circle
Crystal will lead a circle of songs by & for those we've lost
10:00 PM - 11:00 PM      Craft Circle 2
Second meeting. Join in to chat and show off your current handcraft (e.g., knitting, jewelry, beading, weaving, kumihimo) just like we would do in the hotel lobby
Marilyn Mix
11:30 PM - 12:30 AM      Hallelujah Chorus
The long time tradition of acapella singing at midnight on Saturday continues. Filthy Pierre will lead while playing a video of Handel's famous chorus. Although we will be separate, we will be together in spirit. We will sing the round "Rose, Rose, Rose, Rose" to warm up. The lyrics and score are here: https://www.8notes.com/scores/6164.asp. Scores for "Hallelujah" are available here: https://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=36. You will want to download them ahead of time for your chosen part.
Erwin S. Strauss
 
Sunday
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM      Non-European Mythological Creatures
From the chupacabra to the kitsune, our panelists talk about fantastic beasts outside of the better known ones from English, Irish, and German folklore.
Steve Kozeniewski,  Meg Nicholas,  Sarah Sexton,  Jan Whiteley (M)
11:30 AM -      Concert: Roberta Rogow
Original songs
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM      Sarah Pinsker Reading
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM      Humans Are the Same
History panel about examples of ways in which we're not so different from our ancestors, and how writers make use of this fact. Funny stories of immature ancient graffiti, poetry about people's cats, etc.
D.H. Aire,  Susan de Guardiola,  Meg Nicholas,  Sarah Sexton,  Steven R. Southard
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM      Medieval Dance
Come and learn some wonderful dances from the Renaissance and Medieval periods that you can dance by yourself at home.
Sonya Gross
01:00 PM - 02:00 PM      Meg Eden Reading
02:30 PM -      Concert: Harold Feld
Traditional & original songs
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM      The Effect of Catastrophic Events on Literature
There are many examples of stories influenced by (or existing because of) real world events, from a catastrophic flood in the Epic of Gilgamesh, to Japan's post-World War II imagery in animation, to rock musicals about the AIDS epidemic. How do major events shape the stories we tell for years to come?
Linda Adams,  Elektra Hammond,  Meg Nicholas,  Don Sakers (M),  Martin Wilsey
02:30 PM - 03:30 PM      Guest of Honor Kaffeeklatsch
Small group chat with Guest of Honor, Charlie Jane Anders. Attendance is limited to the first 15 people in the Zoom waiting room.
Charlie Jane Anders
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM      Head Wrapping for Shielding and Focusing
Many people have religious mandates for covering their head or hair. Some people, however, in the development of their own spiritual path, find a need to shield and/or focus, for many reasons, from meditations to empathy, who are overwhelmed by casual spaces with other people. The things we will use. - A pashmina shawl - A 45x 54 piece of cotton fabric - A pair or 2 of leggings (Hey, lots of things do double duty in my wardrobe!) This will be a hands on class. If you would like to try a piece you like and already have for a wrap, there will be time at the end of class to discuss and experiment
Bambi Riggsbee-Smith
04:00 PM -      Concert: Goldberry
04:00 PM - 05:00 PM      Star Trek Picard: What it added or changed about the Star Trek Canon
Looking back at the first season of Star Trek Picard, the panel will discuss the series roots in previous Star Trek series and what changes or grows in this one.
D.H. Aire,  Mary Fan,  Cathy Hird,  Timothy Liebe,  Don Sakers (M)
05:30 PM - 06:30 PM      Feedback Session
Tell us about your experience with Virtual Chessiecon
Margaret Hogan,  Marilyn Mix,  Aleksandr Poryshkin,