I’m the Industry Guest of Honor at the first ever Multiverse Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention, along with my friends Seanan McGuire and John Picacio! It should be an amazing time; please come say hi if you’re in the area.
Friday, October 18
1:00 PM Opening Ceremonies (Gather BC)
-Come kick of the convention with style, get to know some of the folks running it, meet our Guests of Honor, and hear about some of the cool and awesome things to do this weekend.
2:30 PM Ageism in Fantasy (Harding)
Cat Rambo (Mod), Chris A Jackson, Catherine Lundoff, Christopher Morgan
-Are only the young allowed to be heroes? The panel will discuss ageism in fantasy and how inclusion also means having older heroes.
4:00 How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Podcasting (Rabun)
Shannon Strucci (Mod), John Hartness, William Hayashi, Cat Rambo
-Want to podcast but don’t know where to start? Come hang out with professional podcasters and learn what type of equipment and software you will need to carry out your podcasting mission.
5:30 PM An Hour with Cat Rambo (Chattahoochee A)
Jesse Adams (Mod/Interviewer), Cat Rambo
Who knows what could happen here? There may be pickles. Or cheese. Maybe not. There will certainly be questions.
Saturday October 19
10:00 AM Signing (Signings) Read It Again: Dealers’ Room
11:30 AM Story Quickies: Made Up Slide Presentations (Savannah A)
Gigi Eng (Mod/EmCee), Craig Campbell, Cat Rambo
-Audience and Guest Participants are challenged to give presentations on random topics chosen by attendees. Pictures shown for 15 seconds must be incorporated into a 5 minute presentation. Prizes awarded for the most entertaining, most unexpectedly educational, and other superlatives!
1 PM Social Media for Writers (Sinclair Amphitheater)
Cat Rambo (Mod), Catherine Lundoff, Terry Maggert, Melissa McArthur, Bobby Nash
-Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Goodreads, blog tours, cover reveals, contests, interviews… There’s only so much time in the day! As an author, what social media should you embrace? How do you decide? What’s the most effective? Join our authors to learn about different ways to use social media to your advantage as an author. Don’t be a slave to your social media. Own it!
4 PM Be Like Killjoys: Mapmaking in SpecFic (Rabun)
Cat Rambo (Mod), Bobby Nash, Chris A Jackson
– The TV show, Killjoys, gives the viewer a map of their world in the opening credits. Maps can help a reader know more about an imaginary world, and it can help a writer outline world-building details such as trade routes, rival civilizations, and class divisions. Come make a map with us! Each participant will have paper and colored pencils and will follow along as the panelists draw a basic map. Participants will add their own unique features to the map to reflect the world they want to build.
(Extended note from Track Director: Each participant will have paper and colored pencils and will follow along as the moderator draws a basic map. Participants will add their own unique features to the map to reflect the world they want to build.)
8:30 PM Rathskellar Readings (Sinclair Amphitheater)
Ceres K. Wright (Mod), Dana Cameron, Meg Elison, Bobby Nash, Errick Nunnally, Cat Rambo, Alyse Steves
– Got a story? Like to hear it, here it go! Grab a drink and come down to the Sinclair Amphitheater (WRITE) room! Be prepared to read for 5-7 minutes from one of your works. Choose wisely!
Sunday, October 20
10 AM LGTBQ+ in Fandom ((Chattahoochee A)
Darie L.K. Wolfson (Mod), K.D. Edwards, Marcus Haynes, Catherine Lundoff, Havana Nguyen, Cat Rambo
-A discussion about the unique perspectives, challenges, and considerations of the LGTBQ+ community as it engages with geeky fandoms.
11:30 AM The Many-Faced God: Unraveling Sub-Genres in Fantasy (Harding)
Cat Rambo (Mod), Scott Hawkins, Melissa McArthur, Seanan McGuire, Christopher Morgan
– For much of the early history of SFFH the operative terms for the genre were fantasy and sword and sorcery. But, today we have YA, Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, Dystopian, Dark Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy and upwards of 50 more subgenres. Are they really that distinct or are they simply marketing tools? The panel will discuss the state of the genre and talk about the development of the subgenre.
2:30 PM Part of the Pack: Horror Under the Speculative Fiction Umbrella (Ogeechee)
Cat Rambo (Mod), Marcus Haynes, Tiara Janté, R.J. Joseph, Kenesha Williams
– All in the family! This panel discusses how horror’s inclusion under the Speculative Fiction umbrella impacts the genre. Do you find that the inclusion negates many of the sub-genre distinctions, effectively flattening it out? Is this good or bad? How are authors able to stand out so that readers can find their work?
