With Uncanny Magazine’s Kickstarter for Year Two: The Return of the Space Unicorn in full swing (50% funded before the end of Day One!), Wizard World Chicago almost snuck up on me. I’ll be on three panels at the convention next weekend – two are panels I submitted, and I was invited to be on a third, organized by Tony Kim of Crazy4ComicCon. This will be the most panels I’ve ever done at a Wizard World Chicago convention, but three panels means I’ll still have enough time to check out other events at the convention, and walk the floor. Even better – my schedule doesn’t conflict with the early screening of the pilot episode for Supergirl!
Taking a cue from other conventions, I have hashtags for my two panels in case anyone wants to follow along and/or Tweet about our discussions.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Geek Wars, 1:30-2:15pm, Room 14
As nerds, we love to have fun but we also like engaging in important cultural topics. Join professional nerds as they battle it out over geek trivia while also discussing relevant social topics like racial stereotyping in comics, feminisms in film, online bullying, and much more. This will be a lively and enlightening conversation that might challenge your view on the pop culture world.
With Sooshe Bot (STEM communicator), Liz Pochop (Team TSD), Caitlin Rosberg (AV Club), Liz Smith (Team TSD), Michi Trota (Chicago Nerd Social Club) Jen Usellis (Klingon Pop Warrior), This panel was organized by Tony Kim (Crazy4ComicCon), who will be moderating the panel.
Navigating the Fandom Multiverse, 4:30-5:15pm, Room 14
#FanMultiverse
Popular characters and fandoms are no longer limited to existing in one medium with one definitive version. The Spider-Man films have been rebooted three times, Nick Fury wasn’t always a black man, and Jem and the Holograms are both a cartoon and a comic (and soon a live-action movie). This panel will explore how multiple media versions of the same characters and stories allow fans more choices and entry points to fandom, and what this means for those characters and the fans who love them.
Panelists include Keidra Chaney (The Learned Fangirl), Danette Chavez (AV Club), Andrea Hawkins-Kamper (Phandemonium Inc.), Anne Petersen (Chicago Nerd Social Club), and Michi Trota (Uncanny Magazine).
UPDATE 8/20: Due to circumstances, Anne Petersen will not be able to join us. The awesome Sooshe Bot, a STEM communicator, passionate advocate for marginalized people in science & engineering/tech, and all around super geek, will be joining us in Anne’s stead.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
So You Want to Be a Nerd Organizer, 3:30-4:15pm, Room 14
#NerdOrganizer
Whether you’re starting a podcast, a meet-up group, an online community, a con, a magazine, or a social movement, being a nerdy organizer of any kind means figuring out a lot of logistics. How do you choose who to work with? Where do you get started? How do you implement rules? How do you choose guests? On this panel, nerd con runners, community organizers, editors, and producers will share their experiences and advice about what’s worked, and what hasn’t.
Panelists include Megan Byrd (Graham Cracker Comics Ladies Night), Sondra de Jong (Nebula Awards), Tanya DePass (I Need Diverse Games), Thomas Glen (ValorCon), Matthew Peters (Mighty Ink Comics), and Michi Trota (Uncanny Magazine).