Programming will run from 10am until 5pm. The Library opens at 9am and closes at 8pm.
Open board gaming will be available from 10AM until 6-ish pm, depending on the judgment of the gaming director.
If you have an idea for an exhibit or demonstration, please contact us!
2/20/2020: Here's the final programming descriptions and schedule! (PDF, opens in new window)
2/18/20: Here's the preliminary programming grid (PDF, opens in new window). There may be a few changes before Saturday, but for the most part, this is it.
Here is the preliminary list of panels. Final schedule will be posted in a few days.
Academic Presentation: Animal Personhood in Comics – Dave Aftandilian, Ph.D
Beyond Wikipedia - A crash course in research methods for the discerning writer.
The Bit I Remember. - What do we remember from books and comics read, and movies and TV seen, long ago, and why? What makes these glowing moments stick in our heads? And conversely, what falls away only to startle us when we return to the narrative years later?
Board Gaming - Board gaming has exploded in popularity in recent years. Join us as we discuss our favorite or even some lesser-known games.
Comedy in Speculative Fiction - An elf, a priest, and a changeling walk into a tavern … and that’s just the start of the novel. So, what does it take to write “funny” in speculative fiction when the characters could just as easily end up as the punchline of a joke? What makes comedy good versus great? What examples of “must read” humorous SF/F can we use as examples? And how do we know when to dial back the yuks?
Creating Great Covers - Today’s book cover illustrations and graphic design are governed by content and technical requirements that don’t constrain art in general. What are those constraints? What else distinguishes cover art and design from other artwork? Can there be great cover art which is not great art? Covers are critical to the commercial success of a book: they must entice the reader into buying. Is it more appropriate to compare cover art to print advertisements than to other works of art?
Insecurity, Imposter Syndrome, and other Creative Pitfalls - Being a creator is hard. You put your stuff out there and hope for the best. But there's often that feeling of not measuring up, that your stuff isn't good enough, that nobody cares. What do? WHAT DO??
GoH Interview - Interview with our Pop Culture Guest of Honor
Self-Publishing - How has the advent of self-publishing affected the developing of the field, especially over the last ten years? When should an author avoid it? And when is it your best option? Our panelists share advice on how to successfully self-publish in an industry that often doesn’t know what to do with its self-published authors.
Spaceships! - Chemical rockets are a proven method of space travel, but they are highly inefficient. What other ways are there to design a spaceship?
Techniques of Panel-Based Storytelling - Creating comics or a graphic novel: telling your tale with words and pictures, panel after panel. How is it done? What challenges (and opportunities) emerge in this style of narrative?
Xenoarchaeology - According to Wikipedia, xenoarchaeology "...is concerned with the study of material remains to reconstruct and interpret past life-ways of alien civilizations. Xenoarchaeology is not currently practiced by mainstream archaeologists due to the current lack of any material for the discipline to study." Why let that stop us? What sort of artifacts would alien civilizations leave behind, on Earth, in space, or on other planets? What would we be looking for if we landed on another planet?
World Building - Creating in-depth universes to play hosts to your characters, in fiction and gaming. What are some pitfalls we have all faced, and how do we get around them?
