Zambia: The WisCon Scheduling Tool
Public Schedule
The following sessions have been scheduled:
| Time | Special Location | Assembly | Capitol/Wisconsin | University B | University C | University D | Conference 2 | Conference 3 | Conference 4 | Conference 5 | Private Dining Room | 629 | 632 | 634 | 637 | Online Zoom Room 1 | Online Zoom Room 2 | Online Zoom Room 3 | Discord Channel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cap A/Wisconsin | Capitol B | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | Capitol A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Thu, 25 May | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 18:00 | Special Events | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 19:00 | Parties | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 20:00 | Special Events | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 21:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 22:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 23:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Time | Special Location | Assembly | Capitol/Wisconsin | University B | University C | University D | Conference 2 | Conference 3 | Conference 4 | Conference 5 | Private Dining Room | 629 | 632 | 634 | 637 | Online Zoom Room 1 | Online Zoom Room 2 | Online Zoom Room 3 | Discord Channel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cap A/Wisconsin | Capitol B | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | Capitol A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Fri, 26 May | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9:00 | Workshops | Workshops | Workshops | Workshops | Workshops | Parties | |||||||||||||||
| 10:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 11:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 12:00 | Gaming | ||||||||||||||||||||
Special Events | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:00 | Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics | Fandom as a Way of Life | Special Events | The Craft and Business of Writing | Fandom as a Way of Life | The Craft and Business of Writing | |||||||||||||||
| 14:00 | Gaming | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interactive Storytelling & Media | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Readings | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | ||||||||||||||||
| 15:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 16:00 | The Craft and Business of Writing | The Craft and Business of Writing | Workshops | Readings | The Craft and Business of Writing | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | ||||||||||||||
| 17:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Special Events | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 18:00 | Special Events | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 19:00 | Parties | Parties | Parties | Parties | |||||||||||||||||
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Readings | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Gaming | Fandom as a Way of Life | Fandom as a Way of Life | |||||||||||||||
| 20:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 21:00 | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Readings | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | ||||||||||||||||||
| 22:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 23:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 0:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Time | Special Location | Assembly | Capitol/Wisconsin | University B | University C | University D | Conference 2 | Conference 3 | Conference 4 | Conference 5 | Private Dining Room | 629 | 632 | 634 | 637 | Online Zoom Room 1 | Online Zoom Room 2 | Online Zoom Room 3 | Discord Channel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cap A/Wisconsin | Capitol B | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | Capitol A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sat, 27 May | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9:30 | Gaming | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kid's Programs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Fandom as a Way of Life | Workshops | Special Events | Readings | Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics | Academic | Workshops | Gaming | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Interactive Storytelling & Media | Parties | ||||||
| 11:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 12:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Kid's Programs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:00 | The Craft and Business of Writing | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Science and Technology | Readings | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Workshops | Readings | Gaming | Interactive Storytelling & Media | Academic | Gaming | Fandom as a Way of Life | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | ||||||||
| 14:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | The Craft and Business of Writing | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Readings | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Academic | Fandom as a Way of Life | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | ||||||||||||
| 15:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 16:00 | Fandom as a Way of Life | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | The Craft and Business of Writing | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Readings | Gaming | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Academic | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Fandom as a Way of Life | ||||||||||
| 17:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 18:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 19:00 | Gaming | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fandom as a Way of Life | Special Events | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Readings | Fandom as a Way of Life | Fandom as a Way of Life | Interactive Storytelling & Media | Special Events | ||||||||||||||
| 20:00 | Parties | Parties | |||||||||||||||||||
| 21:00 | Science and Technology | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Readings | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | ||||||||||||||||
| 22:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 23:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 0:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Time | Special Location | Assembly | Capitol/Wisconsin | University B | University C | University D | Conference 2 | Conference 3 | Conference 4 | Conference 5 | Private Dining Room | 629 | 632 | 634 | 637 | Online Zoom Room 1 | Online Zoom Room 2 | Online Zoom Room 3 | Discord Channel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cap A/Wisconsin | Capitol B | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | Capitol A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sun, 28 May | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9:30 | Gaming | ||||||||||||||||||||
Kid's Programs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics | Readings | Fandom as a Way of Life | Workshops | Special Events | Readings | The Craft and Business of Writing | Academic | Workshops | Gaming | The Craft and Business of Writing | Fandom as a Way of Life | Parties | ||||||
| 11:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 12:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Kid's Programs | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:00 | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Fandom as a Way of Life | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Readings | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Academic | Interactive Storytelling & Media | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | |||||||||||
| 14:00 | Gaming | ||||||||||||||||||||
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Science and Technology | The Craft and Business of Writing | Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics | Fandom as a Way of Life | Academic | Gaming | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | |||||||||||
| 15:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 16:00 | Fandom as a Way of Life | Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | The Craft and Business of Writing | Readings | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Academic | Workshops | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | Fandom as a Way of Life | ||||||||||
| 17:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Workshops | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 18:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Special Events | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 19:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Special Events | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 20:00 | Special Events | Special Events | |||||||||||||||||||
| 21:00 | Special Events | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 22:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 23:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 0:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Time | Special Location | Assembly | Capitol/Wisconsin | University B | University C | University D | Conference 2 | Conference 3 | Conference 4 | Conference 5 | Private Dining Room | 629 | 632 | 634 | 637 | Online Zoom Room 1 | Online Zoom Room 2 | Online Zoom Room 3 | Discord Channel | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cap A/Wisconsin | Capitol B | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | Capitol A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Mon, 29 May | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 9:45 | Kid's Programs | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 10:00 | Feminism and Other Social Change Movements | Science and Technology | Special Events | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction | Power, Privilege, and Oppression | |||||||||||||||
| 11:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Special Events | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 12:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 13:00 | Fandom as a Way of Life | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 14:00 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1. Guest of Honor Readings & Signing (Pub. Library)
Special Location
•
Special Events
•
–
Join us the Thursday evening before WisCon for readings by our Guests of Honor, Martha Wells (she/her) and Rivers Solomon (fae/faer), at the Madison Public Library Central Branch, followed by book signing. A Room of One's Own is helping us organize this event, and they will have copies of Ms. Wells's and Mx. Solomon's books for sale. This event is free and open to the public.
#GOHLibraryReading
Rivers Solomon,
Martha Wells
2. Haiku Earring Party: Online & In the Mail
Discord Channel
•
Parties
•
–
The Haiku Earring party is back—this time with haiku written in chat, and earrings that come to you in the mail! It's a fantastic way to participate in a beloved WisCon tradition from wherever you happen to be. *This party will take place exclusively and asynchronously in a dedicated Discord channel.*
#HaikuEarringParty
Elise Matthesen,
Reina Hardy
3. FAN CLUB (Dealer's Room @ 7:30pm)
Special Location
•
Special Events
•
–
Help us keep WisCon safe and fun by building Corsi-Rosenthal Boxes! We'll be holding a box building party Thursday evening after the GOH reading at the library. Join us in the Dealer’s Room (Madison Ballroom, 2nd floor) for a COVID safety craft session—all materials provided, no experience necessary! Just bring your best self and a smile.
#FanClub
4. Critique Session with Eugene Fischer
University B
•
Workshops
•
–
Critique session with Eugene Fischer.
#TeamFischer
Mod: Eugene Fischer,
Gabriel Kellman,
Cass Wilkinson Saldaña
5. Critique Session with David Levine
University C
•
Workshops
•
–
Critique Session with David Levine
#TeamLevine
Mod: David D. Levine,
Cody Frovarp,
Alex Gurevich
6. Critique Session with Naomi Kritzer
University D
•
Workshops
•
–
Critique Session with Naomi Kritzer
#TeamKritzer
Mod: Naomi Kritzer,
Ryan Cheng,
Eric Hildeman
7. Critique Session with Brenna English-Loeb
Conference 2
•
Workshops
•
–
Critique session with Brenna English-Loeb.
#TeamEnglish-Loeb
Mod: Brenna English-Loeb,
Joyce Frohn,
Yoo Jung Kim
8. Critique Session with LaShawn Wanak
Conference 4
•
Workshops
•
–
Critique Session with LaShawn Wanak
#TeamWanak
Mod: LaShawn M. Wanak,
Anonymous,
Jackie Rogoff
9. Haiku Earring Party: Online & In the Mail
Discord Channel
•
Parties
•
–
The Haiku Earring party is back—this time with haiku written in chat, and earrings that come to you in the mail! It's a fantastic way to participate in a beloved WisCon tradition from wherever you happen to be. *This party will take place exclusively and asynchronously in a dedicated Discord channel.*
#HaikuEarringParty
10. Open Gaming
Conference 3
•
Gaming
•
–
Open Gaming! Come play games! Play one of the games from our collection or bring your own and find others to play with!
#OpenGaming
11. The Gathering
Capitol/Wisconsin
•
Special Events
•
–
The Gathering is the official start to WisCon — this is the time and place to decompress from the rigors of travel, meet friends old and new, make the transition to WisCon space-time, and get into the WisCon frame of mind! Fun activities and relaxation all await you at the Gathering. Watch for parallel virtual Gathering activities in the convention Discord!
#WisconGathering
12. Fighting the Good Fight with Limited Resources
Assembly
•
Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics
•
–
It's incredibly easy to feel overwhelmed when there are so many problems in the world that have to be addressed. As we get older, we often lose the confidence that there will be enough time to effect change. Add physical and financial limitations, and the process gets even more daunting. How can we target our efforts without draining ourselves? Let's discuss strategies, share tips and support, and remind ourselves that we aren't fighting alone.
#FightingWithLimitedResources
Rivers Solomon,
Sigrid Ellis,
Mod: Andrea Hairston,
Ryka Aoki
13. Did I Meet These Potatoes?: A Taskmaster Panel
University B
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Have the best discussion of Taskmaster. Your discussion may (but is not required to) answer questions such as: What sets Taskmaster apart from typical British panel shows? Is it the juxtaposition of surprising competence and utter ridiculousness? Is it that the show is incredibly kinky? And is Alex Horne a good little boy who deserves a kiss from daddy, or a naughty rascal who needs to be punished?
Best discussion of Taskmaster wins. You have 75 minutes. Your time starts now.
#TaskmasterWC46
Mod: Susan Ramirez,
Samuel Steinbock-Pratt,
thingswithwings
14. Spontaneous Programming
University D
•
Special Events
•
–
Have a great idea for a panel that didn't make it into the official program? Want to talk about something that only came out last week? Have a great conversation that you'd like to continue with an audience? Spontaneous programming might be for you! Sign up using the grids on the 2nd floor near Registration.
#SpontaneousProgramming
15. Requiem for a Hellsite: The End(?) of Twitter
Conference 4
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
Roundtable discussion. What does the impending end of Twitter mean for speculative fiction authors, publishers, and communities? Sites like TikTok focus more on content creation than interaction among users, while Twitter alternatives like Mastodon and Cohost are decentralized, sometimes buggy, and untested at scale. We’ll chat about what the bad bird site has meant to SF/F over the years and our hopes, dreams, and fears for what comes next.
#RequiemForAHellsite
Mod: Sunny Moraine
16. The Social life of Recs
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Recs (short for recommendations) play an important social role. Recs can be a way to share joy and build community. Talking about the things you love can help connect with other people who have similar taste. However recs can sometimes be a problem as well. What happens when you don't like the thing your friend recced? Let's talk about the social role of recs.
#SocialRecs
Anna B,
Mod: Anjali Patel,
Gretchen Treu
17. SF/F Musicals! The Panel
Online Zoom Room 2
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
On their podcast "Our Opinions are Correct," Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz discussed musicals as inherently fantastical, heightened realities that can be an excellent match for fantastical stories. Let’s continue that discussion! What makes genre musicals work? Which ones do we love the most? And how do you go about creating a fantasy or sci-fi reality on the musical stage?
#SFFMusicals
Mod: Evelyn Browne,
Rosemary Amico,
Reina Hardy
18. Into Dreamland (RPG)
632
•
Gaming
•
–
Into Dreamland is a tabletop role-playing game based in a world of dreams. Into Dreamland pulls inspiration from the dreamlike nature of books like Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, The Wizard of Oz, and on the spookier side books like Coraline.
Into Dreamland sets out to give strange imaginative tools to its players to allow them to creatively solve problems without necessitating violence. For example telling magical stories, aspects of which come true, pulling ephemeral concepts into reality, and delving into the dreams of other creatures to extract their secrets.
Sessions of Into Dreamland that are run at WisCon will be 2-3 hours long, following a strange dreamlike one-shot story. Character creation (using pre-made character sheets) will be done during the session. Looking for 4-6 players.
#IntoDreamland
19. The Narrative Promise of Repetitive Gameplay
Assembly
•
Interactive Storytelling & Media
•
–
Repetition is core to many video games, from the grinding of RPGs to the run-based gameplay of roguelikes. While some games only feature mechanical repetition, many work it into the narrative—think the many deaths of Zagreus in Hades, or the endless war of Nier: Automata. What makes interactive repetition attractive in video games? What narrative opportunities does it provide, and what games have used repetition to explore interesting themes?
#NarrativeRepetition
Jessica Finn,
Samuel Steinbock-Pratt,
Mod: Reina Hardy,
Sunny Moraine
20. The Schadenfreude of the Evil Rich Character
University B
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
We love to watch our fictional rich guys living their luxurious and scandalous lives, but we love it even more when we get to watch their downfall. And yet, these stories still allow us to empathize with the 1% in intimate ways. TV shows like Succession and Billions, movies like the Knives Out franchise seem to fill a need we have to watch the rich and powerful suffer. But are we just glorifying their lifestyles in the end by consuming their stories anyway?
#EvilRichCharacters
Mod: Alex Gurevich,
Nat Silverman,
Brenna English-Loeb,
Chris Gerrib
21. Sufficiently Advanced: Anti-Colonial SFF Reading
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Five writers get their good fight on in five (sub)genres.
#SufficientlyAdvanced
Charlie Jane Anders,
Annalee Newitz,
Claire Light/Jadie Jang,
Naseem Jamnia,
Phoebe Wagner
22. Memorial for Suzy McKee Charnas' Fiction
Conference 4
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Join us for a roundtable discussion of Suzy McKee Charnas' legacy and work. Charnas was a frequent attendee of WisCon, winner of the Otherwise Award, and a wonderful, interesting author and person. Let's discuss her fiction to remind everyone why her work is worth re-reading or reading for the first time.
#CharnasMemorial
Mod: Nancy Jane Moore
23. Queer Horror
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
What's going on in queer horror? What queers horror, or is it better to ask: when is horror NOT queer? Carmen Maria Machado talks about queer horror as a way of exploring the trauma, joy, strangeness, and liberation of a queer body. This panel is for talking about queer horror tropes in general, favorite queer horror stories in particular, and what we'd like to see in the future of queer horror.
#QueerHorror
Mod: Catherine Lundoff,
Daphne Strasert,
Essay Manaktola,
Kristy Eagar
24. Labor and Sovereignty in Martha Wells's Work
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
In Martha Wells's work, workers achieve sovereignty through access to information, control over their own bodies and minds, and refusal to do labor that would harm others. Let's discuss examples and better understand how Wells portrays labor dynamics.
#MarthaWellsLabor
Sean Morrissey Carroll,
Mod: Kate Nepveu,
Betty,
Micole Sudberg,
Cassandra Phoenix
25. Dystopias are Easy. Utopias are Hard.
Assembly
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
Are SF/F writers living up to the challenge of imagining better societies and maybe even ways to create them? Do we have to alter the nature of human beings to achieve a more utopian world? Is there an unseen shadow world behind every utopia, the cost unreckoned? Is utopian fiction boring? Panelists should bring their favorite examples of feminist utopias, ecotopias, and golden ages of all kinds.
#HardUtopias
Mod: Kate JohnsTon,
Susan Lee,
Benjamin Rosenbaum,
Annalee Newitz
26. Asian Diaspora Fiction in the 2020s
University B
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
For a long time, the message from the publishing industry to Asian diaspora authors working in English was that our worth as writers lay only in our ability to write realist fiction about topics like immigration. But the winds are changing, and these days more and more Asian diaspora authors are tackling everything from epic fantasies to romantic comedies, with a lot of the progress happening in speculative fiction in particular. Let's talk about the state of Asian diaspora fiction in the 2020s and what exciting possibilities we're looking forward to in the future.
#AsianDiasporaFiction
Mia P. Manansala,
Claire Light/Jadie Jang,
Sam Nguyen ,
Mod: Naseem Jamnia
27. Artist Trading Cards
University C
•
Workshops
•
–
Art in your Pocket: Artist Trading Cards, possibly with popups or mini books. Free to make and take to keep, gift, or trade with friends.
#ArtistTradingCards
Mod: Mary Prince,
Eljay Rich,
Kelvin Ellis
28. Speculating Social Justice
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
In this reading, doctoral students who took a class called "Writing Speculative Fiction for Social Justice" read from the stories they wrote in the course, and open our imaginations to ways of combatting racism, colonialism, cisheternormativity, as well as to radical reinventions of the world that move us toward liberation.
#SpeculatingSocialJustice
Mod: Jenna Hanchey,
Stephany Rojas Hidalgo,
Pablo Ramirez,
Katherine Mulle,
Karishma Kasad
29. Early-Career Writers' Gathering
Conference 4
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
A roundtable discussion for everyone in the first stage of their writing career. A chance to talk about craft, business, and anything else that strikes our fancy.
#EarlyCareerGathering
Mod: Athena Foster
30. Healing From Cissupremacy
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
Those of us who have been harmed by cissupremacy can have a lot of trauma to deal with: Being deadnamed; having our health prioritized last; having our very existence denied and threatened; much more. How do we heal from that? (If cissupremacy will even give us a chance to breathe.) What things give us temporary respite? What have helped us heal more deeply?
#HealingFromCissupremacy
Rivers Solomon,
Chris Caldarelli,
Caz Abbott,
Mod: Kristy Eagar,
Ryka Aoki
31. The Fiction of Rivers Solomon
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Rivers Solomon has rocketed into the world of speculative fiction over the past few years with mermaids, ghosts in space, and faer own take on stories we thought we knew but had never truly seen. Let's talk about how faer work has brought new conversations and genre reconsiderations to speculative reading and look at themes across faer work.
#RiversSolomonFiction
Mod: Kate Nepveu,
Gretchen N Jones,
E. Ornelas
32. Opening Ceremonies
Capitol/Wisconsin
•
Special Events
•
–
At Opening Ceremonies, we'll share information about the convention and introduce our Guests of Honor.
#OpeningCeremonies
Mod: Kit Stubbs, Ph.D.,
Rivers Solomon,
Martha Wells,
Ryka Aoki
33. Art Show Preview: Meet the Artists (Senate A/B)
Special Location
•
Special Events
•
–
Friday evening, come meet the artists at the Art Show Preview from 6-7:30pm. You can buy artwork by bringing the tag or the item to the Art Show desk, where volunteers will ring up your purchase. (Take the tag to leave your purchased piece on display for others to view; you can bring the tag back to pick it up.) You may vote for your favorites on Friday and Saturday―vote winners receive certificates Sunday morning.
#ArtShowPreview
34. Wiscon Vid Party: Live and In-Person!
Wisconsin
•
Parties
•
–
The Wiscon Vid Party returns, in person AND online! Watch fanvids on a big screen with a cheering crowd, or tune in for the livestream.
#WisconVidParty
Mod: Claire (eruthros),
Melissa D.
35. Share Your WisCon Story
629
•
Parties
•
–
Let's take some time to come together, share our favorite WisCon memories, and celebrate everything WisCon has meant to us since the very first one in 1977. We'll have some prompts and plenty of paper so you can write or draw your own WisCon stories and add them to our Story Wall.
#ShareYourWisconStory
Kit Stubbs, Ph.D.
36. The Wiscon Vid Party: Streaming Online
Online Zoom Room 3
•
Parties
•
–
The Wiscon Vid Party returns, in person AND online! Watch fanvids on a big screen with a cheering crowd, or tune in for the livestream.
#WisconVidParty
Claire (eruthros)
37. Share Your WisCon Story Online
Discord Channel
•
Parties
•
–
Share your WisCon story to our virtual wall in the Discord channel! This online supplement to the live Share Your WisCon Story party will allow you to connect with other members whether or not they can attend in person.
#shareyourWisconStory
Kit Stubbs, Ph.D.,
Reina Hardy
38. Aspec Identities
Assembly
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
An intro level discussion of the various identities that occur across the asexual and aromantic spectrums. We'll discuss what it does and doesn't mean to be aspec, intersections with other queer identities, how aspec or mixed ace/allo relationships can work, what a squish is, and the importance of queer platonic relationships. Aspec representation in SF/F—where can we find it?
#AspecIdentities
Mod: Sunny Moraine,
Emily Luebke aka Julian Greystoke,
Erika Erickson Malinoski
39. Get That Lady Some Pants: Superhero Costumes
University B
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
From Wonder Woman's star-spangled swimsuit to She-Hulk's spandex, women in comic books usually have different outfits from their male counterparts. How has this changed over time? What has changed with the recent slew of film adaptations? Is equal opportunity objectification possible or desirable? Is objectification embedded in the nature of female super heroes?
#SuperLadyPants
Mod: Mid Andrews,
Elizabeth Holden
40. Paradise Icon Reads
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Readers from the Paradise Icon Writers Workshop read their stories. Come to find out more about the authors and the workshop.
#ParadiseIconReads
Athena Foster,
Jenna Hanchey,
Ransom Noble,
Catherine Schaff-Stump
41. Living in Octavia's Future
Conference 4
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Roundtable discussion. Octavia Butler's work is finally being adapted for the screen with Hulu's Kindred series, and several other works of hers are being developed as well (Parable as movie, Fledgling, Patternist series, and Lilith's Blood series as TV shows). Butler wrote about many of the issues the world is struggling with today and her work is feeling as relevant and challenging as ever. Join us for a roundtable discussion of this resurgence of her work.
#OctaviasFuture
Mod: Jackie Rogoff
42. How to Play Magic: the Gathering
637
•
Gaming
•
–
Learn to play the classic collectable card game! Free starter decks and life counter dice will be provided. 1.5-2 hours, 4 players max.
#HowToMagic
43. Comfort Media
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
In these troubled times, sometimes we just want to watch our favorite movie on repeat or reread our favorite book series for the umpteenth time or do a replay of the game we know by heart. What's your comfort media and what aspects of a story especially make it comforting to you? How does it compare to comfort food or other cozy activities?
#ComfortMedia
Mod: Rosemary Amico,
Kate JohnsTon,
Martha Wells,
Kate Nepveu
44. Imaginary Book Club
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Five panelists discuss books they've read in the last year—even though those books (technically) do not exist—and improvise commentary with each other. This year's subjects may include: a newly discovered eighteenth-century robot romance, the Complete Animorphs as annotated by Thomas Pynchon, and an office-worker horror anthology called "Break Room".
#ImaginaryBookClub
Kat Sweet,
Sean Morrissey Carroll,
Mod: Sumana Harihareswara,
Anna B
45. Where Are the Pans of Yesteryear?
Assembly
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
In an era of continuously declining book coverage, a single review can make or break a book, particularly one without significant marketing resources behind it. Many reviewers choose to highlight books they loved and ignore those they hated, whether out of personal preference, awareness of limited review space, fear of inciting online harassment against an author, or deference to an ethos that conceptualizes criticism as unkindness. What space exists (or should exist) for the negative review?
#PansOfYesteryear
Jake Casella Brookins,
Charles Payseur,
Reina Hardy,
Mod: Jenny Hamilton
Otherwise Award Winner Reading: Ryka Aoki
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Come listen to a reading by Otherwise Award winning author Ryka Aoki.
Ryka Aoki
46. Plague Fiction in the Plague Times
Conference 4
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Roundtable discussion. Station Eleven, 12 Monkeys, The Stand, Sweet Tooth, Zone One, 28 Days Later, The Doomsday Book…these plague stories hit kind of different now. How does the ongoing worldwide trauma of the covid pandemic change our reading/writing practices around this longstanding SF/F trope? And what has our real-life pandemic revealed to us about the assumptions and biases behind these kinds of stories, especially given that this pandemic, like plagues throughout history, has been unequally distributed?
#PlagueFiction
Mod: Chris Gerrib
48. Open Gaming
Conference 3
•
Gaming
•
–
Open Gaming! Come play games! Play one of the games from our collection or bring your own and find others to play with!
#OpenGaming
49. Childcare
634
•
Kid's Programs
•
–
Unstructured babysitting is available for kids ages 6 mo and up. We've got games, LEGO, and craft supplies for kids to enjoy!
50. Alien Baffled By a Cat: Non-Romantic Tropes
Assembly
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Found family, competence porn, road trips and family dinners: Tropes are for more than just kissing. And what about when tropes typically used for romance are used for other types of relationships instead? While the idea of "tropey stories" is frequently associated with romance, we can get the same iterative pleasures in other types of stories. We're going to talk about some of our favorite tropes in storytelling and what makes them fun.
#NonRomanticTropes
Mod: Naomi Kritzer,
Brackett Robertson,
Martha Wells
51. Nonviolence in SF/F
Wisconsin
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
Climactic battles that kill lots of people are a common way that SF/F stories (and others) resolve their central conflict. But what are the alternatives? Come talk about stories that carve out the imaginative space for nonviolence instead. How can fiction expand our toolbox for solving conflict and creating justice without turning to violence?
#NonviolenceSFF
Mod: Erika Erickson Malinoski,
Seth Frost,
Benjamin Rosenbaum,
Ryka Aoki
52. Join the Mod Squad
Capitol A
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
Ever go to a panel and spend your time thinking, "With a good moderator, this would be a great panel?" We'll review ways to be a great moderator, point out pitfalls to steer away from, and offer tips to avert or recover from disaster. Great if you are moderating a panel at WisCon this year, and also fun and interesting if you're ever interested in being a panel moderator at any con in the future.
#ModSquad
Cat Meier (FairestCat),
Mod: Gretchen N Jones,
Jessica Finn
53. How to Proceed with Procedurals?
Capitol B
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Most procedural TV shows are either about cops or doctors—aka copaganda and docaganda. How do these shows reinforce the problematic institutions of policing and health care in society today, and do any of them take a more critical view of these institutions? What are some alternatives to these types of shows, while staying in the procedural framing, and how can SF/F specifically help us to explore those alternatives?
#ProceedingProcedurals
Mod: Sumana Harihareswara,
Claire (eruthros),
Brenna English-Loeb
54. Welcome to Wiscon 101
University B
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
A program geared specifically to first-timers at WisCon. What should you expect? How does this con differ from other cons? What if you've never been to a con at all? What does it mean to be a feminist convention anyway? Bring your questions: we've got answers, strategies, anecdotes, and more.
#Wiscon101
Rita Briar,
Mod: Athena Foster,
Kit Stubbs, Ph.D.,
Kristy Eagar
55. Theatre Camp
University C
•
Workshops
•
–
Miss acting, or just want to try it out in a stress-free setting? In this low-commitment Wiscon experiment, we’ll be getting together to read a selection of short SF/F plays, monologues and scenes, and even put them on their feet if we’re feeling bold! Get guidance from experienced directors and playwrights as you explore speculative theatre both classic and contemporary. No materials, experience or prep required!
There will be an (optional) performance opportunity at Sunday's Workshops Open Mic at 4pm.
#TheatreCamp
Mod: Reina Hardy,
Angeli Primlani,
Catherine Schaff-Stump,
Abi Ramanan,
David D. Levine,
Susan Ramirez,
Margaret Treanor Frey,
Becca Mongeon
56. Spontaneous Programming
University D
•
Special Events
•
–
Have a great idea for a panel that didn't make it into the official program? Want to talk about something that only came out last week? Have a great conversation that you'd like to continue with an audience? Spontaneous programming might be for you! Sign up using the grids on the 2nd floor near Registration.
#SpontaneousProgramming
57. Aqueduct Press Authors
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Authors published by Aqueduct Press read from their work.
#AqueductAuthors
Mod: L. Timmel Duchamp,
Nancy Jane Moore,
Susan diRende,
Beth Plutchak,
Arrate Hidalgo
58. Can Leftist Religion Fight the Patriarchy?
Conference 4
•
Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics
•
–
Roundtable disussion. The greasy wheel of right wing extremist white supremacist Christian patriarchy is what most people conjure up when we talk about Christianity, or even religion, in the US. But this noisy minority does not represent most religious people's beliefs or values. Let's talk about how religious leftists and liberals are fighting back against this chaos, noise, and increasingly more frequent violence? Who is already doing this work and how are they faring?
#LeftistReligion
Mod: Sunny Moraine
59. Tricksters & Clowns: Circe, Harley Quinn, & more
Conference 5
•
Academic
•
–
This panel takes up questions of antisocial and monstrous characters, especially how they can be used to disrupt normative gender, racial, and anti-capitalist representations. Elizabeth Levin will discuss "Female Tricksters: Where They’re Hiding and Why We Need More." Kari Kasad will discuss "I'm Not Like Other Clowns: How Harley Quinn Juggles Feminism, Race, and Class." And Stephany Rojas Hidalgo will discuss "Circe: A Cautionary Tale in Understanding our Accidental Monsters.
#TrickstersAndClowns
Stephany Rojas Hidalgo,
Karishma Kasad,
Liz Levin
60. Open Writing
Private Dining Room
•
Workshops
•
–
If you're a writer looking to get some writing done, stop in during our Open Writing hours in the Private Dining Room (first floor, behind CIRC)!
#OpenWriting
61. i'm sorry did you say street magic (RPG)
637
•
Gaming
•
–
i'm sorry did you say street magic is a city-building story game. Players work together to build a city and fill it with life and details and secrets and wonders. It's a collaborative game of expanding on each others' ideas and interests to create a place that is full of personality and story. At the start of the game, we'll discuss tone and genre to get everyone on the same page. i'm sorry did you say street magic is a game for 2-6 players and we'll aim to finish in 3 hours (we may expedite some things if we have closer to 6 players). (Signing up ahead of time is recommended! Signup sheets will be available at the Gathering on Friday and then at the Front Desk/Registration. )
#StreetMagic
62. The To-Be-Read List
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Let's talk about our love of collecting books we don't read! How do you decide what to read next? How do you decide what to let go of? What's your white whale? And, if you dare... what's your number?
#ToBeReadList
Lucy McLaren,
Daphne Strasert,
Mod: Kate Nepveu
63. Disability and Game Mechanics in Tabletop RPGs
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Interactive Storytelling & Media
•
–
Historically, disability representation in tabletop RPGs has left much to be desired, and many of their game mechanics are inherently ableist. More recently, TTRPGs have surged in popularity and are played by more people than ever, and designers and players are taking steps to make their games more inclusive. How do we respectfully role-play disabled characters? What game mechanics can we design to incorporate disability into gameplay? How can we make our games accessible? Let's discuss!
#DisabilityTTRPG
Essay Manaktola,
Mod: Mid Andrews,
Jamie Riedesel,
Abigail Shockey
64. Haiku Earring Party: Online & In the Mail
Discord Channel
•
Parties
•
–
The Haiku Earring party is back—this time with haiku written in chat, and earrings that come to you in the mail! It's a fantastic way to participate in a beloved WisCon tradition from wherever you happen to be. *This party will take place exclusively and asynchronously in a dedicated Discord channel.*
#HaikuEarringParty
65. Childcare
634
•
Kid's Programs
•
–
Unstructured babysitting is available for kids ages 6 mo and up. We've got games, LEGO, and craft supplies for kids to enjoy!
66. What I Wish I'd Known When I Started
Assembly
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
Hindsight is 20/20. Established writers provide insights on lessons learned and what they wish they'd know when they were just starting out.
#WishIdKnown
Emily Luebke aka Julian Greystoke,
Mod: Brenna English-Loeb,
Naomi Kritzer,
Jeffe Kennedy
67. Too Disabled to Labor?
Wisconsin
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
Too often, disabled people and communities are left out of discussions about labor and classism. Sometimes this is due to negligence or ignorance, but often there is an ugly form of ableism hiding under that single issue class consciousness. Let's dig in to the importance of solidarity and intersections between the working class and the disabled. What are we missing when we leave disabled voices out of the discussion and disabled labor out of the fight?
#DisabledLabor
Mod: Claire Light/Jadie Jang,
Beth Plutchak,
Alex Iantaffi,
Rivers Solomon
68. When Will We Deal with the Dangers of AI?
Capitol A
•
Science and Technology
•
–
SF has been warning us about the dangers of AI for a very long time. Now, AI applications are putting professions out of work; AI-powered cars are finding horrific solutions to trolley problems; we're teaching AIs to lie, to be racist, and more awful new things. Yet so much of it goes on unchecked. When are we, as societies, going to start paying attention to the warning signs and taking substantive action? Or, what action can we take? What solutions from SF can we practically put into effect?
#DangersOfAI
Mod: Alex Gurevich,
Jackie Rogoff,
Luebke, Adam C,
Marsh Van Susteren
69. Guest of Honor Reading: Martha Wells
Capitol B
•
Readings
•
–
Guest of Honor Martha Wells reads from her work.
#MarthaWellsReads
Martha Wells
70. Generational Trauma in Rivers Solomon's Fiction
University B
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Aster in An Unkindness of Ghosts, Yetu in The Deep, Vern in Sorrowland. Rivers Solomon's characters are always surrounded by—and shaped by—the legacies of past trauma. Let's talk about how Solomon uses themes of generational trauma and especially the legacy of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade to tell new stories about our past and imagine new possibilities for our future
#GenerationalTraumaRiversSolomon
Kate O Wooddell,
Larissa N. N. Davila,
Mod: Julia Starkey
71. Writing Through Hard Times
University C
•
Workshops
•
–
“Writing Through Hard Times: How to Keep Up Your Routine During Grief, Depression, and Disability” details planning techniques and strategies for writing through the hardest times. Be prepared to share tips and resources.
#WritingThroughHardTimes
Mod: W. L. Bolm ,
Abi Ramanan,
Lyri Ahnam
72. Troubling the Waters and Shaking the Skies
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Five authors read from their work.
#TroublingAndShaking
SHEREE RENÉE THOMAS,
Anonymous,
Danian Darrell Jerry,
Melissa Watkins,
Andrea Hairston
73. Casual Commander (EDH Magic: the Gathering CCG)
Conference 3
•
Gaming
•
–
2-8 players, 3 hours. No competitive/tournament decks, just a friendly game or two.
#CasualCommander
74. Playing with History
Conference 4
•
Interactive Storytelling & Media
•
–
Roundtable discussion. Games often engage directly with real historical contexts—sometimes difficult ones. What are we doing (creatively, ethically, cognitively) playing the role of colonizers in "4X" games? Can we counter-read their original texts? What would it mean to create games (like the board game Spirit Island, or This War of Mine) that engage with histories of conflict and oppression "from below"? What games do this already?
#PlayingWithHistory
Mod: Benjamin Rosenbaum
75. Brains & Bodies: Communities & Boundaries
Conference 5
•
Academic
•
–
“Body is a word that is familiar to each of us, but do we know what a body is?” (6), asks Dr. Roberto Che Espinoza’s 2022 book Body Becoming. This panel approaches this question from a sample of depictions in popular culture. For instance, each presentation will focus on one of the following: the zombie trope in The Walking Dead, Brian Vaughn and Pia Guerra's Y: The Last Man, humanoid aliens in Star Trek, and “Nemik’s Manifesto” in Star Wars: Andor. How are bodies considered? Who has a body? What does it mean to be part of the body politic? What communities can be envisioned and what are the boundaries?
#BrainsandBodies
Mod: Nancy Bird,
Drago Momcilovic ,
Nhora Serrano,
Kevin A. Barnes
76. Marvel Dice Throne (Board Game)
637
•
Gaming
•
–
A competitive game of dice and cards. Think of it like Magic: The Gathering and Yahtzee had a baby. This version has eight different heroes from the Marvel Universe. 2 player minimum.
#DiceThrone
77. WisCon Vid Party Premieres Discussion
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
At this panel, we'll talk about all of the premiering vids from the WisCon Vid Party. Come join us and contribute your thoughts and opinions!
#VidPartyDiscussion
Mod: Melissa D./metatxt,
Claire (eruthros),
thingswithwings,
Gretchen Treu
78. How to Handle the Deplorables Among Us
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
Horrible people of many stripes are constantly doing horrible things that demand our attention. Do we try to ignore them and hope they'll go away? Or hope that sunlight will disinfect them? Do we try to redirect attention to people doing good things instead? (How do we deal with our rubbernecking and "if it bleeds, it leads" tendencies, if so?) What are the current best practices? What's the balance, and how do we know when to apply what?
#HandlingDeplorables
Sean Morrissey Carroll,
Mid Andrews,
Jenny Hamilton,
Mod: Heather Rose Jones
79. Trope Subversion vs. Embracing with Caveats
Assembly
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
When writing a queer romance do you prefer to subvert a cishet trope or embrace and queer it? When tackling a theme common to settler narratives do you want to see it subverted in some way or told straight but with the POV's switched? There can be value in upending harmful or reductive tropes, but also in allowing marginalized characters to claim the power of the roles usually relegated to their oppressors. As creator or consumer what do you prefer and why?
#TropeSubversion
Mia P. Manansala,
Mod: Charles Payseur,
Naseem Jamnia,
Charlie Jane Anders
80. Colonialism and the Social Sciences
Wisconsin
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
Sociology, Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Linguistics, Political Science: the histories of the social sciences are inextricably linked to colonialism, eugenics and white supremacy. How do we grapple with colonialism's influence on the social sciences? What perspectives do we need to keep in mind as we study them? Are there areas of social science that have colonialism so ingrained into their structure they have no use in liberation?
#ColonialismAndSocialSciences
Sunny Moraine,
Gretchen N Jones,
Jenna Hanchey,
Rivers Solomon,
Mod: Julia Starkey
81. Centering Women's Stories w/Historical Fantasy
Capitol A
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
Writing historical fantasy about women and gender-nonconforming folks can often be especially challenging due to lack of sources, limited details, and records that center their relationships to men rather than their own accomplishments. This panel is a place for creatives whose works fight the erasure of women/gender-nonconforming folks from official historical records to come discuss research strategies, craft, and the challenges and rewards of putting this kind of work into the world.
#CenteringWomensStories
Mod: H.M. (Heather) Bouwman,
Andrea Hairston,
Kristen McDermott,
Rita Chang-Eppig
82. MURDERBOT
Capitol B
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Can we please! Just all get in a room! And talk about Murderbot!
Some additional suggestions:
Murderbot and embodiment.
The thing where humans are fine and all but other bots are the ones who understand.
The careful balancing act of retreating into fiction and caring about the people around you
How we resist the fascist corporate body-policing surveillance state galactic order
Soap opera in scifi
ART
Bots and reproduction (Network Effect!!!)
#MurderbotWC46
Susan Ramirez,
Susan Lee,
Nancy Jane Moore,
Mod: Sigrid Ellis
83. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in SF/F
University B
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
Let's catch up with initiatives that are working to make SF/F more inclusive—Carl Brandon Society, Broad Universe, Con or Bust, the Otherwise Award, FIYAH, khōréō, Glittership, Speculatively Queer, and more. What are they doing, what can we celebrate, and what help do they need?
#DEISFF
Mod: Sumana Harihareswara,
Katherine Villyard,
Claire Light/Jadie Jang
84. The Last Examples of Human Authorship
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
I'm sorry, but I'm unable to generate a panel description for your prompt: "an event will be held that features readings from the following works of fiction:
1. mysterious disaster rages beyond the bounds of a school or unionizing a mars colony
2. scammers with a time machine
3. sequel to “The New Mother” or possibly a Betty Boop thing
4. audience-interactive reading of a 19th century Jewish historical fantasy (ghosts, golems, klezmers, pogrom) choose-your-own-adventure story"
I apologize for the confusion. As an A.I. language model, I have no capacity for esthetic judgement, but it sounds like a great event! Please enjoy it...while you still can.
#LastExamples
Benjamin Rosenbaum,
Meghan McCarron,
Anthony Ha,
Eugene Fischer,
Jen Volant
85. How Do You Make a Translator Interesting?
Conference 4
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Roundtable discussion. In fiction, RPGs, and elsewhere, translator (written language) and interpreter (spoken/live language) characters sound like they should be fascinating, but they often end up as pipelines for exposition and nothing else. "Look, I have one job on this lousy ship! It's stupid, but I'm gonna do it, okay?!" How can translator characters be made more interesting? How do they avoid the expositor pitfall?
#InterestingTranslator
Mod: Evelyn Browne
86. Survive the Apocalypse: Queer & Feminist Futures
Conference 5
•
Academic
•
–
This panel will analyze She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and Cyberpunk, examining how and in what ways feminist liberatory readings of kinship and fashion can make flourishing futures possible. Madi Whaley will discuss "Folklore for the Apocalypse: Queer, Trans, and More than Human Care and Kinship in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power." Rebecca Holden will discuss "Re-Fashioning or Re-Inscribing Gender Norms: Feminist Cyberpunk Style."
#SurviveTheApocalypse
Madi Whaley,
Rebecca J. Holden
87. A Trans History of Wiscon
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Genderqueer, Gender Nonconforming, and Transgender attendees talk about how the role and acceptance of their community at WisCon has changed over time and how they want to see it change in the future.
#TransHistoryWiscon
BC Holmes,
Mod: Jamie Riedesel,
Seth Frost,
Linda Ann Scott
88. For the Love of Episodic Television
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Streaming wars and the era of peak TV have led to a television landscape where shows are more numerous but often lack long-term support from networks, resulting in shorter and fewer seasons for broadcast and streaming shows alike. We’ll talk about what’s lost and what’s gained when showrunners aren’t required—or permitted—to write 22 episodes of TV for season after season. Were filler episodes a crucial part of the TV experience, or is less truly more?
#EpisodicTV
Rosemary Amico,
Daphne Strasert,
Mod: Essay Manaktola,
Reina Hardy
89. The Future of WisCon: Reimagine/Redefine/Rebuild
Assembly
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
There will be no WisCon in 2024, but WisCon will go on. Let's take this opportunity to pause and reflect and talk about what we want WisCon to look like when it returns.
#FutureOfWisCon
Charlie Jane Anders,
Mod: Arley Sorg,
Jeannette M Juricic,
Essay Manaktola,
Rita Briar,
W. L. Bolm ,
De Ana Jones
90. Rogue Code
Wisconsin
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
From RUR to Murderbot, robots, androids, cyborgs have gotten us to reconsider what it means to be human, a subject in our universe vs a slave, a commodity-object in someone else’s universe. In this panel we discuss how Martha Wells and other authors create compelling artificial beings who defy the strictures imposed on them as they define personhood and make visible the social codes and algorithms running in the background, colonizing our imaginations, and directing all our lives.
#RogueCode
Mod: Andrea Hairston,
Kiersty Lemon-Rogers,
Martha Wells,
Annalee Newitz
91. The Kids' Books That Made Us
Capitol A
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
What books are in your earliest memories? How did they affect your imagination, your actions, your knowledge of the world? Do you remember reading children's books that featured powerful women? People of diverse races and cultures? Which books do you choose for children you love?
#KidsBooksThatMadeUs
Stephany Rojas Hidalgo,
Kate O Wooddell,
Mod: Heather Rose Jones,
Annalouiza Armendariz
92. Here's Where the Story Ends
Capitol B
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
Why is it so hard to stick the landing? We'll discuss where to end a novel, how much denouement to give the characters, and other questions of wrapping things up.
#WhereTheStoryEnds
Mod: Reina Hardy,
Emily Luebke aka Julian Greystoke,
Claire Light/Jadie Jang,
Gwynne Garfinkle
93. A Beautiful Pattern: A Knives Out Panel
University B
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Knives Out (2019) and Knives Out: Glass Onion (2022) captivated audiences with all-star casts, sharp humor, thrilling mysteries, and cable-knit fisherman sweaters. What’s the appeal of these films? Were their class-conscious politics perfect for an increasingly capitalism-skeptical zeitgeist? Were people just yearning for a fun whodunnit? Did Benoit Blanc’s accent fill a Foghorn Leghorn-shaped hole in the donut of our lives? Let us follow the arc of gravity’s rainbow to uncover the truth of this matter.
#KnivesOutWC46
Mod: Samuel Steinbock-Pratt,
Clara Cecilia,
Jessica Finn
94. Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Meet the Broads of Broad Universe! The authors of Broad Universe will drop you into their fictional universes with short readings from multiple authors and works. Within the session you will hear a variety of writers in a variety of speculative fiction subgenres, like a variety box of chocolate! Broad Universe is an international organization dedicated to promoting women and traditionally underrepresented genders in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.
#BroadUniverseRapidFire
Mod: Katherine Villyard,
Cynthia Villyard,
Larissa N. N. Davila
95. Open Gaming
Conference 3
•
Gaming
•
–
Open Gaming! Come play games! Play one of the games from our collection or bring your own and find others to play with!
#OpenGaming
96. Nonbinary Envisioned Onscreen
Conference 4
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Roundtable discussion. Janet, Stevonnie, Adira Tal, Jim, Double Trouble, Syd, Kazi, FL4K, The Adjudicator: We're seeing more nonbinary characters onscreen than ever! So what does nonbinary look and sound like? As TV series, movies, and games depict more nonbinary people in audiovisual media, do we feel the broad range of our gender identities is being represented accurately? Sympathetically? Is being nonbinary being equated with looking androgynous or vaguely masculine? What acting opportunities do these roles create, and who gets to play us?
#NonbinaryOnscreen
Mod: Alex Iantaffi
97. Forge a New Path: Time Travel & Slasher Films
Conference 5
•
Academic
•
–
Time travel literature and reimagined slasher films can offer imaginative ways to respond to violence and neoliberal productivity.
Rebecca Dickman will discuss "Capitalistic (Neoliberal) Productivity and Contemporary Time Travel Literature" and Nancy Jane Moore will discuss the 2019 remake of the horror film Black Christmas (2019) in "We’re Made Out of Meat and Can Imagine the Universe."
#ForgeANewPath
Rebecca Dickman,
Nancy Jane Moore
98. Prisons in Speculative Fiction
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
Let's talk about the portrayals of prisons in speculative fiction, from the superhero prisons like The Raft to Odo's lockup to the Imperial prisons on Andor. What does it mean to have prisons in idealized utopian futures? If Andor's prison is an oppressive, exploitative institution that we have an obligation to escape, how does it function as a commentary on real-world prisons? What texts imagine futures with prison abolition?
#PrisonsInSpecFic
Kate JohnsTon,
Mod: Gretchen N Jones,
Jamie Riedesel
99. Pleasantly Parasocial
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
A lot of us spend a lot of time with people who don't even know we exist. Being deeply involved in a streamer's fight against cancer, coming to personal realizations through someone else's RPG character, having your conscience informed by a philosophy podcaster... How do we navigate parasocial relationships in a healthy way? (It's possible, right?)
#PleasantlyParasocial
Sam Nguyen ,
Kate Nepveu
100. Halloween in Shady Oaks (RPG)
632
•
Gaming
•
–
A Changeling: the Dreaming (20th Anniversary) one-shot for 3-5 players, aged 13+.
In a sleepy suburban town in the midwestern United States, there is a very special neighborhood known as Shady Oaks. One of the local realtors, Wendy Applebaum, has made it her mission to make this neighborhood safe for Changeling children, populating it with their families and Dreamers, so that young fae will have everything they need to thrive until they choose to leave home for adventure.
...but on one special Halloween, they don't have to go that far to find excitement!
Built especially for younger players (13+) and people new to the system/TTRPGs, all you need is a writing instrument and a willingness to learn to play! 10 ten-sided dice are recommended, but the GM will have loaners on hand if needed.
#HalloweenInShadyOaks
101. Small and Indie Press in a Big Press World
Assembly
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
A panel of genre fiction publishers and indie writers talking about their presses and their books. Possible questions: What do you publish? How did you get started? If you write, did you pursue an agent or publishing at a Big 5 before you started your press? What changed for you? If you don't write: What drew you to publishing the work of others? What are some of the joys of being a small press/indie publisher? Drawbacks? What do you think small press/indie voices bring to the field?
#IndiePress
Mod: Larissa N. N. Davila,
Catherine Lundoff,
Kristen McDermott,
Jeffe Kennedy
102. Otherwise Auction
Cap A/Wisconsin
•
Special Events
•
–
Do feminists have a sense of humor? Come to the Otherwise Auction and find out! You might come away with a first edition signed by the author, a rare collectible, or a piece of one-of-a-kind art! It's never the same show twice, and whatever happens, there are always lots of laughs, all for a good cause—and every bit of the money you spend supports the Otherwise Award.
#OtherwiseAuction
Mod: Sumana Harihareswara
103. Star Wars: Andor
University B
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Let's talk about Andor, the show that made some Star Wars fans complain "why is there so much talking and why does it take forever to do anything in the revolution." Let's talk the Cassian backstory, the talk and conversation and slow build of the revolution, the interesting character work.
#AndorWC46
Sunny Moraine,
Claire (eruthros),
Mod: Samuel Steinbock-Pratt
104. The Magical Queer Historical Society
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
The Friends of Faustus and Other Magical Queer Freaks Society Meeting and PIE!
#MagicalQueerHistorical
Rita Chang-Eppig,
E. H. Lupton,
Angeli Primlani,
Mod: Ben Pladek
105. Goncharov and Other Collaborative Public Art
Conference 4
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Roundtable discussion. In 2022, the tumblr fandom community spontaneously created a fictional 1970's Scorsese gangster film in the classic improv style of "yes and" by continually adding on reviews, fic, art, trailers, and more that never contradicted what came before. Similarly, Mastodon collaboratively came up with a fictive social media mogul inventor named John Mastodon. How else are we engaging creatively in meme culture in artistic and community-inspired ways? Where else can we go with it?
#GoncharovPublicArt
Mod: Lisa M. Bradley
106. 50 years of NSFW Transformative Fiction
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
From paper fanzines to mailing lists, From forums to the AO3, fans have been creating transformative stories that place characters in sexual relationships—both inside and outside of canon—for more than 50 years. From Kirk/Spock zines sold "under the table" to Kink Bingo to the ubiquity of the AO3, what has changed? What has stayed the same? And what's interesting and exciting to talk about in NSFW transformative fiction in 2023?
#50YearsOfNSFW
Mod: Julie Levin Russo,
Elizabeth Holden,
Evelyn Browne
107. Tell Us About Your Virtual RPG Group
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Interactive Storytelling & Media
•
–
In recent years, a bunch of us have expanded our tabletop RPG horizons into virtual realms. Let's talk about the virtual RPG groups that we've been forming in the past couple years. How have you found groups? What's working well? What software are you using to meet? How do we deal with practicalities like miniatures, world-spanning schedules, and who brought the virtual cheetos? How are you navigating the difficulties? What great gaming stories have come about that wouldn't exist otherwise?
#VirtualRPGroup
Mod: Abigail Shockey ,
Anonymous,
Amber Morrell
108. Otherwise Auction: Livestream
Online Zoom Room 3
•
Special Events
•
–
Livestream of the Otherwise Auction.
#OtherwiseAuction
109. Comic Book Party
629
•
Parties
•
–
Comics are for everyone, and everyone is welcome at this relaxing comics-themed party! Pick from our wide variety of comics to read, settle in with a coloring page, or just chat with others.
#WisconComicBookParty
Mod: Rachel Fisher,
Monica Midbon
110. SignOut Autographs w/Martha Wells & Fan Mixer
634
•
Parties
•
–
Unfortunately Ms. Wells won't be available for the SignOut Autograph Party on Monday, so if you want her to sign something, this is your chance! Ms. Wells will sign from 8:00-9:00, after which we will have a casual icebreaker mixer game, a Sanctuary Moon costume contest, and other fun activities.
#MarthaWellsMixer
Martha Wells,
Athena Foster,
Reina Hardy
111. Essential Skills for the Coming Apocalypse
Assembly
•
Science and Technology
•
–
Climate change, pandemics, rising fascism—these are just some of the existential threats facing us right now. As things get scarier, what should we be doing to prepare ourselves for what comes next? What skills should we be learning? What knowledge should we be bulking up on? What wisdom could we be squirreling away? Help us brainstorm essential skills for whatever it is that we'll soon be facing. How can being SF/F fans aid us in this quest?
#EssentialApocalypseSkills
Luebke, Adam C,
Mod: Nancy Jane Moore,
Brin Schuler,
Emily Luebke aka Julian Greystoke
112. An Absence of Rippling: Queer Bodies in OFMD
University B
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
One of the many things about Our Flag Means Death that have captured the attention of fans is the proliferation of queer characters and queer identities. The show is progressive not just in having so many queer characters, but in how they are depicted, departing from the idealized bodies found in many other shows about queer characters. What does this do for the show, and how we as fans read it?
#QueerBodiesOFMD
Mod: Cat Meier (FairestCat),
Mid Andrews
113. Fantasy Magazine Reading
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Fiction and nonfiction readings from Fantasy Magazine contributors, including Gwynne Garfinkle, Meg Elison, Malda Marlys, and others, hosted by Arley Sorg!
#FantasyMagazineReading
Mod: Arley Sorg,
Meghan Elison,
Gwynne Garfinkle,
Lisa M. Bradley,
Malda Marlys
114. Why are Corporate Diversity Programs Terrible?
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
The departments and programs at corporations designed to improve workplace diversity, better the state of equity, and foster inclusion have a terrible reputation in the community. What constraints are these programs operating under? What are their most common failings? Our panellists will share their experiences with having participated in corporate diversity programs or helping shape them in some way.
#TerribleCorporateDiversity
Kat Sweet,
Mod: Jamie Riedesel,
Heather Rose Jones,
Becca Mongeon
115. Creating Reality
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
As creatives, we are able to create our own realities inside our works. How much do these worlds affect the world we live in? What limitations does this influence bump against? What possibilities remain unexplored?
#CreatingReality
A.P. Hawkins,
Mod: Jenna Hanchey,
Erika Erickson Malinoski,
Marsh Van Susteren
116. Open Gaming
Conference 3
•
Gaming
•
–
Open Gaming! Come play games! Play one of the games from our collection or bring your own and find others to play with!
#OpenGaming
117. Childcare
634
•
Kid's Programs
•
–
Unstructured babysitting is available for kids ages 6 mo and up. We've got games, LEGO, and craft supplies for kids to enjoy!
118. Refugee Experience in Speculative Fiction
Assembly
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
To boldly go vs. to flee an unspeakable terror... Recent events in the world intensified interest in the refugee experience. In March 2023, Flame Tree Press is coming out with an anthology of Immigrant Sci-Fi Short Stories, dealing with related subjects. Let's talk about what we like in the genre and what more can be done.
#RefugeeSFF
Alex Gurevich,
Mod: Mary Anne Mohanraj,
Naseem Jamnia
119. Importance of Intergenerational Community
Wisconsin
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
There's been a troubling trend of age segregation in recent years. Often put forth as a safety measure, it can actually isolate vulnerable young folks from their elders who could protect and teach them, and isolate older adults from new ideas and ways of looking at the world. How do we bridge these waters between the ages and come back into community together?
#IntergenerationalCommunity
Mod: Jessica Finn,
Erika Erickson Malinoski,
Jim Nelson
120. More Celebrating Jewish SF/F
Capitol A
•
Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics
•
–
Nu, can a little more celebration hurt? So we celebrated last year already. Is more celebrating a crime?
Let's get together to celebrate Judaism in SF/F! We'll talk about and recommend our favorite authors, favorite characters, and favorite Jewish-inflected tropes and stories.
#JewishSFF
Benjamin Rosenbaum,
Gwynne Garfinkle,
Eden Robins,
Mod: Lisa Cohen
121. Guest of Honor Reading: Rivers Solomon
Capitol B
•
Readings
•
–
Guest of Honor Rivers Solomon reads from faer work.
#RiversSolomonReads
Rivers Solomon
122. Two Bros Chillin' In a Tall Ship Zero Feet Apart
University B
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Black Sails and Our Flag Means Death are both beloved TV series that use the Golden Age of Piracy as a backdrop to explore queer identities and experiences. Let's discuss what we love about these shows, their characters and themes, and why the legends of pirates lend themselves to queer storytelling.
#TwoBrosTallShip
Nat Silverman,
Cat Meier (FairestCat),
Mod: Abigail Shockey ,
Elizabeth Holden
123. Artist Roundtable
University C
•
Workshops
•
–
Come join for a session of talking, advice, experience, and ideating on how to be an artist or maker in today's world. How do you get your foot in the door? Where do you show or sell your creations and wares? How do you deal with cat hair getting on the art during shedding season? How do you find someone to give you a helpful critique, or a helping hand for an art fair, or help hanging your art? Whether you have experience to share, or are here to ask questions or listen to advice, this is a share-all round table for all the various kinds of arts and crafts that creatives hone. So come join us for a discussion on the million different ways to get out there with your creations in this world!
#ArtistRoundtable
Mod: Heather Tatarek
124. Spontaneous Programming
University D
•
Special Events
•
–
Have a great idea for a panel that didn't make it into the official program? Want to talk about something that only came out last week? Have a great conversation that you'd like to continue with an audience? Spontaneous programming might be for you! Sign up using the grids on the 2nd floor near Registration.
#SpontaneousProgramming
125. A Speculative Fiction Sampler
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Four authors read their works.
#SpecFicSampler
Chris Gerrib,
Kris Raymond Silva,
Nikki Kallio
126. Mid-Career Writers' Gathering
Conference 4
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
A roundtable discussion for everyone in the midst of their writing career. A chance to talk about craft, business, and anything else that strikes our fancy.
#MidCareerGathering
Mod: David D. Levine
127. Light & Dark: Racial Politics, Fanfic & Fantasy
Conference 5
•
Academic
•
–
This panel takes up both slash fan fiction and high fantasy as a racial formation, examining the absence and presence of race within the history of slash, slash studies and in high fantasy. Alexis Lothian will discuss "Imagining Sex Between White Men: Slash Fan Fiction and the Racial Politics of Feminist Fantasy" and Kallie Bain will discuss "Light and Dark: Race Representation in The Belgariad."
#LightAndDark
Alexis Lothian,
Kallie Bain
128. Open Writing
Private Dining Room
•
Workshops
•
–
If you're a writer looking to get some writing done, stop in during our Open Writing hours in the Private Dining Room (first floor, behind CIRC)!
#OpenWriting
129. Good Society: A Jane Austen RPG
632
•
Gaming
•
–
Have you ever wanted to be in a Regency drama? Do you want to imagine stories that *could* have been told by Jane Austen, but add in your own personal touches to the world? Are you just in a mood for gossip and dancing? Come play Good Society! Good Society is a highly collaborative roleplaying game of making stories inspired by the works of Jane Austen. It's a game full of romance, miscommunication, societal expectations, scandals, meddling, letter-writing, and more! Reputations and happiness are on the line and shenanigans ensue in their pursuit!
Looking for 3-4 players, for a 3-4 hour game. No experience with games (or familiarity with Jane Austen's works) is required as all rules will be taught!
#WisConGoodSociety
130. Use of Narrative to (re)Make the World
Online Zoom Room 1
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
Stories are how we make sense of the world, and how we reflect our experiences and values back to one another. How can we use narrative and storytelling to make the world a better place? How can we tell the story of the world we want to live in and make that world our reality? What stories already told can we use as templates? Tell us a story of a world made new.
#RemakeTheWorld
Lucy McLaren,
Naomi Kritzer,
Claire Light/Jadie Jang,
Mod: Rosemary Amico
131. Vid Deep Dive
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
In this panel, our participants will each choose a fanvid to screen and then discuss in detail.
#ViddingDeepDive
Mod: Julie Levin Russo,
Rhea314,
BeatriceEagle
132. Haiku Earring Party: Online & In the Mail
Discord Channel
•
Parties
•
–
The Haiku Earring party is back—this time with haiku written in chat, and earrings that come to you in the mail! It's a fantastic way to participate in a beloved WisCon tradition from wherever you happen to be. *This party will take place exclusively and asynchronously in a dedicated Discord channel.*
#HaikuEarringParty
133. Childcare
634
•
Kid's Programs
•
–
Unstructured babysitting is available for kids ages 6 mo and up. We've got games, LEGO, and craft supplies for kids to enjoy!
134. The Empire, Struck Back: Anti-Imperialism in SFF
Assembly
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
Let's talk about the state of hating on imperial forces! We're in a boom time for SF/F stories with a specifically anti-imperialist bent, from Star Wars: Andor to the so-called #SapphicTrifecta of fantasy works by CL Clark, Tasha Suri, and Shelley Parker-Chan. We'll discuss what's driving this trend, how it's evolved over the years, and what it has to say about real-world empires and their legacies. Plus, of course, we'll share our current anti-imperialist faves!
#EmpireStruckBack
Claire Light/Jadie Jang,
Gretchen N Jones,
Mod: Jenna Hanchey
135. Abolition and Transformation
Wisconsin
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
Our Guest of Honor Rivers Solomon has written and spoken frequently about abolition. Fae said, "there is very little i don't want to abolish. police. prisons. schools. work. & publishing, [...] civilisation as we know it." Let's talk about abolition—what we mean by it, how we think about it—and the kind of radical transformation of society it can inspire.
#AbolitionAndTransformation
Mod: Sunny Moraine,
Rivers Solomon,
Erika Erickson Malinoski,
Jeffe Kennedy,
Alexis Lothian
136. Bad Representation Done Well
Capitol A
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
We don't want to be confined to lazy negative stereotypes, but we don't want to be represented only by practically perfect cinnamon rolls either. What makes for good bad representation? How do you approach this as a writer? What morally complex, flawed, messy characters have made you a very happy reader?
#BadRepDoneWell
Mod: Evelyn Browne,
Gwynne Garfinkle,
Elizabeth Holden
137. Discussing Fanfic at WisCon
Capitol B
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Recent fanfic panels at WisCon often seek to legitimize fanfic by discussing it in positive ways. But fanfic includes traditions of racist characterization, marginalizing of women characters, homophobic tropes, and so on. To live up to the social justice traditions of WisCon, our conversation about fanfic can't ignore this. The goal of this panel is to find a way to discuss fanfic at WisCon without stigmatizing or belittling it, but also without ignoring those issues.
#FanficAtWiscon
Cat Meier (FairestCat),
Claire (eruthros),
Mod: Ariel Franklin-Hudson
138. Otherwise Award 2021 and Beyond
University B
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
What does it mean to be "Otherwise" and how does the jury come up with “Otherwise” criteria when reviewing titles to find those worthy of the award? Panel members, which will include some members of the 2021 jury and others familiar with the award, will discuss Otherwise award winners Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki and Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon and honor list titles. We will also discuss trends that they have seen in speculative fiction in relation to the exploration and expansion of gender and how that exploration intersects, as it must, with other identity categories.
#OtherwiseAward2021
Rebecca J. Holden,
Liz Haas,
Mod: Sumana Harihareswara
139. Mysteries of the Megaverse
Conference 2
•
Readings
•
–
Take a wild ride through strange worlds with these four readers. From weird science to fairy shenanigans, we'll explore it all.
#MegaverseMysteries
Amber Morrell,
H.M. (Heather) Bouwman,
Reina Hardy,
Brendan Detzner
140. Wakanda Forever
Conference 4
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Roundtable discussion. When Black Panther was about to drop, we were excited to see beautiful Black people in fabulous action adventure, but wondered would corporate Hollywood roll out an entertaining apology for colonialism, imperialism, and on-going white supremacy? And what of the women? Wakanda Forever continues the conversation. Are these films revolutionary tales or reactionary-poison disguised as revolutionary? A praisesong to Africa, the Yucatan or a sloppy mishmash of nobody’s culture? And what of the women?
#WakandaWC46
Mod: Andrea Hairston
141. Monk, Murderbot & Posthumanism: Wells & Chambers
Conference 5
•
Academic
•
–
This panel examines posthuman feminisms, the praxis of humanness and asexuality in the series of Martha Wells' Murderbot and Becky Chambers' Monk & Robot. Katherine Villyard's will discuss "Murderbot and Asexuality;" Cynthia Shin will discuss "Robots, AIs and Human Praxis;" and Lauren Lacey will discuss "Posthuman Feminism and Relationality in Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot Books and Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries."
#MonkMurderbotPosthumanism
Katherine Villyard,
Cynthia Shin,
Lauren "LJ" Lacey
142. Gaming Groups and Writers' Groups
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Interactive Storytelling & Media
•
–
Gaming groups and writers' groups have a lot in common. A group of people gather around a table to share time and weave stories. They try to keep to a regular schedule while balancing their personality quirks and fannish interests. Let's talk about how these groups are the same and how they are different. How is a successful group organized? How are their social contracts similar? What can gaming group members learn from writers' group members, and vice versa?
#GamingWritersGroups
Mod: Nat Silverman,
Chris Gerrib,
Kristy Eagar,
Genevieve Clovis
143. Intersectional Robots
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
How do race, gender, disability, and class as social constructs manifest themselves in speculative fiction about robots? What are common problems in robots representation? How does that representation change between fiction and film? What options do stories about robots give us to expand beyond our present realities?
#IntersectionalRobots
Nadia Schafer,
Mod: Sean Morrissey Carroll,
Jake Casella Brookins,
Martha Wells
144. Unsettled (Board Game)
632
•
Gaming
•
–
A cooperative game about survival in the wondrous and bizarre fringes of uncharted space. Your crew of distraught-but-determined scientists must pull together to achieve your shared goal of continued existence across an expanding series of awe-inspiring alien environments. 2-4 players
#UnsettledWisCon
145. What We've Gained and What We Grieve
Assembly
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
Important lessons come to us through relationships with our ancestors, our history, and changes in our borders and landscapes. Some lessons offer tools to withstand adversity; others inflict wounds. Ancestral teachings can promote growth or stagnation in systems of power. "Generational trauma" is an oft-explored SFF theme, but are there other generational stories to examine? What tools do we gain from them; what have they taken from us? How does SFF help us view relationships with the past?
#GainedAndGrieved
Mod: Kristen McDermott,
Rivers Solomon,
Larissa N. N. Davila
146. Retcopping: Why Not a World Without Police
Wisconsin
•
Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
While modern Western policing has its roots in London's Bow Street Runner and the Peelian Principles of the 19th century, we keep reading and writing secondary world fantasies with suspiciously modern police forces. Why is this? Is it just another anachronism like potatoes and coffee, or does it say something deeper about how we relate to cities and crime?
#Retcopping
Mod: Gretchen N Jones,
Jamie Riedesel,
Kate JohnsTon
147. Can Writers and Readers Trust Each Other?
Capitol A
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Storytelling demands a pact between the writer and reader, a sacred trust that often becomes a devil's bargain. Our panel will discuss what readers and writers expect from each other and the ways we're often disappointed. Bring your questions, comments, and pet peeves for this wide-ranging discussion of our favorite activity—reading!
#WriterReaderTrust
Athena Foster,
Mod: Emily Luebke aka Julian Greystoke,
Eden Robins
148. Not Just a Glitch
Capitol B
•
Science and Technology
•
–
There is a pervasive myth that Big Data tech innovation equals social progress. But, is a smart device not recognizing black or brown humanity a mere glitch? Is googling Asian teenagers and getting scantily clad girls and women just a glitch? Or is it evidence of the system working as intended? What happens if we consider glitches evidence of a corrupt system, not aberrations? Our machines are no more objective than we are. What else might we imagine?
#NotAGlitch
Luebke, Adam C,
Mod: Andrea Hairston,
Annalee Newitz,
Seth Frost
149. The Seductions of Research
University B
•
The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
Some fictional projects don't require much research; others invite days spent on JSTOR, google-translating badly OCR'd microfiche, or in dusty library stacks, emerging bleary-eyed clutching a few telling details...or regretting a fool's errand. What are the trials, temptations, frustrations and pleasures of researching for writing, and how do we avoid falling forever down rabbit holes?
#SeductionsOfResearch
Gwynne Garfinkle,
Mod: H.M. (Heather) Bouwman,
Evelyn Browne
150. Finding Good Info in a Haystack of Lies
Conference 2
•
Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics
•
–
In a world increasingly full of misinformation and disinformation, not to mention technically true but misleading or biased information, how does a lay person find good reporting on news, science, and other important topics—and how do we know if it's really good or not? This panel will help you discover ways to root through the lies and junk to get to the good stuff.
#HaystackOfLies
David D. Levine,
Erika Erickson Malinoski,
Mod: Naomi Kritzer
151. Feeling the Fantasy: Drag as Speculative Fiction
Conference 4
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Roundtable discussion. Let’s talk drag! From RuPaul’s Drag Race to Dragula to Call Me Mother, drag artists are more visible than ever before. Drag has always pushed the boundaries of fashion into the fantastical, from retro-futuristic spacesuits to horrifying swamp monsters. Is drag artistry a kind of speculative fiction performance? How does drag relate to other forms of garment-based art, such as cosplay or high fashion? What can the queer, gender-fucky politics of drag tell us about imagining a better future?
#FeelingTheFantasy
Mod: Samuel Steinbock-Pratt
152. Exploring High Fantasy: Race & Sexuality in D&D
Conference 5
•
Academic
•
–
Emma French will discuss: "‘You were not born with venom in your veins’: Actual Play’s Transformative Revisions of Race in D&D" and Luna Jenkins will discuss "Imagination Play and Identity Formation: Let's Rollplay". They will both be exploring the white, male, abled and heterosexual lens of Dungeons and Dragons and counter with the transformative experience of imaginative play to subvert and alter oppressive landscapes.
#RaceSexualityDandD
Emma French,
Luna Jenkins
153. How to Play Magic: the Gathering
637
•
Gaming
•
–
Learn to play the classic collectable card game! Free starter decks and life counter dice will be provided. 1.5-2 hours, 4 players max.
#HowToMagic
154. Pedagogy in Speculative Fiction
Online Zoom Room 1
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
How does education work in imagined worlds? In fantasy we often see apprenticeship systems and magical schools or libraries; in scifi, there are a LOT of military schools, but we also see the desire to eliminate traditional pedagogy entirely through technological innovations like genetic memory or flash-downloadable skills. What assumptions are made, what kinds of pedagogy overlooked, what kinds of worldviews espoused in speculative education? Bonus points for not dwelling on Rowling and Card.
#SpecFicPedagogy
Brackett Robertson,
Mod: thingswithwings,
Suzanne F. Boswell,
Cabell Gathman
155. Redemption 2: Beyond Good and Evil
Online Zoom Room 2
•
Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Last year's panel on redemption barely scratched the surface on this complex topic. One aspect that deserves further exploration is taking redemption outside of traditional religious framing and asking more questions about redemption, or atonement, or transformation, that are about our normal human capacity for messing up instead of grand ideas of right and wrong or good and evil. Can we dig into the marrow of redemption on a human level, even if the metaphor is fictional and fantastical?
#Redemption2
Mod: Daphne Strasert,
Lucy McLaren,
Rosemary Amico,
Ryka Aoki
156. Where Did My Attention Go?
Assembly
•
Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
We all remember sitting down to read a new novel straight through. But some of us are now struggling with that. Or with finishing a movie. Or a tweet. In this panel we will discuss what we think is causing that attention problems—age? state of the world? new meds? stress?—and which causes are under our control. What are we trying to do to remediate this situation? Does it need to be changed? How does this fit into other life changes?
#WhereAttention
Sunny Moraine,
Clara Cecilia,
Mod: Sarah Peters,
Martha Wells
157. May the Force Be With You: Spirituality in SF/F
Wisconsin
•
Spirituality, Organized Religion and Politics
•
–
From Star Wars' Jedi Knights to Dune's Bene Gesserit, fantasy and science fiction provide an interesting opportunity to explore our place in the universe relative to higher powers, divine and otherwise, beyond traditional religious dogma. Join our panel of seekers and bring your questions, observations, and favorite tomes to this lively discussion.
#SpiritualityInSFF
Jessica Finn,
Alex Gurevich,
Mod: Heather Rose Jones,
Mark Engstrom-Reese,
Jeffe Kennedy,
Annalouiza Armendariz
158. Community Care for Burnout
Capitol A
•
Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
How much less is a burden when shared? If we can get to true community care, will it cure of us burnout? Can we self care our way out of individual burnout or do we need a community to truly heal? What can we do when we see our community members burning out? How can we better support one another? And perhaps scariest of all—how do we ask our communities for help?
#CommunityCare
Kate O Wooddell,
Mod: Athena Foster,
Nancy Bird,
Annalouiza Armendariz
159. Beyond Murderbot: Fantasy Worlds of Martha Wells
Capitol B
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Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
By the time Murderbot brought her awards and success, Martha Wells had been writing beautiful, complex and often woefully underappreciated fantasy for 25 years. With the recent news that Tor will be rereleasing some of Wells' back catalog, there has never been a better time to pick up some of her older works. Panelists will share what they love about Wells's fantasy universes and give recommendations for the best starting points for new readers.
#BeyondMurderbot
Cat Meier (FairestCat),
Margaret McBride,
Mod: Susan Ramirez,
Seth Frost,
Lisa Cohen
160. Writing An Outline to Sell
University B
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The Craft and Business of Writing
•
–
Whether you are a pantser or a plotter, you may be required to send a one-page outline to a publisher or agent to sell your work. Learn how to create an outline that perfectly pitches your novel or one that can land you an assignment to write a novel.
#WritingOutlines
Brenna English-Loeb,
Mia P. Manansala,
Mod: Lauren "LJ" Lacey,
Charlie Jane Anders
161. Mythslingers and Fred
Conference 2
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Readings
•
–
Mythslingers & Co will take you from office space to outer space—with gods, babies, giggles, and Fred.
#MythslingersAndFred
JP Linnartz,
Tenaya Anue,
Deana Kussman,
Fred Schepartz
162. The Past And Future of Feminist Time Travel
Conference 4
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Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
Roundtable discussion. Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone's This is How You Lose The Time War and Annalee Newitz's Future of Another Timeline both introduce women striving to edit a single timeline. Are these examples of feminist time travel? What makes a time travel story feminist? How do feminist time travel stories differ from those that are not?
#FeministTimeTravel
Mod: Charles Payseur
163. Sea & Sky: Spaces of Black Liberation & Dreams
Conference 5
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Academic
•
–
Keren Omry will discuss "Feminist Hydrofictions" and how reading for the waters can reveal feminist kinship.
Rebecca Thacker will discuss “‘I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams’: Gendered Afrofuturism in Octavia E. Butler’s Kindred (1979) and Rivers Solomon’s An Unkindness of Ghosts (2017)” asking, how do Black women and non-binary writers use speculative counter-narratives as tools to address the systemic gendered racism endemic to the United States socio-political system?
#SeaAndSky
Keren Omry,
Rebecca L Thacker
164. The Workshops Open Mic
Private Dining Room
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Workshops
•
–
Join us for an open mic/ sharing session to celebrate this year's workshops. From (visual art) to (poetry/stories) to scenes from speculative plays, this is your chance to see new art of all genres created right here at Wiscon! Slots are five minutes (those presenting plays or scenes from the acting workshop may go up to ten). The open mic is open to all on a space-available basis, but we will be prioritizing pieces that originated at convention workshops.
#WorkshopsOpenMic
Angeli Primlani,
Mod: Reina Hardy
165. NOT ANOTHER F*CKING RACE PANEL
Online Zoom Room 1
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Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
Writers of color working in F/SF face unique challenges, it's true. But being a person of color is only one aspect of our identities. Wouldn't it be nice for multiple people of color to be on a panel that wasn't about race at all? Here's our chance to do just that. So, what are we gonna talk about instead? Practically anything! Presented in game show format, NOT ANOTHER F*CKING RACE PANEL brings together writers and fans of color to get their geek on about any number of pop culture topics—none of them race related.
#NotAnotherRacePanel
Sumana Harihareswara,
JP Fairfield,
Kate JohnsTon,
Iona Datt Sharma,
Mod: De Ana Jones
166. Best Superpowers for Banging 6: Fully Loaded
Online Zoom Room 2
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Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
We keep plumbing the depths of superpowered hanky-panky, but we have yet to bottom out, so we're doing it again! Last year Shape-Changing took home the grand prize—can it adapt to defend its title? Will Time Travel rewrite history? And what of beloved underdog, Weather Control? Come join the world’s foremost panel of perverts for a lively discussion of the best, the worst, and the downright terrifying uses of superpowers in the bedroom!
#Superbanging6
Mod: Samuel Steinbock-Pratt,
Essay Manaktola,
thingswithwings,
Claire (eruthros)
167. Open Writing
Private Dining Room
•
Workshops
•
–
If you're a writer looking to get some writing done, stop in during our Open Writing hours in the Private Dining Room (first floor, behind CIRC)!
#OpenWriting
168. Dessert Salon Line Number Pickup
Capitol/Wisconsin
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Special Events
•
–
Beginning at 6:30pm Sunday, Dessert Salon ticket holders can stop by the second floor Info desk to get a number which will correspond to a place in line for themselves or their group. At 7:30pm we will start to show folks into the Salon in number order. The lowest numbers will be reserved for people who need the help of assistive devices or staff to get seated. There will be chairs available near the door as in past years for people who need to sit until their number is called. If you miss your number, simply let the door person know and they will include you in the next group.
#DessertSalon
169. Dessert Salon Seating
Capitol/Wisconsin
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Special Events
•
–
At 7:30pm we will start to show Dessert Salon ticket holders into the Salon in number order. The lowest numbers will be reserved for people who need the help of assistive devices or staff to get seated. There will be chairs available near the door as in past years for people who need to sit until their number is called. If you miss your number, simply let the door person know and they will include you in the next group. A Dessert Salon ticket entitles you to beverages and two desserts, which will be served after the speeches. At 8:00 pm, doors open to all, free of charge, for the speeches and award ceremony.
#DessertSalon
170. Guest of Honor Speeches & Otherwise Ceremony
Capitol/Wisconsin
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Special Events
•
–
This is the high point of WisCon: the formal event where we honor our Guests of Honor and Otherwise Award winners and listen to what they have to say. In the past, we've heard calls to political action, humorous anecdotes, scholarly treatises, exposes, autobiographies, earthshaking ideas, and lyrical speeches. Don't miss it!
#GOHSpeeches
Rivers Solomon,
Martha Wells
171. Guest of Honor Speeches & Otherwise: Livestream
Online Zoom Room 3
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Special Events
•
–
Livestream of the Guest of Honor Speeches and Otherwise ceremony.
#GOHSpeeches
172. Dessert Salon Serving
Capitol/Wisconsin
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Special Events
•
–
After the Guest of Honor Speeches and Otherwise Ceremony, Dessert Salon ticket holders will exchange their tickets for two desserts and beverages. If you have specific dietary issues, please let us know to set aside items for you. We ask that you take your desserts to your room, to the Con Suite eating areas on the 6th floor, or outside to eat them.
#DessertSalon
173. Childcare
634
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Kid's Programs
•
–
Unstructured babysitting is available for kids ages 6 mo and up. We've got games, LEGO, and craft supplies for kids to enjoy!
174. Building and Maintaining Community
Assembly
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Feminism and Other Social Change Movements
•
–
What do we mean, from an activist standpoint or any other, when we talk about building communities? And what do we do with a community once we've built or joined one? Can communities be virtual in nature and exist across distances, or must they be local and in person? How big or small should an effective community be? How do we maintain and utilize our communities? Is WisCon a community? Is your group chat? What about the infrastructure of intersecting communities of social movements?
#BuildingCommunity
Nancy Jane Moore,
Mod: Jackie Rogoff,
Marsh Van Susteren,
Amber Morrell
175. Logic as a Source of Irrational Behavior
University B
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Science and Technology
•
–
People and characters are often divided into emotional (often women and other marginalized groups) and rational (often men) by mainstream culture, and we know this to be an oversimplification. What does science know about how the brain interacts with emotions and other cues from the body to make better decisions, and how can denying emotions lead to overreactive and irrational decisions?
#IrrationalLogic
David D. Levine,
Seth Frost,
Mod: Andrea Hairston
176. Spontaneous Programming
University D
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Special Events
•
–
Have a great idea for a panel that didn't make it into the official program? Want to talk about something that only came out last week? Have a great conversation that you'd like to continue with an audience? Spontaneous programming might be for you! Sign up using the grids on the 2nd floor near Registration.
#SpontaneousProgramming
177. Epistolary Fiction
Conference 4
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Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Roundtable discussion. Epistolary Fiction, or stories that consist of letters and other artifacts, have a long history. In an age where distance seems smaller every day, why does epistolary fiction still have an appeal, whether it's emails, text messages, social media, or book reviews? Is there something unique about the format that allows for a different type of storytelling? Are we just powerless to resist the implicit intimacy reading others' correspondence implies? Come join a discussion of the appeal, and challenges, of reading and writing epistolary fiction.
#EpistolaryFiction
Mod: Anna B
178. Why (Not) Pirates?
Online Zoom Room 1
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Reading, Viewing, and Critiquing Science Fiction
•
–
Pirates are hot right now, and not just because 60% (totally unfounded estimate) of adults fantasized about being pirates as children. What makes the current moment so pirate-friendly? Let's talk about the appeal of pirate stories, the way pirates have been represented in books, movies, and TV shows—from historical fiction about real-life buccaneers to SF/F epics about space pirates—and how the depictions of pirates have differed at different times and in different cultures.
#WhyPirates
Chris Gerrib,
Mod: Cat Meier (FairestCat),
Rita Chang-Eppig
179. Decolonization and Diasporas: Race in TTRPGs
Online Zoom Room 2
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Power, Privilege, and Oppression
•
–
Tabletop role-playing games have a reputation for being filled with racism (along with misogyny, homophobia and other problems). Looking back at the biggest game in the genre, Dungeons and Dragons, it's clear that the hobby started out in a bad place. In 2022, Wizards of the Coast have pushed out rules changes to try to remove problematic ideas from the game, like changing "race" to "species". Do the changes work? How much work is left to do? Where do indie games and smaller publishers fit in?
#RaceInTTRPGs
Sam Nguyen ,
JP Fairfield,
Mod: Mid Andrews
180. The SignOut Autograph Party
Cap A/Wisconsin
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Special Events
•
–
Attention all givers and seekers of autographs! Come to the SignOut, a signing party and WisCon farewell rolled into one! Creative folks and those who love them will gather together to sign and get signatures, to thank and praise and schmooze one last time before we fly away for another year.
#SignOut
Mod: Ransom Noble,
Meghan Elison,
Rivers Solomon,
Kris Raymond Silva,
Charles Payseur,
Benjamin Rosenbaum,
Erika Erickson Malinoski,
Anonymous,
Linda Ann Scott,
Heather Rose Jones,
Gwynne Garfinkle,
Chris Gerrib,
Andrea Hairston,
Alex Iantaffi,
Catherine Schaff-Stump,
Emma French,
Rita Chang-Eppig,
Sunny Moraine,
David D. Levine,
Amber Morrell,
Abi Ramanan,
Ryka Aoki
181. Post-Mortem: What Happened And What Comes Next
Capitol B
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Fandom as a Way of Life
•
–
Discussion of what worked for WisCon this year, what did not, and thinking about our break in 2024. What does WisCon become next?
#PostMortem