Virtual Access Portal
NASFiC 2020, Friday, August 21 - Sunday, August 23
After you go to the Register Here page and sign the log book, you will see additional pages on this website called “rooms”, containing embedded streams and Discord channels. Each listing below on this page has a link to its room, which will work after you sign the log book. All times are in EDT.
In addition to browsing events on this page, you can search and sort our schedule on a NASFiC Guide Site. Columbus 2020 NASFiC did not make that guide site, and cannot be responsible for what appears in it, and it does not have links to the rooms, but you’ll probably find it useful!
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Jump to:
Writing Real History Into Fictional Pasts
Youth & YA Fiction: Who's Reading Who?
Nuts & Bolts: Running a Non-Profit Lit Organization
Fandom Check-In: Where Are We At?
Office Hours with Jason Sanford
COVID-FX: Quarantine & the Future of Urban Fantasy
Librarians, Booksellers, Collectors, Oh My!
(Reading) Laurence Raphael Brothers
Lessons Not Learned: The Future of Dystopian & Utopian Stories
Kaffeeklatsch with Marc Millis
COVID-FX Writing & Reading About Pandemics During a Pandemic
Worldbuilding: Rituals and Symbols
Chesley Award Nominee Showcase
Women of a Certain Age: Writing Older Women Protagonists
The Ever-Expanding Universe of New Space Opera
(Reading) Danian Darrell Jerry
Prometheus Awards’ 40th Anniversary Ceremony
(Reading) Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
Roots in Two Places: Writing from a Dual Culture Experience
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson: In Conversation
The Legal Implications of Monster Hunting
Turning Science Fiction into the Beginnings of Science
Common Threads: Game Writers & Designers
(Reading) Silvia Moreno-Garcia
What's Happening with Ring of Fire?
Worldbuilding: Innovations in Leadership & Governance
COVID-FX: Film & Television Industries
Myths & Legends: Culture Shifts & Societal Transformation
The Power of Love: The Intersection of Speculative Fiction and Romance
Chesley Award Nominee Showcase (Replay)
Weathering the Storm: Creating in Times of Trouble
(Reading) Jennifer Blackstream
Steampunk Lessons for a Post-Fossil Fuel Future
Worldbuilding: Crime and Punishment
Future of Policing: A Journey Planet Fanzine Workshop
(Reading) Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association
The Landscape of Jewish Science Fiction & Fantasy
The Technological Dreams of AfroFuturism
Predicting the Post-Apocalypse: How Will We Be Saved?
Worldbuilding: Useful Adaptations for Disabled Characters
(Reading) Bogi Takács and R.B. Lemberg
Events
All times are in EDT!
(Reading) Elsa Sjunneson
Writing Real History Into Fictional Pasts
Historical fiction writers discuss approaches and techniques for writing major events of the past into stories.
Youth & YA Fiction: Who's Reading Who?
What do trends in SF/F youth and young adult fiction tell us about the values and perspectives of Gen Z?
(Reading) Phoebe North
(Reading) John Wiswell
COVID-FX: Staying Connected
How are local SF/F clubs and fan communities staying connected during COVID-19? What’s working, what’s not, what have we learned and what has yet to be tried?
Alternative Publishing Panel
(Reading) Jim C. Hines
(Reading) Stephen Leigh
How Game Titles Work
In 2009, while writing a novel about alien video games, Leonard Richardson uncovered the rules of rhetoric and syntax underlying the titles developers give their games. By following these rules, he was able to create dozens of realistic-sounding fictional games from distinct alien cultures. Over the past ten years, video game developers in the real world have subverted and played with these rules, expanding what a game’s title can say about the experience of play. In this presentation, Leonard goes over the rules and talks about how they’ve changed over time.
Isaac Asimov at 100
Isaac Asimov, born 100 years ago, penned (well, typed) an immense number of books, both fiction and nonfiction. Join William S. Higgins and biographer Alec Nevala-Lee as they pay homage to their favorites of Asimov’s works and discuss his cultural influence - both positive and negative - in the science fiction community. (For further context: https://www.publicbooks.org/asimovs-empire-asimovs-wall/)
(Reading) Kathryn Sullivan
Opening Ceremonies
Welcome to the 2020 NASFiC! Come meet our Guests of Honor and find out how this whole “virtual” thing is expected to work, anyway. A fantastic weekend lies ahead, and we have some exciting announcements to make about it.
(Reading) Ada Palmer
Nuts & Bolts: Running a Non-Profit Lit Organization
Join Mary Anne Mohanraj for a presentation + Q&A on non-profits and their role in the field. Mohanraj will talk about conventions, magazines, and the Speculative Literature Foundation (www.speclit.org) – a nuts-and-bolts presentation for those interested in running such things.
Fandom Check-In: Where Are We At?
Welcome to NASFiC! What’s going on in the world of fandom?
Concert: Chris Conway
(20 Min Concert) Chris Conway is difficult to sum up in a few paragraphs as he is active in so many genres of music – singer-songwriter, new age, jazz, Celtic, world music, and electronic. This genre hopping makes him a moving target as an artist and keeps him below many people’s radar, but there is a growing crowd of those in the know who enjoy the relentless creative flow of his music. Chris has travelled the world as Guest Of Honour at 5 filk conventions in the USA, Canada and the UK, and has won 5 Sam Awards (UK filk oscars).
Office Hours with Jason Sanford
A big hit at the recent virtual Nebula Conference, Office Hours with Jason Sanford are now here at NASFiC. Jason writes a column called Genre Grapevine, which provides insider news and information for people in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres along with submission information on new and current markets. Office hours are drop-in style, but you must sign up in sign-up sheet to gain access. Sign-up sheet: https://forms.gle/vYFiFoSgL871cLhw5
COVID-FX: Selling Your Wares
How has the pandemic affected our SF/F professionals and creatives who’ve relied on foot traffic to sell their wares? Join our panel of booksellers, artists, musicians and other creatives as they share impacts stories and strategies.
COVID-FX: Quarantine & the Future of Urban Fantasy
Mask wearing vampires? Quarantine empty streets? From grocery delivery to working-from-home, our normal lives have changed in the face of Covid-19. How will these changes impact the feature creatures and characters of urban fantasy? Join us as we discuss the future of writing urban fantasy and how quarantine will impact everything from world building and characters to plot.
Concert: Roberta Rogow
Roberta Rogow is a long-time fan, who has been active in Filk since the 1970’s. She’s known for her Star Trek and other Media filk, but has also written “story songs” to her own tunes. She was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in 20123. Roberta also writes mystery stories, often using historical characters in fictional settings. When she is not attending SF or Mystery conventions, Roberta is a retired Children’s Librarian living in New Jersey.
SF/F Artists Roundtable
Join Artist Guest of Honor Stephanie Law and fellow artists as they discuss the business of art, their inspirations and what they’ll be creating in the year to come.
Weekend Science Update
Our panel of scientists (and science-adjacents) take turns sharing news (and fake news) on their favorite areas of expertise (or not). Prepare to be informed (and entertained)!
Concert: Tom Smith
For over thirty years, Tom Smith has been breaking hearts, minds, and rules of propriety with a huge number of comedic, dramatic, frenetic, and sometimes straight-up ludicrous songs. Winner of fourteen Pegasus Awards for Excellence in Filk, and member of the Filk Hall of Fame, Tom combines the rapid-fire silliness of Robin Williams, the lyrical acumen of Ashman and Sondheim, and the dynamic physique of the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island. Catch him at a convention near you, and live the myth of Smith!
Columbus NASFiC Room Parties
Join us this evening in gather.town. We’ll boogie down in this video conference tool that looks somewhat like a retro RPG video game. (Seriously you can press z to dance).
Mike Resnick Memorial
Colleagues, friends, and family gather to say goodbye to the late great author and editor, Mike Resnick. Memorial Program PDF
Sign the Guestbook at https://forms.gle/2yTENcrvrA5VskCe7
Librarians, Booksellers, Collectors, Oh My!
Panelists discuss the different roles that librarians, booksellers, and collectors play in keeping science fiction alive.
Imaginary Book Club
Panelists discuss amazing books they’ve read in the past year! The catch: none of those books exist.
(Reading) Laurence Raphael Brothers
(Reading) Michael Underwood
BIPOC Roundtable
Our panel of Black, Indigenous People of Color have a roundtable about the ways they’ve used their work to shed light on social injustices and the need for systemic change.
(Reading) Jude-Marie Green
(Reading) Cat Rambo
Emergent Gameplay
Lessons Not Learned: The Future of Dystopian & Utopian Stories
The panel discusses: Where does the genre go now that so much of the dystopian warnings sci-fi warned us about were ignored? What does a dystopian world look like in a post-COVID, post-Trump, melting-polar caps world? Can we ever move back to utopianism? Should we do away with utopian and dystopian scenarios altogether?
Open Filk with Tom Smith
[Unthemed open song circle]. Come listen and/or make music in this unthemed song circle. All types of music are welcome, but expect to hear a bunch of songs related to science fiction, fantasy, science, and fandom.
(Reading) Leonard Richardson
(Reading) Eboni Dunbar
Fantasy for YA vs Adults
Panel of fantasy writers and afficionados explore the ways fantasy stories differ depending on the age market.
COVID-FX: Horror Beyond 2020
But is there anything scarier than 2020? Horror inspired by the pandemic, quarantine, chaotic media narratives and other COVID-Effects.
(Reading) Phoebe Barton
Kaffeeklatsch with Marc Millis
Ten lucky attendees get to hang out with Guest of Honor Marc Millis. You must sign up in advance. The sign up form opens at 4 pm on Friday, August 21 and is open until the group is maxed out or the event begins, whichever happens first. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/5wFFT7uhLj7NH1Fx8
(Reading) Daniel M. Kimmel
Surveillance & Society in SF
COVID-FX Writing & Reading About Pandemics During a Pandemic
Panelists discuss pandemic stories they have written and are reading during COVID-times. Which begs the question: Is doing that even a good idea?
Big Heart Award
The Big Heart is presented annually at the World Science Fiction Convention, to recipients that embody “good work and great spirit long contributed” to the sf community. In 2001 it was awarded to our Fan Guests of Honor, who are now part of the committee that administers the award. Come find out more about the history of the award and how to get involved if you’d like to have input in the selection process.
(Reading) Sheree Renée Thomas
Worldbuilding: Rituals and Symbols
The Future of Anthologies
Our highly-regarded panel of editors discuss current trends in and future of anthologies.
Filk History & Stories
An informal chat with Filk legend Juanita Coulson, who has been there from the beginning – since before it was called Filk. A unique opportunity, and guaranteed to be entertaining!
(Reading) Alaya Dawn Johnson
Chesley Award Nominee Showcase
The Chesley Awards are the premier art awards in SF, given out by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA). Usually the Chesley Awards are presented at the World Science Fiction Convention, but this year the presentation has been delayed to October due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. ASFA President Sara Felix will both announce and showcase this year’s nominees.
Women of a Certain Age: Writing Older Women Protagonists
What is ‘older’ in SF/F fiction? Examples of older heroines and protagonists – how does changing the age of the heroine change the story? How do older heroines change in contrast to their younger counterparts? What are the advantages of having an older heroine?
The Ever-Expanding Universe of New Space Opera
The Ever-Expanding Universe of New Space Opera: While the genre has existed for ages, there are always new stories to tell, new planets to explore, and new characters to populate the universe with. Panelists discuss recent trends in space opera and how they reflect changing demographics of readers and writers, sociopolitical realities and concerns, and broader personal and cultural interests and narratives.
(Reading) Danian Darrell Jerry
(Reading) Valjeanne Jeffers
Favorite Queer SF/F Fiction
Panelists review their favorite queer Youth/YA fiction.
Today in Audio Dramas!
Today in Audio Dramas! A look at Audio dramas, audiobooks, and fiction podcasts and why the time is now!
Prometheus Awards’ 40th Anniversary Ceremony
The Prometheus Awards, first presented in 1979 to F. Paul Wilson and administered by the nonprofit Libertarian Futurist Society (www.lfs.org), recognizes outstanding pro-freedom and/or anti-authoritarian speculative fiction. Winners are selected in a ranked vote by LFS members from finalist slates in annual categories for Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame). The 2020 awards ceremony features novelists F. Paul Wilson (presenting Best Novel category) and Sarah Hoyt (presenting Hall of Fame category), with acceptance speeches by the winners. Among past winners: Hans Christian Anderson, Ray Bradbury, Ernest Cline, Cory Doctorow, Harlan Ellison, Robert Heinlein, Hoyt, Ursula LeGuin, Ken MacLeod, George Orwell, Jerry Pournelle, Terry Pratchett, Ayn Rand, L. Neil Smith, Neal Stephenson, Charles Stross, J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Turtledove, Vernor Vinge, Kurt Vonnegut, Jo Walton, Jack Williamson, Wilson and Robert Anton Wilson.)
Visions of SF, Liberty, Human Rights: The Prometheus Awards over Four Decades, from F. Paul Wilson and Robert Heinlein to Today
How have our visions of a free, dynamic and better future, with universal respect for each other’s rights, evolved and changed in science fiction/fantasy? What about cautionary dystopian visions, from Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm to Doctorow’s Little Brother? Prometheus-winning authors Sarah Hoyt (Darkship Thieves) and F. Paul Wilson (An Enemy of the State, Repairman Jack series) will join journalists Michael Grossberg (LFS co-founder) and Tom Jackson in examining the perennial tensions between Liberty and Power and cooperation versus coercion, as reflected in these and other authors’ diverse Prometheus Award winners over the past 40 years.
(Reading) Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading
A group of women with a strict time limit to read a tidbit of a story.
Chantey Sing
[Themed open song circle]. Come sing (or just listen to, but we hope you’ll sing) songs of the sea and sailing in all forms! Work songs from the age of sail are particularly welcome, but so are updates, parodies, and related filks.
(Reading) Caitlin Starling
If Aliens Came To Earth
Would they, though? (Have they?) Our esteemed panelists discuss….
Roots in Two Places: Writing from a Dual Culture Experience
Our panelists, all with roots in two or more separate cultures – look at the ways having dual culture and language has guided their worldbuilding and storytelling.
Concert: Marilisa Valtazanou
(20 min concert) Marilisa Valtazanou (guitar, voice, and most other instruments) is part of the folk duo Playing Rapunzel. She was born in Iowa, raised in Greece and now lives in London; she celebrates her multinational background by having a song in an obscure language for every occasion. She is easily recognised as the band member who will fearlessly play any instrument, including mandola, flutes, percussion, and even electric double bass.
(Reading) Tobias S. Buckell
Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson: In Conversation
Join Guests of Honor Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson as they discuss their current and future projects.
(Reading) Mary Anne Mohanraj
Future Worldcon Q&A
Representatives from Seated Worldcons and Bids have an opportunity to answer your questions about their plans. Please consult the FAQs on http://www.worldcon.org/ before forming questions for this event.
Anne Gray (Moderator), Bill Lawhorn and Colette H. Fozard (Discon III), Helen Montgomery (Chicon 8), (Chengdu, China in 2023), Esther MacCallum-Stewart and Marguerite Smith (Glasgow in 2024), Kevin Black (Seattle, WA, USA 2025), Leife Shallcross and Perky (Brisbane, Australia in 2025)
The Legal Implications of Monster Hunting
The Legal Implications of Monster Hunting: Discussing and analyzing the implications of hunting vampires, demons, and other monsters in shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, and Wynonna Earp. Should vampires have due process? Can a monster hunter be liable if a demon’s host dies during an exorcism? If it is murder to kill a monster, is being chosen or cursed to do so a plausible defense? Could ghosts have property rights to the houses they haunt if they lived there first? If they do, is expelling them an unlawful eviction?
Open Filk
[Unthemed open song circle]. Come listen and/or make music in this unthemed song circle. All types of music are welcome, but expect to hear a bunch of songs related to science fiction, fantasy, science, and fandom.
(Reading) Alma Alexander
Turning Science Fiction into the Beginnings of Science
See how to convert inspirational science fiction into science and engineering, by transforming the fiction into the first step of the scientific method: ‘Defining the Problem.’ The case study uses the fiction of non-rocket space drives, which can levitate above the ground and then ascend effortlessly into space. Multiple fictional images are examined, toyed with, distilled with analogies, and finally set in the context of a problem definition to guide credible inquires.
(Reading) Vikram Paralkar
Common Threads: Game Writers & Designers
Game writers and designers from several disciplines talk about the common threads of what they do, irrespective of media and form.
Deconstructing the Novella
Authors Cipri, de Bodard, Dunbar and Lewis discuss their own novellas as well as other celebrated titles, highlight some of the publishers putting them out, dig into some craft questions, and pull apart a few of the novella’s tricks and challenges.
(Reading) Silvia Moreno-Garcia
What's Happening with Ring of Fire?
Come find out what’s in the works for Ring of Fire Press
(Reading) Leigh Harlen
Information, Please!
A panel of four experts are asked questions and can respond individually or in discussion. Can you stump the experts?
Worldbuilding: Innovations in Leadership & Governance
Our panel draw from the wide range of speculative and science fiction to offer up their new visions of leadership and innovations in governance.
(Reading) Wendy Van Camp
Stories of RiverCon
Come join us for tales of early RiverCon events RiverCon (founded by Cliff Amos, Sue & Steve Francis and Bob Roehm) was held in Louisville, KY from 1975 to 2000. It spawned the NASFiC in 1979 by running NorthAmeriCon.
(Reading) Raven Oak
Feminist Fables & Fairy Tales
COVID-FX: Film & Television Industries
Our panel discusses: How will the film and television industries be changed by COVID? As the industries shifts in response to quarantine and travel limitations, how do those decisions impact the creatives within their ranks - and the culture of storytelling? What will be different, and what opportunities lie ahead?
Online-Performance Workshop
Get the most out of your virtual performances including musical presentations and costume competitions. Bring your best takes, or perform live and receive feedback from an experienced performer who has been ‘self-taping’ successfully for several years. You will receive feedback, where relevant, on voice, movement, costume, and lighting. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment, come to learn to use what you have effectively.
(Reading) dave ring
(Reading) Andrea Hairston
Columbus NASFiC Room Parties
Join us in the evening for some Zoom parties. Various fan groups have volunteered to host Breakout Rooms.
Myths & Legends: Culture Shifts & Societal Transformation
Our cross-genre and cross-discipline panel shares their favorite stories of great shifts and transformation. From resistance and collapse to evolution and re-emergence: it is the stuff of myths and legends!
The Power of Love: The Intersection of Speculative Fiction and Romance
Speculative fiction and romance have always existed side by side in the “genre” subspace of fiction. Join panelists to discuss how worldbuilding can inform your romance plot (and vice versa) and how characterization tricks help you generate a strong romantic A or B plot.
Concert: Tom Smith
For over thirty years, Tom Smith has been breaking hearts, minds, and rules of propriety with a huge number of comedic, dramatic, frenetic, and sometimes straight-up ludicrous songs. Winner of fourteen Pegasus Awards for Excellence in Filk, and member of the Filk Hall of Fame, Tom combines the rapid-fire silliness of Robin Williams, the lyrical acumen of Ashman and Sondheim, and the dynamic physique of the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island. Catch him at a convention near you, and live the myth of Smith!
Chesley Award Nominee Showcase (Replay)
The Chesley Awards are the premier art awards in SF, given out by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA). Usually the Chesley Awards are presented at the World Science Fiction Convention, but this year the presentation has been delayed to October due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. ASFA President Sara Felix will both announce and showcase this year’s nominees.
(Reading) Premee Mohamed
Writers Helping Writers
Writers helping writers (paying forward) and its role in increasing dIversity in the profession (and possibly its role in keeping marginalized groups out as well.) How who we choose to associate with, assist, promote, and read can positively and negatively change the faces of our industry and the range of peoples and cultures represented in that writing. Who held out their hand to you when you were starting out? How do you decide who you hold your hand out to now that you’re established?
Weathering the Storm: Creating in Times of Trouble
A mixed panel of writers and artists discuss the challenges of making art and stories during a pandemic, as well as strategies for managing health and being active creators.
(Reading) Jennifer Blackstream
(Reading) Steven Gould
Contemporary Gothic Fiction
Four contemporary authors of Gothic fiction discuss some of the latest trends in the genre, and how today’s Gothics are in dialogue - or direct confrontation - with the works of the past.
Steampunk Lessons for a Post-Fossil Fuel Future
Join our delightful and multigenerational panel as they discuss: What lessons can be learned from steampunk and ‘old technology’ - what books or screen stories would you take with you to learn how to thrive in a de-industrialized world? What can be applied from steampunk when writing fiction set in the post-fossil fuel age?
(Reading) Gillian Polack
Fanzines!
Our panel of fanzine experts talk about the ins and outs of fanzines.
Worldbuilding: Crime and Punishment
With calls to Defund the Police and conversations of prison abolition entering public consciousness, our panelists discuss alternative takes on traditional crime and punishment. What gets called a crime? Who or what entities enforce the law? What does justice and restitution look like – and what can be re-imagined?
Bawdy Songs
[Themed open song circle]. Sing or listen to songs of lust, sex, the joy of procreation: songs about sex that are fun, funny and wonderful are all welcome; violence and coercion are not, and the scatalogical is discouraged. Bawdiness in any orientation is welcome. A virtual sing like no other!
(Reading) Jordan Kurella
(Reading) Ace Tilton Ratcliff
Open Filk
[Unthemed open song circle]. Come listen and/or make music in this unthemed song circle. All types of music are welcome, but expect to hear a bunch of songs related to science fiction, fantasy, science, and fandom.
Open Filk
[Unthemed open song circle] Come listen and/or make music in this unthemed song circle. All types of music are welcome, but expect to hear a bunch of songs related to science fiction, fantasy, science, and fandom.
(Reading) Juliet McKenna
Researching the Golden Age
Hugo nominated non fiction authors Alec Nevala-Lee and Farah Mendlesohn talk about the joys of non fiction research and writing, and the perils of writing about Big Names during a zeitgeist shift.
Future of Policing: A Journey Planet Fanzine Workshop
The Co-editors discuss and encourage you to consider contributing to this issue. SF often uses police to examine the gray areas of good vs bad as well as to question authority and explore the evolution of our humanity, it also gives us a view into who we are today and who we may become tomorrow, Today, policing is creating history in unprecedented ways from the tragic murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis to elected parliamentarians being stopped in London because they are Black, the brutal suppression of hope and democracy in Hong Kong. How is the trope of police and/or law enforcement depicted in science fiction? Is there potential for exploring new law enforcement options? Is there a solution in SF that can help to deconstruct, redesign, and rebuild a police force that truly reflects a better future? What questions do you want to ask and answer?
Kaffeeklatsch with Tom Smith
You must sign up in advance. The sign up form opens at 3 pm on Friday, August 21 and is open until the group is maxed out or the event begins, whichever happens first. Fill this out to claim a spot at the table: https://forms.gle/bU75Vg9m1Y7r2NWE7
(Reading) Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association
Nine poets share their work in this group reading from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association.
The Landscape of Jewish Science Fiction & Fantasy
A panel of Jewish writers and creators from across the SF/F universe…
The Technological Dreams of AfroFuturism
From the cotton gin to extractive mining to facial recognition software - breakthroughs in technology have often come at a heavy cost to Black communities throughout the world. Will the liberation of Black minds and bodies depend on more or less technology? What would it look like if technology truly served us all? Drawing from examples in books, graphic novels and film, our group discuss the technological dreams of AfroFuturism.
Live Tiara Demonstration
Concert: Amy McNally
Amy McNally (also known as Amy McFiddler) is that chick in a skirt and no shoes who sits on the floor with a violin and a stash of Pixy Stix. Yeah, that one, with the hair. She’s been hanging around jam circles like that for 20 years, and has been playing fiddle for over 30 years now. She plays with The Tooles, The Mad City Jug Band, Wild Mercy, and Play It With Moxie. Singing with Lady Mondegreen, performing guerrilla accompaniment, and on recordings with Seanan McGuire, Adam Selzer, and other assorted musicians and rogues, she does folk, Celtic, and historical music too, but considers herself a filker first. She currently lives in the Midwest, and likes Doctor Who, sugar, roller coasters, single malt, books, and pie, although maybe not all at once.
(Reading) Steven H Silver
Running SF/F Organizations
Creators, directors, publishers, and nonprofit leaders discuss the trials and victories of running magazines, publishing companies, and other SF/F businesses and organizations. They discuss logistics, strategy, budgets, and the effects of gender and race on their experiences as leaders. And they share what they wish they’d known ten years ago.
Predicting the Post-Apocalypse: How Will We Be Saved?
It’s the post-apocalypse - how will humanity be saved? Our panel mine their favorite stories about the post-apocalypse for clues at what might rescue or restore humanity.
Traditional Ballad Bingo
[Themed open song circle, with a twist!] Join the fun as attendees take turns performing traditional ballads for the assemblage. Listen carefully to mark your Ballad Bingo cards when you detect such classic tropes as drowning, pregnancy out of wedlock, or murder of a loved one. Web-based bingo cards will be provided. Attendees are encouraged to lead songs, but you needn’t sing to play! Winners will get links to photos of valuable prizes.
Kaffeeklatsch with Eric Flint
Grab a great opportunity to sit down with Ring of Fire Guest of Honor Eric Flint at his Kaffeklatsch (or, “coffee-with”), tomorrow at Noon. Grab your lunch and a fun and refreshing beverage and we will send you and up to nine others a link to a private Zoom Room where you can ask whatever questions you might want to about how Stephanie comes up with her concepts and puts them to paper.
https://forms.gle/c2KAFgLAGq1ADxT46
(Reading) Valerie Valdes
Ohio Fan Clubs & Cons
Worldbuilding: Useful Adaptations for Disabled Characters
It’s typical in science fiction stories with disabled characters, for authors to create adaptive devices that circumvent the disability. In essence, the disability doesn’t matter because the protagonist has special eyes, or hearing powers, etc. Our panel of disabled folks discuss worldbuilding adaptive devices that are actually adaptive and don’t make the protagonist function as able-bodied.
Concert: Tom Smith
For over thirty years, Tom Smith has been breaking hearts, minds, and rules of propriety with a huge number of comedic, dramatic, frenetic, and sometimes straight-up ludicrous songs. Winner of fourteen Pegasus Awards for Excellence in Filk, and member of the Filk Hall of Fame, Tom combines the rapid-fire silliness of Robin Williams, the lyrical acumen of Ashman and Sondheim, and the dynamic physique of the Skipper from Gilligan’s Island. Catch him at a convention near you, and live the myth of Smith!
(Reading) Malka Older
Open Filk
[Unthemed open song circle] Come listen and/or make music in this unthemed song circle. All types of music are welcome, but expect to hear a bunch of songs related to science fiction, fantasy, science, and fandom.
(Reading) Eileen Gunn
COVID-FX: Publishing
Our panel of traditional publishers talk about the state of SF/F publishing since the pandemic. What’s changed, what’s not?
Graphic Novels: Adaptations
What happens when a story is adapted into a graphic novel? What is gained and what is, perhaps, lost? New adaptations of old narratives can potentially improve the representation of women and minorities in the genre. Come find out about recent developments and the issues inherent to the process.
(Reading) Bogi Takács and R.B. Lemberg
Closing Ceremonies
Well, how did it go? We will hear some last thoughts from our Guests of Honor and Chair, and also welcome your feedback on this glorious Virtual NASFiC experiment.
Columbus Dead Dog Party
Cons over, but some of us don’t want to go home… Join us to celebrate the staff and volunteers who have worked overtime to make this event happen.
Dead Dog Filk
Haven’t gotten enough? Still looking to catch up with friends? Too tired to sign off? Come to the dead dog session! Music is encouraged, but structure is eschewed.