ConDFW Panel Schedule 2/10-2/12/17

Yo!

Here's my schedule for ConDFW that's coming up this weekend! If you're in town, interested in writing, or just talking to other fans about books, science, and more, come on down! 

Friday

PROGRAMMING 2 Friday, 3 pm: Brass Technology and Steam Power

Panelists: Julie Barrett, Rie Sheridan Rose, Gloria Oliver, Julia S. Mandala

The genre of Steampunk has always featured unlikely brass gadgets and powered by steam. Whether realistic or fanciful, these gadgets define a look which is unique for both costumers and writers. We gather our panelists to talk about how to bring these gadgets to life – and what lies in the future for Steampunk.

PROGRAMMING 2 Friday, 5 pm: Interstellar Archaeology: Part One – Initial Findings

Panelists: Mel White (M), K. B. Bogen, Scott Cupp, Ethan Nahté, Gloria Oliver, S. Boyd Taylor

The first of two panels where we inflict (discover) startling artifacts of OBVIOUS alien origin and our esteemed (and indeed, TRAINED) archeologists, in turn, tell us what the artifacts are. Light hearted fun, and bring ear plugs! This year we will take a mystery slant and see what story they come up with!

Saturday

MAIN PROGRAMMING Saturday, 10 am: Unlikely Sources of Inspiration

Panelists: A. Lee Martinez (M), Gloria Oliver, Lillian Stewart Carl, Rhonda Eudaly, Patricia Burroughs, William Ledbetter

In this day and age of the Internet and wide exposure to many cultures, there are plenty of strange and unlikely sources to inspire you to write, draw, costume or even perform. From anime to webcomics to taking bus trips to strange locations, the human condition can express itself in many ways. Our panelists relate some of the more unlikely ways they get inspiration.

MAIN PROGRAMMING Saturday, 3 pm: 2017 Movie Forecast For the Geek Nation

Panelists: Mark Finn (M), Michael Ashleigh Finn, Ethan Nahté, David Doub, Gloria Oliver

Our panelists talk about upcoming films for the coming year – what is coming, what looks to be exciting and what moviegoers should watch out for.

PROGRAMMING 2 Saturday, 6 pm: The Survivor’s Guide to the Supernatural

Panelists: Melanie Fletcher (M), Sue Sinor, Gloria Oliver, Marshall Ryan Maresca, David Doub, Michelle Muenzler

If you were ever concerned about living in a world with supernatural heroes and villains, this is the panel for you! How can you survive in a world with mutants? Our survival experts try to guide you through the chaos. [Note: Survival is not guaranteed by attending this panel]

PROGRAMMING 3 Saturday, 8 pm: Yard Dog Road Show!

Panelists: Christopher Donahue, Linda Donahue, Rhonda Eudaly, Melanie Fletcher, K. Hutson, William Ledbetter, Julia Mandala, Tracy Morris, Ethan Nahte, Gloria Oliver, Teresa Patterson, Dusty Rainbolt, Rie Sheridan Rose, Bradley Sinor, Sue Sinor, Mel White

The fantastic authors of the Yard Dog Press put on their always entertaining Road Show! Make sure not to miss this.

Sunday

MAIN PROGRAMMING Sunday, 1 pm: The Science of Space Flight

Panelists: William Ledbetter (M), Karl K. Gallagher, William C. Seigler, Frances A. May, Gloria Oliver

What is the state of flight these days? Pictures of possible space ships notwithstanding lets get down to brass tacks on what can and can not be done right now. Our scientists will mull over these issues and answer questions.

PROGRAMMING 2 Sunday, 3 pm: Worlds of Imagination

Panelists: A. Lee Martinez (M), Tex Thompson, Teresa Patterson, Heather Schwartz, Gloria Oliver

In “A Monster Calls,” a world out of a boy’s head comforts him as he deals with his mother’s cancer. The movie’s imagery is what calls you – seeing the gravestones, feeling the parsonage smash, it is very visceral imagery. Our panelists talk about worlds of fantasy that are in our heads – and how to bring them out.

Should be a blast! :) 

2017 Appearance Schedule

Greetings, all!

Figured I would share my tentative 2017 Attendance Schedule with you. :)

October 20-22, 2017 DallasComic Con Fan Days in Irving, TX

Sep 22-24, 2017 FenCon in Irving, TX Aug 17-20, 2017 Animefest in Dallas, TX

July 28-30, 2017 ArmadilloCon in Austin, TX

June 23-25, 2017 SoonerCon in Midwest City, OK

June 8-11, 2017 A-kon in Fort Worth, TX

May 5-7, 2017 WHOFest in Dallas, TX

March 31 - Apr 2, 2017 Fan Expo Dallas in Dallas, TX

March 16-19, 2017 All-Con 2016 in Dallas, TX

February 10-12, 2017 ConDFW in Fort Worth, TX

Hope to see you there!


P.S. All but ArmadilloCon will also include ChibiChains! Hoping she'll do her new logo reveal soon!

Picture Kaleidoscope - Fan Expo Dallas 6/15/16

Had meant to share these last week, but life has been mighty "interesting" so had to change plans.

Have to do this quickly as I am drowning in work. :P

Deadpool Chimichanga truck - the menu is a hoot!

Geredos from Pokemon as a Chinese dragon! How cool!

So Cute!

A lot more pics at the Piwigo site. You can see them here.

Out of time!

AllCon 3/17-3/20/16

This upcoming Thursday through Sunday ChibiChains and I will be at AllCon!

Here's a little info on what AllCon is about:

Imagine a 4-day festival where a person could sample and participate in the finest content that many different communities and conventions have to offer. All-Con fills the entire venue with exhibits, workshops, discussions, game shows, performances, and competitions. The selection of activities changes every hour from the start of the day until 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and until 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.

All-Con offers the core structure expected of most conventions. The vendor room and exhibit halls have 80 booths and tables.

With over 300 different choices to offer in one weekend, All-Con has a set of headlining features around which the convention is constructed each year. Thursday is our free day, open to the public. The traditional Cosplay competition and Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow casting performance are Friday. Saturday has a ball jointed doll mini-con, Ms. Star Wars pageant, Maid contest, Texas Hold'em poker tournament, Costume contest, professional burlesque performance, and a themed dance. Sunday's signature is an overall super hero theme, ending with the Super Hero Sunday competition.

The rest of the two hundred and ninety-plus events are a combination of All-Con supplied content (like our many game shows throughout the weekend), performances hired by the convention, and a recipe of the best community run features that change year-to-year.

Featured guests this year are:

Brian Muir (created Darth Vader's original armor from Ralph McQuarrie's concept sketches)
Gigi Edgley (Chiana from Farscape)
Paul Blake (Greedo from Star Wars: A New Hope)
Chuck Huber (Dr. McCoy on Star Trek Continues and voice actor for SyFy and Cartoon Network)
Tim Lawrence (Ghostbusters I & II; puppeteer and modeler; Academy Awarded team member)
Russ Adams (Jim Henson's Creature Shop)
Neil Kaplan (Optimus Prime and hundreds more animated characters)
Michael H. Price (Founding President of Fort Worth Film Festival and owner and lead author of the longest-running film-study franchise in commercial publishing)
Marshall Barnes (global leader in time transverse technology application and currently speaking on real world mechanics for a functioning warp drive)
Payton Schmall (Cosplay Guest of honor)
Jessica Van Braun (Artist Guest of Honor)
Damsels of Dorkington (Performance Guests celebrating their 2016 reunion!)

You can get the full scoop at All-Con.org.

Hope to see you all there!

SoonerCon 2015 Schedule!

Next week is SoonerCon!

And their final panel listing is complete.

So click away on the images to get all the deets!

As for my panels....

Friday
Time Room
3:00 pm Mann (Film/TV) Godzilla at 60 
As the longest-running movie series in history, Godzilla has been both a cult classic and mainstream hit. We discuss why Godzilla is still loved today.

5:00 pm Maynard (Writing) Vampires, Mummies, and Zombies: Why the Undead Fascinate Us
Panelists look at life, death, undeath and re-death


Saturday
Time Room
10:00 am Ballroom D - Main Programming Koffee Klatch
Morning networking with convention guests.

2:00 pm Mann (Film/TV) The Doctor and His Companions: Helper or Hindrance
The companion has been called the "voice of the audience" and the "Doctor's conscience." Does the Doctor need a companion or can he explore time and space on his own?

3:00 pm Ballroom A (Media/Science) Kaiju, Unicorns, Bigfoot, and Dragons
What fantasy beasts and humanoids are plausible, and which are simply fiction? We take a practical look at supernatural creatures.


Sunday
Time Room
11:00 am Mann (Film/TV) Declassifying Stargate
Balancing scientific and social advancement with the need for secrecy is a recurring theme in Stargate. Could an interstellar exploration program actually stay hidden from the public?

Should be awesome! Hope to see you there!

ArmadilloCon Schedule 7/25-7/27/14

ArmadilloCon has it going on!
They've already finalized their panel schedule.

Here's my list of panels

Tree Creatures
Fri 4:00 PM-5:00 PM Room E
Wells*, Clarke, Oliver, Stanley
Ents, nymphs dryads and more. Discussion regarding the various kinds of tree creatures from myth and legend.

Do Werewolves Dream of Bloody Sheep
Fri 10:00 PM-11:00 PM Room F
de Orive*, Kimbriel, Oliver, Roberts, S. White
What are the beginnings of werewolves in fiction? How have they changed over the years?

Reading
Sat 10:00 AM-11:00 AM Southpark B
Oliver

Quetzaxuahuitzalochtlicueotl
Sat 1:00 PM-2:00 PM Room E
Richerson*, Brown, Maresca, Oliver,
Discussion of Aztec mythology and why it isn't used in more genre stories.

The Denisovans and Homo floresiensis
Sun 10:00 AM-11:00 AM Conference Center
Antell*, Mahoney, McKay, Oliver
New discoveries in DNA research. What are they and how many more are out there?

See you there!

Picture Kaleidoscope 11/6/13 - The Octopodicon Edition

Electronic device issues have somewhat messed up my schedule. Work (RL) isn't helping much either! lol.

But this past weekend I took a couple of extra days off and slummed at Octopodicon!
Loads of neat things to see there.

The Embassy Suites had a lot of cool lamps and some neat architecture. Loved this one as it looked like an upside down sea anemone holding onto its top. 

Octopodicon trophies for various contests

Homemade miniature blimp

More cool hotel lamps

The Mushroom Peddler had some amazing figurines!

Aren't they all just adorable?

Dreamers Leatherwork had amazing stuff done in leather and partially painted. He doesn't have a website though. :(

Adorable figures for a game still in process of being created. Too cute!

I believe this gorgeous bracelet was from Steamer Trunk Treasure. 

Funky architecture in the hotel's restaurant

Rie Sheridan Rose at her reading in the Scriptorium

Look closely at this hat. It's an octopus! With Glowing eyes!

Here was her complete costume

Cool steampunk goodies

This hat tried to make me covet. Sadly a little outside my price range.

Cool statue in the hotel's fountain in the lounge area

More cool costumes!

Liz in her Steampunk outfit. 

Another of Rie's

Loved the triple depth and triple colors of the ceiling

Isn't this cute????

Nice outfit!

You could pay to have your friends put in jail. Heh heh.

Gotta run!

My SoonerCon Schedule for 6/28-6/30/13

Yeah, no movie review today - sorry!
Life was too hectic to squeeze an extra one the last few weeks, or I'd have had ya'll covered.


This weekend I will be a panelist and vendor at SoonerCon!

Loads of fun to be had there this weekend! Been looking forward to it.

Below is my panelist schedule:

Friday 2PM C Space - Diplomacy in Speculative Fiction:  Why isn’t everyone killing each other?

Friday 4PM Joyner - It Keeps Me Young:  Why YA Makes Great Reading For Adults

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Saturday 10AM B Space - Science in the Victorian Age

Saturday 2PM F Space - Cinema So Far: 2013 in Fan Genre Films

Saturday 3PM Theater - Yard Dog Road Show! (Must be seen to be believed!)

Saturday 4PM F Space - Build A SyFy™ Saturday-Night Movie

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Sunday 10AM 10 Forward - Koffee Klatch - schmoozing with the guests!

Sunday 11AM F Space - British Invasion: U.S. Television and the Union Jack (Eek! I'm the moderator!)

Sunday 2PM Rice - Reading - Yes! Come hear me stumble over my own dribble! Hah!

Sunday 3PM F Space - Tolkien's Fantasies on the Silver Screen


I'm gonna be BUSY! :P

Picture Kaleidoscope - AllCon 2013

This past weekend was AllCon!
So of course I had to take pics. :)

I LOVED this! Multi-generation Star Trek. 

Sebastian from Black Butler.

This guy made a great Colonel from the SF TV show who's name I've yet to be able to recall. Loved that he had an led light in the tube to the Molotov cocktail to make it appear lit. 

Amazon Athena? She was all glittery! Mean looking spear too.

Loved this one too! Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians. Even to the frost on his hoodie. 

Cruella De Vil - she looked Fabulous!

Sand People!

Bucky! So cute..!

Sam and Dean Winchester! From the episode where they got sucked into the TV shows by the Trickster. These two did like 3 costume changes through the day (Couldn't get pics! Wah!) In the Medical Show, regular civies, and in their CSI costumes with the sunglasses from the same episode. I thought I saw Bobby Singer join them later in the day. Heh heh.

Sith Cheerleaders! The 501st was in attendance doing all sorts of panels, games for the kids, and more!

Bjoran Hogh Priestess outfit. Photo does not do it justice. Wah!

Iron Man was also in the house! He had working lights on the hand gauntlets too. Several incarnations of Tony Stark running around.

Though Pan Am only lasted 1 season, it obviously made an impression on some peeps out there. She looked great!

Louis from the Vampire Lestat.

A little vampire action too!

Incredible detail on this costume! Photo does not do it justice.

Look at those wings!

Is this not the cutest outfit ever? There were a lot of dolls. I heard there was even a costume contest for the dolls. I saw several wiz by that were utterly amazing! One had multicolored feathers wings and another 3 foot span dragon wings. Wish I'd been able to get pics!

My Little Pony was also heavily represented. 

Ack, wish it had focused better. I couldn't help but think of this as Star Wars ala The Wizard of OZ since the costume set up is in the same vein as the lion and the scarecrow. 

Yeah, I forgot to bring the good camera. It's amazing how the phone camera can do awesome one minute and not so much the next. :P