Beyond Victoriana at the Steampunk World’s Fair

You may have heard of the biggest steampunk shindig on the US East Coast, the Steampunk World’s Fair in Piscataway, New Jersey coming this May. I’ll have the great opportunity to work with Jaymee Goh of Silver Goggles to whip up a pair of panels to entertain and inform. Read on for the descriptions below.

Envisioning a Better Steam Society: Social Issues & Steampunk
Date: Saturday, May 15th at 11 AM
Room: The Blue Room
Length: 1 hour, 15 min
A discussion panel where panel participants discuss their thoughts about finding aesthetic inspiration in a historical era rife with sexism, racism and classist thinking. Can the steampunk subculture come to terms with its problematic past, or are we just repeating history, except with ray guns? Together with the audience, we hope to engage in an open dialogue about whether steampunk confronts or condones the historical ideas behind its inspiration, how nineteenth century thinking is re-interpreted in the present day, and what makes steampunk actually “punk.”

Featured panelists: Jake Von Slatt (of Steampunk Workshop), Emilie Bush (author of Chenda and the Airship Brofman), Jaymee Goh, Whisper Merlot & Lucretia Dearfour (of the Penny Dreadfuls of the S.S. Icarus) and CAKE!

Steam Around the World: Steampunk Beyond Victoriana
Date: Sunday, May 16th at 11 AM
Room: The Blue Room
Length: 1 hour, 15 min
Beyond Victoriana, what steampunk possibilities exist? Come join us as we take you on a trip around the world to see how steampunk manifests in the minds of those who don’t think within an Eurocentric context, whether they blend Western influences, or use recognizably steampunk elements within a distinct flavour outside of Europe.

Featuring tidbits from this blog, intellectual shenanigans, and examples from artists, musicians, writers, & thinkers who are expanding the cultural horizons of steam.

UPDATE: Thanks to the generosity of artist James Ng, we will have a limited amount of posters of his beautiful art to give away to attendees! Check it out here.