This will be one of my most hectic schedules of any con during this convention season, and with good reason. The Steampunk World’s Fair was one of the largest steampunk-only conventions on the East Coast when it premiered last year, and I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends and new this time around.
For those looking to find my haunts, here’s my panel schedule after the jump.
FRIDAY
Steampunk on the Cheap
3:00 – 4:00 PM, Roosevelt Room
Presenting with Monique Poirier
You don’t have to hold an aristocrat’s purse-strings in order to look like one. Come and join a discussion about how steampunks can get the aesthetics they want without the money they don’t have. We’re open to sharing personal experiences, from thrifting and costuming shortcuts to more in-depth talks about the meaning of class and its impact in the steampunk community.
SATURDAY
Steam Around the World: Steampunk Beyond Victoriana
10 – 11 AM, Terence Ballroom
The blog’s signature presentation with Jaymee Goh
Steampunk Bible signing
12 – 1 PM, Concierge Lounge (The Library of Lost Literature)
Hosted by Selena Chambers with Jake von Slatt, Jaymee Goh, Ekaterina Sedia, Dr. Grymm, Stephen Segal
Pro-Union Labor Flash Mob (RSVP here on Facebook)
4:00 – 5 PM
Meet up outside the Main Front Entrance of the Crowne Plaza Hotel (inside the lobby in case of rain) and then proceeding through the halls of the hotel; this is in prep fro the rally on Sunday.
From the FB page:
There are those who claim that steampunk as a genre is apolitical, or, worse still, that it is out of touch with the present day. We submit to you that steampunk is neither of those things, that it is utterly cognizant of the politics of the past, and the effects that those politics have on the present.
That is why we feel that steampunk is the perfect group to stand with modern day labor unions. Let us remember the labor organizers, the struggles, and the world-changing activism of the past! If you appreciate the 8 hour day, weekends, or safety standards, you have a 19th century union to thank. This flashmob will be a combination 19th century strike and modern day pro-labor demonstration. Come in working class period garb, your regular steampunk garb, or even modern union t-shirts, and support the cause of your choice, and by doing so, support them all.
We will stand, simultaneously, by the Newsboy’s Strike of 1899, the Cripple Creek Miner’s Strike of 1894, the Interplanetary Aetheric Pilot’s Strike of 2204, and the Wisconsin State Employees of Right the Hell Now.
Steampunks Around the World, Unite: Multicultural Steampunk photoshoot
7 – 8 PM, Blu Bar & Lounge
A causal meet & greet for those interested in multicultural steampunk, hosted by steampunks Ay-leen the Peacemaker of Beyond Victoriana & Jaymee Goh of Silver Goggles. Come dressed in your non-Eurocentric best or bring ideas for discussion about potential outfits. Open to steampunks of color and allies.
SUNDAY
Envisioning a Better Steam Society: Steampunk & Social Justice Issues roundtable
10 – 11 AM, Coolridge Room
The blog’s other signature panel, featuring panelist speakers Jaymee Goh, Jake von Slatt, Magpie Killjoy, Leanna Renee Hieber, Ekaterina Sedia, Lucretia Dearfour, Abigail Mycroft (Samara Martin), and others.
Pro-Union Rally
2:30 – 3 PM, The Courtyard Stage
(RSVP here on Facebook.)
Whether you can make it to the flash mob or not, come to this event, the next day, Sunday, to hear myself, Leanna Renee Hieber, Pablo Miguel Alberto Vazquez, Monique Poirier and Miriam Rocek speak on a number of issues relating to 19th century labor, and modern-day steampunk. Learn how your enthusiasm for history and steampunk can… help you be a better activist, and how your enthusiasm for activism can help you be a better steampunk! With performances by Eli August and Painless Parker. Petitions for contemporary labor issues will be available at this event.
Beyond Victoriana 