#philcon programming 2020

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Discord #media-discussion : The Magnus Archives --  What's YOUR theory on how it's going to end? Saturday Night Open Filk --  Saturday Night Open Filk starts at 6pm EST and runs until the last person turns in for the night. (Or morning.) The invite to the Philcon Discord server is https://discord.gg/2XSZQ3e Register for the Zoom items at the bottom of each panel listing at: https://www.konopas.philcon.org   ~ It’s easier to navigate by hitting “Expand All” so all the panel descriptions pop open!

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~   Programming starting on November 21st at SATURDAY, 8:30pm EST:   ~ The Atlanta Radio Theatre Company Presents: "Solution Unsatisfactory" by Robert A. Heinlein --  Based on the short story by Robert A. Heinlein (and granted to the ARTC to adapt by Mrs. Virginia Heinlein) first published in the May 1941 Astounding, "Solution Unsatisfactory" predicts a prescient version of the end of WWII and atomic stalemate after it.   This is a recording of "Solution Unsatisfactory" was recorded live at DragonCon in 2001. The play was written by Daniel Taylor and directed by William Alan Ritch.  Included in the cast is SF and comic book writer, Peter David.

Imagining the New Normal --  The changes in environment and behavior in response to pandemic conditions; observational and speculative discussion by the experts. 

What Else Might Have Changed? --   There is far more to the alternate history fiction than speculations about the fallout from a different side winning a notable battle. What if historically significant ideas were different? Think of de Camp's ARISTOTLE AND THE GUN in which a time traveler messes up the very conception of science.

How to Sell the Story You Wrote vs How to Write a Story 'That Will Sell' --  Many books provide tips to improve your likelihood of selling a book or a film treatment by making the story follow a certain formula. But what if you're looking to sell something that intentionally breaks the popular molds, rather than conforming to them?

Discord #media-discussion : Westworld Saturday Night Open Filk --  Saturday Night Open Filk starts at 6pm EST and runs until the last person turns in for the night. (Or morning.) (9pm) Game: Jackbox Games with Ginny Swann (2 Hours, T for Teen) https://www.jackboxgames.com/what-is-jackbox/ https://www.jackboxgames.com/how-to-play/ The invite to the Philcon Discord server is https://discord.gg/2XSZQ3e Register for the Zoom items at the bottom of each panel listing at: https://www.konopas.philcon.org   ~ It’s easier to navigate by hitting “Expand All” so all the panel descriptions pop open!

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**  Programming starting on November 21st at Saturday, 4pm EST:  ** Drift Compatible: The Science of Neural Interface Technology --  What can be done with current technology? Are we going to be piloting mechs with our minds before the decade is out? The Other Sciences (in Fiction) --  For years, Science Fiction was most closely associated with space travel, time travel, and alien life forms- but astronomy, physics, and biology are hardly the only scientific fields that inspire speculation. How have the other sciences, both hard and soft, been utilized or explored in the genre? When to Set Something on Fire --  If your plot feels like it is dragging, maybe it's time to consider a major change in the route you had mapped out for your characters. How can you tell when it would benefit your story to torch the boats and send your characters traveling by foot instead? Creating More Inclusive Games --  What kind of changes can you make to both your game world and your game play that lets potential players know that they are welcome in your group? Let's focus on considerations in game design to promote inclusion and accessibility.   Discord #media-discussion : Doctor Who Discord #Artist Demos channel in the Art Show :  Hats and Spats presents Polymer Clay Sculpting #1 --  Nora Echeverria uses different colors of polymer clay to create a marbled pattern, then uses that to sculpt dragons and tentacles for wearables or curiosities.  Polymer clay cures in a regular oven, no kiln needed. (A second demo will be running on Sunday at 2pm!) Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Readings! --  Members of The Broad Universe take turns reading short selections from their works. This year's presenters include Elizabeth Crowens, Roberta Rogow, Kathryn Sullivan, D.H. Timpko, Sally Wiener Grotta, Anne E.G. Nydam, Randee Dawn, Deirdre Murphy,  L.J. Cohen, and Carol Gyzander. Filk:  Concert by Deirdre Murphy (5pm) Filk:  Concert by Rhiannon's Lark Game: HomeRunnerZ - The Trivia Game that Plays Like Baseball! https://meet.jit.si/HomeRunnerZwithAlex All-new edition of HomeRunnerZ! My online party game that anyone can play!!! It's an easy trivia game that plays like baseball! Two teams compete by sending up their best batters!How many bases can they score? Or will they get caught OUT by the opposition? Very simple rules will be taught at the event. There will be prizes! NOTE: this event requires a minimum of 6 participants, and a maximum of 18GM: Alex Strang * The invite to the Philcon Discord server is https://discord.gg/2XSZQ3e Register for the Zoom items at the bottom of each panel listing at: https://www.konopas.philcon.org   ~ It’s easier to navigate by hitting “Expand All” so all the panel descriptions pop open!

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Programming starting on November 21st at SATURDAY, 7pm EST:   Pandemic Fiction vs Pandemic Reality --  What stories written before 2020 match up to our experiences with the current pandemic? Which predicted vastly different reactions by the populations affected? How might living through Covid-19 impact the ways people will write viral outbreak scenarios in the future? Writing for Unreliable Narrators --  How is an author's approach to a story impacted when their point of view character isn't necessarily telling the truth about events, whether by intent or by other factors occluding their understanding of what happened? 

Do Different Genres Have Different Editing Needs? --  Are there problems that only seem to arise in specific genres? Are similar narrative flaws resolved differently in Horror vs. Fantasy vs. Science Fiction storytelling? Creating While Chronically ill --  Writers (and others) who've had to deal with long-term illnesses discuss the methods that help them stay motivated and see works through to completion. Discord #media-discussion : The Old Guard Readings: Catherine Asaro (7pm), Teel James Glenn (7:30pm),  Saturday Night Open Filk --  Saturday Night Open Filk starts at 6pm EST and runs until the last person turns in for the night. (Or morning.) (8pm)  Book Launch: "The Twofer Compendium" by Celestial Echo Press -- The Twofer Compendium is an anthology on the theme of twins. The anthology consists of 36 stories from 34 international authors. Stories run the gamut from mirror images, to conjoined twins, to evil/good twins … All manner of twin-ness is explored. The book launch will include readings by contributors Dawn Vogel, Lee F. Patrick, Bruce Meyer, Gary Zenker, Frank Kozusko, and Nicole Fratrich. The invite to the Philcon Discord server is https://discord.gg/2XSZQ3e Register for the Zoom items at the bottom of each panel listing at: https://www.konopas.philcon.org   ~ It’s easier to navigate by hitting “Expand All” so all the panel descriptions pop open!

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Programming starting on November 22nd at Sunday, 2:30pm EST: Rule of Cool vs Actual Science -- How to determine when to let your story to be carried by the suspension of disbelief, and when to stick to the known course of physics or the other realms of science. Register for Rule of Cool vs Actual Science Science Fiction Horror -- What are the best works in this subgenre? Which authors manage to nail down *both* the Science and the Horror elements? Why do they succeed (or fail)? Register for Science Fiction Horror Soft Skills for the Post-Apocalyptic World -- Lone gunslingers may be fun to write, but in the face a true cataclysmic event, the people most likely to survive are those who know how to come together as a community, and have the skills to provide for that community's basic- and not-so-basic- needs. What would that entail? Register for Soft Skills for the Post-Apocalyptic World Writing Branching Narratives for Game Play -- What different considerations do you have to make when creating a story that needs to have multiple middles and possible endings? Register for Writing Branching Narratives for Game Play Gundams and Knightmares: Connections Between Gundam 00 and Code Geass -- At first blush, there may not appear to be a lot in common between these two Sunrise Mecha series, but with the two in production at the same time by the same company, the two ended up sharing a lot of similarities and explore many of the same themes. Join us as we explore the connections between Gundam 00 and Code Geass. Register for Gundams and Knightmares Discord #media-discussion : Avatar - The Last Airbender & The Legend of Korra Readings:  April Grey (2:30pm),  Daniel M. Kimmel (3pm),  A.T. Greenblatt (3:30pm) (3pm) Filk :  Concert by John McDaid  The invite to the Philcon Discord server is https://discord.gg/2XSZQ3e Check out the rest of our schedule at https://www.konopas.philcon.org   ~ It’s easier to navigate by hitting “Expand All” so all the panel descriptions pop open!

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@@  Programming starting on November 21st at Saturday, 5:30pm EST:  @@ Remembering Hugh Casey --  A memorial for one of the Philadelphia area’s best known and much beloved members of fandom.  The Future of Energy --  We haven't cracked cold fusion yet, but advances are being made in other areas. Solar panels the size of glitter? Turbines placed alongside highways that spin from currents generated by passing cars? Kinetic fabrics that charge your cell phone with every step you take? What else is out there, and what's stopping us from making more use of these technologies? Building Better Roadblocks --  Are the "challenges" your characters face truly challenging, or is your audience going to see them as nothing more than poorly-manufactured delays? How do you make sure the problems your heroes confront are the right degree of difficulty to avoid boring or exasperating your readers? The Oceans of Space --  From 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Clarke's The Deep Range, the Uplift Wars of David Brin, and more recently with the Hugo nominated novella “The Deep,” the ocean (and deep-sea exploration) has been a fundamental setting in Science Fiction. What might be the influence of newly discovered extraterrestrial oceans on Enceladus and Europa on how such stories are written? Planes, Trains, and Battleships: A Look at the Leijiverse --  Ever marvel at the myriad series that make up the Leijiverse?  Wonder at the appeal of their storylines or the connections between each character? Come and discuss the fascinating world that Leiji Matsumoto has built, its awe inspiring depth, the scope of the stories, and of course all his different alien queens and romantic space pirates. Readings: Roxanne Bland (6pm),  Joshua Palmatier (6:30pm) Saturday Night Open Filk --  Saturday Night Open Filk starts at 6pm EST and runs until the last person turns in for the night. (Or morning.) The invite to the Philcon Discord server is https://discord.gg/2XSZQ3e Register for the Zoom items at the bottom of each panel listing at: https://www.konopas.philcon.org   ~ It’s easier to navigate by hitting “Expand All” so all the panel descriptions pop open!

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