Friday March 12th
Keynote Speaker – Jewelle Gomez
Description: Beyond the Edge of Our Existence: what in our writing and in our lives as humans makes us valuable to the world?
Readings & Author Q&A
With Adrian J. Smith, Christine Wright, Harry F. Rey
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A.
Dis/Abilities Panel
With Ceeley Mack, Tenacity Plys, Cody Sisco, Heather O’Malley
Description: Disabled, Chronically Ill and Neurodiverse in Queer Fiction (#ownvoices): Own voices creators discuss how to write differently-abled characters well and the opportunities available in SFF.
Readings & Author Q&A
With Dorian Graves, Gillian St. Kevern, Michael G. Williams
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A.
Saturday March 13th
Writing Queer Female Protagonists (#ownvoices) Panel
With Olivia Wylie, Antonia Aquilante, Adrian J. Smith, Kellie Doherty, Melodie Romeo
Description: Authors discuss writing women – both as characters and in relationships, mistakes they’ve seen, and how to do it well.
Readings & Author Q&A
With Elle E. Ire, Minerva Cerridwen, Ava Kelly
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A.
Aging in Queer Spec Fic Panel
With Lloyd A. Meeker, Blaine D. Arden, Catherine Lundoff, Bob R R Angell
Description: So often, it’s all about the young ‘uns – the teenagers who suddenly discover they’re the Chosen One or the Last Hope of the Galaxy. In this panel, we discuss good examples of older characters in queer spec fic and what advantages age gives them in the story.
Readings & Author Q&A
With Catherine Lundoff, Lloyd Meeker, A.M. Leibowitz
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A.
Writing for Bisexual and Pansexual Characters Panel (#ownvoices)
With E.M. Hamill, Steve Turnbull, A.M. Leibowitz, Chloe Spencer
Description: Bi and Pan characters aren’t sometimes straight and sometimes queer. Panelists discuss the portrayal of Bi/Pan characters, good rep and the perpetuation of stereotypes, and provide recs for readers.
Magic and Folklore Panel
With Gillian St. Kevern, Michael G. Williams, M.D. Grimm, Anne Barwell, Elizabeth Noble
Description: Panelists examine magic and folklore in queer fiction – how they’re used and reinterpreted, how these elements relate to queerness, and the cultural biases we sometimes bring to the table.
Readings & Author Q&A
With Kellie Doherty, Cody Sisco, Kim Fielding
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A.
Queer-Friendly Tabletop RPGs Panel
With Ellis Kincaide, Tenacity Plys, Heather O’Malley, Michael G. Williams
Description: Panelists talk about their favorite queer table-top RPGs, and share fun anecdotes of games such as the Widdershins RPG and Thirsty Sword Lesbians.
Readings & Author Q&A
With M.D. Grimm, Antonia Aquilante, Nikki Woolfolk
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A
Fandom and Fanfiction Panel
With Kim Fielding, Christine Wright, Dorian Graves, Katie Griffin, Kristen Noone
Description: Queer fans have always had their own takes on fandoms, from Star Trek on down. Panelists discuss how queer fans have interpreted and sometimes subverted fandoms and fanfiction.
Sunday March 14th
Readings & Author Q&A
With Olivia Wylie, Valerie J. Mikles, Kristin Noone
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A.
Intersectionality Panel (#ownvoices)
With Jose Pablo Iriarte, Alex Silver, Ceeley Mack, Harry F. Rey, J.S. Fields
Description: Coined in 1989 by professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, intersectionality describes how race, class, gender, and other individual characteristics “intersect” with one another and overlap. Our panelists discuss this as a framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege.
Readings & Author Q&A
With Chloe Spencer, E.M. Hamill, Melodie Romeo
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A.
Humor and Cynicism Panel
With Christine Wright, Maz Maddox, Angel Martinez, Valerie J. Mikles
Description: If you like Douglas Adams, you’ll love…???: Why so serious? Panelists discuss the use of humor and satire in queer SFF, and talk about their favorite new authors in the game.
Readings & Author Q&A
With J. Scott Coatsworth, Angel Martinez, and Rory Ni Coileain
Description: Readings by RSM author panelists of some of their latest work, followed by a Q&A
Keynote Speaker Reading & Discussion – Jewelle Gomez
With Jewelle Gomez
Description: Jewelle will return for a reading and discussion.
Query Letters and Getting an Agent
With Elle E. Ire, Jose Pablo Iriarte, J. Scott Coatsworth, Harry F. Rey, J.S. Fields
Description: Authors share the best strategies for getting work in front of agents and presenting to publishers while answering the question: how to sell your queer fic without pigeonholing yourself?
The Queering of Modern Pop Culture in Recent Years Panel
With J. Scott Coatsworth, Anne Barwell, Elizabeth Noble, Rory Ni Coileain, Nikki Woolfolk
Description: TV and Film are giving opportunities for more queer stories to be told. Who is doing it well, and who is falling into the pit of tokenism?