The deadline to submit your craft, costume, story, or art on the theme Over The Hills and Far Away is Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. Submissions will be judged in categories of type of submission and by age categories (Newest Fen 0-2, Pre-Fen 3-5, Kid Fen 6-8, Young Fen 9-12). Items will be on display until Sunday, when awards will be given and submissions will be returned to their creators.

Olympic 1 will be filled with sensory-friendly items and activities for our neurodivergent members and their caregivers to drop-in to a safe space to slow down, stim, or just be themselves.

Pathfinder Society and Dungeons and Dragons’ Adventurers League will be running games throughout the weekend. Check the gaming schedule for details.

Join us for stories and activities for our preschool-aged fen (3-5 years, younger siblings welcome).

TBD

Every day children in this country face horrible realities alone, including starvation, sexual and physical abuse, and bullying. They come to terms with their gender identities and sexual orientations, or the fact that they have to hide them. So why do we try to sanitize the media we let them consume, and how can we instead use comics to help them explore these topics?

Self-publishing 101! Curious about self-publishing but unsure if it’s for you? Want to self-publish but don’t know where to start? Pros will outline the basics of self-publishing: finding editors and cover artists, avoiding common pitfalls and scams, formatting your books for e-readers and print, and putting your work up for sale. Have questions or concerns? Come ask!

Novel, flash, short story, novelette––narrative fiction comes in multiple forms. How do they differ, other than word count? How are they alike? Join our panel of writers as they discuss the benefits and constraints that each form brings to the table.

What are Geek Identity, Geek Policing, and Gatekeeping? Why is it important when we’re staying active and proud of our fandoms to not dip into policing and gatekeeping? How do we bridge the age gap in SF/F and include younger generations? We, all of us, nerds of all races, genders, orientations, and ages need to stop the gatekeeping and start building bridges.

As science fiction looks forward, some see a bleak, broken world while others find a utopia. Our panelists discuss this dual outcome and how what we say about tomorrow reflects on how we view today.

Congratulations on your first steps into fandom! This may be a scary yet exciting adventure and we want to make you feel welcome. This panel is about all the benefits as a member of a convention and how your continued support and/or volunteering can ensure the success for future new members.

Put your pointy thinking caps on and learn the steps to plotting, pacing, and formatting a 32-page picture book with the award-winning author of Strictly No Elephants. Ages 8+. Space is limited and advance sign up is required in Cascade 1.

This hands-on workshop will cover the basics of bead embroidery, the supplies needed, and options for fabric, stabilizers, needles, and thread. In addition, we can discuss where you can use bead embroidery, and how to apply it to anything from costumes to broaches, bags and quilts. You get to do hands-on experience with at least 3 different bead embroidery stitches. Worksheet and supplies will be provided.

See and feel how hand weapons changed and developed, and how body armour evolved, from late Roman times until the Renaissance. All weapons will be explained and presented for safe handling by the participants. Various types of armour will be displayed and described. Participants will be able to freely handle real pieces of armour and modern replicas. This experience will be like a museum where you can try on the artifacts. Handouts will be available.

It was the Power of the Future; now some say it is past its time. What has nuclear power looked like, and what might it look like in the future?

Keith and Alan return for the first of two shows this year! Get up early and join us for the latest previews, news and rumors–the hot topics and the latest trends–out of Hollywood. We highlight the latest info, innovations, and challenges and also the wider entertainment culture: TV shows, home video, theme parks–the whole gamut! Grab your seat early for all the latest.

Come sign up for a game run by our DMs or check out games from our lending library. We have RPGs, computer games, LARPs, card games, board games, and so much more! Need ADA access for a game? Please speak to our staff when you sign up so we can be sure to meet your needs.

Learn to use scrap paper, magazines, photos, and more to make your own journal for capturing your thoughts, story ideas, and all the memorable events of life. Brought to you by Swords for Scribes.

A small, informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Space is limited. Sign up in Cascade 1.

A small, informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Space is limited. Sign up in Cascade 1.

All weekend there are dealers and game developers running demos of games in Maxi’s Salon. Come up and see the latest and greatest games and talk to game developers.

Arabella and the Battle of Venus: Get a sneak preview of Arabella and the Battle of Venus, sequel to Arabella of Mars, coming in July! Rated G.

Spellmonkeys: The first chapter of my upcoming novel, Spellmonkeys, a humorous fantasy romp with ONLY ONE ENDING LIKE A REGULAR BOOK, OMG I’M SORRY IN ADVANCE TO ALL MY HARDCORE FANS! Rated PG.

More than just the ability to communicate, some animals seem to have actual language: nouns, verbs, adjectives, even regional dialects. Will we ever be able to communicate with other species, or would our differences be too great for mutual understanding?

The setting in fantasy can often play as much a part of the story as the characters. Join our panelists as they discuss fantasy geography and what kinds of specifics create a compelling setting.

You formed a group to play something, and then you finished it. Now what? One player doesn’t like themed games, one player won’t play cooperatives, and that player only likes things where they can hit something with their axe. How do you find the right game for your specific group of people? Come hear our panelists talk about different types of games and players and strategies to bring them together.

It’s a hard Geek Life for me. Let’s examine geek culture in the 21st century and why it’s good to be a geek now.

Some of the first science fiction was about artificial intelligence, or the faking thereof. There have been some advances since then. Where are we now and what does the future look like? When will Siri not only be able to tell you where to go on a date, but actually go on a date with you?

Costuming all those characters that aren’t the hero.

This hands-on workshop leads you through a timed and moderated one-hour freewrite. At the conclusion, you’ll have a rough draft (or at least the bare bones) of a short story. Bring your writing notebook, tablet, or laptop, prepared to write nearly the full hour. Ages 13+. Space is limited and advance sign up is required in Cascade 1.

Since ancient history, humans have made use of yeast, bacteria, and mold to preserve food. Our panelists will discuss the culinary history of microorganisms and their importance to human civilization, and how they might let us live in space.

Cat Grey talks in-depth about her work in the show and shares her thoughts about selected other works as well. Come enjoy an artist’s perspective on the Norwescon Art Show!

Guest of Honor Ian McDonald reads from Luna: Wolf Moon. The Theory and Practice of Baking Cakes on the Moon.

Do you have a question that only the Fae can answer? Or maybe you just want to know what fairies wear to the Fairy Queen’s Ball? Our fairy writers will be on hand in Olympic 1 to dictate your message to the Fae with their magickal tools. A genuine letter from a Fae is guaranteed to be available for pickup in Olympic 1 at 11:00 a.m. Sunday morning (or by arrangement).

Come hang out with your fellow LGBTQ fans in a casual mixer environment. Meet n’ greet and find new folks to wander the con with.

A small, informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Space is limited. Sign up in Cascade 1.

A small, informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Space is limited. Sign up in Cascade 1.

Smells Like Finn Spirit Reading Party! Non-drowsy Daytime Reading Formula! Q&A! Prizes! Come hear Randy read from the third book in the Finn Fancy series from Tor (US)/Titan (UK), Smells Like Finn Spirit! There will be laughs, knowledge dropping, and prize giving! Rated G.

Star Trek has always mirrored so much about the culture of the time, hopes, fears, and aspirations and this was certainly true fashion wise. We look back on fashions high and low throughout the Trek universe.

Different cultures value different things.  Join our panelists as they discuss the different conceptions of beauty and wealth that exist in sci-fi and what kinds of different characteristics may appear in the future.

Humor, horror, and dark fantasy author Evan J. Peterson will lead students in exercises to reduce their fears around writing and publishing. What have you always wanted to write about, but fear has stopped you? What styles are you too embarrassed to try your hand on? Open to writers of all genres and levels of experience. TRIGGER: We may discuss or read samples from authors writing about abuse and other trauma. Presented by Clarion West. Ages 18+. Space is limited and advance sign up is required in Cascade 1.

Learn the basics of model rocket construction and build a rocket of your very own to fly! Materials supplied.

Come make movies with us! Every year since 2000, we’ve planned and filmed a short film, right here at Norwescon! We pull actors, grips, and helpers of all stripes. We then run around frantically for two hours on Saturday filming, filming, filming! Then, through the magic of tiny editing elves, we show the completed movie Sunday at our Norwescon Film Festival!  This is our planning session! Help us come up with our story and plan it, just like a real Hollywood bigwig!

Geared for writers and those curious for what is coming in the near and far future. We’ll extrapolate current trends and speculate on the impact of rapidly evolving technical and social systems. We will review force structure, organization, and equipment. We’ll study how masters such as Tom Clancy and Robert Heinlein gazed into to the future and what shaped their vision of what was to come.

From Doxxing to Cyber-bullying, to the people who just don’t think that being “PC” is important or has a place in SF/F. How does this affect the real people who are being subjected to mistreatment? What can we do take a stand against it? Should we and how should we?

Emerging technologies for gene editing are set to turn science fiction into science fact. What will start as a way to cure genetic diseases before birth could easily become a way to order custom-built children: taller, stronger, more intelligent, and less prone to infection. Maybe they will be modified to live in a hotter world with fewer resources, or perhaps adapted to life on a space station. What limits, if any, should be placed on these technologies?

Transformation is the reinvention of the self by the self. It represents the hero’s search for wholeness. Discuss with our panelists this integral process of your character becoming a more complete human being.

Filk in the blanks. Our pros will take words from the audience and plug them into existing filk songs. The results are sure to be as far flung as the imaginations of the participants.

Administrators and nominees for this year’s award discuss the PK Dick Award and the legacy of Philip K. Dick.

All 50 gigabytes of data from the New Horizons encounter with Pluto has been downloaded to scientists on Earth. What have we learned about this mysterious outpost at the fringe of the solar system?

Bring your guppies over to Olympic 1 for some Fin-tastically magical stories, and possibly songs and games.

Come decorate your own training wand and get ready for Wizard Dueling. Open to wizards of any and all genders. Brought to you by Swords for Scribes.

Branding applies to small presses and book series as well as to you as an author. Understanding all the details of publishing and branding will help you whether you plan to work with one of the big six or self-publish. Participants will come up with five words they want people to think of when they walk into a room and bring those to the workshop. Focus will be placed on how to achieve a persona based on those five words. Come ready to discuss how tying social media, your personal appearance, and even demeanor help create your professional persona. Presented by Cascade Writers. Ages 18+. Space is limited and advance sign up is required in Cascade 1.

Spencer reads a selection from an upcoming work! Rated PG.

Our panelists will talk about the ins and outs of drawing, writing, and producing your own comics without the support of a bigger company.

Let’s be honest: publishing is full of failure. Failing to sell a book (or five), failing to get your dream agent or publisher, or failing to find readers for your book … the list goes on. But there’s a silver lining: we learn from failures, adapt, grow, and move on to greater successes. Pros will discuss their own failures and disappointments, and how those things actually helped get them where they needed to be, as well as strategies you can use to cope with failures of your own.

The disease ravaged Europe and Asia repeatedly. Many of the survivors were badly disfigured. But when the disease was transported to lands that had not had the disease, the effects were catastrophic. What is this now largely extinct disease, and how did it ravage the New World?

At the root of horror is the fear of the unknown. On this panel we’ll explore examples of how, both openly and through metaphor and allegory, horror creates an Us vs. Them narrative, and how that can ripple out into a larger cultural narrative.

Back by popular demand! It is hard to overstate how cool bamboo is, and how well it can fit into sf/f stories. Come see it, touch it, listen to it, and maybe take a piece or two home with you.

“Coin of the realm” is a metaphor for how the economic structure of your world operates. Do your characters hunt or farm, barter or buy? Do they use currency? Where are goods manufactured? How are they paid for? Come discuss how this one layer of detail can inform your entire story, regardless of its plot.

Fast-paced is currently the calling card of best-selling young adult novels. But how do we pick up the pace without leaving the reader in the dust? In this hands-on workshop, we’ll discover how dialogue and description can work to keep your reader engaged. Presented by Willamette Writers. Ages 18+. Space is limited and advance sign up is required in Cascade 1.

In the 1960s both the United States and Soviet Union were deeply involved with building military space stations. The U.S. station called MOL never flew manned, but the Soviets launched and operated two such stations code named ALMAZ. The veil of secrecy is finally being lifted on these stations and they tell a story of changing capabilities, changing technology, and changing focus. Come take a peek inside a very dark, very seldom viewed slice of space history.

Too often we hear costumers lament how, for whatever reason, they could never recreate a favorite media character because “it would be too expensive,” “I’m the wrong shape,” “I’m the wrong gender,” or “I’m too old.” Bring your wish list and we will tackle the challenge. Cosplay is a celebration and there is no one right way to depict your favorite character. It’s a big sandbox and we all get to play!

Talk with Keith Johnson (of Keith & Alan’s Movie News) about the state of movies and the entertainment industry. We’ll take a deeper look at trends and issues than we can during our panels. Hosted by Keith Johnson.

Come meet some fun Merfolk and learn more about the mer-life. (Please enter poolside from Concourse 2.)

(ID)ENTITY. The sequel to the PK Dick Award-nominated (R)EVOLUTION finds a new country and world for Thomas Paine, aka Major Tom. When his friend and identity broker, Dr. Who, is kidnapped and the seasteads of the world are attacked, he must come out of hiding and stop the destruction of all the newly evolving ways of life his revelations enabled. But who will win? The powers-that-once-were, who want the world to go backwards? Or those striving for a new life? Rated PG.

Don your best mad scientist outfit and come create marvelous monsters and creative chimera! We will take cute fluffy stuffed animals and hack them into pieces only to reassemble them in wholly unnatural ways. WARNING! Not for the easily distressed or children! We will be working with scissors and needles and as such only mature mad scientists will be allowed to participate. The only skills required are rudimentary sewing skills (plush is very forgiving) and a sick sense of humor. There will be a $5 materials fee per participant to cover the cost of DNA splitters, splicers, and experimental specimens.

Bring your newly decorated training wand and learn to use it to defeat your opponents. (Extra wands will be available if you didn’t make it to Wands for Wizards.) Open to boys, girls, and other magical creatures. Brought to you by Kim Switzer and Matthew Howden of Swords for Scribes.

Wizards of West Seattle. Come find out why you don’t mess with the magical denizens of West Seattle. Rated PG.

Without planning, shooting a film is an exercise in chaos and disappointment. Preproduction is where you hire the right people, lock down your script, plan your shots, gather your materials and props, get your locations, and do all that boring paperwork. Preproduction is the single most important step in filmmaking, so come learn how master it!

A discussion regarding a character’s core call to action, regardless of race, gender, and orientation. What kinds of common motivations can unite diverse characters and make them relatable to all?

Sometimes parents just don’t understand. What is it like to be a geeky teenager in the 21st century? Come join some actual teenagers to discuss what is cool today, what you need to be playing, watching, and reading, and what your pop culture future looks like.

Patients around the world are changing the healthcare model by becoming partners in their own care. What is an engaged patient, how can you become engaged, and why should you care?

Deep dive into future weapons systems. We’ll look at the basic physics of kinetic, particle, and energy based weapons and how we anticipate current and projected evolutionary vectors to unfold into the engineering of tomorrow. We’ll emphasize how writers can maintain technical authenticity without requiring advanced physics or engineering degrees.

High stakes in fiction add tension and create character development, as well as help make readers care about what happens. What are stakes and how do you raise them? Learn how to add stakes into your work effectively as pros discuss their methods for elevating tension and increasing the stakes in their writing.

Learn how to use narration to represent non-standard speech patterns and make settings based on non-dominant cultures vividly real. Dual focus on techniques both familiar and unfamiliar to the author. Lecture/discussion, in-class exercises, homework, and further recommended reading. Presented by Clarion West. Ages 18+. Space is limited and advance sign up is required in Cascade 1.

Alternate timelines, quantum universes, or just plain-old time machines—all of these concepts create a way for an author to play with history. This will be an interactive panel where the audience will choose a significant event in history and come up with alternatives—and their consequences. A lively dialogue always ensues.

Hailing from the hedge and loam of Seattle’s undergrowth, this chimerical songbird aims to weave historical and wax hysterical in the old-new traditions of mountain men, shantymen, and her fellow men as she tromps and twirls acro’st both ancient myth and accidental malady. This little troubadour delights in bringing life to the voices of the past, so come and share a pomegranate seed or two!

Dogwood is a 2013 graduate of Cornish College of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre/Playwrighting who inherited her father’s passion for bluegrass and her mother’s love for eighties pop and opera (and discovered punk and David Bowie all on her own). Her first ever role on a stage was at the tender age of three, when she played Persephone in a summer daycare production of the Greek myths. She’s been hooked on them ever since, and it is from those and other ancient tales that the sparks of her inspiration most often originate, in song and poem form alike. Five years ago, she picked up a ukulele and hasn’t looked back.

ANYONE can Mer! Haters just be jelly(fishes)! Swim on down to the poolside to discuss personal insecurities and ‘everyone issues’ with our Mers! (Please enter poolside from Concourse 2.)

Excerpt from Book 2, Seer Saga. Rated G.

Drop by for crafts and activities for our young members.

Unpronounceable. A Jersey waitress-with-attitude is chosen by lottery to be Earth’s ambassador to the Unpronounceable Planet of the Blobs. Set up as the patsy for an interstellar takeover, Rose discovers the secret of the blobs and figures out how to face down the U.N., the world, and even her sister, the hatefully angelic Alice. Rated PG.

You’ve done all your Preproduction and now it’s time to shoot! That opens up new problems: who’s in charge on set, who’s bringing the food, what do you do with these actor people, and how do make sure you have all the shots you need? Come learn how to manage a set and make production controlled chaos, instead of just chaos. Production is the single most important step in filmmaking, so come learn how master it!

Join our two panelists and moderator as they do battle (figuratively) using only magic spells provided by our audience.

Are you weird, geeky, or a total nerd, and proud of it? Do you express your fannishness in daily life, or do you tone it down for your day job? Come participate in a discussion and share how you show your fannish colors.

Why does the person who is supposed to win sometimes lose? What can turn a journeyman into a champion? What could make a champion just give up? When the match seems even, what makes the difference that allows someone to win? Will include examples from modern sports.

Between political unrest, climate change, economic shifts, and the constant change of technology, it’s a fair bet that the ways we make food and get it to the people who will eat it are going to be as different 30 years from now as they were 30 years ago. What will the Food of the Future look like? What trends will grow, and which will wither?

The rigors of space travel vary from isolation to hibernation, physical debilitation and mental strain, and everything in between. Our panelists discuss the impact such mental stress may have on characters, how strain and illness can be realistically but respectfully depicted, and their inclusion in fiction.

Guest of Honor Nancy Kress reads from Tomorrow’s Kin, based on the Nebula Award-winning novella, Yesterday’s Kin, coming out in July.

Lee Moyer talks in depth about his work in the show and shares his thoughts about selected other works as well. Come enjoy an artist’s perspective on the Norwescon Art Show!

Betsy Tinney, recipient of the 2012 Pegasus Award for best performer, is a Northwest cellist known both for her graceful musicality and her broad versatility. She has performed and recorded with many different groups, from solo acoustic performers to large rock bands; her contributions to each are unique and, as she explains, “whatever the song wants.” Betsy also performs solo, using a combination of acoustic cello and electronic looping that creates an interwoven tapestry of sound. Her solo cello work has been called “captivating,” “mesmerizing,” and “a rich texture for the ear, reminiscent of dark chocolate and fine red wine.”

Did you dress up in a period Star Trek costume? Come be part of a costume group!

The Throne Oath. Six student magicians lead a revolution against their government. It does not go as planned. Rated PG.

What’s the difference between a rapier and a long sword? Would your Viking warrior use a dagger? How do you hold a fighting cane? Come get a hands-on look at some favorite weapons from books and movies, learn how they’re used and who would use them, and do some storytelling from prompts. Brought to you by Swords for Scribes.

Chapter 1: Recursion from Myth of the Maker. The disaster that nearly wiped out the planet began in our VR lab on Tuesday morning. Earth survived, if you’re reading this. But if someone else gets too clever with math like the six of us did, the same thing could happen all over again. And there’s almost nothing anyone can do to stop it. I’m really sorry about that, by the way. Rated PG

How do you support female creators who are being harassed online by the ravening hordes of the unenlightened? Tips for voicing your support in ways that mean something.

Self-publishing 201! Already self-publishing but want to take your career to the next level? This panel is for you. Pros will discuss how best to brand your books, how to increase sales and visibility, and how to avoid the newest pitfalls. We’ll talk strategy, branding, and how to manage your career so that you have the greatest odds of success.

It’s not enough to just have diverse characters in horror (though it’s a start). We’re going to talk about the importance of creating real inclusion, finding and promoting diverse voices, and letting them tell their own stories.

A surprising amount of important research is done by non-professional scientists: backyard birdwatchers tracking bird populations and migration patterns, recreational sailors reporting data on plankton levels and marine debris, amateur astronomers finding comets. Our experts will share how you can become a citizen scientist.

It’s been said that there are only so many electronic gaming genres because of existing technology. The same has been said about the player base. Is this true? Or are there untapped markets out there to be explored? Could a first-person baseball game be fun, especially if it had a story? Let’s talk about it.

They’re not heroes, they’re not villains, but inhabit the twilight areas in between. Discuss with our writers what goes into the creation of scoundrels, tricksters, and rogues, and why they are fan favorites.

Science fiction and fantasy are all about worldbuilding. One aspect of worldbuilding is setting. In this workshop we’ll hone skills around describing setting, both by exploring how bestselling writers use setting and by completing some simple writing exercises in class. Come be creative! Ages 13+. Space is limited and advance sign up is required in Cascade 1.

Models in costume will do a variety of short and medium length poses (3 to 10 minutes). Everyone is welcome to come and sketch or paint. Please bring your own drawing and painting supplies. An excellent follow-up panel to the Figure Drawing Workshop.

Imagine spaceflight becomes cheap, common, and as routine as air travel today. Where in the solar system would you like to spend a vacation? Climbing Olympus Mons? Strapping on wings and flying in the thick atmosphere of Titan? Cliff diving on Miranda? Through our robotic explorers we can now show you these places and more. Where would you like to go? Audience participation strongly encouraged!

Imagine many, many years from now that alien fashion anthropologists came to Earth and tried to reconstruct human fashion based on terms they read in historical records. With a basic understanding of our language but perhaps limited idiomatic understanding, how would they interpret ‘Single Breasted Jacket’ or ‘Lobster Bustle’? Join us for a funny fashion cavalcade showing the outlandish and preposterous reimagining of eccentric fashion terms.

Alexander James Adams, the fiery Celtic fiddler, has now teamed up with Matthew R.R. Morrese, creator of Canticles, to bring you more than just his songs and stories of the otherworld, but the myths and legends of another world entirely—the Realms of Aegis! Inspiring dreams, wonder, and independent imagination, AJ now composes for the Canticles Arias and Canticles web series! You can find all of his new work at www.canticlesproductions.com; listen to them for free online or subscribe to add them to your library of the faerie tale minstrel! “Now, we’ll walk over a thousand miles / A thousand words are gonna tell our tale / A hundred songs written all the while / Whether we succeed or whether we fail.” – “Heroes of Our Days.”

Jump in, don’t be afraid to take a risk! We’re talkin’ throwing yourself into a new world, and discovering your other side. Selkies, Merfolk, Demigods, Hippocampi, etc. What’s your MERsona like? (Please enter poolside from Concourse 2.)

A small, informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Space is limited. Sign up in Cascade 1.

A small, informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Space is limited. Sign up in Cascade 1.

Patrick S. Tomlinson reads a novel excerpt. Rated PG

Join author Lisa Mantchev for a reading of her book Strictly No Elephants and an interview from our youth pros; and there will be no elephant-related questions or activities from our young audience.

Kangaroo Too, sequel to Waypoint Kangaroo (Thomas Dunne, 2016). A suspicious spacecraft accident sends our favorite superpowered secret agent to the moon hunting for information, but there are more secrets buried there than he suspected. Rated PG.

Deep dive into future kinetic and energy propulsion systems. We’ll focus on the current and expected systems of the near future and extrapolate new science and engineering to support tomorrow’s science fiction. For instance, how to postulate faster than light (FTL), the needed physics and engineering to be consistent with the rules of your world’s tomorrow.

Join our panelists as they discuss historical fantasy and what elements they use in the creation of their own alternative events.

Independent musicians, writers, and artists can all now be their own labels, their own imprints, their own galleries. But in the modern era how do you, a tiny fish, get noticed in the sea of information and other stage-grabbing attention whores like yourself? What if you’re just really bad at that? Some of our independent musicians, writers, and artists talk about being heard on the internet stage.

A dungeon? Of course! Where else are we going to put all the fiendish monsters and devious traps? I don’t have anywhere else to put all these chests and this huge family of mimics that looks like chests, do you? Join the panelists and other audience members in what’s sure to be the creation of one of the most bizarre dungeons of all time. It takes a committee to really make a monstrosity, right?

Fictional characters die, but what if that character is your protagonist? Is killing them a decision that you, as a writer, take lightly? Should you change the outcome for a more positive resolution? Listen to our pros share how they’ve come to terms with their characters’ life-and-death decisions.

Genre fiction—be it television, movies, comics, or books—has seen a tremendous increase in the number of LGBT characters. Is this a natural maturation of the writing process, or a conscious decision in the name of diversity? Our panelists will discuss their own LGBT characters and how these characters came to be included in the narrative.

You’ve all seen badly lit movies and you’ve all heard bad audio in videos. These crucial elements aren’t nearly as hard as you may think, yet they’re the two biggest mistakes beginning filmmakers make. Come learn the basics of lighting and recording clean sound. We’ll share tips, tricks, and horror stories about the times it went wrong. Lights and sound are the single most important steps in filmmaking, so come learn how master it!

MRO has been in orbit around Mars for over 10 years and has returned over 250 terabits of data about its surface and atmosphere. Come hear a former member of the operations team describe the project, its accomplishments, and what’s up next.

From heartbreaking videos of “The Doll Test,” and both young children and adults who feel they can’t be accepted as they are, why is it important that our books, media, games, and cultures are diverse? Why isn’t the status quo good enough? The goal is to empower people of all stripes and diverse experiences, and to show characters and role models that help us all to feel like we can be a part of both that world and fandom.

Did you know milk can be made into plastic? Come to learn how, and make your own small figure or tag from cow’s milk!

A small, informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Space is limited. Sign up in Cascade 1.

A small, informal social gathering for coffee and conversation. Space is limited. Sign up in Cascade 1.

“Dreams as Fragile as Glass.” A story of mothers and daughters, and sea glass, and dreams. Rated PG

You can demonstrate so much about a culture through the clothes that its inhabitants wear. We peer into the different realms and kingdoms of Westeros to review the unique and iconic fashion styles in Game of Thrones to see how different design choices help to define regional identity.

From Ray Bradbury’s Small Assassin (1946) to Children of the Corn and beyond, some tykes just aren’t to be trusted. Join us for an examination of the Bad Seed trope and evil children in horror fiction and film.

Where do you go to find out about unclassified military sources? Tom Clancy was a master of combing through professional journals and publications to build remarkably clear views of the state of the military arts and where they were going. Come learn how to ask the right questions and find accurate answers in a timely manner to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of your stories. This is a ‘101’ level course designed to put you on a solid foundation for your way forward.

The Insectoid race, where drones are mere extensions of the queen. The disembodied brain that unites all people into a single will, united in peace and order. The Gaia mind, bringing all life on the planet into a single organic whole. If we were ever to encounter a hive mind, would communication be possible? Might humanity someday achieve such a state, and would that be a good thing?

The voice-of-the-character is an integral part of the narrative process in any story, but what happens when you try to reproduce the sounds of a dialect or accent phonetically on the page? Do you go all-in with incoherent spelling and apostrophes, or trust in the reader’s imagination to do the heavy lifting?

An introductory workshop to literary analysis using science fiction and fantasy classics, specifically for a young fen and young adult audience.

Learn glass fusing with acclaimed space glass artist Joy Day. Participants will create a small fused glass piece, which will be fired overnight, and available for pick up the following day. Materials fee of $8 will be collected by the instructor. Space is limited to 18 participants: please sign up in Cascade 1.

Frankly, Zombie Apocalypses (Apocalypsi?) have been overdone. Let’s talk about the mega-caldera eruptions, the pole-reversals, the gamma-ray bursters, the coronal-mass ejections, the cosmic impacts. You know, the ones that can REALLY happen.

Come dressed up as your favorite hero, or build a character with some costumes on hand, so that we can go on an adventure together!

Tina Connolly reads flash and YA, probably funny, possibly with marshmallows. Rated PG

Stripping Down to Scars. Preview of the sequel to her werewolf novel Waking Up Naked in Strange Places. Rated PG.

Bring your books and dice and join us for a live recording of The GameMaster’s Manifesto podcast! In this episode Jacob and Troy will be interviewing three of our gaming pros on the topic of GMing with little to no preparation. That’s right, no maps, no pre-built NPCs, no 300 page plot writeups! How is that even possible??!? The mind boggles!

Outlining isn’t everyone’s favorite way of plotting their stories. Some people flat-out hate it. But there are countless ways to plot yourself a course without losing the magic of discovery writing. Learn different methods for creating an outline that can work for you, no matter your writing process.

So you have a great game design, now what? You need a prototype or playable draft. Putting together something that evokes the feel and play of the game, and shows off its strengths, can be hard. But you’re in luck! Our panelists have done this before and can help you figure out how to do it yourself without breaking the bank.

Critique is a valuable tool, but it’s not a skill set we’re usually taught. We’ll discuss good practices for critique, and how to most usefully apply the critiques you receive to improve your work.

Thanks to ebook readers and the internet, writers are just beginning to discover what musicians started figuring out a decade ago: you don’t have to deal with the gatekeepers between you and an audience anymore. What does it take to launch an independent writing or music career? How do you become your own label, or imprint? Talk to some of our writers and musicians who are figuring this out themselves.

There was once a time when you were only watched by your neighbors, your priest, and the seneschal. But with the rise of cities and social and economic dissatisfaction, the Church and the aristocracy began to hire individuals and groups to watch their fellow citizens. These watchers evolved into organized agencies to police crime, coerce, report, and suppress dissidents. How did an informal beginning evolve in a tightly controlled system in the 19th century that monitored everything from personal mail to social clubs?

Decorating leather is one of the oldest fashion embellishments. We’ll show you some of the basic tools and techniques you can use to turn plain ordinary into extraordinary.

Everyone knows spaceflight, especially manned spaceflight, is staggeringly expensive. Why is it so costly? What, if anything, can be done to bring down the cost and who is currently making the most progress in bringing down costs?

Presented annually at Norwescon, with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust, for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Philip K. Dick Trust and the award ceremony is sponsored by Norwescon and the Northwest Science Fiction Society.

Or: I Spend All My Money At Hot Topic. Come by Olympic 1 to listen to tween , teen, and adult panelists who have been there, and discuss the struggles of budgeting for gear when you don’t have a car or job.

Witchka. Witchka is an original, unproduced screenplay which is about a police detective who reconnects with humanity through the love of a younger woman who happens to be a witch. Rated R.

Fair Trade.” A noir fantasy in which a private eye searches for a changeling’s real mother in post-WWII San Francisco. Rated PG

If you plan to enter the masquerade and didn’t attend Thursday night’s meeting, you must come to this or the Saturday meeting (10-11am) to get all the information you need to compete and turn over your music. If you have not already registered online we will have a computer available for you to do so. If you are just curious and have some questions, we will have the answers.

Join our panelists as they create conflict and costs for different, audience-generated characters across diverse fantasy settings. This is a great opportunity to see the kinds of things professionals consider when creating tension for characters.

Diversity is a topic that is often discussed. To facilitate better and deeper discussions, come learn some of the basics. Let’s define things like Intersectionality, Derailing, Tone Arguments, and more. Let’s ask the questions that might feel difficult to ask in more advanced panels.

Has social media changed how we look at pop culture? With Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, and Reddit, information, and the opinions of the screaming hordes, is at our fingertips more quickly than it has been in the past. Is this a good or a bad thing?

Set a cowboy-and-Indian yarn on another planet. Swap the cowboys for space rangers and the indigenes for monstrous aliens—the premise for countless space operas of the pulp era. The metaphor is clear: Native Americans are monstrous. How do you mirror alien societies with their Earthly counterparts without portraying non-Western races and religions as inhuman themselves?

What can artists do to create new and unusual life forms? How does our understanding of human and animal biology help us take the known and twist it to create the unknown? Come meet some artists who excel in making realistic creatures that do not actually exist and make us believe that they could.

Sex is a part of our lives. It’s something that most of us can connect to. When added to a novel or short story, an intimate sex scene can offer a lot of insight into your characters. Does your character hide under the sheets and insist the lights are off? Do they shout wildly as they engage? Do they like an audience? How about if you’re writing a young adult novel and don’t want things so obvious? When do you choose to add more detail and/or fade to black? Come prepared to work your sex scenes! We’ll discuss what kind of sex scene is right for your written work and just how much detail to put into it based on genre and what the author would like to achieve with the scene. Presented by Cascade Writers. Ages 18+. Space is limited and advance sign up is required in Cascade 1.

A new Star Wars movie! Of course we are going to parse and review all of our new favorite characters and what they wore. Love those new elite storm troopers!

Celebrate 40 years of Norwescon with a special anniversary edition of the Stardance! mc300baud returns to spin a mix of dance tracks and convention classics from the 70’s to today, providing a window to our past and a glimpse into the future.

“Bottled Aggression.” Marta will read from “Bottled Aggression,” a story that she co-wrote with Jude-Marie Green (who is another Norwescon panelist.) It is a police procedural set in a near-future world somewhat like our own. Rated R

A reading from an unnamed piece. Rated R

Do you really need to keep your comics in acid free plastic bags with special backings if really all you want to do is pull them out and read them while sipping a soda and eating Cheetos? Do you really need to “wash your hands, then turn the page, then wash your hands…?” We’ll have panelists from both sides of the spectrum.

So you finished your first draft. Now what? Writing a first draft is a huge accomplishment, but it’s also just the beginning. How do you revise it? How do you even know where to start? Learn how to take your messy draft and turn it into a completed, polished manuscript. Panelists will talk about what they do, what hasn’t worked for them, and what might work for you.

Everyone loves geeky movies, TV series, comics, and games these days. Here’s a panel for the curmudgeon in all of us. Listen to pros tell you what they hate about Star Trek, Walking Dead, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and more. No recording allowed.

Join our panelists as they discuss Sci-Fi that isn’t set in space, and the unique benefits and challenges such stories present.

Whether you’re married, available, gay, straight, queer, or all that and more, this workshop is for you. We’ll explore the rules of social engagement between sentient beings and how to break them—the rules, not the sentients. Starting with the terror of “hello,” we’ll dive into taking risks, making mistakes, rejection, and how these are stepping stones to success.

If you want to learn everything you need to know to start your feature screenplay, this panel is for you. You will get taught every step of the screenwriting process—how to choose a genre, build captivating characters, create conflict, and more! This is the first step, and step two is on Saturday. (Please feel free to bring your laptop or notebook and pen; we’ll have paper and pens available as well.)

Come sign up for a game run by our DMs or check out games from our lending library. We have RPGs, computer games, LARPs, card games, board games, and so much more! Need ADA access for a game? Please speak to our staff when you sign up so we can be sure to meet your needs.

Come sign up for a game run by our DMs or check out games from our lending library. We have RPGs, computer games, LARPs, card games, board games, and so much more! Need ADA access for a game? Please speak to our staff when you sign up so we can be sure to meet your needs. 21+ ONLY WITH PHOTO ID, MUST MEET HOTEL DRESS CODE TO BUY DRINKS IN THE BAR.

Bring your projects and join us. Successful costuming means being able to problem solve quickly and efficiently. Not an easy thing to do when you are desperately trying to finish up before you go on stage or you run short of material or you lost a sleeve, etc. Our seasoned costume veterans have been through all these emergencies and more, and are here to troubleshoot your crisis and help get you to completion. Bring your challenges, your hang ups, your creative blocks and we can help get you back on the course of completing your ensemble.

The Gift of Grace. Frog gives a sneak peek at the next book coming out in the Gift of Grace series. Rated PG

You’ve heard stories of strange creatures that are said to be found in Seattle, if you know where to look. The moth woman of the Duwamish River or the witch of Bitter Lake. Some say a succubus lays claim to the men of Pioneer Square and that the fae folk have forged a warrior of flesh and steel to protect the entrance to the Summerland that can be found in Woodland Park. If only you had someone to act as your guide? Fortunately for you, you’re in luck! Lilith van Dyke is your guide to some of the incryptid population of Seattle! Even though you should already know this, never touch a strange incryptid. It could end up disastrous for you, like it did to poor Vivian Page. Come to Intense Fires: Burlesque in the Urban Fantastic on Friday night to discover some of these amazing creatures, and perhaps a heart wrenching story or two, with performances from Bella La Blanc (from Reston, Virginia), Foxy Squires (from New York City), Mercy Stackhouse, Miss Violet DeVille, Taryn Luce, Tawdry Quirks, Whisper De Corvo, and a living legend of burlesque who is no stranger to fandom, Pillow! Intense Fires is included with your membership to the convention and is Friday night in Grand 2 and Grand 3.

What is consensual non-monogamy? Is it polyamory, swinging, polygamy, or relationship anarchy? Why would anyone want more than one partner? What important advice is there for starting out? How do you do you minimize hurt feelings? Can you? How do more conservative family members react to these plural relationships? Should you, shouldn’t you? What are the pros and cons?

In which we explore how a fear of clowns, sharks, and people with mental illness can be created and exacerbated by well-crafted horror. Sometimes these fears even take on a life of their own beyond the author’s influence. What, if any, responsibility does the author bear? Can it be controlled? Should it?

Come celebrate the culmination of Friday Filkfest by filking the night away! This is where you can come sing or play whatever you want, alone or with friends, to the most supportive crowd you will ever run into ever anywhere. Seriously, you have no idea. Bring your instrument, bring your voice, and put some of that participation into participatory culture!

You know the deal. The bridge is out, I guess we’ll have to spend the night. Damn it, Janet! Let’s do the Time Warp again. Join a live cast performing this classic while it plays on our backstage screen. (No toast, rice, or other throwables, please.)