Panel descriptions

Building Queer Character Arcs: Fashioning Authentic LGBTQ+ Protagonists, Antagonists and Storylines

Saturday PT 8:00am / MT 9:00am / CT 10:00am / ET 11:00am

With Olivia Helling, Valerie Mikles, and Chloe Spencer

Description: How do you create authentic queer characters, build tension between them, and structure a compelling story arc? Our authors share their own tips and tricks for aspiring and new authors.

Religion/Queer Intersectionality in Spec Fic

Saturday PT 10:00am / MT 11:00am / CT 12:00pm / ET 1:00pm

With Harry F Rey, Lynn Lorenz, Olivia Helling, and Rory niCoileain

Description: Religion and the queer community have long been at odds, though that has changed slowly over time. How do religion and queerness play off one another in speculative fiction? Our panel will discuss the intersectionality between the two, and their favorite examples.

Ace/Aro Characters in Spec Fic

Saturday PT 3:00pm / MT 4:00pm / CT 5:00pm / ET 6:00pm

With Antonia Aquilante, Nicole Dennis, Rory niCoileain, and Ellis Kincaide

Description: Another “up and coming kind of protagonist is the asexual and/or aromantic character. We’re seeing more and more of these as this slice of the community gains recognition. The panel will discuss where we still need to work on this, and share some of their favorite books with ace and aro characters.

What Makes Queer Spec Fic Queer (Hint: It Ain’t the Sex)

Saturday PT 5:00pm / MT 6:00pm / CT 7:00pm / ET 8:00pm

With Elle E Ire, J Scott Coatsworth, and Chloe Spencer

Description: There’s more to a queer spec fic story than a romance or coming out story. Who else gets to use the LGBTQ tag on their book? Is an incidental queer character enough or do you expect more from a story that touts itself as queer spec fic? Our panel will discuss what makes a spec fic title queer and share some of their favorite examples.

What Could Go Right: Hopeful Queer Fiction for Dark Times

Saturday PT 6:00pm / MT 7:00pm / CT 8:00pm / ET 9:00pm

With Belinda McBride, OE Tearmann, Alex Washoe, and Cody Sisco

Description: Tired of dystopic futures filled with intolerance and bigotry? Let’s talk about what tropes we’re tired of seeing, and what we want to go right in the worlds. We’ll also talk about some of their favorite works of queer spec fic that offer a hopeful take on our collective future.

How Does Our Queer Past Influence the Queer Sci Fi Future?

Sunday PT 8:00am / MT 9:00am / CT 10:00am / ET 11:00am

With Trevor Barton, RR (Bob) Angell, Catherine Lundoff, and Michael G Williams

Description: The queer community has historically suffered oppression and discrimination, and still does in many places. When writing about the future, how do we honor that past without recreating it? Let’s talk about what the queer future might look, and how it can honor our past.

Outlaws and Adversaries

Sunday PT 10:00am / MT 11:00am / CT 12:00pm / ET 1:00pm

With Angel Martinez, Kim Fielding, KL Noone, and Vance Bastian

Description: Do you love Robin Hood and his fight with the Sheriff of Nottingham? How about Batman and the Joker? For this panel, we’ll take a look at the queering of outlaws and their adversaries – favorite works and why this dynamic is so relevant to queer spec fic.

The Gender Spectrum: Going Beyond CisBinary in Spec Fic

Sunday PT 3:00pm / MT 4:00pm / CT 5:00pm / ET 6:00pm

With José Pablo Iriarte, Valerie Mikles, Alex Washoe, and KS Murphy

Description: Queer spec fic isn’t a binary choice. We’re seeing more and more transgender, gender fluid, gender queer and non binary characters every year. The panel will share some of their favorite examples, and look at where the future may take us.

Queer BIPOC Representation in Spec Fic

Sunday PT 5:00pm / MT 6:00pm / CT 7:00pm / ET 8:00pm

With José Pablo Iriarte, Ryane Chatman, Arshad Ahsanuddin, and Nikki Woolfolk

Description: The myth that speculative fiction must be white centered to be successful has been demolished several times over. Non-Eurocentric world building and characters in our stories are the intersectional diversity that so many queer readers crave. Our panelists will discuss their favorite authors and characters of color, and talk about how and how not to include BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and Other People of Color) characters in speculative fiction.

Jumping Into the Mainstream: How Queer Authors Are Breaking Into “Mainstream” Spec Fic

Sunday PT 6:00pm / MT 7:00pm / CT 8:00pm / ET 9:00pm

With Elle E Ire, J Scott Coatsworth, Kim Fielding, and Heather O’Malley

Description: Queer authors have long found a home in smaller presses, in queer romance and other places that have become a safe haven for our work. But many of us want more. How do you move from being a big fish in a small pond to swimming with the whales? Our panel offers their suggestions.