OryCon 44

Attending this event?

OryCon 44

Welcome to the not-quite-ready-for-prime-time schedule for OryCon 44! Seriously - we’re still hard at work on the schedule, but we want to give you an idea of what wonders await you in just a few more weeks. Please check back frequently for changes and additions, and see you in October!

3:00pm PDT

Science and Speculative Fiction

Friday October 18, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT

What role does science play in fantasy and horror (as opposed to "hard" science fiction), particularly in light of genre conventions? To what extent can speculative fiction authors and creators play "fast and loose" with science?

Panelists

Rosiee Thor

Dave Bara

Brenda Clough

Friday October 18, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Washington

FANTASY AND HORROR

4:00pm PDT

Creativity After Tragedy

Friday October 18, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT

How do you tend to your emotional and creative recovery after an illness or tragedy? What types of art exercise as therapy might work for you? It’s said work can be made under any condition, so should you force yourself to create even when you’re unwell?

Moderators

Gibbitt Rhys-Jones

Panelists

Dayle A. Dermatis

Rory Miller

Friday October 18, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Washington

LIVING CREATIVELY

5:00pm PDT

Authentic Historical Fiction

Friday October 18, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT

Need to add an authentic vibe to your historical work? Learn where to start your research, what to give attention to, and how to incorporate those little details of daily life that will make your story shine with a magical touch of reality.

Moderators

Frog Jones

Panelists

Victoria Price

John M Lovett

Kate Ristau

Dayle A. Dermatis

Friday October 18, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Washington

CRAFT OF WRITING

7:00pm PDT

Collecting or Hoarding?

Friday October 18, 2024 7:00pm - 7:50pm PDT

Most fans collect some things. Some fans collect all the things. What's actually worth collecting, and how does one store those items? When does a collection become a hoard?

Moderators

Dave Howell

Panelists

K.G. Anderson

Alan Olsen

Tom Whitmore

Friday October 18, 2024 7:00pm - 7:50pm PDT
Washington

FANDOM

8:00pm PDT

How To Recognize a Scam Before You Get Caught.

Friday October 18, 2024 8:00pm - 8:50pm PDT

Scammers. They infest the Internet nowadays. Phishing emails, catfishers on dating sites, fake profiles trying to friend us on social media, and so on, these bad actors have become more and more clever as time goes on. We will discuss how to identify the more common scams and how to avoid getting caught in them.

Moderators

Gibbitt Rhys-Jones

Panelists

Mark Niemann-Ross

M

Marla

Seanara Coyote

Friday October 18, 2024 8:00pm - 8:50pm PDT
Washington

GENERAL INTEREST

9:00am PDT

Morning Humor Readings

Saturday October 19, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT

Start the day off right with a burst of laughter!

Moderators

Manny Frishberg

Panelists

Erik Grove

K.G. Anderson

Saturday October 19, 2024 9:00am - 9:50am PDT
Washington

GENERAL INTEREST

10:00am PDT

Endeavour Award

Saturday October 19, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT

Since 1999, The Endeavour Award has recognized fantasy and science fiction novels or short story collections published by pacific northwest authors. Come learn about the history and future of the award.

Moderators

Jim Kling

Panelists

Ken Scholes

Kat Richardson

Erica L. Satifka

Saturday October 19, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Washington

GENERAL INTEREST

11:00am PDT

Join the Resistance

Saturday October 19, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT

Speculative fiction protagonists often fight against corrupt regimes, criminal organizations, or systemic injustice. What makes these stories so appealing? How do these struggles give us a lens into current politics?

Moderators

Erik Grove

Panelists

Neil Cochrane

Anthony Pryor

Robert B McMonigal

Saturday October 19, 2024 11:00am - 11:50am PDT
Washington

FANTASY AND HORROR

12:00pm PDT

Defeating the Query Letter

Saturday October 19, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm PDT

You gave a 300 word pitch to encourage an agent or editor to take a chance on your book. What's the reality of how they read it? Learn the common mistakes, the unspoken expectations, how to make your letter shine, and whether to rewrite it for a targeted editor.

Moderators

Manny Frishberg

Panelists

Mark Niemann-Ross

Kate Ristau

Wendy N. Wagner

Saturday October 19, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm PDT
Washington

CRAFT OF WRITING

1:00pm PDT

The Many Worlds of Lois McMaster Bujold

Saturday October 19, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT

Space opera, alternate worlds, historic fantasy: Lois McMaster Bujold has written 18 novels in the Vorkosigan universe and 14 novels and novellas in the World of the Five Gods, as well as The Sharing Knife tetralogy. What\'s your favorite Bujold? Where would you steer a new reader?

Moderators

Admiral Wordsmith

Panelists

Debra Stansbury

Arlin Robins

Dave Howell

Saturday October 19, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Washington

FANDOM

2:00pm PDT

Star Trek!!!

Saturday October 19, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT

Trekkies unite! Come talk about all things Trek! Lower Decks! Strange New Worlds! All the Treks!

Moderators

John C. Bunnell

Panelists

Corvas Ta

Jennifer Willis

Saturday October 19, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Washington

FANDOM

3:00pm PDT

Tiny Cons

Saturday October 19, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT

Have you ever wanted to just hang out for a weekend with your favorite niche fandom friends? The panel can show you the pros, cons, glories and pitfalls of running a tiny convention

Moderators

Gibbitt Rhys-Jones

Panelists

Dave Howell

Clayton Callahan

Saturday October 19, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Washington

FANDOM

4:00pm PDT

Space Opera - What is it?

Saturday October 19, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT

What's the difference between hard science, space opera and space fantasy? Does it matter? There are many different opinions about this; what's yours?

Moderators

Rhiannon Held/R. Z. Held

Panelists

Clayton Callahan

J.S. Fields

Dave Bara

Saturday October 19, 2024 4:00pm - 4:50pm PDT
Washington

SCIENCE FICTION

5:00pm PDT

Who Wants To Live Forever?

Saturday October 19, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT

Heinlein's character Lazarus Long, aka Woodrow Wilson Smith, lived for over two thousand years. Would you like to live forever? Or at least a very long time? What would that entail? Pros, cons, and other elements to consider.

Moderators

Erica L. Satifka

Panelists

Robert B McMonigal

Christian Lipski

Dave Howell

Saturday October 19, 2024 5:00pm - 5:50pm PDT
Washington

GENERAL INTEREST

6:00pm PDT

It's All in the Details

Saturday October 19, 2024 6:00pm - 6:50pm PDT

Or is it? Do I really need to create an entire language for those aliens? Are complete schematics for that space vehicle necessary? Should I describe each plant in the garden? When so details get in the way of the story?

Moderators

Maquel A. Jacob

Panelists

Bart Kemper

Rosiee Thor

Rhiannon Held/R. Z. Held

Remy Nakamura

Saturday October 19, 2024 6:00pm - 6:50pm PDT
Washington

SCIENCE FICTION

7:00pm PDT

The Haunting

Saturday October 19, 2024 7:00pm - 7:50pm PDT

What places have you been that are spooky/haunted enough for a horror film/novel? What scared you about those places? Now's the time tell your real life ghost stories!

Panelists

K.G. Anderson

Robert B McMonigal

Janet Borkowski

Saturday October 19, 2024 7:00pm - 7:50pm PDT
Washington

FANTASY AND HORROR

10:00am PDT

Just when you think you know who the bad guys are...

Sunday October 20, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT

Pulling the rug out from under the reader.

Moderators

K.G. Anderson

Panelists

Wendy N. Wagner

Tom Whitmore

Anthony Pryor

Sunday October 20, 2024 10:00am - 10:50am PDT
Washington

FANTASY AND HORROR

12:00pm PDT

Disaster Preparation

Sunday October 20, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm PDT

Nature often throws us curve balls: pandemics, earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis, volcano eruptions, and so forth. What can we do to prepare for disasters?

Moderators

Clayton Mann

Panelists

George Willis

EM Prazeman

Hugh S. Gregory

Sunday October 20, 2024 12:00pm - 12:50pm PDT
Washington

GENERAL INTEREST

1:00pm PDT

Fandom Through The Ages

Sunday October 20, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT

What was it like when fandom was new? Think about it, no internet, Xeroxed fanzines, shoestring budgets at best, and only a LOVE of SF to carry you through. Welcome to science fiction fandom circa 1970 to 1990

Moderators

Tom Whitmore

Panelists

W

Wolfcat

Dave Howell

Mark Niemann-Ross

L. Pierce Ludke

Sunday October 20, 2024 1:00pm - 1:50pm PDT
Washington

FANDOM

2:00pm PDT

Fan Groups & Why to Join

Sunday October 20, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT

What is a fan group? What are the benefits of joining one? Or if I don't find a fan group, how do I create my own?

Moderators

Julie Zetterberg

Panelists

Tom Whitmore

Alan Olsen

Sunday October 20, 2024 2:00pm - 2:50pm PDT
Washington

FANDOM

3:00pm PDT

Devils in the Details

Sunday October 20, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT

How much description is too much? How do you include worldbuilding, clues, sensory information, and other important context without dumping, As-You-Know-Bobbing, or going on elliptical journeys to the Outer Limits of Reader/audience patience? Attend and find out!

Panelists

Rosiee Thor

Dayle A. Dermatis

John M Lovett

Emily Suvada

Katherine Quevedo

Sunday October 20, 2024 3:00pm - 3:50pm PDT
Washington

CRAFT OF WRITING