OUTLANTACON!

It'll be a while before we have our panels schedule worked out for 2010. for now, please take a look back at what we held in May 2009. This'll give you an idea of the direction our programming will go in 2010:

May 1 - 3, 2009

FRIDAY:

6:00 "…and Friends": The role of straight allies in GLBT (Main) — An informal discussion about the importance of straight allies to the queer community. (Ed deGruy, Kiernan Kelly)

7:00 Media for Book Lovers & Books for Media Lovers (Main) — You know the ones...the people who only read books and look down on television and film, or the ones who only watch their sci-fi but can't be bothered to pick up a book. This will be an open and informal discussion of books that we and the audience feel would make any media-fan happy, and films and telly that are literate enough to please any book lover. (JM McDermott, Andy Mangels)

10:00 In the End: Greased Love Poles, Brown Winker Stinkers, and Other Mood-killer Metaphors in Fiction (Panel Room) — Authors will foster an open discussion of the use of metaphors in erotic fiction, ranging from useful and sensuous synonyms to the downright laughable ones that spell doom for the bedroom mood. Audience participation will be encouraged. (Keirnan Kelly, Kayelle Allen)

SATURDAY:

10:00 No Laughing Matter: Writing Humor in Gay Romance (Main) — A frank discussion of humor, its place in romantic fiction, and how humor humanizes the characters. (Keirnan Kelly, Kayelle Allen, Eugie Foster)

11:00 "Make it So": the Star Trek Phenomenon (Main) — With the launch of a new movie one week away, the Star Trek universe is set to resume its place of former glory as the preeminent science fiction franchise. We'll take a look at the history of Trek and the social and cultural contributions it has made, and why this show is so important to so many people. (Andy Mangels, Ed deGruy, Alan Siler)

11:00 Examining Horror and the Occult (Panel Room) — Horror speaks to a very primal part of the human nature. Why do we enjoy getting scared for pleasure? And what role does the Occult play in this fear? We'll discuss the topic from all angles. (Joseph Carriker Jr, Tucky Williams, Joe Castro)

12:00 Gay SF Communities on the Web (Main) — We'll take a look at some of the best online resources and communities to be found and what unique services each provides, such as Fan Boys of the Universe, DoorQ and others. (Chris Hensley, Alan Siler)

12:00 Sexuality in Gaming and Storytelling (Panel Room) — If it's not porn, does sexuality have a place in a story of some kind? White Wolf's Jeo Carriker Jr. believes it does, as it helps define the outlook that characters have on the world, and how they interact with it, among other things. Will also include a look at how various games/game lines look at sexuality and the like. (Joseph Carriker Jr.)

1:00 Writing GLBT Characters for Animation (Main) — Turner Broadcasting's Jai Husband will talk about his involvement in animation and the challenge of bringing queer characters to life in that setting. He'll talk especially about his current and past projects with RuPaul.

2:00 Out in Games: Virtual Meets Alternative (Main) — Members of the Georgia Game Developers Association will discuss the involvement of queer players in the world of gaming. Topics will include being a gay gamer, the life of a gay game developer, homophobia in the online game community, and gameophobia in the queer community (yes, amazingly this exists and makes it tough to find a compatible date sometimes!)

3:00 Literature as Activism — Reading is a great escape, but it can certainly do more than entertain. We'll discuss works and authors who attempt more with pen-to-page and how books can literally change lives. (JM McDermott, Eugie Foster, Andy Mangels)

3:00 The Pink TARDIS: Queer Themes in the Doctor Who Universe — Over the last five years, under the direction of Russell T. Davies, there has certainly been no lack of queer-positive content in Doctor Who and Torchwood. And Sarah Jane herself is quite the gay icon. But there are traces of it in the Classic Series as well. We'll talk about why the show has always had such a strong GLBT audience even before RTD (or even JNT) was driving the car. (Alan Siler)

4:00 White Wolf Games Q&A — Find out all the latest goings-on at White Wolf! Game Developer Joseph Carriker Jr. will be onhand to field your questions about the company and its games, and what's coming down the pike from the innovative gaming company.

5:00 Andy Mangels—Media Whore: Writing for Trek, Comics, and DVDs — Andy Mangels will talk about his career as one of the most successful authors of Star Trek tie-in novels, how he shapes the world and develops characters, as well as his career in comics and DVD production.

9:00 I Can’t Believe It’s Yaoi! Homoerotic Images and Stories in Anime and Manga — Come visit the seedier side of America's favourite Japanese imports! Share your favourites and find new ones.

SUNDAY:

10:00 Out in Comcs (Main) — Find out the latest trends in the comics world, and what companies are best (and worst) at including queer content. (Andy Mangels, Scott Tatum)

11:00 Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My: Writing Non-Human Characters in Fiction (Main) — Authors discuss creating non-human characters; going beyond the stereotypical werewolf and vampires popular in today's fiction, and making non-human characters believable. (Kayelle Allen, Kiernan Kelly)

12:00 Polyamory in SF Television and Literature (Main) — Still one of the taboos that causes people—straight and gay alike—the most trouble, we'll explore depictions of polyamorous relationships in SF. (Andy Mangels, Alan Siler)