Sunday Schedule

Enjoy an Easter hunt and get some prizes! Divided by age group. Sign up in the youth room.

City of Dancing Gargoyles, a PKD Award Finalist. In the parched, post-apocalyptic Western U.S. of the 22nd century, wolves float, bonfires sing, devils gather to pray, history books bleed, dragons kiss, and gun-toting trees keep their own kind of peace. Two sentient stone gargoyles, known only as “E” and “M,” flee their Southwestern church in search of water. They form an uneasy allieance with climate refugees Dolores Baker and her mother Rose, who’ve escaped the ravaged West Coast in search of a safer home. They hear of a new hope: a mysterious city of dancing gargoyles. In this strange, terrible new world, their arrival at this fabled city could spark the destruction of everything they know. Tara Campbell summons fantastical magic in this kaleidoscopic new speculative climate fiction. Rated PG.

We all love a good tie-in novel to our favorite TV series, game, or movie. But how does a writer get engaged to write such a novel? What are the requirements, how does an author get chosen, and how do you break in?

A place of meditation, discussion, contemplation, and thought for those who have passed since the last Norwescon. Honor those who have passed on with a thought, memory, or a simple prayer. Leave the name of someone you remember.

A long time ago, at another convention, a group of artists met and started discussing art, drawing art, and, well, being artists. They felt that this get together needed a name and so the Waffle Syndicate was born! So come, bring your drawing materials, your ideas, and maybe waffles to mingle and relax with other artists.

Before the Age of Iron was the Age of Bronze. Iron weapons and tools were adopted slowly because iron is more difficult to produce. Good bronze axes could cut hard wood. Another important alloy was brass, often called the poor man’s gold. How were these alloys created, and how were they used?

Explore the nuances of dialogue within the fantasy genre, discussing how to infuse personality into characters and maintain authenticity in fantastical settings. Gain practical tips on finding the right balance between natural speech and the unique elements of your fantasy world.

In much of SF, people blithely go between worlds, environments, and populations with apparent security that there is nothing medical to fear. But one might need a battery of shots, behavioral precautions— “don’t drink the water”—and even a quarantine period before entering another country on this planet. So what would it actually be like, medically and in terms of safety, to visit strange new worlds?

Are you a Jedi, a Sith or a scruffy nerfherder? How do you make an unmistakably Star Wars cosplay without hauling a light saber around all day?

Roleplaying games are more popular than ever. Are you curious about the trend, or are you a veteran adventurer feeling nostalgic about a game you played years ago? Maybe you want to roll some dice but you’re not sure where to start, or you feel shy about joining a group, or a “party” in adventurer speak, without knowing what you’re getting into. Join us for an interactive tabletop roleplaying game encounter! You’ll learn some basic rules and help create a character for one of our panelists to play in a live demo. By the end of this panel, you’ll know how to play a tabletop RPG and be ready to roll some dice. The live demo will use Pathfinder 2 rules, but the basics of character creation, play, and table etiquette are common to D&D and many other systems.

Are you excited about CATAN but missed the cutoff for the World Championship 2025? No worries! Come sharpen your skills and gear up for the 2027 championship at Norwescon 48! Dive into the world of strategy and resource management as you build roads, cities, and towns in our official CATAN event. Bring your best game and compete with fellow enthusiasts for a chance to become the ultimate settler of CATAN. Whether you’re a seasoned player or a newcomer, this event is the perfect opportunity to learn, compete, and have fun.

Artemis is a spaceship bridge simulator where players assume the jobs of captains, helm, science, communication, engineering, and weapons and work together to defeat alien enemies.

Come check out games from our lending libraries. We have RPGs, card games, board games, and more! An official state license or state ID is needed to check out games. This space has tables to play the games you borrow.

Want to set up your own game? Head to our new location in Wing 7 which has space for your RPG, board, or card games. Check one out from Dragonflight’s Lending Library or bring your own.

Come sign up for a game! We have Pathfinder Society, RPGs, card games, and more! After Gaming closes, this area is available for open games.

Come sign up for a game! We have Pathfinder Society, RPGs, card games, and more! After Gaming closes, this area is available for open games. Lakeside Gaming is accessible via the 2nd-floor skybridge.

Vampires of the Paper Flower Consortium – Loyalty Among Vampires. 1683: On the march to Luxembourg, Grenadier Sergeant Charles Onfoy’s unit is captured by vampires. He must escape along with his brothers-in-arms. He does not know how long their bodies can survive the camp; they’re always cold and on the brink of illness. Worse, men disappear due to the vampires’ hunger. Yet, even though she ate the face off one of his men, a vampire calvary officer has found her way into his dreams. Rated PG

“Belonging.” A reading from the author’s upcoming memoir, A Different Drum: A Black, Autistic, Polyamorous, Mentally Ill, Former Fundamentalist Christian/Cult Member and Breast Cancer Survivor WHO JUST WANTS TO FIT IN. Rated PG.

Join our horror movie fantasy draft and select from categories like final girl, big evil, dark secret, weird professor, creepy backstory giver, sexy but ultimately useless protector, unsettling setting, and doomed comedic relief to create the ultimate horror franchise.

Watch a Magic School Bus episode about space and learn more about our solar system.

Come learn about the joys of writing speculative haiku and construct some of your own!

Our panelists will discuss the strengths, weaknesses, and techniques that elevate the first-, second-, or third-person perspective you’ve chosen for your manuscript.

A good writer knows how to torment their characters, but what happens after a character has been tormented? Learn about PTSD, addiction, and more.

Where and how do fanfiction and original writing intersect? Different people have different views on the subject: fanfiction as a distinct art form, as “training wheels” before writing original material, as a separate creative outlet, etc. What are the ways writers approach fanfic?

You have a mission to travel back in time. How would you prepare for different time constraints? Languages would take a long time to learn, as would various weapon skills. What sort of cultural and historical knowledge would be most valuable? What would you carry with you? How would you balance utility with anachronism?

An overview of the salient chapters in his career as a creator.

Have you ever wondered how your stories would sound if they were read by a professional audiobook narrator? Here’s your chance to find out! A trained voice actor will help your stories and their emotions come to life right before your ears and will engage your audience like no other medium. Whether you’re a seasoned author with numerous audiobooks to your name or completely new to the world of audiobooks, come by and listen as your books come to life. To submit a story to be read, email your work to authorlistenerslounge@norwescon.org.

See the award winners and some of the other best short films from this year’s festival. As a bonus, we will be showing the Let’s Make a Movie final film for Norwescon 47.

Come join Brenda Carre for a reading. Rated G.

“Monsters at the Edge of the Universe” is a poem that explores the boundaries of knowledge, consciousness, and self-discovery. It challenges the conventional understanding of the universe, suggesting that beyond the known, there lies a deeper truth. The monsters mentioned are not external threats but reflections of the self’s manifestations of love and truth that reveal themselves when we step beyond fear and preconceived notions. The poem suggests that true discovery comes from embracing the unknown and seeing the world through a lens of love and openness, where the mask of fear of the unknown is shed to reveal the truth within. Rated G.

Dearest readers, it has come to my attention that the most illustrious members of the Intergalactic Ton shall be gathering for what promises to be the most dazzling spectacle of the season: The Celestial Regency Ton Portrait Sitting. This is a costume photo shoot open to anyone dressed in space age Regency wear. The group photo will happen at 12:15 p.m.

Learn some tips and tricks for decorating on a budget, from yard sales and thrift stores to recreating items you see at stores with common items found at home. The amazing things you can do with Sharpies and spray paint!

What do we need to survive in an environment without…Air? Pressure? Gravity? Or with… Toxins? Radiation? In a real or imaginary place outside of Earth’s atmosphere, what do we need to wear to survive, and what might it look like? In telling extraterrestrial stories in visual media and cosplay, what are the key costume elements that say “we’re in space?” We’ll look at examples of real, fictional, and fantastical space suits.

Fantasy isn’t limited to the horror shelf. Discuss works that masterfully blend eerie elements and offer ideas for infusing your own writing with a touch of the creepy.

What do we gain? Vehicles, experience, time spent in zero g or low g, materials for probes or vehicles? Is Artemis a boondoggle or a necessary step?

Not every artist paints on canvas or uses a computer to create art. We’ll talk about less common physical mediums like leather, metal, clay, wood, recycled materials, printmaking, fabric, scratchboard, glass, and so on. Come join us and share what medium you have chosen and bring examples to share.

Query letters are the first step towards finding a literary agent to represent you and your work. Agents can open doors in traditional publishing that might be closed to unrepresented authors. But what IS a query letter? How do you know what’s needed, whom to send it to, when you’re ready to send it, and how to write it? This workshop is a jumping-off point for these common questions. A short introduction will be followed by a workshop/Q&A. Bring your novel details or your query letter, and we’ll work together to sharpen it to submission standards. Note: Due to the workshop leader’s own limitations, non-fiction writers will likely not find this workshop useful. Limit 36

New Rock New Role (New Rock series). Shortly after winning the World Championship of Sword and Sorcery, a retired teacher finds himself in an unknown world, where he becomes his own avatar—for real. To find out what happened, he must survive and locate his teammates: an Orc warrior, an Aussie player’s avatar, and a dual-wielding sword-dancer, an Asian American girl’s avatar. After completing the challenging quest that unfolds, they learn that there is still so much more to do. The adventures continue in the first sequel, New Rock New Realm. Rated G.

A Midnight So Deadly. Maeve and Peri are ‘dreamers,’ creators who record their dreams and publish them to the delight of their fans. When Maeve dreams of the murder of her friend’s abusive ex—and then he’s killed in the real world—her ‘dream’ job becomes terrifying. At the same time, Peri is losing their grip on reality as they search for a woman who keeps appearing in their dreams. To find the answers to their questions, Maeve and Peri will first have to find each other. As their dreams begin to bleed into the real world and the borders between reality and illusion come unstuck, reality itself faces deadly collapse. Rated PG.

Back in the Dark Ages, no one had a PC on their desk, program turnaround was measured in hours if not days, and computer rooms had tape reels and storage units the size of washing machines. Listen to some panelists who were there at the conversion between mainframes and servers. What was it like in the days before Apple was a twinkle in Steve Job’s eye?

Young adult fiction is notorious for helping people learn how to be human, explore identity, and discover themselves. What are some good examples of YA as a second coming of age? What are some not-so-great examples? How does YA explore discovery and identity? This is part of a series of panels that introduce and define YA.

A panel discussing how to write a screenplay. What are the things a screenplay must have? What are the things a screenplay should not have? What are the elements of making visual magic?

Fashion is cyclical. It’s 2525 and Regency is back, baby! How would you adapt the classic silhouettes for the low-gravity dance floor?

People think failing is not getting it right but in art there is no right or wrong, so there is no fail. There is only a different idea. Let’s hear about the happy accidents many of our artist pros have been through.

Take All of Us. “Sharp, surreal prose depicts gory scenes of body horror while quick pacing ferries Leif’s compassionate debut horror novel, a deliciously readable ode to disabled kids fighting for survival.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review. Rated PG.

This is an excerpt from Dissonance Volume I: Reality, a novel that kicks off the author’s hexalogy of sci-fi alien invasion books. This book has been adapted for the screen and is being pitched to major streaming networks. Rated PG.

Discuss creating uniforms with people who wore them. There is more to think about than you might imagine

QI, but with a focus on extraterrestrial topics.

Is there a future? Why would people do a multi-generational colonization? It’s been a theme in science fiction for a long time, but is it really something people are going to want to do?

The First Omen and Immaculate are two recent horror movies that feature a creepy and oppressive Catholic Church forcing women into monstrous pregnancies (hmmm, what do you suppose that’s all about?) But older movies like The Exorcist and the original The Omen often used the church to represent protection from demonic evil. Let’s explore the evolving image of the Christian church in horror fiction, and the different ways religious institutions can be used as antagonists and threats.

A game is governed by its rules or mechanics, whereas the world it takes place in is the setting. How do the game mechanics help bring that setting to life? How do game designers create their mechanics to actively and successfully make the game exemplify the genre? Our panelists discuss.

From a Youth a Fountain Did Flow. Scarlet Singer’s life is anything but ordinary. After a devastating encounter that leaves her family shattered, she is forced into a world where ancient magic, reincarnation, and the fight for survival collide. At the center of this lies a shocking revelation—Scarlet may be the reincarnation of the legendary Fountain of Youth, a power coveted by both witches and demons. With dark forces hunting her at every turn, she must uncover the truth of her past and decide if she will embrace her destiny or let the world perish. Rated PG.

Come send off Norwescon 47’s GOHs with fanfare. We’ve made it through another year and we want to celebrate the good times we’ve had.

The convention is over. Here’s your chance to weigh in on what went well, and what didn’t. Tell us your favorite and least favorite parts of the convention, so we can try to make it better next year. After all, as a member of Norwescon, this is YOUR convention!