Photograph of a group sitting at table working; notebooks and laptops are spread out everywhere. Productive! Image via Pexels.
Hey all!
Leading up to November, we’d like to feature some new perspectives on the blog about what it’s like to be at GeekGirlCon. If you’re interested in submitting a guest post, here’s a non-exhaustive list of ideas to get you thinking:
What’s it like to attend GeekGirlCon with kids? Parents? Grandparents? Friends who aren’t themselves geeks?
What’s it like when your geeky interests are pretty niche?
What’s it like as an introvert? Someone with anxiety? Sensory sensitivity?
What do you wish more people knew about the con?
Best ways to make new GeekGirlCon friends and stay in touch?
How do you prepare for the weekend?
What are the best tips and tricks for staying hydrated and full of snacks?
What’s your typical con-going itinerary? Mostly panels? Mostly Expo Hall? Do you usually get enough sleep?
Favorite programming or Featured Contributors to date?
If you’re interested in being featured, please submit your piece (approx. 500 to 1,000 words) to blog@geekgirlcon.com with the subject line Con Weekend Pitch.
The U.S. women’s national soccer team won this summer’s World Cup in truly phenomenal fashion. The unbeatable crew started out the competition with a stunning performance against Thailand, winning the match with a final score of 13-0.
But many people shied from lauding the team for their monumental defeat, one that secured their place in the next round of the tournament. Instead, they focused on calling their celebrations and goals boastful and braggadocios. It was rude, they said, to keep scoring when the win was all but guaranteed.
Such damaging coverage followed the team throughout the tournament, especially co-captain Megan Rapinoe. Many people suggested she remain humble instead of showing pride in herself and her team. She played a huge role in winning the World Cup, but people still thought she should default to demure.
Why did people conjure such opinions of some of our country’s first-class athletes and now-World Cup champions? Much of it has to do with the way the media portrays and covers women in sports and women in general.
As Programming hammers out the final details of the con-weekend schedule, we’ve been taking some time to get to know this year’s Featured Contributors. I was lucky enough to chat with Johnnie Jae, who you may know as the founder of A Tribe Called Geek. I learned about everything from where she’s from to the depth of her love for Star Wars. Keep reading to get even more stoked for the con than you already are.
Yes, yes we do! Description: A young man wearing a microphone headset and a sweatshirt featuring a cat asks “We’re gonnavdo some cool stuff. Want to be in? Image courtesy of Giphy
For those of you who love to play all kinds of games when attending a Con, I have some great news for you! This year the game floor at GeekGirlCon will be expanding! We will be featuring both video games and tabletop games on the third floor of the convention center.
Who We Are Vaguely and in Terms Only of the Media We Seek Out Most Often:
Teal (roman type!) Literally any teen TV show, YA, women’s and feminist media, everything Star Trek
Hanna (italics, baby!) Reality TV, memoirs, romance novels, anything British, any podcast ever
Welcome to Geek Girl Talk, a (biased, subjective, opinionated) conversation about the pop culture we’re currently loving, hating, and obsessing over. This month, we’re talking about Charmed, the CW reboot of the late-90s to early 2000s original. Charmed comes back for its second season on October 11, and we need to chat about everything Maggie, Mel, and Macy in preparation!
Spoiler disclaimer: We do get into some spoilers below! If you haven’t watched season one of Charmed/don’t want to be spoiled, then what are you waiting for? Watch the whole season in one sitting (totally doable) and then come back and talk to us about it!
If you haven’t applied to become an Agent (GeekGirlCon speak for “convention volunteer”) at GeekGirlCon ’19 yet, now is the time!
The deadline to submit your application is coming up in just 3 days, on this Sunday, September 8 at 10pm PST.
Here Are The Details:
Date: GeekGirlCon ’19 will be held November 16th and 17th
Location: Washington State Conference Center, located at 8th and Pike in downtown Seattle (across the street from the Convention Center)
Commitment: By applying, you commit to being available to work at least 2 shifts (4-5 hours each)
Age Requirement: You must be at least 16 years of age to be an Agent
Here’s Why You Should Apply:
Join an incredible team of fellow geeks
Receive a free pass to the Con
Gain access to our Agent Headquarters
Get a behind the scenes look at how we put on such an amazing convention
Volunteering as an Agent is a wonderful opportunity to level up your commitment to GeekGirlCon. So don’t wait, apply now!
Image Description: A gif of singers, actors, and sisters, Chloe and Halle Bailey, pointing and mouthing the words “You Got This,” which are also written on the screen. The background is a pink and blue pastel gradient.
I don’t know about you, but one of my absolute favorite things about GeekGirlCon is seeing the amazing feats of our cosplayers. Each year, I look forward to seeing everyone’s craftsmanship and artistry—it’s truly amazing to see what you’ve spent hours stitching, building.
If you are a cosplayer and attending GeekGirlCon ‘19 this November, we want to see your best work. Join us on the mainstage for our Cosplay Contest and our Kids’ Cosplay Celebration!
You can submit your entry online right now! Whether you’ve been hard at work preparing your costume or are eager to get started, we want to see you strut your stuff.
Calling all cosplayers (and aspiring cosplayers)! If you’re 13+ years old, submit your application now. Please note that all minors will need to be accompanied by an adult during the contest.
For our mini-geeks, join us for the Kids’ Cosplay Celebration! To join in on the fun, you must be at least 3 years old and no older than 13, and your application needs to be filled out by a parent or legal guardian. All Kids’ Cosplay Celebration contestants must also be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian during the event and must be able to cross the stage by themselves (while our tiniest cosplayers are adorable, no babes in arms). Please note that participation in the Kid’s Cosplay Celebration is not guaranteed.
Prizes will be awarded for achievements in craftsmanship and stage presence by a panel of judges who will be announced at a later time!
Have a question? No problem! Reach out to tk@geekgirlcon.com with any questions or inquires about your submission.
We will be accepting submissions from now until November 8.
A photography of director Quentin Tarantino standing next to actress Margot Robbie. They are standing on the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival. Photograph via Wikimedia, by Joan Hernandez Mir.
Content warning: this post includes conversations about sexual assault and violence. While not explicit, it may not be suitable for all readers.This piece also contains spoilers for the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Director Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to controversy, as he has been writing and directing violent, R-rated films since the early 1990s. His second feature film, Pulp Fiction, made Tarantino a household name. The film was a critical and commercial success, received the coveted Palme d’Or at Cannes that year, and earned Tarantino his first Oscar for screenwriting.
But Pulp Fiction wasn’t (and isn’t, to this day) a film for everyone — and the same sentiment rings true for the director’s ninth feature film. Twenty-five years after the release of his most famous & known piece, Tarantino is making headlines yet again, especially when it comes to violence and misogyny in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, released in U.S. theaters July 26 after premiering at Cannes in May.
It’s nearly fall, everyone, and change is in the air!Pencils are being sharpened, binders are filled with crisp college-ruled paper, Butterbeer recipes are being bookmarked (just me?), and here at GeekGirlCon our regular feature Geek About Town is getting an upgrade.
Instead of our traditional blog format, we’re moving to a more streamlined calendar!
TFW you’re about to add some awesome events to your fall schedule. (Image Description: A gif of a person doing a shimmy dance while holding two Starbucks drinks. They have dark hair and are wearing a red top. They are standing in front of a dark orange background.)
What this means:
More geeky local events; more often. (With the added bonus of less scrolling through long posts to find the events you’re most interested in!)
Every quarter or so, we’ll post an update to give you a peek at the can’t-miss events coming up on the Geek About Town calendar. In the meantime, check out the calendar for all the most exciting upcoming events!
What the calendar looks like:
Image Description: A screenshot of the Geek About Town calendar for August 2019.Image Description: A screenshot of the Geek About Town calendar for September 2019.Image Description: A screenshot of the Geek About Town calendar for October 2019.
Gearing up for PAX West this weekend? So are we! Here are a couple of ways to add some GeekGirlCon to your PAX plans:
The GeekGirlCon Booth
This will be the SIXTH year GeekGirlCon has had a booth in the PAX Diversity Lounge. We’ll be there all weekend long, so plan some time to stop by and get your DISCOUNTED passes, shop our merch, or just say hi! Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the Diversity Lounge is a laid-back, inclusive space where you can discover a ton of nonprofits that support underrepresented areas of geekdom.
The Golden Ticket
Yep, we’re bringing back the Golden Ticket scavenger hunt for its third year! You could win fabulous prizes by finding one of our Golden-Ticket-holding GeekGirlCon staffers. Keep an eye on our Twitter each day of PAX for hints on who to look for when and where. Once you find a staffer and get your ticket, take it to our booth in the Diversity Lounge to claim your prize!
Description: The 11th Doctor from Doctor Who jumping up and down holding a golden ticket and saying “Golden ticket! Spacey zoomer! Free ice cream!” Source: Giphy.
