Like so much of the world, GeekGirlCon has been functioning on a skeleton crew for the past couple of years. In that time, despite all of tragedy surrounding us in so many different ways, we manageing to put on two whole epic digital events: GeekGirlCONLINE ’20 and GeekGirlCONLINE ’21. The backlog of that digital programming can always be found on our Youtube channel for whenever you’re hankering for some geeky content.
Though we’re unbelievably proud of our team and community for coming through and making in happen safely online, we’re beyond excited to announce that GeekGirlCon will be back and in-person on November 5, 2022 as a one-day event. You heard that right: GeekGirlCon ’22 will be a real-life IN-PERSON, ONE-DAY event on November 5, 2022 in Seattle.
We take protecting our community and staff seriously. To help us gather in-person safely, attendees of GeekGirlCon ’22 will be required to submit proof of vaccination and wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth during the event. To help us protect each other, we highly encourage our community members to further:
Have your badge mailed (instead of picking up in-person the day of)
Leave 6 feet of space between yourself and those outside of your party
Take a rapid test the day of the convention if one is available
Stay home if you feel sick!
We will definitely keep y’all posted as we further work out what meeting in person this year will mean, so please keep an eye here and on our social channels.
GEEKGIRLCON NEEDS YOU!
Lastly, we wanted to point out that we have a bunch of open positions on our year-round staff. The pandemic has been tough on us all, and GeekGirlCon’s staff is much smaller than it has been previous years. We need you to help us make GeekGirlCon ’22 possible! In particular, we’re seeking a Volunteer Manager, Registration Manager, Exhibitor Services Manager, and Cosplay Contest Coordinator. Please email us if you’re interested in those roles or any of the roles listed here.
I’ve never been a huge fan of audiobooks, always preferring the act of reading to that of listening. In fact, up until the last couple of years, audiobooks were relegated to long road trips and flights. However, more recently I have found that while I may not always have as much time as I would like to sit down and read a book, it is still possible to get my fill of books by opting for the hands-free audio version and multi-tasking while walking the dog, cleaning the house, or sitting on the couch trying to crochet a cactus (a pandemic project).
To me, there are three factors to consider when choosing an audiobook. First off, we obviously need a good story. However, not all books that make for good reading make for equally good listening. Non-fiction audiobooks can sometimes be a challenge for me, as I find myself getting burned out on the subject matter halfway through. That said, a good memoir seems to be a safe bet. Similarly, the length of an audiobook is important. In general, I feel that many books could benefit from a solid edit, and this is something that often becomes even more noticeable when a book is read aloud (exhibit A, the 48-hour audio version of the Ulysses S. Grant biography, ‘Grant’). Given my shortened attention span, I prefer books that are in the 15 hours or less range to prevent myself from overcommitting. Lastly, and most importantly, is the narrator. Nothing ruins an audiobook like a narrator who reads too slowly or worse, tries to distinguish characters with terrible and often offensive accents. However, find yourself a book with an engaging narrator, and it’s hard to take the headphones off.
Starting your holiday shopping early this year? Looking for the perfect gift for someone? Look no further than the GeekGirlCONLINE ‘21 Virtual Expo Hall!
The Virtual Expo Hall will open next weekend, November 13, and remain open until the end of the year. The Virtual Expo Hall is full of unique, geeky gifts as far as the virtual eye can see. You can find art, fashion, comics, decor, books, games, housewares, and toys, in addition to gifts from LGBTQ+-owned and POC-owned businesses. If you can’t find what you’re looking for browsing through the different categories, there is also an “All” category where you can see all exhibitors and browse gifts that didn’t fit into a specific category. There is truly something for everyone among the offerings of our 120+ exhibitors.
GeekGirlCONLINE ‘21 WILL BE HERE IN LESS THAN A MONTH! If you haven’t already, mark your calendars for November 13 and 14!
All of our programming this year is free to stream on Twitch. Click through here for FAQs about this year’s event.
In case you haven’t seen already, we’ve recently announced our full programming schedule. We’ve got a packed schedule—from the DNA of strawberries to BIPOC artists in animation, there’s truly something for everyone this year. Read on for full details about each event.
The first time I read A Wrinkle in Time, it was part of a 4th grade reading assignment, where each student had to choose a book that all the other students would then take turns reading. I’ll be honest. A Wrinkle in Time, chosen by the only kid in class who could spell Czechoslovakia (which was both still a country at that time and quite the feat of spelling), fell somewhere between the books Soup on Wheels and Freckle Juice, both of which resonated with my 9-year-old bookish self a bit more than A Wrinkle in Time.
With its more complex character development and themes of love and individuality that seemed beyond my years or at least beyond Soup on Wheels, that initial reading didn’t leave me feeling all that inspired. That said, I fortunately returned to the book just a few short years later and have since read it at least half a dozen times. With each new reading, more of the book’s magic and wisdom is revealed to me, largely through its oh-so-relatable 13-year-old protagonist and my personal geek girl hero, the plucky Meg Murry.
On the weekend of November 13 and 14, we’re bringing you this year’s celebration of all things geeky in the form of GeekGirlCONLINE ‘21. This is a free, digital event streamed on GeekGirlCon’s Twitch channel. Follow and turn on notifications now!
Programming content for this year’s event is being curated by our glorious Programming Team. Some of the sessions will be pre-recorded, but most will be live. We’ll be announcing the schedule in early August, so stay tuned.
Below we’ve answered some FAQs about GeekGirlCONLINE ‘21. If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to geekgirlconline@geekgirlcon.com.
Happy World UFO Day! Today is an opportunity for people to gather together and watch the skies for unidentified flying objects or ‘unidentified aerial phenomena’ as they are now more commonly called. So what is the history of UFOs and the likelihood that these phenomena are actually evidence of extraterrestrial life?
Allegedly there have been sightings of unexplained aerial phenomena since ancient times, although the number and nature of reports have significantly increased since the second world war. The so-called ‘Modern UFO era’ was established with a sighting near Mount Rainier in 1947 that popularised the name ‘flying saucers’ and began an obsession with flying saucers that lasted a decade. The term ‘Unidentified Flying Objects’ was adopted to better describe more common later sightings of different shapes such as cigars and triangles.
Yesterday was World Bicycle Day and therefore an excellent time to celebrate bicycles and cycling. It’s also a perfect time to introduce eRacing – a hobby that has kept me both fit and sane during these strange pandemic times!
There are lots of good reasons to celebrate bicycles. They are a fun way to travel and enjoy the outside but also have big benefits for our health and the environment. For millions across the planet, the bicycle is a vitally important form of transport – their simplicity makes them both affordable and easy to keep working. Bicycles are especially important in rural areas of developing countries enabling healthcare workers to reach their patients, students to safely reach their schools, and businesses to reach their customers or new markets.
When Colorado expanded their COVID vaccine eligibility to include all adults, I was thrilled. I spent hours that first day chasing leads for anywhere that still had appointments available, before a coworker hooked me up with a drive-up vaccination clinic he’d learned about through a FB group created specifically to connect people trying to get the vaccine with clinics and pharmacies that still had doses in stock.
Four weeks later, I was fully vaccinated and eager to start living a slightly safer, slightly freer life. My fiancé and I moved to Denver last summer in the midst of the pandemic, and I couldn’t wait to actually get to know this city I’d been living in for almost a year. And that’s when my mental health started to take a turn.
[Image description: A blue-tone drawing of a cartoon person lying on a bed with their hands together while staring at the ceiling.] Source: Giphy
I didn’t know I could be so excited for New Pokémon Snap to come out until Becca posted about replaying the original Pokémon Snap from 22 years ago. Her post immediately transported me to my childhood TV room, trying to capture all 63 featured Pokémon on film. Would the New Pokémon Snap scratch the nostalgia itch and be worth the full price? Would I still get excited about taking pictures of Pokémon I didn’t know? I found out soon after I started playing—the answer is YES!
Here are three little ways New Pokémon Snap captured my heart, and one way it did not:
