Image description: Jo sitting, looking up to where a tan ferret is perched on her head, licking its lips. Source: Jo Lau
In this edition of Hey, Staffer, I’m taking the reigns from Jo (JC) and interviewing her for a change. I have been honored to work for the past year under Jo as a GeekGirlCon Copywriter to her Manager of Editorial Services. Jo has recently transitioned into a new role here at GGC–read on to learn about her new position, her “drunk toddler-puppy hybrid” pets, and plenty more!
Who are you and what do you do at GeekGirlCon?
Hi! I’m Jo, or JC Lau. I’m GeekGirlCon’s Campaign Project Manager! My job is to make sure that our various campaigns are coordinated and that all the different teams that touch them are aligned on how we want to show the world our best side. It involves taking marketing requests from other departments, parsing out the requisite tasks for each marketing team, and then making sure it all gets done. It’s a lot of herding cats, but the cats are lovely and want to make things work out.
Trigger warning for content discussing rape and sexual assault, murder, violence, male violence against women, and guns. Movie spoilers included.
Revenge movies. They can go one of two ways — brilliant or bomb. The 2017 French film Revenge is a revenge thriller following a young woman who is raped and unceremoniously pushed off a cliff, left for dead in the dry desert heat.
Or so we think. Give the girl a gun and let her work the rest out.
The formula for a revenge movie is simple but it straddles an interesting line. In this case, you may ask yourself if it’s right or wrong to feel satisfied when she eventually turns the tables on the guys. After all, does violence not beget violence? But this is a must-see as far as the revenge formula goes, because it does something quite different at a critical time in our political and cultural conversation.
The leading female character, Jen, is an American socialite who is secretly dating French millionaire, Richard. They fly off to his secluded desert villa to share a weekend before his hunting trip with his friends, Dimitri and Stan. The boys arrive early though, to Richard’s distaste, but they all drink and dance the night away.
Can you believe that it’s already June, lovely blog readers?! The sun is shining, summer is officially in the air, and we’re on the hunt for geekiest, most awesome events the Seattle area has to offer. For my fellow queer geeks, June is an especially important time for celebrating pride all month long throughout our wonderful city and beyond! Movies, trivia, parades, meetups, and more abound in the coming month, so take a look at what’s coming up and mark your calendars!
Image Description: A gif of a group of people walking in the street during a pride parade. Source: Giphy
Upstream Music Fest + Summit is a three day music fest where attendees can discover a diverse lineup of acclaimed national and international artists performing alongside 200+ rising stars from the Northwest and beyond. Our open campus in the heart of Seattle’s historic arts and entertainment neighborhood allows for serendipitous moments for fans and musicians alike, and our variety of ticket options means you can curate your perfect weekend of music.
Comics Dungeon 319 NE 45th St, Seattle, Washington 98105
Hey Seattle area friends! Our first Friday pop swap continues! Come meet up with other fanatics and bring your Funko pops you’d like to swap*! Attend the event to get 20% off on all Funko items in the store. *Please note: It is prohibited to sell your own pops in the store, trading only please.
Enjoy an evening of unlimited tastes from some of Washington’s finest wineries while learning the science behind the vines.
Image Description: A gif of the character Olivia Pope from the TV series “Scandal” pouring herself a glass of wine while her friend looks on in disapproval. Source: Giphy
Friday Afternoon 4228 Stone Way N, Seattle, Washington 98103
We are planning a super fun, everyone-friendly Sailor Moon Cosplay Tea! The theme for this event is set, but we will be hosting a number of Cosplay Teas with varying themes in future. You’ll have lots of chances to bust out those cosplays you work so hard to perfect and sip tea with friends! This is a free event to attend and we will be sampling out exclusive teas for you to try and purchase as you like. We also plan to have a photo booth setup for you to strike a pose with your fellow scouts!
MUSEUM OF HISTORY & INDUSTRY (MOHAI) 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Celebrate Pride Month at MOHAI! On this Free First Thursday, MOHAI offers a special welcome to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) families. Make crafts and cozy up in our reading corner for storytime with LGBTQ-themed books. Enjoy screenings of local queer films with Three Dollar Bill Cinema and live performances by Youth Speaks poets, plus connect with community groups and resources. On the first Thursday of each month, general admission to MOHAI’s permanent exhibits is free all day long! Free admission includes: True Northwest: The Seattle Journey and the Bezos Center for Innovation. Seattle on the Spot: The Photographs of Al Smith exhibit price: $8 adults; $6 student/senior/military.
So, you’re a traveller, eh? Join us for The Ultimate Travel Trivia! Share your knowledge and win fun prizes while engaging and learning about how to travel more sustainably in Seattle and beyond! A great opportunity to connect and meet like-minded people!
The 2018 Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show takes place June 8th-10th at the Tacoma Convention Center in Washington State! The show features: -Over 400 pinball and arcade machines on free play! -Guest speakers from the pinball and arcade industry! -Seminars on collecting, playing and fixing games! -Kid’s Zone with games specifically geared towards younger aged children! -5 pinball tournaments, compete for national rankings, money, prizes and pride! -Play the latest pinball and arcade games on the market, we also usually debut a few new games before you’ve seen them anywhere else! -Play homebrewed pinball and arcade games, neat one of a kind games people have built and bring out for you to check out and play! -Win your own game! Along with merch and lots of daily prizes, each day of the show you can win your own full-sized pinball or arcade game! -Cosplay and costumes, arcade tournaments, beer and food onsite, and much more! This is our 11th annual show, find out why so many people consider this one of the best shows in the world. Over 100 volunteers help put on this yearly non-profit show. The profits go towards education and charity, this year we will be giving away 3 college scholarships, stay tuned for details.
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
Volunteer Park 1247 15th Ave E, Seattle, Washington 98102
Join us for the annual Volunteer Park Pride Festival (formerly known as the Pride Family Picnic) on Saturday, June 9th, 2018 from 12noon-7pm! The Volunteer Park Pride Festival is a chance for family and friends to come together in one of Seattle’s iconic parks and celebrate our amazing LGBTQ community. As in years past, the event will be FREE and ALL-AGES, and there will be LIVE MUSIC, BEER GARDEN, FOOD TRUCKS, CRAFT BOOTHS, AND MORE! 2018 VOLUNTEER PARK PRIDE FEST MUSICAL LINE-UP: Desi Valentine *Special Surprise Guest* – To be announced SOON! DoNormaal Little Bandit Fruit Juice Betsy Olson DJ Toya B Now, more than ever, it’s important to have conversations about the impact of the new administration to the LGBTQ community, so we’re inviting community leaders, partners, and organizers to speak throughout the event. We’ll also have non-profit organizations from our community and Seattle Pride Sponsors who make this and the Seattle Pride Parade possible.
Seward Park Audubon Center 5902 Lake Washington Blvd S, Seattle, Washington 98118
Join us at the 19th Annual Furry 5K for the Seattle Animal Shelter. When you register please join team Giving Paws Project. We will all meet prior to the start time for Walking at 11:40a. If your not able to join us for the walk but still want to donate please visit www.furry5k.com to Day Nate online. This year there is also a donation drive of items needed for the Vet side of the Shelter. I will post an update with the Wish List and will collect any items prior to event if cannot attend. This event is always fun and it raises money for our Seattle Animal Shelter
Image Description: A gif of corgis running on grass towards the camera. Source: Giphy
Offbeat Bride author Ariel Meadow Stallings hosts a discussion with local cartoonist, author, and legend Ellen Forney – Cartoonist about her new book, Rock Steady: Brilliant Advice From My Bipolar Life, a manual of self-care tools and techniques learned from the front lines of bipolar life (Fantagraphics, May 2018). The two authors and friends will dig deep into how Ellen’s advice for maintaining emotional stability in the face of mood disorders is relevant to all of us trying to maintain stability in unstable times. Don’t be fooled: this event will be lighthearted and hilarious. About the author: Cartoonist Ellen Forney is the author of bestselling graphic memoir, Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me, and collaborated on the National Book Award-winning novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Ellen curated a traveling exhibition about comics and health for the National Library of Medicine, “Graphic Medicine: Ill-Conceived & Well-Drawn,” on display at Seattle’s Central Public Library from May 21–June 30. As a visual artist, she was selected to create two permanent large-scale murals for Seattle’s Capitol Hill light rail station. She was awarded residency fellowships from the MacDowell Colony and Civitella Ranieri, and teaches comics at Cornish College of the Arts. Guaranteed seat: $10 Guaranteed seat AND a copy of the book: $25 21+ with ID 6:00pm Doors 6:30pm to 8:00pm Program and Q&A
Five years before the amazing TV series hit the air, Joss Whedon watched his film script get staked through this heart with the big screen horror-comedy starring Kristy Swanson and Luke Perry. LUKE PERRY! Also starring Donald Sutherland, Rutger Hauer, Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee!), Hilary Swank, and David Arquette.
Image Description: A gif of the character Buffy and her fellow cheerleaders performing a cheer. The caption says “Our goose is totally loose.” Source: Giphy
Peddler Brewing Company 1514 NW Leary Way, Seattle, Washington 98107
Do you know the name of the mummy that resides in Ye Olde Curiosity Shop? How about who built the Fremont Troll? Or what nickname JP Patches was commonly known by? Learn about these facts and much more at Crosscut’s Trivia Obscura and Bingo night, a partnership between Crosscut, Atlas Obscura Society Seattle, and Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI)! Join hosts Knute Berger from Crosscut, Jared Steed from Atlas Obscura Society Seattle, and Sondra Snyder of MOHAI as they guide you through the weird and wonderful world of Washington state while you vie for fabulous prizes and the title of Trivia Obscura Champion! Come for the trivia, but stay for the bingo, featuring even more local oddities, landmarks, and prizes!
MUSEUM OF HISTORY & INDUSTRY (MOHAI) 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Celebrate the launch of BookMarked Seattle and emerging young writers from the Seattle metro area! Join teens from around the city as we reflect on Seattle’s diverse stories. Participate in book discussions, make art, hear selected works from the BookMarked Seattle writing competition, and more. Hosted by the MOHAI Youth Advisors. Don’t forget! TeenTix members receive $5 admission.
Elliott Bay Book Company 1521 10th Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122
We are delighted to finally have novelist Zinzi Clemmons here—her debut novel, What We Lose (newly in paper, Penguin Random House), was one of 2017’s most lauded novels (forget the debut part), cited as a Best Book of the Year by Vogue, NPR, Elle, Esquire, Buzzfeed, The San Francisco Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, The A.V. Club, The Root, Harper’s Bazaar, Paste, Bustle, Kirkus Reviews, Electric Literature, LitHub, The New York Post, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and Bust. And praised by many others, as well. “The narrator of What We Lose navigates the many registers of grief, love and injustice, moving between the death of her mother and the birth of her son, as well as an America of blacks and whites and a South Africa of Coloreds. What an intricate mapping of inner and outer geographies! Clemmons’s prose is rhythmically exact and acutely moving. No experience is left unexamined or unimagined.” —Margo Jefferson. “Zinzi Clemmons’ first book heralds the work of a new writer with a true and lasting voice—one that is just right for our complicated millennium. Bright and filled with shadows, humor, and trenchant insights into what it means to have a heart divided by different cultures, What We Lose is a win, just right for the ages.” —Hilton Als. Zinzi Clemmons was also a National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree.
Living Computers: Museum + Labs 2245 1st Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98134
We’re kicking off PRIDE with a screening of the documentary Gaming in Color. This Kickstarter-funded film focuses on LGBTQ issues in video games, gaymer culture, and the rise of queer themes in gaming. NR | Included with Admission ____________________ From the Gaming in Color website: “Diverse queer themes in game storylines and characters are an anomaly in the mainstream video game industry, and LGBTQ gamers have a higher chance of being mistreated in social games. Gaming In Color explores how the community culture is shifting and the industry is diversifying, helping with queer visibility and acceptance of an LGBTQ presence. Almost every gamer will relate to the concept of seeking solace in a video game. Hope for sanctuary guides their escape into a virtual universe where they can be anything they want to be. For many, however, choosing to be true to themselves becomes an open invitation for hatred. This multiplies for those who are marginalized people, including people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ community. Toxic cultures that breed violence and vitriol hide behind a industry that undervalues the innovation of its audience. GAMING IN COLOR crusades for anyone who believes that the pixelated world can be a better place for everyone, no matter who they are or what they love. A lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise queer gamer has a higher chance of being mistreated in a social game. The power dynamics of a male-dominated geek society tips against them. Further, diverse queer themes in game storylines and characters are an anomaly in the mainstream video game industry. However, the gaming community is far more colorful than one may expect. Gaming In Color shows that there is a full spectrum of gamers picking up their controller to play. This feature documentary explores the queer side of gaming culture and the game industry’s LGBTQ presence. The queer geek community is taking huge steps forward in being recognized on a worldwide industry scale. At the same time, more popular mainstream and indie games are featuring a greater amount of queer characters than ever before, helping with visibility and acceptance. There’s a long road ahead and tons of aspects that desperately need improvement, but the video games universe will continue to mature and diversify both in its community culture and industry only if we elevate the conversation about inclusion and respecting one another – not in spite of our gay geekiness, but because of it!”
8:00pm Central Cinema 1411 21st Ave. Seattle WA 98122 US
It’s the 2018 edition of the best damn weekday party you’ll go to all June. We celebrate Pride month with the return of a favorite Sing Along that features divas, camp classics, new tunes, hunks, foot stompers, rump shakers and every video is certified TOTALLY GAY! Plus, the Sing Along’s original host Jason is in the building to lead the fun.
Your ticket includes a copy of Not That Bad About the Book: In this valuable and revealing anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face, and where they are routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied for speaking out. Contributions include essays from established and up-and-coming writers, performers, and critics, including actors Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union and writers Amy Jo Burns, Lyz Lenz, Claire Schwartz, and Bob Shacochis. Covering a wide range of topics and experiences, from an exploration of the rape epidemic embedded in the refugee crisis to first-person accounts of child molestation, this collection is often deeply personal and is always unflinchingly honest. Like Rebecca Solnits Men Explain Things to Me, Not That Bad will resonate with every reader, saying something in totality that we cannot say alone. Searing and heartbreakingly candid, this provocative collection both reflects the world we live in and offers a call to arms insisting that not that bad must no longer be good enough. About the Author: Roxane Gay is the author of the essay collection Bad Feminist, which was a New York Times bestseller; the novel An Untamed State, a finalist for the Dayton Peace Prize; and the short story collections Difficult Women and Ayiti. A contributing opinion writer to the New York Times, she has also written for Time, McSweeneys, the Virginia Quarterly Review, the Los Angeles Times, The Nation, The Rumpus, Bookforum, and Salon. Her fiction has also been selected for The Best American Short Stories 2012, The Best American Mystery Stories 2014, and other anthologies. She is the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She lives in Lafayette, Indiana, and sometimes Los Angeles.
Image Description: A gif of Roxane Gay giving a talk. The caption states “These days, I look at how women are treated the world over, and anger, in particular, seems like a perfectly reasonable response.” Source: Giphy
Please join us for the 59th Annual Northwest Great Books Weekend Event! All books are pre-read by the Board and chosen for the ability to sustain a rousing two hour discussion. Special effort is given to find pieces with: cultural diversity, different genres ie, plays, fiction, non-fiction, and pieces that have or will stand the test of time. Whether you’re a seasoned Great Books member or you are just thinking of joining-everyone is welcome. Many of our titles have included classics and prize winning authors, but (in true Great Books fashion) we do not limit our selections based solely on book sales or as defined by others as classics. We are excited to present the four readings of our next June 22-24 event: As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 9780679732259 Passing by Nella Larsen 9780142437278 Being Mortal bu Atul Gawande 9781250076229 Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks 9780143121077 ISBN are provided for those that choose to purchase books separately. Please purchase the specified books above, makes it much easier to refer to page numbers!
Elliott Bay Book Company 1521 10th Ave, Seattle, Washington 98122
Up from Tacoma (which she has written glowingly about), where she teaches African American Studies at the University of Puget Sound is fiction writer Renee Simms, with a true gem of a debut book of stories, Meet Behind Mars (Wayne State University Press). “Renee Simms’s Meet Behind Mars is an eclectic, emotionally rich, funny, quirky, and grounded debut from a fresh voice. It is truly a pleasure to spend time among such a diverse roster of African American characters in settings ranging from Katrina-devastated New Orleans to the South China Sea. In these fictions that are, by turns, realist, fabulist, and satirical, women and men search out life’s meaning through work, sex, travel, and family in finely observed moments full of quiet urgency.” —Asali Solomon. “Renee Simms is an incredible storyteller gifted with both wit and wisdom. She’s not afraid of the hard questions, yet this work brims with hope and heart. Meet Behind Mars marks an exciting debut of a vibrant new voice in American literature.” —Tayari Jones.
Do you love board games and enjoy teaching others how to play? Explore the board/card game hobby and meet folks happy to teach you their favorite board games! Come and play with folks who love playing games. And the best part about the GeekGirlCon (http://www.geekgirlcon.com/) game nights with our friends at Wayward (http://www.waywardcoffee.com/)? They are absolutely FREE with no cover charge!
ACE Comic Con is coming to Seattle, WA June 22-23-24! We are bringing 3 of your favorite #Avengers, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Holland and many more for an unforgettable weekend at the WaMu Theater & CenturyLink Field Event Center. As if that wasn’t enough, we will also have 60+ of the top comic writers & artists in the industry, 100+ curated vendors & exhibitors, and 30+ hours of panel programming across multiple stages! More guests will be announced shortly, so make sure to keep following us right here for up-to-the-minute updates. General Admission tickets start at $46 (photo ops, autographs, and VIP packages are available for an additional cost). INFO AND TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE VIA www.aceuniverse.com! ***Up to 2 Kids (10 & under) get in FREE when accompanied by a paid adult*** 1-Day Friday General Admission is $46 1-Day Saturday General Admission is $56 1-Day Sunday General Admission is $56 3-Day Weekend General Admission is $96
Image Description: A gif of the character Scarlet Witch from the Avengers film series, using her magic during an action scene. Source: Giphy
Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, Washington 98109
Our 2nd Annual Queer Geeks and Gamers event features board games, console games, panels, comics, cosplay contests, exhibitors, and more! FREE FOR ALL. Beer garden for 21+. Open 12-6pm Saturday 6/23 Open 12-7pm Sunday 6/24 Come one, come all to QGG 2.0! Sponsored in part by Living Computers Museum.
An event to bring new and vintage toys, comic books, video games, movies, celebrities, and anything pop culture together under one roof for a fun weekend in Pierce County. June 30 – July 1, 2018 An event that the whole family can enjoy: Vintage and Modern Toys | Collectibles | Comic Books | Photo Ops | Panels | Star Wars Characters and Vehicles | Kids Zone | Costume and Trivia Contests | LEGO | Military Vehicles | Transformers | Artists | Video Games | Table Games | Movie Props | Authors | Anime | Exhibits | Celebrities from Television and Movies
Image Description: A gif of actor Ellen Page waving a rainbow pride flag. Source: Giphy
[Image description: a black and white picture of Kathryn looking at the camera and holding a figurine.]
Here is our latest installment of Hey Staffer! This month, we’re talking to Kathryn Storm, who runs all the video gaming events at GeekGirlCon. Kathryn has been with the organization for several years and geeks out over tech, cosplay, and of course, video games! Read on to find out more and to get a sneak peek of what we have in store for GeekGirlCon ’18!
Not going to lie, when I first read the description for Refill Your Hearts: Fandom Librarians Recommend Stories to Get You Through the Bad Times, I was a little skeptical. The panel was meant to be a group of fannish librarians providing personalized reading and viewing recommendations for the audience. According to the description, they would focus on uplifting fanfiction, online and self-published fiction, webcomics, tv shows, movies, and other media created by and centered on women; queer, trans-, and nonbinary people; people of color; neurodiverse people; and other marginalized groups. As someone who has read fanfiction for over sixteen years, I was specifically doubtful that the panelists would have read enough fanfiction in enough fandoms to make useful recommendations to the audience. I did love the idea that they might have a couple story suggestions that would fit my preferences, though, and I wanted to see how the panel would play out, so I gave it a try.
Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows is doing the good work of bringing dragons back in the lives of YA readers. Have we had a good dragon series since Eragon? I don’t thinks so. Even better, the main character is a woman of color who struggles with mental illness, while still getting’ it done.
If you’ve heard anything about the film Colossal, it’s probably been along the lines of Anne Hathaway and giant monsters. Accurate, but the movie is so much more than that. In addition to being a unique blend of romantic comedies and monster movies, it has a distinct feminist slant and commentary.
The Premise
It starts off as a seemingly typical romantic comedy. After her boyfriend kicks her out, Gloria heads back to her hometown to pick up the pieces and work on herself. Childhood friend Oscar swoops in to help get her back on her feet with a job and some furniture. And then it gets twisted.
Grab a latte, slip on some comfy socks, light a pumpkin scented candle, and prepare to settle in for this spooky tale about a girl who sells her heart. Her literal heart. Demons in this world, are willing to grant you your greatest desires as long as you’re willing to part with an arm, a leg, and occasionally your heart. I wondered what would prompt a person to decide to trust a demon and lose a body part in the process. I went to church-I watch Supernatural. I know that you do not trust freakin’ demons no matter what. However, the book answers that question very quickly: very desperate people.
The Hearts We Sold was not what I was expecting from the description. The author slowly ushers us into this world that is much deeper, darker, and even creepier story than as first presented. Peeling back layer after layer and feeling a little more horrified each time was both skin-crawling and highly entertaining. There were more Grimm fairytale qualities than I initially expected. The small elements of fantastic creepiness really put it over the top in the best ways.
Our main character, Dee is surrounded by fully formed characters with express purposes outside of simply helping or pushing her narrative. Because of these characters, even though the world is a fantastical one, it feels eerily realistic. Everyone has a motive, a backstory, that makes their actions, even cruel, abusive ones, realistic. It does make every action excusable, but it does make those actions understandable. Human. The romance develops naturally and sweetly and does not overpower the story. If you’ve read Vassa in The Night, which I recommend if you like dark fairytales this book would be right up your alley.
Representation-wise, this book does a fairly good job of portraying people of color, and LGBT+ characters. Dee is half Hispanic. Her race is mentioned at most two times. It does not affect her story, so if you’re searching for a character with a heavy latinx identity, this is not the book you’re looking for. This world is not exactly a diverse utopia, as some of the characters do face discrimination. However, it’s something that is alluded to in passing and does not come from any of the characters we know and love. There is a gay supporting character, as well as a trans character. Their sexuality and identity does not affect who they are as people and is only mentioned briefly.
I appreciate the way in which abuse is portrayed in this story. Abuse storylines can often be a bit obvious. They run the way that most people think all abuse happens: physical. But in The Hearts We Sold, the abuse while not exactly subtle, forces you to think about how you would survive in this situation when your options of escape are slim to none. The results of which forces Dee to make extremely difficult decisions, that I’m not sure everyone will be agree with, but I personally think it was an important one that should be illustrated as an option to matter your age or situation.
There were some aspects of the “weird” and “spooky” that seemed too readily accepted by the main character. She describes herself as being afraid all the time, yet when faced with truly terrifying situations, she’s calmer than most people would be. Only later does she seem to react appropriately to them, so it made her a little inconsistent to me. I would have liked to see her struggle with her fear more. It does get off to a bit of a shaky start, but it finds its legs early. Before you know it, it’s five hours later, you’ve forgotten to feed your cats, and you’re getting dual death glares. Can’t relate.
The Hearts We Sold is perfect to get you in the mood for Halloween season, and a great filler until we all binge watch Stranger Things come October.
Marissa is a grad school student, writer, and feminist who’s surviving Arkansas in our current political climate. She gets through it with her two fluffy cats and her Hufflepuff tendencies.
For August’s Hey, Staffer! we interviewed Jill Lennartz. This is Jill’s first year with GeekGirlCon, but she has plenty of experience doing good for social justice. Check out our interview below!
Who are you and what do you do at GeekGirlCon?
I’m Jill, and I’m the Cosplay Contest Coordinator with GeekGirlCon. I make sure the contest happens! I do everything from finding talented cosplayers to be our judges and host, organize how the contest will be run, to running it.
What do you do for your day job/when you’re not being awesome as a GGC staffer?
I work for a tech company called CA Technologies, which is pretty sweet as a techie myself! I’m not a programmer though; I went to school for chemistry and climate science. So what am I doing at a tech company and not some research lab? The *awesome* answer is that big companies are becoming seriously responsible. I work in a department called Corporate Social Responsibility – we make sure that the company is being socially and environmentally responsible and work really hard to improving in these areas every day. Some people on my team work with organizations to bring STEM education to women and underserved populations, and others focus more on improving our environmental impacts.
For probably obvious reasons, the turn YouTube culture has taken over the past few years has left me feeling rather disenchanted with the whole platform. I still watch some channels regularly, but that habit is often more a practice in nostalgia than anything else. Sometimes I even sense that I’m more forgiving than most when it comes to sticking with creators who tend to let their audiences down over and over again.
There does exist, however, one YouTube creator whose content has only brought more awareness, more understanding, and more pure joy to my life and that is Dr. Lindsey Doe of Sexplanations. My love for Sexplanations has remained steady since the channel’s inception four years ago, but recently it’s reached a new peak in light of recent developments within the community of sex-positive YouTubers. While I have strong feelings about the state of this type of content in general, my main concern at this moment revolves, I’m sure predictably, around Laci Green’s recent confusion of oppressive behavior with free speech. My favorite video that has cropped up in response to Laci’s is this unscripted piece from Marina Wantanabe. There’s also this livestream recording from Kat Blaque that is pure gold.
