GeekGirlCon Blog

GeekGirlCon 101

Welcome to your guide to GeekGirlCon 2024! If you haven’t gotten your passes yet, you can do so here!

Hours:
Saturday, November 9, 2024: 9:00am – 8:00pm
Sunday, November 10, 2024: 9:00am – 6:00pm
Vendor Floor Hours: 10:00am – 6:00pm Saturday and Sunday
Friday Registration: 4:00pm – 7:00 pm

Location: GeekGirlCon takes place at Arch at 800 Pike at Seattle Conference Center (formerly Washington State Convention Center), located at 8th and Pike in downtown Seattle, WA.

🗺️🚩Familiarize yourself with the con layout and plot your most efficient course to maximum geekery by checking out the official floor maps here.

GeekGirlCon Programming Schedule:

There are so many fun and geeky things to do at GeekGirlCon! From bugs to fanfiction and from comics to crafts, you’ll definitely discover something for your brand of geekdom. Here’s just the teeniest of samplers just to get you excited before you rush over to check out the complete programming schedule!

• Panels:
  • So How Often So You Think About the Galactic Empire?
  • Women’s Brick Initiative: Inspiring Women and Girls to Create With LEGO® Bricks
  • Video Games and Animation – Panel of NW Talent
• Workshops:
  • Kamino Temple Saber Guild Lightsaber Trainings (Adult & Padawan)
  • Improv for Tabletop Roleplaying
  • Illuminated Shadowboxes with the KCLS Makerspace
• Events:
  • Cosplay Contest
  • Gaggle of Geeks: a Geeky Comedy Showcase
  • Pop-up Murder Mystery – The Curious Carnival
    
    PLUS:
    

Get your game on at GeekGirlCon!

Video Gaming:
9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Location: Okoye

Play amazing video games and meet developers from near and far! Video games include: Astrolander, Potions: A Curious Tale, Surradia, Unstable Scientific, Clockwork Ambrosia, So, This Vampire Walks into a Bar, Fisti-Fluffs, Puzzle, Depot, Heart of the Dungeon, Fall For You, Desert Angels, Feltopia, Vago, and more!

Console/VR Free Play also returns to GeekGirlCon with this year’s best co-op titles alongside the single player hits. Come bring a friend or make some new ones!

Tabletop Gaming:
9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Location: Storm

Play amazing tabletop games and meet developers from near and far! Tabletop games include: Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Epilogue, Blood on the Clocktower, Hummingbird Sugar Rush / Fiebre de Azúcar en Colibríes, Flesh and Blood TCG, Executive Producer, For All Mankind, and more!

You can also join developers, creators, and influencers as they play the games they love, chat about the games they’ve made, and have some fun on our Let’s Play Stage in Okoye! We have Tabletop and Video Games content on both Saturday and Sunday. Check the schedule for a list of events!

You can learn more about the diverse and exciting range of both tabletop and video game content coming to GeekGirlCon 2024 HERE.

Learn something new at GeekGirlCon!

DIY Science Zone:
Saturday, November 9: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday, November 10: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Across from registration

Visit the DIY Science Zone, where our highly-trained team of scientists and science educators will guide you through a selection of fun experiments and answer all your questions about their scientific specialty. Don’t forget to make your own slime to take home and see if you’re brave enough to hold Beyonce the tarantula in your hands!

Treat yourself to some shopping at GeekGirlCon!

Vendor Hall:
We’re so excited for you to see all of the goods and goodies that our exhibitors will be bringing to this year’s convention and get your shop on! It’s a great place to get all your holiday shopping done, AND treat yourself to a variety of geek merchandise.

Every exhibitor at GeekGirlCon is hand-selected—from artists to artisans, shop a variety of hand-crafted wares and inspiring creations. From t-shirts and fashionable accessories, to art prints and stickers, there’s bound to be a little something for every geek! You can browse this year’s list of vendors HERE.

This is also where you can find the Official GeekGirlCon Merchandise Booth – new and improved location in booth 709 – for all your geek shopping in one awesome location!

2024 Featured Contributors:

We’re so excited to be featuring some absolutely amazing Featured Contributors at GeekGirlCon 2024. They’ll be talking graphic novels, audiobooks, inclusive board gaming, whether or not you should go to art school, and more!

🌟 Ngozi Ukazu, Graphic Novelist
🌟 Mad Rupert, Cartoonist
🌟 Natalie Naudus, Audiobook Narrator
🌟 Maia Kobabe, Cartoonist
🌟 Eunnie, Author-Illustrator
🌟 Banana Chan, Game Designer/Publisher

Check here for the full details of where you can find GeekGirlCon 2024’s amazing lineup of Featured Contributors.

Meetups:
Connect with your fellow geeks and bond over your favorite franchises—we’ll be hosting a variety of meetups for every fan throughout the weekend.

GeekGirlCon on Twitch:
If you can’t make it to GeekGirlCon this year, of course we are super bummed about that. However, the GeekGirlCon twitch team will once again be streaming awesome mainstage content, feature, interviews, and behind -the-scenes tidbits for your FREE viewing pleasure on the GGC twitch channel.

Give us a follow on twitch.tv/geekgirlcon to experience the awesomeness of GeekGirlCon all year long where we create & host content for all geeks —from science & art to comics & gaming!

Please remember to bring your mask, as GeekGirlCon will once again be a fully-masked event to help us gather in-person safely. You can check our full Covid-19 Policies below:

A few other reminders:

• You must wear your valid GeekGirlCon badge at all times to be admitted to the con or events during con weekend.
• Please keep in mind that GeekGirlCon is an all-ages event. We strive to maintain a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for children and adults.
• If you are taking photographs of attendees, please respect those that do not wish to be photographed or recorded by asking permission to take pictures and avoiding anyone with a “do not photograph” sticker.
• Remember to take care of yourself, stay hydrated, and take breaks in the Geek Retreat room when you need them.

Have fun, be safe, be respectful, and we’ll see you at the con!

Emerald Peterson
“Rock On!”

An Earth Day for 2021

Yesterday marked the 51st Earth Day! I’m sure that there are many sites that will list tips to reduce your carbon footprint and be a better steward of the Earth. This is not that kind of post.

Did you know that the first Earth Day was a massive protest? What started as a nationwide environmental teach-in became a 20 million person protest, demanding the US government do more for the environment. The Earth Day protest proved successful; over the next few years, the US enacted a slew of environmental agencies and standards. Here’s a sample of what happened within the next three years after the first Earth Day:

• The Environmental Protection Agency (1970)
• Clean Air Act (1970)
• Occupational Safety and Health Act (1970)
• Banning of DDT (1972)
• Clean Water Act (1972)
• Endangered Species Act (1973)
• Leaded Gasoline Phase-Out (1973)

While we have many environmental protections in place, we have a lot of work to do to ensure everyone has access to clean water, pollution-free air, and opportunities to recreate in beautiful parks. Most often, it is underserved and underrepresented communities that suffer environmental catastrophes. We don’t have to look far back in history for examples: the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Flint water crisis from 2014-2019, and the ongoing battles against the Dakota Access Pipeline clearly show how environmental issues intersect with racism and poverty. 

While it’s too early to truly celebrate any recent victories in social and environmental justice, I find this spring more hopeful than the last. Where is the hope I speak of? Hope is found in every piece of trash we compost, in every company we hold accountable, and every environmental act our governments pass. Hope is found in standing in solidarity with protestors, donating to bail funds, and fighting white supremacy. Hope is found whenever we view environmentalism with an intersectional lens; it’s all connected, as they say, in a loop that never ends.

Learn more about the history of Earth Day:
EPA History: Earth Day (EPA)
Earth Day at 50: A look at the past, present, and future (NOAA)

Learn more about threats to our Earth:
Climate Change (NASA)
What is Ocean Acidification (NOAA)
Pacific Ocean takes perilous turn (Seattle Times)
Why biodiversity matters (Nature)

Environmentalism +
Environmental & Climate Justice (NAACP)
Feminism and environmentalism go hand in hand (Greenpeace)
Why Queer Liberation Is an Environmental Justice Issue (Earth Justice)
How to Unite the Fight for Racial Equity and Environmental Action (NRDC)

Kalyna Durbak
“Rock On!”

Observing the passage of time

It’s hard to keep track of time nowadays. I often find myself trying to remember what day it is, or when was the last time I did something. I have work deadlines and homework assignments, but it all gets jumbled into one big blob of work. There’s just something about being cooped up at home that makes time slip by, unnoticed by my usual measures. That is, until I look out the window. Though quarantine has turned all of our lives upside down, nature stays the course (as always).

Kalyna Durbak
“Rock On!”

Panel Preview: Step Up Your STEM Game

Science geeks, this one’s for you! From astronomy to robotics, GeekGirlCon’19 will be packed with great discussions by some of the leading minds in STEM. Want a sneak peek of what we have in store? Check it out:

Eric Mack
“Rock On!”

Farewell, Oppy

It was a persevering Mars rover, one who would inspire countless memories for those who worked with it and analyzed its data. Right up until NASA scientists lost contact with it, Opportunity (or as many called it, Oppy) drove far and beyond what we thought capable on the Marian landscape.

Kalyna Durbak
“Rock On!”

Calling All Amateur Astronomers!

Last week Seattle hosted the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society. That meant that hundreds of America’s leading astronomers were in town last week! I was lucky enough to catch a few free presentations from some of these researchers at the latest Astronomy on Tap, and learned how I could help astronomers through citizen science initiatives.

Kalyna Durbak
“Rock On!”

The DIY Science Zone Needs Your Support!

One of the many aspects of GeekGirlCon that sets it apart from other conventions is its commitment to welcoming geeks of all ages. We don’t just tolerate our kid attendees, we design the weekend with their interests in mind. Whether that means keeping our 18+ programming scheduled in the evenings or setting up a kids-only cosplay contest, we’re serious about keeping our evolution reactive to the needs of even the littlest con-goers.

In terms of kids programming, the now-classic GeekGirlCon event we’re proudest of is our DIY Science Zone. This year will mark the Zone’s eighth iteration, with each con bringing bigger and better additions. Part of the reason we’re able to keeping growing and changing when it comes to this special-ist of events is because we’ve got a community that shares our values and knows that accessible science education needs funding.

Teal Christensen
“Rock On!”

ADHD: the White Boy Bias

One of the best moments of my life was when, while sitting in my psychiatrist’s office after having filled out a series of questionnaires, she looked up at me and said, “Well, you have ADHD.”

I was 26. I had graduated from college with honors, was working a full-time job, and led an outwardly stable life. At the same time, I was experiencing debilitating anxiety and depression and struggling to cope. I saw myself as lazy, incompetent, and immature—I had incredibly poor self-discipline, was always forgetting things, and constantly ping-ponged between excitedly volunteering for roles and feeling completely overwhelmed. It seemed like I had to work twice as hard for twice as long to keep up with my peers.

Eric Mack
“Rock On!”

Are Drones Encouraging Women To Embrace Tech?

Post by Guest Contributor, Roger Timbrook.

Let’s face it. Embracing technology and being a geek is not something women are “supposed to do”, right?

But, if we believed everything the world told us then maybe we would not know the Earth rotated around the sun (and not vice versa) or that it is not in fact flat. So, it is clear we have to buck the trends to make big things happen. Even today.

That is why I believe that drones are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to encouraging women to get into tech.

How exactly are drones making this happen? Here are three ways I can see drones helping…

GeekGirlCon
“Rock On!”

Panel Recap: The Science of Wonder Woman

As a pop-culture geek, I’m all about the suspension of disbelief. Give me mythical creatures, interdimensional travel, and fireball explosions in the vacuum of space—I prefer creativity to realism. But I also enjoy digging into whether or not fictional realities play by their own rules, and GeekGirlCon ‘17’s “The Science of Wonder Woman” panel did not disappoint.

“The Science of Wonder Woman” was a fantastic discussion of the Wonder Woman film from a scientific perspective. The panelists included astronomer and physics professor Dr. Nicole Gugliucci, forensic chemist and GGC DIY Science Zone project manager Dr. Raychelle Burke, and science writer R.K. Pendergrass.

Eric Mack
“Rock On!”