At GeekGirlCon, accessibility is everything. Putting together a packed weekend of accessible and inclusive geeky programming is fundamental to GeekGirlCon’s mission. One event that reflects this commitment is our DIY Science Zone. The DIY Science Zone is one of GeekGirlCon’s most unique bits of programming, and this year we’re celebrating its fifth anniversary. Equally as exciting for both kids and adults, the DIY Science Zone brings together scientists, science educators, and science enthusiasts alike to participate in hands-on activities and experiments, chat about various scientific fields, and celebrate accessible learning.
By now I’m sure you’ve all noticed a theme in my updates: plan ahead! As I’ve mentioned before, I love not only the calm but the increased anticipation that comes with making plans early. In terms of GeekGirlCon, there’s even perks to prepping in advance. First of all, the sooner you take care of the mundane task of acquiring Saturday, Sunday, or Saturday-Sunday passes for you, your parents, your kids, your friends, and your Dungeon Master, the sooner you can start sorting out the epic costume you’ll be entering in our cosplay competition. Second of all, the sooner you buy passes, the less likely it is that you’ll forget and have to contend with the upcoming price increase. And if you prefer, passes will go on sale in local Seattle stores in late July!
Alternatively, if you’re interested in participating in more of the behind-the-scenes of GeekGirlCon, apply to be an Agent now! Agents receive passes in exchange for eight to 10 hours of volunteer work during con weekend, which this year will be September 30 and October 1.
Written by Michele Carrico Domingo, Executive Director, GeekGirlCon
GeekGirlCon connects geeky women, girls, and their allies in order to build an empowering and inclusive community. Our mission is to celebrate and honor the legacy of women and girls in the fields of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), comics, science-fiction, arts, literature, and game play and game design. Our impact centers around providing a safe and welcoming place to share our passions, amplifying underrepresented voices, and celebrating who we are and what we love.
This 24-hour giving marathon takes place on May 10 from 12:00am to 11:59pm. Starting now, donors can pre-schedule gifts to their favorite participating nonprofits (including GeekGirlCon). Gifts won’t be charged until the morning of May 10, but it’s a great way to get your donations scheduled in advance without having to worry about it later!
GeekGirlCon is searching for some new faces to fill a few important roles here behind the scenes at the con. Our staff is filled with exciting, driven, smart, and creative people with a passion for diversity, feminism, and all things geek. The entirety of GeekGirlCon is run by volunteers and we can always use some new energy. If you’re interested in expanding your social circle, giving some time to a great organization and cause, or developing new skills, check out the position summaries below and apply soon! We’d love to have you!
Do you love board games? GeekGirlCon has teamed up with Mox Boarding House for a monthly gaming night on the Eastside!
Come to our All Geeks, All Games event tomorrow (Tuesday) night at Mox Boarding House (13310 Bel-Red Rd, Bellevue, Washington 98005) from 6:00pm onward! Admission is free! All ages are welcome.
Check out Magic the Gathering, try some RPGs or check out the newest board games with your fellow geeks! We (and Mox) will provide all the games from our library, but don’t hesitate to bring your own to share!
Attendees at October’s All Geeks, All Games event. Photo credit: Kristine Hassell
New to board games, or looking for a new game to try? Not to worry! All Geeks, All Games is here to celebrate and promote diversity and inclusiveness in the gaming community. We will teach you how to play in a safe and friendly environment!
At our inaugural event last month, we had over 40 gamers come out to play! So if you’re looking for a new group of fun, friendly people to play games with, Mox Boarding House will be the place to be. As an added bonus, if you play a board game from their library and like it, you can buy a fresh copy for 20% off!
If you’ve never played an RPG with Andy, you’re in for a treat! Image source: Kristine Hassell.
We also still have our successful bimonthly Wayward Coffeehouse Nights every second and fourth Friday of the month from 7-11pm on the west side, hosted by our lovely Gaming Event Coordinator, Andy Munich. So, with events on both sides of the lake, that’s double the opportunities to come out and play with us!
You can RSVP to our event here, or, to find out about our upcoming events, sign up on the Meetup group here. We hope to see you soon!
Our event at Wayward Coffeehouse. Image source: Kristine Hassell
It’s been a week since the success of GeekGirlCon ’15, and if you’re already missing it, here’s a roundup of some of the fantastic press we’ve received following our con:
Conshark wrote up a recap of the overall event, highlighting that what makes GeekGirlCon unique is our focus on our community, and Persephone Magazine also offers a great summary of our con, including some livetweets from our panels and a cosplay photo gallery. Becky from No Continues Media describes our con as “one of the most immersive experiences as an attendee I’ve ever had at a convention”, and Whiletrue.do has a short but heartwarming piece on three ways she was inspired at GeekGirlCon. Nicole from Across the Board Games has a recap where she also recounts her experience as an exhibitor and panelist, and describes GeekGirlCon as her favorite convention in Seattle!
Photo by Danny Ngan Photography.
For those of you who like pictures, Jetspace has a great photographic summary of the highlights from the convention, and Bitch Media has a lovely rundown of some of the costumes and events. Of course, GeekGirlCon wouldn’t be GeekGirlCon without a healthy dose of cosplay; GeekMom’s cosplay gallery shows off some of the awesome costumes from the weekend. GeekMom also gives us the lowdown on some of the swag she found on our exhibitor floor, ranging from geeky food, to amazing apparel, to many fluffy, cute things.
Although we hardworking staffers will provide you with panel recaps throughout the coming year, sometimes we get beaten to the punch by our amazing con attendees. [Re]meshed.com has a detailed article on Anita Sarkeesian and Zoe Quinn’s packed panel, and Sonja from Soultamer Gaming has produced not one, but three panel write-ups on QUILTBAGs in Geekdom, the representation of Asians in the media, and Elsa S. Henry’s panel, Blind Lady Versus, where she demonstrates what gaming is like for blind and low vision players. She’s also got a piece on our Kick-Off event from the Friday night before the con. Talk about dedication!
Photo by Nicole Tanner of Pixelkin.
One of the things that GeekGirlCon prides itself on is its family-friendly focus. Nicole from Pixelkin did a lovely write-up about how GeekGirlCon was a great way to bond with her daughter. We also even got a whole episode on a gaming podcast! Here’s Epic Drop’s episode discussion what GeekGirlCon is about, and recapping how much fun the family had, including an interview with a five-year-old Geek Girl!
Finally, we also got coverage from MSNBC in a video about cosplay and science, featuring our own Raychelle Burks and Torrey Stenmark!
Have you come across any other press for GeekGirlCon? Let us know in the comments below!
Join us from 6pm for the kick-off party and get ready for our convention! There will be free food with a cash bar, and you can skip the line on con day and pick up your badge right there. Then, at 8:30pm we’ll have our GeekGirlCONcert! Groove along as the PDX Broadsides and Thundering Asteroids! take the stage. Our event is all-ages, so feel free to bring the whole family.
This event is only for GeekGirlCon ’15 badge holders or by special invitation, so if you want to come and celebrate with us, you’ll need to have a pass. They’re expected to sell out before the weekend, so make sure you buy yours today!
Fandom is a powerful thing. It can connect, inspire and frustrate—often at the same time. I’ve my fair share of important fandoms, which I participate in to varying degrees. There’s the movie I’ll reblog any picture from as long as it has my favorite character, the musical I’ll talk about to anyone who looks like they might care, the book series I’ll push on you as soon as we talk. But fandom isn’t just about the actual work of art: at its most powerful, it can also be a source of community.
GeekGirlCon 2015 has, of course, a variety of panels focused on individual fandoms and also a few that will discuss the idea of fandom on a larger scale. Whether you’re a fantasy fan interested in science or a dystopia fan interested in utopian ideals, there’s a panel or two for you.
