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Happy Halloween!

What is it about the end of October that makes me want to carve pumpkins and eat lots of candy? Oh, right—’tis the season for Halloween!

Image Source: Giphy [Image Description: a glowing jack-o-lantern face, lit by flickering candlelight, against a black background. ]

My parents didn’t allow me to trick or treat, so my Halloweens were spent at home reading, watching movies, and eating all the candy I collected from friends. While I did end up trick or treating a few times in my life, Halloween remains a night where I stay in and stay up as late as possible. This year, I think I’m going to look through the GeekGirlCon ‘19 schedule and plan which panels to attend. 😉

Whatever you’re doing tonight—whether you’re trick or treating, handing out candy, carving pumpkins, or watching a scary movie with friends—we hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

Kalyna Durbak
“Rock On!”

Witching Hour at GeekGirlCon’18!

GeekGirlCon’18 is just over a week away, which means it’s right before Halloween!

Source: Giphy. Description: A dog in a ghost costume holding a glowing Jack-o'-lantern on a cord while surrounded by more jack-o'-lanterns.

Source: Giphy. Description: A dog in a ghost costume holding a glowing jack-o’-lantern on a cord while surrounded by more jack-o’-lanterns.

Scared you’ll have to choose between enjoying the con and getting your ghoul on? Don’t worry, we have plenty of unboolievably fun workshops, games, panels, and more lined up to help you celebrate in style. Plus, get ready to trick-or-treat all con long! Look for “Trick-or-Treat Here” signs scattered throughout the con. Got food sensitivities or allergies? We’ll have teal pumpkins to mark locations with candy alternatives.

Source: Giphy. Description: a corgi barking at and jumping around a small pumpkin.

Source: Giphy. Description: a corgi barking at and jumping around a small pumpkin.

Dying for a sneak peek of our fangtastically spooky programming? Here are some highlights:

Eric Mack
“Rock On!”

Witchy Women: Reclaiming the Misunderstood Halloween Heroine

As Rufus Scrimgeour says in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, “these are dark times, there is no denying.” Given all of the darkness, pain, and anxiety that all of us are inundated with so often in recent times – and which so inordinately affects those who have already been oppressed and marginalized – it sometimes feels to me like everyday is Halloween. Experiencing an ambient sense of dread and fear, worrying about looming monsters both actual and theoretical, consuming a truly impressive amount of candy – this is basically my day-to-day reality. But Halloween is about more than just stress and candy. For me, at least, it’s about acknowledging the spookiness around us, facing up to all of our lingering fears, and proving to ourselves that we can laugh and have fun and eat our body weight in candy corn despite whatever ooky-spooky ghouls might be plaguing us.

So for this Halloween, I’m turning to my trusty source for all things inspiring, empowering, and fear-fighting: pop culture. These might be dark times, but one of the best ways I’ve found to both revel in and rise above the darkness is to celebrate the unruly, wonderful, strange, exciting, monstrous, and magical women who populate some of my favorite scary movies.

Hanna Hupp
“Rock On!”

Horror and Feminism and Geek Girls! Oh My!

Though GeekGirlCon ‘16 has come to an end, those who support its mission will inevitably continue their work throughout the off season. The world is full critically-thinking geeks and we’re here to point you their way while we gear up for GeekGirlCon ‘17.

Just in time for the arguably greatest time of year, Seattle’s Central Cinema will be staging the latest installment of their series Serious Fun, which pairs panel discussions with film screenings in an attempt to illuminate the complicated relationship between the horror film industry and strong women. On this Thursday, October 13 at 8:00 p.m., three panelists will come together to discuss the need for more and stronger women leads in horror before participating in a screening of The Descent.

Teal Christensen
“Rock On!”

Spooky Scary: Movies, Books, and Games to Get You Through the Season

Obviously I’m not alone when I say autumn is my favorite time of the year and Halloween is my favorite holiday, but for once my secret hipster heart is pleased by not being the only cool kid: it makes it easier to share my interests and, of course, get new recommendations! Right now, though, I’ll be kind enough to propose some of my own ideas for how to get into the spooky mood—but, of course, please comment below if you think of anything else!

Henry Behrens
“Rock On!”

October 2013 Geek About Town

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Hi Everyone!

We are less than one month away from GeekGirlCon 2013! We hope you’re just as excited as we are to celebrate with all of you this year.

October is a busy month for all things geek and nerdy! Here’s what you can do before and after GeekGirlCon ‘13 – something for every single day of the month!

Tuesday, October 1: Spooky Scavenger Hunt at EMP Museum
From the EMP: Journey through EMP’s exhibits and explore the realms of darkness and intrigue to win prizes.

Tuesday, October 1: Capturing & Counting Tiny Plastic Debris in Puget Sound at .T.S. McHugh’s
From the Pacific Science Center: Microplastics are a major problem for ocean environments, and researchers at Tacoma’s Center for Urban Waters have created methods for capturing and measuring their amounts. At the October Queen Anne Science Café, join UW Tacoma’s Julie Masura to explore what she and her colleagues have learned from a three year study of small plastics bits floating around bays in the Puget Sound.

Wednesday, October 2: Halloween Themed Angry Birds at EMP Museum
From the EMP: Super spooky gaming on EMP’s gigantic Sky Church screen.

Wednesday, October 2: Eastside Gaming with Story Games Seattle

Thursday, October 3: Creature Feature Screening of Dracula (1931) at EMP Museum

Thursday, October 3: Inside the Learning Brain at Odegaard Library, UW campus
From ScienceOnline Seattle: Is neuroscience the beginning of a new age, or the latest in a series of scientific fads? Startups tout “brain-based” education. Conversations about lifelong education highlight neuroplasticity. What do we know for sure?
Join us to engage your brain in brains – tackle big and small questions from “what is this fMRI thing anyway” to “how do our brains respond when we hear a sentence that make sense does not?” to “What can neuroscience say about education, and what can’t it say.” Drinks and snacks will be provided.

Friday, October 4: Freaky Friday Challenge via EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Compete in social media contests for awesome horror-related prizes.

Friday, October 4: Geek Bingo at Wayward Coffeehouse

Friday, October 4: Jacqueline Carey Booksigning at University Bookstore – U District

Friday, October 4: Margaret Atwood Reading and Signing at Town Hall Seattle

Saturday, October 5: Costume Garage Sale from MyBallard.com: “Halloween [ed: or GeekGirlCon!] is mere weeks away, and a Ballard resident is hosting a huge costume sale with over 200 costumes to choose from. The sale is on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 6519 22nd Ave NW. Organizer Jenifer Rees says the costumes are mostly adult size, and come from past performances from the NW Associated Arts (NWAA), which is a non-profit consortium of five performance choirs providing singing opportunities for kids and adults. There will even be props and accessories (wigs, shoe covers, vests, etc) available for sale. All proceeds from the sale will go to benefit the NWAA.
Saturday, October 5: GeekGirlCONversation at Card Kingdom
From the Facebook event page: “All are welcome to attend our last GeekGirlCONversation before GeekGirlCon ’13! This meeting will take place at Card Kingdom in Ballard on Saturday, October 5 at 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Look for us in the Tournament Room located in the back of the store. Swing by and learn more about GeekGirlCon ’13 and other events like theGeekGirlCon ‘13 Kickoff Party! (You might even win some prizes!)”

Saturday, October 5: Science on Stage – Staged Readings of “The Sequence” at Bathhouse Theater Greenlake
From Washington Life Sciences Website: Experience a creative pairing of science and theater. Join the dialogue around science and ethics. From the competition to sequence the human genome to personal DNA sequencing, the knowledge and use of genomic information inspires debate and discussion.

Saturday, October 5: Haunted Bonus Round: Plants vs. Zombies at EMP Museum

Saturday, October 5: Star Wars Reads Day at University Bookstore – U District

Saturday, October 5: Boardgames at Raygun Lounge with Seattle and Eastside Nerds Collide

Sunday, October 6: Michael Jackson’s Thriller Unearthed at EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Dance along with a mob of zombies to Michael Jackson’s Thriller in Sky Church, check out the costume worn by filmmaker Mick Garris in the video, and prepare yourself for undead surprises.

Monday, October 7: Monster Mash Monday “We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes” at EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Chilling music of the undead and the untamed takes over Sky Church.”

Monday, October 7: Bainbridge Open Mic Science at The Treehouse Cafe
From TreeHouse Cafe: October speakers are David Shuchardt, Program Manager, City of Seattle and Reid Carscadden, Principal Engineer, Integral Consulting, speaking about environmental cleanup activities in lower Duwamish River.

Tuesday, October 8: Spooky Scavenger Hunt at EMP Museum
From the EMP: Journey through EMP’s exhibits and explore the realms of darkness and intrigue to win prizes.

Wednesday, October 9: Haunted Bonus Round: Ghostbusters: The Video Game at EMP Museum
From the EMP: Super spooky gaming on EMP’s gigantic Sky Church screen.

Wednesday, October 9: Eastside Gaming with Story Games Seattle

Thursday, October 10: Creature Feature Showing of Little Shop of Horros (1960) at EMP Museum

Friday, October 11: Freaky Friday Challenge via EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Compete in social media contests for awesome horror-related prizes.

Friday, October 11: GeekGirlCon Board Games Shenanigans! at Wayward Coffeehouse
From the meetup page: “We play a wide range of modern board and card games as well as some classics. You could find Ticket to Ride, Flash Point, Pandemic, The Resistance, Dominion, Settlers of Catan, 7 Wonders, and many more.”

Saturday, October 12: Science on Stage – Staged Readings of “The Sequence” at Bathhouse Theater Greenlake
From Washington Life Sciences Website: Experience a creative pairing of science and theater. Join the dialogue around science and ethics. From the competition to sequence the human genome to personal DNA sequencing, the knowledge and use of genomic information inspires debate and discussion.

Saturday, October 12: David Bowie Invades: Fashionably Undead Bash at EMP Museum

Saturday, October 12: Night of the Living Dead at Wayward Coffeehouse

Saturday, October 12: Paramount Park Star Party

Saturday, October 12: Green Lake Park Star Party

Sunday, October 13: John Carpenter’s The Thing Presented by The Sci-Fi Cinema

Sunday, October 13: Michael Jackson’s Thriller Unearthed at EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Dance along with a mob of zombies to Michael Jackson’s Thriller in Sky Church, check out the costume worn by filmmaker Mick Garris in the video, and prepare yourself for undead surprises.

Sunday, October 13: Science on Stage – Staged Readings of “The Sequence” at Bathhouse Theater Greenlake
From Washington Life Sciences Website: Experience a creative pairing of science and theater. Join the dialogue around science and ethics. From the competition to sequence the human genome to personal DNA sequencing, the knowledge and use of genomic information inspires debate and discussion.

Monday, October 14: Monster Mash Monday Season of the Witch at EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Chilling music of the undead and the untamed takes over Sky Church.

Tuesday, October 15: Spooky Scavenger Hunt at EMP Museum
From the EMP: Journey through EMP’s exhibits and explore the realms of darkness and intrigue to win prizes.

Tuesday, October 15: Star Wars Original Trilogy Trivia Night with
From the meetup page: “50 questions about a galaxy of rebels from far far away.”

Tuesday, October 15: Playtest Story Games with Story Games Seattle

Wednesday, October 16: Haunted Bonus Round: Luigi’s Mansion at EMP Museum
From the EMP: Super spooky gaming on EMP’s gigantic Sky Church screen.

Wednesday, October 16: Eastside Gaming with Story Games Seattle

Thursday, October 17: The Addams Family vs the Munsters at EMP Museum

Friday, October 18: Freaky Friday Challenge via EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Compete in social media contests for awesome horror-related prizes.

Friday, October 18: GeekGirlCon ‘13 Kickoff Event at Tap House Grill

Friday, October 18: The Bechdel Test Burlesque

Friday, October 18: GeekGirlCon ‘13: The DoubleClicks and Molly Lewis Concert at Wayward


Saturday, October 19-Sunday, October 20: GeekGirlCon 2013
Come celebrate our 3rd annual convention at the Washington State Convention Center! Our mission: “GeekGirlCon celebrates and honors the legacy of women contributing to science and technology; comics, arts, and literature; and game play and game design by connecting geeky women world-wide and creating community to foster continued growth of women in geek culture through events.”


Saturday, October 19: Carrie Dunk Tank at EMP Museum

Sunday, October 20: Beginning Puppetry
From the invite: “In this fun, dynamic class, you’ll learn the foundations of good stage puppetry – focus, physical commitment and basic puppet operation. We’ll focus on how to make your puppet seem alive and connect with the audience. You’ll get lots of hands-on time with professional arm-and-rod puppets plus a simple practice puppet to take home so you can keep working on your skills. No puppet experience required. Please dress comfortably and be ready to move.

Monday, October 21: Monster Mash Monday Full Moon Fever at EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Chilling music of the undead and the untamed takes over Sky Church.

Tuesday, October 22: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants at The Burke Museum
From the event site: Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants is an inspired weaving of indigenous knowledge, plant science, and personal narrative from a distinguished Native American botanist whose previous book, Gathering Moss, was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for outstanding nature writing.

Wednesday, October 23: Haunted Bonus Round: Psyhonauts at EMP Museum
From the EMP: Super spooky gaming on EMP’s gigantic Sky Church screen.

Wednesday, October 23: Star Wars Original Trilogy Trivia Night
From the meetup page: “50 questions about a galaxy of rebels from far far away.”

Thursday, October 24: Are You Afraid of the Dark? Marathon at EMP Museum

Friday, October 25: Seattle BioMed Open House
From Seattle BioMed: Come visit Seattle BioMed’s labs for an up close and personal experience of our research. Meet our scientists, learn about our latest breakthroughs and spend time with other visitors interested in infectious disease research. Leo Stamatatos, Ph.D., will present and give a tour of Seattle BioMed. Breakfast will be served.

Friday, October 25-Sunday, October 27:
Anime and Manga festival. Guests include Monical Rial and Johnny Yong Bosch.

Saturday, October 26: 12th Annual Pulse at EMP Museum

Sunday, October 27: The Dark Crystal Screening and Author Quest with Lisa Henson at EMP Museum

Sunday, October 27: Intermediate Puppetry
From the invite: “In this fun, intermediate puppeteering class, you’ll learn the basics of characterization – voice, physicality and emotion – and how to apply them to your puppet. You’ll get tons of tips for making character choices and see what a big impact they can have on your puppet’s performance. Beginning puppetry class or equivalent puppet experience recommended. Please dress comfortably and be ready to move.”

Sunday, October 27: Seattle Radio Theater Hallowe’en at Town Hall Seattle
From Town Hall: This Hallowe’en, catch the show Seattle Radio Theatre audiences have waited for. SRT will mark the 75th anniversary of Orson Welles’ infamous, panic-inducing 1938 radio broadcast with a spine-chilling tribute featuring a local setting and starring Pat Cashman and Tracey Conway, and including live sound effects, live music, and other radio drama frights and delights. SRT regulars including Tracey Conway and Pat Cashman will thrill, chill and . . . hmmm, can’t think of another word that rhymes . . . anyway, you get the picture. With live music, live sound effects and other radio drama frights and delights.

Monday, October 28: Monster Mash Monday Undead Dominion at EMP Museum
From the EMP Museum: Chilling music of the undead and the untamed takes over Sky Church.

Tuesday, October 29: Haunted Bonus Round: Costume Quest at EMP Museum
From the EMP: Super spooky gaming on EMP’s gigantic Sky Church screen.

Wednesday, October 30: Eastside Gaming with Story Games Seattle

Thursday, October 31: The Legend of Sleepy Hallow (1949) at EMP Museum

Thursday, October 31: Stephen Kingo (Stephen King Bingo) at EMP Museum

Have you got an awesome event to share with our community? Email shubz@geekgirlcon.com! Please be advised that submissions must be in alignment with the GeekGirlCon Mission Statement.

Not from the Seattle area? That’s okay! Let us know what events you’d like to see us promote!

See you at GeekGirlCon ‘13!

Eric Mack
“Rock On!”

Ask GeekGirlCon: What’s your favorite Halloween costume?

Hi everyone! Halloween is just around the corner and, as we geeks all know, is a great day for cosplay! We asked our staff what their favorite Halloween costumes were, and here’s what they said:

Anna Daniel, Facebook Administrator

“My favorite Halloween costumes are little kid costumes. Specifically, the costumes that kids love so much that they wear them even before Halloween. Seeing a parent with their little Jedi, monkey, ballerina, etc. at the grocery store is adorable.” Anna Daniel

Erica McGillivray, President and Marketing Director

Erica (left) gets back-in-the-day geeky for Halloween

“My favorite Halloween costume ever was the Star Trek: The Next Generation uniform that my mom made me when I was in 4th grade. I even found a fake visor. It was also the first time I ever cosplayed. Thanks for nurturing a geek, mom!” Erica McGillivray

Tammy Vince Cruz, Vice President and Design Manager

Tammy cosplaying as the Senshi of Revolution and Time, Sailor Pluto!

“Guarded by Pluto, planet of time. I am the soldier of revolution, Sailor Pluto! Well, at least for Halloween. This was my 2nd cosplay, back in the day! I hand-carved the Time Key myself, and the Garnet Orb was even detachable! I’m hoping to reprise a new version of Sailor Pluto in 2013, 15 years later! Yup, I just dated myself.” Tammy Vince Cruz

Susie Rantz, PR Manager

Susie as Daria Morgendorffer — blank stare included

“One of my favorite Halloween costumes in recent years was Daria Morgendorffer. I LOVED Daria growing up, because she showed me that you could be smart, sassy, and challenge social norms. It was a fun costume to put together, but it was also really difficult to take photos, because I usually have a permanent smile plastered on my face.” Susie Rantz

There you have it, folks! What was (or will be!) your favorite Halloween costume?

Guest Contributor
“Rock On!”

Join The Discussion #GeekGirlCon

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