We asked the LAcon V Programming Division to reflect on all the great programming they have in store for this year, and to preview some of the many special and wonderful things you can expect. We hope you enjoy this multi-part Program Preview for LAcon V.
Getting Started
From Helen Montgomery, Co-Division Head, Program Division:
Asking me, one of the Division Heads for Program, to choose “just a couple of” sessions I’m most looking forward to is, in my opinion, cruel and unusual punishment, but let’s give it a try!
Nope. Totally failed.
Instead, let me focus on some of the broad Areas that I am super excited about – some are very unique to this year’s Worldcon!
Our Makerspace and Art Room (263C and 264 in the ACC) is going to be so excellent. We have this huge space to celebrate art, making, and crafting. Want to learn to solder and build a blinkie? Want to talk with 3D printer aficionados? Make balloon animals? Paint gaming miniatures? Take a drawing class or make your own tiara? We’ve got you covered. There are so many demos, workshops, and things to see and learn. This is also a fantastic family-friendly area of the convention.
Our Languages track is phenomenal. We have panels about Indigenous Language Revitalization, Constructed Languages (ConLangs), and how they all interact with the SF/F genre we love. You can start learning languages of the indigenous tribes of the LA area (Chumash, Navajo, and Tongva) as well as conlangs from Avatar, Star Wars, Star Trek, and more!
Finally, I believe it’s so important that Worldcon is part of the lives of younger fans – the next generation of fans who come along with their parents to the con.
We have a wonderful Teen Program this year, headed up by an actual teenager, with workshops, panels, games, and so much more! There are almost 30 items running throughout the entire five days that are just for teenagers, by teenagers. Located on the Fourth Floor of the Hilton, most of these items are right next door to the Teen Lounge, where all teens are welcome to gather together. Also, our Children’s Program is an outstanding mix of everything that makes a Worldcon so much fun: crafting, workshops, field trips to other convention locations, science experiments, and just all around fun! Children’s Program is located in the Palisades room on the Fourth Floor of the Hilton and runs all five days of the con.
You can search for both on our Program Guide: simply select Teen Program or Children’s Program, respectively, using the “Area” dropdown at top.
We are so proud of our Program this year and just can’t wait for you to experience it all!
Guest of Honor Events
From Kate Wood, Guest of Honor/Special Guest Management Team:
I’ve been working with our Guests of Honor and Special Guests since last year, and something that has really stood out to me is how much passion they are bringing to us. Every single one of them has a fierce dedication to what they do. Here’s a couple of program items which I am really looking forward to.
Celebrating Friendship, with Geri Sullivan (Friday at 4:30): Our Fan Guest of Honor, Geri Sullivan, has been in fandom since 1979, and is recognised as a friend near, far, and all points in between. That’s why I think Geri is exactly the right person to talk to us about friendship, in a gentle chat with one of her friends, Pat Virzi – and maybe a few guests! Come along to reflect on what fandom means to us as friends.
Europa Clipper: Mission To An Icy Ocean World, with Tracy Drain (Saturday at 9:00): This is one for you early risers! Our Special Guest Tracy Drain is the Chief Engineer in operations for the Europa Clipper mission, and an enthusiastic and engaging science educator who views curiosity and wonder as the heart of science. I can’t wait to see what Tracy and our panel of scientists have to say about the mission to Jupiter’s smallest (and oddest?) Galilean moon and what we can expect when it gets there.
A Long Time Ago: Oral Traditions, with Tracey Baptiste (Thursday at 1:30): When we think about oral traditions, we’re often thinking about family stories and fairytales which we encountered first as children. Tracey Baptiste, an author whose work draws on Trinidadian folklore and mythology, is going to be discussing how oral traditions are not outdated or childish, but relevant to the modern world. Personally, I’m very interested to hear what this panel has to say about oral storytelling, how it is used today, and how it may be used in the future.
Panels For the People
From Brittany Yost, Modern Society Track Lead:
Here on the Program Team, we are so excited to present a convention program, both in person and virtually, that absolutely spoils our guests with choices. Of course, with all those choices, you might be wondering where to start when it comes to building your schedule.
As the Area Head for Modern Society, I’d like to offer up a few suggestions that I think are going to be a whole lot of fun. Modern Society is a track about how we, as humans with different identities, and cultures, move through the world—in stories and as story consumers. Check out these panels throughout the convention to explore…
Through Themes and Subgenres
- Dark Academia: More Than the Aesthetic with BenTalksBooks, Katie Wu, Leigh Bardugo, Aparna Verma, and E. J. Wenstron.
- On Deck: Inclusive Perspectives from SF/F on the Seven Seas with Alexandra Rowland, Victoria Aveyard, Brittany Johnson, Makiia Lucier, Tracey Baptiste, and Lin Codega.
- The Global Gothic with Keala Kendall, Ai Jiang, Kylie Lee Baker, Micaiah Johnson, Shay Kauwe, and Tamika Thompson.
Through Characterization
- Lethal Ladies: Monstrous Women in SFF with Van Hoang, Holly Black, K. M. Enright, Leigh Bardugo, Sara Hashem, Sarah Rees Brennan.
- Ruthless Women: Fierce Women in SFF with Ellen Rachlin, Julia Vee, Kemi Ashing-Giwa, Elaine Ho, and Kamilah Cole.
- Experience Required: The Mature Main Character with Fonda Lee, Brenda W Clough, David D. Levine, Martha Wells, T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon)
Through Community Engagement of Genre Fiction
- Love in Color: Romantasy as Healing for Black Bodies with Brittany Johnson, Kamilah Cole, and N. E. Davenport.
- Heart of the City: Asian Urban SF/F with Julia Vee, Fonda Lee, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, and Shay Kauwe
- As You Are: Identity Acceptance in SFF with Vyvre Argent, Foz Meadows, H. H. Pak, Moriko Handford, and Rio Lombana.
Through Social Commentary
- Reading Is Political: SFF as Political Conversation (In Person) with Inez Ray, Brenda W. Clough, Martha Wells, Reuben “Tihi” Hayslett, and Robert Jackson Bennett.
- Reading Is Political: SFF as Political Conversation (Virtual) with Virginia Preston, Andrea Hairston, Jo Miles, Olivia Waite, and Solar Hoàng.
- Stories for All: Confronting the Reality of Book Bans with Bradford Lyau, Alex Brown, Chloe Smith, and Melissa Bobe.
Who Needs Fan History?
From Dan Ritter, 1946 Project:
This is a question I’ve thought about for a while. As a member of the 1946 Project team promoting fan history at Worldcons, I think the answer is clear: every fan and avid reader of science fiction needs fan history. Fans have helped shape the genre since its inception. Their stories are as deep, compelling, and interesting as any fiction.
This year we’re proud to present a robust slate of fan history program items, covering everything from the earliest days of organized fandom to the conventions you may have attended as your younger self.
There are too many amazing panels and presentations to call attention to, but with great editorial strain I present five for your consideration:
- Celebrating 90 Years of Conventions, wherein convention historian Alex Mui will survey the long, complex, and meandering history of conventions from the 1930s all the year through to the current day.
- From Fanzines to Archives, wherein moderator David Sandner will lead a discussion on how the history of science fiction is preserved in amateur publications, private collections, and academic libraries, and how fans can engage with these resources.
- Leading Ladies: Women in Early Science Fiction and Fandom, wherein moderator Sara Light-Waller will lead a discussion of the legendary fans, authors, and editors who shaped and defined science fiction in its earliest days.
- The Earliest Bradbury, wherein David Ritter will tell the story of Ray Bradbury as a young fan in Los Angeles and the unique community of fans, artists, and writers from which he emerged as a professional.
- And of course… Who Needs Fan History?, wherein moderator Laura Weyr will explore this question with fans, historians, and archivists committed to the cause of not just preserving but also promoting the history of fandom.
We, The People
From Marcin “Alqua” Kłak, Fandom & Fan History Area Head:
Fandom is all about people. If not for us there would be no fandom – just a large group of people enjoying similar things. Since the earliest days we were seeking contact with other like-minded persons. Letters, fanzines, clubs, conventions…
In The Enchanted Duplicator Walter Willis and Bob Shaw wrote the following words: “Watch!” So saying, she touched his forehead with her wand, which was named Contact, and thereupon Jophan saw a vision that filled him with joy. This shows how much we, fans, treasure contact with others. It should then come with no surprise that at least part of our Fandom & Fan History program explores the topic of doing things together.
If you are interested in conventions you may think about dropping by to listen to 20 Years of Worldcon Organizing where participants will look at the last two decades of World SF Convention. Alternatively you may prefer to learn a bit about making your local con a successful one. If that’s a case please come to the Achieving Local Convention Success panel.
Those preferring more regular activities may be interested in listening to the discussion Are SFF Clubs Relevant Today? or possibly checking out about Book Clubs: Strategies to Create, Run, and Sustain Them.
We also wanted to put some emphasis on more direct interactions between fans, and as many of us choose fandom as “our place on earth”, we decided to run Fandom as a Found Family panel both in person and online. Will you come to one of those, or maybe to both of them and compare the thoughts? The situation with How I Found Fandom and Why I Stayed looks a bit similar; this panel will also be run twice – once in person, and once online.
Yet it is not only listening to panels that is important. Thanks to the Dublin in 2029 Worldcon Bid we will also have some occasions to party together. Those being on site should consider attending the Dublin 2029 Céilí (separate page on this site here) where the good time is very probable. Those who cannot make it in person should not worry as there will also be Dublin 2029 Virtual Party where we, onliners, can all meet, chat, and enjoy excellent company!
Transformative Fandom
From Sam Haney Press, Content Area Head for Transformative Works:
“Transformative Works” is an umbrella term for the immense creativity of fans: fanfiction, fanart, fanvids, podfics, and more are all considered “transformative, ” and we’re delighted to have space to celebrate as many of them as we can at LAcon V!
Check out Defining “Fanfic”: a History for an overview of fanfiction over the years, Fan Crafting as Transformative Work for the many kinds of handcrafts that fall under the umbrella, and Filing off the Serial Numbers to hear a discussion about the rising trend of translating fanfiction for traditional publishing.
For those interested in analysis of transformative spaces, we recommend Acafandom: the Academic Study of Fandoms and Transformative Works Data Analysis. And if you want to learn about getting into transformative fanwork, we have a Fanfiction Recommendations panel and Fanbinding: Book Binding for Fanfic that features local members of the Renegade Bookbinding Guild!
