Do you want to attract birds, butterflies, and other pollinators to your yard? How much space do you actually need for the garden? What native species should you plant? Where can you find native plants? What resources are available to you to get started? Participants: Katie Heilman (mod), Arthur J Kneeland, Saz (Mdog) Kos, James Shaffer, Springyboii
Your feelings aren't fact. How can you talk with people who deny science and maybe actually reach them? Participants: Renate Fiora Hyer (mod), Jason Brown, Kendrick Edmund Hogue, Janelle Kloth
In anticipation of Dune Messiah, let's talk about our love for Dune--our favorite themes/characters, adaptations, and what we hope to see in the future. Participants: Jeff Grapevine (mod), Garrick A Dietze, Mark Goldberg, Sean C Novack, Dirk Ykema
Ever wanted to try a new art form but don't want to break the bank for something you're not sure you'll actually enjoy? We're here to teach you how to find supplies and basic training on a budget! Participants: Viga (mod), Allyson Cygan, Andrea Herman, Ren Nonnweiler, Erin Wilaby
From perseverance to self-worth, learning how to forgive to going "Plus Ultra", anime is full of genuinely good life lessons that can inspire us in the real world. Participants: J.C. Horvath (mod), Lyda Morehouse, Lathan Murrell
Kids discuss Roblox, including what they like and what they don't about the platform. Participants: Kenneth Justiniano (mod), Cassius Bastian-Stendahl, Kenzie Fleschner, Rey Wall
For first timers or veterans who are pretty sure they don't know everything, this panel will try to teach you everything you need to know. Participants: Rhea Wessendorf (mod), Nikki Armstrong, Brian Etchieson, Carly Preston
Come hear sci-fi author and therapist Lee Brontide discuss the rapidly expanding future of embedded cybernetics and what psychology has to say about the nuanced ways that cybernetics could impact mental health--with both real and fictional examples. Participants: Lee Brontide
What is a 401(k)? Why care about a credit score? How do I budget sequins for my costume? Perhaps our parents and public education have not taught us enough to be financially literate. Join a panel of people who share their insights around money. Participants: Laura Okagaki (mod), Jin, Ashley M Mages, Erin Wilaby
Depression can be a self-reinforcing cycle where it cuts us off from the things that sustain us! Let's talk about our experience of depression inside and outside of nerddom. Participants: Nybieee (mod), Renate Fiora Hyer, KitKat, Kiki Joy Latham, Natalya Rose
Discussing being a nerd and queer and how that intersects with loving and/or believing in cryptids. Open to believers and nonbelievers, you just need to love the topic of discussing being queer and how that relates to your interest in cryptids. Participants: Eddie (mod), skazka 9000, Lathan Murrell, AJ Pete, TG
Have you ever seen a live performance with actors playing Klingons and wondered how they do it? Join us for some basic tips and helpful hints to get your best Klingon happening. Participants: Dawn Krosnowski (mod), Nathan Gerber, Lana Rosario, Laura Thurston
What are some of your favorite fantastical foods and drinks? How do you go about replicating them? Participants: Nybieee (mod), Scott Grandt, K.N. Hamann, Skylar Merritt Schwartz
In the past few years, the heat has turned way up for the relationships we have between the ghouls and the girls. Let's talk about our reception of this change to our "hear me out" lists. Participants: Lisa Hario (mod), Sonni de Soto, Mallory Glass, Charlene Holm, KitKat
What tribe of dragon would you want to be? What were your favorite twists in the series? Answer these questions and more, and offer your reactions to the latest book, The Hybrid Prince. Participants: Becca Justiniano (mod), Cassius Bastian-Stendahl, Kenzie Fleschner, Rose Grumdahl, Kierin McKay
Why gender a robot? What purpose does it serve? Does it help us form attachments? What does that say about how we view/perform gender in our everyday human lives? We'll address these questions and more as we explore our favorite cyber friends! Participants: Jules (mod), Lee Brontide, Naomi Kritzer, Jamie Riedesel, TG
Kids and teens discuss their views on AI. How do these views differ from peers? Have these views changed as new information has come out? Participants: Becca Justiniano (mod), Cassius Bastian-Stendahl, Azron Borchert, Henrietta Louise Buchan, Nick Fox
How do you introduce your loved ones to board games if they don't have any experience with them (or are littles or olds)? What games work well to get people hooked on the hobby? Participants: Renate Fiora Hyer (mod), Chris William Malone, Nybieee, Amber Raden, Nick the Board Game Librarian
Unconventional paths exist to working in STEM. You don't always have to have a PhD or go to school for STEM to work in the various fields. What roles in tech, medicine, etc., don't need advanced degrees or have alternate paths to success than schooling? Participants: Stephen Nein (mod), Michael Contos, Vanessa East, Saz (Mdog) Kos, Kerry T Peterson
Building a pantheon can be an important part of worldbuilding. How do you go about doing so without making yet another version of the same old gods? Participants: Kenneth Justiniano (mod), Eddie, Lisa Hario, Satish Jayaraj, Jamie Riedesel
Former CONvergence Guest of Honor and local filmmaker Troy LaFaye moderates this panel discussion and Q&A featuring locally based women filmmakers discussing their craft, their work, and the film industry. Participants: Troy Antoine LaFaye (mod), Kari Layland, Vanessa M. H. Powers, Jennifer Prettyman, Jolanta Young
The nerdcore could rise up, it could get elevated...or has it passed its prime? Come talk about this subgenre of hip-hip and promote your favorite artists and tracks. Participants: Cetius d'Raven (mod), Kelly Brimbor, Nathan Gerber, Ashley M Mages
Libraries are more than books--they're safe havens, community hubs, archives of knowledge, and launchpads for curiosity. As funding and access become battlegrounds, it's time to rediscover why libraries are irreplaceable. Participants: Jeff Grapevine (mod), Andrea Herman, Jennifer L Klumpp, Morgan Strickland, Nick the Board Game Librarian
Androids are often depicted in a future that promises to be equal for all, but that is often not true. What does it mean for artificial beings to be depicted as Black? How are androids and allegory intertwined? How does Afrofuturism explore these themes? Participants: T. Aaron Cisco (mod), Martin Peter Law, Nur-D, T'Yanna L Singleton
Have an appreciation for the creepy? Want your home to reflect your dark aesthetic? Join like-minded folks and hear of their journeys into finding macabre art to fit their style and tastes. Participants: Kelly Brimbor (mod), skazka 9000, Renate Fiora Hyer, Andrea Herman, Lathan Murrell
Along with his contemporaries H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith was the third of the Weird Tales "Big Three". We delve into the life and work of this unjustly neglected fantasist. Participants: Patrick G Harrigan (mod), Matthew Kessen, Tim Uren
How can we as parents, friends, and family members best support the queer kids in our lives? Whether it's gender identity, sexuality, fashion, education, and/or social skills, there's more to support than unconditional love. Participants: Nick Fox (mod), Annie Fleschner, Kenzie Fleschner, Kiki Joy Latham, Eric Alexander Norton
After all those years living with and trying to understand humans, do you sometimes wonder if Lt. Commander Data ended up more human than some of us? How do we measure this man? Boldly go where no android-centric panel has gone B-4! Participants: Cetius d'Raven (mod), Susanna Holt, Wes Huntington, Rosewind, Skylar Merritt Schwartz
Are you Kiki or are you Bouba? Martin and Cristina discuss the history of Kiki and Bouba, a 100 year-old study about synesthesia and the origin of language. Vampires are Kiki, the blob is Bouba, and we are all nerds with too much time on our hands. Participants: Martin Peter Law, Cristina Peterson
Star Trek is old enough to receive a senior citizen discount at the Klingon breakfast buffet. Revisit the beloved characters, innovative storytelling, and timeless themes that have made Star Trek a cultural phenomenon, inspiring dreamers and invention! Participants: Michael Scott Shappe (mod), T. Aaron Cisco, Cory Enriquez, Assad Khaishgi, Skylar Merritt Schwartz
Thirty-five years ago, Vampire: the Masquerade begat the World of Darkness. Let's celebrate by discussing our favorite aspects of the multigame world, the d10 system they used, and the horrors inherent in the setting. Participants: Kenneth Justiniano (mod), Kelly Brimbor, Lisa Hario, Jennifer L Klumpp, Rosewind
The panel where we talk about anything and everything *except* the CONvergence Masquerade. If you are interested in everything *except* the masquerade, this is the panel for you! Participants: Molly Glover, Nick Glover, Melissa Sue Kaercher, Jeremy Stomberg
How do we survive, and how can we prepare to survive, the ongoing and upcoming world situation? Participants: Michael Contos (mod), Kendrick Edmund Hogue, Sherry Pofahl Johnson, Laura Okagaki, Johanna Stark
How does one play a constructed being in an RPG? Which systems lend themselves to construct PCs? What advantages and challenges are there to playing such a character? Participants: Kenneth Justiniano (mod), Scott Jamison, Jordan Lane Peacock, Jamie Riedesel, Eric Zawadzki
Do you have a particular playlist for any/all of your geeky pursuits? If so, you're not alone! Come listen to Guest of Honor John Kovalic and radio host Barb Abney discuss which of their hobbies got a soundtrack and how they're built. Participants: Barb Abney (mod), John Kovalic
Again, the punsters of CONvergence assemble without fear of flying fruit! Here, our puns are intended! Participants: Edward Eastman, Margaret Eastman, Brian LaBounty
