MarsCon 2025 - Virginia Beach: Full Schedule

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10:00am EST

Imagining Atrocities: Using Speculative Fiction to Help Address Human Made Atrocities

Sunday January 19, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST

Speculative fiction allows our imaginations to literally run wild. How can speculative fiction help us imagine the best, and more importantly, the worst of humanity? How can these imaginings help us in 'the real world' to put an end to atrocities or prevent them altogether?

Speakers

Pamela K. Kinney

Author

Pamela K. Kinney gave up long ago, ignoring the demanding voices in her head and has been writing ever since. Her horror short story, “Bottled Spirits,” was runner-up for the 2013 WSFA Small Press Award and considered one of the seven best genre short fiction for that year. She... Read More →

Claire Merrick

Author

Tired of writing about bad news as a producer at a news station, Claire Merrick began using her free time to write urban fantasy stories. She attended FantaSci in Durham, hoping to learn from authors about the business side of publishing. One of the guests, Kevin Ikenberry, asked... Read More →

Wes Rist

Int'l Human Rights Lawyer

D. Wes Rist is an international human rights lawyer with a specialization in preventing genocide and mass atrocities. He has worked with non-profit and non-governmental organizations around the world, conducted trainings for international lawyers and atrocity prevention experts, and... Read More →

Sunday January 19, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EST
Shenandoah Room

Science, Social & Political Sciences

11:00am EST

Building a Board Gaming Community

Sunday January 19, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Are you looking for more players for your favorite board games? Board games bring people together, but it takes the players to make that happen. Kevin and David talk about their experience organizing friends and future friends into board gaming communities. This panel will include discussion on the logistics of organizing game play, the concept of the “third space”, and what transforms disparate board game enthusiasts into a community of friends.

Speakers

Dave Seletyn

Gamer, President of Mars Con Board, Mars Con Inc (Virginia)

Dave is passionate about board gaming, tabletop RPGs, and miniatures games. He values the ability of games to transport players into a contained reality and loves the friends he has made through gaming. He is currently playing a lot of Battletech. He is also an award winning miniatures... Read More →

Sunday January 19, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Gaming, Other Topics

12:00pm EST

MarsCon (Virginia Beach) Wants You!!

Sunday January 19, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

You've come to MarsCon and had a great time! You're already making plans to come again next year. Have you thought about volunteering? MarsCon is volunteer run and we are always looking for people who want to pitch in. Come find out what kinds of things you could do and how to fit volunteering at MarsCon into your fandom life.

Speakers

Jennifer May

Jedi, Founder of "Marscon Jen Club", Volunteer Coordinator, Charity Auction

Jennifer May is a community health researcher in the real world, but is also a Jedi in the national organization, The Rebel Legion. She has been attending Marscon for almost 30 years, and serving as volunteer coordinator for the past 4 years. She also enjoys helping to organize... Read More →

Jen Cooper

2025 Conchair, Mars Con Inc (Virginia)

Teresa Bhaile

Guest Liaison and Programming Director, Mars Con Inc (Virginia)

Amy Cardona

Swag and Charity Auction, Treasurer, Mars Con Inc (Virginia)

Sunday January 19, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Fandom, Being a Fan

1:00pm EST

How'd They Make That?!?!

Sunday January 19, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Cosplayers and costumers explain how props and costumes can and/or are made.

Speakers

Alexander Gideon

Author

Alexander G. R. Gideon's writing style can best be described by the phrase "and many people died". He's a multi-genre author of Historical Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Horror. As the world's only Pan Librarian Wizard, he's an expert on most things, from High Magick and spirit... Read More →

Daniel Kim

Cosplayer

Max Thompson

Cos Player

Hello there and welcome to my channel! My name is Bash, The Prop Slayer! My channel is dedicated to bringing game and movie replica weapons and armor to life. My main sources of inspiration are Final Fantasy, Star Wars, and The Lord of The Rings. I was introduced to cosplay and prop... Read More →

Sunday January 19, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Fandom, Costuming & Cosplay

2:00pm EST

Storytelling in Anime and Manga

Sunday January 19, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST

Shenandoah Room

Some think that Anime and Manga are just comic books and cartoons, while others swear they are art forms in their own right. Join our panelists as they discuss Anime and Manga and the storytelling that is an inherent part of these forms. Come with an open mind, these people are very persuasive.

Speakers

Sean Korsgaard

Author, Publisher, Fandom

Sean CW Korsgaard is a U.S. Army veteran, award-winning freelance journalist, author, editor and publicist who has worked with Analog Science Fiction & Fact, Baen Books, and Writers of the Future, and recently became the editor of Anvil and Battleborn magazines. His first anthology... Read More →

J.E. Pittman

Author, Dealer

J.E. Pittman dabbles in many speculative worlds. He blurs the borders between genre and crafts salient lies to tell a measure of truth. His work has been described as: capriciously chimeric, dreamlike, and a vivid enigma with indelible images stamped on your brain. He’s currently... Read More →

Sunday January 19, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EST
Shenandoah Room

Literature, What to Read