Origins 2015 Schedule

June 3-7, 2015
Greater Columbus Convention Center
Columbus, Ohio, 43215, USA

Origins is only a couple of weeks away, and as with the past three years I'm on some panels and selling books as part of The Library. Here’s my schedule for seminars this year:

Thursday

The Short Story and You  (C223, 3:00 p.m.) - Short stories aren't "just like novels, but shorter." This panel will teach you the rules of the road for crafting a short story. [with John Helfers, Donald J. Bingle, Steven Saus, and Ronald Garner] 

Creating Fictional Languages  (C222, 5:00 p.m.) - Creating a fiction language can take your story to the next level, but do you need to be a linguist of Tolkien's caliber to do it? 

Friday

Religion and Science  (C222, 3:00 p.m.) - Great speculative fiction makes us think abour our own world, and how better to do that than with religion and science? Our panelists tell you how to make create believable religions and fields of scientific study. 90 minutes.  [with Jaym Gates and Tracy Chowdhury] 

Food in Speculative Fiction  (C222, 5:00 p.m.) - In Fantasy and Science Fiction, any food is usually in the background.  Most often it's presented as setting or set decoration and ignored by the viewer.  Sometimes though, it seems to take on a life of its own and can even become the center of the plot.  This slideshow explores the fictional foods in television and film, highlighting both the good and the bad. 

Saturday

Flora and Fauna  (C223, 12:00 p.m.) - When you build a world, you need to populate it, not just with people, but with plants and animals too. This panel teaches you how to use biology and science to make them believable.  [with Tracy Chowdhury, John Helfers, and Lucy A. Snyder] 

I love Origins - it somehow manages to be huge and still small and friendly. The seminar topics are a nice, diverse bunch so it should be lots of fun.

Gen Con 2015 Schedule

Gen Con Indy 2015,  July 30 - August 2

The Gen Con website is now allowing people to sign up for events, so I thought it would be a good idea to post the events I'm running.

This year I'm doing two seminars as part of the Writer’s Symposium as well as my regular events for Blackspoon Press and Medieval Cookery.

SEM1580059 – Author Ed: Medieval Food and Cooking  Learn all about the reality of medieval food and cooking from medieval cooking expert Daniel Myers. Debunk myths about what people ate and discover culinary tidbits you can use in your stories! 07/30/2015 (Thursday), 4:00 PM, ICC : 241

SEM1569116 – Creating Medieval and Fantasy Cuisines  A subterranean culture probably wouldn't eat roast beef and an arboreal one wouldn't eat sushi. A fantasy world should have a cuisine that takes into account the resources and technology of the people that inhabit it. This seminar detail how to make up a consistent, believable cuisine using the workings of medieval European cooking as a template. 07/30/2015 (Thursday), 8:00 PM, Crowne Plaza : Pennsylvania Stn B 

SEM1575249 – Not Your Grandfather's Religion  A fictional religion can add depth to a story or game setting. This seminar presents a framework for creating a consistent and believable religious system. 07/31/2015 (Friday), 8:00 PM, Crowne Plaza : Pennsylvania Stn A

SEM1577142 – Worldbuilding: Crafting Languages  A good fictional language adds depth to your story; a bad one can ruin it. Learn from authors with experience at imaginary languages how to avoid pitfalls & use language to enhance your story. 08/01/2015 (Saturday), 4:00 PM, ICC : 244

The seminar on creating religions is a new one for me, but I think it'll be fun. Hope to see you there!