ConGregate 2014 : Full Schedule

Thank you to all who attended.

Several of the panels are marked with either (AP) or (ET). ET or Experts Talk panels are traditional panels. AP or Audience Participation are panels where we encourage the audience to participate.

The Gaming Schedule and gaming registration can be found on the JustUs Productions OGRe System. Gaming will be held in the Bethabara, Corpening and Moravian rooms.

Additional information: Reg Hours, ConSuite, and Bounty Hunt.

Thank you and Enjoy the con!

3:00pm EDT

An Alien for Your World, A World for Your Alien (ET)

What does your planet have to be like to evolve and sustain the alien your story needs? Or: What kind of alien would your fictional world tend to evolve and sustain? A discussion of basic concepts of both planet and alien design and key interrelationships between them.

Moderators

Paula S. Jordan

Paula S. Jordan is the author of “Vooorh,” a novelette appearing in the recently released July/August issue of Analog. Both that story and her previous Analog entry, “Two Look At Two” (April 2011), are adaptations from her present-day alien-contact novel-in-progress. Her... Read More →

Guests

Glenda C. Finkelstein

Glenda has a wide and varied career as a writer having published song lyrics, human-interest articles, poems, short stories, novels, and screenplays. Her interest in writing was not just a happenstance having a great-grandfather who was a wonderful poet, and aunts and uncles who... Read More →

James Maxey

James Maxey is the author seven fantasy novels (Bitterwood, Dragonforge, Dragonseed, Dawn of Dragons, Greatshadow, Hush, and Witchbreaker) and two superhero novels (Nobody Gets the Girl and Burn Baby Burn). His short fiction has appeared in Asimov's, Intergalactic Medicine Show, and... Read More →

Tedd Roberts

Tedd Roberts is one of many aliases of the mysterious "Dr. Rob," a neuroscience researcher whose interest in public education and brain awareness has led him to write science fact and fiction with the goal of accurate, yet enjoyable brain science. While his professional research... Read More →

Cathe Smith

Cathe Smith has always been interested in insects. As an entomology undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she worked as a crop scout in an integrated pest management lab that worked with potatoes, cabbage, and mint. That experience led her to pick up a second Bachelor... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2014 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags Science

4:00pm EDT

The How-to's of Podcasting (ET)

You've heard of podcasting but exactly what is it? How do you decide what to talk about it? And what technology do you need to make it work?

Moderators

Stuart Jaffe

Stuart Jaffe is the author of The Max Porter Paranormal-Mysteries, The Malja Chronicles, the Gillian Boone novels, The Bluesman pulp adventures, Real Magic, and After The Crash, as well as the short story collection, 10 Bits of My Brain. Numerous other short stories have appeared... Read More →

Guests

Rhonda Oglesby

Game on Girl is a weekly podcast hosted by Rhonda Oglesby and Regina McMenomy, Ph.D. They interview gamers and discuss games, gaming, and game culture and their representations in mainstream media. They are also interested in how this fairly new online culture is... Read More →

Rich

Fan Guest

To say that I enjoy podcasting and new media would be a gross understatement. My credits include mentions in high school and collegiate papers, newspapers, Podcasting for Dummies, and Advanced Podcasting Tricks. I have been called an innovator, having created the first fandom podcast... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2014 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags podcasting

5:00pm EDT

Junior Ghost Busters (ET)

Join the Ghostbusters as they introduce kids and teens to hunting ghosts and the paranormal.

(This panel is appropriate for kids from 6-18)

Moderators

Cheralyn Lambeth

Cheralyn Lambeth likes to refer to herself as a "fan who went pro," crediting her work in the film/TV/entertainment industry to her early love of Star Wars. After a brief stint in the Air Force Reserve, she went on to study drama and Radio/Television/Motion Pictures at the University... Read More →

Guests

Chuck Carte

Chuck Carte, gifted bird trainer and long-time friend of Doc Geressy, joined the Carolina Ghostbusters in June of 2010. Chuck is a screen-writer, director, author, and teacher, and his often child-like wonderment makes him truly the heart of the Carolina Ghostbusters. Chuck attended... Read More →

Doc Geressy

M. Doc Geressy is a professionally-trained broadcaster, expert costumer, enthusiastic movie car motorhead, actor, artist, designer, and paranormal investigator, and actual doctor.Doc's broadcasting career spans over 20 years, working in Charlotte radio and with nationally syndicated... Read More →

Mikki Stith

Mikki first formally met the Carolina Ghostbusters when she booked them for Jaxcon 2011, a convention she ran in Jacksonville, NC. Jaxcon was a one time event, but Mikki is quick to say, “Getting the Carolina Ghostbusters was the best decision I ever made for that con.” Since... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2014 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags Media, Paranormal

6:00pm EDT

Lt. Uhura: Diversity Began w/ Star Trek (ET)

Starting with a diverse cast and including American television's first black/white interracial kiss, Star Trek has been a pioneer in diversity.

Moderators

Randy Richards

Dungeons & Dragons / Fantasy Author, Spellbinder Games

Randy Richards originally hails from Chalmette, Louisiana, the actual location of the "Battle of New Orleans". He currently lives in the South, where he runs a photography business and writes professionally.Randy Richards has been playing Dungeons & Dragons since the late 70s, but... Read More →

Guests

Tricia Barr

Tricia Barr is a writer and professional fan of science fiction and fantasy. Her novel Wynde won the Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror ebook in the 2014 Independent Publisher Awards. Wynde is an epic tale of a young woman’s personal struggle to stay true to... Read More →

Marcia Colette

Bestselling author Marcia Colette didn’t discover her love for reading until her late teens when she started reading John Saul and progressed to works by Bentley Little, Stephen King and Laurell K. Hamilton. Her reading tastes convinced her to write paranormals where curses cause... Read More →

Nicole Givens Kurtz

Nicole Givens Kurtz is the author of several published novels and scores of other titles under various pen names. Her science fiction works have been named as finalist in the 2006 Fresh Voices in Science Fiction (Zephyr Unfolding), EPPIE Finalist in Science Fiction (Browne Candidate... Read More →

Janine K. Spendlove

Janine K. Spendlove is a KC-130 pilot in the United States Marine Corps. Her bestselling first novel, War of the Seasons, Book One: The Human, was published in June 2011 and her next novel, War of the Seasons, Book Two: The Half-blood, was released in June 2012. She’s also had several... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2014 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags Media

7:00pm EDT

Learning to Write for your Editor (ET)

Every editor has certain aspects of writing that bug them more than others. For some it might be dialogue tags, for others, adverbs. What are some common "tics" editors have and how do you address them?

Moderators

Tally Johnson

Born and raised in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Tally is a graduate of Spartanburg Methodist College and Wofford College with degrees in history. He attended graduate school in history at Winthrop, but did not complete thesis. He has written several articles on both local... Read More →

Guests

Alexandra Christian

Alexandra Christian is an author of mostly paranormal erotic romance and horror. In case you don't know what that means, she writes about not-so-nice girls getting it on with out-of- this- world heroes. Vampires, werewolves, selkies, angels and demons-- and that's just recently! A... Read More →

Sharon Stogner

Owner, Devil in the Details Editing Services

Sharon is the co-creator of the I Smell Sheep website (www.ismellsheep.com). A quirky multi-media review site of Speculative Fiction that also provides author/actor guest posts, interviews, convention coverage and other WTF-ery. She is also a freelance fiction editor (www.devilin... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2014 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags Writing

8:00pm EDT

Nerdiquette 101 (ET)

This panel/workshop covers geek dating dos and don'ts, such as why talking to a woman's chest, even if it's on display, is bad form, how to appreciate someone's costume/appearance in a respectful way, how to graciously ask for a date (and more importantly, graciously take "NO" for an answer), when NO means YES (hint: never), and how to not cross that thin line that separates geeking out about your hobbies from being a conversation-hog and a creeper.

Moderators

Danny Birt

Award-winning author Danny Birt was born about three decades ago in Washington State to Irish and Californian parents, and has since lived in Idaho, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Hawaii, Virginia, and North Carolina. He attended high school at New Mexico... Read More →

Laura Haywood-Cory

Laura Haywood-Cory has been some flavor of editor or proofreader since her first job after college, which was proofreading yellow page listings for a phone book company. She's been involved in science fiction fandom since the mid-1980s. She has managed two sf conventions, co-founded... Read More →

Guests

Doc Geressy

Cheralyn Lambeth

Allegra Liana

Allegra Liana (sometimes known as "The Chainmail Chick") is a geek-of-all-trades who got her start in the con scene working with award winning fantasy artist Alan Welch. From these humble, chainmail bikini'd beginnings, she has become a costumer, artist, and model (with an ever expanding... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2014 8:00pm - 9:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags Fandom

10:00pm EDT

Geek Girls and Unicorns (ET)

"Because, like unicorns, (geek girls) are not supposed to exist."
Even with the visible presence of geek girls like Ashley Eckstein, Clare Grant and Felicia Day,
there are parts of fandom that still believe that "geek girls" don't exist or are "fake." Why is this and what can be done to change the image?

Moderators

Rhonda Oglesby

Guests

Tricia Barr

Laura Haywood-Cory

Allegra Liana

Randy Richards

Dungeons & Dragons / Fantasy Author, Spellbinder Games

Friday July 11, 2014 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags Fandom

9:00am EDT

Forever Young (ET)

With a decade or more age difference between many writers and the YA protagonists they write about, we look at tips for writing younger characters that still feel real to the reader.

Moderators

Davey Beauchamp

Davey Beauchamp (daveybeauchamp.com) is the creator of the Writers for Relief anthology series, the Agency 32 series, the award nominated Amazing Pulp Adventures Radio Show; podcast (pulpadventures.net) along with Podcasting's Rich Sigfrit, and Gallifrey Pirate Radio a podcast... Read More →

Guests

A.J. Hartley

A.J. Hartley is the international bestselling author of a dozen novels including the mystery/thrillers The Mask of Atreus, On the Fifth Day, What Time Devours and Tears of the Jaguar and the young adult fantasy adventures Act of Will and Will Power... Read More →

Janine K. Spendlove

Saturday July 12, 2014 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

10:00am EDT

The Writing Life (ET)

How do they make it work? From full-time writers to part time writers, there are always challenges balancing writing and the rest of the world.

Moderators

Alexandra Christian

Guests

Marcia Colette

Glenda C. Finkelstein

Faith Hunter

NY Times best-selling author, Faith Hunter, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. She writes the Skinwalker series, featuring Jane Yellowrock: Skinwalker, Blood Cross, Mercy Blade and Raven Cursed, with Death’s Rival due in Oct. 2012. Her Rogue Mage novels, a dark... Read More →

Les Johnson

NASA

Les Johnson is a scientist, an author, and the Senior Technical Advisor for NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He is a author of science fiction (Going Interstellar anthology, Back to the Moon novel, and with co-Author... Read More →

Saturday July 12, 2014 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

11:00am EDT

Debate Club (AP)

Do you remember sitting around talking about which was better? Star Wars or Star Trek? Who was the better villain: Darth Vader or Kahn? Well, here's your chance again. Just be ready for the surprise twist!

Moderators

Michael D. Pederson

Way back in 2004, Mike (along with Tee Morris and Tony Ruggiero) came up with the crazy idea of hosting a convention in Richmond, VA. He’s been chairing RavenCon ever since. In addition to running RavenCon, Mike Pederson is also the publisher/editor/graphic designer responsible... Read More →

Guests

Doc Geressy

James Maxey

Saturday July 12, 2014 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Winston Programming

Special Event

12:00pm EDT

How I Got My Start in Fandom (AP)

Fans talk about what got them into fandom. Was it a con? A Costume? A book? A TV Show? A movie? Why do we do dedicate time and money to our passions?

Moderators

Randy Richards

Dungeons & Dragons / Fantasy Author, Spellbinder Games

Guests

Tom Hutchens

Tom Hutchens is a Star Wars costume designer, and founder of the Mandalorian Mercs Costume Club. Born in Winston-Salem North Carolina, Tom spent a great deal of his childhood dressing himself up as Star Wars and GI Joe characters. At the age of 18, Tom decided to become a real-life... Read More →

Paula S. Jordan

Regina Kirby

Regina Kirby is the winner of the 2013 Rebel Award, a lifetime achievement award for contributions to Southern Fandom’. She also is the recipient of the 2005 Georgia Fandom Award.Regina serves as the Senior Director of Programming for Dragon Con. She is known for running Hospitality... Read More →

Mikki Stith

Saturday July 12, 2014 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

1:00pm EDT

Every Villain is a Hero (ET)

Tom Hiddleston has described Loki from Marvel’s The Avengers as "An antagonist as opposed to a villain, but only because every villain is a hero in his own mind." So what makes a good villain? Are the best villains "pure evil" or the ones that you have sympathy for?

Moderators

Edmund Schubert

Edmund Schubert is the author of about 40 short stories, about half of which can be found in the collection, The Trouble with Eating Clouds and one novel, Dreaming Creek. He's held a variety of editorial positions, currently serving as editor of Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic... Read More →

Guests

Alexandra Christian

A.J. Hartley

Emily Lavin Leverett

Emily Lavin Leverett is an author and editor of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but she got her professional start in publishing editing erotica. She is also an English professor and a medievalist. She's edited the Big Bad: an Anthology of Evil and the forthcoming Big Bad... Read More →

Tony Ruggiero

Tony Ruggiero is best known for his dark fantasy thrillers about vampires being used by the US military. Ground breaking and fast paced, the novels are a characteristic mixture of the vampire lore and the clandestine secrets of the military. The concept led to a series of books: Operation... Read More →

Saturday July 12, 2014 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

2:00pm EDT

Ask the Military (AP)

This will be a two part panel. The first half will have our speakers talking about things in military SF or similar genres that would not work in the real military. The second half would give the audience a chance to ask questions of the panelists directly. (We hope to have representatives from multiple divisions of the armed forces.)

Moderators

Ron Garner

Ron Garner is the CEO of Silence in the Library Publishing, a small press specializing science fiction and fantasy and dedicated to changing the relationship between publishers, authors, and readers. He grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, but spent thirteen years of his life moving... Read More →

Guests

Tom Hutchens

Gray Rinehart

Gray Rinehart is the "Slushmaster General" for Baen Books. His fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction & Fact, Asimov's Science Fiction, Redstone Science Fiction, and elsewhere. Gray retired from the US Air Force after a rather odd career in which he fought rocket propellant... Read More →

Tony Ruggiero

Stephen J. Simmons

Stephen retired from the Navy following twenty-one years as a nuclear-trained submariner, just in time for his children to outgrow the funny stories he always made up for them at bedtime, when he was in port. So, he started writing those stories down and inflicting them upon strangers... Read More →

Saturday July 12, 2014 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

3:00pm EDT

KIDS Filk and Cookies

Kid friendly filking

Blibbering Humdingers

Guests

The Blibbering Humdingers

These mischievous masters of musical hi-jinx will wizard-rock the tea towel right off of your house elf. Hailing from Cary, NC, Scott & Kirsten have been singing together for nearly 20 years. They formed the Blibbering Humdingers in 2007 upon the release of the final Harry Potter... Read More →

Saturday July 12, 2014 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Kids

4:00pm EDT

10 Years of NuWho (ET)

We just finished celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who but next year it is time to celebrate 10 years since the re-launch of Doctor Who. Join our panelists as we look back on the past 9 years as we move into a decade of NuWHO. We will discuss the highs and lows. What we think has worked and hasn’t worked. Along with what we hope the BBC might do to celebrate 10 years since the re-launch that has become a worldwide phenomenon. As always we want to hear what you have to say about Doctor 9, 10, 11 & the coming of no. 12

Moderators

Davey Beauchamp

Guests

Chuck Carte

Drew Meyer

Drew Meyer is a Librarian and Science Educator who moonlights as a Podcaster and Game Designer. He's currently the product consultant for Scaldcrow Games and has contributed to several of their recent releases. He's been the co-host of Gallifrey Pirate Rad... Read More →

Rich

Fan Guest

Saturday July 12, 2014 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

5:00pm EDT

NASA Panel (ET)

What is NASA now? Where is it going? Three of our guests either work, or have worked, for NASA in a variety of areas. We let them tell you about what they know, how things have changed and then answer any questions you have.

Moderators

Tedd Roberts

Guests

Maggie Allen

Maggie Allen recently started writing short fiction, but for her day job at NASA she has years of experience writing and podcasting about various non-fiction topics in astronomy and astrophysics. Maggie has had short stories published in A Hero By Any Other Name, the Time Traveled... Read More →

Les Johnson

NASA

Paula S. Jordan

Saturday July 12, 2014 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

6:00pm EDT

Concert: White Plectrum (Keith Brinegar)

Concert: Keith Brinegar/White Plectrum

Guests

White Plectrum (Keith Brinegar)

Keith Brinegar was born in North Carolina, and has since lived in Texas, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and Germany, with most of those moves due to two tours of duty in the US Air Force. He began performing at an early age, receiving his first guitar at... Read More →

Saturday July 12, 2014 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Concert

7:00pm EDT

Self Publishing: Pros & Cons (ET)

Authors sometime face the challenge of deciding between self-publishing and traditional publishing. What are some of the benefits of going at it yourself? What challenges do you face? How do you determine if it is the right choice for you? How do you assemble a good team and why do you need them?

Moderators

Stuart Jaffe

Guests

Marcia Colette

Nicole Givens Kurtz

James Maxey

Sharon Stogner

Owner, Devil in the Details Editing Services

Saturday July 12, 2014 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

8:00pm EDT

Beyond the Evil Goddess/God - Religion in SF (ET)

Our panelists talk about religion in SF. How do you balance the fantasy with reality? How do you make it feel like a valid and deep part of the world?

Moderators

Gail Z. Martin

Gail Z. Martin is the author of Ice Forged in the The Ascendant Kingdoms Saga and the upcoming Reign of Ash (Orbit Books, April 2014), plus the upcoming Deadly Curiosities urban fantasy (Solaris Books, July 2014). Other books include The Chronicles of The Necromancer series... Read More →

Guests

Glenda C. Finkelstein

Debra Killeen

Debra Killeen is the author of the award-winning fantasy series, “The Myrridian Cycle.” All of the books in the series, An Unlikely Duke, A Prince in Need, Legacy of the Archbishop, Priestess Awakening and Kingdom have won awards at ReaderViews, and Legacy of the Archbishop... Read More →

James Maxey

Gray Rinehart

Saturday July 12, 2014 8:00pm - 8:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

9:00pm EDT

Concert: Danny Birt

Concert: Danny Birt

Guests

Danny Birt

Saturday July 12, 2014 9:00pm - 9:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Concert

10:00pm EDT

Will Star Wars Become the Next Marvel? (ET

With the news that Disney will create not two, as originally reported, but three spin off movies for Star Wars, it’s looking a lot like they plan to capitalize on Star Wars, much like they have with The Avengers franchise. Our panelists will discuss what types of stories they would like to see, and which characters they think should be highlighted.

Moderators

Tricia Barr

Guests

Tony Finkelstein

Tony is a man of many talents with a wide and varied background in music and theatre. In his teenage years he was one of the top rated drummers in the Tampa Bay area and opened for such legendary acts as Janice Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and went on summer tour with The Rascals. Although... Read More →

Tom Hutchens

Saturday July 12, 2014 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

11:00pm EDT

I’m Friends with the Monster Under my Bed (ET)

Panelists will talk about the scary tales which monsters star in. How is the monster is written, and are today's monster tales far from those made up and told around a campfire by the village storyteller in the past. Are today's monsters becoming tame from all the stories about them, or are they getting more frightening?

Moderators

Stephen Mark Rainey

Stephen Mark Rainey is author of the novels Balak, The Lebo Coven, Dark Shadows: Dreams Of The Dark (with Elizabeth Massie), Blue Devil Island, The Nightmare Frontier, and The Monarchs; five short story collections; over 100 published works of short fiction; and several Dark Shadows... Read More →

Guests

Gail Z. Martin

Tony Ruggiero

Saturday July 12, 2014 11:00pm - 11:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

9:00am EDT

Interstellar Travel (ET)

More than 1000 exoplanets have been discovered, some of which may be similar to Earth. Many are now asking, “How do we get there?” Though the distances are vast, there are methods that may allow humanity to one day go to the stars – and they are within the known laws of physics. (No warp drive required!) Following a talk by Les Johnson on exoplanets research, we will explore methods that may one day allow humanity to become an interstellar species.

Moderators

Les Johnson

NASA

Sunday July 13, 2014 9:00am - 9:50am EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags Science

10:00am EDT

The Rise of the Superhero (ET)

Superheroes rise in tough times. More than 70 years ago, the very first superheroes debuted in the dire times of the Great Depression and the early years of World War II. Their names became legend -- Superman, Batman, Captain America -- and they're still with us today. Why are superheroes in film/tv/comics gaining again in popularity?

Moderators

Edmund Schubert

Guests

Tony Finkelstein

Steven S. Long

Steven S. Long’s been involved in the gaming industry for twenty years, during which time he’s written, co-written, edited, or developed nearly 200 books. He got his start as a freelancer for Hero Games, for whom he wrote several books in the mid-Nineties. He soon branched out... Read More →

James Maxey

Drew Meyer

Sunday July 13, 2014 10:00am - 10:50am EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

11:00am EDT

Concert: The Blibbering Humdingers

Concert

The Blibbering Humdingers

Guests

The Blibbering Humdingers

Sunday July 13, 2014 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Winston Programming

Concert

Tags Concert

12:00pm EDT

World Building with Steven Long (AP)

Game Designer and Author Steven S. Long takes the audience through building a world.

Moderators

Steven S. Long

Sunday July 13, 2014 12:00pm - 12:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

1:00pm EDT

Managing Your Finances as a Writer (ET)

So you got your first check for being published? What do you do with it? How do you account for it come tax season? What about expenses? Does going to cons count? Our panelists talk about how to manage the income and expenses related to being an author.

Moderators

Gray Rinehart

Guests

Glenda C. Finkelstein

Sunday July 13, 2014 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Winston Programming

Panels

Tags Writing

2:00pm EDT

I hate Zombies but what if… (ET)

Zombies are incredibly popular in literature and media. But how would we react in the real world? What could cause a "true" zombie outbreak? How could we defend/inoculate ourselves from it?

Moderators

Tags Literary, Media, Science

3:00pm EDT

Flash Topic (or It's late on Sunday…) (AP)

It's Sunday. It's late. Our remaining brave panelists will talk about whatever topics you (the audience) throw at them.

Moderators

Panels