On Friday I spent some time at our booth where we had books on sale. Several steampunk, some urban fantasy, and a smattering of other cool stuff.
I found out the final schedule Thursday confirming I would be presenting two panels, one on Friday and one on Saturday. The Friday panel was on Victorian Weaponry. I brought out a laundry basket full of some of my treasures to share and show off in addition to having a slide show.
You can see the slide show links and a brief description on the bottom of my presentations page.
It was a lot of fun, and we ranged through historical weapons, how that differs from steampunk, customizing your own costume parts, and a whole lot of ground in between. It turns out that people built some really weird stuff in the Victorian Era (and times nearby to that). Never assume an idea is so weird it hasn't been done before.
I was getting ready to head back to our book booth when I was asked by Jason King to fill in on the Choose Your Own Apocalypse panel, to champion the cause of the clockwork dolls. Unfortunately I was competing against giant robots and drunken sky pirates, both of which had much greater appeal. I mean, who can compete against drunken sky pirates? It was a lot of fun, and my first experience with on-stage improv.
Saturday afternoon I had a presentation on A Gentleman's Guide to Steampunk. Paul Genesse stopped by to assist since there was a little confusion as to whether it was a presentation or a panel. We talked about how Steampunk is a genre linked at the hip with high society and manners because of how it tends to tie in to the Victorian era. I spoke about a wide range of things, including dining, walking, riding in a vehicle, writing, talking and appearance. The net result is that if you use good manners, even if you don't nail them all in Emily Post style, you'll have not only a better con experience, but also be a good influence on those around you. Good manners carry over to all our interactions on a daily basis.
I also stepped in to help with another panel Saturday talking about Victorian Weaponry when a panelist didn't show. Two guys from Winterfest helped out, and I brought my basket of weapons in from the car again for show and tell. This was much more a panel discussion than my Friday presentation.
One sad note is that this will (according to the schedule handed out) be the last Steamfest in Salt Lake City unless someone else wants to take up the cause. :(
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| Kelly Olsen (Our sponsor), John Olsen, Scott Tarbot, Sarah Seeley, Jay Barnson, Julie Barnson, Scott Taylor |
I found out the final schedule Thursday confirming I would be presenting two panels, one on Friday and one on Saturday. The Friday panel was on Victorian Weaponry. I brought out a laundry basket full of some of my treasures to share and show off in addition to having a slide show.
You can see the slide show links and a brief description on the bottom of my presentations page.
 |
| These fine folks showed up to my Victorian Weaponry panel |
It was a lot of fun, and we ranged through historical weapons, how that differs from steampunk, customizing your own costume parts, and a whole lot of ground in between. It turns out that people built some really weird stuff in the Victorian Era (and times nearby to that). Never assume an idea is so weird it hasn't been done before.
 |
| The Apocalypse crew. Titan machines, clockwork dolls, and sky pirates, moderated by Jason King |
I was getting ready to head back to our book booth when I was asked by Jason King to fill in on the Choose Your Own Apocalypse panel, to champion the cause of the clockwork dolls. Unfortunately I was competing against giant robots and drunken sky pirates, both of which had much greater appeal. I mean, who can compete against drunken sky pirates? It was a lot of fun, and my first experience with on-stage improv.
Saturday afternoon I had a presentation on A Gentleman's Guide to Steampunk. Paul Genesse stopped by to assist since there was a little confusion as to whether it was a presentation or a panel. We talked about how Steampunk is a genre linked at the hip with high society and manners because of how it tends to tie in to the Victorian era. I spoke about a wide range of things, including dining, walking, riding in a vehicle, writing, talking and appearance. The net result is that if you use good manners, even if you don't nail them all in Emily Post style, you'll have not only a better con experience, but also be a good influence on those around you. Good manners carry over to all our interactions on a daily basis.
I also stepped in to help with another panel Saturday talking about Victorian Weaponry when a panelist didn't show. Two guys from Winterfest helped out, and I brought my basket of weapons in from the car again for show and tell. This was much more a panel discussion than my Friday presentation.
One sad note is that this will (according to the schedule handed out) be the last Steamfest in Salt Lake City unless someone else wants to take up the cause. :(
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