The annual World Science Fiction Convention.
Thursday, August 27, 2026 to Monday, August 31, 2026
Event sessions:
An Introvert's Guide to Surviving Conventions (Virtual)
Conventions are exciting, chaotic, and sometimes… a bit much. For the more introverted guests, navigating the crowds and constant activity can take some strategy. Listen to con-goers share the tricks and survival tactics they’ve developed to help introverts not just get through conventions, but have a great time doing it.
Session name and url:
An Introvert's Guide to Surviving Conventions
Room:
Virtual
Presenters:
Date and time:
Thursday, August 27, 2026 - 13:30
Reading (San Simeon B)
Heather will be reading from an in-process short story “Expiration Date” about an author with writer’s block and a harpy moonlighting as a muse. If there’s additional time, she may share some excerpts from the next Alpennia book, Mistress of Shadows.
Session name and url:
Reading
Room:
San Simeon B
Presenters:
Date and time:
Thursday, August 27, 2026 - 19:50
Autographing (Pedestrian Bridge (ACC North))
Come see me with things to sign or just to say hi.
Session name and url:
Autographing
Room:
Pedestrian Bridge (ACC North)
Presenters:
Date and time:
Friday, August 28, 2026 - 09:00
Table Talk (Virtual)
Heather is an author, blogger, and podcaster, focusing on queer and historic topics. Check out her Lesbian Historic Motif Project blog and podcast! Talk to her about her queer Regency-era fantasy series, researching sexuality in history, or diving headlong into geeky analysis of SFF award history.
(Please please please join my virtual table talk.)
Session name and url:
Table Talk
Room:
Virtual
Presenters:
Date and time:
Friday, August 28, 2026 - 18:00
The Art and Science of Inventing Languages (Redondo)
How do you create a realistic but fictional language from the ground up? Linguists and authors who have done just that discuss what it takes to create a convincing language, from cultural contexts to sound systems to grammars to vocabularies.
Session name and url:
The Art and Science of Inventing Languages
Room:
Redondo
Date and time:
Saturday, August 29, 2026 - 13:30
Stars on their Wrists: Queering History (Huntington)
Every historic culture has included queer folks: people with non-normative experiences of love and desire. The stories of their lives are shaped by the varied ways in which their cultures understood gender and sexuality, which can sometimes seem as alien to us as a science-fictional setting. Authors talk about both situating their queer characters in their historic surroundings and rewriting those settings to create the stories they want to tell.
Session name and url:
Stars on their Wrists: Queering History
Room:
Huntington
Date and time:
Saturday, August 29, 2026 - 18:00
Swords and Slow Burns: Closed Door Romantasy (Malibu)
Whether the romance is front and center or side plot, less spicy stories are blossoming in fantasy. Whether your characters care less about sex or are just cautious about jumping in the sack, sex doesn't have to be in your face. Explore how authors are navigating the increasing demand for these slower burn romances.
Session name and url:
Swords and Slow Burns: Closed Door Romantasy
Room:
Malibu
Date and time:
Monday, August 31, 2026 - 09:00