Welcome to the programming schedule for CONfab 2023! Below you will find details of both tracks of programming for all three days of the convention, Friday, October 20th through Sunday, October 22nd. If you would like to download a copy of the schedule as a PDF grid, you can find that here.
If you want to talk about something that didn’t make it onto the schedule, we’ll have Flash Panel slots open on both Friday and Saturday. Signups will be first come, first served each day.
You can register to attend CONfab 2023 at any time before the start of the convention. Information about registration, including pricing, can be found here.
Quick Links:
- Friday: Track One
- Friday: Track Two
- Saturday: Track One
- Saturday: Track Two
- Sunday: Track One
- Sunday: Track Two
Friday Programming
10:30-10:50
Opening Ceremonies
ROOM: Convair
Welcome to CONfab 2023! We start this year’s festivities off with an introduction, announcements, and anything else you need to know.
FACILITATORS: CONfabulation Con Comm
Track 1 – Convair
11:00-11:50
Eat, Squee, Love: How to Rediscover Your Fandom Identity & Fannish Joy
How can we maintain fannishness & stay in touch with our fandom pals when we’ve got nothing to squee about? How did the pandemic compound this problem? Do we fan differently as we age? Let’s discuss!
PANELISTS: GirlPhenom, sophie_448
FANDOM: Multi-fandom
12:00-12:50
Ultimate Screen Adaptation Tier List: Small Screen Edition
Join us as we rank small screen (tv series, mini series, etc) adaptations of books! Can be new or old, cable or streaming. Submit your ideas on the Google form.
PANELIST: aredlily
MODERATOR: chaneen
FANDOM: Good Omens, Sandman, The Expanse, Shadow and Bone, many more
1:00-1:50
LUNCH
Lunch will be provided by the con. More details to come!
2:00-2:50
RPF: Real People, Fake Scenarios
A look at RPF and how fandom interacts with it. From classic fandoms to current obsessions, come share your likes, dislikes, wishes, and ideas. How has RPF changed for you with the rise of social media?
FACILITATORS: chaneen, poisontaster, saintawesome
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom
3:00-3:50
Do Sci Fi Readers Dream of Electric Sheep?
Science fiction fans unite! If you love reading about aliens, robots, clones, time travel, wormholes, sentient spaceships, and more, join us for a discussion about the SF novels that enrich our lives.
FACILITATORS: leavethepuddle, aredlily
FANDOMS: Includes but not limited to: Foundation, Infernal Devices, The Locked Tomb, The Martian, Star Trek, Wayfarers
4:00-4:50
CONfabulation 2023 Vid Show
It’s our annual multi-fandom vid show! The full playlist will be announced at the convention.
ORGANIZER: brynspikess
Track 2 – Constellation
11:00-11:50
Improvisation And You: Being Comfortable Making A Fool Of Yourself In Front Of Others
Learning to be comfortable while improvising is a fantastic tool, even if you’re not cracking jokes. We’ll go over the basics of improv as comedy, learn to be silly, and play some improv games!
FACILITATOR: J.D. Lowe
FANDOM: Multi-fandom
12:00-12:50
Stitch and Fics
Come together to talk about some of our favorite fics while you work on your own fabric/sewing/knitting/etc WIPs.
FACILITATOR: Countessmary
FANDOM: Multi-fandom
1:00-1:50
LUNCH
Lunch will be provided by the con. More details to come!
2:00 – 2:50
Board Game Boogaloo
Kick it old-school with some board games – some you may know, some you may not – plus three variations of Codenames! Pick a card and have some fun!
FACILITATORS: GreenBryn, J.D. Lowe
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom
3:00-3:50
All in the Family – The Incest Panel
Come share your positive feelings about fictional incest. This is a kink-shaming-free zone.
FACILITATOR: Petra
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom – Supernatural, Game of Thrones, DC Comics, etc. etc.
***
Saturday Programming
Track 1 – Convair
10:00-10:50
The City That Never Sleeps (Because of All the Night Shoots)
In media, NYC is a character on its own; why is that? Come learn about NYC’s unique history & lore, revisit classic scenes from the five boroughs with a particular focus on sci-fi & fantasy.
PANELIST: GirlPhenom
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom
11:00-11:50
Fandom Adrift (Again)
It’s time for fandom to find a new internet home yet again. Are we headed for bluer skies? Somewhere else? Do we even know? Let’s commiserate and discuss how to survive the latest fandom migration.
FACILITATOR: sophie_448
FANDOMS: No fandom/fandom community in general
12:00-12:50
OT3s: Because Your Blorbo Has Two Hands
Let’s chat about ships with more than two people! What draws you to polyam ships, what are some of your favorites, and what tropes and relationship dynamics do you absolutely love?
FACILITATORS: chaneen, saintawesome
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom
1:00-1:50
LUNCH
Lunch break only, no meal provided.
2:00-2:50
You’re Never Too Old to Slay Dragons
Always wanted to play D&D, but felt time passed you by? Into shows like Dimension 20 or Critical Role & want to do that but don’t know where to start? Let me introduce you to the world of TTRPGs!
PANELIST: poisontaster
FANDOM: TTRPGs
3:00-3:50
It’s Not Canon. So What?
We’ll cover the relationships between canon and fanfic, canon and shipping, and fans and those directly involved in making the canon. Covers a variety of fandoms; come see if the participants can sneak in their obscure faves!
PANELISTS: tptigger, Amelia
MODERATOR: havocthecat
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom (Robin of Sherwood, Star Trek (TOS), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Arrow, Teen Wolf, Supernatural, Star Trek (Strange New Worlds). Probable random sidebars include Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Power Rangers Zeo. If the audience looks friendly we might brave Star Wars or Sherlock.)
4:00-4:50
The Great Trope Showdown, 2023 Edition
We’ll vote for the best of the top trope tags on AO3, organized as a seeded bracket. Come to defend your faves in this new and improved in person edition! See which trope will come out on top!
PANELIST: goseaward
MODERATOR: chaneen
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom
Track 2 – Constellation
10:00-10:50
Adaptations.
A lot goes into adapting a work from one medium to another. We’ll talk about what makes good adaptations so great (and highlight your favorites!), as well as get into why some adaptations have failed.
FACILITATOR: chaneen
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom (will include recent adaptations like The Last of Us and The Legend of Vox Machina)
11:00-11:50
Plushie Workshop Is Back, Y’all!
You know it, you love it. No matter your skill level, come & try creating the plushie pal of your dreams. All supplies are free! Bryn & She!Sam will be around to answer questions and assist as needed!
FACILITATORS: GreenBryn, youngloveleroy
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom
12:00-12:50
Keep Calm and Put Anime On
Bring your elevator pitch for your favorite anime series to share with your fellow anime fans.
FACILITATOR: aredlily
FANDOM: Spy Family, Ōoku the Inner Chambers, My Happy Marriage, many more.
1:00-1:50
LUNCH
Lunch break only, no meal provided.
2:00-2:50
Talk It Through Like a Crew
Recently we’ve been seeing more shows handle mental health issues with grace and healthy coping mechanisms. Let’s squee about what we like and share recs of other shows that are doing it right.
FACILITATORS: GreenBryn, J.D. Lowe
FANDOM: Our Flag Means Death, Ted Lasso, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
3:00-3:50
It’s Fun to Stay in the GFFA – Star Wars Panel
Group discussion of Star Wars; the mod’s focus is on pre-Disney material & a smattering of new stuff but all eras are welcome.
FACILITATORS: Petra, colls
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom Star Wars
4:00-4:50
Two Blorbos Walk Into a Bar: Fannish Cocktail Crafting for Beginners
Crafting cocktails – with alcohol or without – is a fun and creative way to pay tribute to your favorite fandoms and characters, and it will make you the star of your next watch party or RPG session. This workshop will teach you how to get started as a home bartender and how to design drinks that capture the fannish spirit.
FACILITATOR: Mosca
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom
***
Sunday Programming
Track 1 – Convair
10:00-10:50
Formative Fannish Books
Let’s discuss some of the books that were formative to us as younger fans–and how and whether they hold up on rereads in today’s world.
FACILITATOR: goseaward
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom, including but not limited to Pern, Tortall, The Dark is Rising, Valdemar, and Star Trek and Star Wars novelizations
11:00-11:50
Positive Portents (Good Omens)
Good Omens season 2! What did we love? What did we wish were different? How do new events shape our understanding of canon? What do we think about the likelihood and content of a season 3? And more!
PANELISTS: goseaward, aredlily
FANDOMS: Good Omens
12:00 – 12:50
Everything Old is New Again: Millennial Nostalgia and Hollywood
Millennial nostalgia is big business and an ever-increasing creative force in Hollywood. Come chat about the origins and psychology of this trend, reboots both good and bad, and what we’re most excited to see next!
PANELIST: GirlPhenom
FANDOM: Pop culture
1:00-??
Closing Ceremonies
ROOM: Convair
We hate to say goodbye, but eventually the fun has to end. Come say goodbye until next year and have a chance to ask questions of the Con Comm and make suggestions for future CONfabs.
FACILITATORS: CONfabulation Con Comm
Track 2 – Constellation
10:00-10:50
Halloween Marathon: Essential Viewing
Wick and Bryn take suggestions and discuss what is essential viewing for any Halloween Marathon, as well as what movies and tv shows qualify as spooky enough!
FACILITATORS: GreenBryn, Wick
MODERATOR: Countessmary
FANDOM: Halloween, Spooky, and Horror.
11:00-11:50
How Do You Want to View This?
From D&D to Blades in the Dark to Call of Cthulhu, and more, there are so many actual plays out there that it can be daunting to figure out which one to try next. Rec your faves and squee with fellow fans!
FACILITATOR: chaneen
FANDOMS: Multi-fandom (actual play TTRPGs)
12:00-12:50
It’s Nice to Have an Old Friend for Dinner
The past decade has produced a true buffet of cannibalistic media. Come discuss how our favorite fictional cannibals can represent dominance or devotion, and provoke both disgust and desire.
FACILITATOR: leavethepuddle
FANDOMS: Hannibal, Yellowjackets, The Terror, Raw, Jennifer’s Body, Sweeney Todd, etc.