ArmadilloCon 45 starts tomorrow! If you’ll be in the Austin, TX area and can attend the con this weekend, stop by and say hello. It’d be great to see you there! You can purchase tickets for the con here.

The guests of honor this year will be:

• Writer Guest: Sequoia Nagamatsu.
• Special Guests: Cory Doctorow and Gabino Iglesias.
• Editor Guest: Rick Klaw.
• Toastmaster: Tonia Ransom.
• Artist Guest: Gonzalo Alvarez.

The con will feature many panels focused on writing, film, TV, comics, RPGs, and other topics as well as an art show, dealer’s room, autographs, readings, and gaming. This year’s schedule is packed with plenty of fun and interesting events and activities, so come check it out!

Health Policy: Travis County’s COVID-19 risk is currently low. Even so, the con aims to keep everyone safe and healthy, asking that all attendees, participants, and volunteers agree to follow the con’s health pledge. Self-testing is strongly recommended before attending the con. Masks will be available at the ArmadilloCon registration desk and are encouraged. Hand sanitizer will also be available. The con suite will have a high-quality air purifier. So, let’s do our best to keep the community safe!

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be a panelist at this year’s con. Here’s my schedule of events:

Saturday, August 5:

11:30 am – 12 pm CST: Reading – C.L. Irwin
Conference Center
C.L. Irwin

7 – 7:45 pm CST: House of the Dragon: Feminist or Not?
Ballroom F
Beth Anderson (moderator), Aaron de Orive, C.L. Irwin, Laura Galán-Wells
The success of HBO’s House of the Dragon, the long-awaited follow-up series to Game of Thrones, proved that there is more TV life in George R.R. Martin’s world. While the show centers on multiple strong and ambitious female characters, the series also depicts a society in which women’s power and even, at times, their very lives, are controlled by men. Is HOTD a feminist show or not? Should fantasy stories move on from depicting feudal, male-dominated societies like the GoT universe?

8 – 8:45 pm CST: The Terrifying Future of Social Media
Southpark A
D.L. Young (moderator), A. Lee Martinez, C.L. Irwin, Laura Galán-Wells, Paige E. Ewing
Twitter has been on a slow-implode for the past year, various alternatives never found solid ground, and somehow Booktok is incredibly influential. How can creatives handle the separate full-time job of Social Media Manager while still having time to do the actual work they want to do?

Sunday, August 6:

12 – 12:45 pm CST: Silo/Wool Omnibus: TV Series vs. Book Series
Ballroom F
William Ledbetter (moderator), Aaron de Orive, C.L. Irwin, Abby Goldsmith
A discussion of the similarities and differences between the TV series and book series, including any fan service changes made to the show. We will also cover the various thematic concerns of the series.

1 – 1:45 pm CST: How to Build a World Bible: Methodologies, Infrastructure, & Tools
Ballroom F
Marie Brennan (moderator), Marshall Ryan Maresca, Sara A Mueller, C.L. Irwin, Eleanor Haglund
A discussion of world bible building “best practices,” which will also include a brief overview and comparison of various world bible building systems and software like Scrivener world bible templates, World Anvil, Campfire + worldbuilding add-on pack, Scapple, Plottr, Aeon Timeline, Obsidian.MD, etc. We will also discuss the pros and cons of each method and/or tool.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

-C.L.