Dates: July 27-29 – The 29th annual conference
Venue: Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel in Coraopolis, PA
Guest of Honor: Catherynne Valente
Catherynne M. Valente is a New York Times Bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction novels, short stories, and poetry, including Palimpsest, the Orphan’s Tales series, Deathless, Radiance, and the crowdfunded phenomenon The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Own Making (and the four books that followed it).
She lives on a small island off the coast of Maine with her partner, two dogs, two enormous friendly cats and one less enormous, less friendly one, five chickens, a red accordion, an uncompleted master’s degree, a roomful of yarn, a spinning wheel with ulterior motives, a cupboard of jam and pickles, a bookshelf full of folktales, an industrial torch, an Oxford English Dictionary, and a DSL connection.
She has won or been nominated for every major award in her field: the Hugo (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014), Nebula (2013 & 2014), Locus (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and World Fantasy Awards (2007, 2009, 2011, 2014). In the Night Garden won the James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award for expanding gender and sexuality in SFF (2007), and the Orphan’s Tales series as a whole won the Mythopoeic Award for Adults (2008). Palimpsest won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT fiction (2010). Her story “Urchins, While Swimming,” received the Million Writers Award for best online short fiction in 2006 and her poem The Seven Devils of Central California won the Rhysling Award in 2008. Radiance won the Romantic Times Critics Choice Award in 2015. “The Long Goodbye of Violet Wild” won the inaugural Eugie Award in 2016, while the French translation of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making won the Prix Imaginales that same year. The French translations of both The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There won the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire (2017), while her short story “The Future is Blue” took home the 2017 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.
In 2010, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making became the first self-published work to win a major literary award, winning the Andre Norton Award for YA literature before it saw print in 2011, going on to become a national bestseller. The first book of the Fairyland series also won a Locus Award for Best YA Novel. It was followed by a prequel and a sequel – a prequel novella entitled The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland – For a Little While was published by Tor.Com in 2011. The sequel, The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, was listed by TIME and NPR as one of the ten best books of 2012. The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two, the third novel, also received the Locus Award for Best YA Novel (2014). The series continued with The Boy Who Lost Fairyland, which enjoyed its cover reveal on USA Today, before concluding with The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home – an excerpt of which was featured in Entertainment Weekly. In 2016, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making won the Prix Imaginales for Translated International Young Adult Fantasy Fiction, while in 2017, the first two novels in the series won the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire for Roman jeunesse étranger (Foreign Youth Novel).
In 2012 she received the Locus Award for Best Novella (Silently and Very Fast), Best Novelette (White Lines On A Green Field) and Best YA Novel (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making). In 2014, she received the award for Best YA Novel (The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two) and Best Novella (Six-Gun Snow White). Her novels and short stories have been published in twenty-seven countries.
As part of the SF Squeecast, she won the Hugo for Best Fancast in 2012 and 2013, and as the editor of Apex Magazine, she was nominated in 2012. She was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for her dystopian novelette Fade to White in 2013, and her Western novella Six-Gun Snow White in 2014.
Her 2011 adult novel, Deathless, has sold film rights to the premier Russian filmmaker Aleksander Rodnyansky.
Radiance, a decopunk science fiction novel, is her latest work for adults and was released in 2015. It appeared on the Honor List for the 2015 James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award, and was highlighted by Entertainment Weekly in a “5 out-of-this-world tales to read” list. RT Book Reviews awarded Radiance their Romantic Times’ Critics Choice Award for Science Fiction Novel in 2015.
In 2017, she’s looking forward to releasing The Refrigerator Monologues, inspired by Gail Simone’s work on Women in Refrigerators: due to be published in June, The Refrigerator Monologues depicts “a series of linked stories from the points of view of the wives and girlfriends of superheroes, female heroes, and anyone who’s ever been ‘refrigerated’” – it can be pre-ordered now. The Glass Town Game, Cat’s latest book for younger readers about the famous Brontë siblings stumbling into a world they created, will be released in September and is illustrated by Rebecca Green.
The New York Times has called her “an incandescent young star.”
Featured Music Guest: S.J. “Sooj” Tucker
S. J. Tucker is a feisty & whimsical singer-songwriter and advocate for creativity, based in Arkansas. When not traveling the continent to perform for this 15th consecutive year, she lives on the site of a former summer camp with her husband (a wizard), three different sizes of cat (smallest to largest: Pooshka, Minko, and Gawain), and hundreds of fireflies.
“Without our songs and stories, we are nothing.” S. J. Tucker has been the glad captain of her own independent music career since 2004, when she left the workaday world behind to travel the continent, singing songs and changing lives. Named a vanguard of the Mythpunk movement and even “the face of neo-tribal Paganism” by Witches & Pagans Magazine, Tucker is the voice of lore at the campfire and the sharp laughter of modern myth. With one hand anchored in her art and the other held out to you, she is songs and stories, community and wit.
With over ten albums released to date and several more currently in the works, Tucker has received songwriting awards and has traveled the United States, Canada, and Europe with her music. S. J. (called “Sooj” by fans and friends) believes that there’s more than one way to be a rock star. If you’re chasing your dreams and living your life in a way that keeps you happy and healthy, Sooj believes you’ve got it made. You may often find her on tour with similarly hard-working artists and groups who believe in giving their fans all that they’ve got, such as Toronto’s Heather Dale Band, Seattle cellist Betsy Tinney (often with their shared project, Tricky Pixie), or Pride rockers Big Bad Gina.
A dynamic live performer known for her willingness to follow an evocative ballad with a tune about ninjas or pirates, Tucker is never in danger of taking herself too seriously. She lets it be plain on stage that she loves her job, but she also shows grace and calm, courting and cajoling her audience. Reviewers compare her voice to that of Joni Mitchell or Tori Amos, her guitar work to that of Emily Saliers. Apart from writing lyrics and music, S. J. loves fire dancing with poi and hula hoop and has given fire performances & workshops across the country. Additionally, she has worked as a professional audiobook narrator and an indie film score composer.
In 2014, S. J. celebrated ten solid and joyful years of touring and performing. Last year, she released a new album called Stolen Season, which explores her Mississippi Delta jazz and blues roots more than ever before. On her plate for 2016 are such treasures as a new illustrated book based on her Wendy & Peter Pan songs (with an album to follow), a myths-and-literature-inspired song collection called Stormchaser, a video game soundtrack, a long-awaited follow-up to her spiritually focused Blessings album, collaboration on Heather Dale’s Arthurian stage musical Queens of Avalon, and of course, The Green Album.
Sooj recently rounded out a 52-week challenge to write one new song every week- the first creative commitment of its kind that she’s ever undertaken, and so she’ll be spending more time in the studio than ever before in the coming months to capture these new morsels! In addition, her rambling concert schedule for 2016 includes shows in fifteen different US states. Sooj hopes to keep successfully straddling the line between touring enough, and touring too much.
Special Music Guests: Frenchy and the Punk
Imagine Siouxsie Sioux and Dee Dee Ramone had a duo that was inspired by Django Reinhardt, Edith Piaf, Toulouse Lautrec, and Deepak Chopra; this is what it might sound like. One part Dresden Dolls, one part Sonny and Cher, and one part White Stripes. A pixie-spirited flexitarian band of tree-hugging, gothic, folky, Steam Punks by way of Paris and New York. Doused in red wine, kale, and granola, raised on punk rock and ballet, eclectic and uplifting…fun with a capital F!
The product of a 1998 office romance, the two left their temp jobs, traveled as a solo musician (him) and artist (her) selling their wares until 2005 when Stephenson, the sultry French-born singer, jumped onstage and joined, Helland, the fiery punk rock guitarist from the golden days of the hardcore scene, and Frenchy and the Punk was born.
Along the way they became the “jewel of the steampunk scene” and were named one of the “’Top 25 duos in America” by Yahoo! music. The unlikely pairing has since released six full-length CDs, produced a live concert DVD and performed all across the U.S. and in Europe.
Their show is a carnival of two that will take you from the Moulin Rouge to CBGB and back again–a rollicking flapper folk punk steampunk cabaret!
Sound technicians: Mark Peters and Roberta Slocumb
Program book cover and t-shirt artwork: Rhonda Libbey
Rhonda LIbbey is an Imaginative Realism artist and illustrator. She live in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania with her wonderfully supportive boyfriend and two silly ferrets.
She has been a professional illustrator and graphic designer since 1996 and has had the good fortune to work on some cool projects and has shown in some great galleries.
Her most recent works are created traditionally in oil paint and gold leaf, with oil paint layered in glazes on top of the metal to achieve a luminous effect. She is drawn to the contrasts of delicate and bold that both oil paint and gold leaf possess.
2018 Program book cover
2018 T-shirt
30th Anniversary Honors Guest: Judi Miller
Judi Miller has been active in the “filk” (science fiction fan music) community since the 1980s. Winner of the Pegasus Award for Best Performer in 2006 and admitted to the Filk Hall of Fame in 2017, Judi is best known for her sign-language interpretation of filk songs, which she has done for concerts at our convention and elsewhere for many years. She also sings and plays guitar and banjo. We are pleased to honor her contributions to Confluence to mark the 30th anniversary of its founding in 1988.
Writing Workshops Facilitated by David D. Levine
David D. Levine is the author of novel Arabella of Mars (Tor 2016) and over fifty SF and fantasy stories. His story “Tk’Tk’Tk” won the Hugo Award, and he has been shortlisted for awards including the Hugo, Nebula, Campbell, and Sturgeon. Stories have appeared in Asimov’s, Analog, F&SF, Tor.com, and multiple Year’s Best anthologies as well as award-winning collection Space Magic from Wheatland Press.
David is a contributor to George R. R. Martin’s bestselling shared-world series Wild Cards. He is also a member of publishing cooperative Book View Cafe and of nonprofit organization Oregon Science Fiction Conventions Inc. He has narrated podcasts for Escape Pod, PodCastle, and StarShipSofa, and his video “Dr. Talon’s Letter to the Editor” was a finalist for the Parsec Award. In 2010 he spent two weeks at a simulated Mars base in the Utah desert. David lives in Portland, Oregon.
Entertainment: Costume contest
With Judges: Karen Schnaubelt, DarkGeekLord (Tom Higgs) and Dr. Karen Purcell
Parsec Short Story contest winning story: “Midas” by Zaina Ujayli
Zaina Ujayli is a Syrian American writer and a recent graduate of The Ohio State University where she studied English with a focus in postcolonial studies. Currently, she works to help refugee resettlement in Columbus, Ohio with AmeriCorps. You can find her on twitter @zainaujayli or in a local coffee shop Friday nights.
Parsec Ink’s Triangulation Anthology
Parsec Ink is proud to announce its 14th collection of short stories. Triangulation: Harmony & Dissonance is 21 short stories from around the world that explore this musical theme from every direction in the Speculative Multiverse–fantasy, science fiction, horror, the weird, and all points between. Let this mixtape of the imagination take you into the sway of songs of healing and songs of destruction, to a war-torn world where harmony is found in a melody shared by strangers, to an island of living instruments pining for a hand to play them, and to Earth, where a Martian virtuoso discovers that when music is diplomacy, atmosphere is as important as talent.
Editors: Frank Oreto and Douglas Gwilym
Sepcial Music Guests, Frency and the Punk
Imagine Siouxsie Sioux and Dee Dee Ramone had a duo that was inspired by Django Reinhardt, Edith Piaf, Toulouse Lautrec, and Deepak Chopra; this is what it might sound like. One part Dresden Dolls, one part Sonny and Cher, and one part White Stripes. A pixie-spirited flexitarian band of tree-hugging, gothic, folky, Steam Punks by way of Paris and New York. Doused in red wine, kale, and granola, raised on punk rock and ballet, eclectic and uplifting…fun with a capital F!
The product of a 1998 office romance, the two left their temp jobs, traveled as a solo musician (him) and artist (her) selling their wares until 2005 when Stephenson, the sultry French-born singer, jumped onstage and joined, Helland, the fiery punk rock guitarist from the golden days of the hardcore scene, and Frenchy and the Punk was born.
Along the way they became the “jewel of the steampunk scene” and were named one of the “’Top 25 duos in America” by Yahoo! music. The unlikely pairing has since released six full-length CDs, produced a live concert DVD and performed all across the U.S. and in Europe.
Their show is a carnival of two that will take you from the Moulin Rouge to CBGB and back again–a rollicking flapper folk punk steampunk cabaret!
Program Participants
Musicians
Michael Arnzen
J.D. Barker
Joshua Bellin
Mattie Brahen
S.C. Butler
Kenneth B. Chiacchia
Brenda Clough
Lawrence C. Connolly
Dame Dahlia
Eric Leif Davin
Susan Dexter
Barbara Doran
Frederic S. Durbin
Steve Fisher
Wendelin Gray
J.L. Gribble
Elektra Hammond
Kevin Hayes
Tom Higgs
Randy Hoffman
Alan Irvine
Larry Ivkovich
Herb Kauderer
Bill Keith
Brian Koscienski
Geoffrey A. Landis
Mary Soon Lee
Barton Paul Levenson
Rhonda Libbey
Tim Liebe
Brea Ludwigson
Jim Mann
Laurie Mann
Charles Oberndorf
Andi O’Connor
Hanne Madeleine Gates Paine
Mark Painter
Joshua Palmatier
Tamora Pierce
Aaron Roth
A.M. Rycroft
Karen Schnaubelt
Darrell Schweitzer
Jay Smith
Bud Sparhawk
Ian Strock
Thomas Sweterlitsch
John Alfred Taylor
R.K. Thorne
Mary Turzillo
Albert Wendland
Christopher Weuve
Karen Yun-Lutz
David Bannister (Court and Country)
Carrie Dahlby (Court and Country)
Kerri-Ellen Kelly (Court and Country)
Betsey Langan (Court and Country)
Wendy Richardson (Court and Country)
Keith Rohrer (Court and Country)
Sharon Spanogle (Court and Country)
Ananda Stevens (Court and Country)
Phil Cooper (February Sky)
Susan Urban (February Sky)
Scott Helland (Frenchy and the Punk)
Samantha Stephenson (Frenchy and the Punk)
Randi Hubler (Reapers)
Onslaught Six (Reapers)
Erin Bellavia (Via Bella)
Rand Bellavia (Via Bella)
John McDaid
Dealers
Air and Nothingness Press
Fortress Publishing
Undiscovered Treasures
Christina Cowan
Larry Ivkovich
Celestial Attic
Sandy & Christeen Clark
Fantaminals
Judy Peterson
Christine M. Soltis
Zombies Need Brains LLC
Tekko 2019 – April 11-14
Wendelin Gray
Larry Smith Bookseller LLC
A.M. Rycroft
Darrell Schweitzer
Christine Hutson, artist
Fantastic Books
Old Earth Press
Security provided by the Dorsai Irregulars
Photo Gallery
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Program Schedule – Full weekend
Friday, July 27, 2018
3:30pm: Registration opens
4pm
Filk Mad Libs: Ballroom 1
Public Readings: Tips for Success: Commonwealth East
SF and Rock and Roll: Commonwealth West
Reading: Susan Dexter: Equinox
4:30pm
Reading: R. K. Thorne: Equinox
5pm
Concert: Brenda Shaffer-Shiring & Chuck Shiring: Ballroom 1
Beyond the Blockbuster: Commonwealth East
Transition from Indie to Traditional Publishing: Commonwealth West
Reading: S. C. Butler: Equinox
5:30pm
Reading: Brian Koscienski: Equinox
6pm
Concert: Blind Lemming Chiffon: Ballroom 1
Bring on the Bad Guys: Commonwealth East
It’s a Monster Mash: Rock’n’Roll & SF: Commonwealth West
7pm
Concert: Via Bella: Ballroom 1
How to Self-Publish: Commonwealth East
Naval Command and Control: Commonwealth West
8pm
Welcome to Confluence: Ballroom 1
SF Poetry Reading: Commonwealth East
9pm
30th Anniversary Honors Guest Event: Ballroom 1
Super Villain March Madness: Commonwealth East
From “A Martian Odyssey” to The Martian: Commonwealth West
Just Nerdy or Something Else–Mental Illness: Equinox
Fortress Publishing Launch Party: Room 225
10pm
Open Filking: Ballroom 1
Saturday, July 28, 2018
9am – Registration Opens
Writers Workshop: Board Room
Walk and Talk with Geoff and Mary: Registration area
Writing Exercises: Room 225
10am
Workshop: Renaissance A Capella Music: Ballroom 1
Creating an Oil Painting Demo: Ballroom 2
Is There YA SF/F Without Dystopia: Commonwealth East
AI: The Real Deal: Commonwealth West
Reading: Michael Arnzen: Equinox
Autographing: Gray, Ivkovich, Irvine: Registration area
Kaffeeklatsch: Catherynne M. Valente: Room 225
What I Read that’s Not SF: Solstice
10:30am
Reading: Lawrence C. Connolly: Equinox
11am:
Internal Alchemy: Rock Your Creative Quests: Ballroom 1
Researching Your Story: Commonwealth East
Set the Controls for the Edge of the Sun: Commonwealth West
Reading: Charles Oberndorf: Equinox
Autographing: Pierce, Smith, Sparhawk: Registration area
Kaffeeklatsch: Judi Miller: Room 225
Blurring the Lines: Writing Across Genres: Solstice
11:30am
Reading: Albert Wendland: Equinox
12pm
Concert: John McDaid: Ballroom 1
Pittsburgh as Setting: Commonwealth East
Making War Believable: Commonwealth West
Reading: J.L. Gribble: Equinox
Autographing: Landis, Turzillo, Wendland: Registration area
Workmanship of Costumes & Props: Solstice
12:30pm
Reading: Brenda Clough: Equinox
1pm
Dynamic Duo: Ballroom 1
Fiction Skills Seminar: Board Room
Protagonist’s Journey: Commonwealth East
Lang Belta – a Language from the Expanse: Commonwealth West
Reading: Wendelin Gray: Equinox
Autographing: Levenson, Palmatier, Rycroft: Registration area
Kaffeklatsch: Michael Arnzen & Herb Kauderer: Room 225
Science Fiction of the 1950s: Solstice
1:30pm
Reading: Larry Ivkovich: Equinox
2pm
Concert: February Sky: Ballroom 1
Vogon Poetry Workshop: Board Room
How Modern Technology Impacts Drama: Commonwealth East
Costuming for a Cause: Commonwealth West
Reading: John Alfred Taylor: Equinox
Autographing: Tucker, Sweterlitsch, Durbin: Registration area
Kaffeeklatsch: David D. Levine: Room 225
Private Enterprise in Space: Solstice
2:30pm
Introduction to SF & Fantasy in K-Dramas: Commonwealth West
Reading: Joshua Palmatier: Equinox
3pm
Guest of Honor Presentation: Ballroom 1
4pm
Concert: Court & Country: Ballroom 1
What Has She Done to Kevin? Prosthetics Demo: Board Room
Frivolous Poetry: Commonwealth East
The Great War in Science Fiction: Commonwealth West
Reading PARSEC Story Contest Winner Zaina Ujayli: Equinox
Autographing: Arnzen, Barker, Bellin: Registration area
Kaffeeklatsch: SJ Tucker: Room 225
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America: Solstice
4:30pm
Reading: Elektra Hammond: Equinox
5pm
Concert: Featured Music Guest: Ballroom 1
Developing the Dream Diary: Board Room
Integrating Character, Plot, and Worldbuilding: Commonwealth East
Alien Languages in SF & Fantasy: Commonwealth West
Reading: Thomas Sweterlitsch: Equinox
Autographing: Miller, Connolly, Clough: Registration area
Book Launch: Wendelin Gray & Larry Ivkovich: Room 225
Short Fiction Now: Solstice
5:30pm
Reading: Mary Turzillo: Equinox
6pm
Masquerade Sign-up Closes: Registration area
7:45pm
Doors Open for Masquerade: Ballroom 1
8pm
Masquerade: Ballroom 1
Beer Tasting: Room 225
8:30pm
Concert: Frenchy & the Punk: Ballroom 1
9pm
Horror Then and Now: Commonwealth East
9:15pm
Masquerade Awards: Ballroom 1
9:30pm
Concert: More Frenchy & the Punk: Ballroom 1
10pm
Late Night Ghost Stories: Commonwealth East
10:45pm
Open Filking: Ballroom 1
Sunday, July 29, 2018
9am – Registration opens
Writing Exercises: Room 225 (Kevin Hayes, Facilitator)
10am
Workshop: Celtic Guitar with February Sky: Ballroom 1
Space Opera – Present and Past: Commonwealth East
Small Press: Commonwealth West
Reading: Mary Soon Lee: Equinox
Autographing: Fisher, Kauderer, Taylor: Registration area
Kaffeeklatsch: J.D. Barker: Room 225
10:30am
Reading: Barbara Doran: Equinox
11am
Concert: Bill Laubenheimer: Ballroom 1
All Fiction is Political: Commonwealth East
History of Textiles: Commonwealth West
Reading: Tamora Pierce: Equinox
Autographing: Valente, Thorne: Registration area
Kaffeeklatsch: Geoff Landis & Mary Turzillo: Room 225
11:30am
Reading: Joshua Bellin: Equinox
12pm
Concert: Reapers: Ballroom 1
In Memoriam – Le Guin, Dozois, Wilhelm, Ellison: Commonwealth East
Reading: David D. Levine: Commonwealth West
Reading: Andi O’Connor: Equinox
Autographing: Butler, Doran, Gribble: Registration area
Kaffeeklatsch Mary Soon Lee & Charlie Oberndorf: Room 225
Reading: Mark Painter: Solstice
12:30pm
Reading: Stephen C. Fisher: Equinox
1pm
Concert: Carrie Dahlby: Ballroom 1
Standing the Test of Time: Classics Past/Future: Commonwealth East
SF/F/H in Comics & Graphic Novels: Commonwealth West
Reading: Frederic S. Durbin: Equinox
Confluence Wrap-up: Registration area
Kaffeeklatsch: Tamora Pierce: Room 225
Discussion Group: Zombies Need Brains: Solstice
1:30pm
Reading: Christopher Pisano: Equinox
2pm
Concert: Scott Helland Guitarmy of One-ness3: Ballroom 1
Using Myth in Fantasy: Commonwealth East
Cats in SF, Fantasy & Horror: Commonwealth West
Reading: Marilyn Brahen: Equinox
Autographing: Levine, Dexter: Registration area
Kaffeklatsch: John Alfred Taylor: Room 225
2:30pm
Reading: Barton Paul Levenson: Equinox
3pm
Dead Dog Filking: Ballroom 1
Reading: Darrell Schweitzer: Equinox
Autographing: Keith, Lee, O’Connor: Registration area
Discussion Group: Living in the RAW World: Solstice
3:30pm
Reading: Jay Smith: Equinox