Date and Location: Saturday, July 15th at the Freeman Center, Christopher Newport University, in Newport News, Virginia.
Overview: SpiralCon is a not-for-profit, academic fan convention celebrating the genres of the unreal: science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror. It is organized by Spiral Tower Press, a small independent amateur press that publishes three free e-zines: Whetstone: Amateur Magazine of Sword and Sorcery, Witch House: Amateur Magazine of Cosmic Horror, and Way Stayion: Amateur Magazine of Space Opera. SpiralCon is a recreational enterprise meant to inspire intellectual discussion of pulp fiction and popular culture.
Scope: SpiralCon is a one day regional convention that begins at 8am and ends at approximately 6pm. It is uncatered and the guest speakers do not receive financial remuneration for their appearances. It is held in two rooms in the Freeman Center at Christopher Newport University. One room will be dedicated to panel presentations featuring academics, writers, artists, and fans; the other room will be dedicated to gaming, workshopping, socializing, and genre-related crafts. Admission is free and RSVP is optional.
Organizers: Dr. Jason Ray Carney, Department of English, Christopher Newport University; Dr. Nicole Emmelhainz-Carney, Department of English, Christopher Newport University
Volunteers/Guests: If you are interested in volunteering for the event, please contact the organizers as jason.carney@cnu.edu
Parking: Parking is free at CNU on the day of the event. We recommend the visitor lot near the Paul Trible Library.
Saturday, July 15th, Freeman Center, CNU
8:30-8:50am: Gathering. No registration necessary. Name tag stickers will be available for those who want them.
9:00-9:50am: Opening comments and Trigon Awards, Dr. Jason Ray Carney, CNU Department of English, followed by Presentation/Panel #1: A Conversation about Robert E. Howard's Literary Legacy with Rusty Burke, President of the Robert E. Howard Foundation
10:00-10:50am: Presentation/Panel #2: Women and Modern Fantasy: History, Theory, and Analysis. Panelists: Dr. Nicole Emmelhainz, Shannon O'Keefe
11:00-11:50am: Presentation/Panel #3: The History Pulpwood Magazines. Moderated by Dr. Jason Ray Carney. Panelists: Nathan Madison, Josh LeHuray
12-1:30pm: Break.
1:30-2:20pm: Presentation/Panel #4: A Brief History of Zine Culture and their Influence on Genre Fiction: Moderated by Luke E. Dodd, Co-Host of the Cromcast and editor of several zines
2:30-3:20pm: Presentation/Panel #5: The Literary Legacy of Space Opera: Literature, Film, and Gaming
There is a seperate room with approximately five tables set aside for socializing, gaming, and other uses. They are first come, first serve. There is also space in the foyer for tabling; let us know if you are interested. We have had people mention that they are interested in playing Magic: the Gathering and Warhammer 40k.
We have a Facebook group as well: Spiral Con 2 Facebook Group
This is our second time doing this; thanks for the support. 😊📚☕️
This is our second time doing this; thanks for the support. 😊📚☕️
UPDATED: 6/28/2023
