Date and Location: Saturday, July 27th, 2024 online via conference software TBD.
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.
Guest of Honor: C.L. Werner is a prolific fantasy author renowned for his contributions to the Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 universes. His writing career spans over two decades, during which he has produced a vast array of novels, novellas, and short stories that delve into the dark and intricate lore of the Old World, the Age of Sigmar, and the Imperium of Man. Werner’s storytelling is distinguished by its detailed world-building, complex and morally ambiguous characters, and a blend of action, horror, intrigue, and a frisson of dark insights. His notable sword and sorcery touchstones include the ruthless bounty hunter Brunner, the relentless witch hunter Mathias Thulmann, the Skaven Grey Seer Thanquol, and the doomed Vulfnir, the Chaos-touched Norscan. Werner has also explored the history of the Old World, adding depth and complexity to the dark origin of the Skaven in the Skaven Wars: Black Plague Trilogy. Outside of the Black Library, Werner has written for Marvel's Legends of Asgard Series (i.e., The Sword of Surtur and Three Swords), and a four-part Solomon Kane tale, "The Get of Garm." For Guillotine Games, Werner has written a trilogy set in the Zombicide setting: Age of the Undead, Isle of the Undead, and City of the Undead. Most recently, Werner has been writing original sword and sorcery set in a fantasy world based on Feudal Japan featuring the Samurai Shintaro Oba, with a novel currently in the works. Werner's work has also appeared in the emerging indie sword and sorcery (S&S) zine and anthology scene, with stories appearing in Neither Beg Nor Yield (Rogues Blades), Tales from the Magician’s Skull (formerly Goodman Games), among others.
Scope: SpiralCon is a one day online convention that begins at 9am and ends at approximately 6pm. The guest speakers do not receive financial remuneration for their appearances. In the past is has been held in two rooms in the Freeman Center at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, but will be online this year. 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
8:30-8:50am: Gathering. No registration necessary. We will be using Gather.com for our conference software. Links to our conference virtual zone will be shared later, but, in the meantime, you might want to go to Gather.town (Virtual HQ) to create a free account.
9:00-9:50am: Panel #1: NEITHER BEG NOR YIELD: THE SWORD AND SORCERY ATTITUDE. Read the description HERE.
10:00-10:50am: Panel #2: Guest of Honor: C.L. Werner, Q&A. Learn more about C.L. Werner HERE.
11:00-11:50am: Presentation/Panel #3: Topic/ Guests TBD
12-1:30pm: Break.
1:30-2:20pm: Presentation/Panel #4: Topic/ Guests TBD
2:30-3:20pm: Presentation/Panel #5: Topic/ Guests TBD
We have a Facebook group as well: Spiral Con 3 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: 6/21/2024
