Darkover^® Grand Council Meeting

9/10/10 - Steampunk Ball 5-7 PM Saturday!

1/25/10 - We have a facebook event page for the Steampunk track!

Victorian science fiction is the short answer. A little longer one comes from Wikipedia: "The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used – usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England – but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of 'the path not taken' of such technology as dirigibles, analogue computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality."

What this means for Darkovercon is that Chrononauts, Sky Pirates, and Mad Scientists from everywhere will be descending upon the convention to attend the first ever Steampunk Track which will have programming on all three days. We will have everything from historical presentations for background knowledge to hands on how-tos to social get-togethers where we can swap ideas. Come and join us on our Grand Adventure!

Steampunk Ball

There will be a Steampunk Ball Saturday afternoon (5-7 PM). Steampunk dress is strongly encouraged, but not required.

Steampunk Schedule
Greenspring Ballroom 1

Friday

3:00 PM - Steampunk Costuming From The Pattern Up. What patterns can you choose from? Do you have to be a seamstress to get good results? After I have an outfit, what do I do to give it that Steampunk touch?
A round-table discussion hosted by Reconstructing History's Kass McGann, costume enthusiast Joanna Dionne and Doom Bunny Amber Dionne.

4:00 PM - Uncharted Territories: Non-Western European Steampunk and Other Fun Side-Steps in Time and Space. The world is bigger than Western Europe and North America. Come explore time and space with Chrononauts of All Nations!
Brenna Beattie.

5:00 PM - Steampunk Through Our Ages: From Young to Not So Young. Steampunk isn't just for twenty-somethings. It reaches out to our children and our parents, and everyone in-between.
A round-table discussion hosted by Marty Gear, the Dionne family, and other assorted rapscallions.

6:00 PM - Dinner & Dressing Hour. The Sock Hop is ahead of us, and you don't want to show up in a hurried state of dress or hungry do you? Go ahead and take some time to get ready and relax before you're swept off your feet (or are ready to do the sweeping) at the dance.

7:00 PM - Victorian Era Photography. A review of some historical photographic processes and their uses, including stereo photography.
Presenter Fred Blonder will attempt to take a photograph and develop it as part of the talk.

8:00 PM - Sock Hop. Come celebrate, as all good Hobbits do, the coming of age birthday party for Darkovercon! We will dance the stroll, bunny hop, hand jive, and more with dance mistress Susan de Guardiola. There will also be a prize given for the best Steampunked Sock Hop outfit.

Saturday

10:00 AM - New To Steampunk! HELP! A round table open to all Steampunks new and old, discussing what is your favourite part of Steampunk and why. What should a person new to Steampunk really check out? What should they avoid?
Hosted by Kathleen Madsen.

11:00 AM - Eric Carter Memorial Ooooh Shiney! Display (2 hours) Steampunk is all about the cool gadgets right? Okay, well, there's other stuff too, but... gadgets! Have you made something you think is really cool? Please come show it off in this two hour time period devoted to the "Ooooh shiney!" Come and show your stuff and get to meet other makers and doers. There will also be a silent auction to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

1:00 PM - GoH Speech. In Main Programming, our Guest of Honour will be speaking, so go meet Elizabeth Bear. She was born on the same day as Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, but in a different year. This, coupled with a childhood tendency to read the dictionary for fun, led her inevitably to penury, intransigence, the mispronunciation of common English words, and the writing of speculative fiction.

2:00 PM - Anachronistic Antagonistics. (2 hours) A workshop on Sherlock Holmes' favourite form of defence - Bartitsu. Limit 10, more can come and watch out of the way.
Presented by noted author, historian, and buckler of swash, Mark P. Donnelly. Along with being a writer and producer for the History and Discovery channels, Mr. Donnelly has co-written many books including Medieval Furniture and Medieval Celebrations.

4:00 PM - Dinner & Dressing Hour. The Steampunk Ball is ahead of us, and you don't want to show up in a hurried state of dress or hungry do you? Go ahead and take some time to get ready and relax before you're swept off your feet (or are ready to do the sweeping) at the ball.

5:00 PM - Steampunk Ball. (2 hours) The Steampunk Ball will take place in the Main Programming room and will be hosted by noted dance mistress: Susan de Guardiola.

7:00 PM - Airships, Steam Trains, and Reticulating Bi-Directional Electromagnetic Engines, Oh My! A survey of steampunk literature from its roots in the humble penny-dreadfuls of yesteryear to what's being written today, including various works and milestones in steam-lit history and its effects on current trends in fiction.
Dan Delaney.

8:00 PM - Ready! Aim! Fire! Have you modified a Nerf (or other similar) gun to fit in with the Steampunk aesthetic? Bring it to this free-for-all battle with rules similar to Mornington Crescent! Please remember however, that we do have a weapons policy forbidding guns, so make sure your weapon looks nothing like a real one!
Wrangled by the Steampunk Staff.

Sunday

10:00 AM - Steampunk Darkover^®. No. Really. A round table open to fans of both MZB's Darkover^® series and Steampunk. Steampunk Star Wars has been done already, so let's take a cue from them and toss around ideas on how would -you- bring Steampunk to Darkover^®? Those Free Amazons seem like they would fit right into the Rational Dress movement, so what else can we come up with? Come and find out!
Hosted by Amber Dionne.

11:00 AM - Early Space Art. This presentaton covers the high points of Victorian and Edwardian book and periodical illustrations of "scientific romance" and pop science.
Craig Levin.

12:00 Noon - Uppity Women In The Victorian Era. Queens, Adventuresses, and Lady Scientists: Women of the Victorian Era didn't just stay at home, wearing corsets and fainting delicately. Come to hear about some famous and not-so-famous women who climbed mountains, invented things, went to war, and even ran countries.
Elizabeth Levin.

Guests of Honour

Elizabeth Bear

• 

Amanda-Lee Ronayne

• 

Katherine Kurtz

• 

Clam Chowder

• 

Links

Of course there's more to see, check out the rest of what's going on.

Other important info

Take a peek at yesteryear