Schedule - Arisia 2023 | Arisia 2023 • January 13

Arisia 2023 Schedule

Generated: Sun Jan 15 15:10:31 2023

Friday - Saturday - Sunday - Monday

2:00pm Friday

Dexterity Games - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 1hr 30min - Harbor I (3E): I will bring, introduce, and teach how to play a variety of dexterity games and gauge the level of interest in the community for more games.; Professor Fizzle (m)

3:00pm Friday

Savage Worlds: Boomstick - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): Evil Dead meets This Is Spinal Tap in the Boomstick setting for Savage Worlds from Just Insert Imagination. Take the role of a heavy metal band member fighting supernatural evil with hard rock in this comedy-horror RPG.; Scott Marchand Davis (m)

4:00pm Friday

The Key to the Stars (D&D 5E) - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): While there is light, there is darkness. For chosen wielders of the Keyblade, it is imperative to seek out that balance. As such it falls to the hands of five capable defenders of the light to seek another world threatening to be consumed by darkness and protect it. However, this particular journey may require a more forceful approach in order to set things right.; Keegan Hannon (m)

Fiasco - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): Make your own chaos with Fiasco! Fiasco is a game of Powerful Ambition and Poor Impulse Control, where 3–5 players have a Coen Brothers-style downfall of their own creation. Switch between playing out scenes as zany characters and establishing those scenes as a writer’s room hellbent on ramping up the chaos. The second edition of Fiasco features new card-driven gameplay making it easier to play than ever before. No materials necessary, but paper and pencil may be helpful.; Aaron Marks (m)

Fast Track—Meet the Staff - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Welcome to Fast Track! Come see us to get all your ribbons. Meet the staff for Fast Track and make plans for the great weekend we have in store.; Jan Dumas

5:00pm Friday

Free Play Friday - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Time to have fun! Parents, please stick around and meet other parents and kids who are spending time in Fast Track.

5:30pm Friday

Shabbat Services - Meetups, Participatory Event - 1hr - Alcott (3W): We will start with a sing-along with excerpts from Kabbalat Shabbat (with a transliterated song sheet) with open seating, and then have a full traditional Ashkenazi Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv for which both mixed and separate seating will be available. More singing will follow the service, time permitting. A limited number of prayer booklets will be available to borrow. All are welcome.; Calais Reed (m), Gail “RGB🌈🐻” Terman (m)

Expression and Oppression in the SFF Universe - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Censorship, repression, and governmental or religious control over the free dissemination of ideas are common themes in SFF, especially dystopian literature. Share your recommendations for the best classic and new fiction on this topic, as well as the degree to which these stories reflect (or have predicted) contemporary issues around freedom of expression.; Siobhan Flanagan (m), Moniquill Blackgoose, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert

Avoiding Con Crash - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): It’s the day after con. All the fatigue hits at once, feelings of sadness and/or loneliness pervade, and it’s difficult to stay motivated. Sound familiar? From con crud (minor to major illnesses and a physical embodiment of con crash) to introvert hangover to plain old exhaustion from lack of sleep, we’ll discuss the causes of, as well as tips for avoiding, con crash.; James Willis (m), Mildred Cady, Tigira (Joan Ruland), Sharon Sbarsky

7:00pm Friday

When Science Fiction was Science Factual - Science, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): With research now an art form in our tech-savvy world, it takes dedication, a keen eye, and a limber mind to develop scientifically-accurate representation. Join our panelists as they share their favorite representations of scientific accuracy throughout the genre of science fiction.; Charity Southworth (m), Pamela Gay, Jim, Stephen R. Wilk

Arisia First Night Social - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Whether you are new to Arisia or a long-time attendee, come meet some new people. Say “hi”, share and learn useful info and tips, share interests, and make new friends.; etana (m), Nightwing Whitehead (m)

Friday Evening Readings - Literature, Reading - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Join some of Arisia’s wonderful authors, while they read from their own work.; Matthew Kressel, Anne E.G. Nydam, W.B.J. Williams

SFS 5–01: Year of Redemption’s Rise - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): In the aftermath of the Data Scourge, the Starfinder Society fractures along faction lines! Faced with the past mistakes of the Society, the betrayal and heinous crimes of former Starfinders (including the now notorious Historia-Prime), the grievances of active agents, and the weakening of external alliances, First Seeker Ehu Hadif embarks on a year of change, opening the floor to all agents, and giving them a platform through which to voice concerns, plans, ambitions, and lobby for change. Amid this turmoil, Ehu Hadif tasks a team of Starfinders with assisting three minor factions he believes are integral to the future of the Starfinder Society: the longstanding Manifold Host and the newly formed Advocates and Cognates factions, led by well-respected Starfinders Zigvigix and Royo. Take the first steps toward a brighter future in the Year of Redemption’s Rise!; David Montgomery (m)

Creeping Sense of Doom - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Long before the monster strikes and the evil lurches into view, some authors excel at creating dread. How do you hint at the terror lurking just around the corner without spoiling the rest of the story? Panelists will explore the question of creating apprehension and foreboding in works of horror and other genres.; Kenneth Schneyer (m), Rachel A. Brune, Morgan Crooks, Gillian Daniels, Michelle C. Light

Introduction to Kink (18+) - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Don’t know what kink is? Curious about BDSM? Come learn more about how to get into it without getting over your head. There are a lot of different ways to practice Kink & BDSM. What can you do to stay safe while experimenting and exploring your own limits? We’ll go over a few do’s and don’ts so you can find new ways to explore sexuality. 18+ only.; Scratch (m), Ken Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Kirkette, Tikva

Whoever Dies With the Most Stuff is Dead (So, When’s the Estate Sale?) - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Do you have a plan for what happens to your stuff after you’re gone? How do you let your heirs know what’s valuable, and where to find appropriate dealers and markets? How do you document the information and make sure people can find it? What’s involved with donating to museums, libraries, etc.? How do you find and work with estate planning attorneys who understand fannish issues?; Alexander Jablokov (m), Jan Dumas, Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, LB Lee, werewulf/Mom

8:00pm Friday

Lord of the Rings Bounder Patrol Shire - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr 30min - Harbor I (3E): There is only suppose to be one dragon in Bywater. So why are good folk worried about another one? (The One Ring 2e); Michael Dlott (m)

NERF Blaster War - Gaming, Participatory Event - 2hr - Commonwealth (1W): Bring your NERF blasters and plenty of ammo for an all-out NERF blaster battle! Please note that protective eyewear is Mandatory—bring goggles if you have them. A limited number of NERF blasters and protective goggles are available for those who don’t own any. Because of safety considerations, please do not bring modified NERF blasters.

8:30pm Friday

Our Favorite Fictional Scientists - Science, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Brown. Frankenstein. Bubblegum. Forrester. Honeydew. They’re not perfect, but they are entertaining! Join us as the panelists praise, and critique, their favorite fictional scientists.; Charity Southworth (m), Timothy Luz, AJ Odasso, Ian Randal Strock, Stephen R. Wilk

Everything Everywhere All at Once: Grab Your Googly Eyes! - Media, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Right when all of pop culture was becoming obsessed with multiverses, the Daniels’ bizarro action-comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once blew everyone away and became the big breakout indie hit of 2022. At this panel, we’ll discuss our favorite moments/gags/action scenes/universes, the film’s heartfelt exploration of Asian-American family conflicts, and its optimistic-nihilist philosophy.; Donna Martinez (m), Kate Nepveu, Richard Ralston, Cecilia Tan, Noel Thingvall

Open Crafting Friday - Relax-a-Track, Meetup - 1hr - Paine (2W): Open crafting space, please bring projects that are easy to clean up after. NO GLITTER!; Professor Fizzle (m)

Gentlemen Never Tell (Mrs Hawking) - Video, Projected Media - 1hr - Stone (2W): A filming of the Mrs Hawking comedy spinoff! Nephew Justin Hawking trots the globe having romantic adventures in the spirit of P.G. Wodehouse. This dashing bisexual rake must interrupt his dalliances long enough to stick up for those without his privilege to float through life. By Phoebe Roberts and Bernie Gabin.Talkback with crew afterward. www.mrshawking.com

Revisionist Folk and Fairy Tales - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Folk and fairy tales are our oldest forms of speculative fiction, and inventive retellings have long been popular reads. Get ready for a tour of pivotal works in this genre, as well as new and noteworthy contributions.; Gillian Daniels (m), Zareh Artinian, Siobhan Flanagan, Scratch, Trisha J. Wooldridge

Dungeons, Dragons, and Writers: A Live Event - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Using the most recent edition of Dungeons & Dragons, a select group of writers will delve into a classic dungeon for the audience’s delight and amusement. Panelists/Role-players will draw from a variety of backgrounds, genres, and familiarity with role-playing games. Come for the monster-slaying, stay for the table banter between writers who also game.; Kim Carter, J.F. Holmes, Michelle C. Light, Liz “Khaaaaaan” Salazar

Consent Beyond the Bedroom - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Ask to hug someone? Taking someone’s photo and ask them if it is ok? We understand boundaries and consent in the bedroom and in terms of physical space but how can we apply that knowledge in our everyday lives? Our panel will discuss what consent looks like outside the bedroom and in the adult world so you are better prepared the next time your boss asks you to take on a project when you are already overloaded.; phi (m), Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Scott Lefton, Fae Weichsel, Susan Weiner

Sing-along: Songs of Tom Lehrer - Music, Sing-Along - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you’ll sing) songs celebrating the musical genius of Tom Lehrer. (participatory sing-along with words provided, via either projection or paper handout); E. J. Barnes (m), Shirley Dulcey, Gordon Linzner, Danny Miller

9:00pm Friday

Spirit of the Holiday (Clockwork Dominion) - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): In 1845, the people of London are preparing for the Christmas holiday. Alchemists keep homes of the elite toasty for their parties, and magicians are banishing the malevolent specters that congregate around this time of year. For a select few however, the days before Christmas are met with assignments. The Witchfinders have a special task for a specialist group: To examine sightings of a suspicious individual. Routine work, but hopefully that means everyone will be home for Christmas soon.; Keegan Hannon (m)

10:00pm Friday

Teasecraft Kinky Maker Meetup: Show & Tell (18+) - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Do you like making your own sex toys/BDSM equipment/costumes/other kinky and fun things? Come share your ideas and projects with other crafters. Or come ask questions and get inspired. Teasecraft is a meetup group for sex/kink-positive makers and crafters. Everyone is welcome, regardless of your (a)sexuality/orientation/gender/race/ability/specific kink or what materials you work with. 18+ only.; Shelley Marsh (m)

Art Show Reception - , - 2hr - Harbor II-III (3E): Come meet the artists, see their work, and get an early chance to bid! No food or drinks provided.

Open Singing—Fri 10:00 PM - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Come listen and/or make music in this unthemed song circle. All types of music are welcome. Time permitting, everyone who wishes to lead a song will have at least one opportunity to do so. (participatory song circle); Ellen Kranzer (m)

PMRP—Star Trek: City on the Edge of Forever - Fan Interest, Performance - 1hr - Grand A (1W): In “The City on the Edge of Forever”, Captain Jane Kirk and Ms. Spock must travel back through time into the 1930s, where a delirious Doctor McCoy has drastically changed the course of history—a change that seems to involve a man who has captivated Kirk. Will she make the difficult choice needed to preserve the past and save the future?

11:59pm Friday

Midnight Cosmic Encounter - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 5hr - Harbor I (3E): This classic game of alien politics returns from the warp once more! In Cosmic Encounter, each player becomes the leader of one of dozens of alien races, each with its own unique power. On a player’s turn, he or she becomes the offense. The offense encounters another player on a planet by moving a group of his or her ships through the hyperspace gate to that planet. Both sides can invite allies and play cards to try and tip the encounter in their favor. The object of the game is to establish colonies in other players’ planetary systems. The winner(s) are the first player(s) to have five colonies on any planets outside his or her home system. These colonies may all be in one system or scattered over multiple systems. The players must use force, cunning, and diplomacy to ensure their victory. And, because alliances are a key part of the game, multiple players can win together!; Daniel Reuben Abraham (m)

Rocky Horror—Shiver with Antici...pation - Fan Interest, Performance - 2hr 1min - Grand A (1W): Sex! Aliens! Rock and Roll!... All of this AND a floorshow! Make sure to do the Time Warp again with an Arisia staple: a shadowcast performance by The Teseracte Players of Boston. 18+ subject matter.

8:00am Saturday

SFS Intro 1: The First Test - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): The newest batch of hopeful Starfinders have finished with their training, and are ready to join the organization as full-fledged agentsâif they can impress Guidance!; Adam Yakaboski (m)

8:30am Saturday

Saturday Family Game Morning - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): Come play family friendly games! We’ll be around to help you find age-appropriate games that are fun for the whole family, and teach them if you’re unfamiliar. You can also bring your favorite games to share with other families. This is an open play session/meetup with a knowledgeable helper available.; Gail “RGB🌈🐻” Terman (m)

10:00am Saturday

Representing Trauma in Speculative Fiction - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Characters in speculative fiction endure many traumas: war, oppression, abuse and neglect, colonialism, genocide... How has recent neuropsychological research on (and public attention to) trauma influenced its representation in literature? How can writers realistically present trauma and its effects on characters in a way that empowers readers who are survivors of traumatic experiences, illuminating the truths of these experiences without retraumatizing readers?; Roxanne Reddington-Wilde (m), Rob Cameron, K. Ibura, Justine Manzano, Rue Sparks

Decorate a Mini-Hat/Fascinator - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr 30min - Adams (3W): Join us to create your own mini-hat! There will be mini hats and fascinator bases which clip to the hair, and all manner of ribbon, trim, flowers, netting, feathers, and other decorative elements to attach to your hat. This is split into two 45-minute sessions. $5 materials fee. Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 18 per session.; Carol Salemi (m), William Kennedy

Northern Lights Costumers Guild Meeting - Meetups, Panel - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): The Northern Lights is the New England Chapter of the ICG (International Costumers Guild). This will be their monthly guild meeting, new/prospective members are welcome to come and chat and maybe eveng join the guild!; Michael Meissner (m), Nightwing Whitehead (m)

Sing-along: Disney Songs - Music, Sing-Along - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come sing along on some of your favorite Disney songs! For added fun, attend dressed as your favorite Disney character. There will be no assigning or claiming of parts, everyone will be free to sing along on everything! Songs will be led by panelists, who may also play accompaniment to support the singing. (participatory sing-along with words provided, via either projection or paper handout); Melissa Carubia (m), Timothy Goyette, Naomi Ibasitas

80+ Years of Super-Heroines - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Before Wonder Woman there was…the Red Tornado. From the Golden Age of comics to the modern day, crime-fighting super-heroines have inspired, amused, and thrilled readers. Our panelists will discuss their favorite early and current super-heroines, and which stories they recommend reading.; Siobhan Flanagan (m), Michael A. Burstein, Jan Dumas, Lyndsay Ely, Dale Meyer-Curley

Sinister Shopping Trip (Little Wizards) - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr 30min - Harbor I (3E): For young Mages and Sorcerers in training, there is always more work to be done. Today, these Little Wizards find themselves running an errand for the local Archmage. However an errand involving necromancy, sea travel, and a whole lot of hijinx will definitely turn a simple shopping trip into a complicated problem.; Keegan Hannon (m)

Dice Throne - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): Dice throne is a Hero Vs Hero battle using dice to perform attack and defense abilities. Each hero has unique flavorful abilities and support cards, making each matchup very different. Games last under 30 minutes; stay for as many as you like.; Steve Marbit (m)

Identifying Markets For Your Work - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): This workshop invites writers to bring their ideas, and we will explore how they might do some preliminary research to understand the state of publishing for that genre, and find a fit for their work-in-progress in the wild, wild world that publishing (both indie and traditional) has become. Attendance to this workshop will be capped at 15 participants.; Sara Codair (m), Rachel A. Brune, Donald Crankshaw, J.F. Holmes, Kevin McLaughlin

What’s Eating You? Make Your Own Brain Slug - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Sew your own stuffed toy, in the shape of a brain slug. All needed fabric willl be provied by Fast Track.

Finishing Your Half Finished Projects - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Staying home all the time was supposed to allow us to finish all those projects lying around the house, right? Nope. That cut-out sewing pattern? Still unsewn. That design that only lives in sketch form? Still sketchy. How do we get back on track to finish our projects?; Jess C., Adria Kyne, Cate Schneiderman, Kate Wechsler

Connecting with Your Kids Through Media - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): There is the media that we share with our kids—and then there is the media they share with us (Minecraft! TikTok!). This panel centers on how these shows, books, movies, games, apps, and other media create opportunities to connect, talk about challenging subjects, and gives us a valuable bridge for parent-child relationships.; Nomi S. Burstein (m), Isaac C., James L. Cambias, Forest, Daniela Sharma

Arisia 101: An Introduction - Arisia Corp & Convention, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Is this your first time at Arisia? Maybe your first time at a con? Welcome! Our experienced panelists will give you tips on how to get the most out of the con, tips on general con survival, and information on what to do and see that is special about Arisia. There will be lots of time for questions, as everyone’s Arisia experience is unique, and we want to make sure to cover the things most important to you!; phi (m), Wendee Abramo, Marc Brunco, Melissa Kaplan, Danny Miller, Sid

What’s Old is New Again: Legacy Sequels - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Legacy sequels such as Tron: Legacy, the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Terminator: Dark Fate, and Top Gun: Maverick attempt to satisfy audience nostalgia and revive older properties by revisiting familiar stories and characters and fusing them with new characters and situations. This panel will look at the history of this phenomenon, explore the value of fan service in these films, and offer panelists a chance to point out which franchise they’d like to see be brought back in a legacy sequel.; Hagatha (m), Megan Kearns, Timothy Luz, Richard Ralston, Noel Thingvall

Fighting with Swords!—Duels! - Martial Arts, Demonstration/Class - 1hr 30min - Grand A (1W): Athena School of Arms presents: Saber vs. Saber, Longsword vs. Longsword—see what happens when fighters’ weapons are matched. Followed immediately by hands-on lessons in either the Longsword or Saber. All equipment provided, no experience necessary.; Athena School of Arms

10:30am Saturday

Playground Games - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Let’s wake up our bodies with some playground games: hopscotch, jacks, and a obstacle course.; Delenn Brumberger

11:00am Saturday

Munchkin - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): Bringing back the institution that is the Arisia Munchkin BrawlSingle round, epic level, all cheat items allowed, including promotional. Epic Level, Single round, blending multiple games; Professor Fizzle (m)

Who Said We Shouldn’t Play With Our Food? - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Make art with pasta, colored cereal, and string. (Non-latex gloves provided.)

11:30am Saturday

Saturday Feedback Session - Arisia Corp & Convention, Discussion - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Tell us how to improve Arisia while there’s still time to fix (some) things!; Melissa Kaplan, phi, Ilene Tatroe

Boston Whovians Doctor Who Meet Up - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Come meet fellow Doctor who fans and discuss the newest developments of this almost 60 year old show. This meetup is hosted by the Boston Whovians, a Boston based Doctor Who Fan group.; Marc Brunco (m), Tori Queeno (m)

Saturday Morning Readings - Literature, Reading - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Join some of Arisia’s wonderful authors, while they read from their own work.; Morgan Crooks, Walter H. Hunt, AJ Odasso

The Vilification and Fear of Fat Bodies - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): “You’d be a lot more attractive if you lost weight.” We live in a society that obsesses over health and diet culture. Fat bodies, and those with them, still find their worth is equated to their size, harassment and vilification are as common as ever, and doctors refuse to take them seriously until they shed weight. Our kids and our peers fear being called fat. Panelists will discuss the experience of living with fat bodies and how we can change the narrative.; Donna Martinez (m), Wendee Abramo, Jadie Jang, Danny Miller, Meredith Schwartz, Gail “RGB🌈🐻” Terman

Writing as a Military Veteran (18+) - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Paine (2W): This workshop is designed for veterans who are interested in writing speculative fiction, or who have experience in writing and wish to incorporate their experiences into that genre. We address some common areas of consideration, i.e. myths about veterans, why veterans may choose to write, potential markets and audiences, as well as genre tropes within the various speculative fiction categories. This workshop presents writers with information designed to help them draft, write, and revise speculative fiction stories with a military theme, component, or context. We address the history of the genre, current trends and authors working within the genre, areas of consideration when writing military sci-fi and fantasy, and finally, provide space for authors to play with ideas to pursue in the future. Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 15. 18+ only.; Rachel A. Brune (m)

Crafting Memorable Villains - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): It’s been said that every villain is the hero of their own story. Speculative Fiction is populated with compelling assassins, thieves, warlocks, con artists and jsut plain jerks, who are as complex and compelling as the protagonists they come up against. What makes villains and anti-heroes irresistible? Our panelists will share how to craft the perfect villain and explain why anti-heroes and villains are so important in their stories. Find out how much fun it can be to give in to the dark side!; Gillian Daniels (m), Michael C. Bailey, Kristin Janz, Justine Manzano, W.B.J. Williams

My First D&D Game - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Kids get together to create, and then play, a short D&D game. From world building to character creation, we cover every aspect of playing D&D.

There’s No Replicating Real Home Cooking - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): How well might a machine like Star Trek’s replicators simulate real food, with all its variations on ingredients, cooking time, etc.? Is it OK if the dish is exactly the same each time it’s replicated? In a world with easily accessible food replicators with billions of recipes, would restaurants still exist? What can a chef do that a replicator can’t?; Grim, Ken Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Allison Neff, Susan Weiner, Trisha J. Wooldridge

Disinformation Self-Defense - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Photoshopped images, deep fakes, staged events, and outright propaganda have been on the rise in recent years, fueled by the ubiquity of social media. How can people develop a more discerning eye to separate fact from fiction? This panel will discuss what to look for when determining validity and how to combat misinformation in a way that works.; Eyal Sagi (m), Chad Childers, Cate Schneiderman, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Lisa J Steele

Andrea Hairston Reading - Guest of Honor, Reading - 45min - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Our Author Guest of Honor reads from her own work.; Andrea Hairston

TV Year in Review - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): A look back at SF, horror, and fantasy in 2022 on TV (including streaming services). What were the memorable shows? What are the new ones to watch? What’s hot and what’s not? Note: Time for audience participation is reserved for the end of our panel’s high speed review.; Hildy Silverman (m), Kevin Cafferty, Randee Dawn, Gordon Linzner, Chris Murphy

12:00pm Saturday

Engaging Your Senses Making A Sensory Bottle - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Using plastic bottles, water, oil, and little bits of glitter, we make sensory bottles, which are more than just toys. Great for use when distracted, stressed, and annoyed.

NERF Blaster War - Gaming, Participatory Event - 2hr - Grand A (1W): Bring your NERF blasters and plenty of ammo for an all-out NERF blaster battle! Please note that protective eyewear is Mandatory—bring goggles if you have them. A limited number of NERF blasters and protective goggles are available for those who don’t own any. Because of safety considerations, please do not bring modified NERF blasters.

Historical Fencing Demonstration/Bâton Class - Martial Arts, Demonstration/Class - 1hr - Commonwealth (1W): Join Massachusetts Historical Swordsmanship for exciting and informative demonstrations of weapons used from the fifteenth through nineteenth centuries. Led by fencing master Dr. Ken Mondschein, we reconstruct historical fencing from both living traditions and written sources. We will follow with a class on bâton, a “living tradition” historical weapon still practiced in Europe (spots limited).; Massachusetts Historical Swordsmanship

12:15pm Saturday

Andrea Hairston Signing - Guest of Honor, Signing - 45min - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Signing session with Author Guest of Honor Andrea Hairston.; Andrea Hairston

12:30pm Saturday

Hand to Hand Wombat and Other Games - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Lets start with some kid-friendly board games, card games, and more.

1:00pm Saturday

POC Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr 15min - Bulfinch (3W): Being a person of color in the geek community can be isolating and alienating, particularly as minority creators, characters, and publishers are often erased and/or whitewashed. Join fellow geeks of color in a safer space to celebrate the joy of fandom without the white gaze. (To maintain a safe space, Allies are asked not to attend.); Marlin May (m)

Ask an Expert: How Do I Do The Thing? - Cosplay & Costuming, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Have a tricky pattern question? Unsure what material to use for that giant collar? Need emotional support to wrangle your wig? Our panel of esteemed experts is here for you! Bring the questions you haven’t been able to answer with Google and they will provide their best advice. Can you stump them?; Patterner Cosplay (m), Shelley Marsh, Chris Murphy, Redfield, Jamila Sisco

Deep Language Models: Are They AI or Not? - Science, Presentation - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): This talk is about GPT-style language models, which recently got a Google employee fired for thinking it had become sentient. The talk is not technical, but describes what these “deep” language models are, how they work, why they’re so good, and how/when/why they fail. Also, it isn’t really sentient, right?; John O’Neil (m)

SF Bounty 3: A Green Place - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): he Ring of Nations is a sprawling line of 27 nations encircling the planet Verces that’s home to some of the most advanced technology in the Pact Worlds. When an automated power plant in the newly developed but ever-expanding city of Thamal goes offline, casting swaths of the city in darkness, the government deploys repair and scouting drones to investigate. None have returned. Armed with a few aerial images of the power plant, now mysteriously overgrown with local flora, the PCs are dispatched to bring the power plant back online!; Adam Yakaboski (m)

PFS Intro 2: United in Purpose - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): When a group of Pathfinder Society initiates recently completed their Confirmation and rescued a fellow Pathfinder, they also uncovered a host of ruins belonging to an ancient civilization. Now, the Society’s major factions have sent their foremost experts and leaders to begin coordinating a thorough investigation of the ruins. Strong and savvy field agents are needed to begin uncovering the secrets hidden within these ruins.; David Montgomery (m)

Director’s Tour of the Art Show - Art & Maker, Participatory Event - 1hr - Harbor II-III (3E): A tour of the Arisia Art Show led by the Art Show Director and featuring a selection of work curated by the Director. This tour encompasses the breadth of work featured in the Art Show, as well as stories about the show curation process, individual works, and featured artists. Dive deeper into the workings and preparation of the Arisia Art Show from the perspective of those who put it together, and celebrate the logistical and curation work it takes to create a successful art show.

Knitting Circle - Relax-a-Track, Meetup - 1hr - Paine (2W): A knitting circle for some quiet, or maybe not so quiet social time.; Dale Meyer-Curley (m)

Project Cosplay: Kids Make Costumes - Fast Track, Fast Track - 3hr - Hancock (2W): Kids From Project Cosplay get a chance to share the costumes they made, and practice performing. Kids can decide if they wish to take part in the Masquarade.

What to Read If You’re Watching the MCU - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): You’ve seen the movies, watched the TV series, and maybe even tried a few YouTube analysis videos…but where do you start reading if you want to get into the comics? Join us for a discussion of our favorite source materials for She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Wakanda Forever, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and other MCU stories.; Michael A. Burstein (m), Troy Minkowsky, Raven Stern

Polyamory Basics - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): New to polyamory? Interested in exploring polyamorous relationships, or just want to find out what it’s all about? This panel is the one to start with! Our panelists will discuss the different kinds of polyamory, the kind of open dialogue necessary, and share insights from their experiences.; Bekah Anderson, Lore Graham, Aaron Marks, Kris “Nchanter” Snyder, Kate Wechsler

Sex-Positive Parenting - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): You want your kids to be open-minded, tolerant people. You want them to know they can be anybody they want to be and date whomever they want to date. You want to be open with them about your lifestyle... but at what age? Are there pitfalls to openly communicating about sexuality and relationships with your kids? What are the age-appropriate things to share? Where is the balance between too little info and over-sharing? Come share ideas with other parents and discuss how to talk to your kids so you both remain comfortable.; Forest (m), Bey, Jess C., Kim Carter, Amy Chused, Tigira (Joan Ruland)

1:30pm Saturday

You’re A Poet, Even If You Don’t Know It - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Let’s take pages from books and black out words to make poems.

2:00pm Saturday

Renaissance Ball - Fan Interest, Dance (Participatory) - 2hr - Commonwealth (1W): Come join us for this year’s Renaissance Ball! We will do a variety of dances from the 15th to 17th centuries, focusing on stuff that is relatively lively, fun, and easy. All dances will be taught, and no prior experience is required. If you have period costume that’s quite welcome, but totally not necessary. (This is famously the Ball where one finds an elf queen dancing with a Stormtrooper.) It’s always a blast, and the more the merrier, so come on by! Hosted by the local SCA; music by the Waytes of Carolingia.

2:30pm Saturday

Arisia Programming and Brainstorming - Arisia Corp & Convention, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Did you ever wonder what goes into the panels you see at your favorite convention? Well, we can’t answer for all, but we can tell you how it works at Arisia. Come learn about how Arisia programming works, from gathering panel ideas to what you see at convention time … and beyond! (Yes, there is a beyond.) We’ll also provide the opportunity to share ideas to be considered for Arisia 2024!; Ilene Tatroe, Dan Toland

Ribbon Trading Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Are you a badge ribbon aficionado? Do you have some ribbons to give or trade? Come meet up with other ribbon fans and get some neat new ribbon swag for your badge!; Marc Brunco (m), Melissa Honig (m)

Songs of World and Place - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you’ll sing) songs that invite us into a world that we can explore. While some songs focus on telling a story, we are here looking for songs that establish a setting or sense of place — whether the place described is as big as a world or as small as a room, and whether the genre is science fiction, fantasy, or anything else. (themed participatory song circle); Ellen Kranzer

Saturday Afternoon Readings - Literature, Reading - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Join some of Arisia’s wonderful authors, while they read from their own work.; Melissa Carubia, Elaine Isaak, Justine Manzano

Movie Year in Review - Media, Panel - 2hr - Burroughs (3E): Our annual look back at the year in SF, horror, and fantasy film. Our panel of experts will cover every theatrical release of 2022. Find out which ones are worth catching up with. Note: Time for audience participation is reserved for the end of our panel’s high speed review.; Reuben Baron (m), Bob Chipman, Randee Dawn, Megan Kearns

Descriptive Tour of the Art Show - Art & Maker, Participatory Event - 1hr - Harbor II-III (3E): A tour of the Arisia Art Show offering in-depth descriptions of a selection of artworks for the benefit of blind and vision impaired con-goers, as well as any con-goers who might appreciate a chance to more closely observe artworks. This tour is not tactile-focused, so encompasses a variety of media including both two- and three-dimensional work in traditional and digital media. Pieces are described focusing on subject, medium, and technique, as well as impressions of how the piece might be interpreted emotionally or ideologically. This may be compared to descriptions that might be provided for a piece in a museum or gallery setting.; Zach Melisi

Kumihimo Workshop - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Paine (2W): Kumihimo is a Japanese braiding technique used to make decorative cords, such as the obijime used to secure the obi worn with a kimono. Students will learn the eight warp round braid and begin work on an obijime to finish at home. $10 materials fee. Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 15.; Jennifer Old-d’Entremont (m)

Scientists, Mathematicians, and Engineers in SFF - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): Scientists, engineers, and mathematicians make their appearance as characters in speculative fiction—naturally! Share your thoughts about superb, and awful, examples, as well as your suggestions for representing these professionals with greater realism, diversity, and empathy.; Kristin Janz (m), Siobhan Flanagan, Steven Popkes, Stephen R. Wilk

Making a Comic Book - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): With help from Sarah Laiuppa, we will create out own comic book about our adventures in Fast Track.

Gritty Comics Heroes and Socioeconomic Justice - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): In June 2022 on Facebook, David Policar pointed out that Batman (and most other gritty heroes) only work narratively if they operate in failed states—politically, socially, and economically. What does the appeal of street-level costumed vigilantes in comics reveal about our beliefs surrounding civil society?; Grim (m), Joey Peters, Lisa J Steele

Designing an RPG Game Arc - Gaming, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Running a long-running tabletop or LARP isn’t just about throwing monsters at your players—it’s about crafting a world, story, and overall experience for them. Panelists will discuss how to construct these elements in a way that is satisfying for players over the course of months, or even years.; Morgan Crooks, Scott Marchand Davis, Griffin Ess, Mark Sabalauskas, Fae Weichsel

Cosplay on a Budget - Cosplay & Costuming, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): It can be easy to look at amazing cosplays online and think “if only I had more budget.” Our panel is here to share their secrets for putting together incredible ensembles without breaking the bank, from shopping suggestions to supply swaps.; Carol Salemi (m), Amy J. Murphy, Redfield, Scratch, Tashari

How Toxic Fandom Took Over Everything - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Every actor of color in Star Wars gets death threats. Racists use “authorial intent” arguments against Black elves in Lord of the Rings, then discard those arguments when Neil Gaiman defends diversifying his own Sandman adaptation. People have somehow convinced themselves Star Trek has only recently become “political.” Toxic fandom has always been around, but since the GamerGate and Ghostbusters controversies, it’s become particularly weaponized in the culture war.; Donna Martinez (m), Benjamin Chicka, Andrea Hairston, Adria Kyne, Karen Sarao

3:00pm Saturday

SF Bounty 4: Poacher’s Prize - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): The Liavaran moon of Arkanen is a scientific anomoly that draws the attention of scientists and spellcasters from all over the Pact Worlds. While many of Arkanen’s corporations and researchers are interested in technological and magical methods of harnessing and utilizing the moon’s powerful storms, Akrikaus Research Laboratories is focused on preserving and studying Arkanen’s ecological diversity and the biological adaptations of the local flora and fauna, which enabled these life forms to thrive despite Arkanen’s atmospheric bleed and powerful orbital storms. After years of work, Akrikaus Labs has genetically re-engineered an extinct animal species and are scheduled to re-introduce the species into a nearby nature preserve. When opportunistic poachers steal these once-extinct creatures, Arkrikaus Labs hires the PCs to retrieve the valuable animals before they’re lost forever.

3:30pm Saturday

Simple Rocketry - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Let’s make some simple rockets that can zoom across the room, which you can then recreate at home. Latex will be used in this session.

4:00pm Saturday

Book Upcycling - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Adams (3W): A crease here, a roll there... Books turn into sculpture. Recommended $5 donation to Little Queer Library instead of supplies fees (cash or Venmo). Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 12.; Christine Jesensky Bennett (m), Cole Bennett

Comics Creator Meetup: Find A Collaborator! - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): A casual meetup allowing comic creators to make connections, exchange ideas and inspiration, and plot out their next great project. Come ready to exchange contact information and ideas! If you’re a comics creator looking for a collaborator, this is the meet up for you! Artists, writers, colorists, editors anyone else who’s interested finding potential creative teammates are welcome!; James Bredt (m), Lyndsay Ely (m)

Sing-along: Dr. Demento & Friends - Music, Sing-Along - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you’ll sing) the sort of weird songs that Dr. Demento used to play from under the smogberry trees; classics such as “Dead Puppies”, “Shaving Cream”, and “The Existential Blues”. We can’t promise that Dr. Demento will be in attendance, but please invite him if you know him. (participatory sing-along with words provided, via either projection or paper handout); Danny Miller (m), Shirley Dulcey, Grim

The Mushy Middle: Conquering the Midpoint Swamp - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): What happens when you come up with an intriguing premise, but around page 50, your story falls apart? Our panelists will discuss the pitfalls of navigating the second act swamp; how they plot; ways to clarify your protagonist’s journey; coping strategies including beat sheets, the mini movie method, and mirroring; various ways to brainstorm past a block; and other ways to cut the flab from that mushy middle.; Alexander Jablokov (m), Michael C. Bailey, K. Ibura, Justine Manzano, Kevin McLaughlin, Cecilia Tan

Tactile Tour of the Art Show - Art & Maker, Participatory Event - 1hr - Harbor II-III (3E): An accessible tour of the Arisia Art Show for blind and vision impaired con-goers (Though all are welcome). This tactile-focused tour celebrates interactive artwork in a variety of media. Get up close and personal with fiber art, fabric art, metalwork, jewelry, and more (Permission granted from the artists). Explore and expand definitions of what we think of as artwork in three-dimensional space. Discuss genre and artwork in the context of accessibility, and how art can interact in different communities.; Marc Brunco

(Re)Design for Variant Cosplay - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Paine (2W): Cosplay isn’t always about replicating the exact look of a canon character. Your favorite character can wear a fancy ball gown, a steampunk suit, comfy loungewear, or any number of other styles! You can turn your favorite monster, object, or sci-fi vehicle into a stunning ensemble! But what does it take to make your original cosplay design recognizable? How do you even decide on a concept to start with? This workshop will discuss tips and techniques to bring your unique vision to life! Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 24.; Kirkette (m)

Overt and Covert Antagonists: Who’s More Evil? - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): Some antagonists shout “villain!” as soon as they appear on the page or screen: hissing, winking their glowing red eyes, and cheerfully skewering villagers. Others—and these can be both more realistic and more chilling—are more circumspect in their wickedness. What makes the stealth antagonist so frightening? Bring your favorite wolf in sheep’s clothing (my apologies to wolves) to our discussion.; Hildy Silverman (m), James L. Cambias, Kristin Janz, Roxanne Reddington-Wilde

The Art of Painting - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): More chances to bring out your inner artist, by painting on an 8x8 flat canvas with water color pens or acrylic paints.

60 Panels in 60 Minutes - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Nobody’s got enough time to do everything this weekend, so let’s pack a whole day’s worth of panels into a single session! You will write down panel titles; our panelists will draw them out of a hat and try to get through 60 panels in 60 minutes.; Kate Nepveu (m), Griffin Ess, Andy Hicks, Michelle C. Light, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry

Age and Fandom: What It Looks Like After 50 - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): We know what we like, we know what we don’t, and we don’t make any excuses for it—but it isn’t always easy or comfortable. From the things we’ve loved all our lives, to the things we’re getting into alongside a younger fandom, to the things we’ve decided have not aged as well as we have, come talk and hear about what’s like to be the older generation in our community.; Nomi S. Burstein (m), Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Felicity Kusinitz, Marlin May, W. A. Thomasson

Designing Things That Don’t Exist - Art & Maker, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): We are always trying to depict the alien, but how far do you have to go to be truly out of this world? When you can’t draw from a model, how do you create a believable fantasy creature or technological object? Are there software tools that can help? What artistic techniques help convince the viewer you were there? What in the natural order can you change? Are there rules you should never break?; Scott Lefton (m), Reiko Murakami, Anne E.G. Nydam, Nightwing Whitehead, James Willis

Comfort Food TV: Arts and Crafts Shows - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Whether it’s painting happy little trees or building a working bar out of foamcore, we love us some crafty TV shows (and YouTube videos)! What is the attraction of watching other people make art out of nothing and turn scraps of garbage into a masterpiece? Which are your favorite shows and makers? Who are the geekiest? Have you ever been inspired to try one of these crafts yourself?; Bey, Jess C., Melissa Honig, Allison Neff

4:30pm Saturday

Beginner Body Art - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Time for a little body art. We have easily removable temporary tattoos to give you a unique look for the con.

5:00pm Saturday

Untarnished and Unafraid - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): When the Convention’s ambassador to Third York vanishes; your crew of space explorers are sent to investigate. Enjoy Noir tropes mashed up with optimistic space opera pleasures. Beginners welcome to try this 2200 Indie Groundbreaker nominated RPG.; Mark Sabalauskas (m)

5:30pm Saturday

Broad Universe Rapid Fire Reading - Writing, Reading - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Come discover your new favorite writer as members of Broad Universe read short excerpts from their work. Each writer has just a few minutes to show you what we’re capable of! We offer chocolate and the chance to win prizes. Broad Universe is an international organization that supports women and other non-privileged gender writers, editors, and publishers. NOTE: Not all authors may be in attendance for the entire time slot. Other members of Broad Universe not listed may be reading.; Elaine Isaak (m), LJ Cohen, Randee Dawn, Anne E.G. Nydam, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Dianna Sanchez, Kathryn Sullivan, J.Z. Weston, Trisha J. Wooldridge

Nerf Range - Relax-a-Track, Other - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Need to practice your aim before the big nerf battle? We will have a “range” set up for you to try your hand, and check your accuracy. Please bring your own equipment.; Gunny (m)

Sing To Your Friends - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you’ll sing) songs that you feel like sharing, from any musical tradition or topic. Most of our song circles are heavily weighted towards songs that have a chorus the whole room can join in on, but this one will be heavily weighted towards songs that don’t. (themed participatory song circle – this theme is one of structure rather than content); Naomi Hinchen (m), Ellen Kranzer

Shop Talk: So You Want to Be A Writer? - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Join our panel of experienced writers to describe the nuts and bolts of actually making a career out of this. From finding agents to navigating conventions in the Age of Zoom, writers will talk about the less glamourous side of the writing life—doing the work to make sure your work is seen!; J.F. Holmes (m), Jadie Jang, Amy J. Murphy, Ian Randal Strock

My First Masquerade - Cosplay & Costuming, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Masquerades, or costuming competitions, have a long history at SFF conventions. Whether you’re entering for the first time or just planning to sit in the audience, our panel will share a little masquerade history, explain how judging works, and tell tales of their own masquerade entries. What is the ICG? What are skill divisions? Can anyone enter? Come find out!; Patterner Cosplay (m), Ken Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Redfield, Sharon Sbarsky, Jamila Sisco

ADHD skill-share and meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Paine (2W): Come hang out, chat about the ups and downs of life. Talk about coping skills, meds, therapy, co-morbid anxiety and depression. Come talk about dealing with ADHD at a con, where you want to DO ALL THE THINGS and/or are dealing with major sensory overload, or just hang out with fellow ADHDers.; Daniel Reuben Abraham (m), Susan Weiner (m)

Star Trek Renaissance: A Look Back at NuTrek - Media, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): Picard explored the misadventures of Starfleet’s most crotchety captain turned admiral. Discovery reinvented the Alpha Quadrant as viewers were introduced to the 32nd century. Lower Decks and Prodigy expanded the Star Trek universe through animation. And Strange New Worlds brings us full circle as we explore further adventures of the original NCC-1701. The panel will discuss these further explorations/deconstructions of Gene Roddenbery’s original vision as more Trek is available to be consumed than ever before.; Marc Brunco (m), Mark Painter, Liz “Khaaaaaan” Salazar, Lisa J Steele, Henry M. White

Polyamory: Expectations vs. Reality - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Once you’ve learned the basics, how do you make polyamory work in the real world? In this panel, we’ll tackle some of the harder questions, such as: How do you deal with different amounts of privilege? Should you? How can you find people whose polyamory styles are compatible with yours? What if my partners don’t like each other?; Gail “RGB🌈🐻” Terman (m), Bekah Anderson, Trowa Barton, Jennifer Old-d’Entremont, Kris “Nchanter” Snyder

The James Webb Space Telescope - Science, Presentation - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): The James Webb Space Telescope finally launched on December 25th, 2021. After a successful deployment and calibration, it is now sending back incredible photographs of the cosmos as well as data on planets around stars other than our own. Join our panelists in talking about the science coming from the JWST this past year.; Jeff Hecht (m)

6:00pm Saturday

Magic: The Gathering Rainbow Cube - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): This is a med-high power Cube with a light focus on multicolored cards.; Zev Shields (m)

Open Fencing - Martial Arts, Participatory Event - 2hr - Commonwealth (1W): Come join us for some inter-group and inter-style open bouting sponsored by Massachusetts Historical Swordsmanship! Whether you’re a modern sport fencer, a SCAdian, a HEMAist, or anyone else who crosses blades for fun, come join us for some Saturday-night fun, exercise, and fellowship. Note: Safety equipment is REQUIRED (we have loaner gear) and you MUST abide by the safety rules and listen to the monitors. Info is available at historicalfencing.org/rules.htm.; Massachusetts Historical Swordsmanship

7:00pm Saturday

Future Libraries, Archives, and Museums - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): How might sentient beings gather, preserve, and retrieve knowledge in future (or alternate) societies? What should SFF writers know about the information and preservation/conservation professions? What are your favorite fictional libraries, archives, and museums? How have writers gotten it wrong, and what are the cliches that make you wince the most?; Calais Reed (m), Alastor, Greer Gilman, Matthew Kressel, Meredith Schwartz

Neurodivergent Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Arisia is a very welcoming place, but even the best spaces can be difficult to navigate if you are neurodivergent. This meetup is for neurodiverse folks (self-diagnosed welcome) to hang out and meet other individuals who may share similar experiences. (Neurodiversity encompasses mental illness, autism, learning disabilities, and anything else affecting brain function. To maintain a safe space, Allies are asked not to attend.); Reuben Baron (m), Justine Manzano (m)

Branching Out with Your Art - Art & Maker, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Is it a good idea to try new methods and materials? How about whole new art disciplines? Should 2D artists dabble in 3D, and vice versa? Should you just stick with what you’re good at because you have to make a living?; Pamela Gay (m), Julia Austein, Griffin Ess, Scott Lefton, Reiko Murakami

Enter Sandman: Neil Gaiman Comes to Netflix - Media, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): After decades of failed adaptation attempts, Neil Gaiman’s Sandman comics have finally been adapted into a live-action series on Netflix. The series is faithful to its source material while also updating the material for the present day. What did we think about The Sandman’s first season, and what are we looking forward to in future seasons?; Grim (m), Harlan Bruggemann, Donna Martinez, Carson Pavao, J.Z. Weston

SFS 5–01: Year of Redemption’s Rise B - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): In the aftermath of the Data Scourge, the Starfinder Society fractures along faction lines! Faced with the past mistakes of the Society, the betrayal and heinous crimes of former Starfinders (including the now notorious Historia-Prime), the grievances of active agents, and the weakening of external alliances, First Seeker Ehu Hadif embarks on a year of change, opening the floor to all agents, and giving them a platform through which to voice concerns, plans, ambitions, and lobby for change. Amid this turmoil, Ehu Hadif tasks a team of Starfinders with assisting three minor factions he believes are integral to the future of the Starfinder Society: the longstanding Manifold Host and the newly formed Advocates and Cognates factions, led by well-respected Starfinders Zigvigix and Royo. Take the first steps toward a brighter future in the Year of Redemption’s Rise!; David Montgomery (m)

SF Bounty 5: Echoes of Woe - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): A century ago, tragedy claimed the lives of the patients and staff at a rural Castrovelian hospital. Now, thanks to a profitable land deal, investors from the nearby city of Qabarat have given the town a means to demolish the dilapidated building and build a brand new laboratory in its place. All that remains is to enter the hospital and clear it for demolition. There’s just one catch: the hospital is haunted and no one in town dares enter. It’s up to a team of outside troubleshooters to brave the hospital’s haunted halls and clear the site for demolition! Will our heroes survive their brush with the past? Or will they be the hospital’s latest victims? Content Note: While Echoes of Woe is a typical Starfinder adventure, it’s also a tragic ghost story set in a haunted hospital and involves themes of horror, disease, and patient death.; Adam Yakaboski (m)

Illuminati - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): In this classic game of world domination, each player runs a secret society attempting to spread its tendrils into special interest groups throughout the world.; Ken Marin (m)

Art Show Open House for Fans with Disabilities - Art & Maker, Participatory Event - 1hr - Harbor II-III (3E): The Art Show will be open for people who use mobility devices to navigate or who otherwise need an uncrowded space to navigate the Art Show.; Zach Melisi

Writing Military Sci-Fi and Fantasy - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Paine (2W): This workshop presents writers with information designed to help them draft, write, and revise speculative fiction stories with a military theme, component, or context. We address the history of the genre, current trends and authors working within the genre, areas of consideration when writing military sci-fi and fantasy, and finally, provide space for authors to play with ideas to pursue in the future. Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 15.; Rachel A. Brune (m)

Graphic Novels as Memoir - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): People have been writing memoirs for centuries; more recently, they are being drawn as well. In works by Lucy Knisley, Debbie Tung, Art Spiegelman, George Takei, Alison Bechdel, and many others, the use of art has added powerfully to the experience. Our panel of graphic memoir readers—and writers/artists—will discuss what makes this form compelling from the outside and the inside, and how these comics fully communicate their creators’ feelings.; Kevin Eldridge (m), Kevin Cafferty, LB Lee, Tori Queeno

Tales From the Crippled: A Disability-Focused Snark Fest (18+) - Guest of Honor, Discussion - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Join our Fan Guest of Honor Elsa Sjunneson as she shares her often-snarky yet illuminating stories of her experiences with ableism.; Andy Hicks (m), Elsa Sjunneson-Henry

Myths and Legends of New England - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Need story inspiration? Look no further. The landscape & history of New England are full of myths, stories, and folklore. Panelists will discuss media inspired by the New England landscape, share favorite New England stories or folk tales, and perhaps even share some interesting stories from Arisia’s own backyard in Waterfront district.; Logan Biscornet, Moniquill Blackgoose, Daniel Neff, Trisha J. Wooldridge

Military Influence on Costuming - Cosplay & Costuming, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Military uniforms have a style all their own. This panel will explore how that style has influenced fashion and costume, with examples from both historical and media costuming.; Patterner Cosplay (m), J.F. Holmes, Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Mark Millman

Playing Together at Home - Gaming, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): The past few years forced many folks to get a lot more familiar with how to game together while physically separated. We’ll delve into specific games, game platforms, and meeting platforms that we’ve been using, what’s worked, what hasn’t worked as well as we might like, and maybe talk a bit about what we’d like to see improved.; Nixon (m), Scott Marchand Davis, Justin du Coeur, Aaron Marks, Gail “RGB🌈🐻” Terman

PMRP presents Star Trek: Spock’s Brain - Fan Interest, Performance - 1hr - Grand A (1W): In “Spock’s Brain”, after an encounter with a mysterious, beautiful man from an advanced starship, Spock’s brain has gone missing! McCoy can keep her body alive for now, but time is running out—can Kirk and her landing party find the mysterious man and save Spock before it’s too late?

8:30pm Saturday

Fans with Disabilities Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Being disabled in fandom has its ups and downs. Some things are more accessible in fan spaces; others still need a lot of work. Come relax with some fellow disabled folks in a low-stim environment, and tell us how your con experience is going. Rants welcome. (To maintain a safe space, Allies are asked not to attend.); etana (m), Tikva (m)

Superman and Religion - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Superman remains a fascinating figure in American mythology: As an often Christlike figure (who worships a Kryptonian sun deity), created by two Jewish sons of immigrants, the Man of Steel also includes elements from the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh. Is Superman plausible as a defender-of-all-faiths, or does he “belong” to any one faith? Our panelists will consider both historical and recent storylines.; Gillian Daniels (m), Benjamin Chicka, Siobhan Flanagan, Troy Minkowsky, Daniel Neff, A. Joseph Ross

Our Favorite Robots - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): Why is it that we love robots so much? Let’s talk about our favorite robots, androids, and other mechanical folk in fiction and reality, from Star Wars droids to Boston Dynamics’ dancing dogbots. Friend to humankind or apocalypse waiting to happen? Danger, Will Robinson!; Danny Miller (m), Michael A. Burstein, Timothy Luz, Ian Randal Strock

Saturday Night Readings - Literature, Reading - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Join some of Arisia’s wonderful authors, while they read from their own work.; Kenneth Schneyer, Cat Scully, Stephen R. Wilk

All Words Are Made Up - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): From Klingon, High Valerian, and Elvish to the lexicons of your next favorite fantasy series, panelists will discuss the art and craft of Conlanging: constructing fictional languages for use in fiction and real life. Is the time-consuming process of creating the words, grammar, and written language for a fictional culture worth it? Panelists will discuss their experiences crafting made-up languages, their successes and failures.; Rob Cameron (m), Nomi S. Burstein, James L. Cambias, Andrea Hairston, Anne E.G. Nydam

Gender & Sexual Identity Representation in Media - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Representation of LGBTQIA+ is getting better than it’s been historically. Our panelists will recommend the best Anime, comics, books, and movies as well as examples of both good and problematic representation.; Tori Queeno (m), Steven D. Brewer, Forest, AJ Odasso, Rue Sparks

9:00pm Saturday

SF Bounty 1: The Cantina Job - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): A desperate scam artist prowls the bars of Drifter’s End, fleecing the tourists and starship crews of Absalom Station out of their hard-earned credits with a chunk of fake horacalcum and the chance to invest in their newly discovered starmetal vein. It’s up to the PCs to track down this fake miner, and haul them back to pay their dues!; Adam Yakaboski (m)

The Looming Shadow (Dread) - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): For a collection of college students, a trip to the woods of New Hampshire sounded like a great way to spend some time over the winter break. However, it quickly becomes apparent to everyone involved that maybe there’s a good reason people are afraid of the dark.; Keegan Hannon (m)

DJ Dirge—Saturday Night Dance - Music, Dance (Participatory) - 6hr - Commonwealth (1W): DJ Dirge returns to spin tunes for all our dancing folk.

9:30pm Saturday

Geeky Belly Dance Show - Fan Interest, Performance - 1hr 30min - Grand A (1W): From a galaxy far, far away, the geeky bellydancers return to Arisia once more! From Betazed to Hobbiton, science fiction and fantasy have long been entranced by the shimmying undulations of bellydance. Join us as we explore brave new worlds of geeky bellydance fusion, featuring performances from some of infinity and beyond’s finest dancers!

10:00pm Saturday

Open Singing—Sat 10:00 PM - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come listen and/or make music in this unthemed song circle. All types of music are welcome. Time permitting, everyone who wishes to lead a song will have at least one opportunity to do so. (participatory song circle); Calais Reed (m)

Mrs. Hawking – Part 1 - Video, Projected Media - 1hr - Stone (2W): London, 1880—When Mary Stone accepts a job as housemaid to a fierce, brooding society widow, she is drawn into Mrs. Hawking’s heroic crusade as champion to society’s downtrodden ladies. A filming of the first installment of our Victorian adventure show starring a lady-Batman-Sherlock Holmes. By Phoebe Roberts and Bernie Gabin Talkback with crew afterward. www.mrshawking.com

Comics After Dark/Late Night Sexy Comics (18+) - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Comics have a long and risqué history, and not just during the “underground” years. Issues of intellectual property, distribution channels, the Comics Code, and the rise of comics shops and the Web all have had their impact on how taboo materials have reached their audience. Our panelists will share their favorites, old and new. 18+ only.; Siobhan Flanagan (m), E. J. Barnes, Justin du Coeur, LB Lee, A. Szabla

11:59pm Saturday

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More with Feeling - Fan Interest, Sing-Along - 1hr - Grand A (1W): John the Teseracte Players for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical extravanganza, Once More with Feeling!

1:00am Sunday

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-long Blog - Fan Interest, Sing-Along - 1hr - Grand A (1W): Groupies, corporate tools, and members of the ELE: Does the status not feel quo? Join The Teseracte Players for a sing-a-long where the rapture or evil inside of you will be rekindled.

8:30am Sunday

Sunday Christian Services - Meetups, Participatory Event - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Non denominational Christian service.; Bekah Anderson (m), Kristin Janz (m)

Sunday Family Game Morning - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): Come play family friendly games! We’ll be around to help you find age-appropriate games that are fun for the whole family, and teach them if you’re unfamiliar. You can also bring your favorite games to share with other families. This is an open play session/meetup with a knowledgeable helper available.; Gail “RGB🌈🐻” Terman (m)

10:00am Sunday

What’s so Amazing that Keeps Us Stargazing - Science, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): For millennia, humans have built cities and massive structures in perfect alignment with the stars. Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, and the Great Pyramids are some of the more popular archaeoastronomy sites, but there are so many more scattered across the world and ages. Explore these different sites and their significance to the inhabitant’s culture.; Charity Southworth (m), Elaine Isaak, John O’Neil, Roxanne Reddington-Wilde

Jewelry Making: Wire and Bead Creations - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Adams (3W): We will make jewelry using wire and beads and even dice using jewelry pliers. $15 supply fee payable to the instructor (cash, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle). Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 18.; Nomi (m)

Artist Meet and Greet - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): The Art Show held virtual artist meet-and greets during the 2 virtual Arisias. Artists and fans chatted and talked about their work. Fun was had by all.; William Kennedy (m), Anne E.G. Nydam

Sing-along: Gilbert and Sullivan Songs - Music, Sing-Along - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Do you have a song to sing, O? Steal up with cat-like tread and join us in singing songs from The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore, Patience, and more! Note that there will be no assigning or claiming of parts—everyone will be free to sing along on everything! Songs will be led by panelists, who may also play accompaniment to support the singing. (participatory sing-along with words provided, via either projection or paper handout); Calais Reed (m), Timothy Goyette, Marnen Laibow-Koser

How to Be New to an Old Fandom - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Have you just now heard of this great little show called Star Trek? What do you do if you’ve gotten into X-Files 20 years late? In this panel, we’ll discuss the ins and outs of getting into mega-fandoms of the past (and present). Where do you start when there’s tons of content already out there? How do you find people to share your enthusiasm with? Should you – or can you – avoid spoilers that are years or decades out of date?; Michael A. Burstein (m), Jadie Jang, James Willis

Star Trek Catan - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): Players collect and trade these resources—dilithium, tritanium, food, oxygen, and water—in order to build Outposts, Starships, and Starbases, while avoiding the Klingon warship. We are using the Federation Map set, so that each planet in the game refers back to classic episodes of the original series.; Ken Marin (m)

Papercrafting - Relax-a-Track, Meetup - 1hr - Paine (2W): Paper airplanes to origami, folding paper can be fun. We will provide the space and some plain white paper, you bring the ideas.; Professor Fizzle (m)

SFF for Middle-Grade Readers - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): A popular panel at the 2020 virtual con returns with updates on wonder-filled fantasy and science fiction for middle-grade readers. With so many excellent series, graphic novels, and others available to readers in this age group, young readers will never be left without something to sneak under the covers to read past bedtime, and adults won’t need to consider reading middle-grade stories a guilty pleasure.; Kathryn Sullivan (m), Alastor, Nomi S. Burstein, Rob Cameron, Sara Codair

Let’s Rock Out - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Have fun painting rocks. We’ll bring the rocks, you bring the imagination.

Teaching Our Kids Consent - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Setting your own boundaries, respecting others, and negotiating consent are critical life skills that touch all areas of life: academic, professional, and personal. Let’s talk about age appropriate ways to talk about consent with children from conversational skills (turn-taking and topics) to creating rules in collaborative or competitive play.; Forest (m), Bey, Jess C., Amy Chused, Ilene Tatroe

Our Flag Means Love - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): David Jenkins and Taika Waititi’s (lightly) historical romantic comedy Our Flag Means Death came out of nowhere in 2022 to beat out Star Wars and MCU properties for top ratings during its release. It’s time to discuss the funny little pirate show that turned out to be so much more and the fandom that baked a thousand orange cakes to get a second season.; AJ Odasso (m), Gordon Linzner, Tori Queeno, Sid

Elsa Sjunneson Reading - Guest of Honor, Reading - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Our Fan Guest of Honor Reads from her own work.; Elsa Sjunneson-Henry

Book Cover Art in the Age of the E-book - Art & Maker, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): On changes in cover art constraints with E-books. Can cover art be done for e-books? Can it be done well? Or will we have to wait for the next version of the hardware before this becomes viable?; Kevin McLaughlin, Rue Sparks, Stephen R. Wilk

Teen Sword Fighting - Martial Arts, Participatory Event - 1hr - Grand A (1W): Swords! Swords for teenagers! Come learn sword-fighting! Teenagers will learn the martial art which was practiced by knights and sword masters in the medieval era. Class will focus on the medieval longsword, in the German martial tradition.; Swords of Chivalry

10:30am Sunday

Simple Robots - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Make a robot that can color. We will make robots using simple supplies. These robots can color, and more!

11:00am Sunday

Academy of Adolescent Monsters - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): A tabletop role playing game where you play a human teacher at a school for imaginary friends, lost toys, speaking animals, ambulatory plants, self-actualized robots, friendly ghosts, and small kaijus. Just because you’re only human doesn’t mean you’re not capable. You are devoted to your students, your colleagues, and your school. Still, this is an “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” kind of a day and it’ll take all your skills and wherewithal to get through it.; Daniel Jensen (m)

Just a Little Ink & Alcohol Makes Art?? - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Let’s make some original art with tiles that can be used as decorations or coasters when finished.

11:30am Sunday

Sunday Morning Readings - Literature, Reading - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Join some of Arisia’s wonderful authors, while they read from their own work.; Steven D. Brewer, James L. Cambias, Amy J. Murphy

Speculative Fiction Writers Cafe - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Come meetup with other speculative fiction writers. Share ideas, read someone else’s work, or just get together to talk about writing.; Cat Scully (m), Justine Manzano

Good Story Songs - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you’ll sing) songs that tell really neat stories—that is, they have coherent, compelling narratives as well as good lyrics and good tunes. Stories come from all sorts of varied perspectives, and we hope that the songs brought to this session will, too. Filk, folk, and anything else is welcome, so long as the story is good. (themed participatory song circle); Grim (m), Kim Carter, Chad Childers

Wakanda Forever - Media, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): When Black Panther was about to drop, we were excited to see beautiful Black people in fabulous action adventure, but wondered would Marvel, Disney, and corporate Hollywood roll out an entertaining apology for colonialism, imperialism, and on-going white supremacy? And what of the women? Wakanda Forever continues the conversation. In Black Panther, Wakanda Forever, and The Falcon and The Wintersoldier, there is no individual victory over (nasty) villain who seeks to destroy a (good) world. These stories seem to demand not just vanquished foes but changes in the world. Are these tales of Wakanda revolutionary or reactionary-poison disguised as revolutionary? Are they a praise song to Africa, the Yucatan or a sloppy mish mash of nobody’s culture? And what about the women?; K. Ibura (m), Andrea Hairston, Jadie Jang, Marianna Martin PhD

Wide World of LARP - Gaming, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): LARP: it’s not only going to the forest over a weekend to hit people with foam swords! That’s one major form, but there’s a wide world of different genres of LARP out there that people like for different reasons. Panelists will be experienced LARP players and/or writers of various sorts of LARP, who will talk about some of their favorite and least favorite experiences, and stories that they’ve felt LARP to be a good medium for.; Justin du Coeur (m), Rebecca Maxfield, Nixon, Calais Reed, Jason Schneiderman

Fiber Arts Circle - Relax-a-Track, Meetup - 1hr - Paine (2W): A circle for relaxing, working on fibercrafts while socializing.; J.Z. Weston (m)

Plagues in Fantasy and Science Fiction - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): From the Andromeda Strain to spattergroit, not to mention those adorable plush plague rats in dealers’ rooms everywhere, epidemics are common themes in speculative fiction. Which classic and current plague fiction stands out from the rest? What are the most common biomedical blunders SFF writers have, um, afflicted readers with? And has the pandemic breathed new life into this perennial theme in medical SFF...or turned readers (and writers) completely off the subject?; Alexander Jablokov (m), Amy Chused, Joey Peters, Steven Popkes

Franken Stuffies - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Lets take apart stuffed toys and make all new ones. Create origional creatures, and take them home with you.; Nomi

Self-Care at Conventions - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Most of us do not live in 3,000 person collectives. As a result, large and medium sized conventions can often overwhelm, excite, and stimulate us. This panel will focus on tactics for all con-goers to pace yourself, care for yourself, and combat con-plague and con-drop while having the best convention experience possible.; Dale Meyer-Curley (m), Bekah Anderson, Ken Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Sharon Sbarsky, Gail “RGB🌈🐻” Terman

Making Makers Make - Art & Maker, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): As anyone who’s ever tried to create something knows, the biggest hurdle is starting in the first place. How do you go from talking about what you want to make (armchair making) to actually building things?; Nightwing Whitehead (m), Julia Austein, Scott Lefton, Jennifer Old-d’Entremont

Elsa Sjunneson Signing - Guest of Honor, Signing - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Signing session with Fan Guest of Honor Elsa Sjunneson.; Elsa Sjunneson-Henry

Cancel Culture in Sci-Fi and Fantasy Spaces - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): When and why does accountability go wrong, especially in our efforts to build inclusivity, diversity, belonging, and community? What are the impacts on creatives and fan communities? Our panelists will start beyond the critique of cancel culture, discussing the effects and impact of it.; Vivian Abraham (m), etana, Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Suzanne Reynolds-Alpert, Thomas Traina

12:00pm Sunday

Ready, Set, Launch? - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): We will take common household items and make them into catapults. We will then let things fly and test out how far we can launch items across the room.

Green Dragon Circus Acrobats - Fan Interest, Performance - 1hr - Grand A (1W): Green Dragon Circus offers group and individual instruction in aerials, tumbling, partner acrobatics, juggling and more, welcoming students of all levels and abilities. Our showcase includes a combination of students from our advanced class plus instructors, showcasing a variety of apparatus from trapeze to silks to dual aerials. Come join us to watch this fun, exciting showcase and see where the world of circus can take you!

12:30pm Sunday

Play D&D Sunday Version - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Kids get together to create, and then play, a short D&D game. From world building to character creation, we cover every aspect of playing D&D.; Delenn Brumberger

1:00pm Sunday

Media In Memoriam 2021–2022 - Media, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Stephen Sondheim. Nichelle Nicholls. Angela Lansbury. Kevin Conroy. Robbie Coltrane. Betty White. Michael K. Williams. Ed Asner. Sonny Chiba. Richard Donner. Christopher Plummer. Sidney Poitier. Gilbert Gottfried. Ray Liotta. Ivan Reitman. Jean-Luc Godard. Let’s celebrate and remember these and many other people in the worlds of film, TV, and theatre whom have passed away in the past two years.; Megan Kearns (m), Logan Biscornet, Randee Dawn, Danny Miller

Bling It On! - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Adams (3W): Learn how to work with and attach Swarovski rhinestones. Pre-packed kit provided for $10 fee payable to instructors. Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 18.; Carol Salemi (m), William Kennedy

Steampunk Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Steampunk has been going on for quite some time, but people are always creating new bits to add to their steampunk costumes and personae. This meetup would be a way for us to meet together, do ohhh and ahhhh on the various shiny bits we all do. In addition people can mention future steampunk events or ask for suggestions.; Melissa Honig (m), Michael Meissner (m)

Songs of Technology - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you’ll sing) songs about technology, technological development, and invention, old or new. (themed participatory song circle); Naomi Hinchen (m), Ellen Kranzer, Susan Weiner

Creating Authentic Characters with Disabilities - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): A panel of authors who’ve created authentic, well-loved characters with mental illness and disabilities will discuss how they developed them; key elements of the character’s disability; how that changed their approach to telling the story; where to get reliable information; how to sensitively portray a character with one or more disabilities; avoiding clichés; feedback they received from the disabled community (both good and bad); and impacts writing that character had on them personally.; Rue Sparks (m), Sara Codair, LJ Cohen, Kevin McLaughlin, AJ Odasso

Arisia January Corporate Meeting - Arisia Corp & Convention, Meeting - 2hr 30min - Burroughs (3E): Arisia, Inc. is the non-profit that signs our contracts, owns our equipment, sets our policies, elects and appoints senior leadership, and handles incident investigation between conventions. We welcome you to participate in the official business of running Arisia and related activities.

SFS 5–06: Tarnished Legascy: Historia’s Holdout - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr - Harbor I (3E): For months the Starfinder Society has sifted through the wreckage of Histora-Prime’s life, working to put an end to any of Historia-Prime’s remaining schemes and to make reparations for his many crimes. When Celita discovers record of a hidden complex on Absalom Station owned by Historia-Prime, she and Ixthia dispatch a team of Starfinders to investigate the complex, uncover it’s purpose, and shut the site down for good. What lays within Historia-Prime’s final holdout? Can any good come from the tarnished legacy Historia-Prime has left behind?; David Montgomery (m)

Dune (Avalon Hill) - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 4hr 30min - Harbor I (3E): The classic Avalon Hill game of space conquest on the desert planet of Arrakis. The spice must flow! Play either the Empire, the Harkonnens, the Bene Gesserit, the Fremen, the Guild, or the Atriedes in this highly asymmetrical yet beautifully balanced game that really evokes the feel of the first novel.; Ken Marin (m)

PF Bounty 7: Cleanup Duty - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): A time-displaced alchemist hires the PCs to clear out his former master’s abode, which has become infested with oozes over the intervening millennia.; Eric Robinson (m)

Sex and the City on the Edge of Forever - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr 30min - Harbor I (3E): Collaboratively create a musical about an intrepid time traveler trapped in the late 1990s torn between their mission to restore the timeline and their budding relationship with a lifestyle reporter. I Wish is a game where we create the plot and playlist for our own jukebox musical. We have tools that will help create the major story beats for our musical. Then we’ll collaboratively select songs to go with the story beats, and assemble them into a plot. (I Wish: The Musical Theater Creation Game); Mark Sabalauskas (m)

Hands-on (or Hands-off) Theremin Workshop - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr 30min - Paine (2W): You’ve heard its spooky noises in movies, but there’s so much more that the theremin can do! In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the basics of theremin technique and will have the opportunity to experiment with this unusual instrument. Some previous musical training is helpful but not required. If you are lucky enough to have a theremin of your own, please bring it! Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 5.; Marnen Laibow-Koser (m)

Kid-Friendly Maker Projects - Art & Maker, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): Kids (under 12) can be Makers, too. What sort of projects are complex enough to be interesting, but simple enough for beginners to complete? What projects are good for families to tackle together, and what are appropriate for the kids to do on their own?; Julia Austein, Isaac C., Chad Childers, Professor Fizzle

Project Cosplay—Crafting Props - Fast Track, Fast Track - 2hr - Hancock (2W): Part of Project Cosplay. Let’s make props to go with the costumes we made yesterday for the masquerade, or come to learn something new.

Creating Comics: From Idea to Finished Product - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Comics can be produced in both traditional and digital media, as well as a mix of the two. Some creators focus on graphic novels, some on webcomics. Writing, visual storytelling, and distribution all have their problems to solve, for the sole creator, the creative team, and the self-publisher. Our panel of experienced comics creators will tell you about their processes from start to finish.; E. J. Barnes (m), LB Lee, LJ-Baptiste, Troy Minkowsky

A Beginner’s Guide to Gundam - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury is the first new Gundam TV series since 2015. This panel will delve into the history of the influential mecha franchise, explain the Universal Century and alternate universe continuities, and offer guidance on the best places for newcomers to start.; Reuben Baron, Trowa Barton, Richard Ralston, Fae Weichsel

The Year in Science 2022 - Science, Panel - 2hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): A retrospective of the past year’s science stories. From the groundbreaking launch of the James Space Webb Telescope, to medical breakthroughs in a pandemic landscape, we will dissect how science influences our changing world—for better or worse.; Charity Southworth (m), David Brahm, Pamela Gay, Jeff Hecht

How Much “Alien” Is Too Much? - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): With all the twists and turns evolution might take on other planets, what’s the chance of extraterrestrial visitors looking and behaving like humans, as so many SF aliens seem to? How have writers managed the tension between creating believably different beings from other worlds, while also not making them “too different” to be relatable for readers? How have SFF writers used cultural stereotypes of human groups to render their extraterrestrial species more “alien”?; Stephen R. Wilk (m), Elaine Isaak, Alexander Jablokov, Ian Randal Strock, W. A. Thomasson

1:30pm Sunday

Twinkle Twinkle Little Jar Wonder Were the Fairies Are - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Let’s make small jars that sparkle. Legend has it they attract fairies. You can keep them on your shelf, or make them into a necklace.

Fighting with Swords!—Mixed Weapons Shenanigans! - Martial Arts, Demonstration/Class - 1hr 30min - Commonwealth (1W): Athena School of Arms presents: Anything goes! We’ll have mixed match-ups. Sabers, Longswords, Spears, Daggers, Axes—the matches are endless! Followed immediately by hands-on lessons in either the Longsword or Saber. All equipment provided, no experience necessary.; Athena School of Arms

2:00pm Sunday

The Dragon’s Den - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 4hr 30min - Harbor I (3E): As seasoned adventurers, a nearby village tasked you with taking out a nearby Red Dragon’s den. You have finally arrived... to the unexpected. Razsputin Matazz, the Dragon, is hosting a party for the continent’s ghastlies, ghoulies, and monstrous beings. Bright lights, throbbing music, and events of all sorts are in the way of the players and their goals. This is a level 10 one-shot for 3–5 players. Bring your own characters, but some spares will be provided if necessary Some experience necessary (have played this or similar games before) Please bring dice and a character sheet. I will have some spare sheets just in case.; Zev Shields (m)

2:30pm Sunday

Sunday Afternoon Readings - Literature, Reading - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Join some of Arisia’s wonderful authors, while they read from their own work.; Kim Carter, Marc Vun Kannon, Dianna Sanchez

Blockprinting - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr 30min - Adams (3W): Relief block printmaking is a magical, sci-fi art form: it’s like carving with light into darkness, and then cloning the result. It’s also easy to get started, fun to experiment with, and you can print note cards, gifts, or limited edition artwork to frame and hang proudly. Come learn how to wield the magic, by designing, carving, and printing your own original rubber block. $5 materials fee payable to instructor (Cash, Venmo). Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 15.; Anne E.G. Nydam (m)

Cosplay Swap Meet - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Douglass (3W): You’re done with that cosplay—or that piece—but it’s still in decent condition. Come share it with someone new and look for new-to-you pieces at the same time!; Mildred Cady (m), Adria Kyne (m)

Dialogue That Sings - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Learning how to write believable dialogue in narrative fiction is not an easy chore. While the art of writing dialogue includes a lot of challenges, it’s also crucial in developing voice and building verisimilitude. So how do you do it for characters in alien worlds and fantasy realms? Panelists will share tips for writing naturalistic dialogue and examples of dialogue done well.; Elaine Isaak (m), Jeanne Cavelos, Kristin Janz, Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein

Reiko Murakami Tour of the Art Show - Guest of Honor, Participatory Event - 1hr - Harbor II-III (3E): Tour the Art Show with our Artist Guest of Honor, Reiko Murakami!; Reiko Murakami

Cosplay and Dis/ability - Cosplay & Costuming, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): Cosplayers and costumers with visible and invisible disabilities can experience unique challenges when creating and wearing costumes. Join our panel of costumers and cosplayers to discuss their experiences and advice, from adapting a craft space for ADHD to incorporating mobility devices into an ensemble.; Tori Queeno (m), Kirkette, Michelle C. Light, Kate Wechsler

Fannish Bows - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Bow-ties are cool, for the hair or around your neck. Let’s make some fandom-related bows.; Nomi

Murdock v Spencer: Lawyers in Comics/Superheroes and the Law - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Lawyers make their share of appearances in SF, and comics are no exception. Daredevil, She-Hulk, the 7th Manhunter, the 1st Vigilante—not to mention lawyers in other comics universes—have entranced readers for decades. What are the pros and cons of lawyers in superhero stories, with their action-oriented focus on fighting crime, including extrajudicially and even internationally? Our expert team will explore the legal and dramatic ramifications.; Kenneth Schneyer (m), Naomi Hinchen, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Lisa J Steele

Gods Walk Among Us - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): In numerous SFF subgenres, for middle-grade through adult readers, divine (or at least technologically advanced) beings walk among mortals, sometimes guiding and sometimes messing with them. Feel free to invoke your favorite SFF deities (the genuine article and poseurs too), as long as it doesn’t bring down their wrath on other participants.; Siobhan Flanagan (m), James L. Cambias, Greer Gilman, Kevin Turausky, Trisha J. Wooldridge

3:00pm Sunday

PF Bounty 8: The Tireless Path - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): A caravan is set to depart from the small town of Grayce, but it needs some capable guards. It’s up to the PCs to step in and ensure the caravan, and its passengers, reach their destination.; Eric Robinson (m)

Eww, Gross! Make Your Own Slime - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Is that slime, yes it is! Make your own slime, add glitter or color and have a fun time. Take it home, hey they can’t all rhyme.

3:30pm Sunday

Time to Start Your Clay Dragon Clutch - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): Liora Sipple will come and teach us how to get our own little families of polymer clay dragons started.; Nomi

4:00pm Sunday

Recovery Check-In - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Whether this is your first sober con or you’re an old pro, come share strategies, find a sober buddy, or just check in with other folks in recovery in an informal, non-12-step setting.; Hagatha (m)

Sing-along: Yiddish Songs - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): There is a rich tradition of song from Jewish communities in Russia and Eastern Europe. Come sing along with some of these. Songs of work and play will be featured; no liturgical songs will be included. Leaders may play accompaniment to support the singing. (participatory sing-along with words provided, via either projection or paper handout); Susan Weiner (m), Rebecca Maxfield, Danny Miller, A. Joseph Ross

Proper Pronouns Matter - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Most of us were taught that gender was binary (e.g., he/she) and static instead of non-binary and fluid. While we live in a world that is still predominantly binary, there is increasing recognition and support that the spectrum of people and genders is wider. Let’s discuss the variety of pronouns and other gender-inclusive language used today, why it is important to use them properly and respectfully, and why increased awareness of gender and related pronouns can create a greater sense of welcoming community.; AJ Odasso (m), Shirley Dulcey, Carson Pavao, Kris “Nchanter” Snyder, Fae Weichsel

Hunger Fangs (Adventures in Time and Space) - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 4hr 30min - Harbor I (3E): Aliens are real. However most people have the luxury of disbelieving that truth, and that luxury is granted to them by trained and expert operatives. One such organization of operatives is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce a.k.a UNIT. Their agents (and occasional freelancers) work diligently and tirelessly to protect humanity from threats beyond the stars... even when that means a group of agents has to go investigate some crackpot claims about vampires in the countryside.; Keegan Hannon (m)

Making it Fit: Techniques for Body Neutral Cosplay - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Paine (2W): Have you ever felt like you’re too fat/skinny/busty/short/etc. to cosplay your favorite character? Ever felt pressured to lose weight, gain muscle, or just flat out change yourself so that you can cosplay who you want? People come in all shapes and sizes, and cosplay should too! Learn how to approach your cosplay concept from a body-neutral perspective and use design, construction, and modeling techniques to help your cosplay feel and look good on whatever body that you happen to have right now. Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 24.; Kirkette (m)

The Question of Influences - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): All artists must wrestle with the question of influences. A panel of writers will talk about what they learned from their favorite (or even not-so-favorite) writers. One key question to answer: how do you recognize the influence of other writers on your own work and when does this become a challenge for your own projects?; James Willis (m), Marc Vun Kannon, John G. McDaid, Cat Scully, Rue Sparks

Patience Pals - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Whenever things don’t go so well and you want to hit the wall and yell. I’ll be your Pal to tell, just don’t leave me around the hotel. Particpants will make themselves a little friend that will help when times are stressful.

Research for Making Costumes - Cosplay & Costuming, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): You’ve gotten some inspiration for an amazing new project...but how do you even start figuring out what to do? Join our panel of experts to learn the basics of costume research, finding sources, and translating written or drawn materials into 3D.; Mark Millman (m), Julia Pugliese, Redfield, Jamila Sisco

One and Done: The Art and Craft of the One-Shot - Gaming, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): How can you get the most out of an RPG or legacy game in a single session? Whether it’s a convention game or a palate cleanser between campaigns, we’ll talk about how to use limited time to tell a complete story and demonstrate what’s best about a given game.; Calais Reed (m), Justin du Coeur, Michelle C. Light, Aaron Marks, Mark Sabalauskas

Museum Trip! - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): All around the world you will find museums, from the grandest of broad collections to the most specific of subjects. What are our favorite museums, and what makes them so good? What else is critical to a good museum experience besides the content on display? What unusual museums have people encountered? How can museums best deal with ethical issues and difficult subject matter? Let’s just spend an hour nerding out about museums.; Roxanne Reddington-Wilde (m), Andy Hicks, Daniel Neff, Karen Sarao, Cate Schneiderman

D23: 100 Years of Disney - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): 2023 will mark the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company. Walt’s animation studio has since become a global conglomerate that owns Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Fox, and National Geographic. This panel will discuss the company’s history as well as how much influence the company has over science fiction media, for good or bad.; Gautam Nagaraj (m), Bob Chipman, Timothy Luz, Allison Neff, Mark Painter

4:30pm Sunday

Dragons, Dragons, Everywhere - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): More dragons! This time out of paper, because dragons are the best kind of friends.

5:30pm Sunday

How Do You Price Your Art? - Art & Maker, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): How much is an original piece of art worth? How much do you factor in time, materials, and quality? What about prints or the equivalent, such as castings? Is the first print really worth more nowadays? And how about those frames—they add up!; phi (m), Reiko Murakami, Anne E.G. Nydam

Soldering 101 - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Adams (3W): Learn to solder by building a simple circuit that blinks. This year’s design is the Arisia Steampuk A. NOTE: This is a quick project, so this block is divided into three short sections. Be sure you go to the one you sign up for! Materials fee: $5 per participant. Kids under 10 may participate but must have an adult “assistant.” Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 15 per session.; Kevin Osborn (m)

Techies of Arisia Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Techies of Arisia! Come hang out and discuss science, technology, and making. Talk about your projects and share ideas and tips and tricks!; Chad Childers (m), Chris Murphy (m)

How We Know: Dinosaurs - Science, Panel - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): There have been many discoveries this century that have changed what we know and how we think about dinosaurs. From plumage to pilgrimage, scientists have learned much more about dinosaurs’ appearance as well as behavior. Panelists will discuss fossil evidence that has led scientists to these fantastic conclusions.; Charity Southworth (m), Isaac C., Pamela Gay, Jeff Hecht

The Secret Life of the Renaissance Faire - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at the renaissance faire? Our panelists will answer your questions about jousting, costumes, vendors, venues, and more.; Nightwing Whitehead (m), Wendee Abramo, Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Ken Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Michael Meissner

Open Crafting Sunday - Relax-a-Track, Meetup - 1hr - Paine (2W): Open crafting space, please bring projects that are easy to clean up after. NO GLITTER!; Mildred Cady (m)

World Building 101 - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Stone (2W): One important aspect of any speculative fiction work is the alternate world in which it occurs. Beyond thinking about the ‘rules’ of this setting, panelists will explore the basic skills that a writer must learn in order to write convincingly about a place no one has ever visited.; Sara Codair (m), Jeanne Cavelos, Tanya Gold, Walter H. Hunt, Kristin Janz

Sunday Evening Readings - Literature, Reading - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Join some of Arisia’s wonderful authors, while they read from their own work.; Randee Dawn, Jadie Jang, W. A. Thomasson

A New Doctor Who Era Begins - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): As happens every few years, the Doctor has regenerated into a new body with a new actor. When Doctor Who returns, the show will also be under a new creative team led by the returning 2005–2010 showrunner Russell T. Davies. Let’s reflect on Jodie Whittaker’s run as the Thirteenth Doctor and Chris Chibnall’s run as showrunner, both in general and this past year’s specials in particular, as well as sharing our hopes for Ncuti Gatwa’s Fourteenth Doctor.; Dan Toland (m), Marc Brunco, Forest, Hildy Silverman, Kathryn Sullivan

Working Well With Your Neurodivergent Partners - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Whether it’s on an Arisia panel, in an office, or at a dinner table, you may find yourself working with neuroatypical people. What are some of the best techniques for productive collaboration? How can you recognize when a neuroatypical person needs an accommodation? How can you be more inclusive of your neurodivergent partners? This panel will provide real-life experiences and best practices for neurotypical people who want to work well with neurodivergent guests, family members, loved ones, and professional colleagues.; Danny Miller (m), Tori Queeno, Gail “RGB🌈🐻” Terman, Thomas Traina

Is ___ a Sandwich? - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): Engage our panelists in a lively debate over what, precisely, defines a sandwich.; Griffin Ess (m), Melissa Carubia, Allison Neff, Eyal Sagi, Karen Sarao

6:00pm Sunday

Savage Worlds: Legion of Liberty - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): Return to the world of Legion of Liberty: Superheroes of 1776 with Bootleggers of 1792. In this crossover with the popular Savage Worlds Wiseguys setting, the players take the role of superpowered gangsters running contraband moonshine into Philadelphia under the nose of Alexander Hamilton’s revenuers!; Scott Marchand Davis (m)

Masquerade Green Room - Cosplay & Costuming, Other - 5hr - Commonwealth (1W): Green Room for Masquerade Entrants and their assistants to prepare for their presentation, have pictures taken and get guidance from the Den parents.

7:00pm Sunday

Watching the Game - Gaming, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): From Critical Role to big-business eSports leagues, gaming is now a spectator experience, not just a participatory one. Let’s talk about the various ways in which folks watch or listen to games, and how that affects the games themselves.; Calais Reed (m), Kim Carter, Nixon

Polyamory Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Come make connections with other members of the Arisia community who identify as polyamorous or engage in other forms of consensual non-monogamy. Commiserate about the challenges that are unique to people in non-traditional relationship structures. We want this to be a welcoming environment for people of all experience levels and those who are not open to more relationships at the moment—this is not the place to seek out a new partner or date.; Trowa Barton (m), Meredith Schwartz

Humorous Songs - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Sing, listen, and laugh as everyone performs the funniest songs they know. Puns encouraged. Please read the room before singing anything that might not be appropriate for the audience. (themed participatory song circle); A. Joseph Ross (m), Gordon Linzner, Susan Weiner

Plural Perspectives - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): While many stories are told from the perspective of a single character, there are many reasons a writer may wish to include multiple perspectives. When does a story need multiple perspectives? How does a writer keep track of the added complexity? Join this discussion to discover tips for planning and writing coherent stories with multiple perspectives.; Kenneth Schneyer (m), Andrea Hairston, Marc Vun Kannon, Anne E.G. Nydam, W.B.J. Williams

PF Bounty 9: Fishing in Arthrusis - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): The Silverscales Tournament calls citizens and adventurers alike to participate in a competition to catch silver trout. This year, a pair of rival twins and some unexpected dangers ensure the event is one that the people of Anthusis will not soon forget.; Eric Robinson (m)

Improv for DMs/GMs and their players - Workshops, Workshop - 1hr - Paine (2W): Ever run or played a one-shot, or started a campaign with new players, only to watch the group fail to build character relationships? Then this is the workshop you don’t want to miss! We will learn and practice an improv process (from John Lehr) that will take players and their characters from strangers to a team with a sense of history and personality in less than 30 minutes. Sign-up at the Information Desk in the Main Lobby. Limit: 18.; Griffin Ess (m)

Tinkers, Sailors, and Traveling Players - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 1 (2E): Wandering adventurers, itinerant repairpeople, and theater troupes on the move frequently make their (sometimes romanticized) appearance in SFF. What is the perennial appeal of these restless travelers? How does SFF highlight (or ignore) those who move for reasons not under their control, such as migrants, refugees from wars or climate disasters, and socioeconomically struggling nomads who live in the SFF equivalent of RVs or houseboats?; Nightwing Whitehead (m), Rachel A. Brune, Greer Gilman, Rebecca Maxfield

The MCU Phase 4: Too Much of a Good Thing? - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4, which began with WandaVision and ended with Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, has had highs and lows. The MCU has grown significantly more diverse both onscreen and behind the scenes, and Marvel Studios’ first forays into streaming have included some exceptional series, but reviews have grown more mixed and the studio’s increased output has given some “Marvel fatigue.” How are we feeling now that Phase 4 has concluded, and what are we looking forward to in Phases 5 and 6?; Michael A. Burstein (m), Bob Chipman, Sara Codair, Hagatha, Marianna Martin PhD

Effective Advocacy for Geeks - Communities, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): Many of us care passionately about social and political causes, but don’t know how to act on our passions. Some of us have little money, constrained time, physical limitations or other barriers. How can we act effectively on causes we care about both on a local level and in terms of the bigger picture? How do we know what kind of commitment will be required for social or political action (e.g., a march or protest) and whether that fits within our limitations?; Jaime Garmendia (m), John G. McDaid, Joey Peters, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Fae Weichsel

Writing Series, Sequels, and Spin-Offs - Writing, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 4 (2E): It’s no secret that book series have a better chance of discoverability. What’s the secret to writing a successful series? How do you plan and develop multi-book series that sell? Create series arcs? And how do you keep track of multiple plotlines and characters across many books? How can you expand existing material to create a series? And when is it time to pull the plug and move onto other things?; LJ Cohen (m), Kevin McLaughlin, Dianna Sanchez, Cat Scully

8:00pm Sunday

Masquerade - Cosplay & Costuming, Performance - 3hr - Grand A (1W): The Masquerade is a costume showcase and display of creativity by your fellow convention members. Entrants may dress as anything interesting and fun so long as they can motor themselves across the stage and back. Please register via the Masquerade webpage.; James Hinsey (m)

8:30pm Sunday

Non-Binary Mixer & Safe Space - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Nonbinary, androgyne, genderqueer, gender expansive, bigender, agender, genderfluid, questioning, and everyone whose identity lies outside of the male-female gender binary is invited to socialize with new and old friends in a judgment-free zone. We’ll begin with introductions, follow with a party game, and end with attendees having the space to mix and mingle. (To maintain a safe space, allies are asked to not attend.) What’s said in the space stays in the space.; Rue Sparks (m), Susan Weiner (m)

Songs that Set Poetry to Music - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you’ll sing) songs that take words from poetry and set them to music. We’ll hear poetic works that were originally published without music — such as the poems of Rudyard Kipling, many of them set to music by Peter Bellamy and Leslie Fish, but also works by as diverse a cast of poets as our participants can bring. (themed participatory song circle); Naomi Hinchen (m)

All the Technologypunks - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Cyberpunk led to steampunk and dieselpunk, then splintered into many fill-in-the-blank punks—clockpunk, biopunk, solarpunk, and more. How does each chosen technology change the flavor of the genre? What puts the “punk” in your ___punk? What’s a new ___punk that you’d like to see?; Melissa Honig (m), Moniquill Blackgoose, Phillip Hallam-Baker, Fae Weichsel

Vivat Regina – Part 2 of Mrs. Hawking - Video, Projected Media - 1hr - Stone (2W): London, 1881— The filmed continuation of Mrs. Hawking! Mary Stone is doing her best to train in the art of society avenging, when a mysterious lady under a false name brings them an impossible mission to see justice done. Requires no knowledge of previous show. By Phoebe Roberts and Bernie Gabin. Talkback with crew afterward. www.mrshawking.com

The Year in Star Wars - Media, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): 2022 was a packed year for Star Wars television, with The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, The Bad Batch Season 2, and Tales of the Jedi all premiering on Disney+. What were our favorite and least favorite adventures in the galaxy far, far away this year? What do we want to see more of and what do we want less of? Seriously, how many more times are we going back to Tatooine?; Kevin Cafferty (m), Trowa Barton, Bob Chipman, Megan Kearns, Gordon Linzner

9:00pm Sunday

PF Bounty 10: Hilltop Roundup - Gaming, Role-Playing Game - 2hr - Harbor I (3E): A kind traveler was escorting a clutch of wayward baby dinosaurs to safety when they broke free of their temporary enclosure. The PCs are tasked with rounding up the dinosaurs, but when they learn one is missing, their quest to rescue it takes them into the harsh wilderness of the Realm of the Mammoth Lords.; Eric Robinson (m)

Mysterium - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 1hr 30min - Harbor I (3E): In Mysterium, one player takes the role of ghost while everyone else represents a medium. To solve the crime, the ghost must first recall (with the aid of the mediums) all of the suspects present on the night of the murder. A number of suspect, location and murder weapon cards are placed on the table, and the ghost randomly assigns one of each of these in secret to a medium.; Ken Marin (m)

10:00pm Sunday

The Arisia Munch (18+) - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): A munch is an informal gathering of people interested in BDSM and other fetish activities. Munches are held so that kinky people can socialize and talk about any of their hobbies or interests in a non-sexual environment. Munches are often the first step for those interested in kink to join their local fetish scene. Connect with Arisia’s experienced BDSM players, the kink curious, and fetishists of all kinds. 18+ only.; Shelley Marsh (m)

Open Singing—Sun 10:00 PM - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come listen and/or make music in this unthemed song circle. All types of music are welcome. Time permitting, everyone who wishes to lead a song will have at least one opportunity to do so. (participatory song circle); Calais Reed (m)

10:00am Monday

Nerdy Vacation Planning - Fan Interest, Panel - 1hr - Alcott (3W): Now that the world is slowly starting to open up again, travel is taking off. Besides lovely Boston in the middle of January, where else do our panelists recommend that geeks explore? Are there other conventions, festivals, renaissance faires, etc. that we should check out? What places are nerd paradise?; Marc Brunco (m), Chad Childers, Eyal Sagi, Tikva, Trisha J. Wooldridge

Meet Your Eorzean Neighbors!: A FFXIV Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Do you play the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV! It’s become wildly popular in the last year and this is a meetup to make new friends in Eorzia, Come talk about the game, and show off cosplays if you have them!; Ryan Leonard (m), Tori Queeno (m)

Songs of Protest and Resistance - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): Come sing (or just listen, but we hope you’ll sing) songs about resisting oppression in any of its myriad forms. From oppressive overlords to ordinary ohms, resistance is not always futile. Remember that, while protest and resistance may not always be peaceful, songs which promote/encourage/glorify violence are not appropriate at Arisia. Instead, let’s sing songs that speak to hope for a brighter future, and building a more peaceful world. (themed participatory song circle); E. J. Barnes, Grim

Monday Morning Readings - Literature, Reading - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Join some of Arisia’s wonderful authors, while they read from their own work.; Gordon Linzner, Hildy Silverman, Rue Sparks

Gaming As a Way of Exploring Identity - Gaming, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): Why do you choose the character you play? Do you feel different when playing a certain game or character? Gaming, whether RPG, LARP, board game, or video game, can provide players a safe environment to express various aspects of their selves and help them learn more about what they like (and don’t like), and ultimately who they are. Panelists will discuss how players can explore their identity through game/character choice, play styles, and other factors.; Melissa Carubia (m), Benjamin Chicka, Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Aaron Marks, Fae Weichsel

Roborally - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): In RoboRally players each control a different robot in a race through a dangerous factory floor. Several goals will be placed on the board and you must navigate your robot to them in a specific order. The boards can be combined in several different ways to accommodate different player counts and races can be as long or as short as player’s desire.; Ken Marin (m)

Social Games - Relax-a-Track, Participatory Event - 1hr - Paine (2W): Join a social game or BYO.; Daniel Reuben Abraham (m)

Jewelry for Non-Muggles - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Creating jewelry with wire and beads for all of your wizarding needs.; Nomi

Grunts and Ground-Pounders: The Private’s Eye View in Military SF - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): While officers are often featured characters in military SF, some of the most engaging stories are told through the point of view of the enlisted soldier. Come share your favorite (or least favorite) examples.; J.F. Holmes (m), Alastor, Rachel A. Brune, Justin du Coeur, Kevin McLaughlin

A Century Ago - Science, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): From the first treatment of diabetes with insulin to a vaccine for a global pandemic developed in under a year. From the invention of the television to the dissemination of the world’s knowledge and social communication to billions of handheld devices- wirelessly. The last 100 years have faced unprecedented developments across scientific fields. We’ll be keeping it 100 as we take a look at significant events in science from 1922.; James Bredt (m), Amy Chused, Siobhan Flanagan, Mark Painter

NERF War—Kids Edition - Gaming, Participatory Event - 3hr - Grand A (1W): Bring your NERF blasters and plenty of ammo for an all-out NERF gun battle! Please note that protective eyewear is Mandatory—bring goggles if you have them. A limited number of NERF blasters and protective goggles are available for those who don’t own any. Because of safety considerations, please do not bring modified NERF blasters.

Splendid Teapot Race - Fan Interest, Participatory Event - 1hr - Commonwealth (1W): Splendid Teapot Racing involves radio-controlled teapots negotiating an obstacle course. Attach a teapot to an RC vehicle and embellish to taste! Will your racer clear the Antique Crockery Slalom, climb the Ramp of Doom, and leap Crocodile Chasm? It doesn’t matter, because in this sport failure is hilarious! A few loaner teapot racers will be available, but priority will be given to those who bring their own teapot racers.

10:30am Monday

Friendship Bracelets - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): We’ve made lots of friends this week. We’ll make some bracelets to trade, using floss.

11:00am Monday

Let’s Bounce - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): We will make one of the most popular toys of all time, with science. Bouncy Balls!

11:30am Monday

Asexuality-Umbrella Meetup - Meetups, Meetup - 1hr - Bulfinch (3W): Asexual, romantic asexual, aro-ace, gray-A, demisexual, and anyone else identifying anywhere on the asexual or aromantic spectrums are invited to share a safe space and speak freely about their experiences in fandom and elsewhere. (To maintain a safe space, Allies are asked not to attend.); Naomi Hinchen (m), Carson Pavao (m)

Dead Dog Open Filk - Music, Song Circle - 1hr - Douglass (3W): One last chance to sing, play, or listen. While nominally a filk session, all sorts of music are welcome. (participatory song circle); Ellen Kranzer (m), John G. McDaid

Monday Feedback Session - Arisia Corp & Convention, Discussion - 1hr - Faneuil (3W): Come share your ideas on how we can improve Arisia for next year.; Melissa Kaplan, phi, Ilene Tatroe

30 Years of Magic: The Gathering and Collectible Card Games - Gaming, Panel - 1hr - Burroughs (3E): On August 5, 1993, Magic the Gathering—the first collectible card game—was released by Wizards of the Coast. Thirty years later, the legacy of MTG continues with tournaments and expansions, as well as the huge CCG market it created, including Pokemon. Our panel will discuss MTG, its influence on gaming, and where CCGs are headed.; Jason Schneiderman (m), Harlan Bruggemann, Pamela Gay, Danny Miller, Mark Sabalauskas

A Bag to Take It Home In - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Webster (2W): We have had so much fun this weekend, and we’ve have made so many things. Today we will decorate a bag to take it all home.

Leaders and Heroes: What’s the Difference? - Literature, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 2 (2E): Are fictional leaders always heroic, or does the archetypal lone hero make a poor leader—and vice versa? What about those reluctant, traumatized, or retired leaders who are called (back) into the fray: how do these nuanced characters complicate the leader-hero dynamic? Come ready to share your favorite examples of leadership, heroism, and the flaws that make them relatable.; Elaine Isaak (m), Catt Kingsgrave-Ernstein, Liz “Khaaaaaan” Salazar, Meredith Schwartz

Image Comics at 30+: Now Unionized! - Comics, Panel - 1hr - Marina Ballroom 3 (2E): In 1992, six Marvel artists formed Image so they could own their own creative output. 30 years later, Image has published some of the most fascinating recent titles, retained focus on creator-owned stories, and débuted creators who are now major names in their own right. But 2021 also saw landmark change at Image when its staff voted to unionize. What has this done for Image’s original properties? What does being the first organized comic company mean for both Image and the rest of the industry?; Kevin Eldridge (m), E. J. Barnes, Trowa Barton, Jaime Garmendia, Joey Peters

Arisia RC Raceway - Fan Interest, Participatory Event - 1hr - Commonwealth (1W): CHARGE YOUR BATTERIES! The Black Widow stirs! The 3rd running of the Arisia RC Raceway will begin Monday morning at 11:30 AM in the Commonwealth Ballroom. Bring your own car, or borrow one from the race organizer. This is an indoor event, so your car must be electric: no gas cars. Technical support will be provided for racers who want to decorate their cars to compete in Splendid Teapot.

12:00pm Monday

Making All Kinds Of Roses - Fast Track, Fast Track - 1hr - Hancock (2W): Every one loves Roses! Make paper roses with an experienced artist. Both paper and duct available for your choice of medium.; Delenn Brumberger

1:00pm Monday

Cosmic Encounter (Eon) - Gaming, Tabletop Game - 3hr - Harbor I (3E): Each player becomes the leader of one of dozens of alien races, each with its own unique power. On a player’s turn, they become the offense. The offense encounters another player on a planet by moving a group of ships through the hyperspace gate to that planet. Both sides can invite allies and play cards to try and tip the encounter in their favor. The object is to establish five bases outside your home star system. The players must use force, cunning, and diplomacy to ensure their victory. Players may form alliances and win together.; Ken Marin (m)

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Schedule - Arisia 2023

Arisia 2023 Schedule

2:00pm Friday

3:00pm Friday

4:00pm Friday

5:00pm Friday

5:30pm Friday

7:00pm Friday

8:00pm Friday

8:30pm Friday

9:00pm Friday

10:00pm Friday

11:59pm Friday

8:00am Saturday

8:30am Saturday

10:00am Saturday

10:30am Saturday

11:00am Saturday

11:30am Saturday

12:00pm Saturday

12:15pm Saturday

12:30pm Saturday

1:00pm Saturday

1:30pm Saturday

2:00pm Saturday

2:30pm Saturday

3:00pm Saturday

3:30pm Saturday

4:00pm Saturday

4:30pm Saturday

5:00pm Saturday

5:30pm Saturday

6:00pm Saturday

7:00pm Saturday

8:30pm Saturday

9:00pm Saturday

9:30pm Saturday

10:00pm Saturday

11:59pm Saturday

1:00am Sunday

8:30am Sunday

10:00am Sunday

10:30am Sunday

11:00am Sunday

11:30am Sunday

12:00pm Sunday

12:30pm Sunday

1:00pm Sunday

1:30pm Sunday

2:00pm Sunday

2:30pm Sunday

3:00pm Sunday

3:30pm Sunday

4:00pm Sunday

4:30pm Sunday

5:30pm Sunday

6:00pm Sunday

7:00pm Sunday

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8:30pm Sunday

9:00pm Sunday

10:00pm Sunday

10:00am Monday

10:30am Monday

11:00am Monday

11:30am Monday

12:00pm Monday

1:00pm Monday

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