Our Programming Goals & Philosophy

ApolloCon strives to offer exciting, diverse program choices to our members. We celebrate Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy and Horror in various forms: literature, media, visual art, comics, music, games, performance, and spoken word. We explore the culture of our community, related scholarly and critical fields, and the sciences and technology that inform us and interest us. We examine the overall tapestry of our fandom, and the threads of our beloved genres in the fandoms of others. Programming strives to present a range of activities and a spectrum of ideas. Our goal for ApolloCon is a varied programming schedule showcasing diverse viewpoints, one that is interesting, educational, and fun.

The programming model used by ApolloCon likes to mix things up. We combine or cross over genres in discussion topics. We offer demos, lectures, workshops, panel discussions, games, and media showings. We mix different kinds of people on panels and cross the lines between pros and fans and between reators and their audiences.

What that means in practical terms is that some items are tightly focused with a single presenter or a homogeneous panel, while others examine ideas in a variety of contexts with a panel representing diverse interests, perspectives, and opinions. The underlying philosophy is that diversity strengthens community and increases interest. The model views both creators and audience as parts of the same community, and ncourages participation from the whole community.

Programming Descriptions

Aaaargh! We Loves Us Our Pirates - But Why?

Pirates! Ninjas come and go, but Pirates swagger on! What is the appeal of this character type?

Alternative History - What if the South Won the Civil War or. . .

Our panelists discuss the recent boom in the Alternate History subgenre. Find out who, when, where, what, and what if. . .

Amtgard Presentation & Demo

Join Harold Badger and his colleagues for a short presentation and demonstration of the Amtgard Live Action Role Playing system.

ApolloCon 2013 Dance

DJHawz plays the music; you dance. It's very simple.

ApolloCon 2013 Writers Workshop

Round-robin peer-critique workshop. (Pre-registration in advance of the con required.)

ApolloKids: A Joyful Noise!

Mel. White & John DeLaughter show ApolloKids how to make musical instruments from everyday objects.

ApolloKids: Make and Take Craft

Meredith Tolson leads ApolloKids in a fun make-&-take craft.

ApolloKids: Make a Coloring Book

Art GoH Peri Charlifu shares art for ApolloKids to color and take away.

ApolloKids: Origami

Ahliana Byrd demonstrates origami to the ApolloKids.

ApolloKids: Story Cubes

Keri Bas leads ApolloKids in a creative game of Story Cubes!

ApolloKids: There Should Have Been an Earth-Shattering Kaboom!

Larry Friesen tells ApolloKids about how falling rocks have made circular features on the Moon (and on other bodies in the solar system).

Archetype, Stereotype, Caricature: What Do These Mean in Speculative Fiction?

It's been a while since LIT101, but we're pretty sure archetypes, stereotypes, and caricatures are different things. Our panelists will set us straight and examine what they mean in the context of speculative fiction.

Art Auction & Charity Auction

Voice auction sale of artwork from the ApolloCon Art Show. This is your chance to take grace and beauty home.

Art GoH: Ceramic Demo

Our fabulous Art Guest of Honor, ceramicist Peri Charlifu demonstrates and discusses his technique.

Art Show Tour with Peri Charlifu

Join our Art GoH Peri Charlifu on a small group tour of the art show during the reception. See the show through an artist's eyes!

Artist Reception

Mingle with ApolloCon's artists while enjoying the goodies. Hosted by ApolloCon 2013 and managed by foodie fans Chuck Coshow & Val Villarreal.

Artist Trading Card Swap

A chance for ATC fans to get together to show and swap their art. Expand your collection! Find new fans! Need a new hobby? Newcomers welcome!

Artist Trading Card Workshop

Learn about Artist Trading Cards, original art that fits in the palm of your hand. See the many styles and techniques that are used for these cards, and make some of your own!

Autograph Sessions

Your chance to get your books and memorabilia signed and to chat with our guests. Please, if the line is long, limit the number of items signed to 3. (We reserve the right to enforce the limit.) For names, times and locations check the pocket program and any posted Programming Updates.

Cheese: Tasting Texas

Chuck & Val bring you the tastes of Texas, in the form of cheesy goodness. (Limited Attendance. Advance sign up required. Check Ops Office.) [Note: Food allergy warning.]

Club Meet & Greet: Houston Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Meetup

Meet some of the folks involved in Houston's SFF Writers' Meetup. Meetings monthly in town, plus workshops on varied writing-related topics throughout the year.

Clubs in Houston: Open Q&A

Want to meet more people who like the things you do? Come on out to this informal Q&A to learn about some local groups!

Comic Books: More than Pretty Pictures

Comic books have long been a channel for speculative fiction in all its variations. Our panelists discuss the contributions of comic books, webcomics, graphic novels and manga to the field of speculative fiction.

Communicating at the Speed of Light: Social Media for SFF

The landscape of interaction between creators and audiences has fundamentally changed with the advent of social media. Facebook, Twitter, and other tools enable a sense of connection and intimacy that is at once empowering and problematic. How do these tools change the game for SFF production and consumption?

Concerts

Live Music! Check pocket program, website or posted schedules for names, times, and locations.

Conrunning: Organizing for Fun and Surplus

Cons don't just happen. How do fans come together to create the events we love to attend?

Cons Across Texas

ApolloCon is part of a healthy ecosystem of cons in Texas. Come learn about what the various cons offer that make up our Texas con community.

Cons: Did I Tell You About the Time When. . .

Why does the phrase "two units" make half the ApolloCon concom alternately laugh and shudder? Find out when our panelists regale the audience with tales of disaster, near disaster, and sheer luck at cons.

Costuming 101: Hall Costumes, Masquerades, and Cosplay

Whether you want to get into costuming yourself or just want to understand the folks who do, this is your panel. Our panelists discuss basic costuming topics and answer questions from the audience. In detail. With glitter.

Cows in Space: Livestock & Wildlife in Speculative Fiction

You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their animals. How are animals treated in speculative fiction? What does the representation of animals mean or say in our genres?

Dead Dog Party

Not ready to go home? Neither are we! Join us in the consuite for the Dead Dog and extend the con experience as long as possible.

Designing & Delivering Live Action Role Playing Games

Mythos Houston provides a soup to nuts outline of everything you need to know to design and deliver a Live Action Role Playing Game.

Does Fantasy Have to be Epic?

Does all fantasy have to be a multi-book save-the-world epic? Can fantasy, including sword & sorcery, have a smaller scope and still be satisfying to the reader? Is there still a place for the stand-alone book?

Does the Dark Lord KNOW he's the Dark Lord?

Beyond all the smiting and bwahahahaing, what do we really know about the Dark Lord? Our panelists discuss what it takes (and maybe what it takes out of you) to be the Dark Lord.

Does the Writer or the Reader Decide a Work of Fiction's Genre?

A work of fiction can be categorized at many different points in its "lifecycle." Who has the final word? Why do we categorize fiction at all? Is genre an inherent aspect of fiction or a post-hoc assessment?

Earlybird Art Chat with Peri Charlifu

Coffee and chat with our Art Guest of Honor, especially for the early birds! (Limited attendance. Sign-up may be required.)

Earlybird KaffeeKlatsch with Bradley Denton

On Friday afternoon enjoy an early bird treat: coffee and chat with our Guest of Honor. (Limited attendance. Sign-up may be required.)

Fan GoH: John DeNardo Interviewed

Hugo-winning Fan Guest of Honor John DeNardo is interviewed by Lawrence Person.

Fannish History: There's a History?

Fans don't operate in isolation; we are connected across geography and across time. Our panelists discuss the varied pasts of fandom, and how it relates to the present and the future.

Feedback Session

Come out and tell the concom about your ApolloCon 2013 experience. Help us improve future ApolloCons!

Filk 101: The Music of Fandom

Joseph "Fax" Abbott provides insight into filk, the musical tradition of fandom.

Frack You! No! Frell You!

What makes a made-up slang sound real? How do we know what it "really" means? And why can some words jump out of their sources and into our general lexicon?

Friday Concert: Bland Lemon Denton

An Evening with Bland Lemon Denton, the World's Oldest (and Worst) Bluesman.

From Page to Screen and Back Again: Novelizations and Adaptations

What goes into adapting prose fiction to TV, the big screen, or a gaming system? What happens when media stories are interpreted for a reading audience? And what results when a property goes full circle?

The Game Goes On: Gaming as Part of the Adult Life

When we're kids they keep telling us to play. In college playing kept us sane. Now that we have jobs and families and no freaking time. . . But game we must. What is gaming like for grownups?

Genre Journalism

How can we find out what is going on in our genres, our fandom, and their related industries? Who has the coolest pictures, the best facts and the earliest rumors? Learn where to find the reports and reporting you need. . . Or be inspired to become a genre journalist!

Golden Spike: a Commercial Approach to Getting People Back to the Moon

Larry Friesen shares what he's learned about Golden Spike, a recently formed private company whose purpose is to fly human beings to the Moon.

Guest of Honor Reading: Bradley Denton

Bradley Denton reads from "La Bamba Boulevard," from the upcoming anthology Rayguns Over Texas.

Guest of Honor Spotlight - Bradley Denton: My Life in the Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Comedians

Brad describes the pleasures and pitfalls of his thirty years as a professional SF writer -- complete with a movie trailer, music, and stories you won't be allowed to repeat.

Happy Pills

Because speculative fiction isn't whacky enough on the straight and narrow... What does a mind-altering substance bring to the table in a fantastic setting? Our panelists discuss the use of psychotropic drugs in speculative fiction.

Higher Grounds

Ready to venture beyond Folgers and Starbucks? This coffee tasting will explore beans from all the major coffee producing areas of the world as well as methods to produce the perfect cup of Joe. Come taste samples of fresh roasted rarities like Jamaica Blue Mountain and Tanzanian Peaberry. Learn how easy it is to enjoy quality coffee every morning. (Limited Space. Advance sign-up in Ops.)

Houston Science Fiction Association General Meeting

Who and what is the Houston Science Fiction Association? How can you get involved? Find out who we are and what we do by attending the public meeting of the HSFA/FoF, the people who bring you ApolloCon!

How SF/F/H prepared me for the real world

SF is considered a genre of ideas, while fantasy is a genre of emotions and symbolism, and horror is our fear of the dark. Our panelists discuss how reading these fictional genres influenced their lives, in ways ranging from changing opinions to making career choices.

How to Build a Magnetometer

Use this easy-to-build Magnetometer for geological prospecting and other geo studies, especially detecting Telluric currents (Earth currents). Telluric currents are the result of tectonic plate currents and solar charged particles reacting with Earth's magnetosphere. Studies link earthquakes to Telluric currents. There will be handouts. Come curious. Leave happy.

How to Include Medical Concepts in Genre Fiction

A medical professional shows how the most common medical ailments can be incorporated into various genres, covering presentation, diagnosis and treatment in Fantasy, SF, and Post Apocalypse scenarios, among others. Audience is encouraged to ask questions about their characters and any medical situation they want to explore.

Impact: The Chelyabinsk Meteor

Planetary scientist Paul Abell presents current information on the February 15, 2013 meteor explosion over Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Iron Artist: 2013 Edition

Mystery art supplies. Blank paper. Artists in action. Themes chosen by an adoring audience. It's Iron Artist, all over again.

Is Farenheit 451 relevant for today?

Fahrenheit 451 was a bold and bitter vision when it was first published. Do the text's many messages still resonate today?

Is there More to Space Opera than Space Fleets and Exploding Planets?

Zap! Pow! Now with existential angst! Our panelists discuss the hidden depths of Space Opera.

It Wasn't Always a Cliché

They may be old hat now, but robots, aliens, and magical swords had to get their start somewhere. Our panelists discuss the earliest use of the tropes of spec fic.

The Long Haul: Human Effects of Long Term Space Exploration

The moon and back is one thing, but what happens when we start sending crews on long missions? What are the possible physical and psychological effects of extended spaceflights? And what does that mean for exploration?

Masquerade

Watch ApolloCon's costumers take their turn on the stage in our tenth annual Masquerade, showing both competitive and display entries. All participants need to pre-register (forms and rules in Ops) for the Masquerade and turn out for Muster (7pm in Scottsdale).

Masquerade Muster

Masquerade entrants gather in advance of the Masquerade for last minute paperwork, workmanship judging, and all the usual back-stage hoo-haw. Last chance to register for the masquerade.

Medicine in SF: Are We There Yet?

With particular emphasis on Doctor Who and Star Trek, two medical workers discuss the future of medicine as it relates to science fiction: will we fulfill the predictions of SF, or defy them? Are we already defying them? How has SF shaped or guided the medical field?

The Mouse that Ate the Death Star

Disney bought Lucasfilm. What does that mean for Star Wars: the franchise, the brand, and the fans?

Moving from the Real to the Unreal in the Visual Arts

How does a visual artist begin to see a world that doesn't exist? When magical creatures don't sit for portraits and FTL starships don't do airshows, whence inspiration? Artists explore the ways they take visuals of the real world and spin whole new universes from them, or leave behind traditional representation to explore the frontiers of abstraction.

The New New New Doctor Who

Join dedicated fans and interested bystanders for a journey into the TARDIS, from the archives of the early doctors to speculation about the next one. How will the Impossible Girl impact future seasons? Who will replace Matt Smith? What surprises does the 50th Anniversary Special hold in store? What HAS Steven Moffat been smoking? All this and more.

The New New Star Trek

Star Trek: Into Darkness. . . Our panelists discuss the most recent installment in the Star Trek franchise. What worked and what didn’t ?

Open Filk

"Pick, Pass, or Perform" circle. Listeners as well as performers welcomed. One each on Friday and Saturday nights.

Opening Ceremonies

Celebrate science fiction and fantasy! Join the concom, our Guests and the Guests of Honor in the official opening of ApolloCon 2013.

Packing Heat: Hot Sauce Tasting

Come join us for a spicy trip as we explore the wide world of hot sauce. This tangy condiment is much more than Frank's Red Hot or Tabasco. These sauces will take the rust off a Colt .45! Tender-mouths need not apply. (Limited Space. Advance sign-up in Ops.) [Potential Allergy Warning. NOTE: Because of the heat of some examples, you will be required to sign a waiver.]

Planetary Defense

Our lovely blue marble may look like a bullseye from certain angles. So what do we do? Space industry professionals discuss current planetary defense information and issues.

Reading the Spec Fic Back Catalog

New to the genre? Not-so-new, but curious? Our panelists recommend their favorite older speculative fiction and talk about how the back catalog influences current works.

Readings

Authors read from their own work, new or old. Note the featured readings by Guest of Honor Bradley Denton and Special Guest Selina Rosen. For names, times and locations check the pocket program and any posted Programming updates.

Real Life is Like Science Fiction Anyway

Near future was always hard to write well, but now it seems like tomorrow is yesterday before we even get out of bed today. How difficult is it to write innovative SF in our world of rapidly changing technology?

Rocket Science or Rocket Fantasy

Why yes, it IS rocket science. . . Maybe. Panelists discuss the accuracy of rocket science as represented in SF books, TV and movies.

Saturday Night Masquerade & Show

Our Big Show combining the talents of many! Order of show with approximate start times: Introduction (8pm), Masquerade (8:20pm), Bland Lemon Denton Kills Time Before the Awards (9pm), Awards (9:30pm). Doors open for seating at 7:45pm (approximately, please be patient).

Scare Me: What's the Appeal of Horror?

Spine-tingling, hair-raising, toe-curling. . . Horror can be such a visceral experience. Why do we like to scare ourselves so much?

Scotch Tasting Circle: TBA

Our intrepid trio of Scotch geeks want share their private cache of Scotch, chosen in some arcane fashion that only they know at press time, but which will be revealed in due course. But, really, the Scotch geeks are coming out to play; do we really care what the game is? (Limited Attendance. Advance sign up required. Check Ops Office.)

Scotch Tasting Circle: Whatcha got there?

Our intrepid trio of Scotch geeks want you, yes YOU to share your gems of the Water of Life with them. (Limited Attendance. Advance sign up required. Check Ops Office)

SF/Fantasy/Horror TV & Movies: Are we seeing what we want?

A general discussion about the quantity and quality of genre media today. Are we getting what we want? What DO we want? And who is going to give it to us?

Southern Goth: Bayous, Mint Juleps, and the Grotesque

From Scooby Doo to Sookie Stackhouse, books, movies, and television use the South as a setting for spooky tales. Is it the ambience of old mansions and Spanish moss? Or does the unique combination of cultures provide a wealth of opportunity for cultural commentary?

Spec Fic Transportation: The Coolest Rides in the Universe

More than a way to get from here to there (and back again), some modes of transport can become beloved rides or even almost characters in themselves. Our panel discusses their favorite fantastic rides.

Special Science Guest Presentation

Details TBA

Tasting: Beer with Flavor

Taste selected beers. Not your usual bar fare, but beers with flavor to savor! (Limited Attendance. Advance sign up required. Check Ops Office.) [Note: Food allergy warning.]

Tasting: What Is This Thing You Call Cheese?

Sample a variety of cheeses and expand your palate. (Limited Attendance. Advance sign up required. Check Ops Office.) [Note: Food allergy warning.]

USS Zavala Trivia Contest

USS Zavala presents their Trivia Challenge! Random contestants put their trivia skills to the test for fun and prizes in this SF trivia contest.

Victorian Ornament: Tatting

An elegant trim, a fine handwork, a flourish of a past era: Deborah Kent presents a brief history of both shuttle and needle tatting, including a look at patterns and samples, and a possible live demo of needle tatting (as time permits).

When Spec Fic Stole My Brain... or My Heart... or All My Time

How did you discover speculative fiction? Our panelists share their own experiences of the book, the show, the movie, the person, the moment. . .

Writing 101: This Is Where You Start

Is your mind whirling with questions like, "Where do ideas come from?" or "When can I quit my day job?" then this panel is for you. Pros and emerging pros give the skinny on the art and business of writing.