VCON 40: Full Schedule

7:00pm PDT

Space Opera

Is Space Opera about to experience a resurgence? With Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and stand alone movies coming from Disney in the coming years, are we about to experience a new explosion of the sub-genre in TV and film? What about the written word?

Moderators

Jason Bourget

Instructor, Douglas College

Currently I'm an instructor in the English Department at Douglas College, where I teach courses on science fiction, horror and weird fiction. My research focuses specifically on how political beliefs inform representations of masculinity in late twentieth-century science fiction (especially... Read More →

Speakers

David Bara

Dave Bara was born at the dawn of the space age and grew up watching the Gemini and Apollo space programs on television, dreaming of becoming an astronaut one day. This soon led him to an interest in science fiction, especially on television. His early years were filled with dozens... Read More →

Eric Fell

Writer. Comedian. Actor. Critical Hit Show, Gentlemen Hecklers.

Tod McCoy

Overlord, Hydra House Books

Tod McCoy is a Seattle-based writer whose work has appeared in Asimov’s, Starward Tales II, The People’s Apocalypse, Bronies: For the Love of Ponies, AntipodeanSF.com, Qarrtsiluni.com, and The Gloaming. A Clarion West graduate and current board member, he’s the publisher behind... Read More →

Lynda Williams

Publisher, Reality Skimming Press

Lynda Williams is the author of the ten-novel Okal Rel Saga, published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy between 2004 and 2014, and editor or author of at least as many works set in the universe established by the series. Since 2013 she's been incubating a new era publishing mission... Read More →

Friday October 2, 2015 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Richmond E

Media

11:00am PDT

Legion Of Super Heroes

Join Mark Gledhill as he explores the history of DC's own Legion of Super-Heroes and their adventures through time and space. The Legion was the future of the DC Universe during the 30th and 31st centuries, whose adventures and storylines evolved as the characters did. How did events during the time of their writing influence their adventures from 1958 to 2011.

Speakers

Mark Gledhill

Mark Gledhill is the CO of HMS Centaur CLAC-02 a Vancouver Island Based chapter of the THE ROYAL MANTICORAN NAVY: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association. Outside of his duties as a chapter CO he also servers as the Director of Accessibility for the Office of the Sixth Lord... Read More →

Saturday October 3, 2015 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Richmond D

Media

3:00pm PDT

From Oz To Teen Wolf: The Rise of Sexy Weres

It started with the smouldering vampires. We've recently been getting zombie love stories. It's time for werewolves to get their due.

Speakers

Aviva Bel'Harold

Dyslexic author Aviva Bel'Harold has written several YA books, 3 self published, 1 hybrid and the latest fully published through Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy. She does several signing a month as well as speaking in schools and other events.

Don DeBrandt

Don DeBrandt is a Canadian author who also writes under the pen-names Donn Cortez , DD Barant and Dixie Lyle. His books have been published in North America, Germany, France, Italy, and Russia. As DeBrandt, he writes science fiction, essays, plays, and comics; as Cortez, he writes... Read More →

Jennifer Ellis

Author

Jennifer Ellis lives in the mountains of British Columbia where she can be found writing, hiking, skiing, borrowing dogs, and evading bears. She also works occasionally as an environmental researcher. Jennifer writes science fiction, time travel fiction, romance and dystopian fiction... Read More →

Julie McGalliard

Julie McGalliard is a writer and occasional cartoonist. Her first novel, Waking Up Naked in Strange Places, was released in 2015.

Saturday October 3, 2015 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Richmond E

Media

3:00pm PDT

Pulp Movies: Will They Ever Work?

Pulp novels have inspired many films. But so many of them are met with a cool reception at the box office. Why? What are the pulp movie makers missing that the comic book movie makers seem to have figured out?

Moderators

BJ Allan

Bored with circus life BJ (adopted as a nom de lab) ran away with a group of itinerant biologists, lured by the smell of phenol and the roar of the centrifuge. Today he seeks to share the wonder and weirdness of the natural world with ladies, gentlemen, and children of all ages.

Speakers

David Bara

R. Graeme Cameron

Publisher / Editor, Polar Borealis Magazine

Fanzine Editor 30+ years, publishes semi-pro SF fiction zine Polar Borealis, won two Aurora Awards, and writes fanzine review column for Amazing Stories (currently on hiatus).

Eric Fell

Writer. Comedian. Actor. Critical Hit Show, Gentlemen Hecklers.

Micah Reid

Webmaster, VCON ConCom

Michael Walsh

Michael Walsh has been there, seen that, and written about it when it comes to the movies. Born the year they finally released Arch Oboler's "Strange Holiday", he became a fan on "The Day The Earth Stood Still". His first published review of "The Last Man On Earth", was in a Toronto... Read More →

Saturday October 3, 2015 3:00pm - 4:00pm PDT
Richmond D

Media

4:00pm PDT

Best Recent Action Films

Speakers

T. G. Shepherd

T. G. Shepherd's first novel 'As A God' is out now, from ETreasures Publishing (Ebook only at this time). Think 'Game of Thrones' meets 'Criminal Minds'.

Saturday October 3, 2015 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT
Richmond D

Media

5:00pm PDT

What's Up With Godzilla, Now And In The Future

Godzilla and King Kong have just moved in with each other at the same movie studio, and at the same time the movie studio that started it all, Toho Japan, have begun production on their own Godzilla movie in the hopes their hometown hero won't be upstaged by the American upstart. It's a great time to be a Godzilla fan. Stan Hyde guides you through the new adventures of Hollywood's biggest leading man.

Speakers

Stan Hyde

Stan is a model builder and artist, retired English literature, film and drama teacher, and a bona fide Godzilla expert (he has more than 200 models of Godzilla, each one different and can look at a photo of Godzilla and identify the movie the still came from by the shape of the ear... Read More →

Saturday October 3, 2015 5:00pm - 6:00pm PDT
Richmond D

Media

6:00pm PDT

Doctor Who Panel

A discussion of Doctor Who, the TV, the comics, the radio plays.

Speakers

Chris (C.C.) Humphreys

Arthur Ellis winning Author of 'Plague', Chris is an actor, novelist and swordsman. He has written the fantasy 'The Hunt of the Unicorn' and its sequel, out this Fall, 'The Hunt of the Dragon.'

T. G. Shepherd

T. G. Shepherd's first novel 'As A God' is out now, from ETreasures Publishing (Ebook only at this time). Think 'Game of Thrones' meets 'Criminal Minds'.

Saturday October 3, 2015 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Richmond C

Media

6:00pm PDT

Sanity Check: The Lingering Popularity Of Lovecraft

Is it all about the tentacles, or is there something more?

Speakers

Jason Bourget

Instructor, Douglas College

Julie McGalliard

Julie McGalliard is a writer and occasional cartoonist. Her first novel, Waking Up Naked in Strange Places, was released in 2015.

Saturday October 3, 2015 6:00pm - 7:00pm PDT
Richmond D

Media

7:00pm PDT

Have Vampires Vamoosed?

Have zombies been zapped? Werewolves gone wandering? Dystopias disappeared? What's next on the fiction horizon?

Moderators

Sandra Wickham

Sandra Wickham lives in London, Canada with her super powered son with Down syndrome. Her friends call her a needle crafting aficionado, health guru and ninja-in-training. Sandra’s short stories have appeared in The Urban Green Man, Sirens, Equus, Evolve: Vampires of the New Undead... Read More →

Speakers

Aviva Bel'Harold

linda demeulemeester

Linda DeMeulemeester’s speculative short fiction has been published in zines, magazines and anthologies, most recently: Edge Press’ Compostela -Tesseracts-Twenty, Exile Press’s Dead North, Playground of Lost Toys, and Alice Unbound.Her spine-tingling MG series, Grim Hill, has... Read More →

Jennifer Ellis

Author

Saturday October 3, 2015 7:00pm - 8:00pm PDT
Richmond D

Media

10:00am PDT

Good Villains: Why Do We Love The Bad Guy?

Darth Vader. The Master. Spike. Loki. They're evil, but they're so appealing. Is it just because they get all the good lines? Is it because they tell it like it is? Is it their keen fashion sense? Is it the feeling that, if they just found the right person, they could change? What makes bad guys so good?

Moderators

Randy McCharles

Author

RANDY MCCHARLES is a full-time author of humorous speculative and mystery fiction. He is the recipient of several Aurora Awards. His recent novel, Much Ado about Macbeth from Tyche Books was shortlisted for the 2016 Aurora Awards. In addition to writing, Randy organizes various events... Read More →

Speakers

Kevin Harkness

Kevin Harkness is a writer of YA Fantasy novels and short stories in a number of genres. His City of Demons series is published by Tyche Books.

Stephanie Johanson

co-owner, assistant editor, art director..., Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine

VCON 41 Art Director Guest of HonourStephanie Johanson is the art director, assistant editor, on-staff artist, and co-owner of Neo-opsis Science Fiction Magazine. How the heck do you start up a science fiction magazine?The idea came to Stephanie around 4:00 AM one Sunday morning in... Read More →

Sunday October 4, 2015 10:00am - 11:00am PDT
Richmond D

Media

11:00am PDT

What Makes A Good SF Television Series

Moderators

Micah Reid

Webmaster, VCON ConCom

Speakers

Catherine Girczyc

writer

Catherine is a television writer with 15 credited scripts, plus published short stories + poems. Upcoming: two poems in Tesseracts 20 plus a story in Polar Borealis. Awards: 3 WOTF Honorable Mentions, 2 Auroras (fan) for Ether Patrol + Neology.

Chris (C.C.) Humphreys

Arthur Ellis winning Author of 'Plague', Chris is an actor, novelist and swordsman. He has written the fantasy 'The Hunt of the Unicorn' and its sequel, out this Fall, 'The Hunt of the Dragon.'

Sunday October 4, 2015 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT
Richmond C

Media

1:00pm PDT

The Power Of Marvel

They're getting it right, almost without fail. Ant Man was a good film. What is it that they're doing right? And why is it that, if it's not part of the MCU, it's still done badly?

Speakers

Joe Fulgham

Host/Producer, Mote of Dust / The Dreaming / Caustic Soda

Joe makes podcasts about things he loves. For six years he hosted, produced, and edited "Caustic Soda", the podcast of the weird, gross, and disturbing. His latest project is "The Dreaming", a Read-Along podcast for Neil Gaiman's comic book treasure "The Sandman", hosted by the Mote... Read More →

T. G. Shepherd

T. G. Shepherd's first novel 'As A God' is out now, from ETreasures Publishing (Ebook only at this time). Think 'Game of Thrones' meets 'Criminal Minds'.

Sunday October 4, 2015 1:00pm - 2:00pm PDT
Richmond C

Media

2:00pm PDT

Worlds Of Whedon

The annual rundown on what Master Joss has been up to this past year. Hosted by Michael Walsh.

Moderators

Michael Walsh

Speakers

Don DeBrandt

Julie McGalliard

Julie McGalliard is a writer and occasional cartoonist. Her first novel, Waking Up Naked in Strange Places, was released in 2015.

Pauline Walsh

A second-generation nerd, Pauline grew up at conventions and SCA events. She's been part of geek culture all her life, and one day hopes to pay the bills with her writing, her art, or both. She has been a member of several VCON convention committees over the years. She is often mistaken... Read More →

Susan Walsh

Susan Walsh has been a fan since she discovered novels with rocketships on their spines in the Rogers Park public library in 1958. She was a frequent panelist at early VCONs, when female fans were scarce. In recent years, she has moved on to badgering the concom, feeding people, and... Read More →

Sunday October 4, 2015 2:00pm - 3:00pm PDT
Richmond C

Media