SoonerCon Event Schedule
SoonerCon 28 is June 7-9 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Plan your SoonerCon weekend now by clicking on a guest profile to see their appearance schedule or download a PDF of the event schedule using the buttons below.
Friday, June 7, 2019 3:00 p.m. | Location: Sooner B
Before and After the Apocalypse
What happens after the world ends? How has the threat of apocalypse changed how we live, how we work, how we govern in the modern age? What's the state of the grid, and all the things we take for granted?
Panelists: Dr. Marc DiPaolo, Tim Frayser, Michelle Muenzler, Jeff Provine, Haileigh Todd, Adam J. Whitlatch
Tracks: Science Fiction, STEM, History, Pop Culture & Entertainment
Tags: Panel
Friday, June 7, 2019 4:00 p.m. | Location: Sooner A
Yoda, the Space Wizard: High Fantasy in the World of Star Wars
Even though it's set in space, Star Wars has its share of knights, damsels, and monsters. Join us in a discussion about the fantasy elements of Star Wars.
Panelists: Mel. White, Sherri Dean, James Dock, Tyrell Gephardt, Haileigh Todd, E.T. Wardwell
Tracks: Fandoms, Film & TV, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Tags: Panel
Friday, June 7, 2019 4:00 p.m. | Location: Sooner A
Yoda, the Space Wizard: High Fantasy in the World of Star Wars
Even though it's set in space, Star Wars has its share of knights, damsels, and monsters. Join us in a discussion about the fantasy elements of Star Wars.
Panelists: Mel. White, James Dock, Tyrell Gephardt, Haileigh Todd, E.T. Wardwell
Tracks: Fandoms, Film & TV, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Tags: Panel
Friday, June 7, 2019 5:00 p.m. | Location: Sooner A
Science: The Core of Sci-Fi's Sense of Wonder
Many readers come to sci-fi for the wonder of imagining fantastic new worlds. They want their breath taken away by the long scope of time, of evolution and geology and the stars. What is that sense of wonder in new experiences and how do people feel it differently? What science in science fiction most succeeds at getting to those feelings?
Panelists: Adrian Simmons, Tyrell Gephardt, William Leaf, Dr. Laura-Isobel McCall, Joey "Okie Space Queen" Rodman
Tracks: Writing & Publication, Science Fiction, STEM
Tags: Panel
Saturday, June 8, 2019 10:00 a.m. | Location: Boomer A
IDIC and Speculative Fiction’s Highest Ideals
“Infinite diversity in infinite combinations.” “I grok in fullness.” “Fear is the mind-killer.” “After all this time? Always.” “What’s the point in two hearts if you can’t be a bit forgiving now and then?” “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” How do these and other inspirations from sf illuminate our reality?
Panelists: Peter Pixie, Dara Fogel, Ph.D., Carolyn Kay, Marguerite Reed, The Dream, Scott Zrubek
Tracks: Culture & World Affairs, Pop Culture & Entertainment, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Tags: Panel
Saturday, June 8, 2019 11:00 a.m. | Location: Boomer A
Far-Fetched Doomsdays
Meteors and nuclear war are so last century. Come up with new, intricate, and implausible ways for mankind to check out, or life on Earth to end.
Panelists: Phillip Drayer Duncan, Rhonda Eudaly, Tyrell Gephardt, Michelle Muenzler, Selina Rosen, Adrian Simmons
Tracks: Science Fiction, STEM, History, Pop Culture & Entertainment
Tags: Panel
Sunday, June 9, 2019 1:00 p.m. | Location: Sooner A
Aahh!!! Real Monsters: Tentacles in SF
We'll talk about the intrusion by tentacles into sci-fi and fantasy. Let's discuss their metaphorical uses and celebrate just how cool cephalopods actually are. From Verne to Lovecraft to Tolkien’s “Watcher in the Water” to John Carpenter’s The Thing to Star Wars and Arrival, what's so creepy about tentacles?
Panelists: Ethan Nahté, Dan Erickson, Carolyn Kay, Tedd Pennella, Bradley H. Sinor, Karen Thrower
Tracks: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror
Tags: Panel
Sunday, June 9, 2019 2:00 p.m. | Location: Oklahoma G
Evolving Military SF
Military SF is an ever-evolving genre because the tools of war and social mores change. With the rise of private military companies, and the ability of the extremely wealthy to purchase private armies, it often feels like the real world is coming closer to military SF. But military SF's core is the sense of a team, which has not changed since spears and swords. Our panelists talk about the intersection of technology, fiction, and military culture.
Panelists: Toni Weisskopf, David Carrico, William Leaf, Selina Rosen, Brian Trent
Tracks: Writing & Publication, History, Science Fiction
Tags: Panel