SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th

11am (Room 308): STEAMPUNK “SUPER” CULTURE: SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN VARIOUS SUB-CULTURES & FANDOMS

*Steampunk began as a literary movement often described as “Victorian Science Fiction”. Certainly the written word is a key ingredient, but Steampunk is showing signs of becoming a multicultural/multidimensional fandom. What’s unique about it is that it has drawn from sub-cultures ranging  from Burners, to history buffs, to costume enthusiasts, to makers & tinkerers, and beyond. This diversity has contributed to making Steampunk something greater than the sum total of its parts. Panelists from various backgrounds come together to describe how and why Steampunk captured their Imaginations and drew them in from other sub-cultures.

Participants: Pop Haydn, DJ Wolfie, Sheyne Fleischer, Baron Andrew Von Fogel and Muffy Morrigan. Moderated by Veronique Chevalier.

3pm (Room 301B): ORGANIZING  YOUR GEEK CULTURE

*Gamers? Cosplayers? Steampunks? Geek Girls? Countless geek communities have formed online around specific areas of geekdom and many have stepped offline to create local geektastic parties and events. Come hear from a few of the experts and let’s discuss how to organize events, parties and online activities to create and develop our geek community. Join panelists Chrissy Lynn (Nerdy-Girlz), Dina Kampmeyer (The League of Extraordinary Ladies), Glenn Freund (The League of S.T.E.A.M.), Michelle Nguyen (Bubble Punch), Sheyne Fleischer (Gothic Lolita parties and events) and Yume Ninja-Sovereign (Bubble Punch).

5pm (Comikaze Expo Main Stage): COSPLAY CONTEST

*Hosted by Kit Quinn and Tallest Silver. Our judges are Marisha Ray, Mike Schiffbauer, Jessica Merizan, Holly Conrad, Christine Salazar and our very own Steampunk Sirens Dawn Banks and Sheyne Fleischer.  (By own Steampunk X-Men group will be participating in the Group Entry portion)

 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th

10am (Room 303AB): STEAMPUNK 201: HOW TO BUILD A STEAMPUNK COSTUME FROM HEAD TO TOE

*Join us for a lively discussion with distinguished members of the Los Angeles steampunk community as we talk about the specifics of how to build a steampunk costume. We’ll be continuing the discussion from last year’s steampunk fashion panel and going more into the how-to of creating or modifying clothing and props to create a specific character. Come ready to learn and to ask questions of Donna Ricci of Clockwork Couture, the League of S.T.E.A.M. members Robin Blackburn, Sheyne Fleischer, Andrew Fogel and Glenn Freund and moderator Dina “Lady Steam” Kampmeyer.

 Noon (Room 306AB): STEAMPUNK “SUPER” CULTURE: SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN VARIOUS SUB-CULTURES & FANDOMS

*Steampunk began as a literary movement often described as “Victorian Science Fiction”. Certainly the written word is a key ingredient, but Steampunk is showing signs of becoming a multicultural/multidimensional fandom. What’s unique about it is that it has drawn from sub-cultures ranging  from Burners, to history buffs, to costume enthusiasts, to makers & tinkerers, and beyond. This diversity has contributed to making Steampunk something greater than the sum total of its parts. Panelists from various backgrounds come together to describe how and why Steampunk captured their Imaginations and drew them in from other sub-cultures.

Participants: Brian Kesinger, M. Incroyable, Sean McCaffrey, Donna Ricci and Shurie Southcott. Moderated by Veronique Chevalier.

 Full Schedule at:  http://comikazeexpo.com/panels-and-programing/

Today is my first fashion blog and we’ll start with a simple piece of fashion, the t-shirt. There is so much great steampunk art out there, so why not wear it on your chest? We Love Fine Tees has a really fantastic selection of steampunk shirts available and they seem to be adding more all of the time. A lot of the designs are from the incredibly talented Brian Kesinger and they have several of his Tea Girls available and also a couple of steampunk Transformers! They also have a lot of pop culture designs featuring things like steampunk R2D2/C2PO, Hello Kitty and even My Little Ponies. Unfortunately, they do not have fitted ladies tees available yet, but their tees are very soft and fit nicely. Until they start carrying them, you can pair them with a skirt and a sweater and it’ll be adorable for the ladies. I’ve posted a few of my favorite designs here and a link to the steampunk section of the site. Enjoy!

http://www.welovefine.com/131-steampunk

*10:00am-11:00am The Witty Women of Steampunk— The Victorian era was one marked by constraints on behavior, morals and bosoms. When you add a bit of sci-fi to the mix, however, those corset laces begin to loosen. The steampunk genre has allowed a new wave of female creators and personalities to explore how liberating, sexy, and adventurous the age of steam can be. Robin Blackburn (The League of S.T.E.A.M.), Anina Bennett (Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel), Gail Carriger (The Parasol Protectorate Series), Kaja Foglio (Girl Genius), Robin Thorsen (The Guild), and moderator Dina “Lady Steam” Kampmeyer (Steampunk LA) discuss literature, fashion, romance, adventure, and more. Room 5AB

Friday, July 13

*6:30pm-7:30pm Arcana Comics— Get a sneak peek of The Clockwork Girl, featuring the voice talents of Jesse McCartney, Alexa Vega, Carrie Anne Moss and others, and Arcana’s new imprint, Steampunk Originals, featuring the most unique steampunk tales around, Arcana is set to explode into the steampunk world. Find out about other special projects, including a new line of books with the one and only Gene Simmons, featuring the return of Zipper, Dominatrix, and Gene Simmons’ House of Horror. Learn more about the ArcanaBenderspink line, being developed with the production company behind The Hangover and The Butterfly Effect. Sneak peeks, special guests, and free comics and posters-don’t miss out! Room 26AB

*8:00pm-12am:  Chrononaut Presents: The 2nd League of Temporal Adventurers Society Gala
On the auspicious date of Friday July 13th from eight in the evening until midnight. The evening features the extraordinary Victorian synthpunk of Unextraordinary Gentlemen, and sad (but beautiful!) songs played on a toy piano, sung by Miss Eliza Rickman. Professor J. S. Greyshade will return to the stage and gramophone as MC and DJ. Inclusive of ones ticket are admission to Steampunk the Exhibit, the museum’s exceptional display of conveyances, gadgets and gizmos, delectable light fare and non-intoxicating beverages. For those wishing to imbibe, exceptional ales and the finest wines known to humanity will be available for purchase.

All ages welcome at the San Diego Automotive Museum, 2080 Pan America Plaza, Balboa Park
$15 in advance/$20 at the door – tickets available at http://sdautomuseum.org/

 Saturday, July 14

*12:00pm-1:00pm: Annual Steampunk Meetup

You’ll find the group outside of the convention center on the Mezzanine level on the Harbor Side of the convention center. (You need to take an escalator up to the second floor, then cross to the escalators to the mezzanine level. Once there, you can just exit the bayside doors and look for the steampunks.)

 *1:00pm-1:30pm: Annual Starburner Galactic Courier Awards
Take this opportunity to be a part of one of Steampunk’s biggest gatherings. Join us for the annual Starburner Galactic Courier Service Awards at Comic Con International. This annual awards ceremony honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the steampunk community.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/235175708151/?ref=notif&notif_t=group_r2j#!/events/255592841207462/

 *1:30pm-2:30pm Spotlight on Gail Carriger— New York Times bestselling author-and Comic-Con special guest-Gail Carriger (The Parasol Protectorate Series) and her literary agent Kristin Nelson (president and senior literary agent at Nelson Literary Agency) discuss breaking into publishing, converting a novel into a manga, writing steampunk, drinking tea, and the importance of octopuses. Followed by Q&A. Silly questions welcome. Room 5AB

 Sunday, July 15

*3:00-4:00 Steampunk Attire: From Handmade to Purchased and Everything in Between— Robin Blackburn (League of Steam), Alexis Harlan (Retroscope Fashions), Cat Frazier (costumer), Amy McCain (thrift store afficionado), and Randy Burks (hunter) discuss costuming for steampunk, with hints on patterns for sewing your own, websites for purchasing pieces or whole costumes, stores for off the shelf and thift store finds. Moderated by Thomas Oliver. Room 24ABC

Following up a successful panel at WonderCon, I thought I would do a quick write-up of what Steampunk is and provide some resources for those of you looking to get more involved.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steampunk isn’t always easy to define, but here’s a few things that might be helpful to know:

-Steampunk does not mean just painting something brown and gluing some gears on it as hilariously sung in this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCuE5rHbPA

-Steampunk can be defined several ways, but I think the perfect catch-all description is “Victorian-era science fiction.”

*Just to help clarify, the Victorian-era time is the period spanning the reign of Britain’s Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities, creativity and scientific and technological innovation. Many Steampunks have chosen to extend their interests beyond England (particularly to the American Old West), so we use the term Victorian-era vs. just Victorian to cover this.

To get into more detail, here are a few more detailed definitions of steampunk:

1) Steampunk is science fiction written during the Victorian era. Some well-known examples include HG Wells’ The Time Machine, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and Robert L. Stevenson’s the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

2) Steampunk is a subgenre of modern science fiction often set during the Victorian time period and which usually features steam-powered, mechanized machinery rather than electronic technology.

3) Steampunk is speculative fiction that envisions an alternate Earth where we now use Victorian steam-powered technology.

4) Steampunk is an aesthetic often characterized by materials like copper, leather, gears and clockwork.

LITERATURE

Steampunk first began to take form in the 1980s literature scene. KW Jeter (who first coined the term steampunk), James P. Blaylock, William Gibson, Bruce Sterling and Tim Powers were all large players in the field.

Today, there are countless steampunk book series out there and several anthologies of short stories have also been published. Even the comics and graphic novel publishers have gotten into the game since the aesthetics of steampunk lend themselves so very well to the visual artform of the media.

There are too many authors to individually list here, but if you do a search on Amazon for steampunk or use this Wikipedia link, you’ll find many titles that you can and should read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_steampunk_works

FASHION

I think many people are first exposed to steampunk through fashion. If you attend conventions, you’ll often see countless cosplayers dapperly dressed and strolling the exhibit halls. Booths selling hats, corsets, accessories and more have popped up at most conventions I’ve been too and several big-name websites now exist to cater to the steampunk crowd. The steampunk aesthetic has become so popular, you can even see it on the runways in New York, Paris and Milan. If you’re just starting out, it might be useful to get a basic idea of what people wore during the Victorian-era. Here is a very helpful timeline of women’s silhouettes during this time.

http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=lady-of-crow&order=9&offset=24#/d1dt9b7

As you can see, styles changed drastically during those 65-years, so you can have plenty of options to choose from. Gentlemen’s styles didn’t change quite as much, but a quick google search will show you all sorts of styles of hats, cravats, vests and facial hair. These are all good ways to reflect your personal style.

Here are just a few of my favorite steampunk fashion sites, including a shameless plug for my own Etsy shop. On that note, there are countless small artisans selling steampunk items on both Etsy.com and Artfire.com, so please support them whenever you can:

Clockwork Couture: www.clockworkcouture.com

Gentleman’s Emporium: http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/

Damsel in this Dress: http://damseldress.com/

LadySteam Designs: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ladysteam13

ENTERTAINMENT

Baron Andrew VonFogel of the League of S.T.E.A.M. very kindly put together a very nice list of TV shows, movies, short films and video games that all have some important steampunk elements to them. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it’s a place to get started if you want to start consuming all of the fun steampunk entertainment content out there.

Movies, TV, Video Games and webseries:

Music Videos:

-Alkaline Trio “Help Me” (2008)

-David Guetta ft. Nicki Minaj “Turn Me On” (2012)

-Justin Bieber “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (2011)

-Panic! at the Disco “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” (2011)

-The Smashing Pumpkins Tonight, Tonight (1996)

There is also a thriving community of steampunk live performers such as Abney Park, Vernian Process, Veronique Chevalier, Unwoman, Steampowered Giraffe, Jon Magnificent, the League of S.T.E.A.M and much, much more. If you ever get a chance to see any of their live shows, please check them out.

Art, Technology and the Builder Community:

Having no technical skills myself, I am always amazed by the incredible work put out by steampunk artists and builders. The creations they come up with are breathtaking and I so admire those who can create such magic with their hands. Do a google search for steampunk gadgets, art or creations and you will see countless examples of these works. There are a few books out there as well that are anthologies of art and creations, one that gives you a step-by-step guide to creating some of your own gadgets and one that covers the whole genre and more:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Steampunk-Extraordinary-Contraptions/dp/1565235738/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332432643&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-The-Art-Victorian-Futurism/dp/1907621032/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332432643&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/000-Steampunk-Creations-Neo-Victorian-Fashion/dp/1592536913/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332432643&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Steampunk-Gear-Gadgets-Gizmos-Artifacts/dp/0071762361/ref=pd_sim_b_1

http://www.amazon.com/The-Steampunk-Bible-Illustrated-Scientists/dp/0810989581/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

*Here’s a link to a great article from GD Falksen on steampunk*

http://www.gdfalksen.com/post/20357409792/steampunk

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Well, I hope this information was helpful to some of you and will start you on the path of the Steampunk. For those of you in the Southern California area, please join the SoCal Steam group on yahoo. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/socalsteam/ You’ll find listings for events in San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles here.

For those of you living in LA and Orange County, please join The Manticore Society on Facebook. We organize quite a few events in the area and we’d love to see you soon.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/179121261222/10150726011731223/

Best of luck everyone and thanks for stopping by!

*WE Comics Review: How I Spent My Summer Invasion & Jimmy Brass, 2nd Grade Detective (posted 6-19-12)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/7021

 *Interview with the creators of WE Comics: Comics for Everyone Else (posted 6-8-12)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/6990

*Summer Movie Review: The Avengers (AKA: An ode to Joss Whedon) *spoiler-free* (posted 5-3-12)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/6761

*Movie Review: The Adventures of Tintin (posted 12-22-11)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/5452

*In Defense of Twilight (sparkly vampires and all) (posted 11-18-11)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/4952

*Pilot Watch 2011: Ringer (posted 9-19-11)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/4207

*Webseries Spotlight on Walking in Circles: An Epic Tale About Dragons N’ Stuff (posted 9-1-11)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/4079

*Webseries Spotlight on The League of S.T.E.A.M. (posted 8-19-11)

     http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/3945

*Local Spotlight: Emerald Knights Comics in Burbank, CA (posted 8-15-11)

     http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/3789

*TV Review: SyFy’s Alphas (posted 7-29-11)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/3679

*Falling Skies: Geek TV Worth Watching (posted 7-15-11)

    http://nerdsinbabeland.com/archives/3551

League of Extraordinary Ladies Articles

*The LxL at WonderCon 2012 (posted 2-29-12)

    http://thelxl.com/2012/02/29/the-lxl-at-wondercon-2012/

*Theatre Review: Geeks! The Musical! (posted 3-5-12)

    http://thelxl.com/2012/03/05/theatre-review-geeks-the-musical/

*TV Review: Should we give Geek Love a chance? (posted 12-22-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/12/22/tv-review-should-we-give-geek-love-a-chance/

*The LxL at Comikaze Expo! (posted 10-28-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/10/28/the-lxl-at-comikaze-expo/

*SDCC 2011 Round-Up: LxL Panels (posted 8-4-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/08/04/sdcc-2011-round-up-lxl-panels/

*SDCC ’11 Roundup: The Magic of Cosplay (posted 7-26-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/07/26/sdcc-11-roundup-the-magic-of-cosplay/

*LxL Heroes: Wendy Pini (posted 7-19-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/07/19/lxl-heroes-wendy-pini/

*SDCC 2011: Be Excellent to Each Other (posted 7-13-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/07/13/sdcc-2011-be-excellent-to-each-other/

*Summer Movie Review: Super 8 (posted 6-15-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/06/15/summer-movie-review-super-8/

*Dreaming of Space: A Day at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (posted 6-7-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/06/07/dreaming-of-space-a-day-at-nasas-jet-propulsion-laboratory-jpl/

*Summer Movie Review: X-Men: First Class (posted 6-4-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/06/04/summer-movie-review-x-men-first-class/

*Summer Movie Review: Thor (posted 5-11-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/05/11/summer-movie-review-thor/

*Becoming Blossom (posted 3-29-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/03/29/becoming-blossom/

Lady Steamy Columns

*Spring Mixer for SGLA: Single Geeks in LA (posted 4-3-12)

    http://thelxl.com/2012/04/03/spring-mixer-for-sgla-single-geeks-in-la/

*Lady Steamy’s Advice for the Week: How to Survive the Holidays (posted 12-7-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/12/07/lady-steamys-advice-for-the-week-how-to-survive-the-holidays/

*Lady Steamy’s Advice on How to Survive a Singles Mixer (posted 9-8-11)

     http://thelxl.com/2011/09/08/lady-steamys-advice-on-how-to-survive-a-singles-mixer/

*SG-LA: Single Geeks in L.A. (posted 8-16-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/08/16/sg-la-single-geeks-in-l-a/

*A Singles Guide to SDCC (posted 7-15-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/07/15/a-singles-guide-to-sdcc/

*Advice for the Week: Embrace Your Inner Superhero and Harness the Power of Fashion (posted 6-17-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/06/17/advice-for-the-week-embrace-your-inner-superhero-and-harness-the-power-of-fashion/

*Advice for the Week: Apply the Scientific Method to Your Dating Life (posted 5-27-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/05/27/advice-for-the-week-apply-the-scientific-method-to-your-dating-life/

*Lady Steamy’s Advice for the Week: Do Something Nice for Yourself (posted 5-13-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/05/13/lady-steamy%e2%80%99s-advice-for-the-week-do-something-nice-for-yourself/

*Lady Steamy’s Advice for the Week: Feel Sexy (posted 5-6-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/05/06/lady-steamys-advice-for-the-week-feel-sexy/

*Advice for the Week: Try and Make Dating Fun (posted 4-29-11)

    http://thelxl.com/2011/04/29/advice-for-the-week-try-and-make-dating-fun/

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LadySteamDesigns