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Penguicon 2026

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3:00pm EDT

Writer's Block in the Age of Distraction

Friday March 27, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

We're surrounded by distractions and it's easier than ever to procrastinate your writing. How do professionals make sure they keep putting down words in the face of a world on fire, smartphones full of notifications, and impostor syndrome?

Moderators

Katie Spina

Author, Awesome Authors Kids

Ms. Katie is an award-winning kidlit author who writes stories for kids where finding your fit means trusting in who you are. An avid reader, she loves all sorts of books across a wide spectrum. With a Bachelor's degree in Writing from the University of Michigan-Flint, she is a professional... Read More →

Speakers

Fyra B. Ginn

Christine Daigle

Christine Daigle is a multi-genre author whose latest release, Heavy Are The Stones, is a serial killer thriller co-authored with New York Times bestselling author J.D. Barker. She and Barker are also collaborating on a reboot of Flatliners, based on the original screenplay. Christine... Read More →

Evan Dicken

By day, EVAN DICKEN studies old Japanese maps and crunches research data at The Ohio State University. By night, he does neither of these things.

His short fiction has appeared in: Analog, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Strange Horizons, and he has written a hefty fistful of media tie-in novels for properties such as: Warhammer, Legend of the Five Rings, Banner Saga, and Arkham Horror... Read More →

Storm Humbert

Friday March 27, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing

4:00pm EDT

Will Write for Loot: How to Start Writing for Games

Friday March 27, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

How do you get a job in an industry that doesn't have a "Help Wanted" sign for writers? Whether you’re looking to script branching dialogue for a video game, pen an official tie-in novel for a major franchise, create your own board game, or publish your own tabletop RPG adventures, the path to entry can feel like a locked high-level dungeon. This session is a roadmap for the aspiring pro across all platforms.

Moderators

Stephanie Loree

Freelance Writer & Copy Editor, Jinx Publishing LLC

Born and still based in Ohio, Stephanie Lorée writes fantasy fiction and occasionally moonlights as a rock star. Her stories have appeared in places like Abyss & Apex and as tie-in fiction for the Pathfinder RPG. In 2013, she was a finalist for the Writers of the Future award... Read More →

Speakers

Richard C. White

Original and Media Tie-in Author. I write Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Fantasy Noir, Action-Adventure, Historical Fantasy, and Non-Fiction. I will be releasing up to 4 new books in 2026 and have been a panelist/guest at MystiCon nine times in the pre-Covid shows.

My works can be found at http://www.richardcwhite.com/bibliography... Read More →

Tracy Barnett

Penguicon, Guest of Honor, Penguicon 2022

Tracy Barnett (they/them) is an award-winning non-binary games designer, podcast and game editor, and project manager from Ohio. They have been making games for almost 10 years. They specialize in games prompted by feelings and deep with story. You can find them online, anywhere... Read More →

Evan Dicken

By day, EVAN DICKEN studies old Japanese maps and crunches research data at The Ohio State University. By night, he does neither of these things.

His short fiction has appeared in: Analog, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Strange Horizons, and he has written a hefty fistful of media tie-in novels for properties such as: Warhammer, Legend of the Five Rings, Banner Saga, and Arkham Horror... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing

5:00pm EDT

How to Choose your Next Programming Language

Friday March 27, 2026 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT

Costs. Benefits. Trade-offs. How to match your language choice to your application area and where in the stack you operate. With historical perspective on the long-term Transit language evolution. Also, how AI matters.

Speakers

Eric Raymond

Friday March 27, 2026 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Technology

6:00pm EDT

Feeling Nostalgic?

Friday March 27, 2026 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT

What is nostalgia? Why is feeling nostalgic so common right now, and is it a good thing or a bad thing?

Speakers

Christine Stevens

Friday March 27, 2026 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Hack your Brain

7:00pm EDT

Boots on the Ground: Writing About Real World Locations

Friday March 27, 2026 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT

You research, you read up on them, you look up maps, but how different would your books be if you visited real world sites in person instead of just doing your homework online? Is it worth a trip? Meet an author who did both and find out what is different. Get a chance to hear about England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Canada, Japan, and the Bahamas.

Speakers

A. Carina Spears

Author, Guild House Classic

I'm one of the Shinigami Kami. I know way too much about something most people probably aren't familiar with. If you want to talk about Shinigami/Grim Reapers, awesome.
I write horror, romance, and fantasy. I also enjoy writing challenges and to that end am playing with fan-fictio... Read More →

Friday March 27, 2026 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing Food

8:00pm EDT

Ask the Author Guests of Honor

Friday March 27, 2026 8:00pm - 8:50pm EDT

The PenguiCon 2026 Author Guests of Honor will answer your questions about their work and careers.

Moderators

Sarah Hans

Sarah Hans is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher whose stories have appeared in more than 40 publications, including Apex Magazine, Love Letters to Poe, and Pseudopod. Her debut horror novel, Entomophobia, was released in 2022. You can read Sarah’s short stories in the... Read More →

Speakers

Tracy Barnett

Penguicon, Guest of Honor, Penguicon 2022

Tracy Barnett (they/them) is an award-winning non-binary games designer, podcast and game editor, and project manager from Ohio. They have been making games for almost 10 years. They specialize in games prompted by feelings and deep with story. You can find them online, anywhere... Read More →

Jennifer Blackstream

Author

"Jennifer Blackstream is a USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and fantasy romance. She is amazed and grateful to have made a writing career out of a Master’s degree in Psychology, hours of couch-detecting watching Murder She Wrote, and endless research into mythology... Read More →

Ryan Rose

David Weber

Friday March 27, 2026 8:00pm - 8:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing

10:00pm EDT

A Brief Discussion About Autism: The New DHM 5, RFK and HHS

Friday March 27, 2026 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT

Let's have a great discussion about Autism and see what services thare are right now.

Speakers

Ian the Well-Informed

Marketplace Assistant

Friday March 27, 2026 10:00pm - 10:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Hack Your Brain (Mental Health)

9:00am EDT

Book Swap

Saturday March 28, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT

Do you have a pile of books that you have loved but need to find a new home? Are your shelves straining under the weight of books you have already read? Do you want to maybe find a new book to add to your horde? Do you wish to defy the capitalistic overlords and exchange goods without generating profits for the oligarchs? Well come on down to the annual Penguicon Books Swap. Bring your stacks and give them away to new homes or swap them for something in someone else's stack. Everyone is welcome, even if you don't have a stack of your own.

Speakers

John Patrick

I like to consider myself a "Nerd of All Seasons." I play and collect many board games, card games, RPGs and miniature wargames. I read almost anything that seemes interesting but especially love sci-fi, cyberpunk, and local history. I am a bit of a tinkerer and enjoy conversation... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2026 9:00am - 10:30am EDT
Algonquin D

Books

11:00am EDT

How to Talk to Anyone about Anything

Saturday March 28, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

Bob is the founder of IT in the D and the host of the IT in the D podcast. Bob is a tech sales guy by trade and is known for sitting at the corner bar stool at various dive bars talking about anything to literally anyone. This session won't give you the gift of gab, but you will leave better equipped to have a conversation with anyone about anything. He has taught numerous courses on business storytelling and has over 1,500 hours of recorded content online.

Speakers

Bob Waltenspiel

Saturday March 28, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Algonquin D

DIY

1:00pm EDT

Self-Publishing 101

Saturday March 28, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Self-published authors discuss why they chose the self-published route and detail just how they went about publishing their own books.

Speakers

Sarah Hans

Sarah Hans is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher whose stories have appeared in more than 40 publications, including Apex Magazine, Love Letters to Poe, and Pseudopod. Her debut horror novel, Entomophobia, was released in 2022. You can read Sarah’s short stories in the... Read More →

Jean Davis

Sci-fi & Fantasy Author

Jean Davis writes an array of speculative fiction and plays with chickens. She has written short story collections, a space opera series, stand-alone novels, children’s books about her chickens, many projects that aren’t yet finished, and a lot of pages that you will never se... Read More →

Tracy Barnett

Penguicon, Guest of Honor, Penguicon 2022

Tracy Barnett (they/them) is an award-winning non-binary games designer, podcast and game editor, and project manager from Ohio. They have been making games for almost 10 years. They specialize in games prompted by feelings and deep with story. You can find them online, anywhere... Read More →

Katie Spina

Author, Awesome Authors Kids

Ms. Katie is an award-winning kidlit author who writes stories for kids where finding your fit means trusting in who you are. An avid reader, she loves all sorts of books across a wide spectrum. With a Bachelor's degree in Writing from the University of Michigan-Flint, she is a professional... Read More →

Jennifer Blackstream

Author

"Jennifer Blackstream is a USA Today bestselling author of urban fantasy and fantasy romance. She is amazed and grateful to have made a writing career out of a Master’s degree in Psychology, hours of couch-detecting watching Murder She Wrote, and endless research into mythology... Read More →

Saturday March 28, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing

2:00pm EDT

How To Stay Human in the Time of AI

Saturday March 28, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT

With AI books flooding the market, how do we, as creators, stand out and connect with our audience? The panel will discuss tips and strategies to authentically connect with readers and rise above the AI slop.

Speakers

Storm Humbert

Stephanie Loree

Freelance Writer & Copy Editor, Jinx Publishing LLC

Born and still based in Ohio, Stephanie Lorée writes fantasy fiction and occasionally moonlights as a rock star. Her stories have appeared in places like Abyss & Apex and as tie-in fiction for the Pathfinder RPG. In 2013, she was a finalist for the Writers of the Future award... Read More →

Katie Spina

Author, Awesome Authors Kids

Ms. Katie is an award-winning kidlit author who writes stories for kids where finding your fit means trusting in who you are. An avid reader, she loves all sorts of books across a wide spectrum. With a Bachelor's degree in Writing from the University of Michigan-Flint, she is a professional... Read More →

Christine Daigle

Christine Daigle is a multi-genre author whose latest release, Heavy Are The Stones, is a serial killer thriller co-authored with New York Times bestselling author J.D. Barker. She and Barker are also collaborating on a reboot of Flatliners, based on the original screenplay. Christine... Read More →

Christian Klaver

Saturday March 28, 2026 2:00pm - 2:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing

3:00pm EDT

Outline Like a Pro

Saturday March 28, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT

Outlining your novel can speed your writing and help you get to the finish line. Authors explore different ways to write an outline for your novel.

Speakers

Sarah Hans

Sarah Hans is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher whose stories have appeared in more than 40 publications, including Apex Magazine, Love Letters to Poe, and Pseudopod. Her debut horror novel, Entomophobia, was released in 2022. You can read Sarah’s short stories in the... Read More →

Matt Betts

Writer/Poet and Programmer for the UA Library, UA Library

Talk to me about horror, pop culture, poetry, scifi, books, movies! I want it all!

I'm writer and poet, and I develop programming for the Upper Arlington Public Library.

Llewella Forgie

Llewella Forgie is an award-wining author who creates stories of tenacious women battling injustice and creating their own happily-ever-after. Her current work-in-progress is a pentalogy that takes place in Europe in 1802. France is planning to invade, people with psychic powers have... Read More →

Christine Daigle

Christine Daigle is a multi-genre author whose latest release, Heavy Are The Stones, is a serial killer thriller co-authored with New York Times bestselling author J.D. Barker. She and Barker are also collaborating on a reboot of Flatliners, based on the original screenplay. Christine... Read More →

Christian Klaver

Saturday March 28, 2026 3:00pm - 3:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing

4:00pm EDT

We Love to Be Scared

Saturday March 28, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT

Horror authors discuss why readers love the horror genre, why they write it, and what modern classics you should check out.

Speakers

Michael Cieslak

Dragon's Roost Press

Michael Cieslak is a lifetime reader and writer of horror, mystery, and speculative fiction. A native of Detroit, he lives in a house covered in Halloween decorations in October and dragons the rest of the year. He is a member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers and is... Read More →

Sarah Hans

Sarah Hans is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher whose stories have appeared in more than 40 publications, including Apex Magazine, Love Letters to Poe, and Pseudopod. Her debut horror novel, Entomophobia, was released in 2022. You can read Sarah’s short stories in the... Read More →

Ken MacGregor

Ken is a Speculative Fiction (mostly Horror) author with four story collections, an award-winning YA/MG novella, and a novel he co-wrote with Kerry Lipp. He has edited three original anthologies (one co-edited with Douglas Gwilym), one of which was a finalist for the Shirley Jackson... Read More →

Matt Betts

Writer/Poet and Programmer for the UA Library, UA Library

Talk to me about horror, pop culture, poetry, scifi, books, movies! I want it all!

I'm writer and poet, and I develop programming for the Upper Arlington Public Library.

Christian Klaver

Saturday March 28, 2026 4:00pm - 4:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing

5:00pm EDT

Networking Tips from IT in the D

Saturday March 28, 2026 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT

Learn from the founders of IT in the D how to maximize your network. IT in the D has been running monthly networking events for 19 years and have learned a thing or two. Get some real world tips, ideas, and ways to build and maxmize your network.

Speakers

Randy Walker

Cohost / Cofounder, IT in the D / Detroit Podcasting Company

Bob Waltenspiel

Saturday March 28, 2026 5:00pm - 5:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Technology DIY

6:00pm EDT

Consent, Boundaries, and Geek Spaces

Saturday March 28, 2026 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT

A practical discussion of how conventions and fan communities can build healthier social norms.

Speakers

Linnea Sieh

Questing for Change

Just a nerdy therapist out to break stigma around mental health. Happy to talk about my dog, TTRPGs, video games, sewing/crafting, or baking!

Saturday March 28, 2026 6:00pm - 6:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

DIY

7:00pm EDT

Wordpress

Saturday March 28, 2026 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT

WordPress is open-source software that powers over 40% of the web, making it a great tool for establishing a stable home base online. As platforms ebb and flow, WordPress lets you control your content, your data, and your design. In this session, I’ll build a self-hosted WordPress site from scratch, live, walking through prerequisites, installation, essential setup, customization, and publishing. In this session, you’ll see how approachable it is to launch something you truly own and how to take control of your online presence.

Speakers

Randy Walker

Cohost / Cofounder, IT in the D / Detroit Podcasting Company

Saturday March 28, 2026 7:00pm - 7:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Technology

11:00am EDT

Navigating Contracts for Authors

Sunday March 29, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT

We'll talk about navigating book contracts for authors and poets publishing with traditional and small presses. We'll examine pitfalls and red flags, common terms, and when to get a professional's opinion.

Speakers

Matt Betts

Writer/Poet and Programmer for the UA Library, UA Library

Talk to me about horror, pop culture, poetry, scifi, books, movies! I want it all!

I'm writer and poet, and I develop programming for the Upper Arlington Public Library.

Christine Daigle

Christine Daigle is a multi-genre author whose latest release, Heavy Are The Stones, is a serial killer thriller co-authored with New York Times bestselling author J.D. Barker. She and Barker are also collaborating on a reboot of Flatliners, based on the original screenplay. Christine... Read More →

Stephanie Loree

Freelance Writer & Copy Editor, Jinx Publishing LLC

Born and still based in Ohio, Stephanie Lorée writes fantasy fiction and occasionally moonlights as a rock star. Her stories have appeared in places like Abyss & Apex and as tie-in fiction for the Pathfinder RPG. In 2013, she was a finalist for the Writers of the Future award... Read More →

Sunday March 29, 2026 11:00am - 11:50am EDT
Algonquin D

Writing

1:00pm EDT

Crowdfunding Your Way to Success

Sunday March 29, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT

Crowdfunding has taken the world by storm as a way for creatives to fund their projects. Writers reveal how crowdfunding has helped to make their projects a reality.

Speakers

Michael Cieslak

Dragon's Roost Press

Michael Cieslak is a lifetime reader and writer of horror, mystery, and speculative fiction. A native of Detroit, he lives in a house covered in Halloween decorations in October and dragons the rest of the year. He is a member of the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers and is... Read More →

Sarah Hans

Sarah Hans is an award-winning writer, editor, and teacher whose stories have appeared in more than 40 publications, including Apex Magazine, Love Letters to Poe, and Pseudopod. Her debut horror novel, Entomophobia, was released in 2022. You can read Sarah’s short stories in the... Read More →

Tracy Barnett

Penguicon, Guest of Honor, Penguicon 2022

Tracy Barnett (they/them) is an award-winning non-binary games designer, podcast and game editor, and project manager from Ohio. They have been making games for almost 10 years. They specialize in games prompted by feelings and deep with story. You can find them online, anywhere... Read More →

Llewella Forgie

Llewella Forgie is an award-wining author who creates stories of tenacious women battling injustice and creating their own happily-ever-after. Her current work-in-progress is a pentalogy that takes place in Europe in 1802. France is planning to invade, people with psychic powers have... Read More →

Storm Humbert

Sunday March 29, 2026 1:00pm - 1:50pm EDT
Algonquin D

Writing