On October 19th &20th, 1000’s descended on Seattle’s Conference Center for GeekGirlCon. Now in its 3rd year, this annual convention is a “celebration of geeky women and girls across the nerd spectrum and their contribution to comics, gaming, science, technology, pop culture, art, math, academics, engineering, and much more.” Despite its focus on the female gender “all genders, orientations, races, ethnicities, abilities and fandoms are welcome,” and this is what I love about GeekGirlCon. It truly provides “an open, inclusive, and welcoming place for geeks of all types.”*
The Exhibitor Hall was even larger this year continuing the lovely trend of growing exponentially every year. And while there was something for everyone, the vendors were definitively geared towards women: this was a great place to pick up something unique whether it be a geeky tee, comic book skirt or even a thong bedazzled with a D20. I was also very impressed in the wide price range, while some of the finer jewelry and art had price points of over $500 you could also find something cool for only $10. New this year was the addition of an Artist’s Alley which allowed even more geeks to showcase their work. They also had a DIY Science Zone, which was pretty darn cool.
The programming also continued to be stellar this year, with almost too many interesting topics to choose from. Notable geek lifestyle and fashion panels included: “Geek Girl Style: Demanding Recognition from the Fashion World” (did you know more women than men wear gaming tees now?), “The Psychology of Cosplay” (where Dr. Letamendi released the results of her 800 person cosplay study), and “Home Geek Home” (Make Princess Leia cupcakes! New ways to frame geek art! Color coordinate your bookcase!).
From L to R: @amy_geek, @GeekChristy, @TheStephThorpe, @JustJenn, @ArkumAsylumDoc, & @AutumnBuck
RCR TIP: The best asset on the red carpet? Sometimes it’s just being surrounded by friends. There is a power and a joy in sharing common interests with like-minded people and GeekGirlCon is a prime example of this. Brava!
*Quotes from GeekGirlCon’s Strategy Guide ‘13
About Stephanie Thorpe
Stephanie Thorpe is a veteran web content creator, serving as a producer, director, writer and actor on numerous projects—in fact, she just crossed her 100-episode milestone. Recently she and her producing partner Paula Rhodes acquired the film and television rights to the 35-year-old cult comic book "ElfQuest," which they are currently developing for the screen. Stephanie also co-created and produced "The Ladies & The Gents," a web series consisting of 60 episodes of comic vignettes. That series just launched in April and will roll out through the summer. In addition to these projects she has many other irons in the fire, some of which she can share info on ("Shelf Life" "SlumberCon") and others are coming soon! A founding member of the "League of Extraordinary Ladies," she is frequently thrilled to find herself speaking on panels at Cons throughout the year. As an actor she recently appeared in "The Ladies," "Pairings," "Night of the Zombie King," and was featured on Bonnie Burton’s program "Geek DIY." Stephanie is very excited to be a contributor to the online mag "Ms. in the Biz!"