I’ll be back to my original home town Richmond for Ravencon on the weekend of April 29th through May 1st. The Guest of Honor is Terry Brooks.
Here’s my schedule:
Panels From Hell (Friday 6 pm): Okay, you’re on a panel and the person next to you does –(?), an audience member says –(?), the room starts shrinking, or a three-headed demonic creature starts a tap dancing routine while you’re doing a reading—so what do you do? Come and hear real life horror stories that will curl your toes. Panelists: R.S. Belcher, Wayland Smith (M), Bud Sparhawk, Michael A. Ventrella
The Best Animated Movies Ever (Friday 10 pm): Everybody has their favorites. Maybe it’s a Disney classic,
maybe it’s something by Ralph Bakshi, but we know it’s probably a Studio Ghibli movie. Panelists: Roger Carden, James Deeley, Michael A. Ventrella (M)
Getting the Law Right in Fiction (Saturday noon): Getting the law right in fiction is tricky. Our panel of law experts will answer any questions you have about fictional interactions with the legal system. Panelists: Jim Stratton, Michael A. Ventrella (M), Steve White
Reading (Saturday 2 pm): Panelist: Michael A. Ventrella
What are Sensitivity Readers (Saturday 4 pm): Sensitivity readers are a subset of beta readers who review unpublished manuscripts with the express purpose of spotting cultural inaccuracies, representation issues, bias, stereotypes, or problematic language. We’ll discuss their importance as well as how best to work with them. Panelists: Dr. J. “Cal” Baldari, Sandra Baldari, C. McDonnell, Michael A. Ventrella (M)
How Will Future Generations View Harry Potter? (Saturday 8 pm): Will Harry Potter be a classic tale for future generations or has it just been a product of the media and promotional circus surrounding it? (And, y’know, the other stuff…) Panelists: Alexander G.R. Gideon, Peter Prellwitz (M), Michael A. Ventrella
135 Years of Sherlock Holmes (Sunday 10 am): Yes, there’s been an uptick in Holmes reworkings since most of the original stories entered the public domain but that hasn’t diminished our interest in a 135-year-old character. Why do we still enjoy seeing the same stories over and over again? What about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective makes him so re-readable? Panelists: Flynnstress (M), Jim Stratton, Michael A. Ventrella
Activism: Inside and Outside of Fandom (Sunday noon): Many fans and con attendees are very involved in current social movements. Some have extended that work into the fandom and con community. Let’s discuss this work both in fandom and in the greater society, and how that impacts us as fans and creators in this genre. Panelists: Cass Morris, Maya Preisler (M), Stormraven, Michael A. Ventrella
Michael A. Ventrella 
Looking forward to seeing you.
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