Well, it’s been over two years since I last participated in a convention or large-scale event of any kind. Attending conventions was, of course, only one of the many activities that had to be put on pause at the height of the pandemic. But now I am excited to cautiously venture out again into the world of conventions, starting with a brand new event this year: The Unconvention.
Tag: goth
Steampunk Con 2019: A Rundown
Now that I’ve had a chance to recover, it’s time to go over my impressions of the very first steampunk event hosted by VampireFreaks, Steampunk Con. A few weeks ago, I wrote up a preview of what we could expect from this new convention, which took place in Piscataway, New Jersey, on June 21–23. As a first-year event, Steampunk Con was modestly attended and somewhat mellow, but its small size had the advantage of creating a feeling of intimacy and a close-knit community of attendees. This convention’s other great strength lay in the way it found a unique area of overlap between steampunk and goth. Read on for a few highlights from the weekend: Continue reading Steampunk Con 2019: A Rundown
Preview of Steampunk Con
The organizers of Dark Side of the Con are bringing us a brand-new steampunk convention! The aptly named Steampunk Con will take place this weekend, June 21–23, at the Radisson hotel in Piscataway, New Jersey. This debut convention represents a branching out for VampireFreaks, who have been bringing us the goth convention Dark Side for three successful years! Steampunk Con brings out the best of both worlds by showcasing the darker side of steampunk and highlighting the ways in which the goth and steampunk communities overlap. You can purchase tickets and find out more about the event at the Steampunk Con website.
Dark Side of the Con 2019: A Rundown
Now that I’ve had a week to recover, it’s time to share some of my thoughts on this year’s Dark Side of the Con. This three-day dark alternative convention took place at the Sheraton Hotel in Parsippany, New Jersey, from Friday, March 29, to Sunday, March 31. It was the event’s third year running, and the first year in which I was officially part of the core organizing staff! A couple weeks ago, I posted a preview of the event, highlighting all of the different panels, bands, and events I was looking forward to at the con. Did it live up to my expectations? Read on to find out. Continue reading Dark Side of the Con 2019: A Rundown
Preview of Dark Side of the Con 3
For the third year in a row, it’s time for my favorite goth event: Dark Side of the Con! This event is a 3-day dark alternative convention in New Jersey hosted by the good folks at VampireFreaks. The convention is this weekend, March 29–31, and you can still purchase tickets at the Dark Side website as well as at the door.
There have been some exciting changes since last year’s Dark Side of the Con. First, we have a new venue! The Sheraton Parsippany is a gorgeous hotel built like a medieval castle—complete with crenellated battlements and little pointed towers! It’s also significantly larger than the previous venue, meaning it can fit more attendees and has room for more programming. The other big change is that I’m on staff this year! I’ve been working as the panelist coordinator, which means I’ve been behind the scenes making sure we have plenty of amazing guests ready to lead panels and workshops on a wide variety of topics. Below, I’ve highlighted just a few of the things you can look forward to at this year’s DSotC: Continue reading Preview of Dark Side of the Con 3
Preview of Dark Side of the Con 2
Who’s ready for Round 2 of a three-day gothic party? Last year, I attended the very first Dark Side of the Con, a dark alternative convention in New Jersey, hosted by VampireFreaks. This week, Dark Side is back and it’s darker than ever. The biggest difference this year is that VampireFreaks split with Jeff Mach after the latter was accused of a number of problematic behaviors earlier this year—so now Dark Side will be run solely by Jet and his VF team. Another big difference is that this year, I’m doing a bunch of panels! The convention is this weekend, March 16-18, at the Radisson Hotel in Piscataway, NJ. You can find more information and buy tickets at the Dark Side of the Con website. For a preview of the panels I’ll be running and the other aspects of the con that I’m looking forward to, read on!
I’ll be on four different panels at this year’s Dark Side of the Con. If you like the type of content that I post on this site, then you definitely don’t want to miss my first two panels! On Friday at 7:45pm I’m doing a panel called “The Literary Roots of Goth,” in which I’ll take you through the history of the Gothic literary movement. The next morning at 11:00am, I’m getting a little more in depth with “Gender & Sexuality in Gothic Literature.” This panel will explore the complicated relationship that this genre has had with gender and sexuality since its inception, and the way that these themes play out in individual works and the genre as a whole. For something a little more lighthearted, I’ll be moderating a “Vampires vs. Zombies” debate on Saturday at 5:00pm, in which writers MJ Brad and Tamsin Silver will argue over the merits of their preferred supernatural entity in pop culture. Lastly, you can catch me on Sunday at noon on a panel about “Corporate Goth.” There will even be some great panels at Dark Side that don’t feature me. I’m particularly excited for the “Paranormal” panel, which will be led by the Morris-Jumel Mansion’s professional paranormal investigator, Vincent Carbone.
There are a whole bunch of amazing bands that are going to be at the convention. This year, for real, I am finally going to see Ego Likeness. I keep saying that every time they’re at the same convention I am, yet somehow it never works out. This time, though, they’re a top priority. I’m also excited to get a second chance to see Xentrifuge. I was supposed to see them over the summer when they were performing in New York City but things didn’t work out, so I definitely want to catch them at Dark Side. There’s also an electro-goth-rock band called Spider Lilies, whom I had never heard of before but whose music sounds right up my alley, so I’ll definitely have to check them out! And of course, there are a few of my old favorites like Psyche Corporation and The Long Losts.
Apart from panels and performances, there are a lot of other things that will be going on over the weekend. Central to Dark Side of the Con are the DJed dance nights. Friday night, there’s two different dance parties going on: Cybertron, where the DJs from this well-known NYC club night will be spinning industrial, synthpop, and electro; and The Black Shamrock Ball, where a number of other DJs will be spinning goth, post-punk, and new wave. On Saturday night, DJs Jet and Swabby will be spinning emo, pop-punk, and 2000’s alternative for my new favorite dance event, The Black Parade. They will also be bringing back the Villains Ball and costume contest from last year. If you’re looking for me after midnight, I’ll probably be at one of these dance parties.
Will I see you at Dark Side of the Con? Are you coming to my panels? What events are you most excited for? Let me know in the comments!
A Gift Guide for the Goth in Your Life
The holidays are coming up, and it’s time to start thinking about what gifts to get for your friends and family. I’m guessing that most of my readers have at least one person in their circle who might be described as a goth. If you don’t share their dark and spooky proclivities, it can be hard to know what to get for your black-clad friend. Of course, each goth is an individual and I can’t claim to speak for the whole subculture. But I’ve put together a list of a few things that are fairly universally appreciated among the morbidly-inclined. Continue reading A Gift Guide for the Goth in Your Life
See More of My Writing at VampireFreaks
Do you like my writing and wish you could see it more than once a week? Well you’re in luck, because I just became the main content writer for VampireFreaks! VampireFreaks is a social networking site for goths, created by NYC goth DJ, Jet (whom I interviewed back in March). The site uses a nostalgic forum-board format to connect goths around the world, allowing them to make friends, join “cults” based on their interests, and share photos and journals.
I’ll be posting content twice a week from the main VampireFreaks account, so make sure to follow @VampireFreaks if you’re on the site. Also feel free to friend my personal profile @TheGothicLibrarian.
My first post is on “5 Games for the Perfect Goth Game Night.” Not every night can be club night … sometimes you’ve just got to stay in, invite some friends over, and play board games. But just because you’re not at the club doesn’t mean you’ve got to turn in your goth card and play some Monopoly with the mundanes. Click the link to learn more!
Steampunk World’s Fair 2017: Where Goth and Steampunk Meet
Last weekend, I went to one of the largest steampunk events in the world, Jeff Mach’s Steampunk World’s Fair. For those who are unfamiliar, steampunk is an alternative fashion/music/literature scene, which can essentially be summed up as Victorian futurism—imagine a world where, on the cusp of the industrial revolution, technology advanced through steam power and gears instead of electricity and computers. The fashion blends corsets and top hats with brass and goggles, while the literature tends to feature dirigibles, automatons, and mad scientists. And the first weekend in May is when hundreds of steampunks from around the country take over two hotels in the middle of Piscataway, New Jersey. I’ve been attending Steampunk World’s Fair for many years, and two weeks ago I gave you a preview of what I was looking forward to at this year’s convention in particular. Read on to see how last weekend lived up to my expectations. Continue reading Steampunk World’s Fair 2017: Where Goth and Steampunk Meet
Dark Side of the Con 2017: A Rundown of America’s First Goth Convention
Last weekend I went over to the Dark Side, at Jeff Mach and VampireFreaks’s newest convention, a three-day event designed specifically for goths. Dark Side of the Con came right on the heels of another brand new convention, Glimmerdark, which I attended and posted a rundown of last month. In my overview, I noted that Glimmerdark hit a few snags trying to figure out what kind of convention it was and what audience it wanted to cater to. Dark Side of the Con, I felt, had no such problem. The convention was geared toward a very specific audience—goths—and with VampireFreaks helping to run the show, it was an audience that the organizers knew well. A few weeks ago, I posted a preview of which aspects of the con I was looking forward to most. Overall, my expectations fared pretty well against reality, despite the fact that a poorly timed sore throat and headache prevented me from getting as much out of the weekend as I wanted to. Read on for some highlights of the convention.
Continue reading Dark Side of the Con 2017: A Rundown of America’s First Goth Convention