ConGregate 11: Full Schedule

/// SUBJECT TO CHANGES ///

OUR WEBSITE: CON-GREGATE.COM

**** The temperature in the con spaces varies greatly from room to room. Bring layers! ****

2:00pm EDT

Alakazam...It's Love!

Friday July 11, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT

Bethabara (Marriott) - Room can get COLD!!!

Romantasy is taking the speculative fiction market by storm. But what is it? Our panelists will discuss the differences between romantasy. fantasy and romance, and suggest some books to help readers find the sparkle.

Friday July 11, 2025 2:00pm - 3:00pm EDT
Bethabara (Marriott) - Room can get COLD!!!

Literary/Writing

2:30pm EDT

Stuart Jaffe

Literary Guest

Stuart Jaffe is the madman behind The Max Porter Paranormal Mysteries, the Nathan K thrillers, The Ridnight Mysteries, the Parallel Society novels, The Malja Chronicles, The Pathway Ring series, Founders, Real Magic, and much more. He trained in martial arts for over a decade until... Read More →

John G. Hartness

Literary Guest

John G. Hartness is a teller of tales, a righter of wrong, defender of ladies’ virtues, and some people call him Maurice, for he speaks of the pompatus of love. He is also the award-winning author of the urban fantasy series The Black Knight Chronicles, the Bubba the Monster Hunter... Read More →

William C. Tracy

Literary Guest

William C. Tracy (he/him) writes and publishes queer science fiction and fantasy through his indie press Space Wizard Science Fantasy. His largest work is the Dissolutionverse: a space opera with music-based magic including nine books and a TTRPG. He’s also published Fruits of the... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm EDT
Terrace 2 (Embassy Suites)

Literary/Writing

5:00pm EDT

Who Needs an Agent Anyway?

Friday July 11, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT

Piedmont (Marriott)

Michael G. Williams spent ten months in 2023 & 2024 trying to get an agent and not finding one. He had a few near-misses but got sick of waiting and signed with a publisher for his next horror novel instead (a decision with which he is EXTREMELY happy). Michael will give a brief presentation on why and how he tried to get an agent, what he did to try it, and specific hard numbers about the response rates and his interactions with agents. This will also be a panel discussion with other authors and will include time for Q&A.

Requests:

Speakers

William C. Tracy

Literary Guest

Stuart Jaffe

Literary Guest

Darin Kennedy

Literary Guest

Darin Kennedy, born and raised in Winston-Salem, NC, is a graduate of Wake Forest University and Bowman Gray School of Medicine. After completing family medicine residency in the mountains of Virginia, he served eight years as a United States Army physician and wrote his first novel... Read More →

Jason Roach

Literary Guest

Jason Roach is an American Writing Awards award-winning finalist in LGBT+ Fiction & Thriller Fiction for his book The House on Dead Man’s Curve – inspired by his personal paranormal experiences. His new M/M Vampiric romance series, The Vampire Crusades, launched in August of 2024... Read More →

Michael G. Williams

Online Media Guest

Michael G. Williams writes queer-themed horror and science fiction celebrating the monstrous and the macabre. His books include the award-winning vampire series The Withrow Chronicles (Laine Cunningham Award); the thrilling urban fantasy time travel series Servant Sovereign; the sci-fi... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm EDT
Piedmont (Marriott)

Literary/Writing

9:30pm EDT

Oh Those Summer Nights: Fantasy and Erotica - 18 & Up

Friday July 11, 2025 9:30pm - 10:30pm EDT

Piedmont (Marriott)

Renowned authors like Laurel K Hamilton and Sharon Green have fearlessly blended fantasy and erotica, captivating audiences with provocative and alluring tales that blur the lines between the magical and the sensual. These stories beckon from the shadows, drawing readers into a world where desire and imagination intertwine with the fantastical and extraordinary, challenging perceptions and stirring deep desires. They push boundaries in storytelling, exploring uncharted territories of passion and wonder, inviting readers to embrace the thrill of the unknown. Let's delve into the realm of fantasy and erotica where imagination knows no bounds and propriety is forgotten.

requests:

Speakers

Molly Ann McDonough

Science Guest

Molly Ann McDonough is an author, poet, and multidisciplinary engineer with short stories featured in science fiction and fantasy anthologies. Jumpmaster Press has scheduled her debut fantasy novel, A World Apart, for release in 2026. When Molly isn’t reading, writing, or coding... Read More →

Friday July 11, 2025 9:30pm - 10:30pm EDT
Piedmont (Marriott)

Literary/Writing

10:00am EDT

Secret History and Alt-worlds

Saturday July 12, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

Bethabara (Marriott) - Room can get COLD!!!

Some of the best fantasy novels are inspired by real world history. We'll talk about how easy it can be to find the magic behind the reality in real-world settings, and suggest some of the best examples for readers to immerse themselves in.

requests:

Speakers

J. E. Pittman

Literary Guest

J.E. Pittman dabbles in many speculative worlds. He blurs the borders between genre and crafts salient lies to tell a measure of truth. His work has been described as: capriciously chimeric, dreamlike, and a vivid enigma with indelible images stamped on your brain. He independently... Read More →

Kevin A Davis

Literary Guest

Kevin A Davis is an award-winning contemporary fantasy author with three published series; the episodic DRC files with Kristen, the Khimmer Chronicles featuring the lively assassin Ahnjii, and the AngelSong series centering around the indominable Haddie. A multitude of his short stories... Read More →

Robert Hampson

Science Guest

Dr. Robert E. Hampson is a neuroscientist, professor, and science fiction author who spends his days decoding how memories work and his nights trying to remember where he left his keys. With a Ph.D. in Physiology & Pharmacology, he’s been on a lifelong quest to figure out what’s... Read More →

Saturday July 12, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Bethabara (Marriott) - Room can get COLD!!!

Literary/Writing

10:30am EDT

Shaping Modern Fantasy: Diverse Voices and Challenging Conventions

Saturday July 12, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT

Terrace 2 (Embassy Suites)

Modern fantasy novels like "Legendborn," "Cruel Prince," "Powerless," "Six of Crows," and "A Court of Thorn & Roses" challenge traditional genre conventions with morally ambiguous characters, intricate political intrigues, and diverse representations of race, gender, and sexuality. Authors like Holly Black, Leigh Bardugo, and Sarah J. Maas explore themes of power, identity, trauma, and desire while blending elements of romance, mystery, and horror in their storytelling. These contemporary works contrast with classic fantasy tales by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, such as "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia," which focus on archetypal heroes and clear moral binaries. Let's discuss how the evolution of modern fantasy literature reflects shifting societal values and showcases diverse voices reshaping the genre.

requests:

Speakers

Angela Giddings

Science Guest

Angela Giddings is a writer, scientist, and independent filmmaker from North Carolina. She has a PhD in Microbiology and authored multiple scientific articles in virology, cell line design, and gene therapy. She is the author of the futuristic dark fantasy series Dance of Ages... Read More →

Kevin A Davis

Literary Guest

William C. Tracy

Literary Guest

Saturday July 12, 2025 10:30am - 11:30am EDT
Terrace 2 (Embassy Suites)

Literary/Writing

11:00am EDT

Fictional Fashion

Saturday July 12, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT

Terrace 1 (Embassy Suites)

Years of book covers showing warrior women in chain mail bikinis and barbarian men in fur loincloths tricked generations of readers into thinking the clothes don't matter. But they do! On this panel, we'll explore the ways clothing defines social roles in fantasy worlds, and the uses of different garments

Saturday July 12, 2025 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
Terrace 1 (Embassy Suites)

Literary/Writing

12:00pm EDT

What I wish I knew when I started...(Self-publishing)

Saturday July 12, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT

Salem (Marriott)

Join our some of our experiences self-published authors as they talk about their years in the self-publishing world. What they wish they had known when they started? How has self-publishing changed in the last 15-20 years.

requests: Angela Giddings, JE Pittman, Kevin Davis, Darin Kennedy, Stuart Jaffe, Bill Tracy

Speakers

Milton J. Davis

Guest of Honor

Milton Davis is an award-winning Black Speculative fiction author and owner of MVmedia, LLC, a small publishing company specializing in Science Fiction and fantasy based on African/African Diaspora history, cultures, and traditions. For sixteen years he has been at the forefront of... Read More →

Saturday July 12, 2025 12:00pm - 1:00pm EDT
Salem (Marriott)

Literary/Writing

1:30pm EDT

Development Mindset for Writers

Saturday July 12, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT

Salem (Marriott)

How to get out of your own way when it comes to taking feedback from editors, beta readers, peers, and getting over your emotions long enough to understand what you're being told and why.

requests: Misty Massey, Kevin Davis, Dennis Myers, Stuart Jaffe, Bill Tracy

Speakers

Theresa Glover

Literary Guest

Theresa Glover is the author of the Caitlin Kelley Monster Hunter series of books, a developmental editor, and the Associate Publisher at Falstaff Books. She also gets up to ridiculous role-playing shenanigans as part of the Authors and Dragons podcast series, an assistant con-runner... Read More →

Saturday July 12, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm EDT
Salem (Marriott)

Literary/Writing

4:30pm EDT

Unconventional Storytelling Tools

Saturday July 12, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT

Salem (Marriott)

Authors share their unusual tools, tricks, resources and ways of helping nudge their storytelling muscles when they get stuck or feel uninspired.

requests:

Speakers

Dennis M Myers

Literary Guest

Born and raised in central Minnesota, Dennis M. Myers developed a serious reading habit early in life due to the influence of his grandmother. In late high school he read one particularly "awful" book and, with all that teenage hubris, decided that he could do better.After spending... Read More →

J. E. Pittman

Literary Guest

Theresa Glover

Literary Guest

Saturday July 12, 2025 4:30pm - 5:30pm EDT
Salem (Marriott)

Literary/Writing

4:30pm EDT

Workshop: Let's Make a World: Discuss Worldbuilding & Then Make One Together!

Saturday July 12, 2025 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT

Piedmont (Marriott)

Speakers

Michael G. Williams

Online Media Guest

Saturday July 12, 2025 4:30pm - 6:00pm EDT
Piedmont (Marriott)

Literary/Writing

7:00pm EDT

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

Saturday July 12, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT

Bethabara (Marriott) - Room can get COLD!!!

SF, fantasy, horror or crime...the best stories set their reader on a mission to figure out what's really going on right along with the characters. But how do you set up a mystery without giving everything away in Chapter Two? We'll discuss misdirection, red herrings, and weaving clues into the narrative without making things too obvious.

requests: Misty Massey, JE Pittman, Sarah Sover, Kevin Davis, Jason Roach, Darin Kennedy

Saturday July 12, 2025 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT
Bethabara (Marriott) - Room can get COLD!!!

Literary/Writing

10:00am EDT

Playing Make-Believe - World Building

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

Hearn A (Marriott)

One of the most magical aspects of reading is being immersed in a completely unique world. Authors talk all about worldbuilding: what they think about and how they create the realities in their stories, some common pitfalls when writing, and what other authors' worlds have inspired them the most.

Requests:

Speakers

Darin Kennedy

Literary Guest

Stuart Jaffe

Literary Guest

Timothy Zahn

Guest of Honor

Timothy Zahn was born in Chicago in 1951 and grew up in the western suburb of Lombard. He attended Michigan State University, earning a B.S. degree in physics in 1973, and moved on to the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. He earned a M.S. degree there, also in physics, in... Read More →

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Hearn A (Marriott)

Literary/Writing

10:00am EDT

Value of a Critique Group

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

Terrace 2 (Embassy Suites)

Getting feedback is a crucial part of producing consumable writing and improving your craft, but how do you do it? Join us as we discuss the obvious and unexpected values of getting and giving critique, how to find or form a solid critique group, and how to interact with feedback good and bad.

requests: Angela Giddings, Kevin Davis, bill Tracy

Speakers

Molly Ann McDonough

Science Guest

Michael G. Williams

Online Media Guest

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Terrace 2 (Embassy Suites)

Literary/Writing

11:30am EDT

Writer vs Author

Sunday July 13, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT

Hearn A (Marriott)

The craft of writing vs. the business of being an author can be a tricky balancing act. Authors chat about finding that balance and how it's evolved as writers and then as published authors. We'll discuss what they wish they knew while starting out and tips that have helped them along the way.

requests: Sarah Sover, Kevin Davis, Molly McDonough, Stuart Jaffe

Sunday July 13, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Hearn A (Marriott)

Literary/Writing

11:30am EDT

Writing for the Body: Engaging the Readers' Senses

Sunday July 13, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT

Terrace 1 (Embassy Suites)

Speakers

Randal Hayes

Science Guest

Randall grew up on a working farm in Kentucky before studying biology at UK and then doing a PhD in neuroscience at a medical school in Rochester, NY. He did research there and in Texas before teaching at the high school and college levels. Now he runs the biology department's internship... Read More →

Michael G. Williams

Online Media Guest

William C. Tracy

Literary Guest

Sunday July 13, 2025 11:30am - 12:30pm EDT
Terrace 1 (Embassy Suites)

Literary/Writing

1:00pm EDT

Comfort Reads when the World is on Fire

Sunday July 13, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT

Salem (Marriott)

What does a comfort read mean to authors? What is it about genre fiction that can soothe the soul, especially during trying times? We'll chat about our favorite comfort reads, how moments of comfort keep a hero going on their journey, and striking the balance of taking care of oneself while still being present.

(Need to rewrite - stole from Awesomecon)

requests: JE Pittman, John Hartness, Michael G Williams, chris Oakley

Sunday July 13, 2025 1:00pm - 2:00pm EDT
Salem (Marriott)

Literary/Writing