Where to Find Kurt at Archon 49

🎸 'Cause I Wanna Be Anarchy...

Hey everybody, I'm going to be a panelist at Archon 49 next month. If you're planning on attending, here's where you can find me:

It's Just a Step to the Left, and Then a Punch to the Right...

2 Oct 2026, Friday 14:00 - 15:00, Salon 1 (Gateway Center)
Writing martial arts combat scenes for readers whose knowledge may be limited to watching MMA.

A Conundrum of Crowns (Moderator)

2 Oct 2026, Friday 15:00 - 16:00, Marquette B (Gateway Center)
Discuss why so many fantasy/sf governments seem to be kingdoms or autocracies. Why do authoritarians so often rule -when in either genre you could plausibly set up literally ANY kind of government?

Losing Main Character Energy?

2 Oct 2026, Friday 20:00 - 21:00, Marquette A (Gateway Center)
Have you ever grown bored of your main character? What can you do to make them more interesting, or is it better to kill them off?

CONCERT: Uncle Fluffy's Post-Apocalyptic Sing-Along (Performer)

3 Oct 2026, Saturday 15:30 - 16:30, Mississippian (Gateway Center)
It's been fifteen years since the collapse, since the global disaster that ended civilization and left the world a ruined wasteland and humanity all but extinct. But there were survivors. And those survivors had children. And those children deserve educational music that can help them survive this horrific new hellscape. And Uncle Fluffy is going to bring it to them.

Plot vs. Theme vs. Subtext (Moderator)

4 Oct 2026, Sunday 10:00 - 11:00, Illini A (Gateway Center)
The definition seems simple: in narrative fiction, the plot is what happens, the theme is what the story is all about, and the subtext is what the characters think about it all but don’t say openly. But how do these three crucial elements of storytelling work together? Are motifs part of the theme, the subtext, or something wholly separate? Our panel of veteran scribes will discuss all this and more.

The Heirs of Dr. Demento

4 Oct 2026, Sunday 12:00 - 13:00, Salon 4 (Gateway Center)
Where can fans of weird, wonderful original and parody songs look for their fix now?