Last year, I discovered the coolest thing. An online convention. And it was called Flights of Foundry (read about it here), put on by an organization called Dream Foundry (you can read about them here). A convention geared towards all the creative outlets; art and illustration, podcasting, comics, all aspects of writing (including editing), games, poetry, social hours… There are panels on self publishing, workshops on map building (which if you’re like me and missed the deadline for the sign-up for those lottery workshops, you’re rather devastated), knit-along social hours, gaming social hours.
There’s something for everyone that enjoys a piece of the creative world. And the most amazing part? It’s free. They appreciate donations, and anything purchased in their merch shop is qualified as a donation, but there is no set paid requirement. Which in this day and age were it seems we are not allowed to exist and enjoy anything without forking over a chunk of money, is amazing to find.
When the schedule was first announced (you can find the schedule here), I made a list of all the panels I wanted to try and attend. My weekend is looking pretty booked.
- Friday, April 8th, 1pm to 2pm: Cozy Cravings: Crafting Low-Conflict Comfort Stories
- Friday, April 8th, 2pm to 3pm: Assembling an Anthology
- Saturday, April 9th, 8am to 9pm: Making Magic Systems
- Saturday, April 9th, 5pm to 6pm: Retelling Fairytales & Myths
- Saturday, April 9th, 9pm to 10pm: Fantasy? On MY Spaceship?! Blending Science and Sorcery
- Saturday, April 9th, 10pm to 11pm: Writing Non-Human Beings
- Sunday, April 10th, 8am to 9am: Crafting Mystery & the Aesthetic of Suspense
- Sunday, April 10th, 10am to 11am: Exploring the Gothic
- Sunday, April 10th, 1pm to 2pm: Word Power Order
- Sunday, April 10th, 4pm to 5pm: Crossing Genres with Horror Hybrids
I hope I’ve peaked your interest and you’ll consider registering, or at least looking at what they have to offer. It’s geared towards creative minds everywhere, so there is always something going around the clock.
Finally, the Dream Foundry is aspiring to create a self-sustaining writing contest for newly arriving authors. I found the second and third place winners for the 2020 contest, and wanted to share them here as I found them both truly remarkable reads. Second place went to Monique Laban, with “The Failed Dianas”, which can be found published here, in Clarkesworld Magazine. Third place went to P.H. Low, with “The Loneliness of Former Constellations”, which can be found published here, in Strange Horizons. I hope you give them both a read, as they are truly fantastic. And if you happen to find the first place entry, which belonged to Shinjini Dey, out there, drop me a link!
Maybe I’ll see you in Flight!
Whitney Writes... 