Programming Special Edition
A note from Kirstee, Chair of Communications:
This is the transcript of a chat that I had with Hallie, one of Phoenix Rising's lead event organizers. We know that making proposals to be part of conference programming can sometimes be confusing or scary, so we wanted to shed some light on the process through a question and answer session.
How To: Programming Special Edition
Click to jump to a section:
Be Part of Programming
How Programming is Chosen
Academic Submissions (papers/lectures, panels, workshops, roundtables, and the like)
Exploratory Submissions (art gallery and creative things for Artists and Authors Night: fanfiction readings, fanart portfolios, and drabble/sketch/beta reading/art critique booths)
Presenter Requirements
How to Prepare Your Proposal
Early Decisions
Previously Presented Programming
Idea Exchange
---------------------------
Be Part of Programming
Kirstee: Hi! I heard you had a bit of time to chat with me about programming, so I'm going to blitz you with all sorts of questions, especially since I know Phoenix Rising is hoping to get a variety of proposals of all sorts from fans, and also on fan topics.
Hallie: Sure. Ask away.
Kirstee: First of all, how can I become part of programming?
Hallie: Well, we do organize some programming as a conference -- we arrange for keynote speakers, for example, and we choose some overall themes. and we set the overall structure so that we can have large-scale events like Artists and Authors Night. We also arrange challenges, games, and other informal activities, and though we don't organize meetups, we have a program called Rendezvous to help you connect with others who share your passion.
That said, most of the programming that you'll find at Phoenix Rising will be proposed by fans, professionals (teachers, lawyers, librarians, businesspeople, and so on), academics, and casual fans of the Harry Potter series.
Kirstee: Okay. I'd like you to have a roundtable on Remus, and a workshop on writing --
Hallie: (Laughing.) Actually, I don't choose the programming. I oversee and support the programming volunteer staff, and I answer big conference questions and stuff, but I don't have a hand in selecting which submissions we'll include in the final schedule from the submitted proposals. It would be accurate to describe me as an observer who hangs around to make sure things stay on track and that we hold up the educational part of our purpose. So I can't be bribed, and you can't get accepted just because I like you. To explain further, I can't have an undue influence on the process, and I can't bring bias into it.
How Programming is Chosen
Kirstee: How does it work, then? Who chooses which proposals are accepted and which ones are inclined?
Hallie: We have a set of vetting boards on the website. (Well, most of them; we still have some biographies to collect.) That's one of the elements we take from the academic arena: a jury of your very qualified peers, diverse in their backgrounds and interests, and a mix of people who are familiar with this sort of thing and who are new to it, evaluate all of the proposals and choose which ones to accept. Each of the boards includes people who represent different academic and fan interests, and we think this is the best way to create a fair method for selecting programming. No one person has the entire vote on a presentation -- you are accepted or declined by a board.
So, yeah, we base this part of the conference programming on an academic model, even though we do also incorporate aspects of professional, media, and fan conferences too.
Kirstee: Is there a best sort of presentation to have? Is a paper the best thing, or a workshop, or...
Hallie: It's not quite that simple. In fact, we have two different submission systems:
Kirstee: Can you give me an overview of the different types of submissions? There are so many!
Hallie: There are! That's on purpose, because we want you to have a lot of options.
Academic Submissions
First, and most formal and traditional, are papers. You can submit a paper on your own or one that's co-written. This seems to work best for analyses where you want to sketch out your theory, and in an academic setting, you usually read or paper (or lecture, if you're comfortable with that) for about 15 to 20 minutes, and leave a few minutes for questions or discussion following that. Of course, if you're an experienced lecturer, you might want a longer time slot.
Another thing about paper submissions is that you can, as an individual, join with others to propose a pre-empaneled set of papers, if you really want to ensure that they'll be scheduled together back to back. In your time block, you can all take turns reading and taking questions, and of course you can ask questions of each other.
Kirstee: So -- does that mean there's no tracking? [Note: Tracking refers to grouping a type of programming in one room, whether it's a series of presentations on a TV series or putting academic analyses in one room and business-related topics in another.--Ed.]
Hallie: Oh, well, that's complicated.
We do get a lot of proposals that you could look at and right away say that's academic, that's fan, that's professional, that's creative, but that doesn't mean that the topics submitted in each area flow logically. We're also actively encouraging people in the different groups to share knowledge. I mean, as phoenix_amy noted the other day, the fans win at analysis, hands down. The straight academics win at the big picture and putting it in the context of their fields. The professionals and creative folks know how to apply and transform their topics.
So, the chance to teach someone or to learn from them, and just to get different perspectives, is a big part of this conference, and that's not even getting into how a lot of people are both professionals and fans, or academics working the creative fields, or some other crossover combination that gives them an unusual perspective. We do try to schedule topics into a logical flow in a room, but we definitely want to avoid marginalizing or isolating topics. There's no "kiddie table" here.
Scheduling is also complicated by things like room size, audio-visual availability, presenters with multiple presentations (because you don't want to schedule them across from themselves, and you want to give them time to breathe), and so on. Also, we know that when you make a proposal, you probably know how you can best get the information across, so we don't usually ask you to combine with someone else or change your format, though we from time to time have to impose a shorter time limit for very long presentations.
Since all of Phoenix Rising's scheduled programming is going to be on two adjacent floors in a single hotel -- and connected by escalators and a bank of elevators that also go directly to the guest rooms -- we think it will be easy to move from room to room to catch presentations that interest you.
Kirstee: So back to programming, then. There must be other types of presentations.
Hallie: Yes. Our online system is set up to take discussion panels, too, so those can be next. If you're more interested in talking about a topic with a few other interested parties before an audience, a discussion panel might be the way to go. You can take questions from the audience if you want, but the focus is on the discussion between panelists. These are particularly suited for talking about different viewpoints or experiences, come to think of it.
There's also the roundtable discussion option. These are meant to be intimate discussions that mirror the discussion section that would go with a college class. In nearly every case, these will be scheduled in rooms that can only hold about 30 people, because they're participatory, and if you have a big group, you don't get to hear from everyone. This is the only presentation style where we didn't build in a collaboration option, by the way, though it's possible to propose a jointly moderated roundtable. The reason for this is that it's hard for the discussion participants to know which moderator to follow, and it's actually something we've had a lot of negative feedback on [the jointly moderated option].
Anyway, roundtable discussions, in my experience, seem to go more smoothly when the moderator comes prepared with a lot of open-ended questions on a topic, and has an interest in the topic, but maybe not one that overrides their ability to let the discussion go where it needs to, whether they agree or not. It also seems to help if you can, as moderator, mostly ask questions and get the participants involved in the discussion, rather than steer the discussion they way you want it to go.
Kirstee: In other words, you might have a better time if you twist a friend's arm to submit a roundtable discussion about Stan Shunpike, if you're obsessed with him, so you can spend your time waxing poetic instead.
Hallie: Probably. As long as you have sufficient interest, at least. If you're not at all interested in Stan Shunpike, then you might want to look into Ollivander. I'm generalizing here, of course. It's possible to lead a roundtable about a topic that you're very interested in.
Anyway. Then there's the workshop option. Workshops are meant to be how-tos, hands-on, participatory... If you have something to teach, something that an attendee could sit in on and take away to do on their own, some way to help others in their craft of (for example) writing or art, a workshop might be the right option. We do try to limit the room capacity on these where possible, though not to the extent that we do with roundtables, and not in such small rooms. Think up to 100, maybe, for now. Ideally, the workshop leader or leaders can get around the room, facilitate discussion, and help people out if necessary.
Finally, we did create an "other" option, so that you could combine styles and create new ways of working with your audience. Maybe you'd like to have a panel discussion and then each panelist will split off and moderate discussions with a small group in the same room, or maybe you plan to hold a workshop and then have a set of pre-empaneled readings to wrap things up. There's a lot of flexibility in there.
Kirstee: And that's the Academic Submissions System?
Hallie: Right.
Exploratory Submissions
Kirstee: But there's also the Exploratory Programming Submissions System.
Hallie: Right again. For Phoenix Rising, programming is a huge part of our pre-New Orleans work, so we've split our work into two areas. One, the Academic Programming, coordinates all of the presentation proposals, the vetting process, and all of the correspondence that goes with that.
The other is the Exploratory Programming, which takes a more hands-on, immersive approach to educational programming. That team creates and coordinates things like writing and art challenges, games, the Remembrall Wall for exchanging fond memories related to Harry Potter, a Quest called the Horcrux Hunt -- things that you can drop in on to experience a little bit of the Harry Potter series or to use a different part of your brain in an informal setting. Exploratory Programming does, however, coordinate one important scheduled event: Artists and Authors Night.
Artists and Authors Night is an evening devoted entirely to the creativity of the online fandom. This is when we'll have our Wireless Web Network, and any online group or site that is a Phoenix Rising sponsor -- as long as we still have space -- will be provided with a table that they can use to meet with their group members and potential group members, hold their own challenges, and so on. It's when we'll hold organized Drabble and Drawble times, our official meet up for the registrants who have participated in the Paintbrush and Quill Society artists-authors collaboration (we still need artists), and we will probably ask a few fan-oriented presenters to go on this night, too, if what they're presenting on is directly related to fan creativity. (And don't think that it's just writing or art-oriented; I'm totally waiting for a knitters' presentation, for one!)
One of the things I look forward to the most is the fanfiction readings, fanart portfolios, and creativity booths. And that's where the Exploratory Programming submissions system comes in.
You can submit your fanfiction, either a single story, a bunch of short stories, or excerpts from one or more longer stories to read before an audience. If you're selected to read, you can read and discuss your fic or take questions, too.
A new thing we're trying out with Phoenix Rising is fanart portfolios. You can submit up to thirty of your pieces, and then bring them in (or show them with a computer) to an audience. We think it's a good way to show off your collection all at once, and gives you the chance to chat with people about your art without needing to put together a big talk, though we're sure the audience would love to hear commentary like what inspired a picture or what sort of media you used to create it.
If you have skills in beta reading, critiquing art (always the hardest booth to staff), drabbling, or sketching, you should apply to be a booth staffer! We're going to keep the booths open throughout the evening, and we're probably going to have staffers stay at a booth for an hour each to write or draw for other attendees, or to help them with their writing or art. And no more than an hour -- really. I've heard stories about people staffing their booth for hours after the fact, and while on the one hand I was amazed and touched and impressed, I was also HORRIFIED, because that wasn't supposed to happen! That doesn't sound like fun, in any case. So, yeah. Working on making booth staffing something that you don't have to sell your soul to participate in.
And the last thing that's sort of outside all of this is the art gallery. You can be accepted to the art gallery and have your work displayed even if you aren't able to attend (whereas with all the other presentations you have to be registered by a certain date to be included, or name a proxy to cover your presentation). We really want the gallery artists to come to Phoenix Rising, though, if they can, because alicey is working on a fabulous display, and one of our first events includes the opening of the art gallery, so it would be awesome to have the artists on hand to say thanks, and to get to talk to them about their art, and to appreciate what they've created.
Presenter Requirements
Kirstee: Speaking of participating, you have to submit a proposal for a paper, or fanfic or fanart, or some art for the gallery, or a booth staffer application, to be considered. Can anyone submit, or do you have to be in college, or a professor, or have so many reviews... All right, I do know the answer to this one, but I want to hear it again anyway.
Hallie: And I don't mind repeating it. The only requirement we have to make a proposal is that you be eligible to attend the conference, meaning that you'll be at least 18 years of age on the first day of the conference, or at least 14 with a registered chaperone. Many submitters have some other qualification to present, whether it's a Ph.D. or extensive fandom knowledge or a published book or years of teaching or...you get the picture. But I've known people with a Ph.D. to read their fanfiction while down the hall someone in their first year of college read an awesome formal analytic paper, so there you have it. And, quite honestly, the vetting boards are really interested in what you have to say, not who you are.
Kirstee: (Joking.) I'm not guaranteed a slot because I'm an oldbie?
Hallie: Nope, sorry!
This might be a good time to interject that what you've heard is true: It has to be submitted to be considered. It's not uncommon to hear someone unhappy that a conference program didn't include much (or any) on a particular topic, and then find out that little or nothing was even submitted, much less accepted.
How to Prepare Your Proposal
Kirstee: I know you don't make any decisions, but can you give me some tips on how to get my proposal accepted?
Hallie: Sure! At least, I can tell you what I've noticed from observing various vetting boards in action and serving on them in the past.
First, make sure you have all your materials together before you make a submission. Read the instructions carefully. If you're not sure about what information you need, ask programming@thephoenixrises.org. We don't bite. In fact, we appreciate having the opportunity to help you clarify the submissions process before you get stuck or frustrated.
Next, have a trusted friend or beta reader go over your submission. One glaring typo probably won't kill you, but a sloppy submission won't impress the board. They have no way of telling whether you're a good public speaker, or whether you're good at leading a discussion, or anything else, but they can tell if you're not prepared at the time of submission.
If your submission includes a bio, use that space to explain why you're a qualified or interested person to give the presentation. Note what you're interested in, what you've studied, or how you've been involved with the topic. Information like studying gender issues at Imadeitup College, is the owner of a forum dedicated to the discussion of Aberforth Dumbledore, is the author of seventeen stories about Snape, is interested in house-elves as a metaphor for bellhops, or teaches a unit on Harry Potter at Muggle Middle School every spring goes in here. Stuff like has three children, enjoys mountain biking, and craves chocolate more than Remus Lupin probably doesn't. Bios should be in third person, but we'll edit them for you if they're not (and we often edit for space reasons anyway).
Then there's the summary. It should be a short blurb that describes what you're going to do, and it should let the audience know exactly what you're going to focus on. You don't need to tell people to come; they'll attend if they're excited about your topic. Unlike a fanfiction summary, this shouldn't be just a teaser with "Read on to hear the ending!" tacked on. I'm not great at summaries, but here's a sample:
Cho Chang is one of the most hated characters in fandom, both because she wouldn't date Harry (and then she would), and because of her friendship with the traitorous Marietta Edgecombe. Are her actions any more reprehensible than those of well-loved characters of her generation, like Ginny and Hermione? Does she deserve her status as hated character due to canon and fan interpretations? In this roundtable, we will discuss these questions as well as Cho Chang's purpose and future in the series.
And someone can totally steal that summary, if they want. And that also leads into the abstract part of the proposal, which is where a lot of people go wrong.
Your abstract is the short version of your presentation. It's the whole thing in a 500-word (or fewer words) nutshell. The biggest mistake that submitters make is treating their abstract like it's a summary. They'll spell out what their argument is, and then fail to include the supporting evidence, or their sources, or how they're going to prove their theory when overwhelming evidence to the contrary exists. Or, they'll put everything out there and say something like "...and all of these pieces of evidence let us draw conclusions about Book Seven" -- and then they don't say what the conclusions are. Spoil the vetting board about your presentation. They need to know that you have a thoughtful conclusion instead of 45 minutes of great material followed by 5 minutes of crackpot ideas.
Also, the vetting board wants to know that you have a clear plan. No "maybe we'll do this, or maybe someone in the audience will suggest something, or if you want, I could...". Bring a completed abstract, not your first draft. Your paper doesn't have to be complete, and you don't have to know exactly what's going to happen every second of your workshop, but the more information you can provide, the better. Oh, and the board doesn't care what you're going to wear, either, since that comes up pretty regularly. Costumes, professional clothes, casual wear -- as long as it doesn't violate any laws, go you.
Another place where presentations sometimes go wrong is that they can be infringing, but we'll usually contact you if we see this. Taking on a topic, even one that's sensitive, can be done as a study, and that prevents a lot of infringement. Oh, and we don't accept NC-17 programming, but again, it's a matter of how you present your topic, not the topic of the presentation. If you're not sure whether your proposal includes NC-17 material or not, you can always contact us. We're happy to help hash out subtleties before you submit.
Kirstee: Does all of this work for the Exploratory Programming submissions, too? The fanart, fanfic, and booth applications? And the gallery?
Hallie: Pretty much, yeah. You still want to put together a polished proposal, even if you don't need to include all of the information I just talked about. For fanfiction, make sure you've checked your piece over carefully; the vetters will choose readings that represent as many styles, characters, themes, and ships as possible. For fanart, both for the gallery and for a portfolio showing, check your rating (here, as with the fanfic -- and the other presentations -- nothing over an R) and that you're not using a disallowed file type, since the vetters need to have the ability to open your files to check out your art.
For the booth applications, the beta reading and art critique applications include some samples to go over and give feedback on. Thoughtful responses to the samples to be critiqued show the vetters that you have the skill to work with people who want your opinions face to face. For the drabble booth, pick out some drabbles that represent your flexibility, since you never know that you'll be requested to write on the spot. For the sketch booth, we really do want to see what you can sketch on small pieces of paper or conference badges in just a minute or two, so line art or other simple pieces are great for this.
Early Decisions
Kirstee: I notice there's an early decision option if you get your proposal in by September 1, 2006. How does that work?
Hallie: That's specifically to help people whose employer or university has a conference attendance assistance program, and specifically for when the presenter needs to know in the early fall that they have a conference coming up so they can get funding for registration or travel.
In general, the boards don't start making selections until just before or after the submission deadline (November 1, 2006), so if you don't have a legitimate and verified early decision request, you won't hear back by September 10, 2006; you'll be considered a regular decision.
That said, we try to notify accepted presenters as soon as the board makes the decision so that they can take care of registering and making travel plans, so it's pretty likely that you'll know about your submission before December 1, 2006.
Previously Presented Programming
Kirstee: What's your policy on presentations that have been given at other conventions?
Hallie: We don't have an official policy. This is actually a tricky question to answer, because it's only really starting to come up now that there have been other conventions, conferences, symposia, and books published.
On the one hand, at every gathering there are going to be new people who have never heard your presentation before, or who have never had the opportunity to think about or discuss topics that in some circles have been talked about to death ages ago. So if you have presented something elsewhere and want to present the same thing again, feel free to propose it.
On the other, of course, is the fact that there are attendees who have been present at nearly every Harry Potter conference -- and the world isn't standing still. If you have a previously presented proposal, can that become five minutes of background for part two? How about a different angle? A different format? Something that connects your ideas to themes in our call for papers? Or something else entirely new? There are all sorts of things that have never been a topic, and all sorts of perennial favorites, like Snape, that beg for new presentations that appeal to newbies and oldbies alike.
Idea Exchange
Kirstee: One last question from me and then I'll post this and open it up to everyone. I have some ideas for presentations, and I'm also interested in finding co-presenters. Do you have any resources for that?
Hallie: Absolutely. We have a forum on our message boards for posting things programming-related, and coming up shortly, we're going to host an idea exchange here on fromashandflame. If you want to drop off an idea or summary, or pick up one that someone else doesn't want, feel free to do so on the forums or in the upcoming idea exchange posts.
Kirstee: As always, comments are welcome here, and you can e-mail programming questions to programming@thephoenixrises.org, and general questions to help@thephoenixrises.org.
This is the transcript of a chat that I had with Hallie, one of Phoenix Rising's lead event organizers. We know that making proposals to be part of conference programming can sometimes be confusing or scary, so we wanted to shed some light on the process through a question and answer session.
How To: Programming Special Edition
Click to jump to a section:
Be Part of Programming
How Programming is Chosen
Academic Submissions (papers/lectures, panels, workshops, roundtables, and the like)
Exploratory Submissions (art gallery and creative things for Artists and Authors Night: fanfiction readings, fanart portfolios, and drabble/sketch/beta reading/art critique booths)
Presenter Requirements
How to Prepare Your Proposal
Early Decisions
Previously Presented Programming
Idea Exchange
---------------------------
Be Part of Programming
Kirstee: Hi! I heard you had a bit of time to chat with me about programming, so I'm going to blitz you with all sorts of questions, especially since I know Phoenix Rising is hoping to get a variety of proposals of all sorts from fans, and also on fan topics.
Hallie: Sure. Ask away.
Kirstee: First of all, how can I become part of programming?
Hallie: Well, we do organize some programming as a conference -- we arrange for keynote speakers, for example, and we choose some overall themes. and we set the overall structure so that we can have large-scale events like Artists and Authors Night. We also arrange challenges, games, and other informal activities, and though we don't organize meetups, we have a program called Rendezvous to help you connect with others who share your passion.
That said, most of the programming that you'll find at Phoenix Rising will be proposed by fans, professionals (teachers, lawyers, librarians, businesspeople, and so on), academics, and casual fans of the Harry Potter series.
Kirstee: Okay. I'd like you to have a roundtable on Remus, and a workshop on writing --
Hallie: (Laughing.) Actually, I don't choose the programming. I oversee and support the programming volunteer staff, and I answer big conference questions and stuff, but I don't have a hand in selecting which submissions we'll include in the final schedule from the submitted proposals. It would be accurate to describe me as an observer who hangs around to make sure things stay on track and that we hold up the educational part of our purpose. So I can't be bribed, and you can't get accepted just because I like you. To explain further, I can't have an undue influence on the process, and I can't bring bias into it.
How Programming is Chosen
Kirstee: How does it work, then? Who chooses which proposals are accepted and which ones are inclined?
Hallie: We have a set of vetting boards on the website. (Well, most of them; we still have some biographies to collect.) That's one of the elements we take from the academic arena: a jury of your very qualified peers, diverse in their backgrounds and interests, and a mix of people who are familiar with this sort of thing and who are new to it, evaluate all of the proposals and choose which ones to accept. Each of the boards includes people who represent different academic and fan interests, and we think this is the best way to create a fair method for selecting programming. No one person has the entire vote on a presentation -- you are accepted or declined by a board.
So, yeah, we base this part of the conference programming on an academic model, even though we do also incorporate aspects of professional, media, and fan conferences too.
Kirstee: Is there a best sort of presentation to have? Is a paper the best thing, or a workshop, or...
Hallie: It's not quite that simple. In fact, we have two different submission systems:
- an Academic Submissions System for papers, panels, workshops, and roundtables (of all kinds -- those academic, fannish, professional, and craft-oriented)
- and an Exploratory Submissions System for Artists and Authors Night, for submitting things specifically for that event, such as fanfiction readings and fanart portfolios, booth staffing applications, and for the art gallery, which will be displayed for most of the conference.
Kirstee: Can you give me an overview of the different types of submissions? There are so many!
Hallie: There are! That's on purpose, because we want you to have a lot of options.
Academic Submissions
First, and most formal and traditional, are papers. You can submit a paper on your own or one that's co-written. This seems to work best for analyses where you want to sketch out your theory, and in an academic setting, you usually read or paper (or lecture, if you're comfortable with that) for about 15 to 20 minutes, and leave a few minutes for questions or discussion following that. Of course, if you're an experienced lecturer, you might want a longer time slot.
Another thing about paper submissions is that you can, as an individual, join with others to propose a pre-empaneled set of papers, if you really want to ensure that they'll be scheduled together back to back. In your time block, you can all take turns reading and taking questions, and of course you can ask questions of each other.
Kirstee: So -- does that mean there's no tracking? [Note: Tracking refers to grouping a type of programming in one room, whether it's a series of presentations on a TV series or putting academic analyses in one room and business-related topics in another.--Ed.]
Hallie: Oh, well, that's complicated.
We do get a lot of proposals that you could look at and right away say that's academic, that's fan, that's professional, that's creative, but that doesn't mean that the topics submitted in each area flow logically. We're also actively encouraging people in the different groups to share knowledge. I mean, as phoenix_amy noted the other day, the fans win at analysis, hands down. The straight academics win at the big picture and putting it in the context of their fields. The professionals and creative folks know how to apply and transform their topics.
So, the chance to teach someone or to learn from them, and just to get different perspectives, is a big part of this conference, and that's not even getting into how a lot of people are both professionals and fans, or academics working the creative fields, or some other crossover combination that gives them an unusual perspective. We do try to schedule topics into a logical flow in a room, but we definitely want to avoid marginalizing or isolating topics. There's no "kiddie table" here.
Scheduling is also complicated by things like room size, audio-visual availability, presenters with multiple presentations (because you don't want to schedule them across from themselves, and you want to give them time to breathe), and so on. Also, we know that when you make a proposal, you probably know how you can best get the information across, so we don't usually ask you to combine with someone else or change your format, though we from time to time have to impose a shorter time limit for very long presentations.
Since all of Phoenix Rising's scheduled programming is going to be on two adjacent floors in a single hotel -- and connected by escalators and a bank of elevators that also go directly to the guest rooms -- we think it will be easy to move from room to room to catch presentations that interest you.
Kirstee: So back to programming, then. There must be other types of presentations.
Hallie: Yes. Our online system is set up to take discussion panels, too, so those can be next. If you're more interested in talking about a topic with a few other interested parties before an audience, a discussion panel might be the way to go. You can take questions from the audience if you want, but the focus is on the discussion between panelists. These are particularly suited for talking about different viewpoints or experiences, come to think of it.
There's also the roundtable discussion option. These are meant to be intimate discussions that mirror the discussion section that would go with a college class. In nearly every case, these will be scheduled in rooms that can only hold about 30 people, because they're participatory, and if you have a big group, you don't get to hear from everyone. This is the only presentation style where we didn't build in a collaboration option, by the way, though it's possible to propose a jointly moderated roundtable. The reason for this is that it's hard for the discussion participants to know which moderator to follow, and it's actually something we've had a lot of negative feedback on [the jointly moderated option].
Anyway, roundtable discussions, in my experience, seem to go more smoothly when the moderator comes prepared with a lot of open-ended questions on a topic, and has an interest in the topic, but maybe not one that overrides their ability to let the discussion go where it needs to, whether they agree or not. It also seems to help if you can, as moderator, mostly ask questions and get the participants involved in the discussion, rather than steer the discussion they way you want it to go.
Kirstee: In other words, you might have a better time if you twist a friend's arm to submit a roundtable discussion about Stan Shunpike, if you're obsessed with him, so you can spend your time waxing poetic instead.
Hallie: Probably. As long as you have sufficient interest, at least. If you're not at all interested in Stan Shunpike, then you might want to look into Ollivander. I'm generalizing here, of course. It's possible to lead a roundtable about a topic that you're very interested in.
Anyway. Then there's the workshop option. Workshops are meant to be how-tos, hands-on, participatory... If you have something to teach, something that an attendee could sit in on and take away to do on their own, some way to help others in their craft of (for example) writing or art, a workshop might be the right option. We do try to limit the room capacity on these where possible, though not to the extent that we do with roundtables, and not in such small rooms. Think up to 100, maybe, for now. Ideally, the workshop leader or leaders can get around the room, facilitate discussion, and help people out if necessary.
Finally, we did create an "other" option, so that you could combine styles and create new ways of working with your audience. Maybe you'd like to have a panel discussion and then each panelist will split off and moderate discussions with a small group in the same room, or maybe you plan to hold a workshop and then have a set of pre-empaneled readings to wrap things up. There's a lot of flexibility in there.
Kirstee: And that's the Academic Submissions System?
Hallie: Right.
Exploratory Submissions
Kirstee: But there's also the Exploratory Programming Submissions System.
Hallie: Right again. For Phoenix Rising, programming is a huge part of our pre-New Orleans work, so we've split our work into two areas. One, the Academic Programming, coordinates all of the presentation proposals, the vetting process, and all of the correspondence that goes with that.
The other is the Exploratory Programming, which takes a more hands-on, immersive approach to educational programming. That team creates and coordinates things like writing and art challenges, games, the Remembrall Wall for exchanging fond memories related to Harry Potter, a Quest called the Horcrux Hunt -- things that you can drop in on to experience a little bit of the Harry Potter series or to use a different part of your brain in an informal setting. Exploratory Programming does, however, coordinate one important scheduled event: Artists and Authors Night.
Artists and Authors Night is an evening devoted entirely to the creativity of the online fandom. This is when we'll have our Wireless Web Network, and any online group or site that is a Phoenix Rising sponsor -- as long as we still have space -- will be provided with a table that they can use to meet with their group members and potential group members, hold their own challenges, and so on. It's when we'll hold organized Drabble and Drawble times, our official meet up for the registrants who have participated in the Paintbrush and Quill Society artists-authors collaboration (we still need artists), and we will probably ask a few fan-oriented presenters to go on this night, too, if what they're presenting on is directly related to fan creativity. (And don't think that it's just writing or art-oriented; I'm totally waiting for a knitters' presentation, for one!)
One of the things I look forward to the most is the fanfiction readings, fanart portfolios, and creativity booths. And that's where the Exploratory Programming submissions system comes in.
You can submit your fanfiction, either a single story, a bunch of short stories, or excerpts from one or more longer stories to read before an audience. If you're selected to read, you can read and discuss your fic or take questions, too.
A new thing we're trying out with Phoenix Rising is fanart portfolios. You can submit up to thirty of your pieces, and then bring them in (or show them with a computer) to an audience. We think it's a good way to show off your collection all at once, and gives you the chance to chat with people about your art without needing to put together a big talk, though we're sure the audience would love to hear commentary like what inspired a picture or what sort of media you used to create it.
If you have skills in beta reading, critiquing art (always the hardest booth to staff), drabbling, or sketching, you should apply to be a booth staffer! We're going to keep the booths open throughout the evening, and we're probably going to have staffers stay at a booth for an hour each to write or draw for other attendees, or to help them with their writing or art. And no more than an hour -- really. I've heard stories about people staffing their booth for hours after the fact, and while on the one hand I was amazed and touched and impressed, I was also HORRIFIED, because that wasn't supposed to happen! That doesn't sound like fun, in any case. So, yeah. Working on making booth staffing something that you don't have to sell your soul to participate in.
And the last thing that's sort of outside all of this is the art gallery. You can be accepted to the art gallery and have your work displayed even if you aren't able to attend (whereas with all the other presentations you have to be registered by a certain date to be included, or name a proxy to cover your presentation). We really want the gallery artists to come to Phoenix Rising, though, if they can, because alicey is working on a fabulous display, and one of our first events includes the opening of the art gallery, so it would be awesome to have the artists on hand to say thanks, and to get to talk to them about their art, and to appreciate what they've created.
Presenter Requirements
Kirstee: Speaking of participating, you have to submit a proposal for a paper, or fanfic or fanart, or some art for the gallery, or a booth staffer application, to be considered. Can anyone submit, or do you have to be in college, or a professor, or have so many reviews... All right, I do know the answer to this one, but I want to hear it again anyway.
Hallie: And I don't mind repeating it. The only requirement we have to make a proposal is that you be eligible to attend the conference, meaning that you'll be at least 18 years of age on the first day of the conference, or at least 14 with a registered chaperone. Many submitters have some other qualification to present, whether it's a Ph.D. or extensive fandom knowledge or a published book or years of teaching or...you get the picture. But I've known people with a Ph.D. to read their fanfiction while down the hall someone in their first year of college read an awesome formal analytic paper, so there you have it. And, quite honestly, the vetting boards are really interested in what you have to say, not who you are.
Kirstee: (Joking.) I'm not guaranteed a slot because I'm an oldbie?
Hallie: Nope, sorry!
This might be a good time to interject that what you've heard is true: It has to be submitted to be considered. It's not uncommon to hear someone unhappy that a conference program didn't include much (or any) on a particular topic, and then find out that little or nothing was even submitted, much less accepted.
How to Prepare Your Proposal
Kirstee: I know you don't make any decisions, but can you give me some tips on how to get my proposal accepted?
Hallie: Sure! At least, I can tell you what I've noticed from observing various vetting boards in action and serving on them in the past.
First, make sure you have all your materials together before you make a submission. Read the instructions carefully. If you're not sure about what information you need, ask programming@thephoenixrises.org. We don't bite. In fact, we appreciate having the opportunity to help you clarify the submissions process before you get stuck or frustrated.
Next, have a trusted friend or beta reader go over your submission. One glaring typo probably won't kill you, but a sloppy submission won't impress the board. They have no way of telling whether you're a good public speaker, or whether you're good at leading a discussion, or anything else, but they can tell if you're not prepared at the time of submission.
If your submission includes a bio, use that space to explain why you're a qualified or interested person to give the presentation. Note what you're interested in, what you've studied, or how you've been involved with the topic. Information like studying gender issues at Imadeitup College, is the owner of a forum dedicated to the discussion of Aberforth Dumbledore, is the author of seventeen stories about Snape, is interested in house-elves as a metaphor for bellhops, or teaches a unit on Harry Potter at Muggle Middle School every spring goes in here. Stuff like has three children, enjoys mountain biking, and craves chocolate more than Remus Lupin probably doesn't. Bios should be in third person, but we'll edit them for you if they're not (and we often edit for space reasons anyway).
Then there's the summary. It should be a short blurb that describes what you're going to do, and it should let the audience know exactly what you're going to focus on. You don't need to tell people to come; they'll attend if they're excited about your topic. Unlike a fanfiction summary, this shouldn't be just a teaser with "Read on to hear the ending!" tacked on. I'm not great at summaries, but here's a sample:
Cho Chang is one of the most hated characters in fandom, both because she wouldn't date Harry (and then she would), and because of her friendship with the traitorous Marietta Edgecombe. Are her actions any more reprehensible than those of well-loved characters of her generation, like Ginny and Hermione? Does she deserve her status as hated character due to canon and fan interpretations? In this roundtable, we will discuss these questions as well as Cho Chang's purpose and future in the series.
And someone can totally steal that summary, if they want. And that also leads into the abstract part of the proposal, which is where a lot of people go wrong.
Your abstract is the short version of your presentation. It's the whole thing in a 500-word (or fewer words) nutshell. The biggest mistake that submitters make is treating their abstract like it's a summary. They'll spell out what their argument is, and then fail to include the supporting evidence, or their sources, or how they're going to prove their theory when overwhelming evidence to the contrary exists. Or, they'll put everything out there and say something like "...and all of these pieces of evidence let us draw conclusions about Book Seven" -- and then they don't say what the conclusions are. Spoil the vetting board about your presentation. They need to know that you have a thoughtful conclusion instead of 45 minutes of great material followed by 5 minutes of crackpot ideas.
Also, the vetting board wants to know that you have a clear plan. No "maybe we'll do this, or maybe someone in the audience will suggest something, or if you want, I could...". Bring a completed abstract, not your first draft. Your paper doesn't have to be complete, and you don't have to know exactly what's going to happen every second of your workshop, but the more information you can provide, the better. Oh, and the board doesn't care what you're going to wear, either, since that comes up pretty regularly. Costumes, professional clothes, casual wear -- as long as it doesn't violate any laws, go you.
Another place where presentations sometimes go wrong is that they can be infringing, but we'll usually contact you if we see this. Taking on a topic, even one that's sensitive, can be done as a study, and that prevents a lot of infringement. Oh, and we don't accept NC-17 programming, but again, it's a matter of how you present your topic, not the topic of the presentation. If you're not sure whether your proposal includes NC-17 material or not, you can always contact us. We're happy to help hash out subtleties before you submit.
Kirstee: Does all of this work for the Exploratory Programming submissions, too? The fanart, fanfic, and booth applications? And the gallery?
Hallie: Pretty much, yeah. You still want to put together a polished proposal, even if you don't need to include all of the information I just talked about. For fanfiction, make sure you've checked your piece over carefully; the vetters will choose readings that represent as many styles, characters, themes, and ships as possible. For fanart, both for the gallery and for a portfolio showing, check your rating (here, as with the fanfic -- and the other presentations -- nothing over an R) and that you're not using a disallowed file type, since the vetters need to have the ability to open your files to check out your art.
For the booth applications, the beta reading and art critique applications include some samples to go over and give feedback on. Thoughtful responses to the samples to be critiqued show the vetters that you have the skill to work with people who want your opinions face to face. For the drabble booth, pick out some drabbles that represent your flexibility, since you never know that you'll be requested to write on the spot. For the sketch booth, we really do want to see what you can sketch on small pieces of paper or conference badges in just a minute or two, so line art or other simple pieces are great for this.
Early Decisions
Kirstee: I notice there's an early decision option if you get your proposal in by September 1, 2006. How does that work?
Hallie: That's specifically to help people whose employer or university has a conference attendance assistance program, and specifically for when the presenter needs to know in the early fall that they have a conference coming up so they can get funding for registration or travel.
In general, the boards don't start making selections until just before or after the submission deadline (November 1, 2006), so if you don't have a legitimate and verified early decision request, you won't hear back by September 10, 2006; you'll be considered a regular decision.
That said, we try to notify accepted presenters as soon as the board makes the decision so that they can take care of registering and making travel plans, so it's pretty likely that you'll know about your submission before December 1, 2006.
Previously Presented Programming
Kirstee: What's your policy on presentations that have been given at other conventions?
Hallie: We don't have an official policy. This is actually a tricky question to answer, because it's only really starting to come up now that there have been other conventions, conferences, symposia, and books published.
On the one hand, at every gathering there are going to be new people who have never heard your presentation before, or who have never had the opportunity to think about or discuss topics that in some circles have been talked about to death ages ago. So if you have presented something elsewhere and want to present the same thing again, feel free to propose it.
On the other, of course, is the fact that there are attendees who have been present at nearly every Harry Potter conference -- and the world isn't standing still. If you have a previously presented proposal, can that become five minutes of background for part two? How about a different angle? A different format? Something that connects your ideas to themes in our call for papers? Or something else entirely new? There are all sorts of things that have never been a topic, and all sorts of perennial favorites, like Snape, that beg for new presentations that appeal to newbies and oldbies alike.
Idea Exchange
Kirstee: One last question from me and then I'll post this and open it up to everyone. I have some ideas for presentations, and I'm also interested in finding co-presenters. Do you have any resources for that?
Hallie: Absolutely. We have a forum on our message boards for posting things programming-related, and coming up shortly, we're going to host an idea exchange here on fromashandflame. If you want to drop off an idea or summary, or pick up one that someone else doesn't want, feel free to do so on the forums or in the upcoming idea exchange posts.
Kirstee: As always, comments are welcome here, and you can e-mail programming questions to programming@thephoenixrises.org, and general questions to help@thephoenixrises.org.