Author: JP Dean

Presented by Fiona Finnigan

Romanticism, Neo Classicism, Symbolism, Oh My!

A look at the Victorians and their art.

Fiona Finnigan is an adjunct professor of art history at Lincoln Land Community College. She received her MA in History of Visual and Material Culture ( thats the history of stuff!) from Southern Illinois University. When she isn’t teaching or working on her steampunk gear, she likes to do every kind of needlework know to mankind.

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Presented by E. S. Fein 

Sit back and listen to a reading from Mendel’s Ladder, by E. S. Fein. Mendel’s Ladder delivers an adrenaline-fueled journey set on a dystopian future Earth, brimming with high-stakes action, adventure, and mystery. This epic series opener plunges readers into a world filled with diverse cultures, heart-pounding battles, and characters who will captivate your heart and imagination.

Outlast. Outgrow. Outlive. In the ashes of Earth, evolution is the ultimate weapon.

In 2099, Earth is unrecognizable. Ravaged by climate change, nuclear devastation, and other cataclysmic events, the planet and its people continue to undergo radical changes in order to survive. Most of humanity has allowed themselves to be transformed into Nomads, bizarre human-plant hybrids who continue their lifecycle as flesh-bearing trees connected to a vast mycelial network that forms Earth’s burgeoning consciousness. Welcome to the thrilling, action-packed, and emotionally compelling world of Mendel’s Ladder, the first book in the epic sci-fi series, The Collected Histories of Neoevolution Earth.

E. S. Fein is the author of the Neoevolution Earth Series, two standalone novels (A Dream of Waking Life and Points of Origin), and two short story collections (Ascendescenscion and The Process is Love). More than anything, he enjoys writing strange stories about strange characters in strange situations. Some people refer to him as a lucid dreaming expert. Others know him as a rapper. But E. S. Fein just thinks of himself as a dude who likes to think about what it means to be a dude thinking about being a dude. When he isn’t hanging out with his partner and son, you can usually find him reading, playing DnD and video games with his friends, going for walks while writing stories in his head before putting them on paper, or practicing yoga. Check out some free short stories on his site, Officialesfein.com.

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Presented by Josef Matulich

A selection from The Silk Empress with possible preview of the new Dale Daring penny dreadfuls.

Josef Matulich is an author, special effects artist and costumer. His Arcanum Faire trilogy, a horror/comedy of sex, magick, and power tools, was published by Cincinnati’s Post Mortem Press. The final novel “The Ren Faire at the End of the World” was released in late 2017. His novel “Squirrel Apocalypse” was released by Hydra Publications in late 2019 before assorted other End-of-the-World scenarios began to play out in real life. The steampunk misadventure “The Silk Empress” is his latest published work. He is now working on some of the penny dreadfuls which Pig so hungrily devoured.

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Presented by Green Envy & David Tenninch

Transform yourself into a fearsome creature of the night with quick and easy makeup techniques.

We’ll be covering deathly pallor, vampire fang puncture wounds, facial hair, and how to set your own custom fangs.

Green Envy is a former nightlife performer, who has been teaching special effects and historical makeup for over 10 years. When she’s not teaching, Envy can be found making cosplay TikToks (@housespock) and sewing Victorian gowns.

David Tenninch is the 2022 Chicago Vampire Queen, and has created makeup effects for medical training videos and short films. David is a talented tailor, and can also be found making cosplay content on TikTok (@housespock)

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Presented by the Curator and Professor John Alexander MacRae

Awe’s Curator will share the harrowing stories of some of the museum’s most wonder-ful, most awe-ful, and most unbelievable exhibits. You’ll see the skull of Charles Darwin, the Bucket of Immortality, vampire stakes from the VanHelsing Collection, the world’s smartest hat, and much more! Learn the history of the museum, and the backstory of the notorious, globetrotting, previously feral Curator! Everything in the Museum is real, and everything the Curator tells you is true.

The Curator was first found living as a feral child, but went on to explore the eleven corners of the globe, acquiring curiosities, oddities, artifacts, and relics all along the way. He opened the Museum to share his experiences and knowledge with the world. Everything in the Museum is real, and everything the Curator tells you is true.

Professor John Alexander MacRae, Curator Emeritus

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Presented by Michael Parodi 

Explore the early films that influenced the concept of Steampunk!

Come talk about the movies that the presenter feels influenced the concept of Steampunk.

Let’s explore the movies from the 50’s and 60’s (and even earlier) that led to what we came to know as steampunk.

Michael Parodi retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Army after 30 years of Active and Reserve duty in the U.S. Army. He is a true to life airship commander. He currently manages a fleet of eight aerostats supporting national and border security for the United States.

Countless hours of Michael’s youth were spent watching classic movies like “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, “First Men in the Moon”, “The Lost World”, and “The Time Machine.” When not engrossed with the small black and white screen, he was enthralled with the novels and short stories of HG Wells, Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, Robert A. Heinlein and Frank Herbert. These great works fostered Michael with a vivid imagination, and he discovered at an early age that he also had a talent for costuming. It was an easy step to make the characters in his imagination come alive. Now, after over 50 years of passion and dedication, he has become an aficionado of fantasy and science fiction.

Michael spends time on a variety of projects using several mediums. Michael’s interests and techniques fluctuate depending on the project and the whims of his muse. He is especially drawn to Steampunk because the Victorian aesthetic feeds well into the movies and books he loved the most in his youth. Drawing on his experiences traveling around the world, and immersing himself into various cultures – he brings an extraordinary level of inventive detail to his creations.

He is the proprietor and master artist of Master Creations, Enterprises located in Hayes, Virginia. He and his team have received multiple accolades and awards for his costumes, props and vehicles across the United States. He is also a member of the Hatton Cross Steampunk family. He is currently working on two novels and is continuing to create wondrous contraptions.

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Presented by Fiona Finnigan

Death, the Great Unifier, unknowable and unavoidable. What else is there to do then, but to make Art about it?

This presentation takes a look at death imagery in Western Art, focusing in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries.

Fiona Finnigan is an adjunct professor of art history at Lincoln Land Community College. She received her MA in History of Visual and Material Culture ( thats the history of stuff!) from Southern Illinois University. When she isn’t teaching or working on her steampunk gear, she likes to do every kind of needlework know to mankind.

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Presented by David T.

Workshop Material Fee – $3

Calling all vampires! Make a fashionable jar to carry some spare blood around.

We’ll fill it with a glittering, nonalcoholic “blood” you can actually drink.

David T. is a costumer and crafter and the 2022 Vampire Queen of Chicago. He lives with his wife in a haunted Victorian home in Waukegan.

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