Category: Program

Watch the Watch (18+)

Post author By JP Dean
Post date February 4, 2026

Games Master: Rhonda Rehmke
Gaming System: Dungeons & Dragons 5e
Players: 6
Gaming Time: 3 hours
Sign Up at the main Registration Desk in the Atrium Lobby

In a gallery of mysterious living paintings, the group finds themselves in possession of a brass key. The ghostly curator explains they must find the proper key to exit the gallery somewhere within. They find themselves following an elusive rabbit that seems to be just out of reach. Finding the right path is difficult and full of trials ending in a choice that could change them.

Rhonda Rehmke, gamer tag VeternRoge63, has been playing roleplaying games for more years than she is willing to admit. It began with a group of friends inviting her to play AD&D like so many others. Her enjoyment of the game that allowed her to freely express her imagination grew as she began to pass it along to her family and friends. Family gaming night became a love of hers and joining with her sister they decided they would start a campaign with just three other family members. From that point on it did stop. Now Rhonda also enjoys gaming and creating her own worlds and stories and sharing them at conventions. She currently is teaching her grandkids D&D5e, to help them with reading and math, and to inspire their creativity.

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Carroll and the Occult (13+)

Post author By JP Dean
Post date February 2, 2026

Presented by Kay Gray and Crysta K Coburn

Did you know Lewis Carroll was very close to the occult? You might have, considering his books. But! Join Crysta and Kay from Haunted Mitten Podcast to learn about the details and weird intricacies of Carroll’s involvement with Aleister Crowley, the Golden Dawn, and his dive into psychical research.

Kay Gray has been podcasting for seven years, studying the paranormal for upwards of twenty years, and is a short story pro. A So Cal ex-pat who calls the snowy depths of Michigan home, when she’s not writing fantastical stories, one can find her neck deep in research for her podcast, Haunted Mitten, which she co-hosts with her partner in paranormal, Crysta K Coburn. Otherwise, you can be sure that she is surrounded by needy pets while she reads yet another fantasy book.

To get the latest podcasts, head to hauntedmitten.com. To delve into the mind of Kay herself (reader beware), check out her social media @KGrayWrites. And find her latest book, Ypsilanti Ghosts and Legends, at your local bookstore!

Crysta K. Coburn has been writing award-winning stories for most of her life. Her first short story was published at the age of sixteen after winning runner-up in a local writing contest. She earned her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Western Michigan University in 2005. She is a fiction writer, poet, playwright, journalist, editor, podcast host, and occasional lyricist. She co-hosts the popular podcast Haunted Mitten. Her latest book, Ypsilanti Ghosts and Legends, can be found at your local bookstore. Find her online at crystakcoburn.com.

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Walking Through Neverland: Scrying in Theory and Practice – Part the Second! (18+)

Post author By JP Dean
Post date January 28, 2026

Presented by Jeffrey S. Kupperman

Last year we discussed the art of scrying. Due to health reasons the practicum had to be cancelled. Join us this year for Part 2 – Scrying in Practice! Scrying is the art of seeing what is far away or what cannot be seen with the eye alone. In this session we will engage in scrying preliminaries (safety first!) and a pathworking.

Jeffrey S. Kupperman (he/him) is a scholar, artist, teacher, and practitioner. Jeffrey has a master’s degree in religious studies from Lancaster University and, having studied religion at Liverpool Hope University, has a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Liverpool. He has studied religion, mythology, and magic for over thirty years and has taught college courses in religious studies, theology, philosophy, and anthropology. His esoteric studies and practices range from Freemasonry to Neoplatonism, tarot and traditional astrology, Victorian and Edwardian occultism, and beyond.

He was the founder and publisher of the Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition (jwmt.org). He has contributed several papers on kabbalah, tarot, Hermeticism, alchemy, and theurgy and chapters to books on practical occultism and Freemasonry. His first two books, Living Theurgy and A Theurgist’s Book of Hours (Avalonia Books), focus on the philosophy and theurgy of Iamblichus of Chalcis and the religious Platonic revival.

When not hip-deep in research, Jeffrey can be found in pursuit of an ever-revolving series of hobbies, special interests, and hyper-fixations. These include icon painting, creating illuminated certificates, martial arts, bookbinding, D&D, designing coloring books, and so on. An avid member of the steampunk community, he can be found at presenting at conventions. He can be found presenting on a diversity of topics from necromancy, crossroad curses, talismanry, angel- and demonology, and just about anything from the 6,000 years of religious and occult history he has crammed in his head. He currently resides in central Wisconsin with his children.

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Art Nouveau Appreciation

Post author By JP Dean
Post date January 26, 2026

Presented by Gregory Laffrenzen

Step into the flowing lines and organic beauty that shaped the visual soul of the fin-de-siècle era. This panel explores the origins, influences, and motifs of art nouveau, including its expression in architecture, furniture, fashion, and graphic design. We’ll see examples of this revolutionary style and how it reacted against industrialization while still embracing modern materials and craftsmanship. This panel offers both visual delight and cultural context for one of the most iconic aesthetics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Gregory Laffrenzen failed out of computer science but got an art minor instead, which exposed him to a fair amount of different art styles. That was when he fell in love with art nouveau with its mix of whimsy and grace. He doesn’t need much of an excuse to look up a lot of examples and talk about how cool it is.

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Punking Your Plushies Workshop

Post author By JP Dean
Post date January 23, 2026

Presented by Kathryn Poe & Lisa Hansen

Materials Fee – $5
Time – 90 minutes

Bring your plushies for some steamy fun with a brief presentation on what to consider when steampunking your plushie friends, followed by hands-on workshop time together brainstorming and applying tips from Kathryn’s presentation.

Materials and equipment will be provided, but please bring any decorating materials you’d like to use and/or share. Extra non-toxic glue and scissors are also always helpful.

$5 materials fee collected at the beginning of the workshop portion. Looky-loos without plushies will not be charged.

*Special appearance by HG Cephalopod & Friends modeling their latest looks.**

Kathryn Poe has been active in Steampunk for well over a decade and is a founding member of the Ghost Airship Allegory based in Dallas. She has given workshops and presentations at many events from Teslacon to Anime & Media cons to local library events. Kathryn is a Trainer and Instructional Designer for money to pay for steampunk stuff and is owned by four opinionated felines.

Lisa Hansen is a crafting addict who is delighted to share with others her passion and supply stash that she probably will not outlive. She enjoys imagining and creating with others, particularly those who are not yet adults in age or mindset. Her current obsession outside steampunk is with miniatures (often on the dark side). She also dabbles in needle felting, clay, encaustic painting and paper arts, with an unhealthy number of unused rubber stamps.

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A History of Vaudeville (13+)

Post author By JP Dean
Post date January 22, 2026

Presented by Greg Pizzino

Join us for a brief historical overview of America’s most popular entertainment at the turn of the century, from its origins in the concert saloons to its eventual end at the hands of the motion picture.

Greg Pizzino is an author, playwright and performer from Ypsilanti, MI whose work often intersects with historical oddities. His short fiction, (published under his Thomas Gregory pen name) has appeared in numerous anthologies including “The Queen of Clocks and Other Steampunk Tales,” “Fairytales Punk’d Vol. 1 & 2,” and the Harvey Duckman Presents series. He is the author of numerous plays and audio dramas including “Lee’s Grand Tiki,” “Scav,” “The Gillman Problem,” and “Whatever Happened to Captain Future.” Currently, he serves as technical director at Ypsilanti’s Neighborhood Theatre Group.

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What Art Was Everybody Else Doing Anyway: Non-Western Art in the 19th Century.

Post author By JP Dean
Post date January 16, 2026

Presented by Fiona Finnigan

While the sun was never setting on the British Empire, and the Victorians and Edwardians were busy making art in Europe and the United States, what were people in the rest of the world doing? Also making art. We will look at some of the 19th century art styles from other parts of the world, including Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Fiona Finnigan received her Master in History of Visual and Material Culture (that’s the history of stuff!) from Southern Illinois University. She is an adjunct professor of art at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois. In her free time, she enjoys working on her steampunk gear, and doing every kind of needlework known to mankind.

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Through the Looking Glass: Ways of Seeing in 19th Century Art

Post author By JP Dean
Post date January 13, 2026

Presented by Fiona Finnigan

The Victorians and Edwardians had many ways of seeing their world, and even more ways of depicting it in art. From the drama and emotion of Romanticism, to the hard-nosed reality of Realism, to the strange, esoteric world of the Symbolist, and the fleeting, modern life of the Impressionists, we will consider some of the ways 19th and early 20th century artists depicted their world, focusing primarily on the medium of portraiture.

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A Magical Guide to Wonderland

Post author By JP Dean
Post date January 6, 2026

A Magical Guide to Wonderland, Being a Discussion of the Many and Varied Denizens of the Astral Plane and Beyond

Presented by Jeffrey S. Kupperman

The Wonderland books are filled with fantastic realms filled with denizens strange and bizarre. Some have suggested that Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, had at least some working knowledge of the occult, possibly from the Theosophical Society, and so might well have been familiar with the astral and other planes of existence. Join us as we discuss realities beyond the physical and the beings that inhabit them.