As some of you know, I’m nominated for a Hugo as part of the fine crew at Fireside Fiction! Thanks to the amazing generosity of a friend, I am able to attend WorldCon and the Hugo awards ceremony in Dublin next month!

Here is my programme schedule, all times are local Dublin time.

Creating wonderful new worlds

Format: Panel 15 Aug 2019, Thursday 19:00 – 19:50, Wicklow Hall-1 (CCD)

Contemporary speculative fiction features a wonderfully diverse selection of authors, stories, and worlds. Drawing on cultures, histories, mythologies, and landscapes (or something completely new), how do authors develop just the right world to tell their tale? From technology to petticoats, the devil is in the details. So what does it take to make a perfect world? What can we learn from some of today’s fiction about how to do it right and wrong?

Tanya DePass (I Need Diverse Games), Emma Newman, Simon R Green, Gordon Van Gelder (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction) (M)

Representation of marginalised people in games

Format: Panel 16 Aug 2019, Friday 16:00 – 16:50, ECOCEM Room (CCD)

In recent years there has been a lot of discussion about representation of women in games, but issues of representation and experience still need greater attention across the industry. How diverse and inclusive is gaming today? What should we know and what can we do?

Laser Malena-Webber (The Doubleclicks) (M), Sam Fleming, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, Tanya DePass (I Need Diverse Games)

Black superheroes in TV and film

Format: Panel 16 Aug 2019, Friday 19:00 – 19:50, Wicklow Hall 2B (CCD)

It’s not just Black Panther. Miles Morales stormed into cinemas at the end of last year; on the small screen, we’ve had Luke Cage and Black Lightning. (And in print, Nnedi Okorafor has kicked off a new series about Shuri.) As we continue to see more leading roles for black superheroes, how are they redefining familiar tropes and narratives around gender, technology, and community?

Russell A Smith (M), Tanya DePass (I Need Diverse Games), Errick Nunnally, Rivers Solomon

The popularity of livestreaming games

Format: Panel 17 Aug 2019, Saturday 18:00 – 18:50, Liffey Room-1 (CCD)

One of the most common reactions we hear when talking about livestreaming is: ‘You want to watch other people play games? Why?!’ On this panel, we discuss why streaming on platforms like Twitch or Critical Role has been exploding in popularity in recent years.

Ciaran Roberts (Six to Start) (M), Tanya DePass (I Need Diverse Games), Avery Delany, Ell Schulman

Writing past our literary blind spots

Format: Panel
18 Aug 2019, Sunday 10:00 – 10:50, Wicklow Room-1 (CCD)

A writer’s subconscious, experiences, and social influences can conspire to cause trouble during the creation process. It’s possible to catch some issues such as lifeless tropes, cultural faux pas, and stereotypes, but it’s impossible to catch them all. Our panellists share tips on how to see through our literary blind spots – as well as how to thoughtfully point them out in the work of others during the editing and critique process.

Panelists: R.W.W. Greene (New Hampshire Writers’ Project) (M)Tanya DePass (I Need Diverse Games), Michelle Sagara , Shaoyan Hu, John R. Douglas

Autographs: Sunday at 11:00

Format: Autographing

18 Aug 2019, Sunday 11:00 – 11:50, Level 4 Foyer (CCD)

Kate Elliott, Yasser Bahjatt (Yatakhayaloon Co. Ltd.) , Sazib Bhuiyan (Can With Candle), Tanya DePass (I Need Diverse Games), John Connolly, Kate Heartfield

Reading: Monday 14:30

Not sure what I’ll read yet, but I’ll be there hope to see you at CCD Liffey Room-3!

Published by cypheroftyr

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers, attendance at the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make the industry better and more inclusive for everyone. She’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics online, at conventions and as a public speaker.. She’s also contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games and is the co-developer for the Fifth Season RPG based on N.K. Jemisin’s three time Hugo award winning Broken Earth trilogy. She’s the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a Twitch supported RPG and Actual Play stream, airing weekly on her channel, twitch.tv/cypheroftyr. Additionally, she is a Senior Annenberg labs Civic Media Fellow at USC. She’s also the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sci fi afro-futurist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators; live streamed on her twitch channel, /cypheroftyr. She’s named as one of The Game Awards Future Class 2020, a diverse group of builders, thinkers and dreamers whose voices elevate and diversify our artform. It recognizes individuals around the world who represent the bright, bold and inclusive future for video games. She was also named as one of Gamers of the Year 2020 by Kotaku along with three of her contemporaries. She was also invited to the Xbox MVP program in February 2021. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021. Tanya is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She also serves on the Board of Directors for OrcaCon and was named the Chair for Take This in January 2023. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press) Writer Bio for pubs: Tanya is the Founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago. She’s part of Rivals of Waterdeep, an actual play D&D show on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep; the programming coordinator for OrcaCon & GaymerX; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. She’s on the Board of Take This as well as a Stream Ambassador, and was part of the inaugural cohort of The Game Awards Future Class. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.