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Panel ballot deadline is tomorrow, February 1. Thanks to the 55 folks who have already filled it out. If you haven’t yet, go here and give us your thoughts. If you already did, and now you want to check back on the ballot results, here’s a quick link.

You can fill out the panel ballot now. Ballot will remain open until 11:59 PM on February 1. Please take a moment to let us know what you’d like to see at Escapade 2012. You can still write in ideas, and they may make the schedule. Be creative.

Drop by and chat about what you’d like to see on the schedule for Escapade 2012. We’re trying a different format tonight. It’s a live chat room. You can join by going to this link: http://client11.addonchat.com/chat.php?id=557032&s. Just enter your badge name when it prompts you for “User Name” and come on in!

If you have a chance to hop onto the escapade-chat yahoo group and discuss some panel ideas (or just drop by to chat), we’d love to hear from you.

Escapade 2012: The Slashpocalypse

In keeping with the theme of Slashpocalypse, half of your convention committee has been struck with the plague. (Okay, colds and flu, then the next set of colds and flu, then a third set of colds and flu.) We appear to be healing–finally!–and are applying our rediscovered energies to repairing Escapade’s technical difficulties. The following items, once broken, are now working:

• Panel suggestion form
• Hotel reservation form
• Vid submission form

If you’re still having trouble with any of these, please, please email us at info@escapadecon.net.

DETAILS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR ATTENDEES

Convention Registration. The list of current, registered attendees is here: http://escapadecon.net/registration/list-of-attending-members/. If you spot someone who’s missing, tell them to get themselves registered right away! In this of all years, when the end of (Mayan) days, or meteors, or various other end-of-civilization themes are in the works, we want to see all our old friends, and we want to make new friends.

Online Panel Planner Forums: Monday January 16 & Wednesday, January 18. As of this writing, we have 29 panel suggestions. We need more, in order to ensure variety, brilliance, and laughter in the panel rooms. So we’re trying something new; we’re hosting two live events, one on the escapade-chat group on Monday at 5 PM Pacific/8PM Eastern, one in an online chat room here: http://client11.addonchat.com/chat.php?id=557032&s on Wednesday at 7 PM Pacific/10 PM Eastern. Of course, you can discuss panels amongst yourselves on the LJ or DW communities or the escapade-chat group at any time.

Panels that have already been suggested are here: http://escapadecon.net/panels/list-of-panel-suggestions/. Is your fandom represented? Is your favorite tech element (vidding, graphic art, writing, porny toys, etc.) represented? If not, feel free to offer suggestions here: http://escapadecon.net/panels/suggest-a-panel/. During our Online Panel Planner Forums, we’ll throw out ideas, brainstorm, and distill the very essence of slashy goodness in panel-topic form. We will be accepting panel suggestions through 6:00 AM PST on Thursday, January 17.

Panel Selection. After the panel planning, comes panel picking. Once we have received, compiled, and in some cases combined panel suggestions, we’ll post the panel ballot. This is another of those places where you make Escapade your convention; your votes determine what panels make the cut and get into one of the three tracks of panels (fandom-specific, meta topics, and tech/workshops). Watch for the announcement, then make sure to vote for the panels you want to attend, and volunteer for those you’d like to moderate.

Hotel reservations. The hotel reminds us that the deadline for our Escapade convention rate is January 23. If you have not yet made your reservation, please do so ASAP, and certainly before the 23^rd. If you have special needs (disabled room, refrigerator, etc.) please drop us an email (info@escapadecon.net) and we’ll hook you up directly with hotel staff who can help you.

Songvid submissions. We’re delighted with the submissions received so far. If you’re dragging your feet, now is the time to get into action! The deadline for vid submission is January 16. If you anticipate having difficulty making that deadline, please contact Killa directly (killabeezish@gmail.com).

Art show. If you’re considering bringing art (either your own original art, art for resale, or crafts to be auctioned), all the details are available on the website: http://escapadecon.net/art-show/art-show-submission-instructions/. There is also a form there, to let Shoshanna know what you’re planning to bring.

Rides & roommates. People have already started conversations on the escapade-chat list to organize shared rides to the convention. Please post there (or on LJ or DW if you’d like to offer/request a ride or room share for the convention. There are usually plenty of folks who will be happy to help.

Scholarship. We have invited greensilver to be the first recipient of the Sandy Herrold Memorial Scholarship. Thanks to everyone who has donated to the scholarship fund so far (in no particular order): Katbear, Morgan Dawn, Raine Wynd, Aral, sinead, killa, and all of those friends of Sandy’s who forwarded donations to sockpuppet. Please consider donating to the scholarship fund by check (Escapade, P.O. Box 1753, Goleta, CA 93116) or paypal (info@escapadecon.net).

We have not received nominees for non-vidder scholarship recipients! If you know a fan who A) would like to attend Escapade, B) can’t make the finances of attending a weekend-long convention make sense, and C) would be willing to volunteer 5 hours on site (bonus points if they would be willing to co-moderate panels), please nominate this person by sending us an email (info@escapadecon.net). Include name, contact information, a link to their website if they write/vid/art, and why you think they would be good scholarship recipients. We will do our best to decide and get information out to potential recipients as quickly as possible.

Oral History Project. Morgan Dawn and Franzi are launching the Escapade Oral History project. During the convention, they will have timeslots available for folks who’d like to share their unique experience of fandom, the things that drew them to fandom, the friendships they’ve made, the stories, vids, or art that they’ve created and how fandom has impacted their lives. The recorded audio interviews will be initially archived by Escapade, with the goal of locating a more permanent home such as the Organization for Transformative Works (a fan run non-profit, which would most likely make them available online) or the Fanzine Archives located in Iowa. They will available for future generations of fans and visitors to listen to. Excerpts may also be included in articles, books, or other media. Contact Franzi (fdickson@ix.netcom.com) if you’d like to schedule a slot, Morgan Dawn (mdawn6@yahoo.com) if you’d like more information about the project

Keep an eye on the website (www.escapadecon.net), journals (LJ & DW) and yahoogroups (escapade-news & escapade-chat) for up-to-the-minute details as the convention draws near. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us (info@escapadecon.net).

We’re looking forward to seeing you!

The Escapade Scholarship Drive

It’s that time of year again, when we make the call for donations to the Escapade scholarship fund.

The Escapade scholarship program has subsidized a number of fans over the years, people who couldn’t have made it without a little extra help in the finances area. The program works because it’s like the rest of Escapade: you make it work. Over the years your contributions have brought new fans to Escapade. Your contributions have brought fans who maintain archives and lists and communities. And of course your contributions have brought fanfic writers to the con. This year, among other potential recipients, your contributions will bring a vidder.

We have established the Sandy Herrold Memorial Scholarship. This is our first dedicated scholarship, and it is named for a woman who contributed great passion, enthusiasm, and mentoring to all kinds of fans. Because Sandy was such a big creator and promoter of vidding, it seems right and proper that the recipient of her scholarship also be a vidder with passion and enthusiasm.

As always, 100% of your contributions will go directly to recipient expenses (things like airfare, hotel, and meals). As always, we will divide up scholarship funds based on nominees’ needs and how we can help as many people as possible.

As always, this program rests on your generosity. If you would like to contribute to the scholarship fund, you can donate by Paypal or by check (made out to Escapade, P.O. Box 1753, Goleta, CA 93116).

Any amount you can give, from $1 to $1,000, helps tremendously. It helps attendees who couldn’t otherwise make it; it helps programming, because scholarship recipients are required to volunteer and co-moderate panels; it helps your karma.

We have said elsewhere that the scholarship program represents two of many great ideals of slash fandom: community and support. Your donations represent another ideal of this community: generosity.

 

We thank you.

The Con Com

Introducing the Sandy Herrold Memorial Escapade Scholarship.

For many years now, Escapade has maintained a scholarship program that is funded by generous attendee contributions and the con com. It has assisted more than 20 attendees who, for financial reasons, might not otherwise have been able to attend Escapade. The scholarship program represents two of many great ideals of slash fandom: community and support. This year, to
acknowledge and remember a fannish hostess and dear friend who embodied both of these ideals, we will endow the Sandy Herrold Memorial Escapade Scholarship. It will support at least one vidder.

Sandy loved vidding. She loved watching vids, making vids, critiquing vids, and the entire art of the process. She loved the vid community. To honor her contributions to that community, the Herrold Scholarship will assist a vidder.

It’s up to you to nominate potential scholarship recipients. If you know a vidder who:

A) would like to attend Escapade,

B) can’t make the finances of attending a weekend-long convention make sense, and

C) would be willing to volunteer 5 hours on site (bonus points if they would be willing to co-moderate panels)

Please nominate this person by sending us an email (info@escapadecon.net). Include name, contact information, and why you think they would be a good scholarship recipient.

If your nominee plans to submit vids for Escapade’s Saturday night premiere show, let us know that too.

As always, the general scholarship fund will support any attendees (vidders or non-vidders) as funds are available. If you know someone for whom requirements A, B, and C above would work, please use this opportunity to Nominate that person as well. Nominees this year can be people who have attended Escapade in the past, or people who have never attended but would like to.

The nomination period is open now, and will remain open until December 18. We will announce all scholarship recipients by Christmas, to give attendees as much time as possible to make their travel arrangements.

Bring a friend to Escapade!

On November 9, the Escapade registration rate went from $100 to $130. But, it’s still not too late to get in at the lower price. Just bring a friend who has never been to Escapade or who hasn’t attended in the past 5 years and both of you will get the discounted price! We’re really looking forward to seeing both old friends and new people at the convention in February 2012.

This invitation expires 1/1/2012.

P.S. The reg form has been updated to have “Bring a Friend” as an option, and there is a field to enter the friend’s name.

We have extended the Escapade Vid Show submission deadline to January 16, 2012 (from the 15th) to give everyone the full weekend to get their vids done & submitted. Also, just for fun, we’ve removed all reference to videoTAPE. 🙂

It’s been sort of a stealth campaign so far, but the Escapade website is up, and the registration form is active. Be sure to register and pay by November 6 to get the extended discount rate of $100. Register now!