Another ConQuesT weekend has arrived. I have art in the art show, and here’s my programming schedule: Story in a Bag SAT 10 AM & Story in a Bag SAT 12 PM Women of Star Trek SAT 3 PM From Lieutenant Uhura to Captain Janeway women have been an important part of the Star Trek franchise. This panel will discuss the role of women in the Star Trek franchise and how it has evolved and changed…

The fine folks at Archon 39 have posted the programming schedule for this weekend and it looks like it’s going to be a great weekend! You’ll find my art in the show and me in person on the following panels: Friday 7:30 PM — Art Reception, Great Rivers Ballroom B 9 PM — Yard Dog Press Presents Readings and Interpretive Dance, Marquette B Saturday 1 PM — Draw with the Pros, Marquette B 5 PM…

Good stuff on the left, not -so-good stuff on the right. Photo by Allison Stein 2014

Have you ever thought about what the phrase “You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear” really means? It’s another way of saying that you can’t make a high-quality product from poor-quality materials. Don’t waste your time and money using cheaply made, sub-standard materials; it will only cause you frustration and end with work you simply aren’t satisfied with. If you want to produce quality product, use quality materials. (If you are patient…

Here’s my schedule for SoonerCon, June 27-28 in Oklahoma City: Friday, June 27 3 pm —Tut, Tut Mummy! Why this strange fascination with the dried-up husks of dead people? You don’t see movie franchises about Mayans or the Inuit. Why have other myth systems been left behind in the (mummy) dust? 5 pm — A Game of Thrones: A Fan’s Addiction (moderator) Is the series a dark fantasy or rather, a soap opera with swords…

It’s no secret that I have an addiction to pens (and pencils and paint). When I see pens on clearance, I’ll test one out to see if it’s one I’d like to add to my collection. Sometimes, the only testing surface available is the shelf tag itself. One day as I uncapped a pen to test, I reached for the shelf tag and realized, to my surprise, that I had Been Here Before.