SigmaCon: For Lovers of Pop Culture and Literature

The 2017 Convention will feature many favorite tried-and-true activities: opportunities to hear famous writers; sessions featuring original essays, fiction, and poetry; events for your Regions; and gloriously, intentionally horrible bad poetry. This year, we also are introducing a Friday night event called SigmaCon.

SigmaCon offers lovers of pop culture and literature an opportunity to gather with others who love popular art forms and culture, comics, fandoms, and (of course) literature from across the ages. Whether you bring your favorite fandom t-shirts or go full out as any character from books, film, TV, or comics, you are sure to bump into other fellow fans. All interests from Elizabeth Bennett to Harley Quinn, Captain Jack Sparrow to Caliban, are welcome!

Our special guests include Jeff VanderMeer and Roland Paris. VanderMeer is the author of Annihilation (whose forthcoming film adaptation stars Natalie Portman, among others) and Wonderbook, co-author of The Steampunk Bible, and co-editor of The Big Book of Sci Fi. Paris has been an inker for Marvel Entertainment, and has worked on titles such as Amazing Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel, among others. He also has worked with DC Comics, Image, Top Cow, Chaos, and was on staff at CrossGen for three years.

Conference attendees will already have heard VanderMeer speak on Friday afternoon. But SigmaCon offers you the chance to meet both guests in person, ask questions about their lengthy careers and collaborative processes, get autographs, and even grab a photo. Paris also will be selling original comic outlines and sketches of attendees’ favorite heroes.

Sigma Tau Delta members will also have the opportunity to sell their own original artwork or merchandise, or to purchase books, comics, and other items from local vendors. In addition, Student Leadership will be hosting trivia and cosplay contests. And we’ll have giveaways, too: door prizes you will not want to miss.

In short, SigmaCon offers a bit of everything for everyone!

And speaking of which … are you someone who creates your own original fan art in poster or button form? Do you do caricatures of friends and family in anime style? Has your chapter designed a parody t-shirt based on a popular television series or movie adaptation? Reserve your table space at SigmaCon now by writing to us at [email protected] no later than March 15. Your email should include the types of merchandise you will have available for purchase or the skills you hope to share with your fellow members.

Shannin Schroeder, 2017 Convention Chair
[email protected]