EnchantiCon 2025: Full Schedule

10:00am CDT

Fan Works for the New Era

Friday August 15, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT

Join hosts Jo and Valerie (WhimsyGossip) for an exploration of the world of fan films and new media. They’ll take us through the process of bringing beloved stories off the page with their own styles and interpretations as well as share some snippets and stories from their productions.

Presenters

Jo Fischer

Jo Fischer is a storyteller and filmmaker from Kansas City, MO. Their debut novel Chasing Starlight releases in 2026. As Assistant Director of Whimsy Gossip Productions, Jo brings magic to life on screen. When not writing or filming, they step into the story, cosplaying beloved... Read More →

Valerie (Whimsy Gossip)

Valerie is an actress, co-host of the Whimsy Gossip Podcast, and co-producer at Whimsy Gossip Productions. She likes to think of herself as a jack-of-all-nerdoms. Whether it's fantasy, anime, Disney, or anything in between, she is all in. At her core, she is a storyteller and entertainer... Read More →

Friday August 15, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Regency C

Panel

11:15am CDT

Not the Droids: Finding Your Way Through the Star Wars Universe

Friday August 15, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Midway Suite 5

Want to explore a galaxy far, far away but not sure where to start? Love Star Wars but want to dive in more? This is the panel for you. Not the Droids Podcast will be jumping to lightspeed to help you navigate the vast universe of Star Wars and help you on your path to the light (or dark) side.

Presenters

Dani Mione

Dani is a fan of all things, creator and host of the Creating Magic podcast and Not the Droids podcast. Dani can be found creating content, sewing, reading and exploring all the fantastical worlds. You can find her at @magicelleadventures on most platforms.

Mayuri Patel

Mayuri is a romance and fantasy fangirl who lives for swoony slow burns, epic magic, and the morally gray love interests everyone warned you about. She co-hosts Not The Droids podcast, watching every Star Wars thing in-universe (yes, even that one), and Spiced Volumes, where the... Read More →

Friday August 15, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Midway Suite 5

Panel

2:30pm CDT

Spells, Potions, and Tech with a Multicultural Lens

Friday August 15, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT

Regency A

Words, mixtures, and gadgets are story tools with a multicultural appeal. Their commonalities throughout cultures and history lend validity to contemporary stories of magic and encourage us to embrace the extraordinary. In this session, join panelists as they discuss the influence of multicultural magical representations - Pele (fire), Simurgh (wind), Mama Wata (water) - in fantasy, and build magic to embrace the fantastical in our lives. We will discuss the elemental five, deconstruct spells and potions for each, and watch segments in visual media where multicultural spells, potions and tech storytelling tools are utilized. Spells, potions and pens will be provided. Simply bring your curiosity!

Presenters

Evie Able

Evie Able is the author of the Bad Little Fairy, Hiding Dragons and Phoenix Ashe books series and winner of the Kroger Award for Excellence in Creative Writing. Able Focuses on interweaving paranormal elements into multicultural children’s and young adult stories, creating unique... Read More →

Friday August 15, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
Regency A

Panel

3:45pm CDT

Representation Through The World of Dungeons & Dragons and Fantasy

Friday August 15, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Regency A

Fantasy is often our ticket to reimagining ourselves and our world. It’s no surprise a medium like D&D has inspired many different people to express their own story. That success has even translated into storytelling adaptations, like The Legend of Vox Machina. Why does D&D present such a valuable opportunity to develop diverse characters? What makes fantasy a great platform for different kinds of storytelling? Join us on our quest to uncover what makes for compelling characters and stories!

Presenters

Jaine Torres

Jaine fell in love with fandom because of the love, acceptance, and friendships she has made. If you find her at the con say hi. She is a 'professional' DM, 'professional' con attendee, and professional nerd! Interests include but are not limited to: D&D, Pokemon, Harry Potter, fun... Read More →

Nana Kay

Your not-so-niche Chicagoland indie author known for poetry, prose, and even her satirically sassy video shorts about life and media. As a lover of storytelling, her work often explores philosophy, media, and culture to draw creative parallels to social happenings. If she’s not... Read More →

Friday August 15, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Regency A

Panel

3:45pm CDT

Strengthening Family Bonds Through Fiction and Fandom

Friday August 15, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Midway Suite 5

Family relationships strengthen through shared experiences and interests. During this session, father-daughter duo Jamie and Katie will share how fiction, fandoms, and cons have helped them build an incredible relationship. Co-host Derek will also share how he used these techniques with his young children after attending one of these sessions.

Presenters

Katie Smith

Katie is a passionate public speaker, swing dance instructor, and community builder. She’s been attending Mischief Management events since 2018, and is thrilled to return as a presenter. She has been a swing dance instructor for two years, helping people of all backgrounds discover... Read More →

Jamie Smith

Jamie was a regular attendee of LeakyCon starting in 2018 in Dallas and is a lifelong fiction fan. By day, he’s a technologist; by passion, a theme park enthusiast who grew up in South Lake Tahoe and has explored Disneyland, Disney World, and Universal Orlando. He’s always ready... Read More →

Friday August 15, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Midway Suite 5

Panel

10:00am CDT

A Dungeon Master's Guide to D&D for Kids

Saturday August 16, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT

Midway Suite 5

Interested in introducing youth to Dungeons and Dragons? Come learn some basic info about being a Dungeon Master, tips for working with youth, and tools to create content that feels safe and inclusive to explore!

Presenters

Bekah Gautrowski

Bekah Gautrowski is a Dungeon Master from Seattle, Washington who professionally hosts youth-focused D&D games for parties and events. She loves to use RPGs to build social-emotional skills in young people and let them stretch their creative muscles. She has two rescued greyhounds... Read More →

Saturday August 16, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Midway Suite 5

Panel

10:00am CDT

The Evolution of Fandoms

Saturday August 16, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT

Regency A

Starting with Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, through to newer fandoms like Fourth Wing, join us for a discussion about how fandoms have evolved over time. How do social media, BookTok, and fanfic communities shape modern fandom culture?

Presenters

Mike Schubert

Creator/Host/Editor/Producer, Potterless & The Newest Olympian

Mike Schubert is the creator, host, and editor of Potterless, a podcast with over 75,000,000 downloads, following his journey as a grown man reading the Harry Potter series for the first time. Each episode, he is joined by a different HP fan to poke fun at things that don't make sense... Read More →

Jo Fischer

Dylan Ward

Dylan is a writer, bookbinder, and content creator hailing from the Pacific Northwest. His debut novel, The Lies We Tell—a literary exploration of ambition, legacy, and deception in the publishing world—releases April 2026. He’s also at work on a dark fantasy trilogy filled... Read More →

Chloé Laverson

Chloé is a lifelong fangirl (it all started with the Boy Who Lived) who turned her love of magic and dressing up into a side gig as a fantasy, fashion, cosplay, and fandom content creator.She believes pink is a neutral, fantasy-inspired outfits belong at the grocery store, and the... Read More →

Gina Kim

Gina is a fantasy book influencer and writer who is extremely excited to join everyone for a weekend of books, magic, and dancing! While her love for reading was a more recent discovery that truly solidified a few years ago, storytelling has always been a part of her—starting with... Read More →

Saturday August 16, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Regency A

Panel

11:15am CDT

Finding Community Through Fandom

Saturday August 16, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Regency B

From coordinated cosplays to late night Zooms, fandom friendships just hit different. But how do you make those friendships, especially when you feel alone doing the things you love? You'll hear from panelists across fandoms who'll get real about how they found their people and made meaningful connections that will last a lifetime. From Harry Potter to Star Wars, books, movies, gaming and everything in-between, we'll share how to find your community and have fun doing it.

Presenters

King Quidditch

Although King Quidditch might have entered Hogwarts during his 6th year (due to an owl mishap), he quickly established himself in the classroom and Quidditch pitch. Following school, he entertained multiple offers to join professional Quidditch teams, he decided to brave the Muggle... Read More →

Geoff Hutton

Geoff Hutton, aka “Dream Quaffle,” has been performing and presenting in various fandom spaces for several years. If you’ve ever been to a convention, or any other gathering of nerds in festive outfits for that matter, you’ve probably met them. In addition to their wizard... Read More →

Dani Mione

Paula Carbon

Paula is a fandom girlie turned book girlie. She loves reading and musicals! Her love for fandoms started with Harry Potter but has morphed into other things like Wicked, the Mandalorian, The Last of Us, and most importantly all things Pedro Pascal.

Anna Aguilar

Although Anna is now a Potterhead that wasn't always the case. Anna read the first book in 4th grade and *GASP* was not a fan. It wasn't until a few years later when Anna picked up the books again that she was hooked. Anna also has a love of other fandoms, with Star Wars being a new... Read More →

Saturday August 16, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Regency B

Panel

12:30pm CDT

Confidence Through Cosplay

Saturday August 16, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

Regency B

Ever wanted to cosplay but not sure how to start, or what to do? Afraid you can't find the right character or that you won't fit in with other cosplayers? Join us as we discuss body positivity, how to start out cosplaying and getting past anxiety and fear to find yourself through cosplay. Bring your questions and get ready to create your next cosplay!

Presenters

Chloé Laverson

Dani Mione

Cynthia Eve Cosplay

Cynthia Eve is an award-winning pro cosplayer and crafter with 8+ years of experience. She loves to empower other cosplayers to grow as creators and performers.

Floral Laurel Cosplay

Floral Laurel Cosplay (Flora) is a St. Louis based cosplayer with 4 years of experience in costume design, creation, and makeup. Her most notable works have been characters from the Lore Olympus webcomic by Rachel Smythe, including Hecate, Minthe, and Dread Queen Persephone. Flora... Read More →

Paula Carbon

Saturday August 16, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT
Regency B

Panel

2:30pm CDT

Fantasy Worldbuilding Workshop

Saturday August 16, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT

Midway Suite 5

For writers of all experience levels that want to deep dive into their fantasy worlds! We’ll make maps and answer questions to uncover history, develop magic systems, and more to make your world pop off the page.

Presenters

Sarah Dittmeier

Sarah Dittmeier is a fantasy writer, copywriter, and freelance writing coach. She has two fantasy books under her belt and is currently working on a third. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a BA in creative writing. She’s taken everything she’s learned over the years... Read More →

Saturday August 16, 2025 2:30pm - 3:30pm CDT
Midway Suite 5

Panel

3:45pm CDT

Dragons Are Gay: A Queer Analysis of How to Train Your Dragon

Saturday August 16, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Midway Suite 5

Put on your rainbow glasses, because we're analyzing How To Train Your Dragon from a queer lens. HTTYD is a beloved animated film, known for its score and touching story of friendship and acceptance. But when we look deeper, what other themes appear? And how do queer audiences see themselves and their experiences reflected through Hiccup, Toothless, and everyone in Berk?

Presenters

Autumn Brooke

Autumn is a musician and nerd from Texas, now living in Ottawa. She loves reading books, listening to fiction podcasts, writing music about queer media and playing with her con friends. Check out her music on her YouTube page at youtube.com/@autumnbrookesings and autumnbrooke.ban... Read More →

Shelby Kellogg

Shelby Kellogg is a poet, writer, and long time lover of stories in any of their forms, and dragons were their first special interest. They live now in Austin, TX, working on any number of various crafts with their two cat assistants.

Mel Roe

A writer in Austin, TX, Mel enjoys overanalyzing media in her spare time. She is most passionate about horror and anime these days, but fantasy and comic books still hold a dear place in her heart. She can be found working on projects under the love and care of her two cat superv... Read More →

Saturday August 16, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Midway Suite 5

Panel

3:45pm CDT

The Magicians: Books vs TV

Saturday August 16, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Regency A

Calling all fans of The Magicians! This is your place to talk all things Brakebills. We'll discuss the differences between the books and the TV show, changes we liked or didn't like, things we wish had made it into the show, and generally yell about Quentin's season four fate.

Presenters

Amanda Roth

Amanda Roth is a musician, nerd, marathoner, and arts administrator. By day, she works as a Production Operations Manager for From the Top. At night she can be found knitting, reading, or petting her cat.

Saturday August 16, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Regency A

Panel

5:00pm CDT

Gateway Fantasy: How Fantasy Shapes Who We Are Today

Saturday August 16, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT

Regency A

If you're here at EnchantiCon, you're probably a fantasy fan. What were the stories that helped you discover the genre? Come join us for an invigorating discussion on how our favorite fantasy stories from when we were young have shaped our fantasy interests now, and how they continue to influence us today.

Presenters

Celia Buell

Celia is a reader, wizard rocker (The Bookish Hufflepuff), and longtime fantasy fan. She loves fairy tales and stories about people who rise up against established norms and rebel against tyranny, especially when there's a some romance involved as well.

Abby Evangelisto

Abby Evangelisto is a YouTuber, cosplayer, and performing artist from Fort Worth, Texas. When they’re not playing accordion or working on their latest artistic project, they can be found reading kid lit, listening to 80’s new wave, and over-analyzing satirical media—sometimes... Read More →

Nana Kay

Harrison Tu

Harrison is a Ravenclaw polyglot who has loved Harry Potter since the series began. Tech nerd by day, wrocker by night, and always striving to do what's right. He is passionate about Harry Potter and producing the best content related to the genre for everyone!

Ana

Ana is a 23 year old incoming law student from Ohio who has been involved in various fandoms since 2013, and she has been writing fanfiction since 2014. Currently, her main fandoms are Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and the Hunger Games. She is very excited for EnchantiCon and all the... Read More →

Saturday August 16, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Regency A

Panel

5:00pm CDT

How Wolfstar Won: Blueprints for a Fandom Future

Saturday August 16, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT

Regency B

Before Twitter and TERFgate, J.K. Rowling paired Remus Lupin with Nymphadora Tonks, supposedly ending the ship of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black

How did Wolfstar not only survive, but thrive, and why did so many ship it to begin with? Can shipping be a form of resistance? And with the stakes much higher as Rowling relentlessly threatens the safety of trans lives, what lessons can we learn to forge our own fandom paths?

Presenters

Lillian King

Lillian King is a writer, journalist, and fandom menace with a master's degree in folklore and a never-ending thirst for knowledge. When she's not writing Wolfstar fanfic, she's working on a Dumbledore libretto, playing roller derby, taking photos, or maybe even learning a third song... Read More →

Saturday August 16, 2025 5:00pm - 6:00pm CDT
Regency B

Panel

10:00am CDT

Story Structure in Fantasy: How and Why We Tell the Stories We Love

Sunday August 17, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT

Midway Suite 5

What makes a hero different from a protagonist? Does a fantasy require a magic system? What the heck is world building, and why would it be soft? That doesn’t sound right.

Welcome authors, dungeon masters, and storytellers of all types and backgrounds, to a program where we’ll discuss the defining characteristics of story structure as it relates to fantasy and how to use these tools to make your own stories shine.

Presenters

Briland Schack-Farnell

Briland Schack-Farnell is a lifelong fantasy enthusiast, constantly intrigued by the art of how and why we tell stories. In his life he has been a circus performer, an award-winning bartender, a collegiate guest lecturer, and much more. At EnchantiCon he will be representing Center... Read More →

Sunday August 17, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
Midway Suite 5

Panel

11:15am CDT

Really Big Lizards: Dinosaurs, Dragons, and You

Sunday August 17, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Midway Suite 5

Why are we so captivated by monsters? What do dragons and dinosaurs have in common, and what does our universal interest in really big lizards tell us about our shared primeval human experience?

In this educational presentation, we’ll learn how the oldest of dragon myths were inspired by real-life fossils and explore the philosophical implications of mankind’s fascination with dinosaurs and dragons. Dino nerds and dragon riders welcome!

Presenters

Geoff Hutton

Abby Evangelisto

Sunday August 17, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Midway Suite 5

Panel

11:15am CDT

Translating Harry Potter Around the World: Humlesnurr’s Zweinstein

Sunday August 17, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT

Regency A

This session delves into the fascinating realm of translating the Harry Potter series, exploring both the linguistic challenges and the growing hobby of collecting Harry Potter books in various languages. We will investigate the importance of translations, the specific difficulties of translating such a beloved work, and highlight some memorable mistranslations and revisions.

Presenters

Celia Buell

Harrison Tu

Sunday August 17, 2025 11:15am - 12:15pm CDT
Regency A

Panel

12:30pm CDT

Fantasy and Faith: How Religious Belief and Doubt Shaped Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Sunday August 17, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT

Midway Suite 5

Faith and doubt inspired fantasy long before Lewis and Tolkien! Discover how new perspectives on religion influenced the very first fantasy and science fiction novels, from Frankenstein to Alice to Dr. Moreau.

Presenters

Eliza Sanders

Dr. Eliza Sanders earned a Ph.D. in English literature at the University of Iowa and is the author of Genres of Doubt: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and the Victorian Crisis of Faith. She has published her writing on motherhood at "Her View From Home" and is developing her first novel... Read More →

Sunday August 17, 2025 12:30pm - 1:30pm CDT
Midway Suite 5

Panel

3:45pm CDT

The Flame Haired Stars: A History of Comets Before the Telescope

Sunday August 17, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT

Regency A

Explore the history of comets as understood before the invention of the telescope. Discover how early astronomers observed and interpreted these celestial phenomena, often viewing them as omens, portents, or divine messages. Early efforts to record and explain cometary appearances are examined through the lens of the observational tools and philosophies of the time. Through texts, art, and historical accounts, trace humanity's evolving relationship with the night sky.

Presenters

Jon Voisey

Jon is an independent historian of pre-telescopic astronomy. His primary area of interest is the development of the geocentric model as laid out in Claudius Ptolemy's 2nd century "Almagest". He has a BS in Astronomy from the University of Kansas and runs the YouTube channel @Astr... Read More →

Sunday August 17, 2025 3:45pm - 4:45pm CDT
Regency A

Panel