Friday

• Opening Ceremony Welcome to Casa Con! Join us as we talk about our last summer event and chat about our sponsors.
  11:00 am - 11:10 am
• Entrepreneurship in Cosplay Cosplay, by its very nature, is an example of how fans and artists display an entrepreneurial mindset. As fans seek to create and express identity, they create new ideas, new ways of working, and new ways of doing things. Entrepreneurship is about a way of thinking and approaching the world. Profs. Elizabeth Nichols and David Tomczyk will be talking about how cosplay relates to (and trains people in) entrepreneurial thinking. They will talk about how engaging in cosplay sets people for success in all kinds of careers and businesses because of these skills and mentalities.
  12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
• Brainstorming Story Ideas Learn with RL Merrill and Cathy Camper on how to brainstorm a story. Come away with the start of a story. Submit your story ideas to us and the organizers of the con will choose their favorite.
  1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
• Voice Acting 101 Learn the basics of what it takes to be a voice actor with Garrett Kiesel, Kimberly Woods, and Heather Gonzalez
  3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• Patterns Lie and Other Useful Sewing Facts Learning to sew can be daunting, especially if you’ve never had formal instruction. We’re here to help! In this panel, we’ll cover selecting and reading a pattern, choosing fabric, cutting, pinning, sewing, pressing, finishing hems, and more — all without complicated sewing terminology! You’ll be sewing like a pro in no time. Bring your questions!
  4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
• Managing Relationships After COVID-19 Join Harpreet Malla, Jennifer Klesman, and Yonatan Sobin as they discuss how you can manage and rekindle your relationships in the post-pandemic world.
  6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
• Kawaii in Japan Joshua Paul Dale explores the thousand-year-old history of kawaii and how it came to saturate contemporary Japanese society. He’ll explain the differences between cute and kawaii by comparing the distinct artistic influences and cultural development that inform the two aesthetics. In addition, Dale will offer a survey of “kawaii science,” which studies cuteness as a universal emotional response dating back to the dawn of human evolution. Questions and discussion are welcome.
  7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Saturday

• A Great Shipping Expedition - The rise of Yaoi Fandom How and when did fandom ships first begin to set sail? Join Aichiyume and AuthorCarola as they take you on a journey through the foaming currents, international waters and stormy seas of yaoi and slash fandom, and explore how the tides have turned over time, and which waves the fandom rides today.
  11:30 am - 12:30 pm
• The Issues Female Creators Face and How They Overcame Them Join Ashlinaa as she and three other talented women discuss the issues they have faced as female creators and how they have found success in their respective fields.
  1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
• Zining Manga: A Conversation between Ryan Holmberg and Brian Baynes This panel brings together Ryan Holmberg, manga historian and translator, and Brian Baynes, publisher of the comics zine "Bubbles," to talk about manga and the potential of zines, social media, and self-publishing to expand the ways in which reporting, research, and publishing is done within the English-language world of manga. They will also talk about their collaborations, past and present, including Holmberg's book "The Man Without Talent" and an as-yet unannounced manga translation.
  2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
• Wearing Your Fandom Cosplay has become a popular pastime. Not only is it common at conventions worldwide, but has inspired international competitions and TV shows. What motivates people to cosplay? How and why do they choose their characters? Join Eric Wesselman, Jennifer Klesman, and J. Scott Jordan in a discussion about this cultural phenomenon in which people choose to embody their fandom for the world to see.
  3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• Introduction to Anime for Humanity Join Aman Dhawan as he describes Anime for Humanity's mission and what the company has done to improve mental health awareness via anime.
  4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
• Pros and Cons Join two professors (Emerald L King and Alisa Freedman) as they chat about their origin stories - find out about their home conventions, how they ended up studying Japanese popular culture and made a career out of it, and the differences between being a fan in the US and Australia. We invite you to settle down with a cup of tea of coffee or something stronger and join the discussion.
  7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
• What Goes Into Manga Licensing and Translating? Ever wanted to get into the manga translation industry? Join David Goldberg, Kristjan Rohde, and Erica Friedman as they discuss what exactly goes into bringing a manga from Japan to America.
  8:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Sunday

• Sustainable Fandom Sustainability is an important, global problem. It is deeply connected to corporate social responsibility, scarcity of resources, and responsible consumption. These different issues are not just a matter of companies, but also affect consumers. Confronted with these issues, highly-engaged consumers and fans are changing their behavior. From eco-cosplay to sustainable LEGO bricks, many fans care about the environment and are increasingly vocal about this. What does sustainable fandom look like? Join Nicolle Lamerichs and Karen Heinrich as they discuss this topic.
  12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
• Con Etiquette With cons being virtual only for a year, it might be difficult to get back into the swing of things now that more cons are happening again in-person for 2021. AichiYume provides an excellent panel on how to behave at in-person cons so that you can act appropriately and also spot and call out inappropriate behavior.
  1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
• Do the Defenders Need Help? Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Punisher are superheroes (or not) in different ways. Join Drs. Scott Jordan, Eric Wesselmann, and Yonatan Sobin for an in-depth analysis of why these characters have so many psychological problems. Or do they? Might their distress be more cultural than psychological?
  3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• Read Scenes with Voice Actors! Do you want to be a voice actor? Now is your opportunity to try it out! Join Rachel Thompson, Brandon Winckler, and Jennifer Yokobori as they guide you through a live scene reading.
  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
• Helpful Fox Senko Panel Join Hayden Daviau (Koenji), Aaron Campbell (Nakano), and Macy Anne Johnson (Little Yoko) as they discuss The Helpful Fox Senko and answer your questions!
  5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
• How the Heck Do You Make Those Anime Reaction Sounds? Join Rachel Thompson and Hayden Daviau as they teach you how to make those funny anime reaction sounds so you can live out your anime dreams in real life!
  6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
• Closing Ceremony A few words from the co-organizers about Casa Con and its future.
  8:00 pm - 8:10 pm

Saturday

• Indie Game Showcase Come see five amazing indie game developers show off their latest and greatest games!
  1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
• How to Write an Epic Romance There are plenty of romance stories in anime, books, or movies that just fall flat or seem forced. Join this discussion with romance writing pros RL Merrill, Arden Powell, and AC Greenlee and learn how to write a romance for the ages!
  2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
• What You Don't Know About Voice Acting When you decide to seriously pursue a voice acting career, it's important to know what you're getting into and what it takes to become a successful voice actor. It's a hard, but rewarding career. Join Kimberly Woods, Aaron Campbell, and Matthew David Rudd as they discuss the highs and lows of the job.
  3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• What it Takes to Become an Animator for Anime Ever wanted to draw anime but had no idea how to get started? Join Mitchell Gonzalez and Beast as they discuss how they go into the industry despite not living in Japan as well as the good and bad of the industry.
  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
• Voice that Character! Have some laughs with voice actors Madison Brunoehler, Mark Allen Jr., and Heather Gonzalez as they improvise character voices that they see on screen. Post your own suggestions in the chat!
  5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
• Gaming with Voice Actors! Play some Among Us and Jackbox with Deneen Melody, Rachel Thompson, and Mark Allen Jr.
  6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
• Moving Beyond Failure and Rejection Failure and rejection is a part of life, but it can be difficult to accept especially if you feel like all you are getting is rejection. Join Ryan Colt Levy, Brandon Winckler, and Kelly McMahon as they discuss their experiences.
  7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Sunday

• What's the Difference Between Writing a Novel and Short Story? Besides the obvious length issue, what are some things you need to consider when writing a short story versus a novel? Join SC Parris, AC Greenlee, Alena Van Arendonk, and Arden Powell as they walk you through the differences.
  1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
• The Secret History of Yaoi and Yuri Join Erica Friedman as she tracess the history of Yaoi and Yuri history starting all the way back to Heian literature and art. She will trace these elements from magazines for girls of the early 20th century to the shoujo manga revolution of the 1970s to explain all the most popular tropes of BL and Yuri manga and anime.
  2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
• The Importance of Voicing Small Characters Landing a big role for a cartoon or anime might be the dream of aspiring voice actors, so it might not be that exciting to get 'small' roles. Join Mark Allen Jr., Hayden Daviau, and Rachelle Heger as they discuss why these roles are so important not just for the show but for your career as well.
  3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
• How to Create Believable Worlds and Characters There's nothing worse than reading a story or running through a D&D campaign where the characters have paper-thin personalities or the world simply doesn't make sense. Join Alena Van Arendonk and Cathy Camper as they walk you through how to write good settings and characters whether for a book, video game, or your latest D&D campaign.
  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
• Chill and Chat Relax, talk about your favorite anime, or just ask some questions with Rachelle Heger, Garrett Kiesel, and Deneen Melody.
  6:00 pm - 7:00 pm