Sirens Conference: Programming Philosophy

Sirens is, at its heart, a series of conversations. And each year, the vanguard of those conversations are the brave and brilliant individuals—readers, scholars, librarians, educators, publishing professionals, authors, and more—who share their thoughts and wisdom as part of our programming.

Unlike many conferences, Sirens does not assemble its own programming. Instead, we invite our attendees—all of our attendees, regardless of vocation, level of experience, or years at Sirens—to propose the papers, lectures, panels, roundtable discussions, workshops, and afternoon classes that make up our programming. That means that every year our programming schedule reflects what the impressively accomplished Sirens community is working on, thinking through, interrogating—and finds important.

With a small number of exceptions, the programming that you’ll attend at Sirens was proposed by attendees and reviewed and selected by our independent vetting board, which represents experience and achievement in the various areas in which we receive a majority of our proposals. This is a rigorous process, demanding thoughtfulness, scholarship, relevance—and courage! We hope you’ll take the time to both attend programming this weekend and thank the presenters for their work.

We also hope you’ll remember that Sirens is deliberately interdisciplinary in its approach. At Sirens, readers present alongside librarians, educators and booksellers collaborate on course curricula, and authors learn from scholars. We think that our method of programming selection highlights the importance of this interdisciplinary discussion and helps ensure that our programming represents the true breadth of diverse perspectives, experiences, and identities of the Sirens community.

Sirens Conference: Types of Presentations

When we created Sirens, we did so with an active experience in mind. That means that, unlike many conferences you may know, our programming is not always a passive listening experience, perhaps with an opportunity to ask a question or two. Some of our programming takes that format, but other presentations will rely on audience discussion or engagement, and we’re sure you’ll want to know which is which before you attend.

You may notice that each presentation at Sirens is classified as a paper/lecture, panel discussion, roundtable discussion, workshop, or afternoon class. This gives you some idea of what the presentation format will be—and how involved you, the audience, will be expected to be. Here are the most common types of presentations, including what the presenter will be seeking in terms of audience participation.

Papers and Lectures

Presenters may read papers or deliver lectures or talks on a topic and may or may not take audience questions during or after the presentation. Occasionally, papers and lectures will be delivered as a pre-empaneled set of presentations on related topics. These presentations are meant to be largely informational and often have a rather passive audience experience.

Panel Discussions

Panels, led by a moderator, generally discuss and debate a topic before an audience and may or may not take audience questions during or after the discussion. While these presentations include a number of presenters discussing a topic, like papers and lectures, they tend to have a rather passive audience experience.

Roundtable Discussions

Roundtable discussions are limited to a smaller audience—typically, one that reflects the discussion section that would be paired with a college lecture course—and depend on audience participation. These sessions will be led by a moderator seeking to explore open-ended questions with the audience and who will encourage everyone attending to take part. Seating in these presentations is limited to allow for a discussion that includes all attendees.

Workshops

Workshop sessions are led by an instructor and focus on the application and practice of a skill. Generally, attendees should expect to get their hands dirty, at least figuratively. The opportunity for the audience to gain or expand upon a particular skill, including the opportunity for participation or leaving with material for later use, marks this style of presentation. Seating in these presentations is limited to allow for hands-on instruction.

Afternoon Classes

Afternoon classes are an opportunity for instruction or exploration of practical topics related to fantasy literature, such as historical dress or music, martial arts, weaponry, battle strategy, costume construction, and so forth. Afternoon classes may be less formal than other types of programming in their presentation. Afternoon classes may be similar to workshops or be more demonstration-based, depending on the topic.

Please note that we have not yet released a programming schedule for Sirens, as we would normally have done by now, due to the number of shifting pandemic issues. We will have that schedule available for you at the conference itself.

Nevertheless, we hope that you’ll attend many presentations at Sirens. This is the core of both the conference itself and the conference’s educational mission, and we think you’ll find that the opportunities to both learn from and engage with other Sirens attendees are extraordinary and not to be missed.

Sirens: Meeting New People

People, for many of us, are a source of stress. We don’t know who they are, we don’t know what to say, we worry if they’ll like us or think we’re smart. For many, the hardest part about Sirens, especially if you’re attending for the first time, is figuring out how to navigate all those strangers. We expect that this will be especially true this year, given the pandemic. People are a new source of stress for all of us, in ways they haven’t been before. You check to see if they’re wearing their masks properly, you’re hyper-conscious of your personal space, and every touch is an awkward, often unwelcome uncertainty. Even if you’re a Sirens veteran, this year may be different: fraught and uncertain in ways that perhaps it hasn’t been in the past.

But here’s the thing: No matter how expert, talented, or intimidating Sirens attendees might be—no matter if they are an accomplished scholar or experienced librarian or capable parent-of-five, a brand-new agent, a first-year teacher, a part-time bookseller, a newly published author, or a small-town farrier—every single person at Sirens has one thing in common: They love speculative literature. Especially speculative literature that interrogates societal marginal identities and oppressions.

There’s no easier place to meet people than at Sirens because at Sirens, all you need is a single question:

What are you reading?

There are follow-on questions, of course, if you like: What are some of your favorite fantasy works? What have you read this year that you loved? Have you tried [fill in your favorite book here]? Maybe they’ll have that in the bookstore? Let’s go find out!

While there are a lot of intersections at Sirens—vocations, experiences, interests—the common ground will always be our collective love of the revolutions, aspirations, and necessities that we find in speculative literature.

And we hope that that makes everyone at Sirens a lot less scary—and a lot more welcoming, even in this off-kilter year.

Sirens: Joining the Community

The possibly quite unhelpful answer to that question is, frankly, whatever you want. We deliberately create community spaces as part of Sirens, because while our programming forms the foundation of the conversations we have, those formal presentations and discussions are only a jumping off point for another thousand conversations that folks will have over the weekend. So, we’ve built in both time and physical space for those conversations to happen:

• In the welcoming lobby of the hotel, which features comfy chairs and outlets for our ever-present electronics
• Over a cup of tea as you arrive and check into Sirens
• In the bookstore, which will feature over 1,500 speculative titles by authors of marginalized genders
• As you browse our geektastic auction items
• In passing between programming sessions
• In the sun-filled community room that we’ve set aside this year just for social-distanced conversations
• Early in the morning over our Books and (Nope, Not This Year) Breakfast discussion
• At the Sirens Ball, where you’ll wear whatever you want—a ballgown, a costume, or your jeans because you should feel as casual or as fancy as you wish
• In the evening in or near one of the hotel’s many alcoves and fireplaces
• At the rollicking spectacle that is the Sirens live auction on Sunday morning

We hope that you’ll feel comfortable(ish) using these times and spaces to strike up these conversations, no matter how awkward they might feel at first. With a little bit of courage and books as your always-at-hand icebreaker, you’ll be a full-fledged member of the Sirens community in no time at all.

And the Sirens community wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sirens: Conference Changes

Last month, after much consideration of the current landscape and how to best protect the health of the Sirens community—and by extension, friends, family, hotel staff, and others—we announced that Sirens would take place in person in 2021. We have implemented safety requirements and procedures, and are considering additional measures, but we know that, as the Delta variant continues to spread in a number of areas, no additional safety protocols would be sufficient to permit everyone to feel safe attending an in-person event. Nonetheless, we plan to offer Sirens in person, for the first time since 2019, for whose who are able to attend—and interested in doing so.

Sirens will look different, though, as we work through how best to keep everyone as safe as possible. Most notably, we have canceled this year’s Sirens Studio in order to reduce everyone’s time traveling and everyone’s time around each other. Studio faculty who wish to attend the conference will present as part of the conference schedule, at no additional cost to attendees. We are refunding Studio ticket payments.

The Sirens schedule itself will look somewhat different as well. We are still working through changes as we confirm programming with presenters and incorporate the applicable Studio presentations, but we will separate the keynote meals from the presentations, to keep our Guests of Honor safer, and similarly, breakfast will take place before the auction. We thank you in advance for your patience, as it’s taking us some time to work through these changes.

Sirens: Vaccine and Negative COVID-19 Test Requirements

In order to attend Sirens this year, you must prioritize keeping the Sirens community safe.

You must be fully vaccinated prior to attending Sirens. This means that you must have received your second or single-dose shot by October 7, 2021.

• We will require that you provide proof of vaccination when you check in for the conference. Please do not send us photos of your vaccination card, as we do not want to have copies of your personal medical data. A photo, paper copy, or app-based verification will also be accepted at check-in.
• All human vaccines for COVID-19 that are fully approved or approved for emergency use by authorities in your country will be accepted.
• We are not requiring a vaccination booster shot, as they are not yet widely available. Please follow the advice of your physician and other health officials regarding any boosters.

You must also show a negative viral test for COVID-19, with the test taken after 3:00 p.m. Mountain Time on Monday, October 18 (72 hours prior to the start of Sirens).

• We will have rapid antigen tests available for free for all attendees to take prior to entry into Sirens.
• If the rapid test is positive or inconclusive, you will not be able to attend Sirens until you have received a negative viral test, which is available locally at a number of testing sites.
• You may wish to take a test prior to beginning your travel to Sirens. In the event that you are positive, that means that you may rest and recover in the comfort of your own home rather than at the Hilton Inverness.
• The testing kit that we will provide all attendees contains a second rapid antigen test, which can be used 36 hours after the first.

You will be required to wear a mask over your nose and mouth in all conference spaces, except when eating, drinking, or making brief adjustments (such as fixing the fit or blowing your nose).

• We strongly recommend KN95 or similar masks (like KF94 or N95) or two layers of medical masks. You are welcome to layer these options with cloth masks.
• Single-layer gaiters, bandannas, face shields, and masks with exhalation valves or vents are not acceptable.
• We’ll provide all attendees with a KN95 mask, as well as one medical mask with a clear panel for optional use such as while presenting.

Sirens: Other Safety Measures

We continue to work through additional safety measures, including actions that attendees can take to make Sirens safer for everyone. We are revising our room layouts to encourage social distancing and presenter safety, to reduce repetitive-touch areas, and to encourage everyone to keep their hands sanitized and their masks on. We will have additional rules regarding eating and drinking in the conference space and we will all wash our hands frequently.

If you are attending Sirens, we hope that you’ll work through additional safety measures as well. If you are using public transportation or flying, we strongly encourage you to put on a KN95 or similar mask before you encounter other travelers and to remove that mask as little as possible while in transit. If you wish to eat, we encourage you to do so away from others, rather than on a crowded airplane, train, or bus. If you wish to drink, we encourage you to consider a straw, which you can use without removing your mask. Practice social distancing and leave extra space between you and people who are not masked or who are wearing their masks incorrectly. Wash or sanitize your hands frequently—and use those wipes that airlines give you to wipe down the surfaces around your seat (including those overhead buttons for the light and the fan). Keeping yourself safe on the way to Sirens is the first step to keeping everyone safe while at Sirens!

We hope that you understand the hard choices the Sirens team had to make in deciding to present this year’s conference—and the compromises that we will all have to make to keep the Sirens community safe. Again, we appreciate your patience and your understanding.