B.J. Thrower
B.J. Thrower has sold/published 35 sf/f/df/h short-fiction stories from novelettes to flash fiction. Her latest sales include a YA-ish, light-horror short story to Conspiracies & Cryptids at Multiminded.com, and two reprints to JayHenge Publishing. Her most recent publications are a dark sf flash-fic piece in PUNK (Black Hare Press), and a co-authored short story in Bodies Full of Burning: An Anthology of Menopause-Themed Horror (Sliced-Up Press). She has an s-and-s novelette upcoming in Weirdbook #49, and previously published in Asimov’s and many others.
A Full SFWA member, she’s the 2022 VP of OSFW (Oklahoma Science Fiction Writers). Find her on Facebook, or her website.
Follow B.J. Thrower online at
1:00 PM | Location: Sooner B
Cafeteria Monsters
Are classic monsters like mummies or vampires being diluted by their many fictional riffs? Or do basic archetypes provide endless springboards for variation?
Moderator: ET Wardwell
Panelists: ET Wardwell, James Hollaman, Ted Pennella, A C Smart, B J Thrower
Tracks: Writing & Publishing, Horror, Gaming, Supernatural & Paranormal, Film & TV, Pop Culture & Entertainment
2:00 PM | Location: Boomer A
Fiction and Politics: How Can Stories Make a Difference?
Stories have power. They distill the past and tell us how to best predict the future. Can fiction writers make a difference in today's hyperpolitical discourse? Should they feel obliged to try?
Moderator: Daniel Erickson
Panelists: Daniel Erickson, Sheila Hartney, Lyde Van Hoy, Pigeon, B J Thrower
9:00 AM | Location: Embassy Hotel: Interior Courtyard - Fountain
Koffeeklatch
Join panelists in the hotel breakfast area for morning networking and conversation. BYO coffee, please.
Moderator: Mark Alfred
Panelists: Mark Alfred, Alice-of-Hearts, Aoi Kitsu, Beku.Cos, Blair Bartlett - Alternate Realities Studio, Aaron Bossig, Brook Bullock, David Carrico, Cat of WhiskersandBeans, Peri Charlifu, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Crazy Red Artist, EBA Comedy, Daniel Erickson, Rhonda Eudaly, Everyday Futurist, Shai Fenwick, Mark Finn, Caleb Haldane, Sally Hamilton, Teddy Harvia, Lyde Van Hoy, Barrett Huddleston, Nick Johnson, Jovial Juggernaut, vickey malone kennedy, Knightmage, Julia S. Mandala, A. Lee Martinez, Moe, Tracy S. Morris, Kathleen M O'Brien, Remy Domino, Joey “Okie Space Queen” Rodman, James Simpson, Seth Skorkowsky, A C Smart, Tommy B. Smith, Squirrelly Jedi Photography, Stevo the Gutter Nerd, B J Thrower
Tracks: General Interest, Meetup, Food & Drink
Noon | Location: Oklahoma G
Science and Religion: A Zero-Sum Relationship?
Some think religious faith precludes scientific objectivity. Others feel that science has outstripped “superstitions” like religion. Still others are calling for a New Enlightenment period in an increasingly misinformed world. How does the speculative-fiction writer address all sides and tell a compelling story?
Moderator: Jan S. Gephardt
Panelists: Jan S. Gephardt, David Carrico, Charles Dane Clark, Rebecca Jackson, B J Thrower
Tracks: STEM, Writing & Publishing, Science Fiction
4:00 PM | Location: Noble
Author Readings
Authors read selections from their various works.
Moderator: Brian A. Hopkins
Panelists: Brian A. Hopkins, Julia S. Mandala, David J. Pedersen, B J Thrower
Tracks: Writing & Publishing
2:00 PM | Location: Boomer A
Small Presses and You
What's the world of small presses like? What are the advantages and disadvantages for writers looking to work with them? What's the market like, and how is it changing?
Moderator: Craig Wolf
Panelists: Craig Wolf, J.H. Fleming, Rie Sheridan Rose, Sue Sinor, B J Thrower, Steven E. Wedel
Tracks: Business & Marketing, Writing & Publishing