Arts & Entertainment
Pride Alley premieres at 2017 Awesome Con
New feature is spotlight for queer creators and fans
Last year’s Awesome Con drew enthusiasts of many realms of pop culture and sci-fi. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Awesome Con
June 16-18
Washington Convention Center
801 Mt. Vernon Pl., N.W.
This weekend, Awesome Con returns to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, promising plenty of fun, excitement and costumes worthy of Fantasy Fest.
At its heart, Awesome Con embraces all aspects of geekdom and pop culture, offering a wide assortment of comic books, collectibles, toys, games, original art, cosplay and more. Special events include discussion panels, costume contests, trivia contests, gaming tournaments, and tons of activities for kids.
A new feature this year is Pride Alley, which involves a dedicated programming track celebrating LGBT comic creators and a special area of its Artist Alley. It will also offer three days of panels and special events.
“Awesome Con is proud of all of our fans, guests, exhibitors and artists and as we started to build this year’s event, we wanted to do more and create a bigger platform to better celebrate and educate D.C.’s LGBTQ community,” says Ben Penrod, founder of Awesome Con. “This is important to us and who we want to be.”
Joey Stern, president and co-founder of Geeks OUT, a non-profit community organization that has been obsessed with making queer geek safe spaces since 2010, was a big part in bringing Pride Alley to life. Stern was the mastermind behind Flame Con, a two-day comic, art, and entertainment expo showcasing creators and celebrities from all corners of LGBT fandom.
“This is a joint venture between Awesome Con and Geeks OUT,” Stern says. “We have been going to Awesome Con now for three years and it’s one of the most accepting and open creative conventions we attend. We developed a relationship with the organizers and through that, we discussed ways to better integrate the LGBTQ presence already there to make it more visible.”
Those who have been to Awesome Con before understand that there’s a lot going on and it’s wall-to-wall people, booths and events, so it’s easy for things to be lost in the crowd.
“If you’re serving a niche market, like primarily making queer art, you want to make sure that people who don’t know about you can find you,” Stern says. “The same thing goes for panels and discussions. You might need to seek it out and people may miss out on events they want to see.”
Pride Alley was created as a way to better get LGBT artists and creators in front of their fan base as well as open up a chance to be discovered by more people.
“We wanted to put ourselves on the floor in a way that was clear and noticeable and gives it its own breathing space, while also being integrated with the convention itself,” Stern says. “It’s part of the show, it’s part of the experience, yet it’s called out special.”
Numerous interesting and thought-provoking panels are part of Pride Alley, there’s a special T-shirt designed for the occasion and some of the best LGBT artists working today.
“This is unique integration that I hope other conventions will think about,” Stern says. “You as a queer person who is attending can find it, can see what you’re looking for, but at the same time are not shifted away from the rest of the convention.”
LGBT HQ will be among those exhibiting (booth 1434) featuring its infamous LGBT Passport with interactive programming, Kid Riot comics courtesy of the Demon Hotel, cosplayer/actress/advocate Jay Justice, Mr. Green Lantern 2017 Danny Lantern, and the cosplay and advocate staff of LGBT HQ.
“This is our second year exhibiting and our booth is primarily a hub for whatever interactive LGBT programing happens at the convention at any given time,” says Matthew Levine, LGBT HQ’s director. “We provide a safe space for everybody who is there.”
The booth has a superhero background, offering fun photo opportunities, and will play host to the panel, Cosplay Rule 63, dissecting the difficult navigating of gender-bent and cross-play cosplay with speakers Jay Justice, Danny Lantern, Les Levi, Jazmine Cosplays and Mischief Matthew.
“In addition, we do a LGBT passport program, which acts as a scavenger hunt and brochure all in one,” Levine says. “It lists all the active LGBT cosplayers, vendors and supporters at the Con, and people go around getting their signatures for a chance to win great prizes.”
LGBT HQ will also sponsor its third annual unofficial cosplay contest at Green Lantern Bar (1335 Green Court, N.W.), starting at 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 17. Guest judges include Aaron Paul and Mr. Green Lantern 2017 Danny Lantern.
“You can’t ask for a better name for an after party of a comic con than a bar named Green Lantern,” Levine says. “There are no presumptions. The event is just so much fun and very tongue-and-cheek. It provides the campy atmosphere that people want when they put on costumes and go to Awesome Con.”
Books
‘Dogs of Venice’ looks at love lost and rediscovered
A solo holiday trip to Italy takes unexpected turn
‘The Dogs of Venice’
By Steven Crowley
c.2025, G.P. Putnam & Sons
$20/65 pages
One person.
Two, 12, 20, you can still feel alone in a crowded room if it’s a place you don’t want to be. People say, though, that that’s no way to do the holidays; you’re supposed to Make Merry, even when your heart’s not in it. You’re supposed to feel happy, no matter what – even when, as in “The Dogs of Venice” by Steven Rowley, the Christmas tinsel seems tarnished.
Right up until the plane door closed, Paul held hope that Darren would decide to come on the vacation they’d planned for and saved for, for months.
Alas, Darren was a no-show, which was not really a surprise. Three weeks before the departure, he’d announced that their marriage wasn’t working for him anymore, and that he wanted a divorce. Paul had said he was going on the vacation anyhow. Why waste a perfectly good flight, or an already-booked B&B? He was going to Venice.
Darren just rolled his eyes.
Was that a metaphor for their entire marriage? Darren had always accused Paul of wanting too much. He indicated now that he felt stifled. Still, Darren’s unhappiness hit Paul broadside and so there was Paul, alone in a romantic Italian city, fighting with an espresso machine in a loft owned by someone who looked like a frozen-food spokeswoman.
He couldn’t speak or understand Italian very well. He didn’t know his way around, and he got lost often. But he felt anchored by a dog.
The dog – he liked to call it his dog – was a random stray, like so many others wandering around Venice unleashed, but this dog’s confidence and insouciant manner inspired Paul. If a dog could be like that, well, why couldn’t he?
He knew he wasn’t unlovable but solo holidays stunk and he hated his situation. Maybe the dog had a lesson to teach him: could you live a wonderful life without someone to watch out for, pet, and care for you?
Pick up “The Dogs of Venice,” and you might think to yourself that it won’t take long to read. At under 100 pages, you’d be right – which just gives you time to turn around and read it again. Because you’ll want to.
In the same way that you poke your tongue at a sore tooth, author Steven Rowley makes you want to remember what it’s like to be the victim of a dead romance. You can do it here safely because you simply know that Paul is too nice for it to last too long. No spoilers, though, except to say that this novel is about love – gone, resurrected, misdirected – and it unfolds in exactly the way you hope it will. All in a neat evening’s worth of reading. Perfect.
One thing to note: the Christmas setting is incidental and could just as well be any season, which means that this book is timely, no matter when you want it. So grab “The Dogs of Venice,” enjoy it twice with your book group, with your love, or read it alone.
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a&e features
Local, last-minute holiday gift ideas
Celebrate the season while supporting area businesses
The DowntownDC Holiday Market is bustling. Union Station is decked out with its annual Christmas tree. Washingtonians have wrapped their houses and apartment balconies with festive lights and holiday decorations. The holiday season is here. And with stockings to fill and empty space under the tree, Washington’s local shops and artists have plenty to offer.
Show your LGBTQ and D.C. pride with the Washington Blade’s annual holiday gift guide.
To embrace the holiday buzz: The Blanco Nwèl cocktail from Alchy Cocktails. This Caribbean eggnog is one of Alchy Cocktail’s seasonal holiday cocktails. The flavor profile is similar to coquito, a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas drink with a coconut base. As a queer and Caribbean-owned business, Alchy Cocktails has been based out of Washington since 2021. Blanco Nwèl is available in both cocktail ($24) and mocktail ($12) online and at a variety of holiday markets, including the Tingey Plaza Holiday Market, the Flea Market at Eastern Market, Union Station’s Main Hall Holiday Market, and more. ($24)
A spicy bite: Gordy’s Cajun Okra from Salt and Sundry. These spicy, tangy pickles pull on Southern Cajun-style flavors, packing a punch with paprika, cayenne, and more. Gordy’s is an LGBTQ-owned and Washington-based brand, making this gift an opportunity to support a local LGBTQ business straight from the jar. This pantry staple is available on Salt & Sundry’s website and at its locations in Union Market, Logan Circle, and its Georgetown holiday pop-up store. ($14)
To celebrate Washington pride: The DC Landmark Tote Bag from The Neighborgoods. Native Washingtonians, visitors, friends and family alike will find something to love about this Washington-themed tote bag. Food trucks, the 9:30 Club, the Metro logo and pandas from the National Zoo are just some of the city’s landmarks depicted across the tote in a red, white, and blue color palette. The tote is a part of the DC Landmarks collection, which donates 10 percent of its sales to the American Civil Liberties Union. The Neighborgoods itself is a local, woman-owned business built out of a passion for screen-printing in 2013. The 100 percent cotton canvas tote is for sale online or at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($22)
To give friends and family their flowers: The Flowers Bandana from All Very Goods. This 100 percent cotton bandana was designed in Washington and hand printed in India. Its uniqueness comes in being covered with the faces of Black women, representing a “love letter to all women but especially Black women,” according to All Very Goods. The Black woman-owned and operated business, based out of Northwest Washington, has a mission to celebrate diversity and representation through its products. The bandana intends to give Black women their “flowers.” The Flowers bandana is available for purchase online. ($24)
To unlock culinary creativity: The Curious Chef Gift Collection from Each Peach Market. This customizable collection of kitchen oddities — ranging from tinned fish to chili oil — is a quirky gift for the most inventive chefs. The collection is available in a Standard Santa, Extra Goodies and Super Holiday Size for up to $165. The Washington-based market, founded in 2013, permits customers to make the collection special by specifying what unique ingredients are packaged, including products made by local or LGBTQ brands. Each Peach Market offers assembly and pick up in-person at its Mount Pleasant shop and also offers local delivery and nationwide shipping via its website. ($85)
To give a touch of sweetness: The DC Landmark Chocolate Covered Oreo Holiday Cookies from Capital Candy Jar. Wrapped in a festive red bow, this box of nine cookies embraces love for Washington and the holiday season in one. Among the dark and milk chocolate covered cookies are images of the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and festive hollies. The treat, packaged in a Hill East facility just a few blocks from the Capitol, is available for purchase online and at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($23.95)
To celebrate queer gaming: Thirsty Sword Lesbians from Labyrinth Games & Puzzles. This roleplaying game embraces lesbian culture by unlocking a world of swords, romance, and battle. Ideal for group settings, the book presents a system of world building and character identities that are best brought to life by creative minds. Labyrinth, which has been a local Washington business for more than 15 years, celebrates non-digital fun through games and puzzles that connect the community. This gift is offered online and at Labyrinth’s Capitol Hill location. ($29.99)
To make a bold statement: The “Resist” T-shirt from Propper Topper. This locally screen-printed black tee features the Washington flag designed within a raised fist, symbolizing both Washington pride, and political resistance. The shirt is made exclusively by Propper Topper, a local Washington business that evolved from a hat shop to a gift store since opening in 1990. The tri-blend unisex shirt is available both for pickup at Propper Topper’s Cathedral Heights location and shipping via the online site. ($32)
To keep it c(g)lassy: The Glass Ball earrings from Blue Moon Aquarius. Gifting can rarely go wrong when it comes to a new pair of earrings. The unique statement earrings — made of polymer clay, glass, and 18k gold plating over surgical steel — are hand cut, sanded and assembled in Washington, meaning each set is unique. Blue Moon Aquarius, a local brand, is known for its small batch jewelry and home decor designed with clay materials. Available in oxblood, hunter green, lavender, and bluestone color palettes, these earrings are available for purchase on Blue Moon Aquarius’ website and at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($48)
To elevate a holiday tea or charcuterie party: The Honey Flight: Tea Lover’s Selection from BannerBee. This local honey company presents the ideal gift to make cozying up with a cup of tea slightly more special. The Honey Flight contains three types of raw wildflower honey infused with fair trade Ugandan vanilla bean, chai spices, and locally sourced lemon thyme herb. The gift is also an opportunity to uplift a family company based in the Mid-Atlantic that offers all-natural, sustainable products. The flight is available online, at the DowntownDC Holiday Market or at the Arlington Courthouse and Dupont Farmers’ Markets. ($36)
For Baltimore shoppers: If you’re in Charm City, don’t miss Balston Mercantile, opened by a gay couple in June. Their gorgeous shop in the Hampden neighborhood offers an array of unique, upscale finds, from barware and artwork to cookbooks and home decor and more. (849 W. 36th St.)
Impulse Group DC held “10’s Across the Board: A Celebration of 10 Years” at Bravo Bravo (1001 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) on Sunday, Dec. 14. Impulse Group DC is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) and affinity group of AIDS Healthcare Foundation dedicated “to engaging, supporting, and connecting gay men” through culturally relevant health and advocacy work.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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