The last few weeks in Chicago have been a skeptical bar adventure marathon! We had Data Jack and his lovely wife head-up a mass exodus from Wisconsin (however temporary) to Chicago. Then we had Ubermoogle one up them by traveling here from Canada, bringing in even more people from Wisconsin to meet him. And last weekend, blowing off Dragon*Con for HemantMehtaCon, we got to hang out with some pretty rad-ass Brits! In the middle of all that, there was a regularly scheduled skeptics meet-up and a first ever skeptic parents and preschooler/toddler/baby meet up! We’re getting pretty critical-thinkinged out over here!
No, actually, we’re not. And I think we need to keep this party going. In fact, I’m thinking we should kick this bitch up a notch. The success of the last few weeks, especially the increase in the number of lady-types, has inspired me to head up the very first ever Skepchicamp! But, I’m going to need your help… because that’s how these things work.
Skepchicamp is bascially just Skepticamp, but we’re going to place our focus on women and womeny topics. If you’re completely unfamiliar with the whole Skepticamp/Barcamp concept, let me explain it to you by completely ripping off the Skepticamp wiki:
What is SkeptiCamp?
SkeptiCamps are informal, community-organized events born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. Everyone from casual skeptics to the experienced participate, give talks and get to know each other.
It’s a new kind of BarCamp, an ‘unconference’ whose content is provided by the attendees themselves. Where BarCamp focuses on technology, SkeptiCamp instead focuses on science advocacy, critical thinking, pseudoscience, paranormal claims, alternative medicine and the hundreds of topics of interest to skeptics.
This means that, while I’m responsible for coming up with the idea, everyone is responsible for everything that happens at Skepchicamp. And while it’s free to attend, you don’t get in without contributing to the conference. This means you could speak, help organize, donate supplies or manpower or expertise, or make some other contribution… like purchasing beer for the conference. Also, this is not limited to just women… but rather, focused on women. Boys are totally welcome!
So obviously, to get this off the ground, I’m going to need your help. This is a call to action! I want to set a target date for some time in February, and have our first planning meeting some time in the next few weeks. If you’re interested in coming to the first planning meeting, please let me know. I’m hoping to hold it on a Saturday afternoon, in a central-ish location with Wi-Fi. Suggestions for a planning HQ and date are welcome!
Who’s in?
Wish I lived near Chicago and not L.A. so I could help out more. The best I can do is offer my services as a volunteer proofreader/copyeditor should you need it. (I have plenty of professional experience and am happy to submit a resume!)
Jeez, all the cool shit happens in Chicago these days. We need to get off our arses in the Bay Area, Karen!
I obviously won’t be able to get to planning meetings, but I’m totally in for the actual event. And for helping online. Just let me know what I can do! I can set up a website similar to SkeptiCamp Ohio if that would be useful. :)
I’m in. I can supply food, cookies, munchies, stuff like that.
:) Awesome!
Not many skeptics know that there actually has been a women-oriented skeptic conference in the past. It occurred more than a decade back in Boulder, Colorado and featured talks by Eugenie Scott and Carol Tavris.
While the Boulder event is mostly a footnote in the history of skepticism, I dare say that ‘Skepchicamp’ has far greater potential, not only for the Chicago-area event as it grows in the years to come, but also in seeing similar events like it around the world. Speakers won’t simply be drawn from academia, but from demographics as broad as you dare.
And I’m a bit humbled that it’ll be based on SkeptiCamp. I’ll do my best to join you. :)
@ReedE:
It’s not based on SkeptiCamp, it is SkeptiCamp… but with more boobs and Oprah rage.
And thanks for the “no pressure” support… Yikes! I might have to put pants on for this now!
@Elyse:
I’m a big advocate of starting simply and focusing on participation. You can always grow next year.
So no pressure to start with a big and complex event.
Elyse: I know you’re not a big fan of the “Black Rock Pub” where we hold the regular Chicago Skeptics Meet-up (because of the Moose head over the bar) but you’re welcome to use our regular meetings to help organize this event.
And now for my obligatory plug/link:
http://www.meetup.com/Chicago-Skeptics/
In!
I’m there!!! I probably wouldn’t be able to be in town for a meeting in the next couple months due to work schedules, but I’m still in!
Can you use a newbie? Like, so newbie I can’t even fangirl over the right people because I don’t know who the right people are?
@BonnieBeth:
Absolutely! We need newbies! That’s the whole point!
(and I’ll tell you who to fangirl over)
Ooo, as a skeptical female blogger close-ish to Chicago, I’m definitely interested. I have no idea what I’d talk about, but I probably could come up with something…
If anyone has any suggestions of places that we could hold planning meetings, I’d like to hear them.
Somewhere with free WiFi.
I think I’m aiming for the first Saturday or Sunday in October for the first planning meeting.
It should also be someplace where we can be a little isolated from the rest of the clientele. Not because we’re so scary, but because we can get LOUD!