Texas Steampunk Connection

recorded May 14, 2025 The Met Gala just happened and it's theme was "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style." This has started a conversation about dandyism and black history. We discuss the roots of black dandyism, how it has differed from general dandyism, how it differs across cultures, and see what it offers us from a Steampunk point of view. Articles on Black Dandyism History of Black Dandyism and Its Celebration at The Met Gala biography.com  Black Dandyism wikipedia.org Flâneur wikipedia.org La Sape wikipedia.org The Dandies of Congo Youtube.com Gentleman Jack 

recorded April 30, 2025 Thax is missing and the inmates are running the asylum! Jack and Dr. B hit on the color of the season, Apocalype Red! All the steampunks are going with red highlights for 2025. Weird new film directed by Jamin Winans, "Myth of Man" looks visually amazing! And there's a new Dune video game that Jack is about to play. Steampunk by Ottavio Nuccio  Myth of Man 

recorded April 16, 2025 Galveston Steampunk Festival was last weekend and we have lots to talk about after event! A hell-ride across the state! Best restaurant in town! A new venue at the Moody Gardens, the Galveston pyramids. Improvements from last year, adjustments and growing pains. Grab a pint or a tipple and lets talk!

recorded April 2, 2025 On Saturday afternoon April 29, just over a week ago, Wild Wild West Con, a long running steampunk convention in Arizona, was summarily shut down by the hotel under questionable circumstances. We discuss the available facts and try to understand why WWWC was taken down. Steampunk Explorer reports on the shutdown Last chance to get passes for Galveston Steampunk Festival! 

recorded March 19, 2025 Steampunk is fiction informed by history, so it's good to know a thing or two about actually happened, especially when it makes such wild stories. This week we welcome hobby historian and author, Krystal Stargazer, to talk about her favorite character, her historical crush, Davey Crockett. We also discuss her book detailing her research into Austin's own Victorian cereal killer, the Servant Girl Annihilator. The Annihilation of Austin  Austin Moon Towers 

recorded March 5, 2025 Texas Steampunk Connection is joined by Kitty of Faire Treasures to talk about the trends we have seen at conventions. What's changed in the 35 years of attending cons? Is bigger better, or do we miss small college con vibe? Do we like it or how do we want it to change? Also Dr. Bluestocking bought a house! Also start building your teapot racer for Galveston Steampunk Festival! 

recorded February 19, 2025 Festival Season is a great time for Steampunk! Joining us is event host Johnny Steverson of Galveston Steampunk Festival fame! We chat with him about upcoming events, Mardi Gras Galveston style, a little men's facial grooming, and how to be ready for a good time! Galveston Steampunk Festival 

recorded Febuary 5, 2025 Love or hate, the big V day is coming! Join the Steampunks to chat about Victorian Valentine's tradition of love letters, modern romance, and probably smut. 5 Minute History: Valentine's Day in the Vcitorian Era  5 romantic Victorian Valentine's Day traditions

recorded January 22, 2025 Costumer, game designer, teacher, author, Laura Meyer returns to the show after more than a year! She's been working on her upcoming book, The Halloween Collection: Costume and Cosplay Techniques, due out any day here, and Cogs Aplenty! A Steampunk Murder Mystery Game, for release later this year! www.TwilightAttire.com The Victorian Collection: Advanced costuming Techniques

recorded January 8, 2025 This year we want more adventures, and that means making some sort of plan, so I'm told. We're looking for cool Texas events, trips, and things to look forward to. Planners don't post events so early in the year, so I like to keep a list of known organizers, and themes I hope to find. Circuses, balloon festivals, conventions. Fredericksburg Hot Air Balloon Festival Plano Balloon Festival Kerville RenFest World Oddities Expo Oddities & Curiosities Expo

recorded December 26, 2024 That special time, a mysterious time between Christmas and New Years where Santa is not looking. We call this time "the Binge." Tonight we review the year and make resolutions for 2025!  More guests! More comic and book reviews! More travel! Teapot racing! Radio drama! Merch! Let's see if we can make this happen.

recorded December 11, 2024 Robert Heinlein wrote "A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits." This week we talk to KL Forslund, winner of the Steampunk November poetry slam. He'll introduce us to some new bad habits and update us on the Texas Teapot Racing League. What fun!

recorded Novemeber 27, 2024 Happy Thanksgiving! Last chance to run to the store before they close for a WHOLE DAY! Tonight our producer, Lex, joins us to celebrate the season of thanks. She's got topics to talk about, including the underdeveloped topic of dance in steampunk, and the mechanical reanimation of dead spiders. It's gonna be a wild hour! Steampunk ladies dance at derelict Torrington dairy Necrorobotics: The Ethics of Resurrecting the Dead

recorded Novemeber 13, 2024 We've just come back from the biggest, oldest steampunk event in Texas, Steampunk November. It gets just a bit bigger and more interesting every year and we had a great time. It was emotionally hard to leave our growing friends and family in steampunk at the end. Join us and special guest, Natalie McTavish, Aka Nicole, Aka Sheriff McCannon to tell you what you may have missed. Also Texas loves HEB. It's kind of our thing.

recorded October 30, 2024 Happy Halloween! Kaely, admin for the World of Steampunk facebook group, joins us to talk spooky stuff, steampunk in Fall, big events, and celebrating a certain doctor with ADHD distractions into random geeky stuff. Dr. Bluestocking's dissertation (now complete!)

recorded October 16, 2024 Spook Season Live Stream! The darkness is upon us! Let's talk about where steampunk and horror intersect and what we're enjoying as the nights become longer. Starting with Mary Shelley and Poe, through Weird Fiction and HP Lovecraft, to modern tales that play with a steampunk aesthetic. Crimson Peak  Winchester  Ghost Ship  North American Lake Monsters  The Mechanical Grave  The Necrofessor's comic 

recorded October 2, 2024 Johnny Steverson's back! We're all in high spirits for the coming Ghost Coast Festival on the 11th to 13th, and all the spooky October shenanigans. Johnny tells us some of the details of guests and experiences to expect at the festival. It should be a good time. Ghost Coast Festival  League Kempner House 

recorded September 18, 2024 We are joined by Cedric Whittaker, Co-Captain of Airship Isabella, costume and prop makers for film and theatre, and long time steampunk luminary. He's also become a paranormal investigator with a more than a few stories. We look forward to getting spooky!

recorded September 4, 2024 Asia has always had a rich tapestry of cultures that are often a mystery to western audiences. Add to that the embrace of the steampunk aesthetic and you may have discovered SilkPunk. Writer Ken Liu coined the term as a multicultural Steampunk label. Let's chat about it! the Dandelion Dynasty - Ken Liu The SEA Is Ours: Tales of Steampunk Southeast Asia - Nghi Vo Gunpowder Alchemy - Jeannie Lin the Windup Girl - Paolo Bacigalupi Tales of the Far West - Gareth-Michael Skarka Jani and the Greater Game - Eric Brown

recorded August 21, 2024 Tonight we are joined with accomplished leatherworker and long time steampunk, Lauren Bonneau. If you've ever thought to make your own leather goods but have questions, we're here for um. Ms. Bonneau's work may inspire you to just jump in. Free armor patterns, essays, discourse at The Armour Archive  Lauren's tiktok 

recorded July 6, 2024 A macguffin, an object serving merely as a trigger for a plot, is a common literary device. What macguffins do we find in Steampunk stories? Are they different than other genres?  Getting a little meta this time. Let's talk about it.  

recorded July 23, 2024 How do animals fit into your steampunk vision? What animals are the most steampunk? What animals can we see in Steampunk media? From family pets to big game, we're going to talk about animals! Steampunk Tea Duelling Rules Nantes Mechanical Elephant Little Nemo Adventures in Slumberland

recorded July 9, 2024 As the forebearer of Steampunk, what place does Cyberpunk play in out collection of stories, styles, and themes? What do we think of a future without 'retro? Lets Talk about it. Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092402/ Johnny Mnemonic https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113481/ Rita's link: YMYW https://yourmindyourworld.com/

recorded June 11, 2024 It started out so innocent, learning about a Victorian confection, the Penny Lick. Which apparently was a disease vector, which lead to epidemics and death due to terrible sanitation, not just despite, but because of the invention of indoor plumbing. What a wild disgusting ride. Dangers of Victorian Penny Licks Dubious Victorian Cures 

recorded June 11, 2024 We've covered a lot of aspects of steampunk on this show. This week Jack asked what do we wish was included that we've not seen. What would you like to see in 'the scene' that you haven't? What could make steampunk more compelling, more interesting? Let's have a bit of a brainstorm, for fun.

recorded May 28, 2024 Summer is a great time to build your Steampunk kit but budgets are very tight. Between Shein, Temu, and Alibaba, what are the risks ordering from China? Tonight you can learn from our mistakes, and get some advice on finding the quality stuff from overseas. 

recorded May 14, 2024 Diverging from our punk series, tonight we discuss post-apocalyptic stories that we call steampunk, why are they SP, how are they different from more historical SP? And is there a sub genre 'punk for this?

recorded April 30, 2024 Continuing our punk series, tonight we explore the wild west of Steampunk. What makes Steampunk in America different than in Britain? Dust Punk and Weird West have a lot to offer the Steampunk genre. Lets talk about it. Burke's Peerage lists U.K. nobles and titles Native Steampunk with Michael RedTurtle: A Personal Essay The Clockwork Century Series 

We're home from the the big spring event for Texas Steampunks, and it's time for a debrief. Let's chat with producer, Johnny "Starship" Steverson about the successes and challenges and secrets for what's to come.

recorded April 2, 2024 Continuing our punk series, tonight we explore how literary horror has crept and scuttled its way into the Steampunk scene. Weird Fiction- late 19th, early 20th cent. Supernatural fiction blending sci-fi, gothic fiction, folk tales, romanticis, ghost stories, and fantasy while avoiding genre tropes, and making them... weird. Edgar Allen Poe Cosmic Horror- Themes of Detachment and Isolation, the Unknown, the Fragility of Sanity, pointlessness of human existence, and Visceral Textures (like tentacles). HP Lovecraft The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. -HPL  

recorded March 19, 2024 Tonight we begin a series on punk genres by diving into the Dieselpunk, or Petrolpunk, theme. How is it distinguished from Steampunk? What are some examples? Where lies the 'punk'?  

recorded March 5, 2024 "What's with those goggles?" Have you been in a "Steampunk 101" lecture at any convention with a steampunk track? Near all of us have. But how would you boil down the length and breadth of our hobby(s) to a succinct message to curious normies? Tonight we will struggle over this topic while we share a drink and idle banter. Another writer's take  and another  Bonus: Bluestocking's SP music essentials 

recorded February 20, 2024 Johnny Starship has new surprises for Galveston Steampunk Fest including plans for Tx Steampunk Connection! And we have the usual brews, news, and drivel. Also Thax's birthday. Galveston Steampunk Festival Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus  Galveston Pirate Museum

recorded February 6, 2024 Tonight special guests, Janie Mitcham and Jo Gill of the League-Kempner House nonprofit tell us about restoring this victorian mansion in Galveston, Texas, into a historic museum. If you like home renovation shows like This Old House, this is the episode for you! League-Kempner House website  YouTube channel 

recorded January 23, 2024 January has flown by with Texas winter weather. Tonight Jack found that movie producers insist Steampunk is dead and trying to bill something as SP is a death sentence. But is this true? Let's talk about it.

recorded January 9, 2024 First transmission of the year! Jack has a birthday! And Johnny Steverson, producer of the Galveston Steampunk Festival, has joined us to share what's new with the fest, including some details shared here for the first time! This cold will not last, and it's time to make plans for warmer days! Galveston Steampunk Festival 

recorded December 26, 2023 Day after Christmas and we're a little fried. Laura Meyer's new book has reached it's goal and she celebrates with us. We just yammer for a while at the end of the year, happy that you're with us. 

recorded December 12, 2023 Laura Meyer returns tonight with her latest book, The Halloween Collection, that gives insight into costumes and cosplay building from experts of the craft. The Halloween Collection: Costume and Cosplay Techniques  

recorded November 28, 2023 Tonight we are joined by Teapunk Tea's tea guru, Genevieve who has promised to answer out every question about tea. It is an informative hour if you want to know more about tea, a steampunk staple. Teapunk Tea https://teapunkteas.com/

recorded November 14, 2023 We're back from Steampunk November this weekend, and if you missed it, that's a shame. We talk about the high points, site improvements, and what we'd like to see next year. And not of deaf ears, because the admins of SP Nov are listening. If you were at the event, make some comments. I'd love to hear your opinions! Teapunk Tea  Gothgloom Propworks 

recorded October 30, 2023 Tonight we drink, and talking to author Cheryl L-g Trent. A long time Texas steampunk turned prolific writer of historic and modern fantasy. Her new-to-print novel, Daughter's Fortune leads five other titles on Kindle Vella.  Cheryl L-g Trent's page  the Tall Ship Elissa  become a reader/reviewer for future releases by Cheryl L-G Trent 

recorded October 17, 2023 Tonight we have the pleasure of meeting the organizers and some of the cast of Steampunk November, the largest steampunk event in Texas! Shane and Leslie Richmond give us some background and history of the festival, and characters Sheriff Kate McCannon and Captain Zach Flannigan introduce themselves and give us a taste of what to expect!

recorded Ocotber 3, 2023 Cool times finally ahead! Holidays and better days. Steampunk times are here! Natalie McTavish AND Kitty from Faire Treasures are with us for some talk of spooks, beers and brass. Thax has a short rant, Bluestocking plays Lies of P and Kitty does Fallout 76. Also Kitty mentioned the murder of Sycamore Gap. Allfather Fig Mead  the Very Moon steampunk musical  Gunbrella!!  Charles Dickens in Starfield  A tree on the wall 

recorded September 19, 2023 It's Talk Like a Pirate Day! We're deep in the Halloween crafting time, and we're excited. Lies of P has just been released and Bluestocking has got the itch to start it. Nightingale is another steampunk game due out next Febuary which looks amazing. Jack and Thax went to a performance of reading from Edgar Allan Poe by the Archive Theater company. Thax found a company actually engineering a real airships! Lies of P official site Nightingale site the Archive Theater LTA research corp

recorded September 5, 2023 Our friends, Rita and Lawrence, have returned from adventure across the pond, and to the Asylum Steampunk Festival in Lincoln, UK. Rita joins us to relay all the high points of their travel.

recorded August 22, 2023 Tonight's conversation goes from stores stocking the Halloween stuff, to a sin against beer, to breaking into the the online library and how to get lost works of fogotten knowledge. Is there a Pirate Bay of educational material?

recorded August 8, 2023  

recorded July 11, 2023 Tonight's theme is the Desert, and not the Sweet Kind! Jack, Thax and Blue Stocking talk about this summer heat and films based on the classic pulp genre, from Indiana Jones to the Jungle Cruise, to the original H. Rider Haggard's 1885 novel hero, Allan Quatermain!

recorded June 27, 2023 We're elbows deep into 100+ summertime heat. So we dive into the sea of the current event de jure. The Oceangate sub has been crushed under the weight of nearly 13,000 feet of water. We discuss the event, as compared to the Titanic sinking in 1912. What are your opinions of the wealthy and "Adventure Tourism"? Titanic's Reporting in 1912  Media jokes about the Titanic  Homemade personal blimp 

recorded June 13, 2023 Never mind the 100+ weather. Stay indoors with Laura Meyer's new fashion-forward card deck. We'll also share drinks and chew the fat on new steampunk minutiae. Jack is put off by steampunk worlds where the tech doesn't make sense. Are you tired of writing pandering to Steampunk without really developing a believable story?   Antique de la Mode: Playing Cards With A Tailored Twist