Call for Submissions

Dear Handmade Friends,

Thanks for your patience on the Handmade Boston recordings—we’re just about done. Sorry for the delay! Meanwhile, you can still catch the online track on Twitch VOD and it’ll be up on the Media page and YouTube afterwards.

On the hunt for speakers (and more!)

It’s time to ramp up Handmade Seattle 2024, and I’m looking for presenters and job fair participants. We’ve got spots for:

• Talks
• Demos
• Fireside chats (informal interviews)
• Job Booths

Whether you’re in person or online, there’s room for both. Check out the Media and Job Fair pages for examples.

How to apply

The beauty of indie conferences is there’s no convoluted process: just send me an email! Let me know what you want to present and why you’re the one to do it.

Slots are limited. Either I or staff on my behalf should get back to you within 1-3 business days.

Wheel Reinvention Jam

Are you joining the Handmade Network jam? We usually pick a couple of entries for a demo slot at the conference, so it’s a good way to get noticed.

This year’s themes: “awakening” and “post-awakening”

2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the Handmade movement. Many in our community talk about the “aha” moments that transformed how they think about programming, kickstarted by the Manifesto. So this year, we want talks that dive into the:

• Awakening: Did you learn something that felt like a superpower once you grasped it? Share it with us and open our eyes too. A community favorite is Andreas Fredriksson’s Context is Everything.

• Post-Awakening: What have you done since your own awakening? A great example is Billy Basso’s presentation last month at Handmade Boston, about his journey shipping Animal Well after his own Handmade realizations.

Not every talk needs to fit perfectly into these categories—the lines can get blurred and that’s fine.

Honest opinions encouraged

You can have raw, controversial takes: bring on the heat. You can criticize any tech company if you believe it’s well-deserved. That’s the whole point of Handmade events (we have no sponsors.) You can be shocking, comedic or use curse words if it serves your point.

Just don’t overindulge please. My motto is spicy but classy.

Note: You’re allowed to go all in with references to Majora or ChocoVine, my two great loves. (Hope this doesn’t discourage ticket sales..)

Thanks for reading—I’m excited to see your proposals! Next time, I’ll update you on the Third Place initiative and other exciting meetup announcements.

Your indie organizer,
Abner

FAQ

Q: I can’t afford a ticket

A: Shoot me an email and explain your situation. We offer discounts, and some of my donors offer free seats for those in need.

Q: How does the online track work?

A: Unlike Boston, Handmade Seattle is fully hybrid. The entire event is live-streamed for free, and your online ticket gets you into the private chat for live Q&A.

Q: Are you using Matrix?

A: Nope! We’re switching to Revolt, which I hope works better. Read more about the Matrix drama here.

Q: I have travel/lodging questions.

A: Join the Handmade Cities Discord to receive guidance from other ticket holders. If you don’t have Discord you can email me: just be aware that it might take me a few business days to respond.

Q: Bang Bang Con wrapped up for good. Is Handmade Seattle headed the same way? Going out with a bang or fading away?

A: Conferences are shutting down everywhere—E3, Deconstruct, Strangeloop, XOXO, and yep, even Bang Bang Con just held their final one last month.

But if there’s one thing I’m proud of, it’s pulling off indie conferences since 2019, even when I come through last-minute in tough years like this.

I’m here to stay.