Jon sits down with Vaughn James, assistant director of Dragon Con’s Science track, for a conversation about what the track actually is and why it fits Dragon Con so well.

Science at Dragon Con is a lot of things: hard-science panels, science-and-pop-culture conversations, and the more speculative stuff. But it is so much more as evidenced by the crowd-pleasers and recurring favorites, including AI and large language models versus human learning, Science vs. Movies, Science is Gross, Solve for ‘X’, the science fair, and the hands-on science power hour.

Don’t miss the track that mixes scientists, science journalists, and science communicators without losing the fun.

Track links and resources: science@dragoncon.org · Dragon Con tracks page · Dragon Con guest list by announcement date

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Jon and Leigh kick off this episode of time-travel and cosplay regrets with Liz, the director of Dragon Con’s Alternate & Historical Fiction track.

We discuss history that could have been, history that was, and all the “what if” storytelling in between.

Additionally, we chat about this year’s Dragon Con Cotillion, retro entertainment, steampunk, pirates, and a Dragon Con’s 3 hour cruise.

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Jon, Leigh, and Sue Phillips chat about Science Fiction Literature at Dragon Con. We discuss the books, ideas, and fan-favorite sci-fi that shape the track.

We look at what fans can expect from the track: space opera, first contact, near-future fiction, cyberpunk, hard SF, and all the other books that keep readers coming back for more.

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Jon and Leigh welcome Cisca Small to 50 Days of Dragon Con for a conversation about Fantasy Literature at Dragon Con and all the ways the track stretches far beyond a single subgenre.

We discuss the big umbrella that is Fantasy Literature; a track that boasts panels on classic fantasy, page-versus-screen, space fantasy, science fantasy, and LitRPG. We also discuss track events like Page to Stage and Boinking Beasties.

Track links: Fantasy Literature Facebook · Fantasy Literature X/Twitter · Dragon Con Fantasy Literature Track

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Jon and Leigh welcome Beth Giles, director of Dragon Con’s Silk Road: Asian Cinema & Culture track, for a tour through one of Dragon Con’s widest-ranging programming tracks.

Beth explains how Silk Road stretches from the Mediterranean through India and across Asia to the Pacific, covering belly dance, K-pop, martial arts, kaiju, Bollywood, Asian dramas, language, origami, food, travel, and the many fandoms that live along the route.

We preview the giant K-pop dance party, charity ‘blinky’ sales for Hope Atlanta, Mothra and Ultraman anniversary programming, Phoenix Wellness Arts, lion dances, stunt martial arts demos, origami classes, Japanese travel and urban legends panels, Asian zombie films, and more!

You can find Silk Road in the Hilton. You can also follow the track on X/Twitter.

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Jon and Leigh welcome Kevin Bachelder back to 50 Days of Dragon Con for conversation about Dragon Con Newbies and what first-time attendees need to know before they arrive in Atlanta.

Kevin talks about his own long history with Dragon Con, how the Newbies community grew from fans helping fans, and why it has become such a useful landing place for people staring at the app, the hotels, the crowds, and the schedule for the first time.

The episode gets into the questions new attendees ask most: how to plan without overplanning, how to handle the size and pace of the convention, why the app and schedule can feel overwhelming, and why it is okay to miss things and still have a fantastic Dragon Con.

Jon, Leigh, and Kevin also cover the culture of helping each other at Dragon Con and finding online resources, meetups, and communities.

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Jon and Leigh go “about town” for Day 8, mixing the usual 50 Days nonsense with ‘practical’ Atlanta advice.

The episode starts with a quick look at several 2026 Dragon Con guests:

• Kevin R. Grazier, the real-deal scientist and science advisor whose credits include Battlestar Galactica
• Noël Wells, known to Trek fans as Tendi on Lower Decks and also a Saturday Night Live alum
• Steffi Diem, a plasma physicist and fusion engineer whose work sounds exactly like the kind of science Dragon Con was built to celebrate.

From there, Jon and Leigh shift into the annual “what else is happening in Atlanta?” conversation: museums, Zoo Atlanta, the aquarium, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Center for Puppetry Arts…

They also talk through the realities of Dragon Con weekend downtown, MARTA-able side quests, food trucks, Peachtree Center food-court strategy, hotel restaurants, and why sometimes the best convention plan is simply knowing where you can sit down and put food in your face.

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Jon welcomes Max, director and editor-in-chief of the Daily Dragon, for a look inside Dragon Con’s official news source.

Max discusses finding Dragon Con, joining the Daily Dragon as a volunteer, and taking the reins as director.

They also get into how Max recruits writers and photographers, chases down schedule changes, and story decisions.

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Jon and Leigh welcome Eternal Zan back to 50 Days of Dragon Con for a Day 3 conversation about Dragon Con traditions, fan communities, hotel realities, parade groups, and the strange things that happen when fans get together.

We discuss Dragon Con’s Eternal Membership program and what it means for current Eternals. The gang also talks about volunteering, the volunteer meetings, and how fans can still contribute to the con.

We also chat about hotels including the Cortland Grand situation (Don’t Panic) and treating hotel staff with kindness.

Zan also shares details about the Eternal Members and Friends parade group, the Cult of Marriott Carpet parade group, Dragon Con Night at the Aquarium, and the Cults of Dragon Con costume contest.

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We’re back! Jon and Leigh kick off the 2026 season of 50 Days of Dragon Con with an episode full of the usual amount of podcast chaos.

In this episode, we start with an apology then preview the 2026 season, including programming tracks, gaming, the art show, guests, and getting ready for Labor Day weekend in Atlanta.

It is the first day of the countdown, the rust is being knocked off, and the journey to Dragon Con 2026 has officially begun.

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