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otherkinnewsContent warning: This article itself does not have any content that would likely be troubling to the average reader. It is rated PG and safe for work. One source links to a page that has adult content, and that link is clearly marked.
Summary: Coming up in March, we have two online conventions for dragons and elfae, and a registration window for a convention later this summer for alterhumans. I'm also highlighting eight anniversaries of events from the history of the otherkin communities: conventions of yesteryear, the creations of mailing lists and community blogs, and the earliest primary source I've found from the Elf Queen's Daughters. To combat misinformation, it's important to have regular reminders that the otherkin community is not mysteriously ancient, and it is not an extremely new invention from whichever social media site is currently popular. This article is about three pages long, with in-text citations and references.
March 1 to April 30. Upcoming event. Othercon is a convention for alterhumans that will take place on Discord on the second weekend of August. This will be its fourth year. Staff registrations open on March 1 to April 30 for Othercon (Dinocanid, 2023). Discord is a social app and site, created in 2015, where users can communicate one-on-one or in groups by chat, voice, video, or live streaming games or anything else on their desktop. You can follow Othercon's Twitter account, Otherkon, for updates and reminders about when registration dates open for other groups of participants.
March 4. Anniversary. On this date in 2001, 22 years ago today, the community blog with the handle "Otherkin" was created on LiveJournal. This was the first of many community blogs on that site that were about otherkin (Scribner, p. 59). LiveJournal was the most popular social blogging site for years since its creation in 1999, until it declined in popularity when it was bought out and then its servers moved to Russia. Because of this, in 2017, the administrator Arethinn closed the "Otherkin" blog, which can still be seen at its original location. Arethinn also imported a copy of the blog to Dreamwidth just for archival purposes.
March 6. Anniversary. On this date in 1999, 24 years ago, the Elven Realities online mailing list was created and had its first post. It was for elves as well as people who were interested in elves (Scribner, p. 51) It was hosted on Yahoo Groups, which was one of the world's largest collections of online discussion boards and mailing lists, until its dissolution in 2020.
March 16 through 18. Anniversary. On these dates in 2001, 22 years ago today, a convention of otherkin and vampires called Kinvention North met in person in Ontario, Canada (Belanger, 2004, p. 163; Scribner, p. 59). Kinvention North had also been held in 1999, 2004, and 2005, though not always at the same time of year.
March 17 through 19. Upcoming event. The draconic summit is an online discord event that centers around draconic nonhumanity and plurality. Anyone can attend this event, not just dragons. The spring summit takes place the weekend of the spring equinox, March 17 through 19. You can register in advance by using this form.
March 21. Anniversary. On this date in 1975, 48 years ago, the Elf Queen's Daughters published a piece in the Spring Equinox issue of Green Egg, a magazine for Pagans. This full-page piece of prose in elaborate typography, titled "Discovery," is the earliest primary source document that I’ve found from the Elf Queen's Daughters. It was about environmentalism and philosophy, and didn’t mention elves or identification with them (Scribner, p. 13). The EQD are a group of elves who formed sometime between the early 1960s or 1974 (Scribner, p. 10). They are known for their expertise with divination by Tarot, I Ching, and Ouija board, and their philosophy focused on nature and re-enchantment, which drew some inspiration from the fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. They are the earliest known group that was a precursor to the otherkin community.
March 23. Anniversary. On this date in 1999, 24 years ago, the LostKin Project was created. It was a mailing list for otherkin who do not remember past lives or have other explanations for why they are otherkin, but want to find some (Scribner, p. 51).
March 24. Anniversary. On this date in 2005, 18 years ago today, the student newspaper of Texas A&M University published an article about a student who is a furry fan and a raptor otherkin. Adult content warning for this link: A furry news blog reposted it with a conversation thread on how to think critically about what's in the news. (Moghe, 2005; Procyon, 2005; Scribner, p. 75).
March 24 through 26. Upcoming event. Shining Hearth is an annual online gathering of Elves, Fae, Sidhe, Tuatha De Danann, and similar folk. They offer workshops and presentations, plus casual entertainment, video watch-alongs and games, and spaces for general chat and various topics. The gathering will be held on the fourth weekend of March on their dedicated Discord server, March 24 through 26. On the Shining Hearth website, you can learn more and register. General registration is open until March 22.
March 26. Anniversary. On this date in 1990, 33 years ago, Korra'ti sent out the first Elfinkind Digest. The Digest was the first online mailing list for elves and others of the 'otherkind.' It was not for roleplaying (Scribner, p. 25; Korra'ti, 2000). Later that summer, participants of the mailing list coined the words "otherkind" and "otherkin" (Arethinn, 2021).
March 30. Anniversary. On this date in 1999, 24 years ago, the Otherkind-Hosts mailing list was created. The mailing list was for plural systems whose members are not human (Scribner, p. 51).
Do you know about any more upcoming events in any alterhuman communities? If so, please tell us about them in the comments. ■
References
Arethinn (Sept. 6, 2021). "A Brief(ish) History of the Word 'Otherkind.'" Mythsong. https://www.mythsong.net/history/wordhist.html
Belanger, M. A. (2004). The Psychic Vampire Codex: A Manual of Magick and Energy Work. York Beach, ME: Weiser. https://www.worldcat.org/title/54529843
Dinocanid (Jan. 6, 2023). "The registration schedule for Othercon 2023 is up!" https://dinocanid.tumblr.com/post/705675816624914433/the-registration-schedule-for-othercon-2023-is-up
Draconic Summit (2023?). "Event registration." https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe1y_J1bm-45P6LUoN3IKIIdcUqqflnuwzwfX49Z9sWuasjXA/viewform
Korra'ti (May 31, 2000). “The Elfinkind Digest.” Archived April 29, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010429164040/http://www.murkworks.net/~elflist/
Moghe, S (Mar. 24, 2005). “Get furry: Aggies release their animalistic nature.” The Battalion. Reposted by Procyon (Mar. 26, 2005). “Campus newspaper article on furries at Texas A&M.” Flayrah. Adult content warning for this link: http://www.flayrah.com/2083
Othercon (Otherkon). Twitter. https://twitter.com/Otherkon
Otherkin. LiveJournal. https://otherkin.livejournal.com/profile
Otherkin. DreamWidth. https://otherkinarchive.dreamwidth.org/profile
Scribner, O (September 8, 2012). Otherkin Timeline. Version 2.0. http://frameacloud.com/nonfiction/
Shining Hearth (Feb. 10, 2023). "Event Info." Shining Hearth. https://www.shininghearth.net/eventinfo.html
Summary: Coming up in March, we have two online conventions for dragons and elfae, and a registration window for a convention later this summer for alterhumans. I'm also highlighting eight anniversaries of events from the history of the otherkin communities: conventions of yesteryear, the creations of mailing lists and community blogs, and the earliest primary source I've found from the Elf Queen's Daughters. To combat misinformation, it's important to have regular reminders that the otherkin community is not mysteriously ancient, and it is not an extremely new invention from whichever social media site is currently popular. This article is about three pages long, with in-text citations and references.
March 1 to April 30. Upcoming event. Othercon is a convention for alterhumans that will take place on Discord on the second weekend of August. This will be its fourth year. Staff registrations open on March 1 to April 30 for Othercon (Dinocanid, 2023). Discord is a social app and site, created in 2015, where users can communicate one-on-one or in groups by chat, voice, video, or live streaming games or anything else on their desktop. You can follow Othercon's Twitter account, Otherkon, for updates and reminders about when registration dates open for other groups of participants.
March 4. Anniversary. On this date in 2001, 22 years ago today, the community blog with the handle "Otherkin" was created on LiveJournal. This was the first of many community blogs on that site that were about otherkin (Scribner, p. 59). LiveJournal was the most popular social blogging site for years since its creation in 1999, until it declined in popularity when it was bought out and then its servers moved to Russia. Because of this, in 2017, the administrator Arethinn closed the "Otherkin" blog, which can still be seen at its original location. Arethinn also imported a copy of the blog to Dreamwidth just for archival purposes.
March 6. Anniversary. On this date in 1999, 24 years ago, the Elven Realities online mailing list was created and had its first post. It was for elves as well as people who were interested in elves (Scribner, p. 51) It was hosted on Yahoo Groups, which was one of the world's largest collections of online discussion boards and mailing lists, until its dissolution in 2020.
March 16 through 18. Anniversary. On these dates in 2001, 22 years ago today, a convention of otherkin and vampires called Kinvention North met in person in Ontario, Canada (Belanger, 2004, p. 163; Scribner, p. 59). Kinvention North had also been held in 1999, 2004, and 2005, though not always at the same time of year.
March 17 through 19. Upcoming event. The draconic summit is an online discord event that centers around draconic nonhumanity and plurality. Anyone can attend this event, not just dragons. The spring summit takes place the weekend of the spring equinox, March 17 through 19. You can register in advance by using this form.
March 21. Anniversary. On this date in 1975, 48 years ago, the Elf Queen's Daughters published a piece in the Spring Equinox issue of Green Egg, a magazine for Pagans. This full-page piece of prose in elaborate typography, titled "Discovery," is the earliest primary source document that I’ve found from the Elf Queen's Daughters. It was about environmentalism and philosophy, and didn’t mention elves or identification with them (Scribner, p. 13). The EQD are a group of elves who formed sometime between the early 1960s or 1974 (Scribner, p. 10). They are known for their expertise with divination by Tarot, I Ching, and Ouija board, and their philosophy focused on nature and re-enchantment, which drew some inspiration from the fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. They are the earliest known group that was a precursor to the otherkin community.
March 23. Anniversary. On this date in 1999, 24 years ago, the LostKin Project was created. It was a mailing list for otherkin who do not remember past lives or have other explanations for why they are otherkin, but want to find some (Scribner, p. 51).
March 24. Anniversary. On this date in 2005, 18 years ago today, the student newspaper of Texas A&M University published an article about a student who is a furry fan and a raptor otherkin. Adult content warning for this link: A furry news blog reposted it with a conversation thread on how to think critically about what's in the news. (Moghe, 2005; Procyon, 2005; Scribner, p. 75).
March 24 through 26. Upcoming event. Shining Hearth is an annual online gathering of Elves, Fae, Sidhe, Tuatha De Danann, and similar folk. They offer workshops and presentations, plus casual entertainment, video watch-alongs and games, and spaces for general chat and various topics. The gathering will be held on the fourth weekend of March on their dedicated Discord server, March 24 through 26. On the Shining Hearth website, you can learn more and register. General registration is open until March 22.
March 26. Anniversary. On this date in 1990, 33 years ago, Korra'ti sent out the first Elfinkind Digest. The Digest was the first online mailing list for elves and others of the 'otherkind.' It was not for roleplaying (Scribner, p. 25; Korra'ti, 2000). Later that summer, participants of the mailing list coined the words "otherkind" and "otherkin" (Arethinn, 2021).
March 30. Anniversary. On this date in 1999, 24 years ago, the Otherkind-Hosts mailing list was created. The mailing list was for plural systems whose members are not human (Scribner, p. 51).
Do you know about any more upcoming events in any alterhuman communities? If so, please tell us about them in the comments. ■
References
Arethinn (Sept. 6, 2021). "A Brief(ish) History of the Word 'Otherkind.'" Mythsong. https://www.mythsong.net/history/wordhist.html
Belanger, M. A. (2004). The Psychic Vampire Codex: A Manual of Magick and Energy Work. York Beach, ME: Weiser. https://www.worldcat.org/title/54529843
Dinocanid (Jan. 6, 2023). "The registration schedule for Othercon 2023 is up!" https://dinocanid.tumblr.com/post/705675816624914433/the-registration-schedule-for-othercon-2023-is-up
Draconic Summit (2023?). "Event registration." https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe1y_J1bm-45P6LUoN3IKIIdcUqqflnuwzwfX49Z9sWuasjXA/viewform
Korra'ti (May 31, 2000). “The Elfinkind Digest.” Archived April 29, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010429164040/http://www.murkworks.net/~elflist/
Moghe, S (Mar. 24, 2005). “Get furry: Aggies release their animalistic nature.” The Battalion. Reposted by Procyon (Mar. 26, 2005). “Campus newspaper article on furries at Texas A&M.” Flayrah. Adult content warning for this link: http://www.flayrah.com/2083
Othercon (Otherkon). Twitter. https://twitter.com/Otherkon
Otherkin. LiveJournal. https://otherkin.livejournal.com/profile
Otherkin. DreamWidth. https://otherkinarchive.dreamwidth.org/profile
Scribner, O (September 8, 2012). Otherkin Timeline. Version 2.0. http://frameacloud.com/nonfiction/
Shining Hearth (Feb. 10, 2023). "Event Info." Shining Hearth. https://www.shininghearth.net/eventinfo.html
no subject
Date: 2023-03-02 10:05 pm (UTC)Kinvention North was annual from 1999-2005. The first one was in January, and it moved to March for the six following events 2000-2005. They sometimes billed it as having something to do with the Spring Equinox, but really the timing coincided with the end of colleges' "March break" in that area (similar to how US colleges have a spring break typically in April).
no subject
Date: 2023-03-03 05:39 am (UTC)