Tag Archives: Tanya DePass

Tanya DePass Named Special Guest at Glasgow 2024

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Tanya DePass

Glasgow 2024 today announced Tanya DePass (she/her) as a Special Guest of the 2024 Worldcon. She is an award-winning games content creator and developer, and creator of the Into the Mother Lands RPG.
 
Tanya DePass is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming and wants to make the industry better and more inclusive for everyone. She is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. She was part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream from its inception, and is the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sff afrofuturist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators.
 
Tanya often writes and speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality and other topics online, at conventions and as a public speaker. She was special features editor of 2019 Best Semiprozine finalist Fireside Magazine
 
According to convention chair Esther MacCallum-Stewart, “I’m delighted to welcome Tanya as a Special Guest. As a huge TTRPG fan and scholar, I’ve followed her work for some time, including the brilliant Into The Motherlands actual play roleplay, and through her work as the founder of I Need Diverse Games. I’ll see you in Glasgow, Tanya!!!”

About Tanya DePass: Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. She is also part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep and a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster.
 
Tanya has contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games and is the co-developer for the Fifth Season RPG based on N.K. Jemisin’s three-time Hugo award winning Broken Earth trilogy. She’s also the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sff afrofuturist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators; live streamed on her twitch channel, twitch.tv/cypheroftyr.
 
Tanya was named as one of The Game Awards Future Class 2020 and as one of the Gamers of the Year 2020 by Kotaku. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in the documentary Game Changer, directed by Tina Charles.
 
Tanya is the programming and diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She also serves on the Board of Directors for OrcaCon and was named the Chair for Take This in January 2023. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press).
 
Tanya’s full biography can be found on the Glasgow 2024 website.
 
Follow Tanya online at https://linktr.ee/cypheroftyr.

[Based on a press release.]

Con or Bust Creates Its Own Nonprofit Corporation

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Con or Bust, which “helps people of color/non-white people attend SFF conventions,” is now being run by its own newly-created not-for-profit corporation in New York. (Search the NY database). And they are seeking items for their annual online auction, with bidding to take place from May 25 through June 5.

Con or Bust’s fundraising activities formerly were part of the Carl Brandon Society (CBS). However, it came to public attention last year that the Society had lost its federal tax-exempt status, meaning Con or Bust donations would not be deductible until certain steps were taken by CBS to regain that status, which have yet to be completed.

Kate Nepveu announced that Con or Bust, Inc. filed a certificate of incorporation with the state on April 6, 2016. Its inaugural Board of Directors is:

Con or Bust followed by submitting an application for federal tax-exempt status under 501(c)(3) on April 17. Once approved, the tax-exempt status will be retroactive to the date that Con or Bust, Inc., was created. (The IRS says they should expect to hear within 90 days.) As a small charity, Con or Bust, Inc., is exempt from registration with New York State, but Nepveu says they will also be submitting an application to confirm that exemption. All of their corporate documents can be read online at the updated About page.

Meanwhile, the Carl Brandon Society is filing the tax returns necessary for its re-application for tax exempt status. Nepveu says CBS looks forward to having that in place later this year.

Auction: Con or Bust is principally funded through its annual online auction, and they are looking for donations.

Anyone can offer something for auction, by filling out a form on the website – all you need is an email address. Pictures of the item(s) can be uploaded at the same time

Full details are at the main auction information page. Click here for the Submit an Auction form.

Due the auction starting later, the next period for fans of color to request monetary assistance will be May 27-June 6.