News & Features

Features and major news stories.

Site info
Staff Report | Apr 18, 2025
What do you like or dislike about The Steampunk Explorer? How can we improve? Please respond to our quick, anonymous survey.
Crowdfunding
Staff Report | Apr 18, 2025
Our latest roundup features two creators from Australia.
Entertainment
Staff Report | Apr 17, 2025
The wait will soon be over for steampunk fans in the U.S. and Canada, as AMC Networks finally revealed the premiere date for Nautilus, the Disney-produced TV series that tells the origin story of Captain Nemo.
Event Previews
Staff Report | Apr 8, 2025
This weekend’s steampunk calendar includes the Galveston Steampunk Festival in Texas and Wimmera Steampunk Festival in Australia, plus events in Sheffield, U.K.; South East Wales; Richmond, Virginia, and more.
Crowdfunding
Staff Report | Apr 3, 2025
Our latest crowdfunding roundup includes a card game inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, a new fantasy series from Madeleine Holly-Rosing, and a collection of railroad-themed board games. Also: An illustrated fantasy series involving a cat and his "trusty dragon sidekick" and an open-source RPG.
Parody
Staff Report | Apr 1, 2025
Just in time for tax season, Ponzi Press released The Felonious Guide to Steampunking Your Taxes, the latest how-to book from personal finance guru Felonious T. Bilkworth. “You can’t just glue some gears to your tax returns and call it steampunk,” the author declared.
Streaming Guide
Staff Report | Mar 31, 2025
April is a good month for fans of pop culture franchises, as streamers will premiere new seasons of Doctor Who, Star Wars: Andor, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Last of Us. Meanwhile, Netflix is set to debut a new season of its anthology series Black Mirror.
Events
By Stephen Beale | Mar 27, 2025
In a development that shocked much of the steampunk world, the Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention (WWWC) abruptly shut down Saturday afternoon following an outbreak of a gastrointestinal illness that affected some participants.
Event Preview
Staff Report | Mar 24, 2025
“Bram Stoker vs. Mary Shelley” will be the theme as the third Tell-Tale Steampunk Festival takes place March 29-30 in Pikesville, Maryland, near Baltimore. Special guests include Dacre Stoker, great grand-nephew of Dracula author Bram Stoker, and actress Debra Ann Miller, who will portray Frankenstein author Mary Shelley.
Books
By Stephen Beale | Mar 23, 2025
The Steampunk Explorer produced the videos for a free virtual conference presented by The Writer’s Workout, a non-profit that provides educational resources and other support for writers.
Books
Staff Report | Mar 22, 2025
Authors Aria and David Griffey, who write as A.D. Griffey, are planning a launch event next week for their new novel, The Heart of Resistance. Also: a debut novel from an Oklahoma author, a new series from Ruxandra Tarca, and a luxe edition of Perdido Street Station.
Crowdfunding
Staff Report | Mar 20, 2025
Our latest crowdfunding roundup includes a sci-fi adventure comic from Australia, a comic book anthology from the U.K., and the final entry in a steampunk trilogy inspired by Alice in Wonderland and other fantasy tales.
Event Preview
Staff Report | Mar 18, 2025
The convention returns this weekend with “Steampunk Halloween” as the theme. One highlight will be a concert featuring Marquis of Vaudeville and the second U.S. appearance by Madam Misfit.
Crowdfunding
Staff Report | Mar 13, 2025
It was another busy week for steampunk-related Kickstarter campaigns as five new projects sought funding. Among them: A comic book adventure from France and a deluxe edition of a steampunk fantasy novel from Nicholas and Olivia Atwater.
Events
Staff Report | Mar 13, 2025
Bourbon City Steam returns to Louisville with a speaker roster that includes authors Leanna Renee Hieber, Philippa Ballantine, Tee Morris, and other steampunk luminaries. Meanwhile, it’s time again for Boston’s Monthly Steampunk Gathering.
Events
Staff Report | Mar 12, 2025
The SF Bay Area steampunk convention will take place Oct. 24-26 at a new venue with “Gaslight Fantasy” as the theme. Meanwhile, Drake & McTrowell’s Duel at Dusk will happen two weeks later in San Diego.
Photo Gallery
Staff Report | Mar 12, 2025
The Menagerie Oddities Market celebrated International Women’s Day by presenting “Women of Oddities,” the organizer’s first event of the year. Held March 8 in downtown Oakland, it provided an opportunity for local goths, pagans, steampunks, and others to shop for handcrafted wares from a curated group of female vendors.
Site Info
By Stephen Beale | Mar 6, 2025
The Steampunk Explorer launched on March 6, 2018, and against all odds, we’re still here seven years later. It never made sense as a business, but for us, it’s the ideal passion project.
Crowdfunding
Staff Report | Mar 6, 2025
It’s been a busy week for steampunk-related Kickstarter campaigns, including a new pirate-themed SFF anthology, a YA steampunk “romantasy” tale, a steampunk fantasy comic book series, and a new RPG.
Music
Staff Report | Mar 6, 2025
Steam Powered Giraffe (SPG) announced new tour dates for 2025, which will take their show outside the San Diego area for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Music
Staff Report | Mar 5, 2025
It’s our favorite track from their 2024 debut album Songs From The End Of The Pier.
Crowdfunding
Staff Report | Feb 27, 2025
Our latest Kickstarter roundup includes a comic book from a Marvel veteran, a new edition of a Gaslamp fantasy novel, and YA steampunk fantasy trilogy slated for release this summer.
Entertainment
Staff Report | Feb 26, 2025
Notable arrivals include a new Marvel series on Disney+, a sci-fi blockbuster on Netflix, and Season 3 of The Wheel of Time on Prime Video. Two titles arrived in late February: A Thousand Blows on Hulu/Disney+ and Nosferatu on Peacock.
Music
Staff Report | Feb 20, 2025
Australian singer-songwriter Velvet Jeanie released a music video featuring “The Causeway Song,” an original sea shanty from her 2023 self-titled debut album. She recorded it at a maritime museum in Adelaide.
Music
Staff Report | Feb 18, 2025
Professor Elemental celebrated Valentine’s Day with the release of The Love Album, in which the chap hop maestro waxes poetic on matters of the heart. Once again, he’s assisted by longtime collaborator Tom Caruana.