By Shveta Thakrar (@ShvetaThakrar)

Sirens is a conference that means so much to me. I love fantasy, I love intersectional feminism, I love enchantment and wonder and ideas. Sirens has all these things. It is a place where people can go to discuss being queer, being brown, being disabled, being neuroatypical, being a woman or a nonbinary person in fantasy literature—all within a framework that actively seeks to include voices traditionally shut out or even silenced elsewhere.

But Sirens is also just plain fun. It’s a place to celebrate with fellow fans. People who love unicorns and nagas and epic series get together to geek out over the use of language and fashion in books, host workshops on fencing and sewing, trade book and author recommendations while wearing gorgeous costumes. They drink tea and laugh and make friends. They form community.

Not everyone can afford to attend, however, and I can say that Sirens really does make an effort to help ease the financial burden for those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to take part by providing scholarships. But it needs donations to do that. If you can, would you consider contributing toward a scholarship to allow another voice to be heard?