07/22/2026
A year and a half ago, Rebels & Realms was just an idea between two best friends.
From the very beginning, I knew the kind of convention I wanted to build. But more than that, I knew the kind of feeling I wanted people to leave with.
I wanted authors, narrators, creators, vendors, volunteers, and attendees to all feel like they belonged in the same room instead of existing in separate corners of the community.
It’s been just me behind the scenes since April, and in the months that followed, there were days that felt impossibly overwhelming. Every decision carried enormous weight, and more than once I found myself wondering whether this was something anyone else even wanted.
Then this weekend happened. And I got my answer as I witnessed countless moments that no spreadsheet, schedule, or floor plan could have ever created.
Those moments happened because each of you showed up exactly as yourselves.
Rebels & Realms was never supposed to be about decorations, programming, or ticket sales. Those things matter, but they were never the heart of it.
The dream was you.
A community that chooses kindness.
A community that celebrates one another.
A community that makes people feel seen.
And somehow... you became exactly what I had hoped existed.
Thank you for believing in a first-year convention. Thank you for trusting an idea before it had a track record. And thank you for showing up with open hearts and for breathing life into something that was once nothing more than a collection of hopes and “what ifs.”
I don’t think I’ll ever find the words to fully express what this weekend meant to me. My cup runneth over, and I have each of you to thank for that.
So thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
A million 🫶🏼 - thank you
Here’s to all of us 🖤
