As summer’s heat gives way to the chill of autumn and we bundle up against the coming cold… it is time for Fall Æcademy! Come brewers and weavers, come fencers and seamstresses, come swordsmen and scribes – come all ye with knowledge to share and a desire to learn to the virtual Fall Æthelmearc Æcademy and War College of AS 56.

Due to the ongoing plague, instead of postponing another year, this years’ Æcademy will be virtual. Open to any and all, we shall gather December 11th from 10am to 5pm in the fantastical many-chambered realm of Zoom.

We are seeking teachers in all disciplines to fill our many virtual classroom slots, as well as Zoom moderators. We especially welcome all first-time virtual teachers, as well as prerecorded classes, and classes hosted by out of Kingdom teachers, as space allows. Not sure how to work the Realm of Zoom? The Kingdom will have the Spider Squire Squad TM ready for any eventual mechanical needs. The KMOAS Æcademy webpages has virtual teaching as well as Zoomerator FAQs (have a question not listed? Contact us!).

Sign up to teach a class.
See our Virtual Teaching page for advice, FAQs, and how-tos.

Sign up to help as a Zoomerator.
See our Zoom help page for advice, FAQs, and how-tos.

And remember… with Ice Dragon around the corner (in-person, March 26, 2022, website update in progress), I am sure many of you are busy researching, making, and perfecting your entries. So much work goes into an Ice Dragon entry… wouldn’t it be nice to have all that work transcend a single event? Why not have your future (or past) Pent entry do double-duty by using what you’ve done so far as the basis for a class?

The research you are doing for your entry provides you with the historical background and practices needed to understand who, when, where, why and how someone in the Middle Ages would have crafted your item. This information would also be of interest to students in a class. Sharing this information will speed your students on their way toward creating their own versions.

In a Historical Background class based on your research, you might include information about:

• The item’s time period, culture, or geographical area
• The artifact, illustration or painting, historical document, or website that inspired your work
• How your item would have been produced in the Middle Ages or Renaissance
• Additional books, websites, and other sources you used for researching your project

Chances are, as you create your item, you have to make decisions along the way. A class in which you describe, in detail, the decisions you’ve made — about tools, materials, and procedures — would be of immense help to someone who’s always wanted to try doing what you’ve accomplished. Especially helpful — in addition to your finished project, of course — would be any practice pieces or missteps. Sharing problems to avoid or solutions that worked for you would give your students confidence that they, too, can be successful.

In a How-I-Did-It class based on your entry, you might include information about:

• What tools and materials you used to make your item, why you chose them
• Where you obtained them (If you made the tools you used, include how you did that as well!)
• What techniques you used and why you used them
• Any particular steps you would change if you were to do this project again

With the knowledge and skills gained by creating your entry, you can also help others make their own, perhaps simplified, great thing. By providing tried-and-tested materials and demonstrating recommended techniques, you can help your students avoid time-consuming and costly mistakes. If you take progress photos of your entry as you work on it, these would not only provide you with a step-by-step format to follow in your class – it would also provide you with a perfect photo journal to add to your competition entry.

In a How-I-Should-Have-done-It (formerly known as a Make-and-Take-It) class based on your entry, you could discuss:

• Where to procure supplies and materials needed to make the item
• Loaner tools needed to make the item
• Step-by-step instructions needed to make the item

As is custom, the Æthelmearc Æcademy will be using a Book of Faces “Event” page (still in progress, our apologies) to keep folks informed with event info and updates. Once it is online, please let us know if you’re “Going” or “Interested”, and please share with your Friends!

Want to know what is already on offer? Check out our online class listing, courtesy of our ever-industrious KMOAS webminister Master Robert of Ferness. This class list will be updated as we continue to approve new class submissions over the coming weeks, so check back on a regular basis. We also intend to add class handouts to the class listings (as available) for future reference, and those boring, dark winter nights…

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Yours in Service,
Elska & Hrolfr, KMOAS and Elena de la Palma, Chancellor