At the “witching hour” Saturday night, panelists including a Wiccan/Egyptian witch, an Odinist priestess and an Episcopalian described how their religious and spiritual practices suffused their writing. Suddenly, an eerie wail broke through the back wall of the Greenbriar room. After a second of stunned surprise, the panelists and audience broke into gales of laughter. The screams continued throughout the panel, punctuating the otherwise sober presentation with humor.

Panelist Ann Crispin dubbed the sounds the “cries of lost souls,” promising to add the incident to her repertoire of panel “war stories.” After the panel closed, the source of the commotion was identified as the Hothlanta Rebels’ Mr. Star Wars Contest in the MOTF track across the hall. Each contestant was told to scream like a Jedi Knight on the brink of succumbing to the Dark Force. Ergo, the ghostly wails that rocked the house in the Writers’ Track.

Only at Dragon*Con!