& INSTRUCTORS
WORKSHOPS
SEPTEMBER 12 ● SEPTEMBER 13
2026 LINEUP IS HERE
Since 2016 Swordsquatch has packed Saturday and Sunday with workshops from some of the best teachers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. We include a wide range of weapons and traditions, with room for everyone from curious beginners to seasoned swordspeople.
This year we’re excited to invite some of the top HEMA community lecturers to share their knowledge with us. Register now to up your source game!
2026 INSTRUCTORS
MICHAEL CHIDESTER
WIKTENAUER
Michael Chidester has been studying historical European martial arts since 2001 and has been Editor-in-Chief of Wiktenauer since 2011. In 2019, he started a publishing company called HEMA Bookshelf to produce facsimiles of fencing manuals and publish translations and historical research.
Michael is a Research Scholar of the Meyer Freifechter Guild (MFFG), a founding member of the Society for Historical European Martial Arts Studies (SHEMAS), a member of the Western Martial Arts Coalition (WMAC), and a Lifetime Member of the HEMA Alliance.
He has lectured on historical martial arts across North America and Europe and has written several books, including The Flower of Battle: MS M 383 (2021), and The Long Sword Gloss of GNM Manuscript 3227a (2021), and Pieces of Ringeck (2024), and edited or contributed to many others. He currently trains at Athena School of Arms in Cambridge, MA.
KENDRA BROWN
Kendra Brown does independent medieval manuscript research in her free time, and trains and sometimes teaches at Athena School of Arms. She started translating historical fencing sources in 2003 with the Higgins Armory Sword Guild, and currently is working on an updated translation of the Latin Fiore manuscript in collaboration with Dr. Rebecca Garber. They will probably publish the Latin Lew gloss someday.
Kendra's irregular research blog is called Darth Kendra Research, and she has a forthcoming article in Acta Periodica Duellatorum. She has appeared at events in the US and Europe as well as in podcasts and video series including Fencing by the Book, The Sword Guy, and the CKDF Plague Lectures.
If terms like "side-eye strike", "stance of the serene leopard", or "very deep rabbit hole research disaster area" excite you, you'll get along great. Kendra also enjoys rondel dagger, polearms, and frequently longsword.
SIGMUND WERNDORF
LOS ANGELES HISTORICAL MARTIAL ARTS SOCIETY
Sigmund Werndorf has been doing HEMA for ten years with a holistic focus on early Liechtenauer and the scholarship surrounding it. He's a multi-gold medalist in longsword and co-founder of the Los Angeles Historical Martial Arts Society. He is a returning Swordsquatch lecturer.
In 2025, Sigmund attended Feldlager at Brandenburg Castle. Feldlager is a unique event held every two years in Thuringia, Germany. Blending HEMA, historical re-enactment, military simulation, and LARP, it creates a sandbox for the exploration of medieval warfare at the unit level similar to how HEMA aims to explore and recreate the art and experience of an individual combatant. Last year's 2025 Feldlager had over two hundred infantry and fifty cavalry, allowing for an unprecedented scale of combat. Sigmund will share an inside look at the philosophy, culture, lessons, and experience of attending Feldlager.
ARE YOU HYPED YET?
Register now and join us for our exciting 2026 lecture series.