Wiscon Day 4 - Report 10

Sunday afternoon, and it was as I was leaving the transgender books panel that I noticed my first stomach bug sign. It told people to wash their hands. I'm usually pretty good about doing that, but I heeded the sign and stepped it up a notch. I fully expected to come home from the trip with a cold from being on airplanes if nothing else, but a stomach bug was not in my plans.

Anyway, after the dealer's room and art show, I went back to my room to ditch the loot. Which is the main reason to have a room in the con hotel -- loot ditching. Second reason is naps. This was also my last chance to sort out what I was going to read at our reading, if I intended to keep attending panels until then, which I did. My preparation consisted of pulling out my story, starting to read it, and marking off where good places to stop might be. I think I marked 2 stopping points.

Then I went to some panels.

( Let's Build a World )

That was the one panel I want to see repeated next year. It would be entirely new the second time around. And it was tons of fun.

For the next panel slot, I had a dilemma. S was on the Workshops panel -- the only panel I volunteered for, but I didn't make it as a panelist. I would've liked to go, but instead I chose another one, and it proved too interesting to leave and panel hop.

( Publishing, Profit, Agendas, and Ideals: The Eclipse One Cover Debate )

I ducked out of that panel a bit early, as I had to walk to Fair Trade coffeehouse for our reading, and I wasn't quite sure how long it would take me. Plus I wanted to be a bit early.

And I later heard some interesting things about S's Workshop panel, so now I wish I'd gone to listen to it.

Next up, we finally get to the reading. If I do a reading next year, I want it to be at the start of the con so I can get it over with.

Octavia E. Butler's Birthday - Some Thoughts

Today (June 22nd) is Octavia Butler's birthday. She would've been 61 this year.

The first book I read of hers was Parable of the Sower and I really liked it. It was unlike other science fiction I'd read. I went on to read more of her books... I think I've read a little less than half now. I read enough to start noticing themes that I didn't agree with, that remind me of themes in Orson Scott Card's books. So like with OSC, I have a love-hate relationship with her work.

But I would've loved to have met her in person. She's one of Clarion's success stories. And Clarion does have many success stories, but she'd be near the top, for sure.

I wish I'd known it was her birthday today, yesterday, when I was in Borders. Because now I want to pick up her collection of short stories, Bloodchild and Other Stories.

Read more about her on Wikipedia.

Wiscon Day 4 - Report 11

So S, K1, and I had teamed up with Karen Joy Fowler (one of our awesome Clarion instructors) to do a reading at Wiscon. Since it was everyone but Karen's first Wiscon, and probably first reading as well, we didn't really know what we were doing. We didn't realize that the readings at Wiscon all have cool names. Like everyone was talking about Taboo for the name and theme they had going on. And it didn't occur to us to post flyers either.

But then K1 did up a brilliant flyer for us during the con and posted it around. Again, I have a picture, but it's like.. still on my camera.

( Lengthy comments on our reading )

So I survived my first reading, and anyone who didn't go really missed out.

After that it was dinner time and we didn't really have plans, so we weren't sure what we were going to do until S, who'd gone on ahead, contacted us about dinner with the Carl Brandon Society.

S is really good at getting people together.

( Dinner with the Carl Brandon Society )

If you want to find out more, you can and should visit The Carl Brandon Society's website.

A storm was blowing in as we walked back to the hotel. I didn't have dessert salon tickets, so I went up to the room. Called my parents and ended up talking to them for quite awhile. (Isn't that always the way?)

But I made it downstairs in time for the GoH speeches. Which will have to be in yet another post. Did this con ever end?

Readercon Homework

I haven't finished my Wiscon con reports yet, but Readercon is coming up soon and I'm all set to go. I should even get paid for the day off! My first time being employed fulltime in 7 years.

Readercon is the 'con that assigns homework', and here's the books it's recommended everyone read before the con:

Dust by Elizabeth Bear
City of Ashes and City of Bone by Cassandra Clare
Infoquake and Multireal by David Louis Edelman
The Shadow Year by Jeffrey Ford
The Philosopher's Apprentice by James Morrow
Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia

The Readercon Book Club: John Crowley's Ægypt Cycle. An in-depth look at the four volumes of John Crowley's Ægypt cycle: The Solitudes (originally published as Ægypt), Love and Sleep, Dæmonomania, and Endless Things.

Like I didn't have enough books lined up to read...

If I can only read one before Readercon, which one would people recommend?