Readercon XXV

Sorry with the Roman numerals. Still have Chicago XXXVI on the brain. (Shut up!)

So Readercon 25 happened!  And for once, I’m not going to wait months to blog about it.  Just gonna dump it all out of my head in one burst.  (It’s actually part of a bigger plan to not overthink my blog posts so I put out more of them.)

Anywho….

1

Last year, I complained about the hotel renovations and how they hampered people from just running into each other and chatting.  But I didn’t realize how much I missed that until this year when I really got it all back!  And so my con was filled with old friends, people I met again for the first time (yes, you read that right), and new people I’d never met before!
1a
I liked the lobby/restaurant renovation with the expanded seating that ensured I never had to wait to get a table for breakfast.  The jacked-up prices of the appetizer menu?  Not so much.  I could almost live with what they charged for calamari, but the $12 cheeseburger was not a $12 cheeseburger.  Plus, how does any bar in the Boston area stop serving Smithwick’s?  I’ll say this for the service, though: my experience is that it wasn’t one scintilla worse than previous years.

2
The program highlight for me was the workshop “From Page to Stage: Adapting Your Work for an Audience” by C.S.E. Cooney, Amal El-Mohtar, and Caitlyn Paxson. As wonderful as Readercon programming has been over the five years I’ve attended, there are a select few things that have stuck with me–this is the newest.  After some exercises, we were invited to read a paragraph or so of something we brought.  I brought the story I’d already recorded for Lakeside Circus, “Life After Wartime”.  I wish I’d waited until after this workshop.  I surprised myself with how differently I read! It’s been suggested that I record it again, but I don’t want to be one of those people who goes back and retcons their own work. You know the type.

3
But the con highlight for me was getting a few minutes alone at a table with Mary Rickert and Ellen Datlow, who gave me advice as to the shelf life of mentioning my old McSweeney’s Internet Tendency piece. (Apparently, the answer is forever… and that I should lead with it!). Close second: Dancing in a circle of the best and brightest in today’s award-winning fantasy and sci-fi literature as a bad DJ spun ’80s tunes (from the ’90s).

4

The lack of physical space of my home, not to mention my reading backlog, forces me to make choices about what books I get at cons. This year’s purchases/gifts/swag…
So who’s gonna be at WFC next year?  At Readercon next year?  At WFC 2015 (which is going to be near-ish to me)?

One thought on “Readercon XXV”

  1. This is my second Readercon, but definitely not my last. If I am able, I will attend the one in 2015.

    I love the atmosphere and camaraderie of Readercon. I love the intimacy of the panel discussions, and meeting people I had previously only known through the Internet. And I love meeting new people, such as yourself, Don.

    The Marriott has a fantastic new look, and Chopps has good (if pricey) food and drinks. I agree with you about the cheeseburger, though.

    As far as I know, I'll see you next year!

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