Ye Olden Internette, A Con Report, & A Pupdate
Kickin' it old school and also PUPPPPPPY INCOMING
Well, since Elan Muskrat has set twitter on fire (which is honestly pretty entertaining, if also distressing), it seems only proper to do something we used to do in the beforetimes: an actual con report from World Fantasy Convention. So lend me your eyes. And if that sounds boring to you, there also be will be PUPPY CONTENT.
For those of you who don’t know, science fiction/fantasy/horror cons are different than the usual festivals and things I typically post about. Their primary purpose isn’t to meet readers — though there is some of that — but for professionals and folks new to the field to mingle, have meetings, share knowledge on panels and at the bar, and make silly memories during same. Plus major awards tend to be given at the big ones. Your publisher doesn’t pay for you to attend usually, it’s on your own dime.
Is it worth it? For me, the ones I like best have been, if sometimes in indirect or more personal ways. I met most of my longest-term writer friends either online or at cons, and often both. So, it’s absolutely not required, NOTHING IS REQUIRED except writing, but I recommend checking out a con or two, if you have the means, or one comes near where you are. (I’d love to see more/continuing efforts to offer scholarships to those who would like to attend, but can’t swing a sometimes-expensive membership.)
All the SFF folks skipped that stuff, so let’s get to the fun part.
World Fantasy Convention 2022
This was a great con for us. It was smaller than the typical World Fantasy, and in New Orleans, a great city and — even better — a great food city (though we did, as usual, end up eating too many lackluster over-priced meals in the hotel because of schedules and hangry spells).
Christopher and I both had quite a bit of programming. A reading each, a panel to moderate each, an interview with my pal Ursula Vernon for me, and C was on another panel. They were all good in their own ways. My take-aways from them.
Programming
I moderated Alternate Story Forms: Comics — which had a very interesting mix of panelists: Peter V. Brett, who wrote for Red Sonja, coming in from writing novels and with a learning curve that was fascinating to hear about; Jim Killen, who basically created and curated B&N’s graphic novel section during its most formative era (and who I could have talked to just about THAT for hours); Deborah Daughetee*, a TV writer turned comics writer and publisher of Kymera Press with a focus on empowering women to tell graphic stories (and whose Mary Shelley Presents already won a Stoker Award in 2020!); and Steve Saffel of Titan Books, who recently edited The Art of Stardust. *Also OMG, looking her up to link to the press, I just see she worked on Murder, She Wrote, and now I have to email her.
Takeaways are sort of duhs, but: If you want to break in and are in a typically marginalized (especially within comics group), you may have to do it yourself (see Deborah, and many kickstarters!); if you want to write comics, you should read comics—a lot of comics, first; it’s a collaborative art form, so you’d best be prepared to collaborate. We also had a question from a lovely woman whose name I’ve forgotten who is opening Costa Rica’s first fantasy-specific bookstore about whether she should stock comics (group said yes, recommended a curated selection, which led to me making the affectionately snarky comic that yes, Neil Gaiman definitely needs more readers, bless his heart. ;) Speaking of which, we did not cover how comics can break your heart, but that kinda goes without saying.
Next up for me was a wide-ranging conversation with Ursula Vernon aka T. Kingfisher, who was Toastmaster of the con. I didn’t bother preparing, because I know us, and that we would just have a meandering gabfest and in fact we did. I started by asking how someone turns out like an Ursula and at some point asked how many creatures/humans she has saved (we met saving the loon, remember) and someone at dinner said how much she enjoyed our 20 minute digression (a SLIGHT overstatement) on rabies.
Christopher had a great reading from THE NAVIGATING FOX, coming from Tor dot com publishing next year.
Then he moderated a panel on Appalachian fantasy and horror with author Jaye Wells; Steve Shell and Cam Collins, from the super-rad podcast Old Gods of Appalachia; and Lexington, the Lexington Writer’s Room, and Apex Publication’s own Jason Sizemore (yay!). This was an absolutely fascinating conversation that could’ve been longer and felt like it should’ve had a therapist present. They talked about the beauty and the ugliness, the complexity, the mockery, the racism, and the ways in which Appalachian labor has always been used as a resource and the isolation in the region and why it’s so hard to coopt Appalachian myths and culture, because they are so diverse and regionally specific. This was a panel that allowed anger, and which was at times very funny too. More like this. Everyone, everyone on it had wonderful points to make and things to say.
I did a little reading from The Frame-Up (revision in progress) and from Mr. & Mrs. Witch (out in March!): one tense and moody, one with penis jokes. I contain multitudes.
Christopher had one more panel on workshopping and its value for writers, which is another topic that could sustain millions of hours of conversation: with Clarion West administrator and writer, M. Huw Evans; author and former editor of F&SF who started Blue Heaven Charles Coleman Finlay; author and former Clarion student David Levine; and you know Christopher Rowe; and was moderated by Ellen Klages, an author who I also snagged a piece of art from in the art show. Takeaways: Know thyself if you’re going to one of the six-week workshops, and be in as good a mental health place as you can; you can make your own groups to address skills you know you need to learn, that’s how Charlie created Blue Heaven; giving feedback teaches you as much as getting feedback, and probably more; but getting feedback teaches you how to receive criticism, a skill writers are going to need sooner or later. David made an excellent point I’d never considered before, which is that when we talk about folks who stop writing after workshops or who move into a different type of thing or writing, or even who start publishing more that a long hothouse workshop environment essentially gives you two years of growth in one go, and so mostly people end up where they would have in two years.
The other interesting half-panel we attended (because it was opposite my reading) was on Managing a Multi-Book Series, which isn’t covered nearly enough, featuring some authors you probably have heard of, ahem: Cassandra Clare, Peter V. Brett, Robert V. S. Redick, Mark Van Name, and moderated by Holly Black. I feel like I still got a lot out of this, because Holly prepped for it the night before. Takeaways: Most people on the panel plan to some extent or another, some in minute detail, others more fluidly; Holly made an excellent point about how sometimes you can move EVENTS around but EMOTIONAL BEATS usually stay where they need to be for the shape of the whole; Cassie talked (at least in prep for the panel) about how time is such a consideration when writing a series, how much you’re going to cover, what happens if it’s set contemporary and you keep going, and then it eventually is a period piece.
Seeing Folks
But, of course, the highlight as always was seeing friends. Especially people we hadn’t seen since the beginning of the pandemic, and just shooting the shit and catching up, and shopping for art, and eating food, and staying up too late drinking too many drinks.
We got to spend a ton of time with Holly and Cassie and Josh Lewis — here’s a pic from the mass signing of all of us with the soon-to-be-World-Fantasy-Award-winning Usman Malik!
We also saw Jim Minz and Christopher Cevasco and Sarah Pinsker and Ellen Datlow and Dallas Taylor and Arley Sorg and Misha (I stole a photo from you!) and Maurice Broaddus and way, way too many other people to name. Lots of them only in passing, but still in-person. I got to spend time with Kathleen Jennings and also Peter Brett and met the delightful Catriona Ward. I also finally met Nivia Evans and Priyanka Krishnan from Orbit at last, and fangirled the wonderful books they edit. (I’m already angling for that Hart & Mercy follow-up, Megan Bannen, I’m telling you!)
I bought a few lovely art show items.
Kathleen Jennings tiny Baba Yaga hut print
Lisa Snellings sculpture.
Ellen Klages cut-paper Le Guin quote for the Writer’s Room.
And this fabulous tiara by Sara Felix, which I went back for and am in love with.
Anyway, an excellent time. More photos of hijinks over on Instagram and Facebook.
PUPPY
Please meet Beowoof, aka Woofie*, first of his name in the Bond-Rowe household, our new son, who comes home Thanksgiving week. He's a petite goldendoodle and he is obviously perfect.
I came up with the name and am extremely proud. And also my mom, Betty, came to stay with us at just the right moment for this to happen, when we were deep in our grief for Puck (who we still miss daily), and told us about Maicey's dogs. It is all meant to be. (Our last puppy is from Adair County, Christopher's hometown -- Sally -- and this little guy is from Jackson County, my homeplace, and an absolute meld because we'd agreed Christopher wanted another golden at some point and I wanted another smaller dog. PERFECT. Once you're in the three-dog club, you stay here. I completely feel we honor Puck by paying all the love he gave us forward to a new family member.
More soon! I AM GOING ON A PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION Tuesday night. Also, next Friday, November 18, we’re having an open house at the Lexington Writer’s Room! Details here!