The semi-obligatory post-WorldCon post
Yep, now the dust has settled and I'm almost on top of Washing Mountain (just the ironing to go!), I figured it's time to write about my experiences at WorldCon. In retrospect, I'm not really sure what I expected it to be like - I've been to a bunch of fannish cons, both actor-focussed and fan-run, and I've also been to DragonCon so I guess that I probably knew more about what it was going to be like than I thought I did.
First off, I think reminding myself that I'd been to DragonCon would have been a good idea in terms of getting my head around the sheer scale of the thing. WorldCon just topped 10,000 members shortly before the weekend of the con and while not all those were attending, that kind of numbers combined with the sheer size of ExCel was always going to have an impact on everything.
I guess it's difficult if you're planning something this kind of size to know how much is too much, which definitely was the case where the panel program was concerned. While I went to some excellent and very interesting panels, there was also what felt like a bit of overlap/repetition in terms of some of the topics, not to mention issues around timing (hour-long panels that could have run longer). Have to say they were very good about keeping to time, which would otherwise have been an absolute nightmare, though it must have been disheartening at times for panellists to see an exodus of their audience shortly before they actually finish because of something else they needed to get to. On at least one panel, that was also the case for one of the panellists.
In terms of what was being discussed, it's hard to take a step back and look at the subject matter without thinking about all the things we've historically discussed (and continue to do so) in fandom. Whether it's been on Livejournal or now on Tumblr, there were quite a few panels which felt more like a beginner's introduction to the subject than many of us may have needed. Because it's easy to forget that we're still not the target audience for a WorldCon, though as time goes on we're going to be. This was touted by a number of folks as the most diverse WorldCon they'd been to and I'd be fascinated to see a breakdown of stats from this and previous cons to back that up. Somehow, I expect the next 2 (in Spokane, Washington and Kansas City, Missouri respectively) are not going to be anything like as diverse in many many ways.
Still, I was introduced to a bunch of interesting folks as panellists who I am now stalking on the interwebs reading more about, as well as an increasingly long booklist. And only witnessed one blatant example of mansplaining, where (after 45 minutes of a panel on the Bechdel test, including why it's more problematic than it first appears) someone took it on themselves to explain to everyone why the Bechdel test is problematic. Erm, yes. Now shut up, please - your penis clearly ensured you didn't notice the amount of eye-rolling and muttering around you.
For me, the whole experience was enhanced by getting the chance to hang out with folks I know from fandom. I did fall into conversation with a few random folks I hadn't met before, but a couple of those were 'you are so wrong-headed about this, let me butt in' moments (one about The Time Traveller's Wife and the other about Doctor Who and his 'time machine') so I'm not sure if they count? And then there's my encounter in the bar with a certain author who shall remain nameless whose book I'd read but didn't like/finish so every time he started turning the conversation towards books, I'd steer it away for fear of blurting out 'your book is crap!'.
I think for me what was missing was the chance to hear from authors apart from the odd comment on panels. I only got to see Max Gladstone in one panel where I think he spoke about 3 times, whereas I'd have loved to hear more from him about writing the universe in which his books are set, who his influences were, etc. Yep, there were kaffeeklatches and literary beer sessions but there was nothing between these (which were limited to 9 attendees and probably vastly over-subscribed) and George RR Martin being interviewed in the auditorium. That was a bit of a surprise omission for me.
I did get to go and gush over a couple of authors who were signing stuff, though I only got one thing signed in the end (Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, in case anyone is wondering) - I was in the dealer's room and tended to nip over if nobody was queueing. Anne Lyle is lovely, and I also got a surprise Jonathan L. Howard (the guy who writes the Johannes Cabal books, whose name I really hadn't associated with them) who was sitting next to her.
So, what's the plan? Well, I've bought a supporting membership for the next WorldCon, for which $25 gets me Hugo voting rights and the right to vote for the 2017 location. Which we're hoping will be Helsinki. And I heard so much positive stuff about Nine Worlds (which took place the weekend before WorldCon) that I'm seriously looking at going to that next year.
Also posted at my Dreamwidth account - happy to receive comments on either post.
First off, I think reminding myself that I'd been to DragonCon would have been a good idea in terms of getting my head around the sheer scale of the thing. WorldCon just topped 10,000 members shortly before the weekend of the con and while not all those were attending, that kind of numbers combined with the sheer size of ExCel was always going to have an impact on everything.
I guess it's difficult if you're planning something this kind of size to know how much is too much, which definitely was the case where the panel program was concerned. While I went to some excellent and very interesting panels, there was also what felt like a bit of overlap/repetition in terms of some of the topics, not to mention issues around timing (hour-long panels that could have run longer). Have to say they were very good about keeping to time, which would otherwise have been an absolute nightmare, though it must have been disheartening at times for panellists to see an exodus of their audience shortly before they actually finish because of something else they needed to get to. On at least one panel, that was also the case for one of the panellists.
In terms of what was being discussed, it's hard to take a step back and look at the subject matter without thinking about all the things we've historically discussed (and continue to do so) in fandom. Whether it's been on Livejournal or now on Tumblr, there were quite a few panels which felt more like a beginner's introduction to the subject than many of us may have needed. Because it's easy to forget that we're still not the target audience for a WorldCon, though as time goes on we're going to be. This was touted by a number of folks as the most diverse WorldCon they'd been to and I'd be fascinated to see a breakdown of stats from this and previous cons to back that up. Somehow, I expect the next 2 (in Spokane, Washington and Kansas City, Missouri respectively) are not going to be anything like as diverse in many many ways.
Still, I was introduced to a bunch of interesting folks as panellists who I am now stalking on the interwebs reading more about, as well as an increasingly long booklist. And only witnessed one blatant example of mansplaining, where (after 45 minutes of a panel on the Bechdel test, including why it's more problematic than it first appears) someone took it on themselves to explain to everyone why the Bechdel test is problematic. Erm, yes. Now shut up, please - your penis clearly ensured you didn't notice the amount of eye-rolling and muttering around you.
For me, the whole experience was enhanced by getting the chance to hang out with folks I know from fandom. I did fall into conversation with a few random folks I hadn't met before, but a couple of those were 'you are so wrong-headed about this, let me butt in' moments (one about The Time Traveller's Wife and the other about Doctor Who and his 'time machine') so I'm not sure if they count? And then there's my encounter in the bar with a certain author who shall remain nameless whose book I'd read but didn't like/finish so every time he started turning the conversation towards books, I'd steer it away for fear of blurting out 'your book is crap!'.
I think for me what was missing was the chance to hear from authors apart from the odd comment on panels. I only got to see Max Gladstone in one panel where I think he spoke about 3 times, whereas I'd have loved to hear more from him about writing the universe in which his books are set, who his influences were, etc. Yep, there were kaffeeklatches and literary beer sessions but there was nothing between these (which were limited to 9 attendees and probably vastly over-subscribed) and George RR Martin being interviewed in the auditorium. That was a bit of a surprise omission for me.
I did get to go and gush over a couple of authors who were signing stuff, though I only got one thing signed in the end (Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner, in case anyone is wondering) - I was in the dealer's room and tended to nip over if nobody was queueing. Anne Lyle is lovely, and I also got a surprise Jonathan L. Howard (the guy who writes the Johannes Cabal books, whose name I really hadn't associated with them) who was sitting next to her.
So, what's the plan? Well, I've bought a supporting membership for the next WorldCon, for which $25 gets me Hugo voting rights and the right to vote for the 2017 location. Which we're hoping will be Helsinki. And I heard so much positive stuff about Nine Worlds (which took place the weekend before WorldCon) that I'm seriously looking at going to that next year.
Also posted at my Dreamwidth account - happy to receive comments on either post.