World Fantasycon 2013
It's no good, I need to have a rant.
I was excited when I saw that the World Fantasycon was coming to the UK. Specifically to Brighton, one of my favourite cities. What fun, I thought. Lots of lovely authors and publishers and fans coming together by the seaside, to celebrate their favourite works.
I was soon disabused of any notion that there was any place for me there, though. When I went to the website, it was clear that the only people actually welcome were not just authors and publishing professionals, but a certain type of those professionals. And even they shouldn't expect too much. Not too many panels (maybe no panels at all). No special treatment. And no fan accommodation at all. Not much that's identifiable as fan programming. No T-shirts or comics in the dealers room (!!). No costuming (since relaxed for Halloween oh yay).
Oh well. Sad, I thought. And not very far-sighted. After all, I'm one of the people who buys the books the attendees produce. I talk about them. I write reviews and run book groups. I worked on a convention this summer, running a programme stream to celebrate fanworks - some of which are about fantasy books. But perhaps WFC is just a professional conference disguised as a convention. I would keep my nose out, and see if I could meet up with any of my favourite authors another time.
Then I started seeing more of the crap that this 'convention' was coming out with:
- No anti-harassment policy. No, that document on their website doesn't constitute an anti-harassment policy.
- No name plaques will be provided at the mass signing (in what world does that make sense?)
- No committment to panel parity, just the tired old 'best people for the job.' So of course you'll hear the same old opinions you could've heard for the last 30 years. And you can like it or lump it. [Edit: Tom H Pollock explains why the WFC argument doesn't stand]
- Broads with Swords. Inviting women to take part in this fiasco of a programme item, and when they declined or asked for it to be changed, telling them that it's that or nothing.
- £75 for a replacement convention badge if you lose yours - and no second replacement unless you pay the full reg fee again (!!!)
and the killer:
- Registration is being held in a room inaccessible to wheelchairs. Well that tells you all you need to know about who's wanted at the con, doesn't it? Sorry, but the hotel being an old building doesn't let anyone off the hook for this. There is no excuse.
And many of my author and publisher friends are horrified at this. In some cases, they're travelling thousands of miles to be treated like shit. And yet they've got membership, travel booked, their publishers are going, they need the networking and the exposure and they don't have a choice. They're being forced to accept these ridiculous, archaic rules that would've been dubious in the 1950s.
I've gone from being excited to being fucking ashamed that this convention is taking place in the UK. I'm ashamed of my community. And WFC-goers, I'm sorry. We are better than this, really we are.
I've heard tell of guerilla programming. If that doesn't appeal, or you fancy a break from WFC and Hilton prices, pop round the corner on Saturday afternoon. I'll be in the Regency Tavern between about 1-6pm, if you'd like to come and chat with me. I'd love to see you.
And if you can afford it, may I recommend next year's brilliant Week of Science Fiction, in the form of Nine Worlds Geekfest, followed by The 2014 World Science Fiction Convention in London? I'm involved with both of those (more with Nine Worlds, to be honest, but I trust Loncon3), and they'll be making one hell of an effort to make up for WFC. Hope to see you there.
And yes, this is all from the point of view of an outsider looking in. People do that, you know.
I was excited when I saw that the World Fantasycon was coming to the UK. Specifically to Brighton, one of my favourite cities. What fun, I thought. Lots of lovely authors and publishers and fans coming together by the seaside, to celebrate their favourite works.
I was soon disabused of any notion that there was any place for me there, though. When I went to the website, it was clear that the only people actually welcome were not just authors and publishing professionals, but a certain type of those professionals. And even they shouldn't expect too much. Not too many panels (maybe no panels at all). No special treatment. And no fan accommodation at all. Not much that's identifiable as fan programming. No T-shirts or comics in the dealers room (!!). No costuming (since relaxed for Halloween oh yay).
Oh well. Sad, I thought. And not very far-sighted. After all, I'm one of the people who buys the books the attendees produce. I talk about them. I write reviews and run book groups. I worked on a convention this summer, running a programme stream to celebrate fanworks - some of which are about fantasy books. But perhaps WFC is just a professional conference disguised as a convention. I would keep my nose out, and see if I could meet up with any of my favourite authors another time.
Then I started seeing more of the crap that this 'convention' was coming out with:
- No anti-harassment policy. No, that document on their website doesn't constitute an anti-harassment policy.
- No name plaques will be provided at the mass signing (in what world does that make sense?)
- No committment to panel parity, just the tired old 'best people for the job.' So of course you'll hear the same old opinions you could've heard for the last 30 years. And you can like it or lump it. [Edit: Tom H Pollock explains why the WFC argument doesn't stand]
- Broads with Swords. Inviting women to take part in this fiasco of a programme item, and when they declined or asked for it to be changed, telling them that it's that or nothing.
- £75 for a replacement convention badge if you lose yours - and no second replacement unless you pay the full reg fee again (!!!)
and the killer:
- Registration is being held in a room inaccessible to wheelchairs. Well that tells you all you need to know about who's wanted at the con, doesn't it? Sorry, but the hotel being an old building doesn't let anyone off the hook for this. There is no excuse.
And many of my author and publisher friends are horrified at this. In some cases, they're travelling thousands of miles to be treated like shit. And yet they've got membership, travel booked, their publishers are going, they need the networking and the exposure and they don't have a choice. They're being forced to accept these ridiculous, archaic rules that would've been dubious in the 1950s.
I've gone from being excited to being fucking ashamed that this convention is taking place in the UK. I'm ashamed of my community. And WFC-goers, I'm sorry. We are better than this, really we are.
I've heard tell of guerilla programming. If that doesn't appeal, or you fancy a break from WFC and Hilton prices, pop round the corner on Saturday afternoon. I'll be in the Regency Tavern between about 1-6pm, if you'd like to come and chat with me. I'd love to see you.
And if you can afford it, may I recommend next year's brilliant Week of Science Fiction, in the form of Nine Worlds Geekfest, followed by The 2014 World Science Fiction Convention in London? I'm involved with both of those (more with Nine Worlds, to be honest, but I trust Loncon3), and they'll be making one hell of an effort to make up for WFC. Hope to see you there.
And yes, this is all from the point of view of an outsider looking in. People do that, you know.