WorldCon Day 5: Sunday--Panel, pictures, and wrap-up notes
On Sunday, my only obligation was the "Fantasy and the Personal View" panel, discussing how unique personal experiences can contribute to authentic narrative in fantasy, moderated by Tom Whitmore and featuring myself, Sean McMullen, and Jo Walton, with kibbitzing from davidlevine. I thought the panel went pretty well, but the fact that I was severely sleep-deprived was showing. I don't think I was as articulate as I could have been, and when asked for a wrap-up statement couldn't honestly come up with one. I think Tom did a very good job moderating and his perspective was that it went very well. I'm glad. Having proposed the idea, I had absolutely no objectivity whatsoever.
I posted earlier about doing the "SF and Fantasy Poetry" panel. joe_haldeman posted about it too. I can't argue with him about the quality of his poems, but I think we were pretty coherent on the subject. Jo Walton complimented me later in the convention (right before the above-described panel, actually) about how I moderated the panel, saying that she'd done the panel before and that usually it was just a reading. She was glad we talked about what SF and fantasy poetry actually is and about our process a little bit. I found her comments validating and definitely appreciated them.
I had lunch with Marco at the Manhattan Deli, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality and authenticity of the New York deli food. It was all tastes from home, and it was a delight to share them with someone who understood the need for New York soul food: bagels and cream cheese with lox, tomatoes and capers, corned beef with cole slaw. It's a kind of nourishment one cannot get in any other way. When I went back with davidlevine to get an egg cream, I was sadly disappointed, though. They'd used the right syrup but had used sparkling water instead of proper seltzer water. Ah well.
I've posted pictures from the convention at Flickr. You can see them all here.
I was distressed, this afternoon, to learn of the death of bookseller, fan, and all-around nice guy Bill Trojan, who suffered a heart attack in Reno before departing. I knew Bill from waaay back, from the beginning of my career in publishing. I saw him ever so briefly in Reno, not even long enough to actually say hello. And now I'll never have the chance again. I'm so sad about his passing. I wish I could redo that one fleeting moment and say hello one last time.
I came away from the convention with new friendships cemented, with several new books, and a lot to think about, about self image, about relationships, about writing, and about where I want to be, both literally and metaphorically. Seems like WorldCon is always thought-provoking. There's a part of me that wants to push all the provoked thought away and just get on with the life that I have. There's a part of me that wants to put aside the life I have so I can Think About Stuff for the next few days. There is no way to do one and the other at the same time. Practicality dictates I do the former. What I want is to do the latter, but the velocity and requirements of day-to-day living don't allow for it. And today, which I intended to use for freelance work, was spent trying to process the weekend and transition to real life again. I know that there are something like 3,500 other people doing the same thing. I wish we could all hug and support each other through the transition; I suspect a lot of us need that sort of thing.
Tonight, in the wake of all the company and the camaraderie, I feel the absence of people, friends, acutely, despite having felt overstimulated with same by the end of the convention. It doesn't make sense, but it's a sensation consistent with past WorldCon experience. I hate it that friends I love live so far away, and I regret that I'll be unable to keep reinforcing new friendships in person, though Facebook and email will certainly help. I'm so glad that I went to WorldCon; it was time well spent, rich, layered, loving, and fun. At the same time, it's life in a bottle, and it's time to come out now. But I'd go back in in a heartbeat.
I posted earlier about doing the "SF and Fantasy Poetry" panel. joe_haldeman posted about it too. I can't argue with him about the quality of his poems, but I think we were pretty coherent on the subject. Jo Walton complimented me later in the convention (right before the above-described panel, actually) about how I moderated the panel, saying that she'd done the panel before and that usually it was just a reading. She was glad we talked about what SF and fantasy poetry actually is and about our process a little bit. I found her comments validating and definitely appreciated them.
I had lunch with Marco at the Manhattan Deli, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality and authenticity of the New York deli food. It was all tastes from home, and it was a delight to share them with someone who understood the need for New York soul food: bagels and cream cheese with lox, tomatoes and capers, corned beef with cole slaw. It's a kind of nourishment one cannot get in any other way. When I went back with davidlevine to get an egg cream, I was sadly disappointed, though. They'd used the right syrup but had used sparkling water instead of proper seltzer water. Ah well.
I've posted pictures from the convention at Flickr. You can see them all here.
I was distressed, this afternoon, to learn of the death of bookseller, fan, and all-around nice guy Bill Trojan, who suffered a heart attack in Reno before departing. I knew Bill from waaay back, from the beginning of my career in publishing. I saw him ever so briefly in Reno, not even long enough to actually say hello. And now I'll never have the chance again. I'm so sad about his passing. I wish I could redo that one fleeting moment and say hello one last time.
I came away from the convention with new friendships cemented, with several new books, and a lot to think about, about self image, about relationships, about writing, and about where I want to be, both literally and metaphorically. Seems like WorldCon is always thought-provoking. There's a part of me that wants to push all the provoked thought away and just get on with the life that I have. There's a part of me that wants to put aside the life I have so I can Think About Stuff for the next few days. There is no way to do one and the other at the same time. Practicality dictates I do the former. What I want is to do the latter, but the velocity and requirements of day-to-day living don't allow for it. And today, which I intended to use for freelance work, was spent trying to process the weekend and transition to real life again. I know that there are something like 3,500 other people doing the same thing. I wish we could all hug and support each other through the transition; I suspect a lot of us need that sort of thing.
Tonight, in the wake of all the company and the camaraderie, I feel the absence of people, friends, acutely, despite having felt overstimulated with same by the end of the convention. It doesn't make sense, but it's a sensation consistent with past WorldCon experience. I hate it that friends I love live so far away, and I regret that I'll be unable to keep reinforcing new friendships in person, though Facebook and email will certainly help. I'm so glad that I went to WorldCon; it was time well spent, rich, layered, loving, and fun. At the same time, it's life in a bottle, and it's time to come out now. But I'd go back in in a heartbeat.