Readercon Interstitial Arts Exchange!
One of my favorite things about WisCon was Nisi Shawl's Guest of Honor speech. She talked about awesomeness (except I think she called it genius, or maybe magic--it's really all the same thing, I think), and how we should be actively trying to spread as much of it around as possible. She mentioned how in The Last Unicorn, the unicorn's majesty doesn't take away from anyone else, but instead makes everyone around her more majestic and beautiful and awesome. It's not a zero sum game, being awesome. It's a magical compounding wonder. I'm right there with Nisi on that, and one of the things I particularly love about being so deeply immersed in the speculative fiction community is how this tends to manifest all around me on a regular basis.
Here's a recent example:
A couple of weeks ago, csecooney wrote some lyrics for a parody song based on her story, "Oubliette's Egg" (which you can read in Jack o' the Hills). Because I am extremely silly and had GarageBand open already for podcast purposes, I recorded it as an MP3 on the spur of the moment. Then, in the comments, asakiyume made a passing reference to cephalopods in court robes... We all know how much I love a good cephalopod, right? I couldn't resist asking Asakiyume to draw this for me (because, unlike me, she actually can draw), and she promptly returned with this:
Is that not awesome?
So, there on one day we had music, drawings, and stories all intertwined and mutating at a glorious rate. Hurrah!
Now, because I am always on a mission to spread as much silliness and wonder and creativity around as I can, and because I am bound and determined to make Readercon (historically, my terror!con) into something delightful and not anxiety-inducing, I somehow managed to semi-accidentally create an Interstitial Arts Exchange Party for this year.
The idea is that you make something, big or small, fancy or frivolous: a poem, a song, jewelry, cards, whatever (bonus points if it somehow relates to the literary theme of the con). Bring it along to show off or give away or trade with others. Then we all get together on either Friday or Saturday night in my awesome Party Room in the party block of the con hotel, and revel in the awesomeness.
Anita Allen has already promised to bring some photos of the corset she made to go along with tithenai's The Honey Month.
I know Mary Robinette Kowal is going to be wandering around that weekend. Perhaps she will see fit to come and share some of her Shades and Glamour cards with us...
I am not sure what exactly I will bring, but I'll make sure to have some giveawayable things, and some supplies on hand for people to engage in creative endeavors right on the spot.
So, if you're coming to Readercon, please come and add to the creative awesomeness pool! If you're not coming and want to send pictures or MP3s or whatever else my way, I'll happily share them/display them for you. I also plan to take lots of photos on the night, so everyone who can't make it will at least be able to see what it was like. If there are songs and things, I'll work on trying to figure out how to get recordings online for you, too.
Finally, if you are going to the con, would you rather come to this party on Friday or Saturday night?
Here's a recent example:
A couple of weeks ago, csecooney wrote some lyrics for a parody song based on her story, "Oubliette's Egg" (which you can read in Jack o' the Hills). Because I am extremely silly and had GarageBand open already for podcast purposes, I recorded it as an MP3 on the spur of the moment. Then, in the comments, asakiyume made a passing reference to cephalopods in court robes... We all know how much I love a good cephalopod, right? I couldn't resist asking Asakiyume to draw this for me (because, unlike me, she actually can draw), and she promptly returned with this:
Is that not awesome?
So, there on one day we had music, drawings, and stories all intertwined and mutating at a glorious rate. Hurrah!
Now, because I am always on a mission to spread as much silliness and wonder and creativity around as I can, and because I am bound and determined to make Readercon (historically, my terror!con) into something delightful and not anxiety-inducing, I somehow managed to semi-accidentally create an Interstitial Arts Exchange Party for this year.
The idea is that you make something, big or small, fancy or frivolous: a poem, a song, jewelry, cards, whatever (bonus points if it somehow relates to the literary theme of the con). Bring it along to show off or give away or trade with others. Then we all get together on either Friday or Saturday night in my awesome Party Room in the party block of the con hotel, and revel in the awesomeness.
Anita Allen has already promised to bring some photos of the corset she made to go along with tithenai's The Honey Month.
I know Mary Robinette Kowal is going to be wandering around that weekend. Perhaps she will see fit to come and share some of her Shades and Glamour cards with us...
I am not sure what exactly I will bring, but I'll make sure to have some giveawayable things, and some supplies on hand for people to engage in creative endeavors right on the spot.
So, if you're coming to Readercon, please come and add to the creative awesomeness pool! If you're not coming and want to send pictures or MP3s or whatever else my way, I'll happily share them/display them for you. I also plan to take lots of photos on the night, so everyone who can't make it will at least be able to see what it was like. If there are songs and things, I'll work on trying to figure out how to get recordings online for you, too.
Finally, if you are going to the con, would you rather come to this party on Friday or Saturday night?