Comments | fangs_fur_fey: Topic of the Week - Best conventions for readers?

jer_bear711 in fangs_fur_fey

Topic of the Week - Best conventions for readers?

Mar 09, 2009 11:16

It's almost spring, which means it's almost convention season (i.e., any time but winter in most parts of the Northern Hemisphere). Many of us, readers and writers alike, are deciding where to spend our time and money between now and the end of the year.

jeanne_stein gave me this week's Topic, from her previous post on NY Comic Con.

I am a book reader...I adore ( Read more... )

jeri smith-ready, topic of the week

Comments 25

suricattus March 9 2009, 15:56:18 UTC

Readercon. By its very name you know what it's about... (Boston, in July)

swan_tower March 10 2009, 10:03:20 UTC

I ditto this one. Loved it the one time I went, wish I could go back. (I'm on the wrong side of the country now.)

jer_bear711 March 9 2009, 16:04:37 UTC

Some of my favorite sf/f cons:

Conestoga (Tulsa, OK)
RavenCon (Richmond, VA)
Balticon (Baltimore, MD)
Windycon (Chicago, IL)
CapClave (Washington, DC)

At your typical sf/f con, readers/fans vastly outnumber authors. They are run by and for fans, usually by the awesome, dedicated volunteers of the local sf/f society.

Most panels are reader/fan-oriented. There are usually also tracks for media (movies/TV), art, gaming, costuming, etc. If you're interested in interacting with the authors/artists, many cons have koffeeklatches where you can sit around and shoot the breeze with the guest in an informal setting.

So if you're looking for a place to talk books, definitely see if there's a con in your area. (Just Google "science fiction convention [insert city]".) As a bonus, they're usually quite affordable, especially compared to RT or Comic Con.

bat_cheva March 9 2009, 19:43:48 UTC

Woo! Thanks for the Conestoga mention, I was just about to post it myself. :)

I do want to remind everyone that we've moved our date and will be the fourth weekend in April this year.

oracne March 9 2009, 16:09:09 UTC

I love Readercon and WisCon. CapClave is also fun, but much smaller.

eldestmuse March 9 2009, 17:01:44 UTC

The only convention I've been to thus far is Balticon, but I think that there was a pretty fair mix of things to do for writers and for readers. There are enough panels and events that you're not really bored no matter where your interests lie.

irysangel March 9 2009, 17:23:04 UTC

I'm going to go out on a limb and say RWA. Which surprised me, because I didn't think it was a reader convention, but to some degree, it is ( ... )