WorldCon report-Thursday and Friday
First, some technical details…
All the panel descriptions and panelist info are taken from the draft of the program guide, which is not always the final version, so there may be differences. I didn’t take notes, so I may be forgetting entire conversations, and I’m sure I don’t remember the order of comments in longer panels. Also, all “quotes” are actually paraphrasing.
ETA: Julie's co-host for Opening/Closing Ceremonies was artist Jean-Pierre Normand,
http://www.svbell.com/jpnormand/index_jpn.htm.
There were all sorts of panels that I wanted to go to, but of course, it never works out that way on the first day of a convention. Oh well.
Opening Ceremonies
I like to go to Opening Ceremonies at every convention I attend because I think it gives me a good idea of who the GoHs are, and kind of sets the tone for the weekend. I’m glad I went. Julie Czerneda was very funny. And her co-host, whose name I can remember, was also quite funny. There was even a contortionist that performed (it was Montreal, home of the Cirque du Soliel, after all). At one point during the evening, the conchairs had been on stage then gone away, and at the end of the event, Julie called them back up and we waited while someone went and got them. During the wait, Julie’s co-host tried to entertain us by jumping for the contortionist’s ring that was still hanging above the stage. He also managed to disappear behind the stage curtains horizontally (someone behind the curtain must have picked him up). Very funny.
9pm Elisabeth Vonarburg’s birthday party
I love Elisabeth Vonarburg, and any excuse I can get to celebrate with her, especially one with cake, is ok by me! It seemed like there was enough cake to feed every single person at the convention and then some, and even though I did my part, there was still lots left when I left! I heard that leftovers ended up in the consuite.
Parties
Not a ton of parties going on, but I wandered around the party floor a bit, then went to bed relatively early for a convention.
10am Chicago in 2012 Bid Table I like to volunteer for the early morning shift at the bid table because then I don’t have to miss much programming. I also get to meet lots of people and tell them all about my wonderful city and our awesome bid, which is always nice.
11am People of Colour Meet & Greet
Kate Nepveu
Do you identify as a person of colour (racial minority, nonwhite, not of European ancestry, mixed race, etc.)? Come meet other fans of colour on Friday at 11:00 by the Programme area near Registration; we’ll leave at 11:15 and go someplace to eat, talk, and just hang out. All people of color are welcome to attend.
I have to say that for a convention the size of WorldCon, I was disappointed with the turnout (we had more people show up for the WisCon Meet and Greet). I understand that not everyone was there yet, and there was lots of programming going on, but I had been hoping for a giant unicorn herd stampede. Oh well. We were a small group, but a nice group. There were about 10 or so of us, thewayoftheid, kate-nepveu, and several new (to me) folks. We walked over to the Intercontinental food court and ate and planned world domination chatted. It was nice to meet folks in person early on in the convention, so I was able to spot them later as the weekend progressed.
12:30pm Fannish Inquisition: Q&A with Worldcon & NASFIC Bids
Warren Buff, Stephen R. Cooper, Patty Wells, Rose Mitchell, Dave McCarty, Bill Parker, Tomoki Kodama
The Seated Worldcon, Aussiecon 4, will be held in Melbourne September 2-6, 2010. Come and learn about this Worldcon and then stay to listen to the presentations of the bids for future Worldcons and the NASFIC bid(s). Questions are welcome.
While I hate the name, I really like having the opportunity to ask questions of bids so that I can decide if I want to vote for them or not. Even when there’s an unopposed bid, I still think it’s important for the bid committee to hear concerns folks have, and for folks to get an idea of what might be in store. Needless to say, I’ll be voting for Chicago in 2012!
5pm They killed off WHO? - Star Trek Redux
Dan Kimmel, Heather Urbanski, Jeff Warner, Mary Moura, Tony Pi, Toni Lay
J. J. Abrams had two very different audiences to satisfy with the new “Star Trek” film. Those of us who grew up on classic Trek, and those who think “classic Trek” is the show with the bald captain. Did he succeed? Does the “alternate timeline” solve the “canon” issues? And how about that cast? Now what?
There seemed to be a consensus that we liked the new reboot, and while we had some issues with things like the plot, we were all planning to watch the next installation in the series. There were some negative comments about Spock/Uhura, and how Uhura was so weak or that it was a shame that there were no strong female roles. I spoke up and said that I thought it was great that Spock and Uhura were together (and what was up with all the haters?!?) and that Uhura was actually very strong. One woman mentioned that her friend thought Uhura slept her way to the top, and thankfully, I was not the only person who just about jumped out of their seat to point out that Uhura was the smartest person in her class and told Spock that their relationship had nothing to do with what ship she should be assigned to (as in the boring/safe ship he originally assigned her to), and that she deserved to be assigned to the Enterprise.
7pm White is Good, Curves are Great, but Seldom a Purple Face to Be Seen
Aliette de Bodard, Rani Graff, Patricia McCracken, Doselle Young
Despite the ubiquity of aliens in a range of pretty colours, SF and fantasy art still seems to be rather averse to the presentation of humans in their full spectrum. How much of this is the market? How much is it thoughtlessness? How much is it a fear of “exoticizing” and exploitation? How much is just old fashioned discrimination?
Rani and Doselle were there, and I don’t remember who else got added, but
nojojojogot added, which was wonderful. We talked about lots of stuff, most of which I don’t remember, except for the part about book covers and Justine Larbelestier’s Liar, and how the cover will now be changed! (the new model still doesn’t have natural hair and looks more like Beyonce -per Doselle- but at least she’s black). As usual, I was less than thrilled with Doselle at least once, specifically at the end when someone brought up RaceFail and someone else asked for info since they didn’t know what it was. To be fair, it was at the end of the time, so we couldn’t have gotten into it, but I felt that he was a bit dismissive of it as just another wankfest type of thing, and given how many people were hurt, and how profoundly so, I don’t think dismissing or diminishing it in any way is appropriate or helpful.
Dinner was quite the adventure. After much talking, waiting, debating, and walking, I ended up with a tiny bowl of rice with microscopic bits of vegetables. After that, I went back to the hotel and ordered a pizza from room service so I could eat and not pass out. My mission was mostly successful, so I went to the Chicago in 2012 Bid Party to work my shift that evening, hoping that the food would kick in soon and my blood sugar would start to rise. Instead, I got a berry smoothie spilled all over me by a clueless guy who didn’t even notice he had done it even though five people stopped their conversation with him to help me clean up. At that point, one of my roomies suggested I let her take me back to our room to get cleaned up everyone agreed that was a good idea. She was wonderful and tucked me in bed then washed my clothes, my jacket, and even my shoes! Sometimes, you just need to let someone take care of you. That, and eat dinner sooner.
All the panel descriptions and panelist info are taken from the draft of the program guide, which is not always the final version, so there may be differences. I didn’t take notes, so I may be forgetting entire conversations, and I’m sure I don’t remember the order of comments in longer panels. Also, all “quotes” are actually paraphrasing.
ETA: Julie's co-host for Opening/Closing Ceremonies was artist Jean-Pierre Normand,
http://www.svbell.com/jpnormand/index_jpn.htm.
There were all sorts of panels that I wanted to go to, but of course, it never works out that way on the first day of a convention. Oh well.
Opening Ceremonies
I like to go to Opening Ceremonies at every convention I attend because I think it gives me a good idea of who the GoHs are, and kind of sets the tone for the weekend. I’m glad I went. Julie Czerneda was very funny. And her co-host, whose name I can remember, was also quite funny. There was even a contortionist that performed (it was Montreal, home of the Cirque du Soliel, after all). At one point during the evening, the conchairs had been on stage then gone away, and at the end of the event, Julie called them back up and we waited while someone went and got them. During the wait, Julie’s co-host tried to entertain us by jumping for the contortionist’s ring that was still hanging above the stage. He also managed to disappear behind the stage curtains horizontally (someone behind the curtain must have picked him up). Very funny.
9pm Elisabeth Vonarburg’s birthday party
I love Elisabeth Vonarburg, and any excuse I can get to celebrate with her, especially one with cake, is ok by me! It seemed like there was enough cake to feed every single person at the convention and then some, and even though I did my part, there was still lots left when I left! I heard that leftovers ended up in the consuite.
Parties
Not a ton of parties going on, but I wandered around the party floor a bit, then went to bed relatively early for a convention.
10am Chicago in 2012 Bid Table I like to volunteer for the early morning shift at the bid table because then I don’t have to miss much programming. I also get to meet lots of people and tell them all about my wonderful city and our awesome bid, which is always nice.
11am People of Colour Meet & Greet
Kate Nepveu
Do you identify as a person of colour (racial minority, nonwhite, not of European ancestry, mixed race, etc.)? Come meet other fans of colour on Friday at 11:00 by the Programme area near Registration; we’ll leave at 11:15 and go someplace to eat, talk, and just hang out. All people of color are welcome to attend.
I have to say that for a convention the size of WorldCon, I was disappointed with the turnout (we had more people show up for the WisCon Meet and Greet). I understand that not everyone was there yet, and there was lots of programming going on, but I had been hoping for a giant unicorn herd stampede. Oh well. We were a small group, but a nice group. There were about 10 or so of us, thewayoftheid, kate-nepveu, and several new (to me) folks. We walked over to the Intercontinental food court and ate and planned world domination chatted. It was nice to meet folks in person early on in the convention, so I was able to spot them later as the weekend progressed.
12:30pm Fannish Inquisition: Q&A with Worldcon & NASFIC Bids
Warren Buff, Stephen R. Cooper, Patty Wells, Rose Mitchell, Dave McCarty, Bill Parker, Tomoki Kodama
The Seated Worldcon, Aussiecon 4, will be held in Melbourne September 2-6, 2010. Come and learn about this Worldcon and then stay to listen to the presentations of the bids for future Worldcons and the NASFIC bid(s). Questions are welcome.
While I hate the name, I really like having the opportunity to ask questions of bids so that I can decide if I want to vote for them or not. Even when there’s an unopposed bid, I still think it’s important for the bid committee to hear concerns folks have, and for folks to get an idea of what might be in store. Needless to say, I’ll be voting for Chicago in 2012!
5pm They killed off WHO? - Star Trek Redux
Dan Kimmel, Heather Urbanski, Jeff Warner, Mary Moura, Tony Pi, Toni Lay
J. J. Abrams had two very different audiences to satisfy with the new “Star Trek” film. Those of us who grew up on classic Trek, and those who think “classic Trek” is the show with the bald captain. Did he succeed? Does the “alternate timeline” solve the “canon” issues? And how about that cast? Now what?
There seemed to be a consensus that we liked the new reboot, and while we had some issues with things like the plot, we were all planning to watch the next installation in the series. There were some negative comments about Spock/Uhura, and how Uhura was so weak or that it was a shame that there were no strong female roles. I spoke up and said that I thought it was great that Spock and Uhura were together (and what was up with all the haters?!?) and that Uhura was actually very strong. One woman mentioned that her friend thought Uhura slept her way to the top, and thankfully, I was not the only person who just about jumped out of their seat to point out that Uhura was the smartest person in her class and told Spock that their relationship had nothing to do with what ship she should be assigned to (as in the boring/safe ship he originally assigned her to), and that she deserved to be assigned to the Enterprise.
7pm White is Good, Curves are Great, but Seldom a Purple Face to Be Seen
Aliette de Bodard, Rani Graff, Patricia McCracken, Doselle Young
Despite the ubiquity of aliens in a range of pretty colours, SF and fantasy art still seems to be rather averse to the presentation of humans in their full spectrum. How much of this is the market? How much is it thoughtlessness? How much is it a fear of “exoticizing” and exploitation? How much is just old fashioned discrimination?
Rani and Doselle were there, and I don’t remember who else got added, but
nojojojogot added, which was wonderful. We talked about lots of stuff, most of which I don’t remember, except for the part about book covers and Justine Larbelestier’s Liar, and how the cover will now be changed! (the new model still doesn’t have natural hair and looks more like Beyonce -per Doselle- but at least she’s black). As usual, I was less than thrilled with Doselle at least once, specifically at the end when someone brought up RaceFail and someone else asked for info since they didn’t know what it was. To be fair, it was at the end of the time, so we couldn’t have gotten into it, but I felt that he was a bit dismissive of it as just another wankfest type of thing, and given how many people were hurt, and how profoundly so, I don’t think dismissing or diminishing it in any way is appropriate or helpful.
Dinner was quite the adventure. After much talking, waiting, debating, and walking, I ended up with a tiny bowl of rice with microscopic bits of vegetables. After that, I went back to the hotel and ordered a pizza from room service so I could eat and not pass out. My mission was mostly successful, so I went to the Chicago in 2012 Bid Party to work my shift that evening, hoping that the food would kick in soon and my blood sugar would start to rise. Instead, I got a berry smoothie spilled all over me by a clueless guy who didn’t even notice he had done it even though five people stopped their conversation with him to help me clean up. At that point, one of my roomies suggested I let her take me back to our room to get cleaned up everyone agreed that was a good idea. She was wonderful and tucked me in bed then washed my clothes, my jacket, and even my shoes! Sometimes, you just need to let someone take care of you. That, and eat dinner sooner.