Quick Readercon Report
Jul. 9th, 2007 10:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yendiGrr. Had a lovely Readercon report written up before the computer crashed. So you'll have to settle for a not-so-lovely report instead. Note that I didn't really take notes for most of the panels, so it's not like my original report was that much more detailed.
This was our first Readercon, and it was simply lovely, with lots of wonderful panels that came as close as I've seen to replicating the (good) aspects of an academic conference, some great readings, and a wonderfully warm and cozy environment.
Thursday: Only one panel: "The Real Year" is Ageless!, featuring Elizabeth Hand, David Hartwell, Graham Sleight, Barry Malzberg, and John Clute discussing Clute's theory of the Real Year (the idea that there is a single formative year influencing some authors, and that this year, not the year in which a novel is set or even written, is the one that leaves its mark upon the story). Damned fine discussion. Malzberg and Sleight, in particular, were quite worth watching. We were too tired for the other Thursday night panel, alas.
Friday: Hit readings by Karen Joy Fowler (I was late, but I believe it was an excerpt from the novel she's currently working on), Sonya Taaffe ("Notes Toward the Classification of the Lesser Moly" and another story whose title I forget, but I assure you that both stories were wonderful, and suggest that you hunt down Taaffe's works, something I also plan to do), Catherynne Valente (reading from the next Orphan's Tales book, which you should pre-order now, because it'll kick at least as much ass as the first one does), and Sarah Beth Durst (whose debut novel, Into the Wild, sounds like a lovely YA book, and one that we bought to send to Miss Kid).
Friday panels included: The Slipstream / Magic Realism Canon (a double-length panel with a whopping eight panelists, with some great discussion toward defining slipstream and actually providing an initial reading list), The Fiction of William Hope Hodgson (exactly what it sounds like), Awe, Horror! (debate about Clute's recent theory of the horror novel, in which I was disappointed to not see![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nihilistic_kid to turn to Clute and shout, "John, you ignorant slut!" Ellen Datlow was also on the panel, and was also not exactly in agreement with Clute's arguments), Young (and Very Young) Adult F&SF (with Sharyn November, Holly Black, Elizabeth Wein, Sarah Beth Durst, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and Michael Daley all talking about the state of the industry, writing in general, targeting certain age groups, etc. It's already inspired a damned fine post and discussion over at sartorias's LJ. The need for sleep overruled the desire to attend the Meet the Pros(e) Party.
Saturday: Only one reading (Coyote Road, which we've pre-ordered, of course!). I started the day withyuki_onna's Kaffeklatch (my only Kaffeklatch of the con; I waned to attend more of them, but time was a factor), which was wonderful (and full of discussion of the books she's currently working on). That was followed by the Obscure Fiction Outlets panel (tons of suggestions for good reads and good markets; 'song took notes). I swear that I went to another panel on Saturday, but I can't remember which one. We did not hit the late afternoon or evening panels, as we had liamstliam and alethea_eastrid's wedding party to attend.
Sunday: Hit Horror and Social Observation to start with (the more intriguing description of the panel essentially asked to compare Austen and Lovecraft), followed by the one bad panel I attended ('song and I ducked out and grabbed lunch after twenty minutes of annoyance). We then hit the Interfictions reading, which was full of awesome. I followed that with the Personal Archetypes panel (Doyle, Fowler, James Alan Gardner, Greer Gilman, Longyear, and Park, all of whom were fascinating). To end the day (and the con), we hit the How I wrote BlindSight panel. Peter Watts needs to be given more than half an hour to speak. And you all need to read Blingsight.
We saw lots of nifty folks at the con (too many to list, and given my faceblindness, I probably failed to see and acknowledge other folks who were there), had lots of fun, and spent way too much in the dealer's room. The hotel placed us in the party block, which was annoying (especially since we're requested not to be there), and the internet access sucked, but it was otherwise a fine venue.
This was our first Readercon, and it was simply lovely, with lots of wonderful panels that came as close as I've seen to replicating the (good) aspects of an academic conference, some great readings, and a wonderfully warm and cozy environment.
Thursday: Only one panel: "The Real Year" is Ageless!, featuring Elizabeth Hand, David Hartwell, Graham Sleight, Barry Malzberg, and John Clute discussing Clute's theory of the Real Year (the idea that there is a single formative year influencing some authors, and that this year, not the year in which a novel is set or even written, is the one that leaves its mark upon the story). Damned fine discussion. Malzberg and Sleight, in particular, were quite worth watching. We were too tired for the other Thursday night panel, alas.
Friday: Hit readings by Karen Joy Fowler (I was late, but I believe it was an excerpt from the novel she's currently working on), Sonya Taaffe ("Notes Toward the Classification of the Lesser Moly" and another story whose title I forget, but I assure you that both stories were wonderful, and suggest that you hunt down Taaffe's works, something I also plan to do), Catherynne Valente (reading from the next Orphan's Tales book, which you should pre-order now, because it'll kick at least as much ass as the first one does), and Sarah Beth Durst (whose debut novel, Into the Wild, sounds like a lovely YA book, and one that we bought to send to Miss Kid).
Friday panels included: The Slipstream / Magic Realism Canon (a double-length panel with a whopping eight panelists, with some great discussion toward defining slipstream and actually providing an initial reading list), The Fiction of William Hope Hodgson (exactly what it sounds like), Awe, Horror! (debate about Clute's recent theory of the horror novel, in which I was disappointed to not see
nihilistic_kid to turn to Clute and shout, "John, you ignorant slut!" Ellen Datlow was also on the panel, and was also not exactly in agreement with Clute's arguments), Young (and Very Young) Adult F&SF (with Sharyn November, Holly Black, Elizabeth Wein, Sarah Beth Durst, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, and Michael Daley all talking about the state of the industry, writing in general, targeting certain age groups, etc. It's already inspired a damned fine post and discussion over at sartorias's LJ. The need for sleep overruled the desire to attend the Meet the Pros(e) Party.Saturday: Only one reading (Coyote Road, which we've pre-ordered, of course!). I started the day with
yuki_onna's Kaffeklatch (my only Kaffeklatch of the con; I waned to attend more of them, but time was a factor), which was wonderful (and full of discussion of the books she's currently working on). That was followed by the Obscure Fiction Outlets panel (tons of suggestions for good reads and good markets; 'song took notes). I swear that I went to another panel on Saturday, but I can't remember which one. We did not hit the late afternoon or evening panels, as we had liamstliam and alethea_eastrid's wedding party to attend.Sunday: Hit Horror and Social Observation to start with (the more intriguing description of the panel essentially asked to compare Austen and Lovecraft), followed by the one bad panel I attended ('song and I ducked out and grabbed lunch after twenty minutes of annoyance). We then hit the Interfictions reading, which was full of awesome. I followed that with the Personal Archetypes panel (Doyle, Fowler, James Alan Gardner, Greer Gilman, Longyear, and Park, all of whom were fascinating). To end the day (and the con), we hit the How I wrote BlindSight panel. Peter Watts needs to be given more than half an hour to speak. And you all need to read Blingsight.
We saw lots of nifty folks at the con (too many to list, and given my faceblindness, I probably failed to see and acknowledge other folks who were there), had lots of fun, and spent way too much in the dealer's room. The hotel placed us in the party block, which was annoying (especially since we're requested not to be there), and the internet access sucked, but it was otherwise a fine venue.