Getting in Touch with my Inner Geek
I spent a great weekend getting in touch with my inner geek. I was at WindyCon this weekend. I try and hit at least one sci-fi con a year, as many as three. I think that I have to save my pennies for ChiCon in the summer--the world con is coming to Chicago over Labor Day weekend and I am bound and determined to get on a panel.
What is a WindyCon? Well, how to describe fandom . . . Many year ago, when I was a sophomore in high school I was killing time and flipping through Dad's Analog. In the back they had advertisements. One of them was for a convention in the area called WindyCon. What a remarkable thing! A place where people who loved science fiction and fantasy got together to celebrate the books, movies and television shows we loved? I was so there! Dad and I ventured into the ranks of fandom for the first time that year. We've been going almost every year since then. I won't tell you how long it's been, but let's just say that I've seen several young fen go from stroller to college in the time I've been attending.
It's wonderful. So wonderful to be surrounded by people who get you. More than just being able to talk books, but be able to talk science fiction and fantasy! People who speak the same language (in the case of the Klingons--it really is another language) people who love those same books. Writers, readers, players and watchers of the same books, games and movies. You can make a d20 joke and they don't look at you like you're cracked. You can discuss the difficulties of world building and time balancing with other writers.
That's a new dimension to WindyCon in the last year. Since RIBBONS has been published it's so wonderful be able to speak at a panel and say, "My book . . ." I have a line on an online interview and an invitation to sit on a few panels at the next convention in the area CapriCon.
Here we go!
What is a WindyCon? Well, how to describe fandom . . . Many year ago, when I was a sophomore in high school I was killing time and flipping through Dad's Analog. In the back they had advertisements. One of them was for a convention in the area called WindyCon. What a remarkable thing! A place where people who loved science fiction and fantasy got together to celebrate the books, movies and television shows we loved? I was so there! Dad and I ventured into the ranks of fandom for the first time that year. We've been going almost every year since then. I won't tell you how long it's been, but let's just say that I've seen several young fen go from stroller to college in the time I've been attending.
It's wonderful. So wonderful to be surrounded by people who get you. More than just being able to talk books, but be able to talk science fiction and fantasy! People who speak the same language (in the case of the Klingons--it really is another language) people who love those same books. Writers, readers, players and watchers of the same books, games and movies. You can make a d20 joke and they don't look at you like you're cracked. You can discuss the difficulties of world building and time balancing with other writers.
That's a new dimension to WindyCon in the last year. Since RIBBONS has been published it's so wonderful be able to speak at a panel and say, "My book . . ." I have a line on an online interview and an invitation to sit on a few panels at the next convention in the area CapriCon.
Here we go!
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