Day Three

After woofing down some cereal we headed to Michelangelo's for some morning readings, this lot titled, "Empathy, Lust, and Destruction: Two Boys, Three Girls." Haddayr Copley-Woods read two shorts, one a surreal office tale, and the other about a house with personality. Alice Kim read from her story in the new Rabid Transit chapbook, which got quite a few laughs, and Meghan McCarron read her story from the same chapbook. Jason Erik Lundberg read excerpts from his story, Most Excellent and Lamentable, and David J. Schwartz, with a Minnesotan accent (think Fargo), read his Ragnarok tale from the forthcoming Twenty Epics anthology which I can't wait to get my hands on :)

We had some snacks after the readings and I chatted with David about his story and the terrors of impending parenthood, among other things. My brief visit to Shakespeare's used books whetted my appetite for more, so we returned and spent about an hour wandering the stacks and scouring the well picked-over SF section, coming away with 3 books.

Next up was the "Watersheds" panel, where the panelists discussed stories and novels that marked turning points in their mastery of craft. Panelists were Laurie J. Marks (Wiscon 31 GoH), Karen Joy Fowler, Ellen Kushner, and Wendy Walker. It was interesting hearing about how the panelists developed as writers over the years, and the different approaches each seemed to take. As usual I took lots of notes, which I'll post in another entry if I have time.

The following panel was the aptly-named "Make Shit Up" panel, where there was a surprising amount of discussion about the writing process. We'd expected it to be a series of tall tales told by panelists, but it had the added dimension of the writing info, as well as some hilarious and groanworthy made-up stuff. When you've got Ellen Klages sitting side-by-side with Jay Lake, hilarity is bound to ensue ;) The other panelists--who were no slouches either--included the all-star cast of Barth Anderson (he of the Patron Saint of Plagues), Nicola Griffith, Douglas L. Hulick, David J. Schwartz, and Jennifer Stevenson. This panel was a definite highlight of the con.

Continuing our afternoon whirlwind tour of panels, we attended the Strange Journeys readings. Theodora Goss read excerpts from a story in her new collection, M. Rickert read an intriguing tale about an encounter with child ghosts, Alan John DeNiro read from his collection about a boy and giants in the neighbourhood, and Christopher Barzak read from chapter 4 of his 2nd novel in progress, set in Japan (from where he had just returned after a 2 year stay). The audience was treated to a passed-around bag of chocolates, which further added to the wonderful ambience. We caught up with David J. Schwartz and Haddayr again before the readings started, which was nice.

I had a craving for noodles, so Carrie and I headed to Noodles & Company for dinner. The Thai noodles were delicious, and I surprised myself by eating the entire meal with a pair of chopsticks (usually it's an exercise in frustration). Carrie had one of their trio plates, with salad, pasta, and chicken. After relaxing in the hotel room for awhile, we went downstairs for the Dessert Salon and thoroughly enjoyed the tasty (but very filling) desserts prior to the Guest of Honour speeches.

The Guests of Honour this year were Kate Wilhelm and Jane Yolen. Kate Wilhelm talked about 'magic moments' and provided anecdotes from her writing life. Apparently she shuns pseudonyms, and wasn't aware of genres as separate entities as a child, a concept she still treats as fairly meaningless to this day. Jane Yolen discussed her writing, the myth of the 'time fairy,' Muses and imagination, and plain old hard work. One thing I didn't realize was how astoundingly prolific she is! Sadly her husband passed away recently, so she read a touching poem dedicated to his memory and talked about their life together.

Following the speeches the Carl Brandon Society presented their awards, one of which (the Kindred award) went to Susan Vaught for her novel, Stormwitch. She received a cheque for $1000, which she promptly endorsed back to the Carl Brandon Society to much applause. Next up was the Tiptree Award presentation, which went to Geoff Ryman for his novel, Air. He was crowned with the Tiptree tiara and presented with the award itself, along with chocolates, some fantastic artwork, and a jaunty serenading.

To conclude the evening we cruised among the parties on the 6th floor, spending most of our time in the Speculative Literature Foundation party. We talked briefly with Mary Anne Mohanraj about her books, had tasty Sri Lankan food, and chatted with Jason Erik Lundberg and Janet Chui.

To be concluded....