World Science Fiction Convention
AKA Worldcon
I just got back from five days of panels, parties, talking, and walking in Montreal, Canada at Anticipation, the 67th Worldcon. As a fan, I got books autographed by Neil Gaiman. As a writer, I got to meet new and established authors and talk with them one on one.
As a lover of science fiction, I celebrated with over 3000 other like-minded people this special kind of literature.
Worldcon is held in a different city each year. In 2008 it was held in Denver, Colorado. In 2010, it will be held in Melbourne Australia. Hopefully, Worldcon 2013 will be held in San Antonio, Texas, my home state and a city that is less than a day’s drive from my house.
My first Worldcon was last year. I had been to many local science fiction and fantasy conventions, but this was “Worldcon” and I wasn’t sure what I was in for. Turns out, more of the same. The same approachable authors. The same love of fandom. The same excitement and vibrant energy of people talking about what they love in hallways and restaurants and bars until they get kicked out or order breakfast. And more: editors from major publishing houses, scientists, professional artists, dealers selling books you can’t find in retail chains without knowing to ask for them.
worldcon IIThis year was my second Worldcon; it was even more fun than the first. I Strolled with the Stars, saw panels and editor/author interviews, caught up with old friends and made new ones. I went to two parties (a big deal for my introverted self) and willingly signed up to have my picture taken for a potentially published project (an even bigger deal for my introverted self). I waited in line to get a ticket to wait in another line, bought a famous someone dinner, and hung out with a posse.
My shelves now have ten new books, six of which are from authors I have never read before, but now that I know them, I will. One of the ten is a portfolio book of cover illustrations that I bought as a result of an elevator conversation about my Texas badge. And I have three books that now contain personalized autographs and that will make fabulous Christmas presents.
If you like science fiction, if you write or read that genre and want to talk to those authors and editors, set aside the money and time to attend a Worldcon. It’s a phenomenal amount of fun.
Douglas Anders: Science fiction is an existential metaphor that allows us to tell stories about the human condition. Isaac Asimov once said, “Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinded critics and philosophers of today, but the core of science fiction, its essence, has become crucial to our salvation, if we are to be saved at all.
- Stargate SG-1, Season 10, “200″
Aug 11, 2009
Categories: conventions
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