So, what did I bring back from this year’s D-con? A bad cold, for starts. But also some Gene Wolfe books signed in person by the Maestro himself, some dirt-cheap graphic novels, and a few other assorted textual tidbits. Of course, there are also some pictures (of which, I’m ashamed to say, I took far too few), some new contacts and friends, and some great memories — whether they be giddy, foggy, manic, or just plain surreal, I certainly seem to have gained more than four days worth of neurological data. Indeed, I may still be processing it all . . .
So, no full con report — I was too busy enjoying myself to much bother with notes and pictures and all that. Add in the fact that my hotel (and free wifi) was a mile and a half away and you can perhaps see why it wasn’t convenient. Besides there are better places for that, and I’m amazed at how speedily and thoroughly some of the people I met at the con got their reports up. I can only conclude they went to bed earlier than I did.
I spent a good amount of my days paling around with Jason Waltz of Rogue Blades Entertainment and attending various panels, mostly in the writing track. The panels were, on the whole, excellent, and attendance seemed to be up from last year. The highlight of my trip was meeting Gene Wolfe (who sometimes goes by the name of Greatest Writer of All Time), and getting a picture with him. Wolfe is an enormously engaging speaker, at turns hilarious and endearing, and, as Jason said, somebody ought to bring out a DVD of him recollecting his various anecdotes and stories.
But I didn’t spend all my time doing the serious stuff, either. For at D-con are late night horror films and pulsating live music well into the wee hours, opportunities to cavort with superheroes and mingle with monsters — plenty to keep you busy around the clock. Everyone at Dragon*Con seemed to be having a blast regardless of their particular interests — the place is something like a melting pot of geekdom, where book people and movie people and game people and costume people and people who may indeed not even be people at all interact as if there weren’t any barriers between them. It’s a nice vibe, and a fun time.
I may put some more pics up when I’ve unpacked my camera but, for now, here is me meeting Gene Wolfe:
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Gene has the greatest smile, doesn’t he? A thoroughly enjoyable gentleman who I could sit and listen to for hours. He even called Bill his ‘buddy.’ Of course, that was before Bill began to endlessly bemoan his loss of ‘Accordion Girl.’
He is indeed a remarkable sort of fellow, I think he had us all in his spell. As you know, I was more-or-less speechless when you took that picture.
And, you know, I think that’s enough on here about Accordion Girl. If embarrassing me online is really that appealing I’ll set-up a separate pay site for that and hire you as a content provider.
Whatever do you speak of, good sir? I am hurt that you’ve made this be more about you than about the poor girl herself. As my wife observed, AG had more than likely gone to don something more becoming…
…I mean, even Jaym’s talking about it…
Thanks to you.
It is generating interest in you…so ride it for what it’s worth, buddy!