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Feb. 28th, 2011 09:35 pmWriting
So I am back from ConDor XVIII with a severe case of con crud. But the trip was totally worth it! I got to meet some awesome folks for the first time, and to spend some time with folks I've known via the internet for years but had never actually met in person before now.
Sheila Finch was absolutely charming, and her grandsons were perfect little gentlemen. Fellow IAMTW member Nancy Holder was a delight, and I had a lot of fun chatting with Merrie Destefano during our joint signing. And I also got to meet the vibrant and vivacious Arabella Benson, whose awesome WoW costume won in the Masquerade - congrats, Arabella!
The best part of the weekend was the SFPA workshop and reading. Sheila was there, along with SFPA Prez and fellow Muser Deb Kolodji, SFPA Treasurer and fellow Muser AND WotC writer, Samantha Henderson, and Kendall Evans. This is us at lunch beforehand:
(Sam, me, Deb, Sheila and Kendall. Photo courtesy of my hubby.)
Others SFPA members participating were Denise Dumars, Deborah Flores, and Terrie Leigh Relf (I know I'm forgetting someone, but I have cold-medicine head; my apologies to those I've inadvertently left out).
During the workshop, we took two prompts - one scientific law and one beverage - and had to use them to come up with a poem in about fifteen minutes. The results were pretty amazing.
My prompts were Kepler's First Law and a Bloody Mary, and this was what I came up with (after a false start on a more religiously-themed poem linking the Sun/Son, Mary and the two foci of a planet's orbit):
( Clicky for poetry )
A little trite, maybe, but not bad for a 15-minute effort.
After the workshop, we did an hour-long poetry reading, where we went around in a circle, each reading a poem, until we ran out of poems to read. I read my Rhysling-nominated "Of Amaranth and Honey" and "The Sun God Bids Farewell to His Lover". It was the first time I've participated in any poetry events at a convention, and it was, frankly, a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I would definitely encourage folks to attend poetry events at their local cons - you really don't know what you're missing!
Then, on the way home, we encountered snow as we headed east over the mountains back towards Arizona.
Traffic was really backed up as people were pulling off the side of the road to get out and play in the stuff. It added about an hour to our trip, but it was fun to see all the kids having snowball fights and building little snowmen before it all melted away. Of course, we had to join them! I don't think I've really played in the snow since I left Montana - 15 years ago! - so there was a nice bit of nostalgia involved for me, as well.
All in all, a really good con, and I hope we can attend again next year.
Everything Else
Time to take some more cold medicine and sleep. Night, all!
So I am back from ConDor XVIII with a severe case of con crud. But the trip was totally worth it! I got to meet some awesome folks for the first time, and to spend some time with folks I've known via the internet for years but had never actually met in person before now.
Sheila Finch was absolutely charming, and her grandsons were perfect little gentlemen. Fellow IAMTW member Nancy Holder was a delight, and I had a lot of fun chatting with Merrie Destefano during our joint signing. And I also got to meet the vibrant and vivacious Arabella Benson, whose awesome WoW costume won in the Masquerade - congrats, Arabella!
The best part of the weekend was the SFPA workshop and reading. Sheila was there, along with SFPA Prez and fellow Muser Deb Kolodji, SFPA Treasurer and fellow Muser AND WotC writer, Samantha Henderson, and Kendall Evans. This is us at lunch beforehand:
(Sam, me, Deb, Sheila and Kendall. Photo courtesy of my hubby.)
Others SFPA members participating were Denise Dumars, Deborah Flores, and Terrie Leigh Relf (I know I'm forgetting someone, but I have cold-medicine head; my apologies to those I've inadvertently left out).
During the workshop, we took two prompts - one scientific law and one beverage - and had to use them to come up with a poem in about fifteen minutes. The results were pretty amazing.
My prompts were Kepler's First Law and a Bloody Mary, and this was what I came up with (after a false start on a more religiously-themed poem linking the Sun/Son, Mary and the two foci of a planet's orbit):
( Clicky for poetry )
A little trite, maybe, but not bad for a 15-minute effort.
After the workshop, we did an hour-long poetry reading, where we went around in a circle, each reading a poem, until we ran out of poems to read. I read my Rhysling-nominated "Of Amaranth and Honey" and "The Sun God Bids Farewell to His Lover". It was the first time I've participated in any poetry events at a convention, and it was, frankly, a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I would definitely encourage folks to attend poetry events at their local cons - you really don't know what you're missing!
Then, on the way home, we encountered snow as we headed east over the mountains back towards Arizona.
Traffic was really backed up as people were pulling off the side of the road to get out and play in the stuff. It added about an hour to our trip, but it was fun to see all the kids having snowball fights and building little snowmen before it all melted away. Of course, we had to join them! I don't think I've really played in the snow since I left Montana - 15 years ago! - so there was a nice bit of nostalgia involved for me, as well.
All in all, a really good con, and I hope we can attend again next year.
Everything Else
Time to take some more cold medicine and sleep. Night, all!
