Category Archives: Conventions

PHILCON!

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I was very happy to be invited as a guest to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society’s annual convention. I have commented on this before, but I hesitated to post anything more until it was all ‘official’.

Now it’s official!

Here’s my schedule for the weekend:

Fri 6:00 PM in Plaza IV (Four) (1 hour)
JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER (2175)

[Panelists: Ray Ridenour (mod), Maureen O. Betita, Gail Z. Martin,
Andi O’Connor, Eric Hardenbrook, Ty Drago]

A cover shapes the expectations the reader brings to the book. What
if it is deliberately misleading? Can a deceptive cover bring the
book to its audience? How hard is it to appreciate a story based on
its own merits when you’re comparing it to the story you thought it
was going to be

Sat 11:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Three (1 hour)
HOW DO WE CHOOSE THE BOOKS WE READ? (2176)

[Panelists: Todd Dashoff (mod), Eric Hardenbrook, Deborah Stanish,
Joan Wendland, Carl Fink, Gary Feldbaum]

People with broad taste choose from many different story types. On
what basis do we make these choices? Why do some readers focus on
one sub-genre or one writer

Sat 12:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
MILITARY CULTURE IN SCIENCE FICTION (2139)

[Panelists: Mike McPhail (mod), Christopher Weuve, Eric Hardenbrook,
Jack Hillman, John Skylar]

How accurately is it depicted in SF literature, and how has it been
extrapolated into future settings? Who is writing it believably

Sat 5:00 PM in Plaza V (Five) (1 hour)
HOW GAMING IS IMPORTANT TO FANDOM (2073)

[Panelists: Tony Finan (mod), A.T. Greenblatt, Joan Wendland, Eric
Hardenbrook, Muriel Hykes]

Despite being an intersection of innovative storytelling formats,
fantastic visual artistry, audio dramas, and community interaction,
Gaming’s place in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror is often overlooked.
How do card, board, video, and other games continue to influence the
way genre stories are told? How else has Gaming affected the nervous
system of fandom over the years

Sat 9:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
FANZINES OF THE PAST, PRESENT, AND…FUTURE? (2179)

[Panelists: Steve Wilson (mod), Phil Giunta, Eric Hardenbrook, Chris
Fuller, Victoria Janssen]

Before online social media, before Fanfiction.net and AO3, before
podcasts and youtube, fandom’s creative outlet and primary method
of keeping the lines of communication open was the humble fanzine.
The advent of the Internet may have seen a downturn in their
production, but not in our desire to create and communicate. How did
fanzines get us where we are today? How much or our heritage still
lies bound between those now-musty pages, and what’s being done to
preserve it? Where do we go next

Sun 10:00 AM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
WHY CAN’T I GET MY BOOK CLUB TO READ WHAT I WANT? (2173)

[Panelists: Evelyn Leeper (mod), Rodney Somerstein, Eric
Hardenbrook]

How do you propose a title in a way that makes people want to read
it? How does one run a successful book discussion group in general

I’ll be a panelist and not a moderator for any of these topics. I’m looking forward to the discussions and interesting tidbits I always pick up during these discussions. IF you’re in the area, get out to the convention. I love to go to these and if you’re a fan I’m betting you’ll love it too.

philcon_logo

Surprise!

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I was genuinely surprised. I got an e-mail with an invitation to be a participant at Philcon.

I was surprised on multiple levels – not the least of them being that I have no new work out this year. Not that it’s a requirement or anything like that, just that it was a thought stuck in my head. I wasn’t looking for or expecting this invitation and it’s a really good feeling to have gotten it.

Sadly, I have also been lacking in my promotion of local conventions.

YOU SHOULD GO TO PHILCON! Head on over to their page and check them out!

I know there are some folks who are hesitant to attend conventions for whatever reason. I can say you will meet some excellent people there. I always look forward to these things. I almost always have an amazing time. This is a place where stories are born. Don’t believe me? Read this from last year: Defend The Pizza!

Pizza

Going Off Site

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This was originally published in Watch The Skies.

A couple of weeks ago Watch The Skies did something we’ve never done before. We headed off

site and set up a table at a charity event. Any other time in the past 14 years when something

was going on, people were coming to us. This was new and exciting.

The event was the Carlisle High School SciFi Saturday. This was the second annual version of

the event. I have to say, the turnout and enthusiasm was far, far more than I expected.

The CHS SciFi club was working with a number of charities raising money and donations. The

charities included Project Share, Community Aid and Furry Friends Network. They lined up a

gymnasium full of folks interested in what they had going on and laid out a whole day filled with

events.

This was a charity event, but it really seemed more like a mini convention than anything else. The

participants spanned all kinds of genres. There was a media star there (no, I’m not saying who it

was – you should show up next year and see for yourself) there were artists, costumers, authors,

editors, comic book shops, and all kinds of fun stuff. A DJ set up in one corner. I heard the theme

to Land of the Lost at one point during the day – how often do you hear that blasting from a DJs

speakers? That Game Place was set up and running game demos through the course of the day.

There was a lot going on.

The school had club members ready and willing to help carry things in and out. Everyone’s space

was laid out on a map. Set up was quick and easy. In terms of logistics, I’m not sure it could have

gone better.

WTS wasn’t actually selling anything. We were there for promotional purposes only. We donated

a couple dozen cans of food to the food drive but that wasn’t the bid deal. The big deal was that

we gave away 90 books. That’s right, we were promoting science fiction, fandom and reading by

giving away books. I believe there were a lot of folks that didn’t know how to feel about what we

were doing. Yes, for free. No, it’s wrapped up so it will be a surprise when you open it. Gave them

all away. Many thanks should be given to Jeff Young (our fearless fanzine editor) for organizing

the book collection and getting our group all set up. It was a grand success.

In all, the only thing I can say was we didn’t see enough people show up. Sure there were lots of

folks in the gym, but it would have been better if it was packed. That’s the part where you come

in. If this even runs again next year (and I suspect it will) I plan to be part of getting WTS there

and participating again. What we need is for YOU to be there. I certainly hope you will be.

Star Lord

Balticon – Wrapping up the review

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Taking my time and reflecting on the convention was a lot more satisfactory than trying to lump all this stuff together.

The weekend was well worth the effort. The panels I was part of were good learning points for me, and hopefully for others. I got to meet, hang out and party with some very cool folks.

The convention attendance looked smaller to me than years past, but it also looked younger and more eager than I’ve seen in a while. That part gives me some hope.

BSFS announce the Guest of Honor for next year and announced that they’ll be moving to a new hotel. I’m torn about this.

The GOH is George R.R. Martin. I am not a fan, but he will certainly draw a crowd. I’m not sure it will be “my” crowd, but attendance should be up. The new hotel is in downtown Baltimore. Many, many folks are excited about this. I am not one of those folks. I remember going to the Omni when Balticon was there and I hated it. Downtown where the parking is expensive and the meals aren’t convenient. I like the current location in Hunt Valley – but that isn’t my choice. I know at least two people that have already decided that convention isn’t for them so they’ll be going elsewhere next year.

I am going. I’ve made the choice already. I know there are a lot of folks very put off by the utter failure of the registration process this year. I’m going to call it an aberration. I definitely think that invited guest should get their own line, but we’ll see how it all turns out next year. I’ll give reg a chance to right itself. I’ll give the venue a chance. It’s not ideal, but I’ll try it. Who knows, it might be amazing. I’ll be happy to be the counter programming to the GOH. Nobody said I have to go to his panels, right? I might even ramp up my art show stuff for next year. I’ve got some time for planning.

Hopefully you’ll have some time for planning and you’ll get yourself out there to a convention too. Maybe you’ll even catch me on a panel someday!

Part 3 – The Panels!

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I have works of humor and military science fiction as my most recent published selections. Last year was no different. So, straight out the gate last year I got put on a panel about creating magic systems… with the guest of honor Brandon Sanderson. The room was absolutely packed and they were NOT there to see me. It went really well and the GOH was very gracious in sharing the panel.

This year – I got 3 panels that were actually dead on accurate. I didn’t know about one of them until the Thursday before the convention, but it was right in my wheelhouse so it wasn’t a big worry to me.

My panels were: Fiction Writing for Gamemasters (and vice-versa), Getting Into Short Fiction, and Writing Interesting and Effective Short Stories. I was in business – these were things I could definitely talk about!

I was the moderator for the gamemasters panel and I think it went well. I did my best to learn something of each panelist before we started, but that didn’t really work out. One of the original panel got re-scheduled, one didn’t show, one was a con staff member that suggested the panel and one gave this as his sum total bio information “…is a writer.” I try to use the information I find on panelists to mold and direct questions more toward their strong suits. Much like any role playing game I’ve ever run, I had to wing it. It seemed to work. Perhaps all that gamemaster stuff worked out for me in the long run.

I was a panelist on the getting into short fiction panel. I think there was really solid stuff there and I hope the folks that came to the panel enjoyed it. I’ll be honest – I don’t recall as much of that panel as I’d like. I had back to back panels and I recall my last one more than the first one.

The “last one” was interesting and effective short stories. I think there was a lot of good stuff in that panel. I wanted to take notes from time to time. Part of what made it so interesting was the fact that a couple of the panelists had very different views on making short stories work. I had a handful of things I think were good points and really took pleasure in response to one particular question. When asked about a short story that really moved or changed me I told everyone about a book I really enjoyed. It has been out of print since the 80s, so there were a quite a few folks that hadn’t heard of it. The general murmurs and reactions really made me smile. I like to be able to share the things I enjoy and point others toward something they might like too.

All worthy panels and really good panelists. These were probably some of the best I’ve been on yet.

And in case you’re wondering – I won’t give you the details of the story I liked so much, but it’s in this book (if you can track it down):

MagicForSale

Balticon – A Review Part 2

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Links and Connections

One of the cool things I’ve always liked about going to conventions was the chance to meet and chat with creators of all types. I hope that as a creator that I give back in the way I have always felt the con giving to me.

This year was no exception. In fact, I think I’d call it exceptional in terms of the variety of folks I had the chance to meet. I chatted with authors and artists, podcasters, programmers, students, publishers and all sorts of others. I found some amazing work along the way.

I didn’t get as much of a chance to chat with this new author as I wanted – but the art was interesting and the story sounded like it had potential: http://thehollowsun.com/

Found a card for the magazine – and I’m signing up for a test subscription: http://thedarkmagazine.com/

I didn’t get to chat with Sunny after the panel she was on, but her portal earrings were neat… I’m intrigued about the way she described her work and will likely check some of it out: http://sunnymoraine.com/

I was really taken with this artist’s work – please go and support her: http://www.stephanieburgee.com/

I shared a panel with the founder here: http://www.zombiesneedbrains.com/

Last, but certainly not least I got to meet and chat with Dave Robison. I am very happy I had the chance to add him to the circle of folks I know. Go and read his Magazine of speculative thought here:

http://www.vexmosaic.com/

There are always lots of folks at a convention like Balticon. IF you get the chance, you should get out to a local convention and get to know some of these folks!

Balticon – A Review In Parts

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I’m trying something new this year. Normally I review my convention experience all in one big lump. I’ve taken a day or two now and I think there’s too much to cover and do justice with one lump. I know I prefer shorter posts when I’m checking my news feeds a lot of the time. That being the case I’m going to set these lumps of review to pop up at different times. Hopefully this new review strategy will be a good one – you’ll have to let me know!

Here we go with part one – the general stuff.

I truly enjoy going to Balticon. I’ve been going for a long time. Not as long as many folks, but long enough. I look forward each year to seeing old friends, making new ones and generally having fun. This year was no exception.

I was invited as a guest / panelist again this year. I love that I have the chance to do this. I hope it is something that continues. I also signed up to be part of the art show this year. While I wasn’t ready to try to sell any of my art, I wanted to be part of the show and see what it was all about.

Making sure I was actually on the guest list was difficult. I work on staff for other conventions, so I know things can be difficult. I tried, really tried to be patient. It seemed to pay off, even if the paperwork I got was later than the deadline it gave inside.

So – guest stuff arranged, art stuff sent in and confirmed I was ready.

The registration / sign in stuff at the con itself was not. I’m certain that social media exploded with anger and frustration over this. I’m also certain that the convention staff is aware of everyone’s opinion so I’m just going to describe it as bad. That is perhaps the negligent misuse of understatement, but 4 lines and 2+ hours later I had a badge with no staple or ribbons, my original schedule, the remake and a suggestion that I look for the app for the schedule as that was likely more up to date than anything printed that I’d been given we’ll just stick with bad.

I figured in the midst of all this I’d go and get set up for the art show. Except they weren’t ready. Again, I’ve been on staff – I know things can get behind. I could always come back later. You know, later when the crash that hurt registration so much had the chance to affect art show sign in. The art show folks were diligent and helpful to me as a newbie and I really had very little to worry about. I took it all in stride and got stuff hung up.

By the time I got past all that I really wasn’t feeling the con groove. The wife and I skipped out and headed for dinner. There were panels we’d thought of heading to, but the changes were such a mess we skipped them altogether.

Friday was a struggle, but no worries – there would be more to the weekend!

And there was. I had some excellent panels. I’ll break them down more in another post, but they were right on target for me.

Seeing old friends and making new friends (even by way of shared misery in line) was just as fantastic as always. I can think of at least a half a dozen folks I normally see at the convention that didn’t make it this year. I don’t know numbers but I got the feeling that attendance was down quite a lot. The mood seemed to be less festive than I’d seen in the past. I didn’t see the array of hall costumes I’d seen before. Maybe I was just missing something or not in the right place at the right time – but a busy con shouldn’t need the right place at the right time to make it work. The right place and right time should be just about anywhere at a con.

Maybe I’m jaded? Maybe it was me?

I’ll post more through the week – I think that’s enough for now.

Balticon 49

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I was told that I am bad at self promotion. I know this is true. I am going to attempt to be better about getting info out there.

This (Memorial Day) weekend I will be attending Balticon 49. I have been going to Balticon for a long time (though not as long as many – I believe my first was 27 when Don Maitz was the artist GOH). I will be a guest / participant as well as an artist in the art show. I do not have confirmation that I was in time for a “meet the artist” time slot – but I do have 3 panels that I will be on. They are:

Saturday

7:00 PM Fiction Writing for Gamemasters (and Vice-Versa) Derby
Eric Hardenbrook (M), PC Haring, Neal Levin, James Daniel Ross

They’re different skill sets, but have much in common. How does the prose writer learn to function in real‐time? How can an experienced gamemaster apply their skills to a self‐contained, linear story?

Sunday

12:00 PM Getting into Short Fiction Salon C
John Skylar (M), Scott H Andrews, 2015 Compton Crook Winner, Eric Hardenbrook, Samuel Lubell

Online publishing and new press opportunities have created a renaissance in short science fiction and fantasy writing. Our panelists discuss where to go to find short stories and novellas to read, who and what a reader new to the sub-genre should look for, and why shorter works of SF/F have persisted and thrived.

1:00 PM Writing Interesting and Effective Short Stories Pimlico
Joy Ward (M), Eric Hardenbrook, Joshua Palmatier, Bud Sparhawk, Martin Berman-Gorvine

How do you make a large world without a large word count? Making a big story out of a small space.

I am looking forward to the convention – hopefully I’ll get to see you there!

Behind the curtain

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“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”

Love that bit.

Yes, I’ve been off here doing lots of things. One of those things is (hopefully) getting my web posts to automatically cross post to Facebook again. It broke for a while, but hopefully it is better now.

The other thing I’ve been working on is getting ready to go to Balticon. A few weeks ago I met the requirements, paid the dues and joined the Baltimore Science Fiction Society and have gotten to go to the meetings and hear some of the behind the scenes stuff. You know what? Still excited to go. I’m so happy that they’ve made me an invited guest again this year.

The other thing I’ve been working on is something I’ve only run past a few folks as an idea… Well, I’m in. I’m going to display some of my art at the art show at Balticon this year. Forms submitted and received, prep work in full swing.

I’m really nervous about it, but I’m doing it. I’ll post the results as the weekend progresses. Until then, much more work to do!

Regen!

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This was previously published in Watch The Skies:

Regeneration Who – or – Where you should have been

This convention review is different than any of the others I’ve presented here before. It is different both because I got a different perspective and because from many reactions this convention was different than others before.

I don’t work on staff for many conventions. The creators of Regeneration Who are the same folks that put on Intervention Con where I normally lend a hand with the Children’s programming track. Regen didn’t have a dedicated children’s track this year so I became something of a free agent. I phrased it just that way when I was chatting with some of the other staff. I joked that I could now negotiate for double the going rate for staff pay. He came right back with, “I’ll offer you triple to get on my team…”

I should have negotiated better.

I ended up bouncing from place to place, from team to team through this entire convention. I essentially worked from the time I got up and dressed to the time I fell over at the end of the night. I must have walked ten miles each day. I was utterly exhausted by the end of the whole thing. Spent.

What all my travels afforded me was a chance to see much, much more of the convention than I might have otherwise. There were huge things going on here – Tom Baker Skyped in and answered questions from the attendees. The line for that was immense. There were funny things going on. The sort of things that stop conversations cold – like Sylvester McCoy and Sophie (Aldred) Henderson (the 7th Doctor and companion) riding a bell-hop cart down the hall. There were crazy moments like guiding the life size special weapons Dalek into the middle of the vendor room and opening it up so that actors could sign the inside of it. There were little moments that didn’t matter to anyone other than the very few people involved, like being able to pull a pink back pack full of “My Little Ponies” out of the lost and found bin to help fix up a weekend for a sobbing little girl.

The hope for the weekend was to be able to draw a few hundred folks and cover the expenses so the show would go on again next year. By all accounts the attendance was more than triple the expectation. There were flaws. There were issues. They were handled. I can’t say that’s been the case with every con I’ve gone to. Yes, being on the staff and spending more than a little of my time running for operations to try to help solve some of these issues I got to see and hear more than the attendees. Yes, I’m biased because I was helping. You know who wasn’t? The standing ovation from the attendees that came to the last panel of the convention called, “how’d we do?”.

Even seeing the issues behind the scenes, or perhaps because of seeing the issues behind the scenes, I’m going to recommend that if you’re a fan of Doctor Who you make it a point to get to this convention next year. I’m already on board.