FROM MY CLIPPINGS FILE The July 31, 2009 issue of The Week ISSUE 3 – January 2010 magazine had this illus- EDITOR’S NOTE… tration. In these days of As I write this note, I am luxuriating in the 12-day break I had photoshop, the between my last December final – ever – and the day that law art painting school resumes on January 4. with real tools seems to be Aside from my mundane world commitments of two weddings and dying out. a funeral, I managed to squeeze in two major holidays, three work days and some much-needed spousal time. This exception was well- That leaves me today and tomorrow to complete the following N3F received by tasks: [1] Collate and finalize the official tall of the Neffy Awards, me, But I [2] (finally) write Jon Swartz back about our pending co- regret that the magazine didn’t give the artist proper credit for her collaboration on a new N3F book reference books on the Neffy or his work. winners, and [3] start writing this installment of my much- neglected fanzine. (Like Denny Davis, I find that the instant Dragon*Con 2009 gratification of Facebook is eating into my fanac.) To the left is a scan of the badge I got This issue, you’ll get more of my boring fan life – a quick review for attending Dragon*Con 2009 this list, a little bad fic, and I plan on breaking into my stash of past Labor Day. My Con report starts clippings and other geek detritus I’ve gather through the years. on the next page. And as we celebrate the passing of 2009, which was not a well- loved year in my household, I send you all the warmest wishes for 2010. - Davodd To the right is the cover art from the Devoid Specimen © 2010 by David Speakman, who may be reached 2009 at [email protected] or the web site: www.davodd.com – or at his Dragon-Con N3F Tightbem.net user page: http://tightbeam.net/members/davodd. program This issue was created expressly for N’APA, although I tend to guide. reprint my stuff other places out of sheer laziness. Started: 11/15/2009; Ended 01/03/2010 Convention Report: Dragon*Con 2009 top-notch writers workshops. (You can get the complete scoop on the website: http://www.dragoncon.org) Originally written for the TNFF but repubbed here to add graphics… And for those that pooh-pooh “media” – the literature tracks are also huge. Along with the generic SF/F literature track, there also Ever since I first stumbled upon are specific tracks for book fandom including Anne McCaffrey’s Dragon*Con (yes, that asterisk is Worlds, Tolkien, Wheel of Time, and Alternate History – each really part of the name) in 2001, it with four days of programming – 12 hours each day. has become an annual pilgrimage Officially it has 35,000 attendees. (But from what I hear – those for me, depending upon my numbers are purposefully poverty level. This is a very lowered by the organizers limited story of the twenty-third because of fears that the fire Dragon*Con, a multi-media con marshal would go into held annually in Atlanta, George conniption fits if she found every Labor Day Weekend, as out that the number was seen through my eyes. actually closer to 50,000.) My report is limited because it There is simply too much has to be. Dragon*Con is, I for one person to do, see or believe, the largest of the fan- even take in. But for my run fan conventions. And to fellow Neffers, I’ll explain call the event a “convention” is really an under how I spent my Labor Day exaggeration – just like saying the Mall of America is a “store” or weekend in Atlanta this calling J.K Rowling a author who sold a few books. year. Dragon*con is actually 30 very large “tracks” – which, compared My focus is on the to other cons, are in reality semi-autonomous and fully-staffed American Science Fiction conventions that just happen to be under one Dragon*Con and Fantasy TV group, umbrella and spread among four large hotels over in downtown which I first became Atlanta. involved with in 2001, when I was part of a cadre of folks working (unsuccessfully) to save a little The Star Trek track, alone – if separated from the rest of steampunk TV series called, “The Secret Adventures of Jules Dragon*Con would be the largest Trek convention in the world. Verne.” Anyway, on to the con report. Other TV tracks include Stargate, Joss Whedon, American SFTV, Asian SFTV and British SFTV. Other tracks include Star Wars, GETTING THERE Anime-Manga, Comics, Costuming, Filk, Horror and Goth tracks. Flying from Silly Valley (this is what I call Silicon Valley) in There is also a full-fledged four-day SF/F/Horror film festival, and California to Atlanta is easy – but not cheap. We almost didn’t go this year because Rich was expecting to be laid off from his job and we had no money to spare. But our friends all chipped in and geeks. And that was just the first 90 minutes of the first day of paid our way there and bought our hotel room, too. programming. Dragon*Con (sometimes abbreviated as “DC”) is a four- My highlight this day was going to a Farscape panel (am a huge day event: Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday fan) to watch Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Virginia Hey and of Labor Day weekend. But as veterans, Lani Tupu relive a show that began 10 years ago and was we usually try to arrive on prematurely cancelled by the SCIFI Channel. I think the Thursday, as do most of our stars of the show were genuinely touched by the turnout a con friends. This gives us all decade later for a show that any folks have either long- a day to meet up and catch up forgotten or never heard of. on all that has happened over the past year – without the I also made a point to travel to all four hotels and put crowds of newbies - or the threat N3F pamphlets out on fan tables on Friday. of missing one of the programs. That night, we skipped the parties, which included a I also Unfortunately, aside from my couple cosplay/masquerade balls (Zombie Prom, Pirate Silly Valley-to-Dragon*Con travel Bay) and had a quiet evening with friends. mates of Rich Speakman and Jen Coats, none of my other con friends at DC this year were also N3F members, but there is SATURDAY always hope that will change for next year. On Saturday the 3-hour time difference and jet lag finally caught up with us – we overslept and missed the Dragon*Con parade – FRIDAY which is a community event in Atlanta and parents bring their kids It is common for cons to start programming on Friday nights. But to see TV and movie stars and hundreds of fen dressed up. new this year, DC responded to the fact that may, many con vets started arriving on Thursday. So this year, the con started some of We also missed the cast of the new Battlestar Galactica give their the more popular tracks’ programming at 10 a.m. on Friday. take on the season finale. This was really too bad because a couple of years ago when the show was relatively new, we had befriended I fact, the first – and probably most mainstream media newsworthy Aaron Douglas, the actor who played Chief Tyrol, on BSG. And in event that happened at D*C this year was the Leonard the crowds of Dragon*Con and other shiny objects that caught or Nimoy/William Shatner panel at 10 a.m. on Friday. CNN carried attention in the next few days, we never did get the change to look part of their banter – which was quite humorous – especially the him up and say hello this year. teasing Nimoy gave the first captain about not being invited to be in the 2009 movie remake. Being on a limited budget, the dealer’s room was window- shopping only. IN previous years, we’d been known to bring an My mother-in-law, a huge Trek fan, saw the coverage on CNN and extra, empty suitcase with us to DC just to hold the stuff we bought actually called us to let us know that Nimoy and Shatner were at while there. That didn’t stop me from looking through the used the convention. We told her, that yes, we knew so and were there books, comics, board games and T-shirts, though. to watch it live in a room with about 3,000 of our fellow Trek Jet lag still in high-gear, we persevered and hosted our annual I ended up skipping a lot of the con programming on Sunday as I consuite party. Among our group is the leader of the American stayed in the room reading my law books and briefing cases. Being SF/F Media track, so our little party has become the unofficial a 40-something taking night law school in addition to working full official party for staff members and occasionally guests of honor time really cuts into my fanac – even when I’m at a con. who want to duck away from fawning fans for a few hours. IN throwing this party, we missed the official-official parties (Dance MONDAY of the Concubines [belly dancing], Star Wars dance, BSG party, Rich and I ended up missing all of the Monday programming as and the Rainbow Dance for LGBT fen).