Brenda Cooper, author of THE SILVER SHIP AND THE SEA and READING THE WIND, graciously took the time to give us a report from the The World Science Fiction Convention. Thank you, Brenda!
by Brenda Cooper
The World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) ended yesterday, in Denver Colorado. This successful celebration of brilliant geekdom included treats for people interested in books, media, gaming, anime, costuming, and overarching issues about the future. Panels included a demonstration of how to make liquid nitrogen ice cream, a discussion of how Star Trek changed the 20th century, to Dark Destinies: The Worst Future You Can Imagine. There are numerous panels on writing, movies running almost all the time, and a grand masquerade show. One fellow fan who also attended Comiccon said this was, in some ways, a kinder, gentler version. Most of the rest of us were rather overwhelmed anyway. I tried to get this report done during the con, but the altitude (the con slogan was One Mile Closer to the Stars) kept me from sleeping much. Even then, one writer-girl just couldn’t quite cover it all, but here are a few highlights and a few pictures:
The entrance to one of the panels (Stargate Bootcamp)
I really wanted to go to this one, but it was an all-day experience, complete with a mission adventure for the trainees, and I had a conflict with another panel. I rather hope the participants got back to the convention in time for the parties!
If they did return, they had a chance at a dealer’s room full of costuming, books, and some older magazines and memorabilia:
Science Fiction’s highest awards are the Hugos, which are nominated and voted on by fans attending the convention. A complete list of this year’s Hugo winners is available at Locus Magazine. A few winners of note include Michael Chabon, for the Yiddish Policemen’s Union, in the best novel category. Although he is not normally thought of as a science fiction writer, this book hit solidly in the genre, and obviously touched a nerve with fans.
Mary Robinette Kowall won the tiara for the Campbell award for Best new Writer. She dressed beautifully in a gorgeous yellow dress and gave a very sweet and short speech, basically thanking everyone who’d gone before her and beside her in a few short sentences, and thus demonstrating that she deserved the award.
Here is repeat best long-form editor David Hartwell, who has turned his Hugo into a rather elegant and beautiful tie holder (I heard once that David showed up at a party one year with a tie that had a live fish swimming in it). I can’t verify that story.
Next year’s Worldcon will be Anticipation, in Montreal, Canada, and the author guest of honor will be Neil Gaiman, which should appeal to science fiction and Comiccon fans alike. The 2011 convention will be further away, in Melbourne, Australia.
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