There were a lot of podcasters at the convention, some of them recorded episodes while there and others did con reports. Here are a few to help with the post-con blues – if I run across any others I’ll add them to the list. Octothorpe 168: It’s a Very Little Cat Hugo, Girl!: Worlcon Report: LAcon V Eating the Fantastic: Worldcon Donut Divertissment! The Incomplete Worldcon Podcast Episode 4: LIVE from LAcon V A Meal of Thorns 58: LACON V
Category: Fandom
TAFF Visit
Last weekend we hosted the 2026 TAFF delegate, Kat Templeton, on her way to Eurocon. I’ve linked to the explanation of TAFF, but short version is it’s an annual fannish crowdfunder to help a fan travel across the Atlantic. I met John while he was on his TAFF trip, so obviously we are quite fond of it. It’s also a sort of lifelong community sort of thing, people who win TAFF tend to be involved in it for the rest of their lives. There had been some discussion about going up to Edinburgh on Saturday, the city is a direct …
Hugo Reading: Short Story
Best category so far… a variety of interesting themes and different tones. By far the most difficult to rank for me, except for the top spot. “In My Country” by Thomas Ha has been on a bunch of awards shortlists this year and I can see why, it’s a lovely, quietly masterful bit of writing. I’ve put his short story collection on my Xmas list.
Hugo Finalist!
Belated post about the Hugo announcements, I am on the list for Fan Artist again this year – which is lovely. The other finalists are Sara Felix, Richard Man, Terri Ash, Geneva Bowers, and Yummei. Some new, some previous winners, some old friends and some folks I’ll hopefully meet for the first time in LA! This is the first year I haven’t submitted any folding fans to the packet, which I guess might be a surprise, but none of my 2025 fans were what I consider fan art. My personal criteria for what constitutes fan art in the Hugo sense …
Eastercon 2026: Iridescence
(It says last weekend, but I left this in drafts for two weeks, sigh) (Aaaaand I posted an incomplete draft. I’m a hot mess.) Last weekend we headed to the Hilton Birmingham Metropole for Eastercon! We opted for the full, relaxed experience this year an took the train down on Thursday and returned on Tuesday – which explains why I’m only just recovering enough to write my report now. As ever I promised myself I would take notes and write a proper report but did no such thing and and am relying on my frankly terrible memory, so expect a …
The Rest of It (Virtual Worldcon Days 2+)
Hah, so it turns out even attending virtually, and not especially intensely, the post-convention fog is real. Day Two Virtual Worldcon This was my busiest day for panels. First off was Food and Fantasy, with Amadin Ogbewe, Oluwatomiwa Ajeigbe, Uchechukwu Nwaka. It was a lively discussion covering fantasy, horror, folklore, and sf. This is a perennially entertaining panel topic, since each panel’s specific mix of people always leads to a fresh perspective. One thing I learned this time was about children turning into yams! Women of the Arthurian Legends with Brian Grinnell, Brittany Torres, Gina Saucier, Kim Iverson Headlee, Louise …
Day One Virtual Worldcon
The good news is that although the parcel with my art arrived late, Spike and Tom arranged to have Ian Stockdale collect it and bring it down to Seattle! Having generous and resourceful friends is the best part of fandom, truly. So I have six fans hanging in the art show and handful of prints in the print shop, not my best showing every but it is nice to have a presence. And I did get a photo of the Rotsel display, which now includes my panel, so there’s that too! Meanwhile in virtual… I went through the guide book …
Conventions, convention prep, and lack thereof.
Worldcon is next week, I wont be there in person but have a virtual membership and have been enjoying the Discord in the lead up. While it is giving me massive fomo already, it is also lovely to see all the excited chatter – especially the introduction posts from first-time members. Although I wont be there in person, some of my art might be… maaaybe. I left it a bit late and after UPS UK failed utterly to provide even the most basic service (the website didn’t produce a label, the payment system tried to charge me three times, each …
Belfast: The Sights
When Belfast was announced as the Eastercon 2025 location, we were excited about getting to explore the city and maybe do some more general touristing. I had never been to Northern Ireland at all, and of course the Giants Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage site so I knew we definitely wanted to see that. During the convention I had a chance to pootle around town, walk along the river getting to and from the hotel, explore St. George’s market, see some murals, and generally get a feel for the centre of town, which is lively and full of interesting …
Hugo Finalist
The list is out and I’m delighted to be on there for fan artist again, along with a really solid roster. Most of the categories look really strong, and even some of the ones I usually pass over (out of lack of knowledge, primarily) have some interesting things – and look at Tchaikovsky inching up the charts! First time in novel and he manages two slots, what a machine! Sadly we won’t be traveling to Seattle, for the obvious reasons. In the scheme of things I’m aware it’s a small thing, but it makes me sad and angry all the …