parent nodes: CapriCon | Upcoming Conventions
CapriCon
CapriCon (Feb 14-17 '08) Sheraton Chicago Northwest, Chicago IL. GoHs: Mike Resnick, Don Maitz, John Bauer & Mark Summers. Website: http://www.capricon.org/capricon28/
CapriCon 28 was my first time ever at any SF convention. I was surprised by a number of things:
Attendance: Much lower than I expected. What you see in the movie Galaxy Quest is not representative of these conventions. With a very few exceptions, most SF conventions draw less than 1,000 attendees to around 1,500. I registered at the convention on Friday afternoon as was badge number 990. Many of the smaller cons will draw 200-500 attendees.
Discussion Groups: Generally, these are pretty small, which means you can sit up front where you can ask a lot of questions or participate in the discussion. Some panel discussions allow limited audience participation while others thrive on it. A lot depends upon the topic and the panelists.
Writers' Workshop: There was only one of these (of which I was aware) and it had a total of EIGHT participants. I was one of those eight and got a lot from it. Watch for a new short story as a result of that workshop. Many thanks of Jennifer Stevenson, author of TRASH SEX MAGIC (Small Beer Press 2004) and THE BRASS BED May 2008, THE VELVET CHAIR June 2008, THE BEARSKIN RUG July 2008 (all Ballantine Books).
Networking: Sounds like something to do with computers. It isn't. It is now a widely-recognized term referring to the people you know. For instance, for my readers, you are part of my network. The wonderful thing about cons is that you can build your own network by talking with people, getting to know them (and not make a nuisance of yourself), and exchanging business cards. Yup - business cards.
Now, as a result of networking, especially with Kyle Borcz of http://www.dregold.net, we may bring you a dramatized version of Meriweather and Henroid, Or... or Bummers. Drop over to the dre website and check out the works they have been producing for the past three or so years.
Browncoats Unite! and the FSM (ra-men, ra-men, ra-men). I did attend a discussion group of what comes after Serenity and Firefly. The answer is we have to wait. Josh Whedon has not lost sight of the dream, but a lot is dependent upon the powers that be (think of those fine folks that threaten your freedom whenever you put in a DVD to watch... you know, the ones that use the FBI seal...). Once Fox, Universal, or someone else is willing to fund the project, we may well see our favorite SF western folks back on the (big/little) screen.
As far as the FSM is concerned. Well, it was a pirate themed convention. I drew some blank stares, though, which says that wandering around saying ra-men, ra-men isn't going to get you very far.
Final thoughts: Attending to con was every bit worth my time and money. I plan to attend many of the upcoming cons in the relatively close area, meaning the greater Chicago area and extending on up to Madison, WI, over to Indianapolis and across Illinois. Watch this page for upcoming events and believe me, this is not a complete listing. There are cons every weekend throughout the year. Some are best classified as minicons, and others are major (like Comicon in San Diego). The following list has been pared down to those that are likely to have me attend. Many have writers' workshops and because of the value of the one I attended, given by Jennifer Stevenson, you'll likely find me there.
Note Added March 18, 2008: In case you are wondering, there are cons that have huge attendance numbers: One is Dragoncon in Atlanta, GA. I am told that over 54,000 people attended last year. WorldCon is another heavily attended con and ComiCon in San Diego is yet another.
Most of the cons that will attend will be smaller, with 1,000 attendees or less. WisCon, for instance, has a 1,000 attendee limit.
Page created: March 18, 2008