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Comment
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KathieRose
Unregistered User
(5/30/06 5:53 pm)
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Any reports from WisCon?
Most likely I'm not the only one in mourning because I couldn't go this year [evil new job wouldn't let me take any vacation days until June 19] so I MISSED what sounded like the most wonderful time ever and with Jane Yolen as GoH too......... At least let us orphans live vicariously and someone report! Please?
Kathie
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midori snyder
Registered User
(6/2/06 11:33 am)
ezSupporter
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Re: Any reports from WisCon?
Hey All,
I am finally unpacking my treasures from Wiscon and starting to realize what a remarkable cache of books I came home with from what proved to be an excellent and particularly moving wiscon. You can't imagine what it is like to be in the presence of so very many illuminated authors--thirty years of combined brilliance and writing--and how many of these authors are still writing, still wowing us. Kate Wilhelm and Jane Yolen were the "new" guests of honor for the year and their readings and speeches alone were worth the price of ticket in.
The con opened with these two remarkable writers reading their works, Jane a brilliant selection of poetry (which can be found in the newer collection Once Upon a time She Said and Kate Wilhelm a chilling terse unpublished story called "The Night Train" about a verbally abusive father.
and boy it just opened out from there.
It was pretty amazing to see the thirty four former GoH seated on the grand stairway for a group photo--Ursula Le Guin, Samuel Delaney, Jane Yolen, Kate Wilhelm, Suzette Hayden Elgin, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Terri Windling, Pat Cadigan...well...I can't remember them all I was so dazzled by the site of so many in one place. In fact, much of the usual programming of Wiscon was suspended to allow for an unusually high number of author readings (something like 137). The panels were good...my daughter's favorite being "Make Sh*t Up:" where author's discussed the wide divergence in writing styles (do you outline, lucid dream or chase your developing plot?)
The highlight as always was the rollicking Tiptree auction...Ellen Klages in full comedy form, only briefly hi-jacked by the irrepressible Sharyn November who stole the mic long enought to auction the readers copy to Ellen's first novel, and since it became an immediate tradition, Jane hi-jacked the mic later to auction off a tote bag with waaay too many handsome and rather scantily clad young men (offering quite a few naughty jokes...which were hilarious coming from Jane who also never let you forget she was a grandmother).
There were quite a few new authors premiering new novels and short story collections: Barth Anderson (you can read his story "Parade of You on Endicott) published Patron Staint of Plagues, Alan DeNiro's (whose new short story Meet the Elms you can read in the Spring 06 issue of the Journal) just published a brilliant short story collection of speculative, contemporary mythic pieces called Skinny dipping in the Lake of the Dead (which comes with a free chapbook of hilarious corresponding drinking games for each story.) Theodora Goss premiered her lovely and elegent new collection of fairy tales In the Forest of Forgetting and Erzebet Yellowboy brought us a wonderful hard copy print version of the new collection of fairy tales from her online zine: Cabinet des Fees
We went of course to many parties, ate great food, talked waaay too much and celebrated with new and old friends. (here's a shout out to Scottish author Hal Duncan whose new novel Vellum is big bold and wonderfully ambitious (and yeah...he's got a great piece in the new issue of the Journal)
The final night was absolutely perfect. Geoff Ryman won this year's Tiptree Award for his novel Air and was a picture of queenly grace in his Tiptree tiara (quite the feat considering he is a cool stretch at 6ft 8in). And oh so funny and charming. JaneYolen's speech was taken in part from her fabulous essay on writing in "Take Joy" (read it! you will wish as did we all for a "time fairy" ) and a beautiful memorial to her husband David Stemple who died just this last April. Kate Wilhelm talked about the act of storytelling, about it's power to reach down from one generation to another, about the compulsion to write authentically even in the face of male recalcitrant editors (one who rejected her novel because he argued it was impossible for husbands to rape their wives). I found Kate's stubborn courage really inspiring.
This last night also saw the first award of the Carl Brandon Society Award for literature that raised awareness about cultural diversity, racism and authors of color. This is a wonderful organization--that while it has been working quietly in the backround for quite sometime now has really taken a huge step forward to support and encourage young writers of culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds with their new scholarship awards as well. (Consider becoming a member--your dues will help to fund this scholarship). Susan Vaught won this first literature prize for her remarkable young adult novel Stormwitch. In her acceptance speech Susan talked about the importance of writing, of the profound effect it had on changing, indeed saving her own life and she concluded by turning the prize check for $1,000 over to the Carl Brandon Scholarship fund.
Nothing but standing ovations all night long.
So mark your calendars for next year! It's going to be another great event: Kelly Link and Laurie Marks are guest of honor, and your truely was selected as the Chairwoman of the new Tiptree Jury--so you will have the rare opportunity to see me in a party dress when we present the award.
That's it from me...
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aka Greensleeves
Registered User
(6/2/06 1:20 pm)
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Re: Any reports from WisCon?
I forgot Susan was going to be there! We (fellow clients of the
same agent) had a huge cyber-celebration when she got the nod for
the Brandon Award. Such an honor (and not too shabby, coming on
the heels of her Nebula nomination!). If you haven't yet read STORMWITCH,
do so now.
Thanks for the recap. Sounds like a marvel. :)
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midori snyder
Registered User
(6/2/06 1:28 pm)
ezSupporter
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Re: Any reports from WisCon?
boy I was so impressed meeting her. Someone I definately want on my reading list. My daughter who joined the Carl Brandon immediately after hearing Susan speak, inhaled the novel.
You know I realize I forgot to mention that while Susan won the "Kindred" Award, Walter Mosely also won the Carl Brandon Parallax award for his amazing young adult novel 47.
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Nalo
Registered User
(6/5/06 10:22 pm)
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Re: Any reports from WisCon?
Yes, the GOH speeches and the awards pretty much had me teary-eyed from beginning to end. Happy tears, mostly.
I should mention that the CBS Parallax and Kindred awards are not targeted specifically towards young writers or at young adult fiction; MJ just thought it was interesting that two YA novels won this year.
I'm not so good with trip reports, but there's a sketchy one on
my blog: nalohopkinson.blogspot.co...iscon.html
If you go to it, I recommend clicking on the image of the drinks menu to get a larger picture of it. The drinks were invented specially for Wiscon by one of the bartenders in the con hotel.
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janeyolen
Registered User
(6/7/06 3:47 pm)
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Re: Any reports from WisCon?
My Wiscon report would be: came, rain, love, light, talked, walked, ate, sated, laughed, cried, flied. Or is that flew?
My God, the people there had me tongue-tied.
The conversations spun by.
Like Nalo I only got to panels and readings I was on. I will try better when I am not GOH.
At least I got to sit BEHIND Nalo at the auction, which meant a glorious view of her back (bustier, remember?) though little time to chat.
Dinners with Midori, Terri, Sharyn one time, and breakfasts with PNH and Ellen K and Emma and Will and others. It was such a whirl, I cannot remember them all.
Luckily, I did NOT catch the con crud, which may be a first for me.
Jane
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KathieRose
Unregistered User
(6/7/06 8:11 pm)
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re Wiscon
Ah, Midori's recap made me cry..... I can't BELIEVE I missed this and all because of a horrible job at a county agency that I loathe down to my toes. I asked the minute I took the job if I could go and wasn't told anything until the last couple of weeks-- no, because your vacation time doesn't start until JUNE. Thanks all of you for letting me live vicariously at least....... but I'll never get to see all those luminaries in one place again so I'm still in mourning. But at least now INFORMED mourning . Next year I am coming no matter WHAT and I think my son is too---- [and if anyone has a great new job for an aging Jungian........]
Kathie
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lapetitepapillon
Registered User
(6/12/06 6:54 pm)
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Re: re Wiscon
re: mention of Sharyn November...
did anyone read Firebirds Rising? anthology by her... fantastic!
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