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Nebular Report 2014
May. 18th, 2014 06:58 pmThe Nebula Awards Weekend, hosted by the Science Fiction/Fantasy* Writers of America, is a true feast for the writer (and lover) of the genre/s*. (There has been much debate about whether Science Fiction properly includes Fantasy, and indeed the name of the organization was changed to be inclusive, but pronouncing SFFWA led to so much inadvertent spitting that the earlier, simpler form is preferred.) One (extremely) notable writer put it this way: “I go to Worldcon or World Fantasy Con for my fans, but I go to the Nebs for myself.” This is where I, too, go to be among professional writers, many of the best living, to attend panels given by the top pros for other pro writers, and generally get a refreshed perspective on what an amazing community this is. You don’t have to be a SFWA member to attend, either.
My weekend started top-of-the-morning on Friday with working registration. I highly recommend this. It’s an excellent way to see your friends (and make new ones) as they check in. In fact, at times, my two stints resembled one prolonged, joyous, and occasionally chaotic reunion. I do not, however, recommend doing two two-hours stints back to back, and if I ever sign up to do that again, please whap me up the side of the head. Fortunately, my co-registrar for the second shift understood the symptoms of my crashing blood sugar, and agreed to hold the fort solo for the remaining quarter-hour, so I ran off to an impromptu lunch part with Beth Meacham, Ann Leckie (who subsequently won the Nebular for Best Novel)., and Dave Smeds. I don’t usually drop a lot of Names of Famous Folk in my reports, but this is an example of the kind of hobnobbing, socializing, and in general feeling-of-one-tribe that goes on at the Nebs.
When finally our tummies were full and our minds easier, I proceeded to one of the perennial dilemmas of the Neb weekend – two simultaneous panels I wanted to attend! I poked my head in on the standing-room-only Business of the Book Trade, heard some fascinating behind-the-scenes info, but couldn’t stand much longer (having been on my feet more than not during my registration stint), so sat down for Writing Workshops: From Alpha to Clarion. And stayed put for Writing About Other Cultures, Real and Imagined (with Amy Thompson, Chaz Brenchley, Nancy Kress, Diana Paxson, Tad Williams, and Juliette Wade – don’t you wish you’d been there? It was even better! And what made it so amazing was to hear how many ways writers of this caliber create their worlds. The result was not intimidating but inspiring.)( Read more... )
My weekend started top-of-the-morning on Friday with working registration. I highly recommend this. It’s an excellent way to see your friends (and make new ones) as they check in. In fact, at times, my two stints resembled one prolonged, joyous, and occasionally chaotic reunion. I do not, however, recommend doing two two-hours stints back to back, and if I ever sign up to do that again, please whap me up the side of the head. Fortunately, my co-registrar for the second shift understood the symptoms of my crashing blood sugar, and agreed to hold the fort solo for the remaining quarter-hour, so I ran off to an impromptu lunch part with Beth Meacham, Ann Leckie (who subsequently won the Nebular for Best Novel)., and Dave Smeds. I don’t usually drop a lot of Names of Famous Folk in my reports, but this is an example of the kind of hobnobbing, socializing, and in general feeling-of-one-tribe that goes on at the Nebs.
When finally our tummies were full and our minds easier, I proceeded to one of the perennial dilemmas of the Neb weekend – two simultaneous panels I wanted to attend! I poked my head in on the standing-room-only Business of the Book Trade, heard some fascinating behind-the-scenes info, but couldn’t stand much longer (having been on my feet more than not during my registration stint), so sat down for Writing Workshops: From Alpha to Clarion. And stayed put for Writing About Other Cultures, Real and Imagined (with Amy Thompson, Chaz Brenchley, Nancy Kress, Diana Paxson, Tad Williams, and Juliette Wade – don’t you wish you’d been there? It was even better! And what made it so amazing was to hear how many ways writers of this caliber create their worlds. The result was not intimidating but inspiring.)( Read more... )
