I’m back home from Anticipation, this year’s World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal, [Read it all...]]]>

HUGO NIGHT 2009: (l to r) Paolo Bacigalupi, Lou Anders, Paul Cornell, John Picacio. From Lou Anders' blog: "Some combination of us were hanging out all week, a scaffolding of friendship upon which (our) convention hung." Well said. I second that.

I’m back home from Anticipation, this year’s World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal, and I’ve got the words, pics, sore throat, and memories to prove it. My personal blog is hosted by Blogger and it’s currently loading pics too slow. So I’m posting my report here. I also signed up for Flickr for the first time to facilitate the pics. Here’s a scattershot list of some favorite memories from this year’s Worldcon.

* Tamu Townsend. Thanks to her and her guy Patrick for giving me shelter in Montreal between my arrival from SpoCon to the beginning of Worldcon. Both of them are class acts. They were lifesavers and we enjoyed some of the best of Montreal’s food, beer, sights, and lights in a very compressed time, including a relaxed, free-ranging sushi dinner with Neil Gaiman.

* Survived a 20-story-plus vertical slingshot ride at La Ronde (jump to 1:20 to see a sample launch) with Rina Weisman screaming in my ear. This ride is so questionable that US insurance companies refuse to insure it, but that doesn’t stop the crazy Canadians from having one. Went there pre-con with Alan Beatts, Jude Feldman, and Rina, and it was worth every minute and every dime.

* Had fun conversations with Mark Van Name and Jennie Faries. I’ll be doing the cover of an upcoming Van Name book from Baen and bounced ideas and energy back and forth with Mark.

* Enjoyed time with Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz from io9. I love their bottomless, manic joy for all things wonderful and sf.

* Irene Gallo. As always, enjoyed the dialogues about art and conventions, and how to better both worlds.

* Subterranean Press. Nice to visit with Bill Schafer and Yanni Kuznia. Don’t get to see either of them too often so that was unexpected and terrific, since I didn’t expect them to be at Worldcon.

* Farah Mendelsohn. Great job putting together one of the most diverse and well-attended programming schedules in years. Yes, there were logistical problems (most of them clearly not her fault), but the content of the programming itself was amazing (for example, Paul Krugman & Charles Stross, in conversation) and for the first time, I lamented how many great panels I missed because there were so many of them all around.

* Lou Anders playing Miles Davis’ “Spanish Key” on his iPhone, holding it like a boombox as we celebrated in the streets heading to the party hotel, after winning our Chesley Awards this year. I have further thoughts on winning a Chesley Award here.

* The ASIMOV’S Party Friday night at Worldcon. The Delta Hotel’s security got chippy that night and began shutting down Worldcon parties left and right, during the height of party madness. The ASIMOV’S Party was one of those in danger. Unfortunately, I was scheduled to rush straight from the Chesleys and Art Show Reception to arrive at the party in time for the Asimov’s Readers Roll Ceremony where I was to be recognized for winning the Poll for Best Cover Art (tied with Tomasz Maronski). When I arrived at the hotel, the elevators were shut down and the heaving lines for the elevators were gigantic, but miraculously, I was able to elbow through and jump into the first available. When the doors opened, the hall was packed with people and when I found the ASIMOV’S door, Gary K. Wolfe and Amelia Beamer grabbed me and hustled me into the ASIMOV’S room, closing the door quickly behind me. The ceremony was about to start and it was a sauna in there. The room was both festive and jolly but with a whispered “Diary of Anne Frank” quality because everyone knew that security could arrive any moment to close it all down. John Scalzi suggested everyone wave a hand silently in lieu of applause, and it was the strangest, funniest ceremony I’ve ever experienced. Hugo-nominated ASIMOV’S editor Sheila Williams successfully conducted the proceedings, divied up the cake, and made it all happen, before security finally arrived. Unforgettable.

* Huge congrats to Donato Giancola for winning his well-deserved third Hugo Award, and I have brief thoughts on losing the Hugo here.

* John Scalzi and Krissy. The man put his indelible stamp on the Hugos this year and made the whole process a better one for everyone. Was happy to see him win a Hugo for Team Scalzi and receive back some of the love that he poured into the sf field all year long.

* Cheryl Morgan. Between winning a Hugo, helping to administrate the Hugo Logo Design competition, and launching Con Reporter, she dominated this year’s Worldcon.

* Mary Robinette Kowal. Many conversations large and small, and one conversation in particular on Sunday night when I needed it most.

* New friends. Too many to list completely. Thanks to everyone I met at the Art Show and who bought my artwork and attended my panels. You’re very appreciated. Met Pablo Defendini for the first time, and he’s a mensch…..one of the really good ones. Met Lauren Beukes, author of MOXYLAND, who seemed to be in all of the right places at the right times, even though this was her first Worldcon. Met Tim Whatley, husband of the fabulous and unflappable Jessica Langer. Fun times with Dan Dos Santos, Dave Palumbo, and Danger Marc on the art panels and in the in-between moments. Short, ambitious conversations with George R. R. Martin. Fun times with Lev Grossman also. Neil Gaiman nudged me at the Tor Party and asked me to keep an eye on of a few of his former Clarion students — Kat Howard, Megan Kurashige, E.J. Fischer, and Keffy Kehrli. We met as total strangers, and ended the con as friends. That’s the way it works.

* Aussiecon friends — Thanks to members of next year’s Worldcon committee in Australia who took time out of their busy schedules to say “hi” at the Hugo Losers Party. I told them that although Traci and I already have attending memberships for Aussiecon, we’re gonna have a tough time affording the trip and it may not be in the cards. All of them were helpful and friendly and hopefully in the coming weeks, Traci and I will be able to make sense of it all and see if we can afford a trip to next year’s Worldcon in Melbourne. We remain hopeful but necessarily cautious during these unstable economic times. However, knowing that folks like Janice Gelb and Alison Barton want us to come makes us want to try our best to make it happen, if at all possible. Fingers crossed.

* And once again, I was very honored to be a part of the Hugo festivities for the fifth consecutive year. And no, it never gets old, and I remain as grateful as I was the first year it happened. Congrats to all of the Hugo winners, and Big D for winning the Campbell. And oh yeah — you’re probably wondering where the photos are. Here you go. One note: I just bought an iPhone and it was terrific on this trip for its first hardcore usage. However, its camera leaves a LOT to be desired. So apologies for the dodgy image quality but these still give you a flavor of an amazing week in Montreal.