Science Fiction Goes Virtual

 Or, at least all the conventions seem to be…

It's 2020.

WorldCon 78 this year was supposed to be in New Zealand, but the fans and volunteers did an awesome job of converting the whole shebang to a virtual convention after the spread of coronavirus mandated social distancing. The amount of work this took is unimaginable (I'm trying...). We enjoyed seeing George R.R. Martin give the opening speech, even if it was from his living room in New Mexico.

I loved moderating a panel via Zoom about favorite off-the-beaten track SFF tv shows. Fellow panelists were Shaun Duke (brains behind the Hugo-nominated Skiffy and Fanty podcast), Stina Leicht, Christine Taylor-Butler, and Sarah Gulde (editor of Star Trek Quarterly). We each gave our favorites (mine were "Devs," "Dark," and "Russian Doll"), and had the privilege of "collecting" the massive number of suggestions coming from chats going on in the background. Plenty of great new fantasy coming too, like "Cursed," and older shows worth digging up from obscurity, such as "UltraViolet." Folks could move offline via Discord to continue conversations.

A highlight, of course, was the Hugo Awards and the re-named Astounding Award (formerly the John W. Campbell).  As a big filk music fan, I clicked on over and was treated to a living room concert by author Ada Palmer (Terra Ignota series) and her band, Sassafras. My husband and I then packed in as many short SFF indie movies as time permitted.

The Scottish Connection

It's great to see Glasgow lobbying to be the host city for WorldCon in 2024! Follow the bid on Twitter @Glasgow2024.

Following WorldCon, I attended another recent virtual reading night sponsored by the Edinburgh magazine, Shoreline of Infinity, with authors Ada Palmer, Jo Walton, Rachel Plummer, and Jane Yolen.  Thanks to editor Noel Chidwick for bringing these ladies back for an annual reunion (even if for the Americans it had to be virtual instead of in Scotland).

 

Here in Denver, we are ramping up to hold a virtual con for MileHiCon52  from October 23-25. Glad we've been able to get a little experience under our belts and hope to see you there.

 

 

 

Case Files of a Spirit Talker by Lela E. Buis - Review

Lela Buis has released a new collection of her tales of Anna Detroyer, private eye and Black Seminole spirit talker.

Anna follows cases into the dark corners of Japan, Mexico, Kenya, Miami Beach, the Florida Everglades, and Alaska, and she usually gets her man, god, or demon (pick your pantheon), with a little help from her friends in the Native American supernatural world. A puzzle lurking in the background is the developing rift between her and her longtime partner, Paul Angstrom.

Author Buis does a great job of describing the various locales, so you feel like you are traveling with her. Highly recommended for readers who like their fantasy shrouded in mystery and romance. The book's available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089FN3XJT