So, this weekend was LonCon3, and in the by now familiar spirit of cons, a mad, exhausting and marvellous one it was, full of all-too-brief meetings with new friends and old. I can’t imagine how much work went into programming such a vast event – huge thanks to all the organisers and volunteers who have done such an amazing job.
Highlights included meeting Frances Hardinge and Greer Gilman for the “You Write Pretty” panel on the Saturday (Frances was by far and away the winner with her Jabberwocky quote, but I’m still holding out for Jennifer Egan), and a thought-provoking discussion with David Hebblethwaite and Anne Charnock for the “Bridging the Gap” panel on Sunday. Also a big thank you to Adam Roberts who joined us at the last minute as our moderator was unable to be there on the day.
The Del Rey party on Saturday night was a lovely relaxed affair – thanks to everyone who stopped by and chatted (and to those who took a book! I do hope you enjoy). Blogger Voltron followed, and it was great to get the chance to put a few Twitter handles to faces.
As always, I didn’t get to see as many panels as I planned, but “The World at WorldCon: South and South East Asian SF” was fantastic, and I really enjoyed “My Opinions: Let Me Show You Them”, with a panel full of bloggers on the Sunday. I also managed to attend the NewCon launch and pick up a copy of Nina Allan’s wonderful new novel The Race.
By Sunday evening I was more than ready to swap the windowless hangar of the ExCel for the sofa, so followed the Hugo excitement from afar – only to learn that had I stayed, I might have caught a glimpse of David Tennant.
Next time.