Worldcon Report 1

I've been having a fabulous time here at MidAmeriCon II (the 74th Worldcon).    Here are a few highlights so far.

George R. R. Martin in his native habitat

• I went to a bunch of really interesting panels on topics ranging from Afrofuturism, the history of the book, teaching science fiction, Ursula LeGuin's The Dispossessed, and more!
• I caught a few minutes of George R. R. Martin's reading.  And then I had a GRRM sighting in the hallway in his native habitat: a science fiction convention!  (See photographic evidence above).
• I've been hanging out with friends I haven't seen in awhile and I've met new people as well.
• I voted for the site section for future the future Worldcon and future NASFic.
• I had some excellent barbecue.
• Above all, I've been enjoying being part of the fannish community. I've written about in the past, but Worldcon is bigger than the smaller local cons.  No matter how nerdy you are in the "normal" or "real" world, you are a valued and accepted member of this community.  This makes me think the whole Puppy fiasco is terribly at odds with the core idea of fandom: a beautiful acceptance of people who are often maligned and stigmatized elsewhere.  More to think about soon.

Next up: more panels today and then the Hugo Awards ceremony.  Tomorrow: my talk at 11!