Weyrfest

Just to let you guys know, I've finally found out where our room's going to be this year. We're back in the Hyatt, in Vinings. For your convenience, a map; for your inconvenience, it's in PDF format.

It's smaller than last year's room, with a capacity of about 90 people; it is, however, conveniently located right next to the elevators and escalators. No more knocking people into walls as you frantically run from the food court to make the panel you're supposed to be moderating, only you're running late because of those girls who couldn't friggin' decide what they wanted at Fuji Express, and you're all, come ON, ladies, just get the chicken, for Pete's sake, if you don't like it, you can get something else next time, and they're like, "Ummmm, do you guys have Pepsi or Coke products?" which leads to a two minute conversation about whether Mt. Dew is Pepsi or Coke (it's Pepsi, people, PEPSI), and you'd be looking at your watch but you don't HAVE a watch because every watch you've ever owned has died, and who has time to get new watch batteries? and finally you ask someone the time and OH NO YOU HAVE TO BE AT YOUR PANEL, they'll never let you direct in this town again, MOVE, people, MOVE-- wait, is that Tahmoh Penikett?-- no, stay FOCUSED, Charlotte, FOCUSED...

...

Anyway, we're just off the escalators, at the bottom floor of the Hyatt.

Fingers crossed we don't have a pillar in the middle of the room!

I want to second Cat's glowing thanks to everyone who did so much to make last year's convention such a wonderful sucess. Though I'm not about to promise passionate kisses to EVERYONE. Regardless of what she says. Now hugs ... hugs you can all have! ::Grins::

There is one thing I would like to make mention of however, in recent years the numbers and enthusiasm of participants in the costume contest have dwindled in pitiful pitiful ways. It seems that recently we'll have one or two people pour hours and hours of hard work into a costume and then have no one else in the contest with them.

Now one may think .. cool, that means they win.

But actually that just means they have no crowd to goof off with and the contest lasts all of 15 minutes and everyone is kind of let down by the lack of opportunity for hilarity and cutting up.

I'd like to say now, I'd like to have 15 REALLY GOOD female costume entries this year ... and at least 10 REALLY GOOD male costumes. Plus the smattering of people we bully into joining in just cuz its fun. ::Grins::

Please don't think you have to be PERN costumes to enter and win. Anne has a HUGE wealth of worlds to chose from. You can find an inventive way to bring in just about any culture you want.

But if everyone is tired of doing costume contests and would rather us do something else in that time slot this year ... let us know so we don't drag the wonderful Jody away from the awards banquet again for only a handful of participants. If we're going to do it ... lets do it right!!

Sooo ... who's got the craziest costume idea eh? I'd love to see someone finally top the year someone came as Thread.

Hey, all!

Been a while since I've posted, right? I'm so sorry I never gave the obligatory Official Recap of Weyrfest '08; suffice to say, it was a success, save for a few of my amateurish blunders (like, oh, I don't know -- leaving Trivia cards at home in Raleigh). I have no excuse not to have updated. I am lazy, number one, and number two, trying to recap four days of nonstop madness that, in hindsight, was pretty much all a blur, is sort of a daunting and harrowing task. Because I'm a coward, I run from daunting and harrowing tasks.

Which is why I needed to be saved on innumerable occasions by a wonderful, wonderful staff: Angel, Susan, Rheniel, Diana, and Alvin are not only terrific help, they're also terrific human beings on the whole. If you see them, kiss them. No, seriously, they'll like it.

(Angel might will almost certainly kiss you back. Passionately. Don't say I didn't warn you.)

But better six months late than never, right?

Thank you, too, to our wonderful guests, Anne, Todd, and Jody, who year after year prove worthy of their legions of fans. And to their runners, helpers, minders, whatever you want to call them: you are many, and you are invaluable, and you must promise never to leave me because I will curl into a ball and go into shock.

To that end: a final, hugely heartfelt thanks to the various and sundry non-official helpers and volunteers who got out of the car and asked directions when I insisted I didn't need no stinkin' map. This includes everyone who helped hang and take down art, participated in the costume and art contests, fielded questions from newbies, sat on panels, walked in the parade, laughed at my jokes, refreshed water for Weyrfest guests and staff, and, most fortuitously and gracefully, ran a game of Pern Pictionary as I held my head in my hands and lamented my complete inability to complete a simple task like REMEMBERING TRIVIA CARDS.

I will be less of a buffoon this year, I promise.

Information on various websites will start to be updated as we know things. As of right now, we don't know what room we'll be in, who exactly our next round of guests will be, what our schedule is, etc. etc.

WHAT WE NEED ARE YOUR SUGGESTIONS. As always. What did you like last year that you want to see again? What didn't you see that you absolutely must have? Who are your ideal guests? What can we do to make your Con better?

We, your humble servants, are here for you. So tell us what to do, already! And come see us again this year-- OR ELSE.

(Or else I will cry.)

Not sure if these links will work but I nabed these off flickr and put them on myspace.  The Pern group in the parade: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=63989509&albumID=2410073&imageID=36444699

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=63989509&albumID=2410073&imageID=36444701

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=63989509&albumID=2410073&imageID=36444702

Ok, I took these during Anne and Todds readings if anyone is interested they're on my YouTube channel : http://www.youtube.com/bdragond

Also, I have general DragonCon pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27868828@N05/sets/72157607058455396/

Ok, so Facebook wasn't the best place to put the pictures. How about Photobucket?

http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b118/mom23reds/DC2008/

Let me know if this doesn't work.

I've posted my pictures (most of them) in my Facebook account.

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?page=1&aid=152064&id=650835264

I had a blast this year and am looking forward to next year. Yes, I will return as staff next year.

Susan

Would someone please post the list to LJ and/or Yahoo Group?  I had to leave in the middle.  Thanks.

I finally paid the $$$ and will be at Dragon*Con!  Looking forward to meeting many (not to mention Anne and Todd) and reuniting with a few others.

BTW, any females looking for a last-minute roommate?

Gilder McCarroll
baterista9@aol.com
San Antonio, TX

There have been some changes to our schedule since I last posted the preliminary one -- we've had panelists added and a few things switched around.

Most saliently: Dragon Sex and the costume contest have been switched. Both panels are still on Saturday night, but the contest is now at 5:30 p.m., followed by Dragon Sex at 7. This is to allow Jody, who MCs the costume contest, time to get up to the banquet at 7.

To give her as much time as she needs to get through the crowds and find her seat, we will be starting promptly at 5:30, which means costume contest entrants should be at Piedmont no later than 5:15. It takes us a few minutes to get everyone sorted out and lined up, and the sooner we can get organized, the better. I will, of course, be making periodic reminders about this throughout Friday and Saturday.

And now: the updated schedule!

All panels are in Piedmont, in the Hyatt, unless indicated otherwise.

( Friday, August 29 )

( Saturday, August 30 )

( Sunday, August 31 )

( Monday, September 1 )

And, of course, updates could happen at any time, so check back for the latest information!

THIS APPLIES TO EVERYBODY -- YES, EVEN YOU. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION.

Because a bunch of space opened up in the Marriott, several of the tracks in the Hyatt -- that includes us -- have been relocated. So:

Weyrfest is no longer located in Edgewood. We have been moved to Piedmont.

We are still located on the Conference Level, the third floor down from the ground (or Exhibit) level. You can find a map of the Hyatt, and all of its convention rooms, here (this is a PDF file and may take a moment to open).

This is an extremely Good Thing, as our room capacity has now effectively doubled from 674 square feet to 1,139 square feet -- or, put another way, from a capacity of 51 people to a capacity of 120!

Give sacrifice unto the Dragon*Con gods!

And SUBMIT YOUR ART -- because we've got double the wall space to fill!

So this list isn't really THAT "preliminary," since the deadline's today, but I wanted to put out what our panel schedule is probably going to look like -- unless something changes between now and 11:59pm EST tonight -- and put out a call for last-minute panelist volunteers. If something looks interesting to you, call dibs! We'll take panelists all the way up to the Con, but you won't get your name on the schedule after tonight.

All panels are in Edgewood, in the Hyatt, unless indicated otherwise.

( Friday, August 29 )

( Saturday, August 30 )

( Sunday, August 31 )

( Monday, September 1 )

Updates will follow as more information comes in. Stay tuned!

I'm keeping this entry for my own reference, but please see the updated schedule posted on August 17.

This is for anyone doubting the awesomeness of our potential prize pool:



From top left, clockwise:

The People of Pern, Robin Wood and Anne McCaffrey

The Book of the Dragon, Ciruelo

Three copies of A Gift of Dragons, Anne McCaffrey's recent short story collection, featuring "The Smallest Dragonboy," "The Girl Who Heard Dragons," "Runner of Pern," and "Ever the Twain," and (beautiful) illustrations by Tom Kidd

Weyrfest 15th anniversary ballpoint pens

Two autographed copies of Robin Roberts' 2007 Anne McCaffrey biography, A Life With Dragons

A Dragon-Lover’s Treasury of the Fantastic, edited by Margaret Weis and featuring "Weyr Search" as its first story

All three Dragonflight graphic novels, adapted by Brynne Stephans and illustrated by Lela Dowling and Cynthia Martin

Now, mind, these aren't all the prizes by any means. We're also not sure which ones will go to the art contest winners and which to the costume contest winners -- but this is just to give you a taste of the goodness you could take home for your creativity!

So I would really, really, really like to have a panel where we read Anne's work in a whole bunch of different languages, and then talk about how meaning changes from one text to the next, and how our reading experience is affected by the language in which the novel is written.

Now, me, I sprechen a little espanol and would be happy to read that bit. Do we have anyone out there who reads, and can translate, any other language?

Just wanted to throw it out there that we're still looking for panelists AND staffers, and we're getting down to the wire on both. If you think you'd like to help out, now's the time to speak up!

People, we need panel ideas!

We'd like to shake our schedule up this year, inject some new ideas. What's a discussion you'd really like to have about Anne McCaffrey's books? What interests you -- science, language, biology? Do you want to know more about her writing process or more about the intricacies of her worlds? Would you participate in more analytical discussions about her literary style, or do you want to get into the nitty gritty details of the science behind the stories? What's the one thing you've always wanted us to talk about, but we never have?

This is as much your track as anyone's, so let's discuss the things you want to know!

Hey all,

Annie Scarborough just dropped me a line to let me know she won't be able to make it to the Con this year, largely due to health reasons. I know we'll all be disappointed, but so was she -- so let's all just send good thoughts her way and hope to try again next time!

Item the Second: CALLING ALL ARTISTS!

Anne's books have inspired countless fans to depict the details of her universes -- people, animals, weird creatures, spaceships, alien plants, alien skies. One of the things we've always loved doing at Weyrfest is putting these talents on display: from fanzine illustrations to tapestries and paintings, it's been a rare year that our walls haven't been adorned with fan art.

Since we've gone through several staff and directorship changes in the last few years, a lot of that art has been lost in changing hands. This year, we'd like to do our best to fill the gaps on our walls with the fruits of YOUR imagination.

So we're doing two things.

One: We're calling all artists, attending Dragon*Con or not, to submit their Anne-related artwork to adorn the Weyrfest room.

Two: We're having a contest!

That's right! The top three artists in Youth and Adult categories will win fabulous prizes -- not to mention the respect and esteem of many appreciative viewers. ;> Artists are by no means required to enter the contest, but we hope y'all will anyway!

There's no entry fee, but artists must read and follow our submission guidelines, listed in brief here. This document is required reading, and contains important information about how, where, and when to submit your art. You MUST email me at spiderwriter(at)gmail(dot)com for this document.

( Gallery Submission Guidelines )

( Contest Submission Guidelines )

Please direct any questions to spiderwriter(at)gmail(dot)com, or leave a comment in this entry.

Good luck!

Here's the first post of a housekeeping laundry list (did I just mix metaphors? Yeah, well, it's the weekend, I'll do what I want!).

Item One: We need staff!

We have two (2) slots available on our team of volunteer staff, and we'd like to fill it with someone new!

Dragon*Con track staff are required to put in a minimum of 20 hours' time at their assigned tracks, so applicants should be prepared to spend a lot of time in the Weyrfest room (luckily, we try to keep it interesting!). While there are no official age limitations, staffers are traditionally 16 years or older, as some of our panels can get to be a little raunchy.

Please note that all D*C staff, with a handful of exceptions, are unpaid volunteers. First-time staffers must pay a one-time $20 fee; working a full 20 hours guarantees free admission and a place on staff the following year. A full list of Dragon*Con staff requirements and answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found here. Please read it thoroughly.

You needn't have an extensive understanding of all of Anne's books by any means! We do ask that staffers have a passing familiarity with Anne's books, but unless you're hosting a panel, you probably won't be asked for your insight into Killashandra's character development as evidenced in the fourth chapter of Crystal Singer.

However, we are, for all intents and purposes, customer service representatives. A large part of a staffer's job involves fielding questions about our guests, our schedule, and where the bathrooms are. For that reason, people who have attended Weyrfest, or Dragon*Con in general, in the past will likely be considered over those who have not.

There are times when staff members will need to gain the attention of an entire clamoring room. Sometimes our microphones work and sometimes they don't. Usually Angel or I (all right, all right, it's usually me) handle Bad Cop duty, but we may be out browsing the Dealer's Room for shiny stuff. You should not be shy about standing in front of 20-50 people and hollering for their attention.

This applies on a one-on-one basis as well: though Weyrfest's attendees tend to be an awesome, laid-back, fun-loving group of people who are as interested in keeping things running smoothly as we are, everyone has their bad days. Be prepared to handle annoyed, tired, hot, confused, and/or lost attendees who may or may not have checked their tact at the door, and who may or may not be carrying annoyed, tired, hot, confused, and/or lost children under the age of five. It almost never happens that people are rude, demanding, or otherwise causing a scene, but if they are and do, you will need to be able to keep your cool and make decisions quickly.

We also ask that staffers potentially be able to lift between 10 and 20 lbs. We rarely do any lifting, but occasionally cases of soda need to get carted around, or chairs need to be stacked and moved aside. We also have several disabled attendees, and while many of them are quite mobile and rarely need our meddling, you never know when someone will require a little extra help getting from one place to another.

The job is largely thankless, time-consuming, occasionally boring, and very often chaotic. It's also extremely rewarding and a great way to get a little leadership experience. We're a crazy bunch, and we go to great lengths to ensure our guests and attendees have a rockin' good time! If it sounds up your alley, you can drop me an email at spiderwriter(at)gmail(dot)com. Please include your name, how long you've been going to Dragon*Con/Weyrfest, why you're interested in being on Staff, and anything else you think we ought to know about you.

I'm pleased to announce that author Elizabeth Ann Scarborough will be joining us for this year's Dragon*Con! Many of you will know Ms. Scarborough as the co-author, with Anne McCaffrey, of most of the books in the hugely popular Acorna and Petaybee series, as well as for her own Nebula award-winning novel The Healer's War. It's been several years since we've seen Annie at Weyrfest, and we're just thrilled to have her back again!