I spent last weekend in North Wales at the SFX Weekender. This is the obligatory round up post. 🙂
On the whole I prefer smaller events, as they offer more opportunity to chat with old friends and meet some new people. SFX may have changed my mind offering as it does a rather nice blend of literary SF, TV, Film and gaming that pulls in an epic crowd giving all those different media a chance to reach outside of their immediate fan base. It was fun to see people on the bill who I haven’t seen since my teens.
Highlights for me revolved largely around seeing friends I don’t really get to see enough given we’re scattered across the country, talking about writing, and seeing my own name on a magazine cover (this never gets old, though I really do need to get some more out there). The Just a Minute with Paul Cornell, China Miéville, Sarah Pinborough, Joe Abercrombie and Toby Whithouse really made me laugh. It’s a great game that’s particularly well suited to a room full of merry geeks.
The accommodation wasn’t great…and it was colder than a polar bear’s proverbial…but I don’t think I really stopped chatting, drinking and generally hanging out with people long enough to notice.
I suspect I will be visiting again next year. Maybe I’ll even manage to wangle my way onto a panel.
*hands shake* Maybe not…