Capclave Dodo: "Where reading is not extinct"
I’ll be spending this Saturday and Sunday in Gaithersburg, Maryland at Capclave, the Washington, DC area’s longest running science fiction convention. It’s a books-centric convention with the motto, “Where reading is not extinct.” I attended my first Capclave back in 2003, six years before I moved to the area. It’s one of my favorite small, regional conventions.
I have a pretty light schedule in terms of panels and such. On Saturday, I’ll take part in the mass autographing session that runs from 8-9 P.M. On Sunday, I’ll be on a panel entitled “Mythpunk” from 11 A.M. to noon, along with Barbara Chepaitis, Jonah Knight, and Catherynne Valente. Lastly, from 2-3 P.M., I’ll be moderating a panel entitled “Stealing from the Best,” joined by Alethea Kontis, Sherin Nicole, and Lawrence Watt-Evans.
I’m looking forward to catching up with Darrell Schweitzer, Scott Edelman, Michael Swanwick, David Hartwell, Allen Wold, Leona Wisoker, and Jamie Todd Rubin (if I can manage to buttonhole them between their panels and whatnot). James Morrow should also be there; I missed him last year, when he was scheduled to attend but got snowed in by an early blizzard. Doesn’t look like that’ll happen this weekend.
Having such a light schedule myself means I should be able to actually sit and watch more panels and events than I usually have time for. I’d really like to listen to these:
“Will Books Survive–And in What Form?” (Saturday, 3-4, with Iver Cooper, David Hartwell, Ernest Lilley, Jamie Todd Rubin, and Elaine Stiles)
“Unsung Writer: An Appreciation of Murray Leinster (Saturday, 4-5, with Tom Doyle, Lawrence Watt-Evans, and Ted White)
“Making Fictional Cities Come Alive (Saturday, 7-8, with John Ashmead, Laura Anne Gilman, James Morrow, and Michael Swanwick)
“Writing Genre YA” (Sunday, noon-1, with Danny Birt, Alethea Kontis, and Carrie Vaughn)
I hope to run into a few of my blog readers at Capclave. If you’re in the area, please think about coming by. It’s a very well-run, welcoming, and reader-friendly small con. Hey, identify yourself as a reader of this blog, and I’ll buy you a cup of coffee (or grab you one from the con suite)!
