Back from Wiscon

[pegkerr]

The highlight of the con (and perhaps the highlight of just about any con I've ever been at) was this morning's "living room" session. I was in a room for an hour and a half, talking what it's like to be at the mid-career point with these people:

Pat Murphy
Laurie Marks
Ursula K. LeGuin
Ellen Klages
Midori Snyder
Élisabeth Vonarburg
Susan Palwick
Amy Thompson
Candas Dorsey
Kij Johnson
Karen Joy Fowler
Molly Gloss
Laurie Winter
Terri Windling
Louise Marley
Carol Emshwiller
Ellen Kushner
Christine Smith
Suzy McKee Charnas
Scott Westerfield

*dies*

Debbie Notkins was facilitating, and since some of the stuff we talked about got quite personal, she asked that what we talk about be kept confidential. But I think I can safely say that the conversation was wonderful, and it was so comforting to discover that the issues that I struggle with as a woman trying to create a writing life for myself are shared by others, including woman who I've looked up to for years, who make it look so easy.

Wiscon was GREAT! Kij drove me home, and we talked books and career and how to write books that sear the soul, and we got soppily sentimental when it came time to say goodbye.

Came home to discover the house was an utter mess. Rob was sick this weekend, too sick, poor guy, to pick up so much as a sock.

I have to go back to the day job tomorrow.

Full time.

Oy.

Cheers,
Peg

Comments

[elisem.livejournal.com]

She was.

At one point, some flyers went up on the walls of the hotel in convention space, asking members to please help Ursula enjoy the convention by not asking her to sign any more books, since she was being besieged and she had already done a big official autographing session. (It's pretty frustrating to not be able to have a conversation without every second sentence being interrupted by a nice person with another armload of books -- while it is perfectly understandable that the nice person would want to do it, if they were unaware of the effect, anyhow. Hence the sign spreading awareness.)

Shortly thereafter, a postscript appeared on the flyers saying that Ursula was great, and had scheduled one more autographing section on the following day. Seemed to me like a very generous and gracious thing for her to do.

Me, I didn't go have her sign anything. But I do have a pleased memory of the couple minutes she spent browsing my table and being amused by some necklace titles. (I think she rather liked "Next Talking Fish 500 Miles.") The other memory I pair with that one is from five or ten years back, when I was in the audience at a panel she was on, and raised my hand to ask a question, and she called on me by name, and I realized that no, my name badge was not visible, and she had actually called me by name because she knew it. I kinda dissolved into fangirl bliss for a while there, but did my best not to become a complete puddle in conspicuous ways. ("She called on me by name! Sell my clothes; I've gone to heaven!")