This year’s World Science Fiction Convention meant a trip to Kansas City, and Kansas City, of course, meant BBQ. I managed seven BBQ meals, and wish I could have fit in a few more. There were several restaurants, such as LC’s and Snead’s, which I was unable to get to because of panel scheduling, party invites, and pulling off the recording of five new episodes of Eating the Fantastic.

Wherever I went, burnt ends were a part of my meal, though I was surprised by how many of the burnt ends weren’t, well … burnt ends. Several of them either weren’t burnt or weren’t ends.

In order to fulfill the demand for something which constitutes an incredibly small part of a brisket, many restaurants try to turn other sections of the brisket into burnt ends, which while sometimes tasty, doesn’t really fit my own definition of a naturally occurring burnt end.

And so …

Arthur Bryant’s

My barbecue tour began Tuesday night with what’s perhaps the most famous Kansas City barbecue joint, especially to those who don’t live there. I ordered the burnt ends, ribs, and baked beans, expecting to have my mind blown, and while I wasn’t disappointed by the meal, my mind remained unblown … but surprised. Because thought the ribs were fine, and the burnt ends were tasty, the latter didn’t seem either fatty or charred enough to be burnt ends, but were rather heavily sauced chunks of beef. And the beans, while above average, didn’t come close to my favorite, at Hometown BBQ. (more…)

Instagram didn’t launch until 2010—but why should that stop me from Instagramming L.A.con IV, the 2006 Worldcon which took place in Anaheim?

And so … here are seven snapshots of who were were a decade ago.

Bob Silverberg

At breakfast in a shirt I can’t quite believe I ever owned. (more…)

MidAmeriCon II, the 74th World Science Fiction Convention, begins two weeks from today, and the programming committee last night released the event’s final schedule. There have been a few changes since I told you I’d be there. And guess what? A few of them involve me.

So … here’s my new and improved final schedule. Though you never know what might happen between now and then …

Reading
Wednesday 1:30 p.m.
What will I read? I might leave that up to the audience!

Movies and Monsters
Thursday 10:00 a.m.
Let’s talk monsters! Taking a somewhat scholarly look at the great monster movies of the past. Which monsters still resonate with today’s society? Panellists dissect what it means to be a monster then dig into the great monsters of the past and their modern day descendants.

Remembering the Futurians
Thursday 1:00 p.m.
Jack Robins, who died last year, was a founding member of the Futurians. The Futurians were instrumental in not only laying the groundwork for many fannish traditions, but also included the authors of many of the seminal works in the field from Asimov to Pohl, Kidd, and others. Let’s take a look back at their influence during a magical era with the future of science fiction and fandom was taking off.

Autographing
Friday 2:00 p.m.

Fast then Slow! Pacing in Comics and Graphic Novels
Friday 4:00 p.m.
Panelists discuss what it takes to create atmosphere, drama and tension in comics, and then how to take it down a notch. What are some of the most exciting ways to create dynamic stories that fly off the page, and how do you evoke stilness when it’s needed? Our panelists weave their way through some key ideas and experiments.

Magazine Group Reading: Escape Artists, Inc.
Saturday 2:00 p.m.
Our Magazine Group Reading Series continues with a special group reading that features authors from the family of Escape Artists magazines.

Kaffeeklatch
Saturday 3:00 p.m.

Writers Workshop
Sunday 10:00 a.m.
(Note: This session is a closed preassigned workshop.)
with Jim Doty

Horror Comics, Old and New
Sunday 2:00 p.m.
The pulps were full of horrible tales and weird happenings, but horror is a persistent topic in comics, from Locke and Key to Black Hole, and spanning diverse comics from the Horror Manga genre to our persistent love of zombies. Our panelists discuss some of the changes that this genre has seen, as well as stories and tropes that keep on returning to shock us.

So there you have it—a brand spanking new agenda! I also hope to record five episodes of my Eating the Fantastic podcast while there, but I’ll tell you about those later.

I look forward to bumping into (some of) you at MidAmericon II!

I’m barely recovered from Readercon, but it’s time to start thinking about MidAmericon II, because I head off to the 74th World Science Fiction Convention a mere five weeks from today.

Here’s what the programming committee has planned for me. (And you!) The dates, times, and identities of my co-conspirators are subject to change, so check back for an update as we get closer to kickoff.

Movies and Monsters
Thursday 10:00 a.m.
Let’s talk monsters! Taking a somewhat scholarly look at the great monster movies of the past. Which monsters still resonate with today’s society? Panellists dissect what it means to be a monster then dig into the great monsters of the past and their modern day descendants.
with Pete Balestrieri, Ellen Datlow, Kendall R. Hart, David Boop

Remembering the Futurians
Thursday 1:00 p.m.
Jack Robins, who died last year, was a founding member of the Futurians. The Futurians were instrumental in not only laying the groundwork for many fannish traditions, but also included the authors of many of the seminal works in the field from Asimov to Pohl, Kidd, and others. Let’s take a look back at their influence during a magical era with the future of science fiction and fandom was taking off.
with Mr. Alec Nevala-Lee, Pete Balestrieri, Mark L. Olson

Fast then Slow! Pacing in Comics and Graphic Novels
Friday 4:00 p.m.
Panelists discuss what it takes to create atmosphere, drama and tension in comics, and then how to take it down a notch. What are some of the most exciting ways to create dynamic stories that fly off the page, and how do you evoke stilness when it’s needed? Our panelists weave their way through some key ideas and experiments.
with Alison Wilgus, Kurt Busiek, Tamara Jones, Tui Sutherland

Magazine Group Reading: Escape Artists, Inc.
Saturday 2:00 p.m.
Our Magazine Group Reading Series continues with a special group reading that features authors from the family of Escape Artists magazines.
with Alasdair Stuart, Marguerite Kenner, Dr. Amy H. Sturgis, Andrea Phillips, Bud Sparhawk, Greg van Eekhout

Writers Workshop
Sunday 10:00 a.m.
(Note that this session is a closed preassigned workshop.)
with Jim Doty

Horror Comics, Old and New
Sunday 2:00 p.m.
The pulps were full of horrible tales and weird happenings, but horror is a persistent topic in comics, from Locke and Key to Black Hole, and spanning diverse comics from the Horror Manga genre to our persistent love of zombies. Our panelists discuss some of the changes that this genre has seen, as well as stories and tropes that keep on returning to shock us.
with Paul Dale Anderson, Mr. Robin Wayne Bailey, Erin Wilcox, Tamara Jones

I hope to see you at MidAmericon II, if not in one of these panels, then while wandering the dealers room or in the bar. Don’t be shy!

If you attended Sasquan—the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention—in Spokane earlier this year, deciding how to best spend your time was probably tough, for inside the 148-page program book each attendee received were listed 241 panels alone, plus multiple readings, presentations, kaffeeklatsches, and more.

Things were quite different in 1974, however, the year 19-year-old me attended his first Worldcon—Discon II, the 32nd World Science Fiction Convention. (more…)

Those who know me know that when I attend conventions, I pay as much attention to the dining options outside the event as I do to the programming within. So it was with Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention.

So I scoped out Spokane’s culinary highlights, and then managed to hit almost all of what I’d planned. (Though I’m sorry to have missed out on Frank’s Diner. Sorry, but my stomach can only do so much. Breakfast there will have to wait until some future trip to Spokane.)

I wish I could have shared my eating adventures while the con was still going on, because one friend admitted to me that if he wanted to know where to eat on any given day, he could simply look at where I’d eaten the day before. In any case, here’s some of what what crossed my lips last week during Worldcon.

Satellite Diner

I arrived in Spokane late Sunday night, and ended up starting off in that city at the restaurant where I thought I’d end my visit more than a week later Monday morning before my pre-dawn flight to Dulles. The Satellite Diner is open every night until 4:00 a.m., and so is the perfect place to get sober before heading home … or in my case, to grab a late-night dinner after tumbling off a cross-country flight. My bacon Swiss burger with lettuce, tomatoes, and red onion was exactly what it was supposed to be, prepared by a master short order cook whom it was a delight to watch as I ate. (more…)

As some of you already know, I wasn’t quite myself at Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention. That because two of the evenings I was in Spokane, I was instead … David Kyle.

“So who’s David Kyle?” some of you may be asking.

For those not in the know, this is David Kyle.

Kyle (seen above to the right of me at Readercon in July) attended the first World Science Fiction Convention in 1939, as well as other conventions even earlier than that. He attended every Worldcon since, up until last year’s in London. Once I learned he wouldn’t be at this year’s either, I decided … that was wrong. A Worldcon without David Kyle, wandering the halls in his red jacket emblazoned with a First Fandom patch, asking people with whom he spoke to sign his little book, it wouldn’t seem like a Worldcon at all.

So I decided that for the first time in forty years, I was going to cosplay. (more…)

Ten years ago, when those of us in the science fiction field were wandering Glasgow for the 63rd World Science Fiction Convention, Instagram hadn’t yet launched, and wouldn’t until 2010. But that doesn’t mean we can’t see what we would have looked like had Instagram been around in 2005.

With the next Worldcon about to begin in Spokane, check out who were were a decade ago, Instagram-style.

George R. R. Martin, Anne Groell, and David Keck

(more…)

When I shared my tentative Worldcon schedule a few weeks ago, I left out some of the specifics because rooms, dates, times, and even my the identities of my co-conspirators for each panel were open to change.

But now that Sasquan has released its final schedule, I figure I’m safe. So here are the definitive places to find me when I’m not otherwise wandering and schmoozing (more…)

Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention, begins four weeks from Wednesday, and if you’ll be there, too, and would like to track me down, here’s a tentative list of programming items on which you’ll be able to find me.

As the schedule isn’t 100% finalized yet, I’ve left off the names of the possible co-conspirators who’ll be joining me at each event. But if you’re hoping to see me in Spokane, pencil these in and check back later for the full details. (more…)