My Readercon Thursday began with a road trip, and so did my Readercon Friday. Only this time I wasn’t heading toward the con, I was headed toward … durian!

Along with David Shaw and Josh Jasper, I drove over to H Mart at 9:30 a.m. to pick up more of that noxious fruit to serve Friday night to those with adventurous palates. (And if you don’t know from durian, you can read about a previous planned adventure here and its aftermath here.)

But a durian alone was not enough … because upon discovering that H Mart also sold jackfruit, I bought one of those as well. After all, you want a palate cleanser after eating a durian, don’t you?

We returned from our adventure just in time for the 10:00 a.m. panel, “The Readercon Classic Nonfiction Book Club: The Jewel-Hinged Jaw,” with Matthew Cheney, Elizabeth Hand (who moderated), David G. Hartwell, Donald G. Keller, and Barry N. Malzberg. And just because you weren’t there doesn’t mean you can’t be there now, via the video below.

Next came my own 11:00 a.m. panel, “Writing Within Constraints,” which I should have had someone record, just so you could hear all the talk of zombie penises (thanks to my bringing up of the subject), which spread through the panel like a meme.

After wandering the dealers room and doing general schmoozing for a couple of hours, I went to hear Paul Witcover read the penultimate chapter of his upcoming (and as far as I know, not yet finished) novel.

Then I attended the hilariously depressing/uplifting (depending on your point of view) panel “Science Fiction as Tragedy,” with John Clute, Chip Delany, Gardner Dozois, Barry Malzberg and moderator Graham Sleight. It was the only panel which considered suicide an optimistic triumph.

After attending a presentation by Murray Leinster’s daughter, I went to “Tom Disch: SF Writer in Spite of Himself,” with Charles Platt, John Crowley, Chip Delany, Greg Feeley, Henry Wessells, Alice Turner, and John Clute. It was the Readercon panel I most wanted to see, and I received many emailed requests in advance of the con that I capture it, which since I love Disch, I’d have done anyway. But here it is for those who couldn’t make it.

The final panel I attended Friday was the 9:00 p.m. one “Capturing the Hidden History of Science Fiction,” with Barry Malzberg, Jamie Todd Rubin, Fred Lerner, Eilieen Gunn, and Darrell Schweitzer. (It’s in two parts because the battery on my Flip died 2/3 of the way through and I had to capture the rest on my iPhone.)

Watch for the guest appearance by Michael Dirda, pulled by Barry into the conversation.

Then came the Meet the Pro(s) party, into which I brought the durian and jackfruit. Don’t worry! I wouldn’t dare crack them open and risk clearing the room. It was just to attract the attention of adventurous eaters, who after awhile were invited to follow me outside to sample the King of Fruits. I’d tell you more about it, but I’m hoping to share some pics at the same time, so if you were there, could you email me some, please?

My Friday didn’t end until I crashed at 2:30 a.m. Saturday …

I’d tell you more about Friday, but there’s so much more Readercon out there to still experience, so I’m heading back down into the maelstrom while you attend this virtual con. More later!