Just as I foretold, I spent Friday and Saturday participating in the Baltimore Book Festival. And I even have proof. See?

My name on the program board at the Science Fiction Writers of America tent!

I took part in four programming items—here I am (in a photo taken by Sam J. Miller) with Lara Elena Donnelly as I pontificate on Friday’s “The Future of Science Fiction & Fantasy” panel.

I had a great deal of fun hanging out with friends and interacting with readers, so much so I regret I didn’t stay on for today’s third day of the festival. And as usual, a lot of the fun took place outside the confines of the official event itself.

For example, there were many fine meals with friends. Two of those involved recording future episodes of Eating the Fantastic with guests Sam J. Miller and Nalo Hopkinson, but there were also larger groups which turned into moveable feasts, such as the one that ended up Friday night at Encantada restaurant within the American Visionary Art Museum.

Here I am at the bar there with Sarah Pinsker and Kelly Szpara.

Sometimes, the weekend felt like a carnival. Though perhaps I shouldn’t write “like” a carnival. Because the carnival in the Inner Harbor was more than mere metaphor, but instead literal.

Which is how I ended way up in the sky on a ferris wheel far above the SFWA tent with Annalee Flower Horne.

But all good things must come to an end, and my end nearly came when our group of rowdy science fiction writers escaped to the Baltimore neigborhod of Hampden in search of drinks, dinner, and dessert … which is how I nearly spent the night trapped in Atomic Books at closing time (a moment captured by Kelly Szpara).

Come to think of it, though … overnighting in a bookstore probably wouldn’t have been such a bad idea!

I look forward to seeing some of these friends again (and you, too, perhaps) when Capclave comes around once more in two weeks.