Events & Appearances
2012 MisCon
When: May 25-28, 2012
Where: Ruby's Inn and Convention Center,
Missoula, MT.
Now in its 26th year, MisCon is a four-day celebration of literacy and the
arts within the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Held each Memorial
Day weekend (Friday through Monday), MisCon has something to fascinate, educate,
and entertain at all times.
For more information, visit
www.miscon.org.
Conference attendees will be able to catch Eldon at the following
scheduled events:
FRIDAY, MAY 25
4:00 - 4:50 PM | Writers' Workshop Meet
and Greet | Great Hall (Upstairs)
6:00 - 6:50 PM | Tackling the Silver Screen |
Great Hall (Upstairs)
8:00 - 8:50 PM | The Effect of Setting on Story
| Throne Room
SATURDAY, MAY 26
11:00 - 12:50 PM | Writers' Workshop |
Great Hall (Upstairs)
2:00 - 2:50 PM | Psychology of Evil |
Upstairs Programming 1 (Small Programming)
3:00 - 3:50 PM | Art & Science of Query Letters |
Upstairs Prog. 3 (RadCon Room)
6:00 - 6:50 PM | The Grammar Panel | Great
Hall (Upstairs)
SUNDAY, MAY 27
Noon - 12:50 PM | Pitching Your Project |
Great Hall (Upstairs)
3:00 - 3:50 PM | The Many Ways to Tell a Story |
Great Hall (Upstairs)
7:00 - 7:50 PM | Conquering Writer’s Block |
The Dungeon (Downstairs)
MONDAY, MAY 28
10:00 - 11:50 AM | Author Book Signing |
Great Hall (Upstairs)
NOTE: Events and
participants are subject to change. Please remember to check your
official programming guide for scheduling details.
Recap
Eldon had the following to say about MisCon 26:
"Having attended several of the mega-conventions like San Diego
Comic-Con (125,000-plus attendees) and Dragon*Con in Atlanta
(70,000-plus attendees), one might expect the gathering of just a
few hundred fans in a community like Missoula, Montana to be a bit
tame by comparison. But I must say, I was highly impressed by the
show put together by Cthulhu Bob, Justin, and their gang of eager
volunteers. Turns out, there's much to be said about a quieter, more
intimate convention experience, where you don't have to fight
through a press of thousands just to buy a highly overpriced drink
or hamburger. And when you get right down to it, it's the enthusiasm
of the attendees that really makes a convention work, not their
numbers. In that regard, MisCon may be the best con experience I've
had to date. All of the panels that I appeared on were well
attended, with a high level of audience participation. The writers
whose work I helped critique as part of the writer's workshop were
earnest, attentive, professional, and appreciative. The organization
was top-notch, with more folks than I can recall going above and
beyond the call of duty to ensure that everyone--pros and attendees
alike--behaved and enjoyed themselves. Impressive, considering
attendance reach a record high, essentially doubling the usual
numbers. I think we can safely blame Guest of Honor George R. R.
Martin for the bulk of that. From what I heard, there were fans who
drove eight hours or further just to stand in line and get the man's
autograph before turning around and driving straight home. With gas
prices being what they are, that bespeaks some true dedication.
Which brings me to another key selling point of a convention like
MisCon. At Comic-Con these days, most fans are lucky to get within a
hundred yards of someone like George. At MisCon, even if you stood
at the very back of the room in which one of the man's panels were
held, the distance was more like 100 feet. If you wanted a word with
him, or a photo, the opportunity was there. If you wanted to
hang out in one of the late night party rooms, there was a good
chance you could sit near him, sharing drinks and listening to
stories. A much more intimate experience than you're likely to find
at a mega conference. Several hundred got to watch episode nine of
the second season of HBO's adaptation of Game of Thrones with
George himself, with a Q&A afterward in what was almost a living
room setting. Doesn't get much better than that.
Other highlights for me included getting to know several of the
other attending pros. Ty Franck (one half of the pseudonym James S.
A. Corey), whose debut novel Leviathan Wakes has been
nominated for several major science fiction awards, could be a
stand-up comic if he were to ever tire of the writing gig. Peter
Orullian, whose debut fantasy epic The Unremembered has also
made industry waves, is not only an insanely talented writer, but a
mean rock vocalist who was kind enough to belt out some karaoke
tunes with a little prodding. Urban fantasy author J.A. Pitts (don't
worry, John, I won't tell your readers you're not a woman) offered
some great advice and seemed to appear on every panel over the
four-day weekend without complaint. Terrific and entertaining
gentlemen all who--among others--would have made the event well
worth the price of admission, even if George had been unable to
attend.
I understand that next year, the literary guest of honor will be
Jim Butcher. The inimitable Patrick Rothfuss was also going to be
there, but had to bow out due to a scheduling conflict. Expect to
see him somewhere down the road. In other words, Bob and Justin seem
to have a knack for drawing the best and brightest to their "little"
convention, and as overwhelmingly positive word-of-mouth spreads,
I'm certain they will continue to do so. For science fiction fans
out there looking for a fun, creative, intimate experience without
the madness of the metropolitan masses, allow me to toss in my own
recommendation for the increasingly popular, highly satisfying
experience that is MisCon."
Trying out the Iron Throne of Westeros
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