World Fantasy Convention 2009

[furtech]

I needed to make a trip up to SJ to take care of some business and Gordon suggested this weekend: he had an extra membership to the World Fantasy Con. WFC is not like your typical sf convention: it's very sercon (serious and constructive). More like a writer's convention than a fan-con: there is a small art show, no masquerade (or anyone in costume for that matter) and the dealer's room is about 80% books. The con is almost all about panels and discussions.

A cool effect of the literate crowd is that the conversations are almost always intriguing: in the bar/lounge last night Gordon spotted (in various small groups) Greg Bear, Peter Straub, Richard Lupoff, Elizabeth A. Lynn among many others. Here's a complete guest list (fan and pro) Regardless of the individuals, you could just sit and hear conversations all over the lounge that were interesting. I'd forgotten about this phenomena: intriguing conversations are not what anime/furry/comic conventions are about. Fourth Street Fantasy Faire is another con like this: fascinating. I've also heard good things about Foolscap, in Washington.

Last night's event was the mass autographing session: a two hour session in the main ballroom where all the authors sit and autograph and chat with people. The authors there that I'm a fan of included Jane Lindskold and Stephen R. Donaldson, in addition to a number of old friends I hadn't seen in years.

The fans and authors (there's a lot of overlap) blended well with the elegance of the Fairmont: most were well-dressed and seemed to enjoy the elegance of the lush furnishings. I am both curious, yet dreading what kind of atmosphere a furry con here will result in.

Apache is off getting a tracking intensive from my sister and R0ndo is enjoying being an only dog again (or...IS he?).

Comments

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Roz and Fenris have summed up the reasons pretty well, IMO. I think the best we can hope for is embracing animal/anthropomorphic literature as it is independently created and not cultivating anything from within. The trouble is that because of furry's reputation, anything generated directly from the fandom immediately limits the market for itself (to just furries). Several prominent comics publishers (for example) have stated flat-out that if it's furry, it goes from submission envelope to trash can.

I can't name a single work of art or fiction that could be called successful in the mainstream that owes it's origins to furry fandom.

[vulpesrex.livejournal.com]

Quote:

"I can't name a single work of art or fiction that could be called successful in the mainstream that owes it's origins to furry fandom."

Ah - so there is at least Hope, then.

Some of our best minds - Watts Martin, Conrad Wong, MCA Hogarth, Cris Grant, Steve Gallacci, Ken Pick, Craig Hilton, Chuck Melville - have slipped out of the picture...the overwhelming bulk of what is there at present is of very dubious quality, and has little current value.

It does not have to STAY that way.

[furtech.livejournal.com]

True-- and I'd love for this to happen. In the hope-department, at least furry is getting more of a "it's harmless, looks-like-fun" kind of public image. On the negative side, just when you think furry fandom has left the dark side behind, some nerdwit gets on a national talk show and glories in the furry-is-sex perception. Or another pedophile-furry gets arrested.

Those who have dropped out of the picture have done so in large part because they find so little encouragement in the fandom. Others have just stopped focusing on the fandom as their main audience: Craig Hilton still does his anthropomorphic doctor comic strip in Australia to some acclaim and Roz already mentioned Lackadaisy Cats-- a perfect example of someone who started out furry (her medieval anthro stuff), left the fandom and then started LC from whole cloth and with no ties to or association with furry fandom.