This week, I’m off to Glasgow for Worldcon. I’ll be flying very early on Tuesday morning and will be gone for a week, then I have two days at home to do laundry, etc…, before I’m off to Rotterdam for Erasmuscon, the 2024 Eurocon. The timing is not great. I think the reason the two cons are so close together is that the organisers wanted to make it easy for overseas visitors to attend both cons in a single trip. However, Rotterdam is not as attractive for overseas visitors as it is for me, who spent some very formative times there, so it looks as if Eurocon will be mostly European fans.
So there will be light to no blogging for the next two weeks and plenty of photos and con reports and Hugo discussion (come on, you know there’ll be Hugo discussion) once I get back. You can also get live updates of what I’m up to on Twitter, Threads, BlueSky or Mastodon.
In the meantime, the Speculative Fiction Showcase and the Indie Crime Scene will still be chugging along, including (somewhat truncated) link round-ups.
But should you find yourself in Glasgow for Worldcon or in Rotterdam for Erasmuscon (schedule will be posted separately), say hello to me. You might even get a tasty North German treat (while supplies last).
You can also find me and several other fine folks on the following panels:
A World Tour Through Comics
Saturday, August 10, 2024, 16:00 BST
Location: Alsh 2, Duration: 60 mins, In Person
Panelists: Barbara Postema (moderator), Cora Buhlert, DestructCode (As an artist), Fulvio Gatti
Whether you call them bande dessinées, historietas, manga, manhua or comics, stories told with sequential art have a long history and a global appeal. Regional traditions can influence each other through publishing styles and ideas, and in this panel we’ll take a tour through the shared history and culture of comics.
The Conclusion of the Retro Hugo Era
Saturday, August 10, 2024, 19:00 BST
Location: Carron, Duration: 60 mins, In Person, Online
Panelists: Cora Buhlert, David E. Hook (moderator), Mark Plummer, Perrianne Lurie, TrishEM
The Retro Hugo Awards, a tradition where Worldcons retrospectively awarded prizes for years prior to the establishment of the Hugo Awards, have had both avid supporters and vocal critics. The last two Worldcons eligible to grant Retro Hugos opted not to do so, and Glasgow is following suit. Does this signify the demise of the Retro Hugos? And if so, is this necessarily detrimental?
Women of Post-war Science Fiction: Writers, Editors, Fans, Artists.
Sunday, August 11, 2024, 13:00 BST
Location: Meeting Academy M4, Duration: 60 mins, In Person
Panelists: Carrie Cooper, Claire Brialey, Cora Buhlert (moderator), David E. Hook, Gabrielle de Cuir
It would be wrong to think of post-war science fiction as a boys club with a “No Girls Allowed” sign on the door. Women were active as writers, editors, fans, and artists, key players in the scene even if outnumbered by their male counterparts. Look back with us on the contribution of these often fascinating characters of late 1940s science fiction.
The full program guide for the 2024 Worldcon in Glasgow may be found here.
***
However, I’m not going to travel to Glasgow on my own. I’ll be bringing along two friends, so let’s take a look at their travel preparations.
Eternos Palace, the private quarters of the royal family:
The furniture is IKEA doll house furniture.
“I guess I’ll take both the Power Sword and the Sword of Ancients to Glasgow, just to be on the safe side.”
“No, Adam, we have limited space and you’re taking only one sword.”
“But…”
“Only one sword.”
“Okay, the Sword of the Ancients stays here. Happy now?”
“Yes.”
“But why do you get to take a shield and a sword?”
“A girl needs to defend herself. Besides, I’m the Captain of the Guard and your bodyguard, Adam.”
“You are aware that I’m He-Man, the most powerful man in the Universe?”
“But what if you lose your sword and can’t transform?”
“That’s why I wanted to take a spare.”
“Can I at least take my heart pillow?”
“No. They have pillows on Earth. Your mother confirmed that.”
“But my heart pillow is so soft and cuddly.”
“Adam, no. The pillow stays here.”
“You’re no fun.”
“So are you excited to visit your mother’s home, Adam?”
“Of course. Though we’re not exactly visiting Mom’s home. Earth is a big planet and Glasgow is in a completely different part of the world than where Mom grew up. Like Eternos and Avion are different places.”
“So Glasgow is like Avion?”
“Well, Mom says that Stratos sounds like he’s Scottish, so I guess it is.”
“Hey there, No canoodling. Or as Orko would call it, training. But then Orko is as idiotic as he is short.”
“Thanks for taking us to Glasgow, Gwildor.”
“No problem, no problem at all. My Cosmic Key can send you anywhere or anytime in the universe, as long as I know the right melody. So let’s see. Keying up the coordinates for Glasgow, Scotland, Earth.”
Duh-duu-dummm!
“Glasgow, here we come.”
ZOOM.
sending...
I hope you have a lot of fun and come back without concrud!
Thank you. I caught con crud in Dublin, but I hope to be spared this time around. I even bought a bottle of virus blocking nasal spray.
The shelving unit and its knickknacks are fabulous.
I hope Orko doesn’t mess them up while Adam and Teela are gone.
Adam’s going to be excited when he finds out Delftware comes from near Rotterdam!