The Return

I’m back at work after Wiscon. It was a great time, and as usual there will be some posting about a variety of panels, commentaries, etc, etc, etc. This is the part where I let you know how bushwhacked I am.

This year’s Wiscon seemed to be one long day punctuated by naps. And sometimes the naps worked, and sometimes the naps didn’t do much. I ate too much, drank more than I usually do, didn’t sleep or hydrate enough, and these things take their toll. I felt like an undergrad.

That said, I felt like an undergrad. 🙂

I think the take home message of this particular version of Wiscon was time with friends. Everything I did this year seemed to have an interpersonal dimension. My usual pilgrimage buddies, Dan and Lisa, seemed particularly attentive and pleasant this year. Not that they aren’t usually, but this year was above and beyond. That was kind of cool. Yolanda came out from Dallas to be my roommate, so that was also some particularly good friendship time.

I had a lot of one-on-one conversations, or softer moments with groups. Caroline, her friend Charlotte, Yo and I went for yak. Leslie chatted with me about bones and economies; Lettie about her book at a publisher. Lisa Cohen introduces Dan, Lisa, Yo, and I to a great tapas place. Julia Rios and I had breakfast together twice. Margot, an old friend from the Sugar Quill, turned up as an adult librarian, 10 years after I knew her as a college undergrad.

I’ll go into all of this in greater detail. Usually cons are sort of a social blur, I have obligation, and I don’t get to spend much time in quality conversations. This was not like that at all.

But that’s for tomorrow. Meanwhile, you can enjoy the new look of the site, which is thanks to Mark McKibben. Please note that Links will get you to the general links page, and then there’s a menu that will take you to specialized links that shows up when you highlight links (so, 4 pages!). Similarly, Your Host has my bio and a two page menu to the side (so, 3 pages!). You probably have figured that out, but indulge me. My brain does indexes differently.

Thanks, everyone, for making this Wiscon a good one.

Author: Catherine Schaff-Stump

Catherine Schaff-Stump writes fiction for children and young adults. Her most recent book, The Vessel of Ra, is the first book in the Klaereon Scroll series. She is currently working on its sequel, as well as penning the middle grade adventures of Abigail Rath, monster hunter. View all posts by Catherine Schaff-Stump