Our first editor is Mercurio D. Rivera.  When Mercurio joined our writers group a few years back, I never thought this humble quiet fellow would soon become one of my best friends.  His advice is among the first I seek when faced with a tough decision.  In a few short years, Mercurio has gone on to become quite an accomplished hard SF writer.  He does have a bit of an impish side, though, which is why he’s earned his moniker of Evil David.  But a regular bathing in holy water usually keeps his evil tendencies at bay.  And, by coincidence, it’s also his birthday today, so I hope y’all will join me in wishing him a happy one.

Mercurio D. Rivera is an attorney and science fiction writer whose stories have appeared regularly in Interzone (#204, #214, #219, #226, #227).  His Interzone stories “Longing for Langalana” and “In the Harsh Glow of its Incandescent Beauty” are part of an upcoming series of interconnected tales about his strange aliens, the Wergens, and their unrequited love for humanity.  His work can also be found or is forthcoming in Unplugged: The Web’s Best SF and Fantasy, Download 2008, edited by Rich Horton (Wyrm Publishing), Nature, Black Static, Electric Velocipede, Abyss & Apex, Escape Pod, Starship Sofa and elsewhere.  His fiction has been acknowledged on the Locus Recommended List for 2008 (finishing at #25 in the short story category), the StorySouth Million Writers List for 2008, and several of his stories have received honorable mention in Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best Science Fiction anthology.  His website is www.mercuriorivera.com.

“Sybil’s Garage started off as a thin stapled ‘zine, grew into a crisp digest-sized magazine format, and this year took the next step in its evolution, morphing into a gorgeous trade paperback anthology.  (Next year?  I have the scoop: glorious, three-dimensional, interactive holograms!)  Along the way, it’s developed a faithful following and a reputation for offbeat, high-quality fiction.  It’s been a wild ride, and I can’t tell you how proud I am to have been a passenger aboard Matt Kressel’s runaway car, gesticulating crazily and shouting directions from the backseat.  Or something like that.

All of us on Sybil’s editorial staff are members of the Altered Fluid (www.alteredfluid.com) writing group.  Many years ago, Matt managed to blackmail us with incriminating photos rope us all in with his inimitable charm and contagious enthusiasm for creating and developing his own print magazine.  Although I was initially concerned about the time commitment involved, my fears were assuaged by the fact that six to eight Fluidians volunteer on any particular issue, and that the slush pile is divvied up among us.  For example, Sybil’s Garage No. 7 received well over 500 submissions.  Divided by six editors, this resulted in a much more manageable story-load, especially when compared with the tsunami of slush that regularly hits other magazines that have far fewer editors.  This allowed me to be a bit more patient when reading manuscripts and to occasionally provide feedback and personal encouragement.  I can’t help it; even after all of these issues I still empathize strongly with every writer whose story I reject, especially those who send us the near-misses.  Over the years, I’ve found reading slush to be an invaluable learning tool that has helped me see the common mistakes that can torpedo a story as well as the special qualities that make a submission stand out in the crowd.  I can’t help but be struck by the fact that as Sybil’s has continued to improve and evolve with each successive issue, so has Altered Fluid and our successes as writers.  At least in my case, I attribute part of that to the lessons learned from reading slush.

Beyond slush reading, typically I’ll assist on a particular issue by drafting the author’s contracts, copy-editing four or five stories, proofing the final version of the issue, opining on stories forwarded by the other editors, and adding my two cents on the final selections.  If I feel strongly in favor or against a particular story, I make sure my voice is heard.  One of the most satisfying aspects of working on Sybil’s is that Matt encourages input from all the editors on every aspect of each issue, from the final story selections to his cover design to his layout of the magazine.  He carefully takes all these different opinions into consideration then pulls out the incriminating photographs, waves them in our faces and pulls rank in making his final decisions.  Make no mistake, Sybil’s Garage is the product of Matt’s vision–he invests the capital, makes the final calls, designs the cover and the layout so that it has that unique Sybil’s look to it, and promotes the hell out of each issue–but it is also a labor of love for all the backseat drivers like me who are passionate about producing something special and making Sybil’s the very best it can be.

I finished the friggin’ editor’s spotlight. Can I get those incriminating photos back now?  Geez.”

Readercon 21 started off somewhat humbly.  Several of my friends who have accompanied me before couldn’t make it, and this time around I knew a larger portion of the attendees than ever before.  My first thought upon arriving was that the convention didn’t feel real.  I tried to explain this to a few folks, and they kept reminding me that it was still Friday and it takes some time for things to warm up.  And warm up they did.

The first panel I attended, one of the annual short-fiction summaries, name-checked two friends of mine as talented up-and-comers: Genevieve Valentine and Alaya Dawn Johnson.  It was nice to hear their work getting recognized.  Later, Scott H. Andrews hosted a Beneath Ceaseless Skies reading, where I read a section from “The Suffering Gallery,” a short story appearing in BCS this fall.  I also heard Michael J. DeLuca, Margaret Ronald, Tom Croshill (which I later found out was his first reading), and several other talented fantasists.  People seemed to like my excerpt.  In fact, people seemed to like all the stories, which is a credit to Scott’s editorial eye.

Later, I participated on a panel about the bright future of SF magazines, which had as a launching point the question of how to make SF magazines more culturally inclusive.  Liz Gorinsky did a great job keeping us on topic, and we heard well-thought-out comments by panelists Neil Clarke, K. Tempest Bradford, and pinch-hitter Michal J. DeLuca, who was there for Gavin Grant.  Compared to last year’s somewhat sullen first panel on the future of SF magazines, this one felt much more positive, and we all agreed the short fiction market is in a renaissance.  These things go in cycles, and we are presently on an upswing.

Kate Baker (known for her podcasts at Clarkesworld Magazine, writing under Kathryn E. Baker) was in the audience, and she was shyly waving at me until I suddenly realized who she was.  She did a wonderful podcast of my story “The History Within Us” and also has her first published story in Sybil’s Garage No. 7.  I ran over and hugged her, which I realized immediately following might have been a little too forward considering we had only met for the first time.  I hope she forgives my exuberance.

At the Meet the Prose party I chatted with a lot of lovely people, including Mary Rodgers, whom I met in New York a few weeks back, and I got to taste a Brooklyn Stout from Scott H. Andrews, who had smuggled in a growler into the hall.

I had a nice conversation with Jacob Weisman and Bernie Goodman from Tachyon Publications about Jewish-themed fiction (I’m writing a novel partly based on Jewish myths).  And they also gave me excellent publishing advice.  By the time everyone moved toward the bar, it was 1 a.m., and they were closing.  Exhausted, I ducked off to my bedroom.

Saturday, I was free of panels, and so attended things sparsely.  But I did attend Alaya Dawn Johnson’s reading from her novel Moonshine.  I also attended Part II of the future of SF magazines and also found the panelists to be forward-thinking and positive.  The general consensus was that the short fiction future is a good one.

I attended the Rhysling Awards (two poems from Sybil’s Garage No. 6 were nominated in the short-form category).  We didn’t win, but I heard several fabulous poems, especially a sung one from Amal El-Mohtar.  I offered to record a classical guitar accompaniment to it, which she seemed excited about.

All of this felt like a prelude to Saturday night.  We had been planning to throw a room party for a while, and the intention was to tell a few people, but not the entire con.  After all, it was a small room, and we didn’t reserve a suite or a room on the party floor.  Well, the word got out.  We knew this when a gentleman showed up first to the party whom no one knew.  “Where did you hear of this party?” we asked him.  He named another person no one in the room had told.  That’s when we knew things might get…crowded.

The lovely Kristin Janz bartended, making specialty cocktails such as Aviations and Margaritas.  The room quickly got hot and loud and sometimes raucous, but I punctuated the noise with readings from the new issue of Sybil’s Garage No. 7.  Kathryn E. Baker, Tom Croshill, E.C. Myers, and Amal El-Mohtar all got up on the bed and read at various points in the night.  And all were grand.  More than one person told me these readings were the best they’d heard at the con.  At one point even Peter Straub showed up to our party, but when I somewhat awkwardly re-introduced myself to him and praised his latest novel, he told me he was going to “mingle on” and left the party.  Oh, well.

I popped in to a party Mike Allen threw upstairs, and there was treated to a fabulous performance of theatrical poetry (I unfortunately don’t recall the name of the woman he read with, but she [edit, thanks Amal!] Claire Cooney was great too.)  It is so wonderful to be surrounded by creative people.  At times like these, there are no other places I’d rather be.

At around 4:30 a.m. the last stragglers left the party.  But I could not sleep, and so wandered down into the lobby to hang with Liz Gorinsky and Benjamin Rosenbaum.  At one point the hotel called security on her because Ben had stacked pillow cushions upon her.  I kid you not.

The sun was coming up.  I had another day and another panel to attend.  And so at some point I wandered off to bed.  I think it was 6 a.m.

Three hours later, miraculously, I was up.  The shower, which the night before was full of beer, had one remaining.  Not bad, I thought.  I made it in time to see the metaphysical hard SF panel, which was highly entertaining if not a bit over my head a times.  Mr. Ben Rosenbaum, you are super smart, but can you slow down sometimes to let us non PhDs grasp an inkling of what you are saying?  I’m tongue in cheek of course.  I thought Ben and the other panelists were fabulous.  I can sometimes forget how many smart people come to ReaderCon.  It’s staggering.

I hosted a Sybil’s Garage kaffeeklatsch, of which the lovely JoSelle Vanderhooft attended, and we spoke in depth about where to take Sybil’s Garage and Senses Five Press.  Mercurio D. Rivera and Devin Poore, editors of Sybil’s Garage, sat in on the conversation.

There was also more mingling.  And carnivorous plants.  Oh, and I sold nineteen copies of Sybil’s Garage No. 7.  A good omen, or I should say is a sibylline signal of future sales.

Some other highlights, not necessarily in any order:

• Talking with Sean Wallace of Prime Books about anthologies
• Finding out I share a TOC with Neil Gaiman, Michael Chabon and Peter Beagle (The People of the Book, Prime Books, Dec 2010)
• Finding out Gordon Van Gelder and I are distant cousins
• Seeing Kelly Link for literally ten seconds
• Swimming in the pool in the rain
• Going out for Korean BBQ and finding out all of the NY people were already dining there
• Hanging out with Brett Savory and Sandra Kasturi of Chi Zine Press
• Talking e-books with Neil Clarke of Clarkesworld Magazine
• Seeing Blake Charlton transformed into The Last Cakebender (see photos)
• Jeremy Lassen suggesting dirigibles are the new vampires

The surreality of the opening hours evaporated away by the end of the weekend.  The conference had most definitely become real.  The wave function collapsed.  Now I’m left with the typical post-con blues, missing the conversations and the stimulation.  But I’m also rejuvenated by the weekend, brimming with creative energy, and I’m looking forward to starting several new projects soon.

Thanks to all who attended for a great weekend.  And thanks to the organizers for putting this convention together.  You can see some of my photos here.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at Jones Beach with my cousin.  We arrived at 3pm, and the temperature was still well in the 90s.  We stayed until the sun set.  It was quite beautiful. I took a photo.  Then I stopped by my folks’ house for a bit, and they promptly fed us.  Then my dad showed us his giant tomato garden (organic varieties, them all.)

So after a day in the sun and a few nights of little sleep I was somewhat cranky today.  And then Mercurio D. Rivera delighted me with news that my story “Saving Diego” has received an honorable mention in Gardner Dozois’ The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection. My story originally appeared in Interzone #221.

Mercurio was also name-checked in the opening comments, specifically about his whimsical SF story “Dear Annabehls.”  Alaya Dawn Johnson also received an honorable mention for her story “The Yeast of Eire.”  Congrats to fellow Altered Fluidians for the mentions.

* I’ve had nightmares about the production of Sybil’s Garage.  In the latest, I received the proofs, and they were horribly wrong.  The cover was pitch dark and the images were duplicated all across the pages kaleidoscopically.  While I was looking at the mistakes, a bottle of Listerine on the stove caught fire, and I inhaled toxic fumes, which made me cough up blood.  “Never mind!” my dream self said, “There’s no time for doctors.  I’ll just open the windows, get some air, and then get back to working on Sybil’s.  I only have three days to go!”  Or some such.  Can you tell I’m stressed? 

New York Review of Science Fiction Readings presents

An Evening with Altered Fluid’s N. K. Jemisin, E.C. Myers & Devin Poore

Tuesday, June 1st — Doors open 6:30 PM
SoHo Gallery for Digital Art
138 Sullivan Street (directions and links below)
$5 suggested donation

Our original hope and intent was to hold some kind of Gala for the finale of our 20th Anniversary Season, but those plans will have to be postponed. Instead, we’re going to plan a Gala for early next season. But I’m sure you won’t be let down by the fabulous line-up we have in store for you this Tuesday, June 1st.

In the past we have featured members of such writers groups as Tabula Rasa. This time, coming in to cap our season are three members of Altered Fluid.

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Altered Fluid is a speculative fiction writers’ group based in Manhattan. Its members have been meeting since 2001 to workshop their short stories and novels of science fiction, horror, fantasy and slipstream. Its ranks include some of the rising stars in the genre and Fluidians have been nominated for this year’s Nebula Award, Hugo Award and Campbell Award, respectively.

N. K. Jemisin is a Brooklyn writer of short stories and novels. Her first novel, THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, is out now from Orbit Books, and she is hard at work on the third novel of this trilogy. Her short stories have been published in Postscripts, Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, Baen’s Universe, Escape Pod and Podcastle. One of those short stories, “Non-Zero Probabilities,” has been nominated for this year’s Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as the StorySouth Million Writers Top Ten. Her Web site is at http://nkjemisin.com

E.C. Myers: Since attending Clarion West and joining Altered Fluid in 2005, E.C. Myers has sold short stories to various magazines and anthologies, including Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, Blood Sisters: Lesbian Vampire Tales, Loving the Undead, and Shimmer Magazine. He’s currently finishing his fourth young adult novel, blogs about Star Trek for Tor.com, edits the Clarion West alumni newsletter, co-moderates the GothamLit listserv for speculative fiction events in New York, and wastes time on the Internet when he should be writing or sleeping. He also has a day job as a digital media manager, but the less said about that the better. His Web site is at http://ecmyers.com.

Devin Poore left the wilds of Indiana at the age of 18 for Uncle Sam’s Yacht Club, otherwise known as the U.S. Navy. After six years of working on and utilizing shipboard anti-aircraft missile systems, he left the Navy and, following several twists and turns, settled in the New York City area. Devin’s non-fiction and fiction has appeared in Sybil’s Garage, where he is now an associate editor. When he isn’t writing short stories and novels that deal with everything from vampires to magic to the Civil War, he makes his living as a computer consultant, and builds highly detailed models of ships most people have never heard of. He currently resides in Hoboken, NJ, with his wonderfully talented fiancée, dancer and choreographer Kristen Mangione.

Other members of Altered Fluid include:
* Saladin Ahmed
* Paul M. Berger
* K. Tempest Bradford
* Kristine Dikeman
* Alaya Dawn Johnson
* Rajan Khanna
* Matthew Kressel
* Mercurio D. Rivera
* Greer Woodward (satellite member)

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The New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series is celebrating its 20th season of providing performances from some of the best writers in science fiction, fantasy, speculative fiction, etc. The series usually takes place the first Tuesday of every month, but maintains flexibility in time and place, so be sure to stay in touch through the mailing list and the Web.

Admission is by a $5 donation. If circumstances make this a hardship, let us know and we will accommodate you.

Jim Freund is Producer and Executive Curator of The New York Review of Science Fiction Readings. He has been involved in producing radio programs of and about literary sf/f since 1967. His long-running live radio program, “Hour of the Wolf,” broadcasts and streams every Saturday morning from 5:00 to 7:00. Past shows are available “‘on-demand” for about 6 months after broadcast. (Check http://hourwolf.com for details.)

The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art (http://sohodigart.com) is dedicated to re-establishing SoHo as an international center for the development of new artistic forms, concepts and ideas. A screens-instead-of-canvases approach allows a wide selection of art from around the world which would otherwise never make it to the City. The SGDA is availible for private gatherings and events of all kinds. For bookings call (800) 420-5590 or visit http://sohogallerynyc.com

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WHEN:
Tuesday, 6/1
Doors open at 6:30 — event begins at 7

WHERE:
The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art
138 Sullivan Street (between Houston & Prince St.)

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=138+Sullivan+St.+New+York+NY+10012

HOW:

By Subway
6, C, E to Spring St.; A, B D or F to West 4th; 1 train to Houston St; or R, W to Prince St.
There are many convenient bus lines that come within a couple of blocks of the gallery. Use the link above for an interactive transit map.

LINKS:

http://hourwolf.com/nyrsf

http://nyrsf.com

“Throughout the period of [issues] 220-225 there has been much to enjoy.  My top three stories are, as they say, in no particular order, ‘Bone Island’ (225), ‘Saving Diego’ (221), and ‘Lady of the White-Spired City’ (222), with ‘Microcosmos’ (222) demanding to know why it’s not been included.  The most memorable issue was the outstanding 221.”

That was very nice to hear, especially since #221 also contained stories by Paul Berger and Alaya Dawn Johnson, my Altered Fluid mates (and ranked #6 and #10 respectively in the poll).

Speaking of Fluidians, last night we attended Alaya’s book release party for her forthcoming novel Moonshine.  We decked ourselves out in 20s attire and danced to live jazz.  We even saw a dance performance by the banana-belted and talented Kristen Mangione.  I expect today to see lots of pictures from the night.

In addition, three stories from Sybil’s Garage No. 6 received honorable mentions:

Toiya Kristen Finley’s  “Eating Ritual,” James B. Pepe’s  “I Am Enkidu, His Wild Brother,” and Genevieve Valentine’s “The Drink of Fine Gentlemen Everywhere.”

Congrats to all!

Monsters of Modernity panel. What is Gary Frank doing?

Yesterday I spent most of the day at the Lunacon convention in Rye Brook, New York.  I traveled up with Mercurio and Alaya Dawn Johnson; it’s not very far from New York City where we all live.  The con is held at the Rye Brook Hilton, a modest hotel much like the one for Readercon.  Last year, I remember seeing more familiar faces, but this year it felt like the usual New York crew was conspicuously absent.  I did have a nice conversation by the bar with Neil Clarke, however, the editor of Clarkesworld Magazine.

The panels went well, although twice the moderators didn’t show up so the panelists and I had to make due.  My first panel, “Monsters of Modernity,” talked about the monster as metaphor for our fears.  While I thought the premise of the panel was pretty basic (I believe most people understand this connection intuitively) we ended up having some very interesting discussions on the origins of vampires, werewolves and what the monsters of the future might be like.  Bram Stoker brought vampires to the mainstream, George Romero did the same for zombies, James Cameron and William Gibson for monster AIs.  What will be the next beast that haunts our dreams?  Golems?  Tax men?

The second panel (which I almost missed because I was ditzy after donating blood) was on the year’s discoveries in computing.  We had our geek moments, and I was afraid of losing the audience as Robert Rosenberg and I went off on a technical discussion of IPv4 vs. IPv6.  But the discussion turned interesting in the end as we talked about some of the privacy and civil liberty concerns that some of the new technologies will bring.  The salient discoveries that I mentioned during the panel: Microsoft’s Pivot Application, HashCache, the iPad, Google Maps street view with “view user pictures,” depositing checks by photograph, and the BioNanomatrix’s Nanofluidic Chip.  I’m too lazy to link them, so you’ll have to Google.  My favorite, though, seems to be MS’s Pivot App, which I hope to use soon.

The last panel discussed print versus E-books.  We talked about the benefits and limitations of each technology, how the multiple formats of e-books and the lack of standards is a headache for publishers, and how the technology can be expected to morph over time.  I found this discussion the most interesting for many reasons, but mostly because I felt the audience had a direct interest in the outcome of the book industry (what else would we expect at a con?).  About two-thirds of the audience members said they had bought an e-book and most people seemed very open to the idea of reading books on a pad-like device.  But one woman came up to me in the end and told me how she prefers the visceral feel of a book in her hands.  I know what she means.  For me, it’s the smell, especially with old books, as many of the seminal books I read as a kid were second hand.

Overall, my experience was fun, but I felt something was missing at the con.  Perhaps I was just missing my usual circle of friends, who as I said were conspicuously absent.  And, sadly, I didn’t buy any books.  Though Alaya did buy some smoked salt which smelled fantastic.  Yes, they had a spice trader in the dealers’ room.  The spice must flow.

John Klima of Electric Velocipede gives my story “The Spaces Between Things” his Hugo vote.

Also of note, friend and fellow Fluidian Saladin Ahmed, whom John suggests for the Campbell Award:

http://blog.electricvelocipede.com/2010/03/2010-hugo-nominations.html

Tangent Online

““The Spaces Between Things” by Matthew Kressel is a touching near future story about a war between East and West in which the East has somehow acquired the ability to send messages through time which appear as metaphors in the protagonist’s present. A series of flashbacks intersperse with the protagonist’s present dilemma, revealing his personal story of love, coming of age, and the invisible connections between people. He reflects on these bits of his past while deliberating whether to counter the successful enemy attack by launching a nuclear strike. This story is excellent if a little slow at times.”

That last sentence pretty much sums me up perfectly, excellent, but a little slow at times.

Also in that issue (and review) is Mercurio D. Rivera’s funny and well-reviewed story, “Dear Annabehls.”

The full review is available here.

The full text of my story can be read here.

And Sybil’s!  We opened on Friday to submissions and have already received about 100.  And, wow, some excellent stories already.  Were you guys saving them for us?  We are flattered.

Altered Fluid appeared on Hour of the Wolf on Saturday, where Paul Berger read a new story which we critiqued.  Listen to it here.

Tomorrow at Fantastic Fiction at KGB, authors David Anthony Durham and Lev Grossman read.  Should be a fun night.

Also, here’s a video of the World Fantasy Awards, where they announce Paper Cities as the winner for Best Anthology.  That’s me accepting the award on behalf of Ekaterina Sedia.

I have a thousand and one stories.  Like how I saw ten people enter a bathroom with Neil Gaiman and close the door.  Or how I saw several of my friends walk up on stage to accept Hugos.  Or how we drove home in a monsoon that threatened to sweep the car away.  But right now, still suffering from sleep withdrawal, it is all blending into a pleasurable ball of memory that I will slowly, over the next few days, try to digest.

I got to meet several wonderful people for the first time.  Like Keffy R.M. Kehrli, who made his second sale while at Worldcon (his first was in Sybil’s Garage) and will be appearing alongside a story of mine in next month’s Apex Magazine.  And the super-friendly Kevin J. Maroney, who was nominated alongside my friend Kris Dikeman for a Hugo for his work on NYRSF.  Kevin ushered myself and Mercurio D. Rivera to the Hugo Losers party, where I got to speak with Kij Johnson (of the famed “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss”) and John Kessel (“Pride and Prometheus”).  It was really exciting to be surrounded by such talent and, for the most part, not a drop of ego from anyone.  With few exceptions, even the all-stars were approachable.  One of the nice thing about conventions is getting to meet the people behind the work you have admired for so long.  I had spent many a winter-break down at my grandfather’s condo in Florida reading through Larry Niven novels.  Then, in a hotel party this past weekend, I shook his hand.  There are few words to really describe that feeling.

Also, some highlights: Jetse de Vries “Optimism” t-shirt (it’s a type of whiskey) and his explanation to us how he was “overly optimistic” about finishing his ham hock at dinner, and therefore had to take home a giant doggy bag.  How when Paul Berger’s alarm went off which sounded like a door bell, Mercurio, half-asleep, opened the door to our room and looked outside, before placing a do-not-disturb sign on the hinge.  And Non-Sequitur man, a strange person who ran around the con interjecting one word or sentence into people’s conversations and then running off again.

Plus, I got to see a little of Montreal too.  China town (or Region Chinois) and Le Olde City.  Walking around, Tom Crosshill opined that the reason waiters were so slow to serve us was perhaps, with our con badges, we were Le Geeks.

At some point when I wake up later today, I will post photos.

“Told with cyberpunkish verve, ‘Saving Diego’ takes full advantage of its intergalactic setting to interlay themes of the vast and the unknowable alongside human-scaled concerns of addiction, friendship, and betrayal.”

They also have positive things to say about Paul Berger’s and Alaya Dawn Johnson’s stories, also in the issue.

You can see the entire review here.

Right now I’m still severely depleted from Readercon, so an in-depth review of my time there will be forthcoming.  In the meantime, here are some photos from the con.  It really was a wonderful time, and I think perhaps my favorite Readercon to date.  It was so great to see everyone and just be surrounded by such creativity.  I know I will be inspired for a long time to come.

The photos.