Tag Archives: fandom

Arcadecon 2015

Arcadecon is on this weekend 3rd to the 5th of August in the Crown Plaza Hotel, beside the Blanchardstown shopping center.

 

5I5CgA-K_400x400 (1)

It’s one of the few conventions I’ve not yet attended and I am looking forward it for a range of reasons. Most conventions I attend are usually focused on one aspect of fandom or geek pursuits, but this looks like a real all rounder.  I am looking forward to hearing Paul Bolger talk about , hopefully meeting Professor Elemental, attending the Kapow Burlesque, meeting members of the USS Cuchulain.

So much to see and do, I have images of the current time table below so people can have a look at what to expect over the weekend. As ever a time table is only every finalised after an event has finished.

Friday

ARCADECONFRIDAY

Saturday

ARCADECONSAT2ARCADECONSAT1

 

Sunday

 

ARCADECONSUN1ARCADECONSUN2

 

If anyone wants to talk to me about Octocon please do come find me, I may also have some Dublin2019 flyers with me.

Writers are my rock stars (Neil Gaiman is coming to Dublin)

I have written before bout how Writers are my rock stars (also known as go go plan crazy, travelling to Galway to hear Warren Eills speak)  and how they open worlds to me, their words delighting, haunting and staying with me.

There are a few who’s craft is so beguiling I will try and make the effort to see them talk in person. So far I have been lucky that many of them come here to Ireland.

I don’t go crazy for autographs or photos with, but just like to listen to them talk about their work. I have found they are usually inspiring people.

Last summer due to my involvement with Shamrokon I got to meet Carrie Vaugh, Charles Stross, Ruth Long Michael Carroll and do the Guest of Honour interview with Seanan McGuire.

So I was delighted when I saw this

1689944_10152817688981785_7460695642954103748_n

(photo by @ClaireNolan)

So I will be out in UCD next Wednesday as Neil Gaiman will be receiving the James Joyce Award. I did come to his writing via Good Omens and then Sandman, and have read just about everything else he’s written over the last 25 years. I got so see Terry Pratchett a few years back when he attended the Unseen University Challenge in TCD and it will be nice to finally have seen them both in person.

 

Shamrokon: what I did last weekend….

I had been feeling the guilts that I was not at the marches on Saturday http://www.abortionrightscampaign.ie/  or Sunday, http://www.marriagequality.ie/ as I was involved with running a large scifi convention.
But as problematic as Scifi/fantasy fandom can be, nothing at the convention needed smashing, which given that it was the european scifi convention it had 1,300 people from 33 countries and we had 130 program items and 113 participants, is mind boggling.

Often at these events cis white men can dominate the panels, that wasn’t the case, in fact we did have a gender disparity as we had too many women on panels. Also we had more women moderating then men, I was delighted that Cheryl Morgan who is a trans right activist as well as  is an Hugo award-winning British science fiction critic and publisher. took part on panels over the weekend and as I was moderating the Boycott panel and we talked about TERFS.

We had equal numbers of men and women displaying in the Art Show , non of the cos players were harassed, we had panels on women in 2000AD, women writers, Gender boxes in Game of thrones and real life, why women have had to use pseudonym to get published, the Hawkeye initiative, Missing Medieval Women, discussions on why fiction women write had been seen as lesser.

I let it be known that I was queer and a feminist and made sure our code of conduct included making the convention a respectful place including respecting pro nouns and the photograph policy. I had people tell me they felt safe. Our youngest and oldest panel participants were women and the youngest at 14 is the youngest ever for a Eurocon. We had 4 workshops and all of them were run by women. including Lora O’Brien. It was refreshing and awesome and all off the convention was accessible.

There were even scholar ship tickets for fans of colour and those who may not be in the financial position to afford to go http://con-or-bust.livejournal.com/. 2/5 of the guests of honor were women, Seanan McGuire andYlva Spångberg.  Seanan McGuire was wonderful to interview and referenced the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and was able to cite figures from the studies, and one of the others was Jim Fitzpatrick who  was one of the public signatories on the Anti Amendment statement opposing the pro life amendment in 1983, he is also a human rights activist.

 Shamrokon got it as right as a scifi convention can be and I am proud of what we accomplished and the people on the committee and the staff who all had social justice awareness before we started.