My WisCon 2007 has mercifully ended. It was a wonderful time and I loved just about every minute of it, but now I’m hoarse and dead tired. I met a ton of wonderful people for the first time and talked with a lot of people I met at previous WisCons or World Fantasy. Here’s a list of who I had at least one meaningful exchange with just to give you a flavor of who was there. I wish I had the time and energy to give a meaningful link to each. Maybe later. When I remember who else I forgot to list.

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Blake Charlton | Patrick Rothfuss | Mary Rickert | Rick Bowes | Chris Barzak | Megan McCarron | Catherine Valente | Nick Mamatas | Hannah Bowen | David Schwartz | Alan Deniro | John Josepth Adams | Erin Cashier | Rajan Khannan | Sean Wallace | Stepehan Segal | Ekaterina Sedia | John Klima | Juliette Ulman | Greg van EekHout | Scott Janssens | Deborah Green | Tim Pratt | Heather Shaw | Vylar Kaftan | Nina Kiriki Hoffman | Eileen Gunn | Kelly Link | Gavin Grant | Ted Chiang | Richard Russell | Kelly McCullough | JJ Pionske | Cat Rambo | Liz Gorinsky | Tenea Johnson | Rebecca Rowe | Eileen Gunn | James P. Roberts | Patrick Swenson | Kristin Livdahl | Karen Meisner

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And, for the first time ever, when I was introducing myself to people a few said, “I recognize that name” or “I’ve read your stuff.” Which was surprisingly wonderful. Not many, but a few. Which is more than zero. And I also found out that one of my stories is lined up for an anthology, which was awesome new (but the book hasn’t been announced yet so I will hold my tongue).

I also spoke with a bunch of writers from Minnesota to Ohio about coming to UW-M to do readings and maybe talk with the creative writing program. Enough expressed a sincere and genuine interest that I’m wondering whether I couldn’t try to set something up on my own. The UW-M writing program surely won’t go for a 100% speculative fiction reading series, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t set up something in conjunction with the department and Schwartz Books. This is all pie in the sky stuff right now but there’s serious potential. I’m sure I don’t even know half the writers in the Chicagoland area. I wonder if I could find grant money for this kind of thing…

Now I need to catch up Spanish, healthy food, and sleep.

Ready. Set. Go.

Current Mood: Conned |