Zer Netmouse

So today I braved the snowy I-94 to head over to the Detroit Public Library and represent Detcon1 for a few hours at a Black Comic Book Day event. Seemed like a lot of people got kept away or delayed by the snow, but I enjoyed meeting the authors and artists who made it. We were in a huge room, so it never felt exactly busy, but I was chatting with interested people almost the whole time, and nearly our whole stack of PR1 had been given away by the time Tammy came to relieve me. Kudos to Maia Crown Williams for organizing a nice event.

Among other things it was a great chance to spread the word that nominations for the Detcon1 Members choice awards for Middle Grade and YA Speculative Fiction are open to the public and we're hoping lots of people will help nominate deserving works -- you can nominate online and you don't have to be a member, and the deadline is February 28 so we really need to get people passing the word around. I handed a big stack of paper nomination ballots to a YA librarian there.

I also got to meet Detroit author & editor Adrienne Maree Brown, who stopped by briefly to chat with me. She will be hosting a release party for her and Walidah Imarisha's crowd-funded anthology Octavia's Brood: Science Fiction Stories from Social Justice Movements at Detcon1, among other things. We only had a short visit, but it was very exciting to meet her, as we've been talking online for a few months. We are really valuing her advice and suggestions for the program and other people in Detroit we should reach out to, though sadly she's too busy, like, writing to join the concom. Some people! With their lives and all! *grin*

I hope that Walidah can come to Detcon1 too, but she's out on the West coast, so it sounds unlikely.

That reminds me though: if anyone wants to donate money toward travel and hotel funds for people of color who want to attend Detcon1 but could use some help, I encourage you to contact Kate Nepvue at Con or Bust -- she coordinates stuff like that and would welcome your donations.

Oh! And exciting news-- Tammy said we have confirmation that Steven Barnes' wife Tananarive Due will be attending too. She's a fantasy and horror as well as an historical fiction and biographical author that I have become a big fan of in the past two years, so I am absolutely stoked to hear she's coming.