WisCon 38 is over :(

I returned home today from this year's WisCon.  WisCon LINK

It was an amazing weekend. The Guests of Honor (GOH) and the Tiptree Award winner's speeches were beautiful, provocative and kickass. I cried and cheered along with 1000 friends.

That's how WisCon feels. Like you're there with friends. The atmosphere is welcoming, inclusive. It's easy to strike up conversations, you can wave and say "hi" to someone you saw in the audience at a panel and most likely they'll return the greeting. Con friends.

So. Pictures or it didn't happen, right? Here's the view from my hotel room, because View. It's the Wisconsin capitol building near sundown.

A dalek may be a requirement for any science fiction convention. This one had a leash.

The hotel bartenders asked for ideas for con-specific drinks. Many folks responded via Twitter. Here's part of the menu they created. I meant to have a Nahadoth, but didn't manage it. Nahadoth is one of my favorite characters in GOH N.K. Jemisin's Inheritance Trilogy. 

One GOH was Hiromi Goto, author of Chorus of Mushrooms and The Kappa Child, among other books. She's Japanese-Canadian and these two books concern multi-generational immigrant life in Canada. Her acceptance speech (LINK to Goto's speech) was poetic and moving. 

The other GOH was N.K. Jemisin, author of the Inheritance Trilogy, which starts with The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and the Dreamblood series, which starts with The Killing Moon. Her speech (LINK to Jemisin's speech) had the room cheering, crying, and applauding, sometimes all at the same time. 

N.A. Sulway won the 2013 Tiptree Award for her novel Rupetta, about an artificial intelligence created 400 years ago who's power comes from her heart, not her brain. Nike is from Australia so her book may be hard to find. You can order it through A Room of One's Own bookstore in Madison. (Her speech isn't online yet; if she posts it I'll add a link.) 

6/3/14  EDIT:  Here's the link to N.A. Sulway's Tiptree Acceptance Speech 

She's wearing a tiara because the Tiptree winner always gets a tiara on day one of the con. After her speech, she also got a box of chocolates and the entire room singing her a song.  (I don't know when they award the check.)  Learn about the Tiptree.  

There is also a cake! Chocolate. 

As always, I came home with books. Three of the Jemisin and one Goto I already owned; got them signed at the con. The others I bought there. I waited too long to pick up the Sulway book; it was sold out. (That's why I know where you can order it!) 

If I have time I'll type up my notes from the panels I attended, like I did last year. 

I highly recommend WisCon if you're interested in trying a science fiction convention. It's small, friendly, and very informative.