Why I'm not sorry I missed Readercon

[msmemory_archive]

Someone IRL asked me about my opinion of Readercon, and whether I was sorry to miss this year's due to a date conflict.

Here's a lot of the reasons, much more articulately expressed than I can do:
http://coffeeandink.dreamwidth.org/1021385.html

You might think that since I am white, local, with a Seven Sisters education and more than 30 years reading SF, that I would fit right in. But I don't. Readercon is intimidating, because of its focus on pretentious literary criticism. I feel marginalized as a woman, and for my youth (under 50). (Somehow, after all this time, there's still a vibe "isn't it sweet that you young ladies read books about rockets?") There's no place to sit and smof, except the bar, a complaint I also have about Arisia.

The hucksters' room is important to me, because I like to buy books and I like being able to discover smaller press things or those personally recommended by some specific booksellers. I like the Kirk Poland competition for its silliness. I like running into old friends. Usually, I get to one or two panels. Are these features worth the price, both in dollars and time? I'm thinking lately "not really." Next year, I think I'll sit on my own deck, three miles away, and read a good book.

Comments

[meirwen.livejournal.com]

It is strangely odd that this post and _this_ (http://yuki-onna.livejournal.com/503586.html) post were back-to-back on my Friends list.

[jenwrites.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I will confess that Readercon isn't exactly fun for me, but it's something that makes professional sense to attend, especially since they let me in for free. So I do get where you're coming from.

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

If I were able to derive professional connections from being there, I would go anyway, despite my whining above.

[cimeara.livejournal.com]

Well, gotta admit I'm over 50, but I didn't get the rest of those vibes at all. (Women authors seemed to outnumber the men, for instance.) I looked over the linked article without reading it in detail, but what I read had a lot of "this is where I didn't get exactly what I wanted." The full panels don't take much/any input from the floor. I didn't expect them to. The readings didn't include time for discussion. I didn't expect them to. The smaller panels/presentations that did include audience discussion, sometimes got sidetracked well off the topic. I would expect them to, that's what happens when a group of intelligent peopld (geeks) start talkinga about anything. Could they have more free-for-all things scheduled in? Sure. But it was a very full schedule. So I guess count me as "it gave me what -I- wanted."

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

Inasmuch as that was coffeeandink's first Readercon, they seemed to review with a very broad brush--some of their gripes about programming in particular have not been true every year, some indeed may only have been true of this past con (though my own attendance and attention have been spotty, so I use a weaselly "may").

On the other hand, your reaction is your reaction, based on more exposure than coffeeandink's, so I can't argue with it.

[freya46.livejournal.com]

Don't know Readercon, but I did want to say that I'm sorry I didn't get to stop and talk with you at GNE. :-( (((((HUGS)))

[editrx.livejournal.com]

I'd told them (though I was told later that what the website splorted out I'd clicked for radio buttons was different - sigh) that I was only available on Saturday. So the one panel I was scheduled for was on Friday night. Late.

With my back, there was no way I could drive down there Friday, drive back Friday night, and get down there again on Saturday. I wrote twice and asked if I could still come for Saturday, as I'd gone ahead and bought (with MONEY I DIDN'T HAVE TO WASTE!) a guest membership for Elric.

I never heard back.

So my money went to waste, I'm down enough that I can't buy groceries for this week because of it (yeah, thanks, Readercon), and I didn't get to see any of my friends.

I'm giving up on cons altogether. I can't afford to go, and going as a guest doesn't seem to work, or at least not lately (how does "Saturday only" sound like "from Friday 2pm onwards all weekend"? sigh).

[msmemory.livejournal.com]

You could've stayed at our house even though we were away, though that doesn't clear up the other issues.

[jducoeur]

I find the linked article somewhat overstated, but more in tone than fact. That is, the article manages to make it sound like there is a lot going on that is deliberate, which I think is largely untrue -- rather, the problems with the con are terribly ordinary and organic. Mostly, it arises from the con's nature (like that of most clubs) being self-reinforcing over the span of years, and nobody really caring to try to change it.

I don't see that as a problem per se -- the con is what it is. It is essentially dooming itself to gradual irrelevance and shrinking, due in substantial part to the factors identified, but such is the nature of life and clubs. Most clubs eventually face problems akin to the ones described; hence, I find the article to be stating the obvious and common at somewhat excessive length, and with a somewhat more pejorative tone than I think it deserves.

None of which is to disagree with you here: the main draw for me is Kirk Poland, and that doesn't win against most any conflict. But I don't resent the con for the fact that I'm not its target audience -- I just go to Arisia instead...