Sirens 2013

[rachelmanija]

I had a lovely time at Sirens, and will try to get up a few more sets of panel notes. I hope that anyone who attended will also write panel notes, trip reports, etc.

I had a room with a gorgeous view of fields and trees and mountains and clouds caught on the mountain slopes, which I shared with Shveta Thakrar, K. Tempest Bradford, and Rosamond Hodge. Thanks to my roomies for making the whole experience even more awesome! I even got to snag an ARC of Rosamond's first novel, Cruel Beauty, which I am excited to read.

Probably my biggest "crossing the streams" experience was when I fangirled over Sara Empress of the World Ryan, and she said that she knew who I was. I assumed she'd either come across Yes Gay YA or my blog. Instead, she said, "You wrote "No Reservations: Narnia!""

Shveta and I did a presentation with slides and stories on the heroines of Indian comic books, and raffled off a comic, which was won by Joy Kim. It has a flying warrior with exploding feet on the cover.

There were great panels and discussions. In the guest of honor keynotes, Ellen Kushner sang traditional ballads, Alaya Dawn Johnson rhapsodized over hot springs, Robin LaFevers gave a fiery feminist speech, and Guadalupe Garcia McCall had the room alternating between howls of laughter and tears. (She also accidentally said "thirty sweaty balls," when she meant "thirty sweaty boys," which was definitely my favorite malaprop of the weekend.)

...and then my flight got delayed for five hours, and I caught a cold. But it's OK: I took the time to catch up on all my school reading. Why did I get stuck with all the psychoanalytic classes in my last quarter?

Gwyniera reports on the Georgette Heyer panel.

Sara Ryan reports on the whole experience.

The theme for next year is "hauntings." Who's coming?

I'm thinking of proposing panels on sex scenes in fantasy (probably not actually titled "I Tripped and Fell on his Dick") and portal fantasy (probably not actually titled "Surprisingly Controversial!"). If Guadalupe can come back, I'd also like to do something on fantasy/sf in the southwest.

Comments

[gwyneira.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely going next year. I would love to propose a panel or do a presentation on Victorian/Edwardian ghost stories by women (Elizabeth Gaskell! Edith Wharton!), but we'll see if I can work myself up to it.

I love your ideas! And you know we'll end up calling the sex scenes panel that even if that's not its official title. :) And talk about Sunshine first just to get it over with.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

That's a really good idea. Definitely propose it.

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I'd love to hear that panel!

[larryhammer]

We definitely missed coming this year and want to come next.

---L.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Yay! Joy and I were talking about how we missed your little origami animals.

[larryhammer]

I'm considering offering to run an origami workshop, depending how it goes at an SF con next month.

---L.

[erikagillian.livejournal.com]

I want to go to Sirens partly because it sounds like a wonderful, wonderful con, but also because I love Skamania Lodge and I adore the waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge. I suppose if I ever do go I could take people on a tour :)

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

Come along!

[misstwist.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I am so tempted to go next year...

As for all the psychoanalytic classes? You'll take what's useful and chuck the rest!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

You should come, seriously. You'd adore it!

Psychoanalytic literature is so dense and abstract! So many readings making my eyes glaze over!

[misstwist.livejournal.com]

I mentioned Sirens in passing to my husband and he shouted, "YOU'RE GOING, RIGHT?"

So, I guess I must go! ;-)

I find Freud to be pretty readable, Jung less so, and everyone else nigh impossible.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

YAAAAAAY!