Con Schedule: MediaWest*Con 35

I will be attending MediaWest*Con on Memorial Day weekend. This is a fan-run media convention, without guests, just fans getting together to talk about their favorite TV shows, movies, actors, etc. It also used to be a major fanzine convention, but that aspect of fandom has been in decline now because of e‑publishing and other factors.

This is one of the conventions I always love attending, and one of the few I am still able to attend because of my financial situation. I lost count, but this will be at least my 25th MediaWest, probably more. I know I attended MediaWest*Con 5 in 1985 and just about every one since, only there were a couple of times when I attended another convention (Marcon in Columbus, Ohio) that same weekend.

As usual, I will be on a number of panels this year:

  • Friday 3 pm: Gaming 101 — What would you recommend for someone just breaking into gaming? (Delta 2) I was hoping that I would not be the only person on the panel here, as I do not have a comprehensive grasp of the entire gaming industry, but I have friends who are, so we shall see how this turns out.
  • Friday 6 pm: Hypnosis Myths and Realities — What is fiction and what is fact, and separating the two. (Delta 1) I have a very strong interest in the subject of hypnosis, especially the media aspects, which should play well with the overall theme of the convention. At worst I will be talking about all the very bad representations that everyone has seen, at best I will be talking about how they don’t get it right, and I may even have the opportunity to do a demonstration or two.
  • Saturday 2 pm: E‑book cover design and creation — How to design a cover for an e‑book. (Delta 2) I will be displaying some of my cover designs and discussing in detail how they were created, then creating a sample cover using input from the audience.
  • Saturday 3 pm: Look to the Skies! — Discuss the evolution of alien invasion films, from the 50’s cold war flying saucers to the destroy-the-planet ilk of “Independence Day” and others. (Capital) Everything from “War of the Worlds” to “Invasion of the Saucer Men”. At least I will have company for this panel.
  • Sunday 2 pm: The Legend of Korra — General discussion of animated series. (Delta 1) The Legend of Korra was one of my pleasures watching last year, and I am trusting that I am not alone in that here.

And, as always these days, I will manage the Art Show transition to the Art Auction and handle the backstage traffic during the Art Auction itself. I will be on my duty starting some time around 3:30 Sunday afternoon until the Art Show closes at 4:00, then on my feet organizing the Art Auction and buyer pickup sorting phase, ensuring the Art Auction room is set up correctly, and then running art in and out of the room from the before of the Art Auction itself at around 7:00 until the last piece of art is sold. In years past, the auction has gone past midnight, but the past years we’ve avoided turning to a pumpkin.

The Art Show and Auction boasts some excellent artists who always draw competition and high prices for their artwork, and sometimes it is a pain trying to parse individual artists, subjects and material so that each lot is unique, but that is part of my job, and I’m very good at it.

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