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Maybe it's just because I'm sick and cranky (sniffling and sneezing enough that my boss shooed me out the door early today), but what was originally going to be a Sirens-was-awesome post is now going to be a Sirens-was-awesome-but-I-hate-being-a-socially-awkward-mess post.
First, the Sirens-was-awesome part. There were only about 100 attendees, so Sirens was smaller and a bit more intimate than most cons (not that I've been to a heck of a lot of them). I tend to shy away from here-are-all-the-awesome-people-I-met-and-hung-out-with lists, but suffice it to say I had fun, met cool people (or rather, I mostly listened to cool people talk while I just stood there, but more on that later), listened to awesome keynote speeches by the guests of honor (Holly Black, Marie Brennan, and Terri Windling), did some dancing at the Faery Lights Ball (though frequent cups up water were needed after each song thanks to a pesky sore throat), and attended lots of interesting panels and discussions on everything from non-western fey to writing fight scenes to portrayals of female friendship in fantasy to queerness and fairy tales. And a paper by Samantha Henderson on Australian aboriginal fae reintroduced me to the bunyip, which I fondly recall reading about when I was a kid.
Oh, and because I couldn't resist the pretty, pretty display of books for sale, I picked up a copy of Zombies vs. Unicorns. If you don't understand why that is awesome, then I am sad for you.
( Photos of the fun under the cut )
I would totally go again if it becomes at all feasible for me, and I would recommend that anyone interested in women in fantasy, be you male or female or something else entirely, should check it out next year if possible.
( Now for the but-I-hate-being-a-socially-awkward-mess part. )
First, the Sirens-was-awesome part. There were only about 100 attendees, so Sirens was smaller and a bit more intimate than most cons (not that I've been to a heck of a lot of them). I tend to shy away from here-are-all-the-awesome-people-I-met-and-hung-out-with lists, but suffice it to say I had fun, met cool people (or rather, I mostly listened to cool people talk while I just stood there, but more on that later), listened to awesome keynote speeches by the guests of honor (Holly Black, Marie Brennan, and Terri Windling), did some dancing at the Faery Lights Ball (though frequent cups up water were needed after each song thanks to a pesky sore throat), and attended lots of interesting panels and discussions on everything from non-western fey to writing fight scenes to portrayals of female friendship in fantasy to queerness and fairy tales. And a paper by Samantha Henderson on Australian aboriginal fae reintroduced me to the bunyip, which I fondly recall reading about when I was a kid.
Oh, and because I couldn't resist the pretty, pretty display of books for sale, I picked up a copy of Zombies vs. Unicorns. If you don't understand why that is awesome, then I am sad for you.
( Photos of the fun under the cut )
I would totally go again if it becomes at all feasible for me, and I would recommend that anyone interested in women in fantasy, be you male or female or something else entirely, should check it out next year if possible.
( Now for the but-I-hate-being-a-socially-awkward-mess part. )
