[W69] Westercon 69 Memories: Jim Hardison and Fish Wielder

3345.

Fish Wielder is scarcely a month out from release. You can get your preorder on at Amazon, of course. And Jim was at the W69 dealer's room bazaar, doin' the hard promotional work.

He's a very dapper person, convention-wise. On the day we were there, he was dressed thusly:

… and the look of open happiness you see there, trust me, is real. With Jim what you see is what you get.

And what else did we see that day? Free coloring sheets. Free customized Bradfast-emblazoned M&M's. Free stckers, temp tats, character cards.  Free ton'o'Fish Wielder stuff. The mug? You had to do just one thing to get one; see the Fish Wielder book trailers on line and come back and tell him you like them.

His countenance is one I've come to know amongst the creators I've so far been privileged to know. The good ones, the ones doing good things you don't want to miss, that are going to not only entertain you but uplift you a little, are generous in spirit. And that, Jim certainly is.

Because generous friendship is, also, as Brad and Thoral would tell you:

Yes, free.

Now, like I said, Jim … or, should I say, J.R.R.R. Hardison (you can tell it's quality fantasy by the multiplicity of R's in the name, accept no substitutes) is a generous fellow and a lot of fun to chat with. He let me chatter on about creating and engaged me on the subject, suggesting that the stream of consciousness would be something good to write about myself.

Alongside Jim was Herb Apon, artist and creator of the exterior look of Fish Wielder; he did the drawing above as well as a great many of them which adorned the booth, and the character cards I've shown off earlier. He was doing what any good artist does while we visited … constantly drawing. He's kind a genius and a whiz, and a lot of the drawings he did, as well as some of the other giveaway stuff and thoughts on W69 attendance are related by Jim on his Book Wielder Diary in this entry here:

http://fishwielder.blogspot.com/2016/07/saturday-july-9th-2016-westercon-m-and.html

The Wife™ got another Brad temp tat and a QR Code sticker, and stuck it on the back of her blouse, and whenever someone asked her "Did you know you have a sticker on your back?" she'd say "Yes, why don't you scan the QR code and see where it goes?"

I'm looking forward to Fish Wielder I and I really want to see Jim succeed with this. It's going to be good and he's going to be big.

[W69] Westercon 69 Memories: Alexander James Adams, The Changeling Bard

3338.

This is the third time I've tried to craft an opening for some sort of meaningful narrative about Alexander James Adams. And I'm abashed to say that I can't come up with anything that doesn't sound a little lame. Anyone reading this can maybe relate: here you have someone who has been kind of a grace background note in a life full of ups and downs, and as a musician one enjoys, has occasionally provided the soundtrack; you feel they are a friend though they have friends beyond a simple count; the trajectory of their life has features of the seeker, the traveler, the shaman … especially that of the burden assumed by someone who has no choice than to travel a road upon which the toll is beyond any simple calculation.

Alec, to be banal and glib and essential about it, contains multitudes. And to explore this properly, I've not yet the narrative chops to do as of yet; they require a much more mature writer. It's as though I can't mention one thing without wanting to mention something else simultaneously. So my words tend to fail.

Suffice it to say, then, that if you see him as just a damned good and talented and passionate musician, that's just a starting point, but a good one.  For more than twenty years that I've known of him, he's been making folk music that's not only fun, but listenable, accessable and memorable. I've been a fan of the famous Martin Mull bon mot "I remember the great folk music scare of the 60's … that shit almost caught on" for  a while, but eventually someone comes along who puts a crack in ones' cynicism, and for me, Alec was that person. During the 90's, as Heather Alexander, he put out music that drew from a common folk experience but still had a unique signature to it. There is, and was, nothing quite like a Heather Alexander performance. She ruled the roost monthly for a number of years during that decade at a pub called R.P. McMurphy's, which used to be at The Academy in Vancouver, and we attended every performance we could most enthusiastically. And from that reputation and appeal sprang such things as the musical group Uffington Horse and the inspiration for the character Juniper MacKenzie in S.M. Sterling's Emberverse and the collaboration with author Steven Barnes which graced the world with Insh'allah, the musical companion to Barnes's alternate-history novel Lion's Blood. The power of Alec to inspire, wherever and however he goes, must not be taken lightly.

It was, if I recall correctly (and I may not) a performance at an OryCon a very long time ago that got us on board the Alec bandwagon to begin with. Ever since, a SFF Con in Portland that we can actually get to go to isn't really complete without seeing him there, and, since he was Westercon 69 Flik GOH, why, this was a thing of perfection. He was to play more than once; on Friday night, there was a request time, and he did quite a few favorites, including his signature "March of Cambreadth", which, it has been demonstrated and was performed with a significant degree of puckish humor that night, maps hilariously to "Turkey in the Straw".

You should have been there. Seriously.

This is Alec in the W69 dealer's room, the next day:

He didn't have any physical stock to sell, but he did have several download codes for his recordings on Bandcamp and The Wife™ bought two of them to help round out her collection. It was then, as we chatted with him, I once again noticed something; that warm outflow of emotion that is almost empathic and very compelling, the kind of humanity that leaves a lasting impression that he's glad he got to talk to you. 

There is no such thing as a wasted moment with Alec. I don't think it's possible. He has a warm, easy, Zen-like way about him that is positively affirming to everyone who gets touched by it, and, along the way, he got a picture with my favorite hippie chick. You can't go wrong.

The Sunday performance was an hour's worth of song and wit, and I'll always remember it because of the first song, a song which showed Alec able to sing in both his and Heather's voices, flawlessly. Once again, words fail … but it made me feel at once older and younger, and brought the years of listening to great music from a genuinely great personality into a sort of full-circle, remembering the past fondly while reveling in the moment of the present.

Alec is one of those people you think about and you say to yourself You know, they should be much more famous than they are. But, in arriving in the present, Alec seems to be as comfortable in his skin and his art as he ever has been. It's like he's in full blossom now. He goes where the wind blows, and has made the most of his chances in the years since Alec has fully spread his wings, and you look up there and see him, and things just seem possible somehow.

Anyone who can make life in Oklahoma worth living has got to have some sort of magic about 'em.

OhandbeforeIforget … up above I picted the QR code for Alec's Patreon presence. It kind of sucked because light reflections. But a lot of you know what Patreon is, and for those who don't, it's a different kind of crowdfunding where you give a little something each month, like being a patron, and the artist or creator kicks you back some exclusive content. In Alec's case, it's a new original video or song each month, and you can get on board for as little as one dollar  a month. So, such a deal, yes? You'll find it all at https://www.patreon.com/AlexanderJamesAdams.

One. Dollar. A. Month.  $12 a year for the happy.

[W69] Westercon 69 Memories: Ferdowsi, Scalzi, and Stross, Unlimited

3337.

Authors are gods to me. This, then, is a miniature pantheon:

On the left, JPL's "Mohawk Guy", Bobak Ferdowsi. In the middle, John Scalzi, and on the right, Charles Stross.

The panel was called Intellectual Free-for-all, and it lived up to that. They chatted about exoplanets, orbital mechanics, and Brexit. It was sardonically delightful to hear Stross ruefully observe that the first thing he does each morning (he's a Briton, in case you didn't know) is find out who's running the country today.

He lives in Britain, and he can't tell some days, so don't feel bad, fellow Americans, if you can't figure it out either.

There were barely cheap seats by the time we got there but it was worth it.

My attention was divided. I was writing some other observations in my diary at the time. I mean, at least I can say I was writing in the same room as John Scalzi and Charlie Stross. Technically, that makes me one of them.

Well, that's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. 

[W69] Westercon 69 Memories: The View From The Hotel

3335.

Westercon 69 just concluded here in Portland. I was there for some of that there thing, and I have some photos. Many more memories, and the photos, of course, help.

The event was at Portland's Doubletree Lloyd Center Hotel. It's a 15-story building and they loved putting the hospitality suite at the top there. This made getting there as much of a adventure as being there.

From the distant peak of Mount Hood through the glass of the elevator …

… to a gorgeous deeply-red-inflected sunset over the Lloyd District …

… to an incomparably unforgettable view of downtown Portland as the light fades.

Portland is the most photogenic city in the world.

[SJKPDX] My Own Westercon 69 Triumph … New Portland Skyline On The Title Page.

3333.

If you've not yet heard, Westercon 69 is now wrapping up here in Portland. The 69th edition of Westercon, a movable Science Fiction/Fantasy convention which is to Western NorthAm what the Worldcon is SFF in general, was one of the most well-attended in years, with over 1700 members; this puts it in the major leagues. With GoH's like Scalzi and Stross, Bobak Ferdowsi, a bard like Alexander James Adams, and our own local David D. Levine, and set in Portland, how could have been anything other than a success? But the success exceeded expectations.

I even had my own high point. Chosen to grace the table'o'contents, there at the bottom, is my newest Portland Skyline photo. Peep it:

So, my name and an image I made get to grace the same page with some pretty heavy hitters. I also got, as it will be recalled, to collaborate on the divising of that nifty logo, so I got that workin' for me, which is nice (thank you, Meredith!). 

[#design] The Official "Portland In 2016" Westercon Bid Ad

3113.

I'm kind of the junior partner in this arrangement, but I'm thrilled just to be along for the ride. Far too infrequently do I get to look at awesome up close.

What you see, here, is the official ad for the "Portland in 2016" bid effort to land Westercon 69 for the Rose City, which will appear in the program book for at Westercon 67:

Quite the thing, neh? And I get to say that I contributed.

A precis:

The design suprema here is Meredith Cook. She has the sharpest design mind I've come across lately and I've found her incredibly inspiring. She's guided the the design effort so far and planted the seed (and did the hard beginning work) that grew into the goodness that is, and is sure to come. The general artistic appearance of that logo comes from her. I contributed a few ideas that serve to give it a little more character; it may or may not be what it is because of the bits I suggested, but it wouldn't have been at all if it weren't for her.

The base photo, that of that night-time Portland skyline, is my own work (as I detailed here). By making the bid effort logo circular, Meredith's design has enabled it to be used in the cleverest way …  the moon-over-town, lighting and illuminating a sky full of things that we love about Portland, and that sell Portland as the place for the envisioned Westercon 69. the whole effect is pure visual poetry to me, because as a place for fandom, Portland needs not too much more selling (at least in my personal, fairly smug opinion).

Westercon 67 is taking place in Salt Lake City this next month. That is where the vote will happen; anyone who wants to support our effort is welcome to do so (there's even a Pre-opposing contribution option, for those sufficiently perverse).

Portland in 2016 has Facebook and Twitter presences for those of you so inclined:

• On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Portlandin2016
• On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Portlandin2016

So, go support. Who knows … you might win a date with a unicorn!*

*Maybe, I guess. I don't know from who, but anything's possible … if you believe!

[#design] 600-Or-So Portland-in-2016 Bookmarks For Westercon 67

3111.

The Wife™ had a little busytime project.

You see, we're involved on the edge of a little group that's trying to bring Westercon 69, in 2016, two years hence, to Portland. The bid will be voted on at Westercon 67, being held this next month in Salt Lake City, and we have been promoting.

And, by we, I mean a rather divers group of passionate individuals doing what they can, when they can, and making it count. The sun our planets revolve around is the inimitable Lea Rush; entropy fears her, scattered card decks stack themselves at her mere approach. I am essentially a graphic design support grunt at this point, and provide support to Meredith Cook when and as she needs it. The Wife™, she handles the office we've called "Mailroom".

In case you ever needed to know
what more than 600 bookmarks
looked like, here you go.

How to Support
the Bid
(click to embiggen)

At this point, it is as such: a call came a day or so ago from Lea wondering how many bookmarks were left. We had started a stock of 5000; less than 2500 are left (we may have a handful or two left over before this is done, and this is no sin … we own lots of books which require marking), and the mission; send 600-or-so of them to Westercon 67's ComCon. Mailroom snaps into action: The Wife™ counts out the required number, packages them up, and gets them ready to go.

They're in a box, right now, ready to be shipped. Inspired by the example of those around us, the proper amount of energy is leveraged for the maximum effect. USPS Media Rate is our faithful friend, and Westercon 67 will have the bookmarks.

Which are sweet, by the way. Featuring the logo designed by Meredith with assistance by myself, they feature a picture of a night-time Portland skyline snapped by the ViviCam 3705, the Plastic Fantastic, back in 2009. 'Tis a picture I'm most proud of, and I'm equally proud that it may help, in a small way, win a very significant moment in time for the fandom of the Rose City. This is the bookmark:

Like I said, sweet! The night-time scene has a little bit of Tron and Matrix-y stuff going on there. Great mood setting. The round patch is the offiical Portland In 2016 logo, done by Meredith with help from myself. This is the photo it was based on:

 And that was in January, 2009. Photos are forever …

And they make, I'll say again, sweet bookmarks.

Presupport is still available. Clicky to embiggen the back of the bookmark, on the left above (there's even a QR code for your enjoyment) for terms, or go to http://portlandin2016.org to find out more.

Yeah. This is something that should happen.