Westercon, She Is Small
Way small. The last con I attended, back when I was...15? Maybe 16? Too long ago to remember, at any rate, and it was in a convention center. This isn't. The Marriott is labyrinthine, so I have spent a lot of time hoofing it through twisting corridors on the way to or from my room. I've attended a few panels, had dinner with (among other people) Howard Hendrix, and listened to Tad Williams read some as-yet-unpublished material in a small room.
The "Transgender Themes and Characters in Science Fiction" was interesting, although there was more of a focus on characters who switch genders (Steel Beach),or are gender neutral (Left Hand of Darkness). My interest lies more in exploring transgendered and bisexual characters in a near-future setting, capturing the moments when traditional sexual and gender roles finally collapse completely, rather than depicting worlds in which that has already happened. Still: much food for thought.
The "Modern Erotic Fiction" panel was also intriguing, as it suggested an untapped market for genuine erotica within a science fiction setting, as opposed to slash or fanfic. Publishers won't touch the stuff, and yet the Internet is full of it, suggesting that perhaps the publishers need to a) grow up a bit and b) stop being afraid that some juvenile will get a hold of something erotic and be scandalized. I blame the lawyers for that last one.
I don't know if that's a direction I want to go in, but there is rather a lot of sex involved in my recent stuff, so perhaps I'll explore that further if and when I ever manage to actually get into print.
Now, I'm going to wander the halls a look for something (or one) interesting. Tomorrow night I'll attend the BDSM BoF (for "birds of a feather"), which should be diverting. There's quite an overlap between various alternative sexual communities and sci-fi/fantasy fandom, and I'm curious to see who else shows up and why.
