Dragon Con, as usual, was an absolute blast. Sure, there are things I don’t like about it — throngs of people, getting caught in human traffic jams, a maze of a dealer room, and did I mention the throngs of people? — but it’s so much fun to be able to hang out with thousands of individuals who won’t judge you for the things that you like. Even if it’s only for four days, it’s a reminder that my love of science fiction and Star Wars in particular is not weird. As an added bonus, many of those like-minded individuals are friends who live all over the country. Getting to hang out with them, even for a little bit, is awesome.
The convention programming itself was stimulating and enjoyable. The Star Wars track (SWatDC, run by Brandy Roatsey and her team of volunteers) is some of the best Star Wars programming at any convention. The roundtable discussions and author interviews rival Celebration, and it’s a lot more intimate. I’m really happy with how the “All the Single Ladies” and “Luke Skywalker” panels turned out, and I was boggled to see the 500-person ballroom was filled to standing room only capacity for the “Episode VII” panel. I was extremely nervous when I saw the turnout for the panel, but I survived, and even though none of us panelists were privy to insider information, I think it went well. It’ll be interesting to see the turnout in 2015, mere months before the movie is released. Too bad I probably won’t be at Dragon Con next year! 😦
More to come on the blog, including an awesome Star Wars photo shoot, Star Wars author panels, including one honoring Aaron Allston and Ann Crispin, and always-informative writing workshops.
Nanci Schwartz 