By David J. Lynch
First, thanks again to everyone involved. It was a small convention which was very nice for someone with social anxiety. Glad to get a chance to put some faces to names and be able to talk with some of the people in the sword and sorcery community. It was a little weird slowly realizing that I had seen or heard almost everyone around me speak or talk on a podcast or a video from Howard Days or something like that but I felt less stalkerish by the time the first panel started. I’m a big fan of The Cromcast, but I didn’t realize exactly who Luke E. Dodd was (a host of The Cromcast) until we were talking in the little foyer outside the main room, which means
The panels themselves were more than I was expecting. I had been excited to see Rusty Burke speak about REH and the first panel did not disappoint. It was just great to learn a bit more about the Howard and the efforts taken to preserve his work.
The second panel was interesting, especially seeing the waves of feminism broken down within the context of genre fiction. I notice The Poppy War gets talked about a lot online. it sounds really heavy but is supposed to be quite good.
The third panel was a great history lesson on the pulps. I’ve not learned too much about the pulps and how they worked and operated beyond my interest in the fiction contained within them. The details like how newsstands rented space for the publications rather than purchasing them outright and the way advertisements were done in a less directed, more feed-like style was interesting to learn about.
The fourth panel about zine culture and its history was really something special. I had heard before about the fanzine Mimosa and Richard and Nicki Lynch and had always been curious about that era and style of fandom. I’ve only recently gotten into some of the older zines, picking up an old copy of Fantasy Newsletter and finding some stuff as .pdfs, but I’ve also been involved in the punk scene for most of my life which has its own vibrant zine culture. I couldn’t help but also draw parallels between the spirit of what they were doing and the early BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) communities of the late 80’s and early 90’s, which I was tangentially a part of as a kid. To be honest, this panel left me stunned. I feel very lucky to have witnessed Rusty, Nicki, and Rich talk about this important aspect and era of fandom. Thanks to the archivists, preservers, and people who just simply love stuff so much they can’t help but contribute in their own interesting ways. It’s truly inspiring.
The final panel was accidentally mis-labeled by Jason, the program organizer: it was supposed to be about Space Opera but was more about Military Science-Fiction (somewhat related, but still different), the subgenre of speculative fiction I know the least about. It was interesting hearing the panelists discuss the problems with getting a clear definition of almost anything also pertaining to this sub-genre. Sword and sorcery, roguelike, and the term "species" all came to mind during this panel, three different concepts that also have countless definitions depending on the eyes and needs of the beholder.
I personally tend to be a fan of science fiction that makes me feel like I should not join the military and from what I have read in the subgenre, David Drake is my favorite. The moral quandaries I felt reading Hammer's Slammers often come to mind when I think about war in fiction.
Overall, I won or was given several cool books, saw some knowledgeable people talk about things that I love, and got to meet some of the people from here in the community. So thanks again to all who came and were involved, I hope there is a Spiral Con 3!
