I am sitting here the Monday after Jordancon 2019, trying to get real life started again in a way that does not feel too abrupt. So far so good and with the musings from the 2019 Jordancon still in my head, I wanted to take a few minutes and roll them out.
Gratitude is too slim a word to express how I feel towards the panelists and the members who attended the panels. This year was a complete success for the SF Track from beginning to end. Every panel had good attendance and some the discussions spawned were interesting, to say the least. I want to mention a few folks by name whom made the track as good as it was this year.
Want to start off with Nancy McCullough my track XO. Nancy was there, asking how she could help, moderating panels, and doing a great job as always. Her presence allows me to leave the track room and engage other parts of Jordancon. When you see Nancy at Jordancon or if you know her, give her a high five, because Nancy more than earned it.
I am starting to get a few track regulars and I wanted to give a shout out. Gerald L. Coleman, Milton Davis, Amy DuBoff, Darin M. Bush, and JD Jordan: you were all amazing. Of course Billy Todd made our Star Trek panel awesome along with track newcomer Mark McCray. Between the two of them there is a metric ton of Star Trek knowledge. Quinn Howard delivered great insight and Jenn Lyons (and her husband) showed off her genre chops and enthusiasm. Will Kenyon and Valerie Lauer made for a great Hyperion panel on Saturday night. Danyelle Denham has been at every Smackdown and makes them fun even when I make a mess of it.
Speaking of the Smackdown… This year was great. I think the new format worked out pretty well and next year we will choose some different categories as well. Again, feedback is great both now while it is fresh in your heads and right before the Con when we are making things happen. There will be some tweaks next year to tighten down the rules.
As mentioned, all of the panels were good. Every. Single. One. Maybe not perfect but the energy and the discussions were A+. The SF Indie Authors round table was fantastic and the panelists networking during and after was fun to watch. The Expanse was popular and the Rise of the AI (thanks Darin) had some great conversations.
But there is no doubt that my favorite panel was the Dune for Wheel of Time fans panel. I love the WoT tie in panels I run and this has got to be my favorite of them so far. Honestly, I am not sure how I am going to top it next year.
So Say We All & Terror in 2020
Like many (or all) of you I am already thinking about next year. All I can say right now is:
- Think about what inspires you
- Think about what scares you
- Think outside the box
…and tune in next week for out total unofficial track preview.
