I don't think I ever posted about WisCon! WisCon 31 was my first one, so I've now been going for 6 years. One of the funny things is, they are starting to run together in my mind. I went to the year-end picnic today for the con com, and I knew I'd been to that same park before for the same event, but couldn't remember which year.
I tried to take it easy this year at WisCon and pace myself. I was exhausted by the end anyway. I didn't go to a ton of panels. Sunday seems to be the day I need a big nap. I went to Pan Morigan's voice workshop on Friday afternoon which was a very useful way to start the convention. This is the same workshop I went to at Think Galacticon and loved so much. In a short amount of time we all seemed to get increased volume and confidence in our voices.
Friday night was the vid party run by futuransky and were-duck. I had a showcase called "the Abuse of Authority"-- vids about power and violence-- which I really enjoyed putting together. We had a panel the next day which was really awesome. You can read more about that
at were-duck's journal and you can also find the playlists at
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wiscon_vidparty. I got to meet
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chaila on the panel and she talked about her Parables vid (AMAZEBALLS). The audience was really engaged and we had a great time.
I was on a couple of disability panels: 201/Being an Ally (which I overslept and showed up late for), and Assistive Tech is one of my fandoms. I'm starting to feel like I've said what I have to say on this subject.
I'm proud of the essay that I have published in the WisCon Chronicles, edited by Alexis Lothian. This is the first piece of writing I've ever been paid for! There is some really great content in the Chronicles this year, including a very emotional and honest piece by Ian Hageman about his negative experiences with the Clarion Workshops. It takes courage to speak out about such things and I commend him for writing it and the Chronicles for publishing it. There is a piece about class by
raanve and
wrdnrd, which is one area where I am endeavoring to learn more. I went to their panel "Untangling Class" this year but missed some of the others. I look forward to more of these discussions.
I caught part of an Intersectionality panel that I enjoyed. I value getting to hear experienced activists talk, because I feel like an inexperienced activist in many ways. Jacqueline Gross was on this panel, and responded to a question from the audience about "what do you say to someone who compares their experience of oppression to race, etc?" She gave concrete examples of her life as a black woman; ie, when she calls the cops, she talks in a "talking to white people voice", and if stopped by the cops in a car, she puts her hands on the dash. Someone (in the audience?) said that intersectionality, or a failure thereof, is when you are in a safer space and you feel threatened or attacked regarding one of your other identities. This has definitely happened to me! The panelists talked about the importance of speaking up for other groups of people, and "tag teaming"-- tapping someone else in when you are exhausted. Ian said something about "speaking into a place where the other person can listen" which resonated with me. Sometimes I want to have a conversation at one level, and the other person is not ready to hear it. Overall this panel was great!
Other highlights of the convention were room parties-- I've honestly never been to a private room party before!-- and some nice meals. The hotel restaurant has really good food and service, with and added bonus of being close and being open on Memorial Day. I try to meet new people every year and I did succeed in that. I also enjoyed getting to know some acquaintances better.
