| GRISSECON
1:
I Can Hardly Believe It's Over
by
Storm Constantine
The following dispatch went out on the Stormboard
listserve just a few days after the convention. A lot of people
seemed to have missed reading it when it came out and since it's
so rich in details, Inception is keeping it featured for
posterity. We've also added pictures (also featured in our gallery)
to illustrate.
Here's my convention report -- an overview. So much went on,
I'd need to produce a pamphlet to cover it all.
Well, as you all know, the last two years of my life have been
mostly dominated by Grissecon -– the convention rather than
the sexual/magical act, I might add! Now, it's all over, and I
can hardly believe it.
Countdown To The Con
The last week has passed in a whirl. Naturally, we had a few
problems. For a start, the programme book was way behind schedule,
due to things beyond our control, so Lightning Source, our printers,
only had a week or so to produce it. They said this would be fine,
and so it was -– from their end. What none of us had accounted
for was that Securicor, the delivery people, would lose half the
parcels of program books! Lightning Source had to do an emergency
overnight reprint (immense thanks to them!), and Gabriel and Claudia
had to drive down to Milton Keynes on the morning of the convention
to pick them up. I'm sure you can imagine the chaos of that…
but let me add more details!
There are lots of things you simply can't do until the last minute
-– such as making up the convention badges, stuffing the
goody bags, etc. We had a lot of preparation to do the week before,
and Gabby and Lydia came over to stay with Jim and me to help.
We also had Taylor Ellwood and his girlfriend Maryam Fazl staying,
as I'd promised Taylor I'd give him first and second degree Reiki
while he was over in England. We were doing attunements at any
given opportunity, of which there were few. My friend and fellow
convention organiser Claudia Alexander also came to stay for most
of the week, so we had an absolute houseful! Fortunately, Claudia
was able to help me with the Reiki, giving Maryam first degree,
the last attunement of which took place at the convention on Saturday
night. I think Taylor and Maryam's must be the most unconventional
Reiki training sessions ever -– no serene contemplation
and meditation, just snatched moments whenever. Still, it worked
just as well as a more formal procedure. And they have my profound
thanks for helping with the cooking and housework while the rest
of us ran around like headless chickens.
By Thursday evening, we were more or less ready -– despite
the absence of half the programme books. A slight glitch arose
when I got a call from Paul Cashman (our Dragon*Con
contact), who said he'd arrived at the hotel with his friend Bruce,
only to find they'd been booked accidentally into a double room
(one bed) and that it couldn't be changed. OK, they're friends,
but they're not that close! A quick call from our hotel liaison
demon, sorry officer, Deb Howlett, resulted in Tillington suddenly
finding they did have a spare twin room after all. Deb was the
only person who could get results in this department. I think
the hotel people were scared of her. That night, hardly any of
us could sleep. When I finally did get a few moments kip, my dreams
were full of convention disasters. What were we thinking of? None
of us had run a convention before. Ours was only small by convention
standards, but even so, it seemed such a huge responsibility.
How on earth did people manage to run really big ones?
Paul Cashman and Storm Constantine.
Pic credit: somebody with Paul's camera
Friday
Friday morning dawned, bright and sunny, which I suppose was
a plus. Gab and Claudia had disappeared at the crack of dawn for
the long drive to get the program books and the rest of us started
hauling books, equipment and various "stuff" down to
the hallway ready for departure. We could only go to the hotel
after 2 p.m., as Tillington
had another event taking place in the morning. When I finally
got into our Land Rover, along with the first batch of "necessary
things," I felt in a daze. We were really doing it. Our convention
was about to start.
At the hotel, we met Bridgette and Paul Parker at the door, who
immediately helped us carry stuff inside. Our operations room
soon looked like a jumble sale that had been ransacked by crazed
baboons. Jim had to go back home several times to collect more
stuff and various personnel, who needed lifts. Dealers were already
arriving to set up their stalls, admirably administered by Linda
Bergin and Lesley Price (thanks gals!). Attendees were also beginning
to arrive, and hotel reception quickly became a sort of controlled
bedlam. Other people needed collecting from the station. I had
a familiar feeling of panic and dread. What was it? Oh yes, it
felt like the morning of a wedding. All that preparation and chaos!
I can remember a moment when Lydia and I were alone in the ops
room, surrounded by bags and boxes and general detritus. People
had been dashing in and out, asking questions we were almost too
stunned to answer. Lydia and I stared at each other in mute despair.
One of us said, "Why are we doing this?" But somehow,
everything got sorted out. Books were transported to the Immanion
Press table in the dealers' room, and our little operations
centre resembled something efficient and official.
A few of our guests had had to cancel due to family problems
and illness, and even Andy Collins, who was in the latter stages
of flu, couldn't come until Saturday morning. We nearly had a
riot in the dealers' room when we discovered that it wasn't securable
after all, and someone would have stay up all night guarding stock.
Fortunately, Gep, our registrations man, offered to do so. Gradually,
the problems were solved, and everyone prepared for the opening
ceremony. By this time, the hotel staff looked as if they thought
they were being invaded by an alien species. But they were remarkably
good-natured and helpful throughout. I have no doubt Tillington
Hall will never be the same again.
Wendy Darling opened the convention, by introducing the guests
who'd already arrived. We even got Ruby to say a few words in
public! *g* Then the panels got under way.
At
the opening: Phil Hine, Storm Constantine,
Wendy Darling and Anne Sudworth.
Pic credit: Paul Parker
The first night was devoted almost entirely to Wraeththu-related
subjects. Maria Leel ran a very lively panel on fan fiction. One
of the main guests, Ricardo Pinto, had been press-ganged onto
it, as Stan Nicholls (who'd been the pro author due to take part)
hadn't been able to come. At first, Ricardo was rather skeptical
about the whole thing, but confessed he was won over by the end.
Ricardo, in fact, proved to be one of the stars of the whole weekend.
More staid conventions should take note, and consider having him
as a guest, as he certainly brings life to the proceedings!
Fanfic
panel
Pic credit: Paul Parker
The first panel was followed by Addie Fielding's on "Wraeththu:
Fifteen Years On." The panelists included my long time friend
Tigger, who had quite a few anecdotes about the early years to
relate. Addie also officially launched the collection Writers
of the Storm and along with other WotS authors
present (Wendy, Bridgette, Maria and Martina) said a few words
about the contributions.
(Most of) the Writers of the Storm (left to right, Martina Luise
Pachali,
Wendy Darling, Maria Leel, Addie Fielding, and Bridgette Parker).
Pic credit: Maria Leel
The
evening's events concluded for some of us with a deharan meditation.
I know I stayed up for some time after that, but unfortunately
my mind is a blank. I do remember that it ended with Ricardo and
me, huddled in a corner, bemoaning in great detail the state of
the publishing industry, then I realised I should go to bed. The
biggest day was yet to come.
Ricardo Pinto and Storm have a late-night chat.
Pic credit: Wendy Darling
Saturday
And,
of course, the first thing that greeted me after breakfast was
a problem. Three of our guests, namely Gail-Nina Anderson, Anne
Sudworth and Andy Collins, all needed some kind of projector for
their talks. Two years ago, the hotel had assured us it had a
slide projector that used a carousel for the slides. This was
in fact not so. Fortunately, Andy was bringing one with him, but
he wasn't due to arrive until the afternoon, so some programme
reshuffling had to take place, so that Gail-Nina could use his
machine. Then we discovered that we'd have to pay extra for the
special projector that connected to a computer so that Anne could
give her art show and talk. Deb Howlett handled negotiations,
and eventually everything was sorted out.
The
panels ran smoothly throughout the morning, including my interview
with Wendy, and revved up a gear after lunch with "The Satanic
Mills of Publishing." Unfortunately, I had to miss this event
as I was flapping about somewhere else, but I heard that it was
very lively indeed, as Ricardo and Trev Bamford (of Nightbreed
Records, formerly of the band Every New Dead Ghost), debated
the pros and cons of music on the Internet, aided and abetted
by Phil Brucato and Kevin DiVico from Laughing
Pan, and our own Gabriel Strange. This was followed by Anne
Sudworth's talk and show, another highpoint of many throughout
the weekend. Anne showed around sixty paintings and described
in great detail the artistic, spiritual and magical themes behind
them. I have never heard Anne speak so openly about the more esoteric
aspects of her work, and it was a fascinating talk.
Anne
Sudworth and Kevin DeVico
Pic credit: Paul Cashman
Then
came the event that many people had been waiting for: Andy
Collins' talk on the Watchers and the Nephilim. The audience
were so gripped by it, they wanted to know more, and I had to
schedule an extra slot for him for the following morning. Ricardo
was completely blown away by it, as he saw many parallels in the
Watcher Mythos, (with which he'd previously been unfamiliar),
with his own work. He was sitting next to me, and I remember whispering
to him, "I'd better tell Andy to wind it down. Look at the
time!" Ricardo whispered back, "Who cares?!" So,
needless to say, Andy ran over time a bit. Not that anyone minded.
He ended the talk with a stunning picture of what he thought a
Watcher might really have looked like: It was a photo (probably
computer enhanced) of a long-haired albino Asian. The eyes were
amazing. When it popped onto the screen, I think nearly everyone
took a deep breath and leaned back in their seats. It was the
most haunting, riveting image you can imagine. (Incidentally,
Andy is going to send me a copy, so I'll be able to post it somewhere
eventually.) The day's talks concluded with Gail-Nina's presentation
on vampires, the first of two parts. Again, unfortunately, I had
to miss this one, but was told later how good it was and what
an excellent speaker Gail-Nina is.
After
dinner, the evening's events kicked off with the launch for Wendy
Darling and Bridgette Parker's Wraeththu Mythos novel, Breeding
Discontent. The authors read some extracts from the book,
while more people arrived (mainly friends of mine) for the night's
festivities.
People
gather for Breeding Discontent launch event
Pic credit: Paul Parker
I'd
asked John Matley to do a set for us. I've known him for many
years and he was originally part of The Thirteenth Key group that
did a few creative projects based around Wraeththu in the 80s.
Back then, he worked under the name of Yash Byzantium. The remnants
of The Closets of Emily Child, I guess. His music has changed
a lot, and I doubt there are many sf/fantasy conventions (if any)
that have gigs like this. John's music is techno/dance oriented,
but also tribal. Very Zion, I must say! The dance floor was rarely
empty while he was on. Once he'd finished, Gabby's computer was
on hand, connected to the DJ rig, with around 12,000 tracks to
choose from. I think the dancing concluded around 2 a.m., but
most people stayed up much later, and the last stragglers, I heard,
staggered to bed around 7 a.m. I went to bed around 4 and found
Jim spread out, fully clothed, face down on the bed, somewhat
the worse for wear! I missed a few interesting scandals, not least
Phil Brucato's somewhat earth-moving massages that took place
in the bar! I won't say more than that.
Fun in the ballroom
Pic credit: Wendy Darling
Sunday
You
can imagine that everyone was somewhat subdued on Sunday morning.
Some didn't surface until the afternoon. Even so, a fair proportion
managed to make it to Andy's second talk at around 10.30 a.m.
Throughout the talk, he had the picture of the albino on screen
behind him, and it seemed to do some strange things like blink
and move its eyes. I suspect this was the effect of a hangover
rather than a paranormal event, although Andy's wife Sue later
told me she also saw strange things like that too. The rest of
the talks that day went well, including the second part of Gail-Nina's
presentation and a discussion involving most of the guests on
"otherness" in fantasy fiction and the creation of magical
systems from fictional sources. This was actually two panels cobbled
together, as we'd had timing problems and couldn't fit everything
in.
The
convention started to wind down, not least because most of us
were exhausted. Sunday concluded with magical workshops by Phil
Hine and Taylor Ellwood. Someone always has to have the last event
slots, and even though most attendees were burned out by this
time, the workshops were well attended. I stand in awe of their
stamina!
Taylor Ellwood and Storm Constantine.
Pic credit: Wendy Darling
What
I've talked about here is only a rough overview of everything
that went on. I could write pages and pages on all that took place.
Everyone was great and participated fully in the event. People
made new friends and met up with old ones they'd never met in
person before. Internet friendships became real life. I think
everyone felt a bit wistful at the closing ceremony, having to
say goodbye.
Post-Con
& Epilogue
Gradually,
the hotel bar emptied as people were ferried to stations or made
their own way home. We packed up and Jim began transporting people,
luggage and "stuff" back to our house, aided by Paul
Cashman, who was still having trouble with driving on the "wrong"
side of the road! It took us a couple of hours in all, but eventually
there we were, back home, and it was all over.
Of
course, the end of the convention wasn't the end of the story
for Jim and me, because we had guests at our house for several
more days -– and none of us were inclined to abandon the
party spirit. Maria had made me two bottles of sheh (the Chateau
Fengate version of the Wraeththu apple liquor), and although I'd
vowed to myself to keep it a while, most of it was guzzled on
the Sunday night, along with seven other bottles of wine. (Well,
there were loads of us.) It felt like people were sleeping everywhere,
in almost all rooms except the bathroom! Jim was brilliant and
got up at 6 a.m. for two days to take people to the station. Paul
and Bruce were the last to leave on Wednesday afternoon, and suddenly
our house was empty.
Storm and friends survey Staffordshire.
Pic credit: Wendy Darling
Now,
of course, we have next year to look forward to. Because of Paul's
support, Grissecon will be part of the massive Dragon*Con
convention in Atlanta next September. Before that, I'll be at
Lunacon in New York (March),
and I'm quite tempted by the Irish convention Octocon in October
(not least because Tanith Lee is scheduled as a guest), so after
years of not attending cons, I'll be visiting quite a few. I hope
to see some of you at them. It would be great if those who came
to Grissecon this year could meet up again in Atlanta. My thanks
go to everyone who helped out and who came to bring the convention
to life. It was a unique experience!
Incidentally,
the lost prog books eventually turned up, so we have lots of spares.
You can buy them via the Immanion
Press web site .
About the Author:
Storm Constantine... well, I think we all know who Storm Constantine is.
She lives in Stafford, England, with her husband Jim and nine cats. More info:
http://www.stormconstantine.com.
|
