I love January because it’s the start of celebrity awards shows. I love watching the Red Carpet show and checking out the outfit the stars are wearing. The whole festivities begin with The People’s Choice, Golden Globes, SAG and then the granddaddy of them all, the Academy Awards.
But let’s not forget the authors, because they have their own award shows (well, that’s what I’m calling them) by way of conventions both for readers and writers. Me, I’m interested in the ones for readers and the two I attend are Malice Domestic, which is celebrating its 25th year and Bouchercon. I would love to attend others, but that thing called work which helps pay for my attendance at the two, needs to take precedence.
Malice was the first convention I attended thanks to the *nudge* by Heather Webber, and I'm so happy for that nudge. Every year I look forward to attending the panels and catching up with friends who I’ve met on blogs and FB and with the authors that I’ve met who have become friends. What I like best about Malice is that it is small and not overwhelmingly crowded. Also, it is held in Bethesda and the hotel is a train ride away from the nation’s capital. Malice is May 3 - 5.
Then there’s Bouchercon where the venue is different every year. So far I’ve been to St. Louis (finally saw the Gateway Arch) and Cleveland (finally saw the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) and this year it’s held in Albany, the state capital where I live. I’ve never been to Albany, so this will be very interesting for me. What I like best about Bouchercon is I get to travel to different cities that I thought about traveling to, but never got the chance. Bouchercon is September 19 - 22.
Last year I won a free weekend to Thrillerfest and while I enjoyed it, I felt that one was more for writers. Thrillerfest is July 10 - 13.
Other conventions/conferences I would love to attend are: Left Coast Crime, Killer Nashville, Deadly Ink and the Festival of Mystery at Oakmont, to name a few.
So, have you attended convention/conference before and what do you like best about them?
In my earlier years, I attended many Bouchercons. Loved them and seeing the cities I'd never have gone to otherwise. I've also attended two Malices, and many Left Coast Crimes. I've gone to Epicons also set in many different places--I'm going to Vancouver WA for one in March and I'll be attending PSWA's conference in July. I like it because it's small--and I'm the program chair, so I sort of have to go.
ReplyDeleteDru Ann, I'm looking forward to seeing you again at Malice. One of the nice things about these conferences, aside from the awards, is the chance to see many writer and fan friends who live far away. Since I live in the heart of flyover country, I don't get that chance as often as those of you who live on the East Coast and other more popular and populous places.
ReplyDeleteLast year's Bouchercon was my first. I had a good time, but it's so big that it's hard to connect with the folks you want to see. And it's funny that I say that, since I'm getting ready to go to AWP (Association of Writers and Writing Programs) national conference in Boston, which draws over 11,000 people, many more than Bouchercon. But I've been going to AWP for years and know so many people there (mostly academics or lit writers) that I can't walk through the hotel lobby without being stopped repeatedly by friends, so I don't have to try to find folks. The big problem there for me is that I too often have to choose among three to five panels or reading with friends of mine, all at the same time.
I do love the atmosphere at Malice, though. It was my introduction to the mystery community, and that couldn't have been better. For anyone who's not attended any of these conferences, I think Malice Domestic is a great place to start.
Dru Ann, you can admit I twisted your arm! I am so happy you took me up on that twisting, though. One of the biggest things I'll miss about not attending Malice this year is seeing you. You have a great list of conferences here!
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