or Geeks in the House: We’re at the Party, Now What Do We Do?

I feel that GeekGirlCon overall was an astounding success! I mean a FIRST YEAR CON sold out every day?! As a part time con-runner myself I understand what a feat that is. Those ladies worked their butts off all year and they completely deserve the outpour of support the blogosphere has bestowed on them. Here is me knighting you as protectors of the marginalized geeks!  (Imagine it in your heads, it’s awesome like at the end of Episode IV and you get gorgeous flowers from Pike Place Market at the end of the ceremony.)

I wish I could have spent more time there over the weekend but I ended up with the perfect dose of fem nerd community and Seattle indoctrination. (My plane left early on Sunday so I missed out on that day, I’m still proud to have bought a 2 day pass and supported this endeavor!)

I apologize if I was a bit of a downer on Twitter when hashtagging it (that’s right I verbized that word). All in all I think it was a success and hope it’s the beginning of a great thing.  Gail Simone said on Twitter that she felt like it was a sort of Woodstock, the start of a wonderful and powerful movement.  I think it totally could be.  Here’s the but, in the shadow of Occupy WallStreet I was hoping for more of a call to arms. I understand that has to get worked up to, but I really hope the general consensus of “this is the start of something great” follows through next year. Because I’m totally going back and dragging people with me. Addendum (because I originally drafted this on my plane ride home Sunday): after reading a lot of the blog recaps of the weekend I think this seed was planted and is definitely taking root in everyone’s mind who attended. May it bloom and grow!

More of my thoughts after the break, including the issues I think will bring us into the second wave of geekdom…

Read More

or How I Became Instant BFF’s with a Greek Geek Goddess

Today I want to write about my awesome West Coast friend Phoebe Kitanidis.  It’s odd but a few times in my life I’ve met people that I was instantly connected to (BTW: so awkward if they don’t feel the same, happens with a lot of boys back in the day) and she’s one of them.  Would believe that until she picks me up from the airport in Seattle later today, we’ll only have hung out in person on two other occasions?  Not unless I told you that when we’ve been together, even the first time we met, we both seemed to recognize a kindred spirit.  Conventions seem to be the linchpin that keeps brining us together (for which I’m very thankful).  

The scene is Austin 2008: Phoebe a promising new young writer with an agent and a string of non-fiction credits to her name, Lola, a spunky young girl trying to navigate the waters of a SF writers workshop with just a cute jersey dress and quiet enthusiasm to her credit.  I was workshopping a short story where Merlin gets fired and has a midlife wizard crisis where he ends of moving in with his mom and trying to get work as a witch doctor but ends up being hired by a dragon!  As all my short stories turn out to be, it was really a novel idea masquerading as 12 pages of quips and crappy dialogue (it sounds so much better in my head than on paper).  Phoebe was one of the Pros helping to mentor my motley group of wannabes but before I knew that she was the lady who noticed my grey dress.  “Thanks! It was a Gap bargain, it’s so comfy,” I told her and we shared a smile of ladies who appreciate the merging of fashion and function. 

Read More