News of the Worldcon

In August, my son and I traveled to London to attend the 75^th annual World Science Fiction Convention, known as Worldcon. Many of my friends and family know that I attend “cons” but do not really understand what happens there. Worldcon is the perfect opportunity to talk about the wonderful world of science fiction fan conventions!

Worldcon is a not-for-profit, fan run, celebration of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. Although it has a similar focus as Comicon, Wizards’ World, and other media focused  events, Worldcon is run by fans for fans. Comicon and its siblings are designed to promote specific products and profit from attendees; they are really “shows” where media stars talk, show film clips, and promote their movies and products. Comicon attracts over 130,000 people; this year’s Worldcon broke records with around 8000 people. Worldcon focuses as much or more on literature, science, music, gaming, costuming, and other areas of interest to the fan community as it does on television, movies, and comics. For a more detailed discussion of Worldcon and Comicon, look at this article from the wonderful fanzine SF Signal.

The professional events cater to consumers, and appear to attract large numbers of casual fans, who are not connected to each other in any other way than by their attendance. Worldcon, and many regional conventions, are designed to support and sustain a worldwide fan community, often referred to as “fandom.”

Fandom, especially at Worldcon, is a diverse and inclusive group. I remember the first time I traveled alone to a convention. I was shocked at how strangers talked to each other. I was invited to sit down at a table at an event, and people made me feel welcome and included.

At Worldcon, we had fans of all flavors. It was an international gathering. Formal panel discussions actively examined the inclusion of women, people of color, and lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer and questioning people in all aspects of the science fiction and fantasy world. The convention was purposefully accessible to people with mobility and other challenges. Did the convention completely represent the diversity of the city (and world) around it: no. However, this is a community that is constantly striving  to be inclusive.

The participants at Worldcon nominate and vote for the year’s best science fiction and fantasy works: the Hugo Awards. Named for science fiction pioneer, Hugo Gernsback, who founded Amazing Stories magazine, these awards honor the best writing (novels, short stories, etc.), dramatic presentations (movies, television shows, and other media forms), fanzines, podcasts, editors, artists and several other categories of science fiction and fantasy work. On Sunday night, the Hugos are science fiction’s Oscars! Next time you are in a bookstore, look for books that brag, “Hugo Winner” “ Hugo winning author” or “Hugo nominated.”

Worldcon is a kind of homecoming and reunion. It is filled with thoughtful and passionate people who care about ideas, as well as images. While Comicon’s panels are usually presentations by major money making franchises, the Worldcon panels also explore far more heady issues dealing with literature, ethics, and equality. Worldcon panelists are writers, academics, editors, bloggers, publishers, and people who have gained fame within the fan community for their devotion and dedication to creating events like Worldcon.

I must acknowledge the remarkable and phenomenal work of the some of those people: the convention committee, the unpaid group of people who organize Worldcon and other conventions. I have attended conventions for more than thirty years, and only recently begun to be involved back stage. Yet, it should be clear to even the first time convention attendee that organizing Worldcon or any convention is an enormous undertaking. Comicon has a paid staff and is always in San Diego. Worldcon moves every year and committees have only two years to plan. I am forever grateful and in awe of these conrunners, as they are called.

Unlike many professionally run conventions, Worldcon (and most regional conventions like Chicago’s Capricon and Windycon), had far more than panel discussions to offer. This year’s Worldcon had an entire social area called the fan village, which had tents (yes, real tents) run by groups who were bidding to run future Worldcons, fan societies and other groups ; there was a tent exclusively for teens, areas with activities for small children, areas with games and activities for grown ups, and places to socialize and hang out. There was even a bar!

Worldcon had a dealers area selling all sorts of science fiction stuff: t-shirts, jewelry, toys, and branded products, but there are also lots of books! There were exhibits and a full art show that culminated in an art auction.

Authors read from their books and signed them. Films, television shows, and shorts were screened. Live plays were performed. This year, there was a volunteer Worldcon philharmonic that gave a concert. Costumes were celebrated at a Masquerade, which was followed by a dance!

I could not begin capture the Worldcon experience in a short (or even longer) piece like this. Conventions like this are special celebrations. They are fandom gatherings and labors of love.

Use Me

As I prepare for classes, one assignment has me stymied. As an introductory activity, and a means of preparing for writing college essays, I asking my Senior English students to write “User Guides” to themselves. I was introduced to the assignment in an article on an educational blogs.

The assignment has both a creative, and an expository side. It will let me get to know them, and it is directly applicable to the type of writing needed for college essays. It seems fair that one of the samples I show them is a user guide to their teacher.

I sat down with the user guide from the teacher who authored the article and several other samples. I began by using her format, but it didn’t work for me. Even though she was also an English teacher, it was clear that the structure was as powerful as the actual content.  

I looked at “real” user guides and imitated them. I tried several formats, and that is when I hit the wall. I can’t say everything. What are the key ideas? What do I want kids to know about me in order to best interact with me? I made a list, but the items felt trivial. I was more focused on my idiosyncrasies, hobbies, and personality than the real issues.

That got me thinking: what is the real function of a teacher? What is my “purpose?” To teach, of course! Duh! But what does that mean? What are my primary functions in class?

Certainly, my main purpose in each of my classes is to teach students a clearly defined set of skills. They need to be competent as readers, writers, speakers, listeners, and thinkers. It is my goal that, as students master these skills, they will become more effective and creative communicators.

But there is more. I’d love to engender a love of literature. I want them to soak up narrative, if not in the written form, then on screen or stage or somewhere else. I’d like them to approach story with curiosity and thoughtfulness.

Of course, every teacher is part entertainer, too. Not everything we do will be fun, but I’d like our time together to be enjoyable. I am also part substitute parent. I will worry if they are ill, encourage them to dress warmly, and remind them to use their manners.

Finally, I am still learning. So I am a student as well. Especially as our classroom becomes more connected to the Internet, I am much more guide than answer-man.

In my classroom, I have four classroom values: our time is valuable and should be well used, everyone must participate, we should affirm and respect each other, and my prime value: we are all responsible for our own learning. Do I need to repeat these? I decided that my user guide was a complementary document to my classroom procedures and I didn’t want it to overlap much.

So how would a student “use” me? Students often say they had me in class, although only rarely do I feel “had.” However, there are times when I have felt used.

I finally forced myself to sit down and write. I wrote about my teacher functions, but also about the rest of my life: I am a member of a family, connected to my local, religious, and fan communities. I have a set of values that goes well beyond any single role or the simplistic statements on the wall.

Each time I look at my “user guide,” I change something. I will probably keep making revisions until the kids see it – and then maybe even more after I see their guides.

If the assignment forced me to reflect like this, I can only hope that it will have half that effect on my students. I am eager to meet them, study with them, and have a wonderful year together.

Thinking about Anne Frank and Israel

Seventy years ago yesterday, Anne Frank wrote her last entry in her diary. Much has been written about her; she is the emissary of the Holocaust to millions. The line from her diary that stands out to me is her affirmation that, “in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

She goes on to say, “I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again. “ 

Then my thoughts turn to the current conflict in the Middle East. Now, my reader’s ears perk up. “Will he be pro-Israel? Will he be sympathetic to the Palestinians? Will he fall into the “there is blame on both sides” trap? Or will he, as Amos Oz did in a recent interview, try to analogize the situation to a neighbor shooting at your children with a baby in his lap?”

He is going to do none of these things.

I do not see how my views on this situation have an effect. I feel powerless. This post will not sway any opinions that are not already in place. In fact, recent research has disappointingly shown that people are more likely to stick with their misguided opinions even in the face of strong information to the contrary.

So it is not my goal to change your mind about Israel or the current conflict. Unless you are a leader in the current conflict, I am not sure that your opinion (or mine) is going to make much of a difference. So I am not going there.

Like Anne Frank’s story, the events in the Middle East affect me emotionally, intellectually, and personally. But I am not in the line of fire. My children are not in danger. I don’t get a vote. This horrible war is much more than a topic for Internet trolling and social small talk.

“So it doesn’t matter? So we should not pay attention?” says that reader voice. No. It matters. It is very important. As a person of conscience who values my religious identity (and my connection to Israel), and as someone who abhors any violent solution to a problem, this conflict cannot be ignored.

I can give money to organizations that will fund something. I can write letters to lawmakers and media outlets. And of course, that makes a little difference. But it will not bring about peace. I can quarterback and back with my quarters from a safe and comfortable armchair.

Simply put: my actions are not going to change the course of events. Only in my fantasies could I stop the Israelis and the Palestinians from heading down this ever more tragic path.

Like Anne Frank, I still believe that the overwhelming majority of people in the world, and in the Middle East, are good at heart. Like Anne Frank, I am optimistic about the future. But I do not look up the heavens and think it will just turn out all right. “Peace and tranquility” do not return by accident or divine intervention. Human beings make choices. That is what this is about. This about the power of people’s decisions.

My decisions have power. Not in Israel, but here. The horrible conditions of the Palestinians did not suddenly appear. The crisis was not born today. It was born of the countless decisions by many people. They may not have been aware of how their choices, like the ancient sediment and stone around them, can build up, stratify, and create canyons and mountains that are not easily crossed or moved.   

And their decisions still count. No path is fixed. The road can go many ways.

Despite her fate, Anne Frank’s message continues to move millions. Her words, her story, and her choices continue to have power. So do our decisions. For now, and for the future.