Official Mythcon and California Trip Report

Stephan and I got up at the ungodly hour of 4:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 1, excited to go to California for sightseeing, visiting my uncle, attending Mythcon, and some relaxing and having wonderful food and wine.Because this is rather long and detailed, I'm breaking it down behind several cuts. ETA: Make that two cuts. If you don't want to read a detailed Mythcon report, let it suffice that it was wonderful and fabulous and you should come next year if you didn't this year. So there.Pre-MythconI had the window seat on the Denver to San Francisco leg of the trip. Since I've never seen this part of the country up close and personal, I was glad for the clear weather that allowed a great view of the Rockies and the mesas of Utah. The Bay Area was blanketed with clouds, which we descended beneath before landing. We had the whole day ahead of us for sightseeing in San Francisco.Of course it was too early to check into the Whitcomb hotel, on Market St. close to the Civic Center, but we decided to drive there and park and drop off the luggage. By the time we arrived, it was after 10:00 a.m. To our delight, we were told that our room would be ready in about an hour. Since we'd been up so long, we were already famished for lunch, but managed to put it off until 11:00 by walking down Market Street towards Union Square. Lots of restaurants looked nice, including some Indian and Thai options, but the Indian opened at 11:30 and the Thai that should have been open according to its posted hours did not seem to be open. So we ended up in a Mexican hole-in-the wall where I had the best chicken enchiladas I've had in a long time, and a green salsa that almost made me cry.After checking into our room, we retraced our steps to Powell Street, intending to head for Fisherman's Wharf to visit the aquarium and wander till dinner, doing the regular San Francisco tourist thing. I've been to the city twice before, and in both cases the visits were brief, so I can't claim to know it well. But I had fond memories of sea food and sea lions and views of the bay. The line for the cable car was long, so I suggested we just start hoofing it up the hill. After a couple of blocks, we saw a cable car stopping with no line at all, so we promptly hopped on, congratulating ourselves for our cleverness. Though we were packed in tight, I could see out the side and enjoyed seeing the slanted streets on the climb up and up and up and down a bit and up again and down . . . .The Aquarium had two nice tunnels that you walk through while different sorts of fish, rays, and sharks swim beside and above you. Other nice exhibits included jelly fish, tropical fish, and pipefish, which look like a bizarre combination of a seahorse and a blade of grass. I've always loved aquariums, and I'm not even sure exactly why, except that perhaps it is the closest we land-creatures get to a view of a totally alien environment, with creatures that make me laugh and gawk and generally have a good time. Do funny looking fish get a complex if you laugh at them? I hope not. In a touch pool with rays, one kept jumping up and down in the water, putting its head out as if for a better view of the strange creatures surrounding it.We walked up and down the wharf until dinner time, enjoying the view of the bay and of the sea lions basking and barking. Our jet lag began to catch up with us, so we stopped in a bar near the Cannery to have a local brew. A couple of fishermen sat next to us and regaled us with stories and advice about what was really in season this time of year.It still wasn't a reasonable hour for dinner according to Stephan's sense of such things, so we walked around looking at menus and trying not to drool, then visited a quirky museum of mechanical toys and machines from many places and time periods, in which you could put a quarter or two if you wanted to see them in action. I decided to spend 50 cents on an old organ/piano/drum/bell/etc. contraption that played from a roll like a player piano. Definitely worth the money! We got to see a few other displays in action, including a cute farm with moving animals and people, and a circus.At last we ate dinner at the Fisherman's Grotto. I had something that intrigued me called "Scalone Steak" which was actually a combination of scallops and abalone, ground and pressed into "filets" and lightly breaded. It was quite good, and I was glad to have some abalone even if the taste was mild in the mix. I've only had abalone before in Hong Kong and know it is quite a delicacy and usually not inexpensive on its own.We discussed where buses might run that would get us back in the general direction of our hotel, but decided to walk all the way down (and up) Hyde Street. Up and down Russian Hill (pant, pant), Nob Hill (ow my knees), and finally mostly downhill -- I have to say it was a pleasant walk and quite exhilarating, though coming from Indiana I'm not used to going up and down so many hills! That's the crazy thing about San Francisco. If you look at the street grid, it looks like a regular mid-western flat city. But the city planners didn't build around the hills, they just went right up and over them! There's got to be some interesting stories behind this, but I don't know any of them.Thursday, we went to Golden Gate Park in the morning, which was lovely with brilliant flowers and cute hummingbirds that sounded like someone rubbing a balloon. I particularly love the scent of eucalyptus trees. The afternoon was spent in Berkeley with a lovely visit to my uncle Bill, his son Leslie and Leslie's girlfriend, Nadia, and a couple of friends. Bill is a carpenter and poet and has a wonderful little cottage with a garden that I could just sit in all afternoon. We don't get to see each other that often, so it was great to get to reconnect. He has a website of his poetry at Coming Home which is well worth a visit. His poetry is deeply personal and evocative.Stephan and I headed back to SF for dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant near Union Square. Delicious. I broke down and bought a paisley shawl in Macy's because I had brought only one sweater, v-necked at that, leaving too much of me exposed to the cool morning and evening air. I must do a better job of packing for the weather. However, buying the shawl was a Good Thing in ways that will become apparent much later.On Friday, we took a nice walk near the Golden Gate Bridge and then drove across for lunch in Sausalito at a place with the auspicious name of The Cat and Fiddle. Stephan and I split a burger with mushrooms in red wine sauce which was heavenly. I enjoyed the scenery and more views of the bay. We headed across to Berkeley via Richmond and arrived at the Clark Kerr Campus for Mythcon.Mythcon 2007Mythcon was fabulous. I met and talked with so many great folks that I'm almost guaranteed to leave someone out, and for that I apologize in advance.Stephan and I checked into our room on the Clark Kerr Campus in the early afternoon, curious about who our suitemates in the other bedroom would be. Oh please let it be someone really cool, not that anyone at Mythcon wouldn't be cool, but somebody like a writer whose work I enjoy would be especially cool . . . .We attended fascinating papers about Goldberry, the Erotic Life of Earthsea, and then a reading by Diana Paxson, whose new book I'm just going to have to get. I've greatly enjoyed the Avalon books and it was a real pleasure to hear her read and discuss her work.Back in our room getting ready for dinner, we were delighted to discover that our suitemates were none other than Susan Palwick and her husband, Gary. Stephan and I both loved Susan's book, The Necessary Beggar, which was a finalist for the Mythopoeic award this year. Susan is just as lovely a person as I would have thought from reading her book, and I really enjoyed getting to chat with her and Gary over dinners and breakfasts.Dinner ensued, during which we got to chat with new and old friends, including Chris and Jackie, who were our Tom and Goldberry at the Opening Ceremonies that Stephan and I directed for the Gathering of the Fellowship a few years back in Toronto.The evening's activities included a procession into the too-small room where a dramatic reading from (guests of honor) Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman's The Fall of the Kings was the highlight. Delia narrated, and sartorias gave an appropriately humorous portrayal of the old professor giving a lecture.We retreated to the con suite for conversation and some delicious local beer, then decided to try our hand (or feet, as it were) at English Country Dancing. We'd done Contra Dancing before, but this was new. Though chaos occasionally reigned, a cheerful group of dancers was led through the steps and we had a great time. A couple of dancers, Brenna and Barbara, came in full hobbit regalia and looked especially cute doing the dances, which are definitely hobbitlike.Highlights of Saturday's presentations included a reading of a short story by Ellen Klages, a panel on the Inklings as a Writer's Group, a panel on Life in the Interstices, in which two well-read teenagers provided some insights into YA works, a panel on Magic in Fantasy: Art, Craft, Science? and of course the reading by ellen_kushner. I've read and enjoyed The Privilege of the Sword and The Fall of the Kings, but have yet to read Swordspoint, the first book set in the same world. I picked up a copy for Ellen to sign and am greatly looking forward to reading it. I was really interested to hear about her story The Golden Dreydl, which she narrates along with a Klezmer band playing music from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. My first question, as a ballet librettist, was "have you thought of making a ballet out of this?" Naturally, she had, and I'd love to see this become a reality.I'd briefly met ellen_kushner and delia_sherman before when they attended the Mythcon banquet three years ago in Ann Arbor, but it was a real treat to get to hear them read and talk to both of them quite a bit over the course of the weekend. They are lovely people, talented writers who really know their craft, thoughtful speakers, and good listeners, with boundless enthusiasm and curiosity about fiction and the places it intersects with the other arts.So before I go on about the other events of Mythcon, I will intrude with a brief digression of why I love Mythcon so much. It's simple: the people. The convention is small enough that it affords close contact with some really great and interesting people, from writers, to scholars, to musicians, avid readers all, people of various backgrounds and faiths, all drawn together by a love of the books and the myths that inspired them.The evening's entertainment began with a production called "The Lord of the Ringos," dreamed up by lynn_maudlin and Mike, but Anne and I got drafted into it and had a brief rehearsal on Saturday afternoon. I was sorry to have to miss Susan Palwick's reading while I was rehearsing, because everyone who attended it including Stephan raved about her story. I will just have to look forward to seeing it in print someday.We sang Beatles songs with Lord of the Rings-inspired lyrics devised by Lynn and by Ted Nasmith, who was unable to attend this year. The lyrics were hilarious and it was great fun to sing them. I was flattered to be invited. I mostly sang harmony and was a "doo-wap" girl with Anne. Now my appreciation of Beatles' songs has been tainted forever and I'll never be able to listen to them without thinking of Ted and Lynn's witty lyrics!Next, the "Not Ready for Mythcon Players" gave a summary of Harry Potter full of funny puns and much merriment. The highlight of the evening was Ellen Kushner giving a reading from Thomas the Rhymer (I simply must get that book) along with singing several ballads that inspired or were interwoven with the tale, unaccompanied or in a couple of cases accompanying herself on guitar. Wow, she can sing too and is a great interpreter of ballads! She said something to the effect that anyone could sing, and it is a shame that people do not sing more often. As a voice teacher, I was in complete agreement. Singing is great. Everyone should do it. And I would believe this even if teaching people to sing did not pay my bills!We attended the Bardic Circle that evening, led by Diana Paxson and her harp. Lots of nice poems were read and songs were sung. I contributed by reading my short, absurd play, The Singing Dog, along with Stephan. When I read it at Barnes and Noble in Manchester, I didn't dare include sound effects, seeing as how I was miked. I went ahead and did sound effects this time which I hope didn't hurt anyone's ears. People chuckled at the appropriate times so I think it was a success.Sunday, being on the award committee for fantasy literature, Stephan and I attended a discussion of the nominees. As usual, opinions were diverse, and it was interesting to hear others' views on the adult nominees, and hear about the children's and scholarship nominees. The most interesting programs on Sunday for me were the two about music. Ellen Kushner played a tape of her radio show, Sound and Spirit, about the Lord of the Rings, with recorded music. I loved the show and her choice of music. Later on, calimac gave a talk on Music and Middle-earth. I was nodding my agreement with his choices for music that might be close to what Tolkien might have envisioned, and was glad to hear some of the Tolkien-inspired music I knew and loved as well as some I had not heard. Being a musician and a Tolkien-lover, having two talks that dealt with music was a real treat!The banquet was delightful. Stephan and I were privileged to sit with Susan Palwick and her husband, Gary, as well as lisa_marli, and Sarah. Now here's where I know I'm forgetting to mention all the great folks I managed to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner with at some point or other, since the meals tend to run together. But in addition to people already mentioned, I had meals and great conversation at some point or other with mnemex and drcpunk, and sartorias, Anthony and Jessica, as well as others including our guests of honor. Delia gave a great guest of honor speech that provided some insights into her evolution as a writer. Other speakers focused on the history of Mythcon, including a speech by the founder. As a newbie attending my fourth Mythcon, I learned a lot about the history of the organization.After the banquet we were treated to a concert by Broceliande. I have their cd, The Starlit Jewel, along with the songbook, which I purchased online several years ago. It was a treat to hear them live, and Stephan and I got up to waltz during one tune and had fun singing along to the participatory ones. We were tired by the time of the Bardic Circle, so did not stay as long. I decided to sing the Gregorian Chant version of "Ave Maria" since it is the only one I know by memory and calimac had played the recording of Tolkien singing in Elvish to a chant-like tune. I don't think you could fit "O Elbereth" to the "Ave Maria" tune, but I figured it was in the right spirit.Monday morning Stephan and I lingered around the breakfast table with Susan and Gary and both guests of honor. I enjoyed getting to talk shop a bit with writers who are in a place I would dearly love to be someday, if I could just get my craft to where it should be. It was almost time to go home, but not before a wonderful reading by Delia Sherman of a short story published in an anthology of Trickster tales. The story is set in Louisiana and she read it evocatively with an appropriate accent. She's clearly a master of atmosphere.After the members' meeting and final songs (What do you do with a drunken hobbit? Make him sleep with a little blue teddy bear!), it was time to say goodbye and start looking forward to next year in Connecticut.Whew! And I wonder why I'm more of a novelist than a short story writer? More about the post-Mythcon trip to San Luis Obispo and its environs is still to come.