Readercon: just north of Boston, July 9-12, 2009

[ellenkushner]

How I love the big little interstitial con in Burlington in July! This will be its 20th year, and I have barely missed a single one. This year's Readercon Guests of Honor will be Elizabeth Hand, Greer Gilman, and . . . yes, there's always a Memorial Guest: Hope Mirrlees. While filling out various forms, I came across their Participants Page, listing every author signed up so far - which may be enough to get you there all on its own! - but the Mirrlees bio is absolute Essence of Readercon. Sign up if you want to spend a weekend with people who think like this:

It's been said of the Velvet Underground that they only sold 500 records, but that everyone who purchased a copy started a band. The VU of fantasy is unquestionably Hope Mirrlees, whose sole fantasy novel Lud-in-the-Mist (1926) has slowly grown in reputation from obscure oddity to full-blown classic. Since its reappearance in print in 1970 in Lin Carter's Ballantine Adult Fantasy line it has become a huge influence on a generation of fantasists, including Joanna Russ, Neil Gaiman, past Readercon GoH Michael Swanwick and both of this year's Guests of Honor. Mirrlees (1887–1978) led a fascinating life (see Swanwick's "The Lady Who Wrote Lud-in-the-Mist") that is well worth exploring, but we will of course focus most of our attention on her sui generis masterpiece. If you haven't already encountered this taproot text of modern fantasy, now is the time!

Comments

[gleeful-t.livejournal.com]

This is rather off-topic, but what does your icon shot glass say? You probably already know the skull and crossed swords were the emblem on the flag of "Calico" Jack Rackham, corsair cavorter with Anne Bonny and Mary Reade, those fearsome fantastic femmes!

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

It would be nice if that convention remembered her other works, too.

Hope Mirrlees at Readercon

[(Anonymous)]

It is worth your knowing that Ms Mirrlees will be making a rare posthumous appearance at Readercon this year. I plan to interview her at some stage in the proceedings.

-- Michael Swanwick