Event List – May 2016

I have so many things coming up in the next few months, so I thought I’d give you all a quick list. If you want to know more about anything or want to point me in a particular direction at any individual event, please leave a comment!

Book Expo America – May 11-13
BEA is the primary tradeshow for publishing in North America. This year it is taking place in Chicago and I am so excited. My bookstore doesn’t usually send anyone to BEA or SIBA (Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance,) but I have friends I wanted to visit anyway, so I’m going. It will be my first trip to BEA and I am beyond excited.

 SFWA Nebula Conference – May 12-15
Oh, look what just happens to be in Chicago at the same time as BEA? It’s the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America annual conference. Oh, well, if I must go where some of the top people working in the field I love are, I suppose I can. It will be difficult, but I will soldier on. Grimly. (The grim part is mostly so I don’t squee at everyone in a never-ending stream of enthusiasm. It’s really not polite.) I won’t be going to the actual Nebula Awards dinner, but I do have a membership for the rest of the conference and it will be lovely!

ConCarolinas – June 3 – 5
This is a small convention in North Carolina. The guest list has some folks I’d like to see; Ursula Vernon & Chelsea Quinn Yarbro to be precise. It’s also close enough for my best friend to meet me there, which is always a good reason to go to an event. I’ve applied to the art show, but I haven’t heard back yet, but it should be a good time either way.

Magic City Con – June 10 – 12 
This con is in my own backyard, so of course I have to go! I’m actually vending at this event, so I’ll be there in a slightly more professional capacity than sometimes. There is a very strong Bioware fan presence at this convention, which is awesome since I know several of the folks from the DragonAge costume photo shoots from DragonCon. I’ll have to remember to stop chatting long enough to work my booth. I missed MCC last year because I was in Iceland, so this will be a new experience for me.

LibertyCon – June 8-10
LibertyCon is part of my regular rotation right now. I’ve gone for the past two years and exhibited in the art show. There is quite a bit of crossover between LibertyCon and JordanCon attendees, so I’ve got lots of friends there now. The author guest of honor is Jonathan Maberry, and we all know how fond I am of him. Melissa Gay is the special guest and she’s possibly the nicest person in the convention art circuit. Todd Lockwood is the artist guest of honor. I met him at JordanCon last year and he is as nice as he is skilled.

DragonCon – September 2 – 5
I’ve gone to DragonCon for a very long time at this point. It’s something I schedule for the day I get home from the previous year’s DragonCon. I meet up with some of my friends that I don’t see very often, wear outrageous costumes, take hundreds of photos, and go see amazing panels. As of last year, I’m also helping out with the Vintage Vogue Fashion Show.
This is a fantastic event on Friday at DC that highlights historical costuming. If you enjoy costuming and are coming to DragonCon, we should talk!

So, that’s what I’ve got coming up. What events are you looking forward to in the rest of the year?