A few years ago, I went to Gen-Con for the first time. It was an incredible experience on many levels, but what really stuck with me was this feeling of “rightness.” There was a real feeling wandering around Indianapolis that the Geek truly did inherit the Earth. We OWNED that town, at least around the convention center. It was a feeling of acceptance for the sub-culture I’d embraced on an unprecedented scale.
Flash to last night’s “Night of Authors” at the Wayward Coffeehouse. Now, the Wayward has always been a sort of Geek-Central. A regular Browncoat rally-point, the owner’s love of sci-fi and fantasy is evident in the decor and the menu. Where else can you get a Wash bagel or Jayne plowman to wash down with a Devil’s Trap Latte? I’m partial to the Sheppard plowman — hummus and peppers — with maybe a Kryten Mocha. But last night was a celebration on a literary level that I’m not used to seeing.
Organized by the lovely and talented Jennifer Brozek, she managed to pull in close to a dozen readers for a three hour block, and fill the house. Sci-fi, fantasy and horror were represented there with names such as Cat Rambo, Jen Brozek, Jeremy Zimmerman, Steven J. Scearce, R. Schuyler Devin, and more I’m sure I’m forgetting. The new Rigor Amortis anthology was well represented, and 3 stories from there were shared. I got to read twice, covering for someone in the first slot who was unable to attend unexpectedly, and closing out the evening with my regularly scheduled slot. I pimped for the Rock is Dead anthology and for Cobalt City Timeslip — both pieces being well received. I was also able to hand out my new Publisher business cards, along with flyers for the Biopunk anthology which will start accepting submissions in just over a week.
It’s weird knowing how many anthologies I’m going to be appearing in over the next quarter or so. And more might be around the corner, as I have a few more stories out and few more to submit. The year of the anthology continues unabated.
Tales from the Ragged Edge 