Month: July 2021

Coming Home: Imaginarium 2021

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After two years away from in-person conventions, coming back to Imaginarium truly felt like a homecoming–even in a new venue, which was a vast improvement in itself. This writer’s convention is always a highlight of my year, and I’m not alone. Year after year, new attendees fall in love with the welcoming vibe, the vibrant atmosphere, and the supportive friends they make at Imaginarium. It’s a true community of creatives that embraces writers and artists of all kinds, featuring panels and workshops for novelists, poets, non-fiction writers, songwriters, filmmakers, game designers, and visual artists all under one roof, as well as gaming and dance, magic, and live music performances on site. And then there’s just the pure camaraderie that such an atmosphere fosters…the shop talk dinners together, the hotel bar hangout time, and the room parties (albeit with limited numbers this year for pandemic safety).

May be an image of 7 people, including James O. Barnes, John F. Allen, Carl Moore, Sara Marian Deurell and T Lee Harris, people sitting, people standing and indoor
Just a few members of the wonderful Imaginarium family. Photo by David Simms

Aside from being in a new location this year, it was also the first time Imaginarium has run as a virtual and live event at the same time, so there was a lot going on! However, it does mean that a lot of people who couldn’t come in person were able to enjoy great content from home, and for a limited time the film festival movies are available online for those who purchased either live or in person tickets. Since I’m always too busy with panels, running the vendor table for the press, etc. during the live event, I’m looking forward to getting to check out the films I missed!

My panels this year were on the topics of writing historical fiction (in person), writing steampunk (in person), worldbuilding (virtual), and cross-genre fiction (virtual). I also ran a workshop, Crafting Cross-Genre, for the third year in a row (virtual last year but in person in 2019 and 2021), this time with an extra mini-exercise on choosing details. These are all some of my favorite topics, and I enjoyed sharing ideas with the audience as well as getting some good advice from fellow panelists (in particular regarding approaches to writing a mystery without an outline, something I really needed insight on!)

And that’s Imaginarium in a nutshell: there’s always so much to share and so much to learn from others, and the convention staff have consistently provided an atmosphere that nurtures true fellowship and a deep sense of belonging. My heart and my imagination are so full right now as I think back on all our conversations this weekend!

I’ma stop now before I make myself cry.

InConjunction 2021 in Review

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My first convention since lockdown was Inconjunction this past weekend (July 2-4) in Indianapolis, and it seemed to be everyone’s first event back. It was smaller and more subdued than usual, but that was all right–everyone was happy to see each other after two years apart, happy to welcome newcomers, and happy to respect one another’s social distancing and mask preferences and the guidelines laid out by the convention staff for safety. Many of us have experienced big life changes since we last saw our convention friends, and hugs were extra tight and not entirely dry-eyed.

I was a speaker on four panels: The Best Thing Ever! (What got you through 2020), Pantsing Prep (writing advice from and for those of us who write “by the seat of our pants” instead of outlining), Worldbuilding (writing tips for creating a well-built setting), and Books on Repeat (books we love to reread and why). My partners in crime the press, Per Bastet Publications, and I had a table in the vendor’s hall, as well, selling books and bookmarks.

May be an image of Sara Marian Deurell and jewelry
Holding down the fort at the Per Bastet table in the vendor hall (Photo by Molly Daniels)

All in all, it was a great event to come back on. The con staff are accessible, helpful, and fun to chat with, as well. I know it wasn’t easy to organize the convention this year, but they did a great job! The hotel, the Marriott East, hosts the event every year and is always pleasant, but this year the staff was over the top great. In spite of being understaffed, they went above and beyond to make sure things went smoothly for us, from the wait staff at the bar/restaurant to the cleaning staff. Shout out to all the people who worked hard so we could have fun and talk shop this weekend!

Next up is Imaginarium Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, July 9-11, and even though I’m still tired from this weekend, I can’t wait! It’s another one we attend every year and are always glad we did, and it will be in a new venue this time. This year they’re offering both an in-person and a virtual event. I’ll be a speaker on panels for both the live and the virtual shows, as well as running my third annual workshop, Crafting Cross-Genre Fiction.