It’s high time I shared some thoughts on FenCon XX, since Ty and I attended it a month ago! But then, this FenCon reflection is late for the same reason this is also the first blog post of the year. Since my sister died in September, I’ve been meeting myself coming and going between KC and Texas. Something had to give.

This wasn’t our first FenCon – we’d attended several FenCons before the Pandemic. We liked the crowd size (bustling, but not overwhelming), the friendliness, and the chance to connect with friends located in the Western US. I made some fun connections at those FenCons – but back then one of the biggest attractions was that it was conveniently close to McKinney, Texas, where my sister lived. We could swing by, visit Gigi, and have a “Weird Sisters summit.”

“Close to McKinney” remained important in our decision to attend this year’s FenCon. They’d moved to a February date (from the old date in September), and we definitely were planning another trip in February (Gigi’s house is a multi-month project). So, why not combine the two?

Hotel First (and Subsequent) Impressions

My thoughts about FenCon XX formed throughout the weekend. Although first impressions are important, they aren’t the only thing that counts.

FenCon had not only changed their weekend from the old days. They’d also changed their hotel. The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dallas Near the Galleria is a striking, interesting building. It has so many fascinating architectural features that Ty went on a photo odyssey in an attempt to capture some of its character.

As we prefer to do, we arrived the Thursday before the convention. It gives us a chance to check in with the con and the hotel, set up in the Art Show (more on that in a bit), and get settled into our room.

However, one of our first impressions upon checking in was a plumbing issue. They fixed it, and by way of apology gave us a pair of drink vouchers for the bar. We revisited some related plumbing issues later, but at least the repair people had relatively quick fixes. Another early impression was the repeatedly-sounding fire alarm on Friday. There apparently really was something that overheated the first time. The four or five earsplitting times after that came while they attempted to reset and test the equipment.

Two other impressions settled in as the convention continued. First, because I walk with a cane and pull my “rolling office” behind me, I have a first-hand perspective on a venue’s accessibility issues. Accommodations were startlingly lacking at this Doubletree. Without an elevator (those also were sidelined for a time), a person in a wheelchair could never have gotten to the lower level for part of the programming. The other impression was that the hotel seemed to dwarf the con. Perhaps it was because the convention was so spread out, but it felt like a smaller gathering than we remembered.

Thoughts on FenCon XX, Art Show Edition

I originally had the idea to return to FenCon because Art Show Director Jimmy Simpson invited me back. Jimmy runs an excellent art show (he apprenticed with Theresa Patterson, so of course it’s well-run), and this one, while small, was no exception.

I debuted a new piece at FenCon, though I haven’t yet posted it on my Paper Sculpture Gallery (probably should do that). As I sometimes do, I also acted as an agent for my friend Lucy A. Synk. She sent a lot of new artwork, as well as a few older favorites. She sold a goodly chunk of the artwork she brought, so I’d say it was a pretty good show for her.

I was pleased to see work by other accomplished artists, including Vincent Villafranca, Theresa Mather, Ray Van Tilburg, Jim Humble, Peri Charlifu, and Sara Felix, plus the delicate miniature fantasies of Patricia McCracken. I already own artwork by many of them. It was my pleasure to acquire a pendant necklace on this trip from Sue Rogers.

New to me but wonderful were the work of two artists, one of whose work I couldn’t find represented online. I thought the mixed-media fabric art from Toniquilts was quite interesting and beautiful. No photography allowed in the show, of course, so I can’t show them to you. But for me the real show-stoppers were the leather sculptures by Kris Todd, AKA @Steeldragonart on Instagram. I especially appreciated the amazing “Beetle Bag,” and the spectacular “Spider.”

Authors at FenCon XX

The artists were my “first contact” at the convention, because I started there on Thursday night. But no “Thoughts on FenCon XX” post could be complete without mentioning the authors. I was on panels with many of them, but I also enjoyed meeting up with Julie Frost and Rob Howell in the bar on Thursday night (see: plumbing, above).

I was on five panels (and moderated all five! That was fun). Among my co-panelists were Dara Kountz, Paige E. Ewing, C. Stuart Hardwick, D.L. Young, P. N. Elrod, and David Rike. Additional delightful co-panelists included J.H. Fleming, Kim Redford, M. T. Reiten, Melanie Fletcher, Monalisa Foster, Paul Black, and Ted Pennella. There was no way I could fit examples of everyone’s cover into the montage, but you can learn more about each via their links, and I hope you will take the time.

If you’ve read any of my other blog posts about sf conventions, you probably know one of my favorite things to do is go to author readings. My friend Steven R. Southard wasn’t on any panels with me, but we did try to go to a reading on Friday (the author, who shall remain nameless, didn’t show). I was luckier on Saturday: all three showed up!

Wally Waltner read three scenes from a bardic fantasy work in progress. He’s a frequent Raconteur Press author. He also ran tabletop gaming during the convention. Jon LaForce read a moving scene from his book Hell’s Belles: War and Love Downrange. And William Ledbetter wrapped up Saturday afternoon with a short story, “The Beast from Below,” from his anthology, The Long Fall Up.

So, Those are my Thoughts on FenCon XX

It was interesting to attend again. I enjoyed reconnecting with friends, including Rhonda Eudaly and Ken Ruffin. The convention seemed smaller than we remembered, and we were startled to learn that the Consuite, which was in the hotel room next door to ours, was only open during limited hours. We were disappointed to find that the hotel seemed to discourage parties – the “old” FenCons were party-central! Ken still held his Space Party on Saturday night, but the best Friday night party got shut down by the hotel.

Will we go back next year? Maybe. Texas is a long, long way from Kansas City. And as we proved yet again this year, the weather in February is often challenging. We stopped going to Capricon because we kept encountering blizzards on the way to and from Chicago. Similarly, we dodged snow and ice on this trip. But once we got there, the people were fun and friendly, the art show was well run, and they let me moderate panels! On the whole, I enjoyed it.

About the Author

Author Jan S. Gephardt has been scrambling to keep all the plates spinning since September, traveling between Kansas City and her late sister’s home in Texas every month for a week of intense work. In between, she and her new partner, son Tyrell Gephardt have been working to keep Weird Sisters Publishing moving forward. The third book in her XK9 “Bones” Trilogy, Bone of Contention, was released last September. Jan is now at work on a “post-trilogy” XK9 novel titled Bones for the Children.

IMAGE CREDITS

Many thanks to FenCon for their logo, which I found on their Instagram profile. Thanks also are due to Tyrell Gephardt for his photos of the hotel, Lucy A. Synk for permission to share photos of her artwork, and Amazon, for the six book cover images used in the illustration.

Specifically, the Amazon cover sources are for “Precise Oaths,” by Paige E. Ewing, “Cry Havoc,” by Julie Frost, “The Long Fall Up And Other Stories,” by William Ledbetter, “Hell’s Belles: War and Love Downrange,” by Jon LaForce, “The Feasting of Vengeance,” by Rob Howell, and “Don’t Call Me Hero,” by Dara Kountz.