{"id":2025,"date":"2016-06-01T15:30:29","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T15:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/?p=2025"},"modified":"2016-06-01T15:30:29","modified_gmt":"2016-06-01T15:30:29","slug":"thank-you-balticon-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/2016\/06\/01\/thank-you-balticon-50\/","title":{"rendered":"Thank You, Balticon 50!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Cover

Cover art by me for a limited-edtion GRRM hardcover novella, exclusively available via the Baltimore Science Fiction Society.<\/p><\/div>\n

Great times this past weekend at Balticon 50<\/a>, where George R. R. Martin and I were Guests of Honor, along with Mark Van Name, Fran Wilde, Alexandra Duncan, Kim Stanley Robinson, and an impressive roster of past GoHs such as Charles Stross, Peter Beagle, Connie Willis, Jo Walton, Joe Haldeman, Larry Niven, Phil & Kaja Foglio, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, and more. The level of creative talent in the building felt like\u00a0a miniature version of Worldcon.<\/p>\n

GRRM and me during the onstage \"Conversation\" event. That was fun. :)

GRRM and me during the onstage \u201cConversation\u201d event. That was fun. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n

Huge congratulations to\u00a0Nora Echeverria and the entire con com for achieving\u00a0the single largest Balticon attendance ever. THANK YOU to all of the con attendees who packed the seats for my programming items\u2013 and especially my Loteria game session and onstage\u00a0interview with GRRM, which were filled to capacity. Great job by Sarah Pinsker and Michael R. Underwood on their Dangerous Voices Variety Hour event. Thank you to Fan Guests of Honor Martin Deusch, Shirley Avery, Sue, Nora, Anna, Meredith, Filthy + the Art Show staff for setting up a terrific Art Show and thank you to all who made it a big success as almost all of my A Song of Ice and Fire<\/em> artwork sold out, along with so many\u00a0framed originals and prints. I sold out of Loteria Grande Card Sets<\/a>\u00a0and signed countless items at my Artists Alley table. Before the con even began, George and I\u00a0pre-signed 500 limited-edition copies of a new GRRM hardcover novella that I illustrated called In The House of the Worm<\/a><\/em>. (Special thanks to Sean Wallace for making it happen.) This convention was\u00a0an intense and absolute joy.<\/p>\n

I had a blast spending time with George, Parris, Lenore, and Jo. Enjoyed the conversations and quality minutes that I had with so many pros and fans. Always much love and best of times with\u00a0The Hardest Buckaroos \u2014 the Brotherhood Without Banners \u2014 Martha, Doug, Christine, Eddie, Neal, Yags, Pod, Kristina, Dave, Douglas, Caryn, Meg, Bill and everyone. Special shoutout to my IMPALED PHALLUS bandmates! \ud83d\ude09<\/em><\/p>\n

So many people gave their all to make this con happen, as is always the case with fan-run conventions (thank you, Allison, Adrienne, Joe, Roy, Anna, and all). Did Balticon\u00a0have massive problems with its programming schedule? Absolutely. And yet, thanks to the grit and resilience\u00a0of diehard volunteers, I saw nothing but joy from every fan I encountered. Romeo Capriotti, this is for you. (Thea, change the words to \u201cwoman\u201d and \u201cma\u2019am\u201d and same applies.) You did a great job, Romeo. Best GoH Liaison I could ask for.<\/p>\n