{"id":2526,"date":"2018-08-24T18:15:25","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T18:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/?p=2526"},"modified":"2018-08-24T22:45:59","modified_gmt":"2018-08-24T22:45:59","slug":"worldcon-76-the-end-is-the-beginning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/2018\/08\/24\/worldcon-76-the-end-is-the-beginning\/","title":{"rendered":"Worldcon 76: The End Is The Beginning"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p> $\"\"$ Last week, I stood centerstage at Worldcon 76<\/a>\u2018s Opening Ceremonies with my fellow Mexicanx, locked arms in \u2018X\u2019 formations, reading a statement condemning the inhumane treatment of immigrants and families at the border. We banded together, strangers united by a desire to share our visions, to give our all, to do more than we can do ourselves, and maybe change this world for the better. It was a historic moment, still rippling, still resonating. It marked the arrival of The Mexicanx Initiative\u2019s founding assembly. We stepped across that stage as individuals, and walked off together as family, bonded by hope, eager to add new color and shape to the tapestry of modern science fiction and fantasy.\n

It was my first official act as Worldcon\u2019s Artist Guest of Honor \u2014 becoming only the third Worldcon GoH to ever be a Hugo Awards Master of Ceremonies in the same year (Connie Willis and David Gerrold are the others). More on those Hugos later\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u2022 TUESDAY the 14th:<\/strong> The opening act of my Worldcon week was not a Worldcon happening, but it was a big one, as George R. R. Martin and I shared the stage for a benefit live conversation at The Fox Theatre<\/a> for Locus Magazine<\/a><\/em>. SF in SF<\/a>\u2018s Rina Weisman produced the event, and she did an incredible job. It was billed as a talk between George and me, and we ended up giving the fans a 2-1\/2 hour event complete with signed books, signed prints, a lot of laughs, new insights, candid responses, and a wide-ranging Q&A. He and I have done this type of event before, but never in a theatre this beautiful, in front of an audience this big. It was a joy to see how much the fans appreciated it.
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\u2022 WEDNESDAY the 15th:<\/strong> Setting up an Art Show and a Dealers Booth at the same time is not recommended, but it needed to be done. It wasn\u2019t the last time I had to be in multiple places at once. \u2018Twas a tough task, not made easier by union guys who argued amongst themselves and weren\u2019t ready for exhibitors to set up during scheduled hours. I\u2019m pro-union, but unfortunately, there was a rotten foreman apple in this CC bunch, making trouble for his own union teammates and the rest of us. Exhibitors did their best with the time remaining. I lost at least two hours of setup, waiting for just a simple table to be delivered, and I was far from alone in being delayed. This was not Worldcon 76\u2019s fault. Dealers Room head Angela Jones-Parker and her team were terrific under the circumstances. Thank you, Angela!!<\/p>\n

\u2022 THURSDAY the 16th:<\/strong> Had to set up an GoH Art Show and a Dealers Booth in a very limited slot of time, thanks to Wednesday\u2019s hijinks. Could not have done it without my cousin Adria Gonzales<\/a>, who was amazing throughout the entire show. It was her first Worldcon. She was a dynamo, start to finish. I had 19 minutes to set up my Dealers Booth from scratch before doors opened to the public, and when they did, I signed and sold Loteria Grande Cards and Posters so fast<\/em> for four hours that I didn\u2019t have time to put the money in my pocket, instead letting it cascade in piles on the floor of my booth. The aftermath looked like a Colombian drug deal gone bad.<\/p>\n

Adria is a professional corporate accountant, and when she finally finished setting up my Art Show and walked into my booth, she was NOT pleased at the sight of all that money on the floor. \ud83d\ude09 From then on, she became my booth assistant and things ran just as fast, and a LOT more smoothly. That said \u2014 THANK YOU, Worldcon 76, for mobbing my tables for five days. It was a dream to see all of you, to sign hundreds of your badges and programs, to take selfies with you, to shake your hands, and to hand you full-color slices of Loteria Karma all day long.<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ After The Mexicanx Initiative\u2019s baptism-by-greenscreen-and-stagelights at Opening Ceremonies, all of us Mexicanx marched to The M.I. Reception, coordinated by ASFA President Sara Felix, with assistance from Diane Osborne, Christine Doyle, Linda Wenzelburger, and Rina Weisman. Mr. \u201cMexicanity<\/a>\u201d himself \u2014 Hector Gonzalez Hernandez \u2014 prepared an ASTONISHING feast for us, featuring the best carnitas I\u2019ve ever had, along with seven different salsas, including one called \u2018Dracarys\u2019 made with Trinidad Scorpion chilis (or was it Carolina Reapers?). Either way \u2014 no one died that night. GRRM himself graced the Mexicanx with an extended visit even though the room was sweltering. Wave after wave of sponsors arrived. The Mexicanx partied and bonded. It was an amazing night of food, friendship, and revelry.
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From there, I went up six floors to the Darwin\u2019s Children<\/a> Party, hosted by Tom Rodgers and author Greg Bear. They\u2019re developing a pitch for a major television series based on Bear\u2019s Nebula Award-winning Darwin\u2019s Radio<\/em>. I created some concept art for it and the work adorned the walls of the suite. The room was packed as fans picked the concept art they liked best from the choices on the wall for the main character of Stella. People were passionate<\/em> about their choices, and I think that bodes well for this show\u2019s future. I signed all of the posters. It was a blast. Congrats, Tom and Greg.
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\u2022 FRIDAY the 17th:<\/strong> I was one of the panelists on \u2018New Ancestral Myths\u2019 with Mimi Mondal, Jeannette Ng, and J.C. Cervantes. My M.I. sister Raquel Castro moderated and she did a great job. I heard a lot of positive comments and I\u2019m glad it went well. After that, I almost lost my voice hosting \u2018Loteria\u2019 at Callahans\u2019 Place with no microphone available, but a quick-footed tech named Kludge finally found one, or else I probably would have shredded my vocal cords long before Sunday arrived. (Thanks, Kludge.) I think this was the most Loteria players I\u2019ve hosted in a single room since I hosted nearly 200 players at a DragonCon. It was so much fun. I signed a ton of Loteria Grande Cards and Posters that day (and a lot of convention t-shirts), and by 5pm, it was time for the Chesley Awards.<\/p>\n

This year, I was up for a Chesley Award for Best Interior Illustration, but lost to Gregory Manchess. That category was STACKED and anyone could have won, but Greg richly deserved it for his work on Above The Timberline<\/em>, one of my favorite 2017 releases. He\u2019s one of my all-time favorite illustrators and this was his first Chesley Award (which is about 15 years overdue). It was terrific to see him win.
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\u2022 SATURDAY the 18th:<\/strong> Adria said on Friday, \u201cYou\u2019re gonna be almost sold out by Sunday at this rate.\u201d She was prophetic. Saturday was bonkers at my Dealers Booth, and again, I thank you, Worldcon, for swarming my booth and scoring your personal pieces of Loteria karma. It was one of the most successful single days I\u2019ve ever had in any dealers room, at any con. Meanwhile in the Art Show, my \u2018El Arbol\u2019 original sold, along with several other works. I signed autographs for five solid hours, and then moderated a killer panel called \u201cThe Artist \/ Author: The New Wave of Storytellers\u201d. I was joined by Hugo Fan Artist Finalist Grace P. Fong, newly-minted Chesley Winner Greg Manchess, Robbie Trevino, and Mariana Palova. They were all terrific and I think that panel could have gone for another hour, and still been compelling. I did a back-to-back straight into my GoH slideshow called \u201cArt and Soul\u201d and it was very well-attended. Thanks, Worldcon!
\n $\"\"$ <\/p>\n

Met up with Lucasfilm Executive Fiction Editor Jennifer Heddle for dinner, along with my Hugo Ceremony Directors Jessica Guggenheim and Randall Shepherd, plus Ryan Guggenheim, and Adria. It was terrific being with Jen, since the 2002 Worldcon in San Jose was the place where we first bonded with our own personal \u2018Rat Pack\u2019 of up-and-comers sixteen years earlier (shoutout to the mighty Lou Anders<\/a> who appeared at his Worldcon in years, and it was AWESOME to see him).<\/p>\n

That night, there were amazing parties everywhere, and instead I went back to my room to prepare for the Hugo Ceremony. The irony of being a Worldcon Guest of Honor and yet missing all the Saturday night parties was not lost on me.<\/p>\n

\u2022 SUNDAY the 19th:<\/strong> It was a hard day. A lot of things beyond my control went wrong. In short, I ended up with almost no time to rehearse onstage. No time to coordinate with tech and work out the kinks for one of the biggest nights of my life, with my whole industry watching. I had a brief talk with Stage Manager Michael Rafferty and said, \u201cWe\u2019re gonna have to trust each other\u2019s talent.\u201d My co-Directors, Randy and Jessica, worked tirelessly to update the script, making revisions as breaking developments swirled around us, all the way \u2019til the last minute. They were incredible.<\/p>\n

Four minutes before showtime, I walked past Robert Silverberg backstage. He was calmly lounging in purple shadow, when he looked up and said, \u201cYou\u2019ve always been your own boss. No need to change now.\u201d<\/em> Right words, right time. Took my mark at the curtain. Waited for countdown. Voice of Ghod said my name. Boom. GO.<\/em><\/p>\n

I always forget how applause makes me feel like I\u2019m underwater. I knew I was going to \u2018X-up\u2019 centerstage in salute to my Mexicanx brothers and sisters, but from there, every word of my opening address was blank page. Unscripted. Pulled from the bright stagelights, the infinite sea of faces, the inky black, that primetime moment you can\u2019t calculate no matter how hard you try. It\u2019s right there in front of your eyes, beyond the dazzle, if you can stop your heart from exploding out of your chest. All of those struggling years, building to arrive at that moment\u2026.I remembered that kid who so desperately wanted to be a part of this business\u2026.that guy who appeared at his first Worldcon a mere twenty-one years ago. And he led me through the darkness, like he always does \u2014 because I\u2019m still that guy. I still want it as bad as I did when I worked on my first book cover, when I resigned from architecture to be the person I am full-time, seventeen years ago. I don\u2019t remember everything I said up there \u2014 it just comes out \u2014 and no, I don\u2019t want to watch the video and find out. Once is enough. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

I do know I have now become a drinking meme because I\u2019m apparently partial to the phrase, \u201cLet\u2019s keep this moving along.\u201d Many humans damaged their livers Sunday night, pounding the sauce every time I uttered that, which rumors say is a lot<\/em>. I do know I said that I would keep the Hugos running like a freight train so I could get us to the parties. I\u2019ve been in those front rows as a Hugo Finalist, and I know how it feels to sit through a long, drawn-out ceremony. It\u2019s hard. Worldcon is my extended family. You don\u2019t treat your family to hardship if it\u2019s in your power, and that night, it was in my power. So I did what I do, and I took us all somewhere we haven\u2019t been before \u2014 or at least somewhere we haven\u2019t been in a very long time.<\/p>\n

We started the Hugos at 8:15pm that night, and we ended at 10pm \u2014 under two hours \u2014 even while carrying the most categories a Ceremony has ever had, proving we have room for inclusion \u2014 and then some<\/em> \u2014 and yet still deliver my industry to its parties at a decent hour.
\n $\"\"$ <\/p>\n

This year, the Hugo Awards faced one of its most important opportunities in years, with the awarding of Worldcon\u2019s first Young Adult Book Award, recognizing that mammoth fellowship of readers and creators who are the future of Worldcons-to-come. Those fans and pros do not know what to think of Worldcon\u2019s YA category at this point, and who can blame them. I was proud to see three things happen Sunday night that I hope that audience recognizes as a bridge of welcome. I positioned the YA category as the penultimate award, putting the two Best Novel categories together at the end of the night as they should be. I asked Felicia Day to award this inaugural recognition because her visibility and ambassadorship boost Worldcon\u2019s credibility with those readers. Finally, two objets d\u2019art were presented to winner Nnedi Okorafor \u2014 one hand-crafted in wood and resin by ASFA President Sara Felix, as well as a plaque. Today\u2019s YA readers are the future of Worldcon, so that our sons and daughters might still have a Worldcon tradition to enjoy. Let\u2019s hope Dublin 2019 and New Zealand 2020 show the future lifeblood of Worldcon the same respect \u2014 if not more \u2014 that the con expects for itself today.
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Congratulations to Nora Jemisin on a history-making three-peat in the Best Novel category. I loved her speech. (And yeah, I think Bob got it wrong<\/em>, regarding this.)<\/em> She was great. She understood the moment. She was<\/strong> the moment because of her great novels, not just because of great acceptance speeches. Totally right on. Honored to witness it. Nora\u2019s work and ongoing legacy will stand the test of time.<\/p>\n

With that, I called \u2018recess\u2019 and the 2018 Hugo Awards Ceremony was over. Parris and George R.R. Martin soon commenced another EPIC Hugo Losers\u2019 Party at San Jose\u2019s Glass House. It was stellar, complete with chocolate fountains, terrific cocktails, and giant dancing robots. I received a cryptic text near midnight, requesting me to stay near the stage where GRRM addressed the house, as he does at every Losers\u2019 Party. He announced the only Alfie Award<\/a> Winner of the night, and look out, gente \u2014 it was me. For those who don\u2019t know what an Alfie is, it\u2019s George\u2019s award tradition created in response to troll attacks upon the Hugos. The Alfies are named afer the legendary Alfred Bester and were awarded in 2015 and 2016, but none in 2017.<\/p>\n

I can honestly say this 2018 Alfie means as much to me as any recognition I\u2019ve ever received. This one is a commemoration of my Mexicanx brothers and sisters and they celebrated it onstage as I accepted it. They danced with the trophy. Took selfies with it. Ghod only knows what else they did with it that night, but it was an incredible knighting by one of our most beloved, legendary creators, validating them all within the Worldcon fold \u2014 as if anything is now possible for them \u2014 which it is.
\n $\"\"$ <\/p>\n

Worldcons are magical happenings. There\u2019s nothing quite like them.<\/p>\n

I know.<\/p>\n

My Mexicanx brothers and sisters now know it too, after that night, after this amazing week.<\/p>\n

Love you, Worldcon. This was one of the single greatest experiences of my entire life.<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks to Kevin Roche, Andy Trembley, Christine Doyle, Cindy Scott, Kathryn Duval, Diane Osborne, Ric and Debbie Bretschneider, Sara Felix, Linda Wenzelburger, Rina Weisman, Kerry Kuhn, Angela Jones-Parker, Elayne Pelz, Nancy Alegria, the O\u2019Hallorans, Chris Castro, Debi Chowdhury, Randy Smith, Lisa Hertel, Jerome Scott, Sandra Childress, Chuck Serface, Lori Buschbaum, and all of the tireless volunteers who make Worldcons happen. Thank you again to my incredible Hugo Ceremony co-Directors, Jessica Guggenheim and Randall Shepherd (and Michael Rafferty)!!!<\/em> Thank you to Pablo Defendini, Meg Frank, Julia Rios, Fireside Magazine<\/a>, Will Frank, Liza Trombi, Francesca Myman, Lenore Gallegos, Elias Gallegos, and Ti Mikkel.<\/p>\n

And finally, all love to The Mexicanx Initiative, the great Parris McBride Martin, GRRM, and my cousin Adria Gonzales.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(Photos by Adria Gonzales, Rick Canfield, Jose Luis Zarate, Debi Chowdhury, Tom Rodgers, Bronwyn Lake, Liz Gorinsky, Gabriela Damian Miravete, Raquel Castro, Lauren Snow, Jeremy Brett.)<\/em><\/p>\n

#Xup
\n $\"\"$ <\/p>\n

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Last week, I stood centerstage at Worldcon 76\u2018s Opening Ceremonies with my fellow Mexicanx, locked arms in \u2018X\u2019 formations, reading a statement condemning the inhumane treatment of immigrants and families at the border. We banded together, strangers united by a desire to share our visions, to give our all, to do more than we can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[182,85,1,77],"tags":[280,145,144,7,125,63,279,264,273,267],"class_list":["post-2526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-life","category-awards","category-conventions","category-loteria","tag-alfie-awards","tag-asfa","tag-chesley-awards","tag-george-r-r-martin","tag-hugo-awards","tag-john-picacio","tag-locus-magazine","tag-mexicanx","tag-the-mexicanx-initiative","tag-worldcon-76"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/DEBICHOWDHURY1.jpg?fit=1706%2C540","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5te7x-EK","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2526"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2526\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2567,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2526\/revisions\/2567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}