Well, it's been a week, and I've finally started to recover. What a weekend that was! As usual when running the con, I didn't get to see that much of the event, but the buzz around the venue as I dashed from one thing to another seemed great and I'm hearing that people had a really good time. I was so proud to be able to bring Fantasycon to Glasgow, and not just that, but to fill the venue. We had somewhere around 750 attendees, which just goes to show that the convention is going from strength to strength.
I was also particularly pleased to be able to include the Art Show this year, thanks to the hard work of Jenni Coutts and Heather Valentine. It is an absolute joy to be able to celebrate the artists in our community. Plus, I managed to snag a couple of prints by the enormously talented CL Hellisen.
The programme was really exciting this year, in large part thanks to the support of David Green, who came up with some fantastic panel topics, not to mention always seeming to know exactly who would be well-placed to talk on the subject.
As always, the redcloaks were amazing. They are a never-ending source of enthusiasm and joy, always ready to help an attendee in need, and on more than one occasion reminding me to sit down before I fell down. The event simply could not happen without all of the volunteers who staff it and I am eternally grateful to them. I am especially grateful to Karen Fishwick, who offered constant support throughout the planning stage and all the way through the event.
As well as running the event, I managed to take part in some fun panels, attend the launch of an anthology I have a story in (Challenging The Tides: An Anthology of Hope a book by M.L. Horst, Susan Oke, Rick Danforth, et al. - Bookshop.org UK) and have a celebratory drink with the group of people behind another anthology I have a story in, which has been accepted by Guardsbridge books. I bought art and books, and in the corners of the day, managed to spend time with people whose company I enjoy and never get enough of.
The AGM
The other big thing that happened at Fantasycon was the British Fantasy Society's AGM. It was an emotional one for me this year as I stood down as Chair. I've been in the role for 5 years, and I've achieved all of the things I set out to achieve. Membership of the Society has increased from around 200 to around 1100. We've introduced regular online events, a writing retreat, a mentorship programme, in person events, an active blog, workshops, an art competition, pay for contributors to our publications, sponsorship to help more people take part in various activities, the BIPOC first ten pages programme, a discord, writing sprints, a podcast... the list goes on.
The society is a thriving and active organisation now and I think it's ready to stand without me. I'm really proud of everything we've achieved in the last 5 years. It's easy for people to ascribe it all to me, but the truth is that none of it would have been possible without the fantastic team of volunteers who make up the committee as well as those who run local events and share essays on the blog and review for us. The society is a community of wonderful, talented, and creative people.
It has been an honour and a privilege to serve on the committee in various roles for the last 9 years, and I was both overwhelmed and humbled by the outpouring of love and support I received last weekend. In fact, I'm getting emotional again just thinking about it. Thank you to everyone who showed me such kindness over the weekend, and indeed over the last 9 years. You made the BFS my home, my family. Thanks also to the committee for the beautiful gifts (photos attached) and even the ritual humiliation.
I don't quite know what my life looks like without the BFS filling up a third of my working hours, but I guess we'll find out! I may not be running things, but I'll still be around, still volunteering in smaller ways, hosting some events and that sort of thing. Maybe I'll even have more time to keep up with blogging!
