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Steel Cities Book Tour Day 7
July 30, 2007
We rolled into Pittsburgh in the late morning, not long
before I was due on a panel at noon. Confluence is a
friendly, fairly small convention of SF/F fans, many of
whom are members of the PARSEC Pittsburgh SF community.
Lots of folks in garb, but none this day in Klingon or
other TV/movie attire. The panel was fun—four authors
talking about past/present/future representations of
dragons in literature and movies, good and bad. Got in a
nice plug for James Maxey’s Bitterwood. Also talked about
my gyregons. Everyone agreed that dragons the size of a
falcon or a small dog avoid some of the technical
difficulties faced by huge mythical beasts. We had a
lively discussion from a knowledgeable crowd.
Confluence doesn’t have a gaming track, but friendly groups
sprung up in corners of the lobby and con area with
impromptu games. The dealer room was small but lively, and
I signed the copies of The Summoner that were for sale.
Picked up some great buttons, too. My favorite—“Give a man
an armadillo wearing a clown hat, confuse him for a day.
Give him a cobra with fuzzy slippers, confuse him for a
lifetime.”
We did a reading and an author chat. My friend Tina and
her mom made a surprise visit, which was great. She also
made it to my reading in NYC. Confluence also has a con
suite that was filled with all kinds of food and drink,
including kielbasa, haggis, salad, chips, PB&J and beer.
We were hailed by Greg, the PARSEC president, who was
wearing a kilt. PARSEC’s membership draws a lot of
Carnegie Mellon folks, and side conversations veered from
fiction into programming more than once.
The evening’s highlight was the traditional Confluence
musical, combining fandom and a Broadway musical. This
year’s extravaganza was Grease Wars, presenting Star Wars:
A New Hope to the music of Grease. The players put their
hearts into it, and what it lacked in a prop budget, it
made up for in sheer good spirits. After the skit, there
were several suite parties, a lively crew in the con suite,
and an excellent filk session with Irish tunes.
All great road trips have to come to an end. Frodo and
Sam. Thelma and Louise. Bill and Ted. Zephod and Arthur.
We met some great people, avid readers, and memorable
characters on this trip. We couldn’t have done it without
the support and forbearance of family. It’s been a great
run, but we’ll be really glad to be home.
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