OddCon: Apt Title, Good Time

OddCon. Shorthand for “Odyssey Convention.”

Kage Baker, a guest of honor at this Madison, Wis. event devoted to science fiction and fantasy, was of the opinion that the name stems from the work of the first among fantasy authors–that long-winded, highly imaginative Greek named Homer. And so she treated the crowd to a spectacular epic poem of her journey to the Badger State. Very entertaining.

But another guest of honor, George R. R. Martin of A Song of Ice and Fire fame, thought the title originated with the people it brings together. Addressing the gathering of sci-fi and fantasy authors, editors, agents, publishers, dealers, gamers, and–last but not least–fans, he said, “After all, we are all a little odd.”

Maybe so. Where else can someone say the following without anyone batting an eye: “Being a member of a medieval history group, I get to know what it’s like to run up and down the stairs in a long cape, because it will happen from time to time.”

This comes from one of the many conversations I overheard on the day I attended the convention (my first ever). But at OddCon, these conversations are the norm. Oddness, you see, is all relative.

Maybe in the context of society at large, the folks at OddCon are odd. I would say unabashedly odd, and genuinely convivial (and therein lies the name). And because of all this, I had a pretty good Saturday.

Got to see Martin in person. The guy looks like Santa Claus, which is fitting, because every time I crack open something he’s written, it’s like Christmas. Loved his speech on the demise of the reader in which he cited some frightening stats on the reading habits of Americans. (Encourage others to read, everyone, because we’re a dying breed!)

Some other highlights:

• Got to hear author Patrick Rothfuss expound upon writing, pre-industrial prostitution, and conjuring up a world from the ether.
• I learned about the medieval game of shin-kicking from Baker (no, I’m not shitting you).
• Met a lot of interesting people in the sci-fi and fantasy literary field.
• I particularly enjoyed E. E. Knight’s readings from unpublished works in his Age of Fire and Vampire Earth series. I’ll be buying the first installments of both.
• Joined Jason Waltz in getting a little more exposure for Return of the Sword (though he did all the work), and even signed a few autographs, which was a trip (though I don’t think these people realized I was actually detracting from the value of their books).

All in all, an odd, good time.