Mind Meld has done another long piece on an issue that won’t die: What kind of impact do tie-ins have on sf? Lots of good stuff in here. They actually asked tie-in writers as well as other sf folk. And yes, they asked me. You can find the latest tussle here.

HBO is running a short documentary of Helen Thomas, the White House reporter who has covered 9 presidents. Thomas has always been a hero of mine. When I wanted to be a journalist, I wanted to be one in the Helen Thomas vein, who wasn’t afraid to speak truth to power or to ask the hard questions. The documentary, Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House is too short and doesn’t have enough biographical material on Thomas or much information on the White House Press Corps, but it’s a great place to start. And if you’re looking for a role model, Helen Thomas, who isn’t young and is waiting for the next president so she can get back into the briefing room, is someone to consider.

The Worldcon reports are coming in and SF Signal has been keeping track of them. You can find links to all the reports here.

As for the second part of mine, I decided, after this brutal summer in sf, that I would see as many of my friends and mentors as possible. Even though this was the most sprawled Worldcon I’ve ever been to (spread out between hotels and the convention center over most of a mile), I did get to say hello to a lot of folks, including Fred Pohl (on Sunday) and Rusty Havelin (whose name I’m probably misspelling).

Having conversations was another matter. For professionals, the nighttime “parties” are really big networking fests. Unfortunately, the air conditioning in the party suites wasn’t working. It was a sauna and we didn’t stay long on any particular night.

Most of my conversations happened in the bar on the ground floor of the Hyatt Regency, including a lovely talk with Lou Anders. Seems we have a lot of similar interests, and I know both of us hope to continue the conversation at some future convention.

I didn’t make it to panelling, which made me sad. The only panels I heard were my own. Two of them were with Dean, doing a truncated version of the presentation we usually give to beginning writers. The only other panel–crime and detection in the future–was fun, but old ground. Still, we had a large and interested crowd, which was nice.

Several folks showed up to my reading. I read “Say Hello to My Little Friend,” a humor story that will appear later this year (or early next) in an anthology called Invisible Friends. Reaction was good, thank heavens. Always a bit risky to read a humor story.

I also had two signings, both of which were packed. And then there were the Sidewise Awards, which was preceded by a good discussion of what makes Alternate History, and the Hugo Awards. The Hugos are always fun, whether you’re a nominee or not–and whether you win or not. This year, the pre-Hugo reception for the nominees provided a great chance to have good conversation with old friends. Wil McCarthy did a good job as MC of the entire affair–and I think it was the shortest Hugo ceremony on record.

I didn’t win, as you probably know by now, but I honestly didn’t mind. I was pleased to be with such august company–Connie Willis (who took the prize), Nancy Kress, Gene Wolfe, and Lucius Shepard. I think the nomination itself was the award for me this year.

Found myself happy to be back in the field and to spend time with fans–to have long conversations about Dr. Who and whether current physics supports time travel theories and all the other things that fen discuss at conventions. Also got ideas for stories (always a good thing) and even more ideas for articles and columns.

So the entire experience was fun, tiring, and inspiring.

I must admit, though, I’m happy to be back at sea level, where tonight’s temperature is 55 degrees after a high of 70. I’ve lived on the Oregon Coast long enough to become a weather wimp.

I will be at Worldcon next year–barring unforeseens–and that will be in Montreal. If you want to check out information on this convention, go here.

We arrived home from Worldcon late Monday. It was a good convention–a lot of fun to see old friends, meet a few new ones, and connect with readers.

I have often said that everyone who goes to Worldcon has a completely different experience. One fan told me that she spent her entire Worldcon in the reading rooms, listening to writers read their work. Another never attended paneling at all.

I spent most of my Worldcon either talking to editors or old friends. Despite my best intentions, I didn’t manage to see any panels at all.

I will do these Worldcon posts in parts, partly because I’m so tired and partly because I want some time to filter all those conversations and experiences.

Watch this space for more.

I’ll be at the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver this week. Here’s my schedule for folks who are going. I do like meeting readers, and hope to see you there.

Those of you who live in Denver and just want to come for one day can get a day membership at the door. You’ll find all the information you need here.

Locations are in the program book. All times are in the late morning, afternoon and evening.

Signing, Asimovs/Analog booth, Thursday, August 7, 12-1

Panel: Secrets of Being a Published Writer, Friday August 8, 1-2

Signing, convention signing area, Friday, August 8, 4-4:45

Sidewise Award Ceremony, Friday, August 8, 5:30-7

Reading, Saturday, August 9, 2:30-4

Hugo Award Ceremony, Saturday, August 9, 7 until whenever

Panel: Crime and Detection to Come, Sunday August 10, 11:30-1.

Panel: How Writers Fit in the Publishing Industry, Sunday, August 10, 1-2:30.