As per my latest comment on the previous post, I have decided not to attend Octocon this weekend. I’ll be out an air fare, but I think I’m in time to cancel the hotel room. I will certainly miss meeting a bunch of Irish friends, but given how busy I am right now, and how keen some people in Irish fandom are to involve everyone possible in their feud, I’m going to spend the weekend doing something less stressful instead.
8 thoughts on “Octocon Update”
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That is a shame.
James.
I am very disappointed. I was looking forward to seeing you again and having a good old chat. If you change your mind about coming to just sit in the bar and chat let me know – I am sure we can find a place to stay, I know enough people in Dublin it should be possible……
Hi, Cheryl,
I second Kate’s comments.
Peter
Do you really think anyone in their right mind would attend Octocon at the moment? You have a world baffled by the concom’s incompetence. The worst PR failure I’ve witnessed during my 26 years in fandom, and I’ve seen some pretty bad things.
It’s sad when politics comes ahead of the event and it can be very uncomfortable in the short term. This will blow over and I hope you get another chance to meet up with your Irish fandom friends in the course of time.
“The worst PR failure I’ve witnessed during my 26 years in fandom, and I’ve seen some pretty bad things.”
I’ve seen worse. Heck, I’ve contributed to worse.
Also, as a point of general information to many unfamiliar, or only slightly, with the fannish past, see “Exclusion acts” here for just three of the most prominent examples.
But there have been many less famous cases. The justified ones don’t get remembered. The ones where the committee makes themselves look like idiots do.
Return with me now to 1939, which has had innumerable accounts written of the First Exclusion Act.
Hi Cheryl,
Thats a sadness and I’m sure you’re not the only one. Might be worth taking the trip to lovely Dublin. Does the mentioned pCon refer to a Padraig Con?
These things largely work on the fuel of socialising yeah, so I’m sure you’d not be stuck for good company over the weekend.
Be well!
Hi Andrew
P-Con is short for the Phoenix Convention – http://www.pcon.ie/ – which has been running for 6 years now. It was started by Padraig (and for the first few years was held in a hotel close to the gates of Phoenix Park) but after 3 years he handed the running of the convention over to the late Frank Darcy. After Frank’s untimely death, his friends and family took over the running. I have been to every P-Con and always had a great time, and am looking forward very much to P-Con 7 next March.