Posted by Nicola Griffith

https://nicolagriffith.com/2025/08/18/worldcon-report/

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This will be a very short report because we had to leave the con early because Kelley was unwell. (Not Covid or flu or other respiratory stuff, so no worries for anyone who spent time in close proximity with either/both of us.)

We registered on Wednesday, and I went straight into my first event, a table talk. (Thanks to Heather, Melody, David, Al, and Ralph for the interesting conversation!) Then we went to the bar with a couple of friends for a couple of hours.

Then we went home, because I had medical appointments the next day.

We came back on Thursday afternoon, checked into the hotel, and made our way to the convention centre for my autographing session (I was thrilled by the number of Slow Rivers I signed—probably the most in one day since the book first came out, lovely!) then we went to the bar again for a couple of hours, with some different friends.

Then I did my worldbuilding panel, which was delightfully well-attended. Then back to the hotel. Then cocktails and dinner with a friend. Then the bar again…for a long time. Many conversations. Many, many drinks. Much pleasure. An all around great time. But no sleep until 2 am—and we had to be up early the next day for yet another medical appointment.

Sadly, Kelley was feeling unwell. We were both exhausted before the convention began and though, as usual, all the wonderful conversation were rejuvenating, when you add all the to-and-fro of appointments, the lack of sleep (on top of several days in a row of little sleep), the cumulative stress we’ve been under for a while and, well, we hit the wall. So without even getting a cup of tea, never mind breakfast, we just packed, drove straight to the hospital (where Kelley slept for an hour in the back of the parked van while I went in and got all the fucking tests), then drove home. Kelley went straight to bed and I sat with the cats and started emailing apologies to people for the parties, the events, the interview, and the meetings I was about to miss. Sigh.

I truly am sorry we had to miss all those. These kinds of conventions are a great opportunity to see people I haven’t seen for years, who’ve travelled from other states, countries, and continents, or who perhaps I’ve only spoken with before via email or social media, or in Zoom meetings.

But even as I type this, I can still feel the vast fatigue like a subterranean lake moving dark and deep beneath the surface and I know we did exactly the right thing. There will be other cons, other parties. I’m just glad we got to be there for a while.

https://nicolagriffith.com/2025/08/18/worldcon-report/

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Posted by Nicola Griffith

https://nicolagriffith.com/2025/08/10/worldcon-13-16-august-seattle/

http://nicolagriffith.com/?p=86911

Next week there are lots of things happening downtown at the Seattle Convention Centre, August 13 – 17, when Seattle hosts the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention, that is, Worldcon. Guests of Honour include Martha Wells (author), Donato Giancola (artist), and Bridget Landry (scientist). To attend, paid registration is required.

I’ll be doing a handful of things.

Wednesday, 13 August, 2025 — in-person

• Event: Table Talk. Room 430. 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
• Description: Come chat with me in a small, casual group. Chat about what? Well that’s the thing—anything you like. The conversation is determined by the group. So if you want to talk about books—mine or other people’s, already published or still to come, great! If you’d rather ask who I think should star in a screen adaptation of a certain books, or want to know about Charlie and George’s latest adventures, or want info on the Early Medieval or some basic self-defence tips, also great! You get to decide.
• Notes: You need to be registered for the convention and I believe you also need to sign up in advance because there are only 6 slots. See ‘small’ and ‘casual’ above.

Thursday, 14 August, 2025 — in-person

• Event: Autographing. Garden Lounge (3F). 3:00pm – 4:00 pm.
• Description: Me and a dozen or so other writers (Robert Silverberg, Seanan McGuire, Mur Lafferty, Curtis Chen, Terry Brooks, more) will autograph things that you bring.
• Details: I can’t speak for the other writers but I’m very happy to sign novels, stories, magazines, anthologies, etc.—old and new—for readers, collectors, and resellers. I’ll personalise for readers and very selectively for collectors, but not for resellers. I’m happy to chat, too, assuming it’s not hectic. (Frankly I don’t expect my line to be hectic.) All I ask is that if there is a queue, and you have an entire box of stuff for me to sign, you let let those with fewer things go first.

Thursday, 14 August, 2025 — in-person and virtual

• Event: Panel. “Worldbuilding Through Geography and Environments”. Room 433-434. 6:00pm – 7:00pm.
• Description: Me, Martha Wells, Paolo Bacigalupi, and Morgan Smathers (m). “Geographic determinism provides a powerful element for worldbuilding, informing the audience of the wide-ranging world beyond. Join our authors as they explore the fundamentals qualities and techniques that secure this soundly for the audience.”
• Details: I imagine I’ll get to talk about my favourite bits of writing: how my characters move through their environment, how that environment changes and is changed by them, and how I persuade the reader to believe me. It’ll be a great discussion!

I’ll also of course be found attending a few things like the Tor party on Friday, and hanging out in the bar at the convention hub hotel, the Sheraton Grand.

https://nicolagriffith.com/2025/08/10/worldcon-13-16-august-seattle/

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