News & Blog

Here in New York City, the heavy winds started last night. The rain started this morning around 6:30. Hurricane Sandy approacheth. It’s already terrible outside, and the worst of it won’t even hit until tonight. They’ve evacuated some of New York City’s coastal regions. They’re expecting storm surges that will be the tallest in our city’s history. Scary stuff.

Regarding World Fantasy, it seems the track of Hurricane Sandy will bring the storm right over the Toronto area on Thursday, the day I’m to fly in. I’m keeping track of things via flightaware.com, a really good site for checking whether your flight is canceled or not. Right now, though, I’d say it’s not looking good for my arrival Thursday. Friday looks like it could also be bad in the area, which means there may not be flights that day either. There’s a good chance right now that I won’t be able to make it in for my panel Friday at 1PM. There is also a chance I won’t make it to World Fantasy at all if the weather doesn’t cooperate.

I’ll keep you posted.

I will be attending the World Fantasy Convention 2012 in Toronto, November 1-4. While I’m on programming, I was only given one panel and no readings. Oh well, more time to hang out with friends, or at the ChiZine Publications dealers room table, or take in other panels and readings! Still, I’m very pleased to be part of it. So here’s where you’ll find me on the official schedule:

Friday, November 2nd, 1:00 PM, Vaughn

GOTHIC FANTASY NOIR

In the Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997) Mike Ashley writes: “The cityscape has replaced the old castle, and Urban Fantasy is the new Gothic.” As counter-intuitive as that may read, it can be argued that this is true. And there’s a type of Urban Fantasy that could be termed Urban Fantasy Noir, with the popular “huntress” theme a variant of this: down these mean streets a woman must go, armed only with edged weapons and a wit as dry as the pavement is damp. Phillippa Marlowe, Boogen Hunter, still the knight errant. The panel will examine the evidence of a reversion, in Urban Fantasy, to older forms of literature, whether it be the despair of the Gothic or the bleakness of noir. And is the growth and popularity of Urban Fantasy — with its mean streets, grim reality, modern attitudes, and contemporary settings — a response to High Fantasy, with its emphasis on Arthurian-style legend and faux-Medieval settings? With more people living in, or on the fringes of, cities than ever before, what’s the attraction of going to a darkly fantastic world under their streets or above their rooftops, as opposed to a distant past or an unknown kingdom?

Elwyn Cotman (M), Dana Cameron, Gemma Files, Elizabeth Hand, Rhiannon Held, Nicholas Kaufmann.

Despite the tortured prose of the panel description and the questionable assertion about more people living in or around cities than ever before, I think this is going to be a very enjoyable and enlightening discussion — even if seeing Elizabeth Hand among the panelists already makes me feel out of my league! My forthcoming novel from St. Martin’s Press, Not Dead Yet, could very much be called an Urban Fantasy Noir, but it’s also very different from the “huntress” themes the panel description focuses on, so that should make for some interesting comparisons. If you’re attending the convention, why not swing by and watch me try to hold my own with other panelists whom I suspect know a lot more about this subject than I do?

The Readercon ConCom has released a new statement that says, in part:

We apologize first and foremost to Genevieve Valentine and to Kate Kligman for not taking appropriate action based on their reports of being harassed by René Walling. Our policy clearly states that harassers will have their memberships permanently revoked; we did not adhere to this policy, despite undisputed evidence of harassment. The board failed in its responsibilities to prioritize the safety of our attendees, promote a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere at the convention, follow our policy, and uphold Readercon’s reputation as a place where reports of harassment will be handled appropriately. Our actions showed disrespect for Ms. Valentine and Ms. Kligman’s painful experiences of harassment and their bravery in speaking up. We offer our heartfelt apology for failing to justify the trust they placed in us and for compounding their distress.

…

The concom has voted to overturn the board’s decision in the matter of harassment committed by René Walling, and to permanently ban him from attending or participating in Readercon in any way. He may not purchase or otherwise acquire a membership; he may not participate in the program; he may not be or work for a dealer in the bookroom; he may not join any Readercon committee; he may not volunteer. We have informed Mr. Walling of this ban and he has not contested it.

I definitely recommend following the link through to the Readercon site and reading the whole statement. It’s long, but it’s worth it.

I want to thank the ConCom for working diligently to set right the terrible decision made by the Board. It feels like this was a long time coming, but it’s hard to believe it’s only been one week, give or take, since the Board’s original decision was announced. As we all know, a week in Internet time can feel like a month in real time, but the ConCom worked quickly to make amends and correct a bad decision. My hat is off to them. It’s also off to the over 400 people who signed the petition that was sent to the Readercon ConCom a few days ago.

Remember, folks, if you harass someone at Readercon — any kind of harassment, be it sexual, bullying, or any other variant — you are not welcome back at the convention. Ever. Period. Just like it clearly states on their website, and has for several years. Just like it says in the email that’s sent to every attending member, and has for several years. Had the Board members simply followed their own existing policy in this regard, rather than trying to coddle a serial stalker and harasser at the expense of every other attending member’s safety and comfort, they would still be on the Board today and would not have had to resign in disgrace. In fact, none of this would have happened.

But in a way, I’m glad it did. It brought to the fore the reality of harassment at conventions, especially of the sexual variety, and made it clear, in a way that I don’t think has been done before, that it will not be stood for anymore. Not at Readercon, and not anyplace else. And that’s a good thing.

So, long story short, I’m delighted by this turn of events. All that’s left for me to say is, I’ll see you at next year’s Readercon!

According to Readercon’s official convention committee Twitter account:

The entire Readercon board has now either resigned or announced intention to resign at the next meeting.

Good. I’m delighted to hear it. I hope they’re ashamed of themselves for the way they betrayed Genevieve Valentine, betrayed every single Readercon attendee who wants a gathering safe from harassment, and betrayed their own clearly stated policy, all so they could coddle a serial stalker and harasser who also just happens to be a big-name fan who organizes a lot of conventions.

While this is a good step forward, I hope it also means the ConCom will now step in to reverse the Board’s egregious mistake and ban Rene “You make me want to say wrong things” Walling from Readercon for the continued existence of the convention.