Readercon is, as their site states, "an annual conference devoted to 'imaginative literature' — literary science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the unclassifiable works often called 'slipstream.'"

I'll tell you what Readercon is from a BSFW perspective: networking mecca. It's your chance to mix with successful, experienced writers and listen to them talk about the fine points of craft. It's your chance to meet some of your favorite authors, editors and agents in a convention devoted exclusively to literature. No movies. No TV shows. Just literature.

Ask any of the members who have been there; me, Cam, Jonathan Hernandez, Marcy Arlin, Ian M and others. They'll tell you about the transformative experiences, the cathartic moments, the bursts of inspiration.

If you want to know more, the Readercon website has all the deets. This year, it's taking place from July 10-13 in Burlington, MA. Membership is only $65 until June 16. For a convention, that's a steal. World Fantasy—which is in Washington DC this year in November, if you're interested —is $265, just for membership. So check it out and join us!

June words are busting out all over!

Please join us in tracking your words on the BSFW Daily Writing Challenge spreadsheet! How else are you going to know how many words you wrote this year? (51,564 so far!) How else are you going to make daily progress on your ongoing projects?

You can do it all with just a modest goal of 250 words each day! Imagine! It takes so little time. You probably spend more time on Facebook or Instagram than it would take for you to knock out 250 words, and the feeling of accomplishment trumps anything social media has to offer.

If you're already signed up, as several of you are, I encourage you to write and track. It feels so good to enter that little 3 (or 4!) digit number, get a point for the day, and add to your chain of uninterrupted days of writing.

If you're not signed up, contact me through the Meetup group and I'll happily get you started!

Brad

     Readercon is the premier convention for serious writers of speculative fiction on the East Coast. That's my opinion and I'm sticking with it.
     I can describe Readercon in one word: groundbreaking. It reminded me why I write speculative fiction. The panels were excellent and the opportunities to connect with other writers, editors, agents, and publishers were almost surreal.  

Some highlights:  

• Discussing the editing field with Ellen Datlow and how to get noticed in anthologies, even how to start your own anthology of stories.
• Talking about time traveling Southern girls, and octopus intelligence with Delia Sherman.
• Being ivited into the interstitial  movement by Ellen Kushner.
• Hanging out with Genevieve Valentine to complain about gender and racial bias in comics. 
• Attending a panel on colonialism's impact on both native and non-native genre writers and author identity.
• Attending reading by Matthew Kressel.
• Zombie walking with freaking Samuel R. Delany in a voice lessons class. (I'm being quite literal. To loosen up our "sound makers," we walked with loose arms, slack jaws, and head down, making odd trilling noises.) 
  

     It's going to take some time to digest even 10% of what I experienced at Readercon and then apply it to my writing. But two things are for sure; I'm more motivated than ever to write and get published, and BSFW is going to Readercon 2013. Hope to see you there.

-Rob Cameron

To see some of what you missed, click here to watch the videos from Readercon on Youtube!