December 2024 - Gary David Gillen

PenguiCon Detroit 2024 Conference Recap

Introduction

I attended the SF conference named PenguiCon at 1275 South Huron Street Ypsilanti, Michigan at the Ann Arbor Marriott, Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest from April 26, 2024, to April 28, 2024. I attended the opening ceremonies, three panels, and one author reading. This year’s theme was Open Source.

This is a link to the Con website.

Home

This is my badge for PenguiCon Detroit 2024.

Summary

PenguiCon Detroit 2024 Conference Recap

Friday, April 26th at 6 PM

Welcome to PenguiCon Opening Ceremonies:

[Insert Summary Here]

They held the opening ceremonies in Auditorium 1 with 40 attendees.

Saturday, April 27th at 10 AM

Panel on The Good, The Bad, and The Yikes with Ericka Kahler and Michael W. Lucas:

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They held the panel in Salon II with 16 attendees.

Saturday, April 27th at 11 AM

Panel on How I Make a Living Writing with Michael W. Lucas:

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in Salon IV with 8 attendees.

Saturday, April 27th at 12 PM

Reading with Author E.M. Anderson:

[Insert summary here]

They held the reading in the Elizabeth Ann A room with 4 attendees.

Saturday, April 27th at 1 PM

Demonstration: Fun With Chemistry with Professor X and Lady Ana

Unfortunately, the presenters couldn’t make it, so the demonstration was canceled. I was looking forward to this demonstration because I’m a Chemist and it sounded fun.

They would have had the demonstration in Conference E room with 10 attendees.

Saturday, April 27th at 5 PM

Panel on Write What You Know with E.M. Anderson:

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Conference B room with 17 attendees.

Recommendation – Conclusion

I felt the con went well and enjoyed my attendance. My star of the Con was the author E.M. Anderson. They read two chapters from different novels in their author reading and gave insightful comments on their panel about writing. I was looking forward to attending again in 2025, but I have recently heard that it was canceled.

Links

A Con like PenguiCon is the ConFusion Detroit Con. The links to my review of ConFusion Detroit Con that I have attended follows.

This is my post about the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 19 to 21, 2024. The theme was the Labyrinth of ConFusion. My star of the con was Author John Scalzi.

ConFusion Detroit 2024 Conference Recap

In January 2023, I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan. I still want to write a post about that.

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 21 to 23, 2022. The theme was Rising ConFusion. My stars of the con were Guest of Honor author Jim C. Hines and Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff.

ConFusion Detroit 2022 Conference Recap

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. I attended four panels, two readings, and one interview. The con theme was How to Train Your ConFusion, based on the movie, How to Train Your Dragon. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading of Chapter Two of his upcoming book, The Last Emperox. My other highlights were Kameron Hurley’s interview and the lecture on Edible Insects and Human Evolution. I’ll be back next year.

Conference Recap ConFusion Detroit 2020

I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 18 to 20, 2019. The con’s theme was Storming the ConFusion, so they chose the areas with names related to the movie The Princess Bride. I had a great drive to Detroit just before the snowstorm came. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading and was engaging in the panel I attended. My other highlights were Ada Palmer’s interview and watching The Princess Bride at the con. I’ll be back next year.

Conference Recap ConFusion Detroit 2019

Writing Progress Report December 2024

This is my Writing Progress Report December 2024.

I attended the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 8, 2024. Cleveland beat Golden State 136 to 117. It was a great game.

Writing Progress from November 2024.

I wrote three blog posts for my website, garydavidgillen.com. One of the posts was my writing progress report for November 2024, which I linked below.

Writing Progress Report November 2024

In November 2024, I presented the short story named Kay-Eye to the Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop on a Zoom call.

Writing Progress from November 2024 Continued

I made five posts on my Goodreads account in November 2024.

In the past, I sent the stories; Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, and Grognard to magazines.

The seven Flash Fiction Stories I sent out in 2020 and 2021 were Space-Dog Confession, Sleeping Sickness, Caliburnus, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, Wormhole Generator, Runs with Scissors, and Principled Rogue.

Magazine submissions for 2021 were 4 unique stories submitted 4 times, with 0 accepted, 0 pending, and 4 rejections. No submissions for 2022. None for 2023. None for 2024.

Events from November 2024.

I attended no events in November 2024

Writing Goals for December 2024.

In December 2024, I plan to write four blog posts for garydavidgillen.com including my Writing Progress Report for December 2024.

We will postpose our Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop until January 2025.

Eventually, I plan to work on third draft edits for Assassin in New Marl City using comments from the Novel Writing Workshop at Parma, Ohio. I plan to split Chapter 1 into two chapters and add a scene to the new Chapter 1.

Submit the stories Space-Dog Confession, Four Humors, Space Station Sunyata, Grognard, LARP Film Noir, Sleeping Sickness, Popular Mechanics Re-brewed, and Caliburnus. to other short fiction magazines.

Polish and send the stories White Bracer, Mage Squad, I Shall Not Return, Prisoner of Tarnal, and Kay-Eye for submission to short fiction magazines.

In December 2024, I plan to make five posts on my Goodreads account.

Planned Events for December 2024.

The next conference I plan to attend is ConFusion in Novi, Michigan, from January 23, 2025, to January 26, 2025. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsors ConFusion.

https://2025.confusionsf.org

The con theme next year is Monumental since this is the 50^th Confusion.

Western Reserve Writers Conference 2024

Introduction

I attended the 39th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference 2024 on March 23, 2024. They held the Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the William N. Skirball writer’s center at the branch. It was a one-day event with an introduction, a keynote speaker, three breakout sessions, and one first-page critique panel.

This is the link to the Cuyahoga County Library.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org

This is the link to the writer’s center at the library branch.

https://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/Services/William-N-Skirball-Writers-Center.aspx

Summary

Saturday, March 23rd at 9:30 AM

Welcome and Conference Overview

Deanna R. Adams is the conference coordinator and Laurie Kincer is the librarian in charge of the writer’s center.

Laurie explained how they set up the library, where the three meeting rooms were located, and about the door prizes available at 4 PM. Deanna introduced the keynote speaker, Brandi Larsen.

They held the welcome and conference overview in the meeting room A/B/C with about 100 attendees.

Saturday, March 23rd at 9:45 AM

Keynote Speaker: What’s Best for Your Writing Right Now.

The keynote speaker was Brandi Larsen, the 2024 Cuyahoga County Public Library Writer in Residence. She is a writer, speaker, and a writing coach.

She talked about sharing how to weave in the threads of community, craft, and commerce to bring more joy and inspiration into your writing (and encourage you to approach the writing desk with confidence).

Craft: The big questions. Can you get to the page? Figure out your writing style alignment. What is your why? Can you communicate what you wish? Can you finish what you start?
Community: The world needs your work. We need each other. Find your people. Showing up matters. Books are loved into life.
Commerce: What do you want for your writing? Are you ready for your writing to become a product?

They held the talk in the meeting room A/B/C with about 100 attendees.

Saturday, March 23rd at 11:30 AM

Breakout Session: Self-Editing Tips for Writers of all kinds.

The presenter was Rebecca Ferlotti. She is an editor.

You must self-edit your work first before you even consider sending your work to an editor. So, why do you hate editing? Whatever you do, don’t stop writing to read between the lines. Read the story out loud to change your headspace. Print out the story and cut it to edit it. When you read, keep in mind detail deficits and places to pare down your writing. Also consider continuity issues, word choices and grammatical errors. Final advice: complete your first draft before your first edit.

You can find Rebecca Ferlotti at the following website.

The Content Cornerstone

They held the talk in the writer’s center meeting room with about 45 attendees.

Recommendation – Conclusion

I enjoyed attending the Western Reserve Writers Conference 2024. I also attended the conference in 2019, 2022, and 2023 (they canceled the conference in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19). My Star of the Con was Rebecca Ferlotti. She had some brilliant advice for writers who want to self-edit their work.

Links

This is my Recap for the Western Reserve Writers Conference on March 26, 2022, where I attended the introduction, a keynote speaker, and two breakout sessions. The Cuyahoga County Public Library held the conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch.

Western Reserve Writers Conference 2022

I attended the 36^th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference on April 27, 2019. They held the Conference at the South Euclid-Lyndhurst branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library at the William N. Skirball writer’s center at the branch. It was a one-day event with an introduction, a keynote speaker, three breakout sessions, and one first-page critique panel. I attended the introduction, a keynote speaker, and two breakout sessions. I thought The Western Reserve Writers Conference was well run, diverse in the presentations offered, and informative. My Star of the Con was Bree Barton. Her presentation was fun, the exercises were useful, and I liked her personality.

Western Reserve Writers Conference 2019

I attended the 34^th annual Western Reserve Writers Conference on September 23, 2017. I could not attend last year. This is a link to my review of the 2017 conference.

The Western Reserve Writers Conference

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2024

Introduction

I attended the SF conference called Cleveland ConCoction at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 8 to 10, 2024. I also attended Cleveland ConCoction in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023. (2020, 2021, and 2022 was canceled due to COVID-19).I attended the opening ceremony, eight panels, two author showcases, and the closing ceremony. This year’s theme was the Neverending dungeon celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the release of Dungeons and Dragons game system and the 40^th anniversary of the release of the movie The Neverending Story.

ConCoction 2024 Banner

ConCoction 2024 Program Guide Cover

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ConCoction 2024 Badge

[insert badge]

The link to the ConCoction website.

http://www.clevelandconcoction.org/

Bertram Inn and Conference Center

Summary

Friday, March 8 at 2 PM

History of Computing Before Computers, a panel with D. Mark Hayes.

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Hayes A Room with 11 attendees.

Friday, March 8 at 3 PM

Write That Novel, a panel with Becca Lynn Mathis and David Wyatt.

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Pegasus Room with 9 attendees.

Friday, March 8 at 5 PM

The Opening Ceremonies.

[insert summary here]

They held the ceremonies in the Pegasus Room with 27 attendees.

Friday, March 8 at 6 PM

Author Showcase with Marie Vibbert, Becca Lynn Mathis, Geoffrey Landis, Mary Turillo, and A.S. Ferguson.

[insert summary here]

They held the showcase in the Grant A Room with 4 attendees.

Saturday, March 9 at 10 AM

The Fermi Paradox – The Silurian Hypothesis, a panel with David Wyatt.

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Hayes C & D Room with 16 attendees.

Saturday, March 9 at 12 PM

Now What?!, a panel with Becca Lynn Mathis.

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Hayes A Room with 3 attendees.

Saturday, March 9 at 2 PM

Author Showcase with Addie King and Rami Ungar.

[insert summary here]

They held the showcase in the Grant A Room with 10 attendees.

Saturday, March 9 at 3 PM

Research and Authenticity in Fiction, a panel with Marcus Cook, David Balrog. A.J. Mathews, and Shannon Eichorn.

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Hayes A Room with 14 attendees.

Sunday, March 10 from 10 AM

Melissa Scott talks about whatever she wants, a panel with Melissa Scott.

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Grant A Room with 7 attendees.

Sunday, March 10 from 11:30 AM

The Power of Short Fiction, a panel with Marie Vibbert, Rami Ungar, Geoffrey Landis, Evan Graham, and Addie King.

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Pegasus Room with 11 attendees.

Sunday, March 10 from 1 PM

Dreamstates, a panel with the band Dreamstates.

[insert summary here]

They held the panel in the Pegasus Room.

Sunday, March 10 from 2 PM

The Closing Ceremonies

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They held the ceremonies in the Pegasus Room with 35 attendees

Recommendation – Conclusion

This is my Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2024. I had a great experience at Cleveland ConCoction 2024. The Bertram Conference center is nice. I’m glad to be back. My star of the con was Becca Lynn Mathis. I saw her in two panels and in an author showcase. My other highlights were seeing Marie Vibbert and Geoffrey Landis both in a panel and in an author showcase. I’m planning on attending next year.

Links

This is my recap of the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction 2019 at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 1 to 3, 2019. I attended the opening ceremony, four panels, and the closing ceremony. I also volunteered in the Programming Department for four hours and in the ConSuite for four hours. This is a link to my conference recap.

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2019

I attended the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction at 600 North Aurora Road Aurora, Ohio at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center from March 9, 2018, to March 11, 2018. The 2019 convention was from March 1 to 3, 2019 and I realized as I was writing a recap for that conference, I had not posted a recap for the 2018 conference. This is a recap for the conference from last year. I attended the opening ceremony, five panels, two author showcases, a performance, and the closing ceremony. I also volunteered in the ConSuite for eight hours.

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2018

This is my recap for the SF conference Cleveland ConCoction from 2017. They held it from March 10, 2017, to March 12, 2017. Attended nine activities and volunteered in the ConSuite for twelve hours.

Conference Recap Cleveland ConCoction 2017