top of page
Writer's pictureLee Murray

LexiCon

Our national science fiction and fantasy convention was held last weekend in Taupō. Here is my list of convention highlights:

  • A road trip! Bags crammed to the roof.

  • A stop off at the licorice shoppe. Free samples.

  • A room of her own overlooking the lake.

  • An exciting book project idea, percolating.

  • Writers meet ups in the bar.

  • A 100 year old church purchase ‒ not mine, but still a highlight.

  • Jean Gilbert hearing me say ‘deaf’ delegate instead of ‘DUFF’ delegate and immediately switching to American Sign Language, flummoxing poor Paul Weimer. Horror queen Kaaron Warren gets the giggles.

  • Ninety baby writers.

  • A teen writer pitching Finding Nemo as a horror thriller.

  • Multi-writer meet up in the bar.

  • Breakfast with gamer/writer and all-round crafty person, Jenni Sands. Snoopy gifts from Japan.

  • Meeting up with mentees and hearing about their plans.

  • Panels, panels, panels, speeches.

  • The word ‘conlanging’.

  • Free lunches (Yes, it’s a thing).

  • Friends. Too many to list.

  • Can-do attitudes.

  • Books!

  • Another multi-writer meet up in the bar.

  • Mount Tauhara at dawn.

  • The fluffy blue feather on Norman Cates’ hat.

  • Picking up a spare script of Paul Mannering’s radio play Word of the Things, so I could enjoy the jokes a second time in private.

  • Cheesy selfies.

  • Three pointy SJV trophies and wishes and kisses from friends.

  • Winning the book raffle (Angela Slatter gift-wrapped).

  • After parties.

  • Road trip! 7am. Bags squeezed in, hatch slammed shut. Thank goodness, Gerry Huntman is driving.

  • Brown Sugar Café, Taihape.

  • Getting home to my darlings.

  • Overhearing Kaaron Warren in the next room with my son, both chortling over Maxwell Smart. “No, not the Craw, the Craw!”

  • Making plans to meet again, and no one missing their flights.

  • Early night.

  • Secretly popping all the bubble-wrap that my pointy trophies came wrapped in.



The 38th national science fiction and fantasy conference, LexiCon, was held from June 3-6, 2017 at the Suncourt Hotel in Taupō.

Photo credit: Paul Mannering.

25 views

Recent Posts

See All

Kommentare


bottom of page