Norwescon 48 and filk!

I attended Norwescon this year!

Norwescon is a science fiction convention--that's scifi fiction, in specific, with a strong focus on writers and scientists as guests--in its now-48th year. It's not a huge event, but it's a thriving one, and it's the sort that makes you glad.

IYou'll never find a corporate-owned convention with this sort of spirit. It's what you find in any local anime or gaming or music event where people come because they love it, not because they want Funko pops. It's an event where the vendors are exquisite, the art room is impressive and educational, the panels are going to teach you something, and the costuming is always interesting.

I don't really know where to start. There was a delightful table for the Interim Computer Museum, which included omikuji (mine was great fortune!). There was a books table, because there's always books people can't store, and you'll always find something interesting when you browse those. There was a panel about heavy metal; an improv comedy panel with scientists; one that I can't quite recall the purpose of, but which just included such interesting people's lives and how that influenced their creative work. The masquerade (this, one of the events that call the costume contest the masquerade) included a delightful reflective glitter-gown and a Princess Serenity whose gauzy cotton dress was an 1800s-style interpretation of the design.

And the filk! Well. First, the performers. Alexander Adams performed, and he's got a great show. Cecilia Eng was also badass (her song about "stop lying about Portland, we'll live on despite your politically motivated nonsense" was pretty pointed).

So. The filk!!! I got to attend the circle twice, and then hung out with people on the third day. We sang a lot of space songs--con weekend was during the Artemis mission--and heard songs old and new. One participant had a spectacular tribble song set to the Tom Lehrer one about pigeons, and a folkish singer brought a song about a woman with a tambourine (only for my partner to realize that the con badges could be shaken in just-such a way, and for us all to join in with our 'tambourines'...!).

I know I was new to filking in person when I went to last Necro, but the fact is is that filk still happens. OVFF still exists, and there are still filkers out there. I'm now in the Filkhaven Discord, and it's great. Not everybody had the same take on how a circle should work, but that's ok, and we had a good time.

It's a long way away for me, so I don't know if I'll get to go back next year. But it was great. Science fiction is a great subculture, and it lives yet.

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