Today’s Friday Feature is 
Con-Version 23. It was a blast! Held at the Radisson Hotel in Calgary August 10-12, 2007, the convention committee (volunteers from the CSFFS), chaired by the ever-competent and continually cheerful Kirstin Morrell, did an admirable job to make this convention a resounding success. Literary guest of honor was Jack McDevitt (Seeker, Omega, Odyssey, Ancient Shores) and the science guest of honor Calgary’s own Rebecca Bradley, also a fantasy author (Lady Gil series), but there primarily for her expertise as an ethnoarcheologist, specializing in Egypt, and the Sudan. Features publisher was Brian Hades of Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing.
erally running from one to the other…That’s okay; I needed the exercize. And I still managed to find the Slave Auction (one winner pictured here with her prizes), Masquerade, Filking, swordfighting demo, and “Phantom of the Space Opera” show, which strangely resembled a twisted drug-induced version of several Star Trek shows in one…
1. prior to the convention, a few of us explored Calgary and found ourselves at the Sushi Boat where I marvelled at all the little boats carrying sushi…(I don’t get out much)… From left to right, Virginia O’Dine of Bundoran Press, Karl Johanson of Neo-Opsis Science Fiction Magazine, Nathalie Mallet, author of The Princes of the Cage and Dominic Maguire of Bundoran Press.
3. After doing a reading of “Darwin’s Paradox” I rewarded those who had stayed to the bitter end by giving away an original work of art by illustrator, Teresa Young.
4. I had a great time serving on panels like this one on small press with 
Brian Hades and Janice of EDGE.
The best part of the con was meeting old friends again and making new ones. The Calgary community in general and the SF & F community, specifically, is a lively, warm and very welcoming one. I had the honor and pleasure of meeting for the first time great authors like Jack McDevitt, Nathalie Mallet, and Jennifer Rahn, in addition to new rising stars like Adria Laycraft (look o
ut for her!) and first prize winner of the Robyn Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest, Calvin Jim. I also met my excellent editor, Tim Reynolds of Dragon Moon Press, for the first time. It was wonderful to visit with fellow SF Canada members like Marie Jakober, Allison Sinclair, Lynda Williams, Robert Runte, Karl Johanson and Virginia O’Dine as well as Canadian author Danita Maslan.
Fantastic post!! Looks like you had an excellent time!
Cool pix!
(But where’s the ones of you in the bar?)
Great recap of a fun day it seems. great job
Really wish I could have got there, Nina; would love to have met everybody, especially you.
Gee…I thought I DID meet you, Jean-Luc…in the bar, in fact…
After all those drinks… 
As for pics of me in the bar…you’ll have to surf the blogosphere for those…
Good times, Nina. We’ll have to get more crazy at World Con.
It was great meeting you and being able to put a face to your SF Canada list serve presence at last. (I had hoped to ask to interview you about your writing, but as luck would have it, I ended up with technical difficulties and lost the one interview I did do.) I must say, it was fun to talk with you and particularly to observe you throughout the con — whenever I caught sight of you, you always seemed to be laughing. The writing life must agree with you.
LOL! I’m just crazy, Robert.
Well, it WAS fun, though, wasn’t it? Great to finally meet you too, Robert, and I really enjoyed panelling with you.
Jennifer, you’re on! World Fantasy Con, here we come!…Only watch that video camera of yours, okay?… Or I may have to get out my little ray gun…
Wow! cool post, Nina! That Con was soo much fun.