I spent last weekend at the World Fantasy Convention held this year in Baltimore, Maryland’s Inner Harbor, a very scenic and lively public waterfront. WFC celebrated the 200th anniversary of the publication of FRANKENSTEIN and the theme was appropriately “Ports in a Storm” because it rained like hell on Friday. We could barely swim to the restaurants and bars!

It was wonderful catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. The Clarion West and Beneath Ceaseless Skies parties were particularly fun. Charles de Lint (Lifetime Achievement Award), John Kessel, and Jim Kelly, three of my Clarion West instructors, were there and I was able to catch up with them. Even though I didn’t get a chance to see everyone I’d have liked to, it was nice just knowing that we were all in the same friendly space.

My days and evenings were spent at readings, panels, catching up with friends over dinners, lunches, and many, many, many impromptu meetings in hallways, elevators, and so forth. Truly a mini-vacation from the mundane world; I came home relaxed, recharged, and inspired.