# Help shape a science fiction convention! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605 "2009-12-17T05:30:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/21 "2009-12-17T22:06:10Z")
In the alternative, you could book me and Ron Moore in a Steel Cage Texas Death Match. I’ll cut an old school promo on him where I shred cabbage against a chain-link fence while explaining that his face will receive similar treatment. He can counter with a promo where he’s revealed as Daniel and will stomp my semi-Druidic ass. I’d take **Skald** as my manager, and fight courageously until Starbuck runs in and distracts me by flashing her mystical boobies while Moore nails me with a chair for the pin. Then we drink good booze and do a pod cast about the match. Yeah, ok, I’d be really tempted to shoot on him and at least make him tap…but I prolly wouldn’t. I would work stiff, but that’s just to make it look good for the marks. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/22 "2009-12-17T22:16:38Z")
Isn’t Spider Robinson the crazy one? Or am I getting him confused with some other writer? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/23 "2009-12-17T22:24:13Z")
For some particular value of “crazy” perhaps. I found him charming, funny and dangerously punny. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/24 "2009-12-17T22:29:11Z")
Aren’t all creative people “crazy” to some degree? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/25 "2009-12-17T22:35:19Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Aren’t all creative people “crazy” to some degree? Not just the creative ones. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/26 "2009-12-18T05:41:03Z")
What about Ron Goulart? Would he make a good GoH? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/27 "2009-12-18T06:58:38Z")
If you can spring for plane tickets, there’s a group of DC-area comedians called [The Geek Comedy Tour](http://geekcomedytour.com/) (“The group that knows Han shot first!”). I’d be shocked if there weren’t a group closer to home with a similar sensibility, but… ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/28 "2009-12-20T15:00:54Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Pratchett is ill but apparently he is still attending some conventions (one as recently as September)… At the First N.A. Discworld Convention, Sir Terry–I still love saying that!–swore that he would attend the 2011 North American Discworld Con if there was one. Since this year’s went wondr’us well I can’t imagine there won’t be one. If your con were directly before or after he might consider it. No announced date that I have heard. Disclaiming: I have no connection with the Pratchett camp. I don’t speak for them, I don’t know what they’re thinking or what they might be willing to consider. Thank you for your support. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/29 "2009-12-20T16:06:18Z")
Not local (he lives in Missouri), but Jim Butcher would be a great guest, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![iftheresaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecae2f/32.png) [@iftheresaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iftheresaway)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/30 "2009-12-20T16:10:33Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > If you want a new and upcoming humorous writer, I’d definitely consider [A. Lee Martinez](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._Lee_Martinez). His **Gil’s All Fright Diner** is just a great book and he had a nice knack of blending humor with high adventure. He’s from the Dallas area. I picked this up thinking that it was just going to be silly fluff thing (I read a lot of YA books so that I can make good recommendations to my students) and really enjoyed it. I would definitely second his nomination for GoH. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/31 "2009-12-20T18:25:07Z")
Oh, I do like A. Lee Martinez. His… ah, darn Book about the witch? was very good. I look forward to great things from him. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/32 "2009-12-20T19:49:23Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Oh, I do like A. Lee Martinez. His… ah, darn Book about the witch? was very good. I look forward to great things from him. **A Nameless Witch** ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/33 "2009-12-20T20:26:03Z")
How about Andrew Fox, author of _Fat White Vampire Blues_? For entertainment, I think it quite obvious you must book MC Frontalot or Jonathan Coulton. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/34 "2009-12-20T20:34:52Z")
The most obvious choice that sprung into mind for a comedic Sci-Fi convention Guest of Honor would have to be [Harry Harrison](http://www.harryharrison.com/). But I believe he is in Ireland and he’s definitely getting up there in age (84)… don’t know if he makes appearances anymore, but he’s definitely a high caliber guest and the classic ones are disappearing more and more quickly everyday. He has also been an artist, editor, and of course writer… all of the above. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605/35 "2009-12-21T06:40:41Z")
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to this year’s Orycon, but had a great time in 2008. I strongly support Spider Robinson as your pro GoH. I would attend even if it were on Thanksgiving Day itself. Not surprisingly, I’m a huge fan. Harry Harrison would be a damn fine choice as well. “Bill, the Galactic Hero,” is a longtime favorite, along with all the Stainless Steel Rat books A lot of the others that spring to mind are no longer with us: Frederic Brown of “Martians, Go Home” fame, Keith “Retief” Laumerm, Robert Sheckley, Alfred Bester… John Scalzi’s “Agent to the Stars” was hilarious. I think he lives in Ohio these days. David Gerrold and Larry Niven wrote “The Flying Sorcerers” together, with the sly namechecks to other SF authors, esp. “As a color, purple.” They’d be a fun pair to have. (And we could pin Gerrold down about those last three Chtorr books…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-shape-a-science-fiction-convention/521605.md?page=1)