Con Report: Ad Astra 2011
By Angela Roberts
April 13, 2011
This past weekend, April 8-10, Ludmila Rishkova and I travelled to Toronto for the 30th edition of the Ad Astra science fiction convention. In focus, Ad Astra is similar to Con-Cept in Montreal in that it is primarily a literary convention (although there are panels on all sorts of aspects of genre entertainment). Many established and up-and-coming authors attended the con, and we had the opportunity to speak with several of them and get some great interviews that will appear soon on the site. We also got to meet some very nice people and get the word out. We had a table in the dealer room, and were very appreciative of the people who took the time to listen to our pitch and even bought copies of the print edition. We even had the pleasure of hearing that some people had already heard of us. It’s always great to hear that our reach is longer than we thought! So, as promised, here is our more detailed account of our time at Ad Astra!
Mila and I took the train early in the morning on Friday, arriving in Toronto at around 11:30 in the morning. The ride was pretty smooth and comfortable, and we were fortunate enough to be on a trip that included checked baggage, as we both had bags full of merch for the con. After a quick lunch, we took a taxi to the hotel where the convention was being held, the Toronto Don Valley Hotel & Suites, where we checked in and settled in to our room before going to get set up at the con. We relaxed that afternoon, taking our time setting up our table and resting from our trip before things got started at 6. We also ran into Howard Tayler, writer and illustrator of Schlock Mercenary, who we had previously arranged by email to interview. He introduced us to Ben Bova, acclaimed science fiction writer, and I’ll admit, I had a tiny stunned fangirl moment there. :) In fact, it’s fair to say that the weekend presented many fangirl moments for us!
Soon after the con began, I went to conduct my first interview of the weekend with JM Frey, fanthropologist and author of Triptych, which was launched at the con that weekend. That great interview will appear soon on the site, and so will my second interview of that night, my talk with Howard Tayler. Tayler also got me green room access, although the only time I ended up using it was for our interview. Still, it was a cool feeling! Mila stayed to man the table while I was out on these interviews, and she spoke to some interesting people. Finally, at ten the room closed and we had a pretty decent meal at the Lobby Bar before going to Mercedes Lackey’s Midnight Reading. Not easy when you’ve been up most of the day, but I managed it, and at the end, I’d arranged to meet with her and her husband, Larry Dixon, for an interview Saturday evening.
Saturday, we were in the dealer room by ten, and remained for some time before Mila attended a panel on YA novels. I went to a fascinating one on Believable Evil characters, and then ducked out so Mila could meet Tamora Pierce for an interview. For most of the rest of the afternoon, we stayed at the table, getting up and walking around occasionally to stretch our legs. We had a lively neighbour in novelist Jeff Pearce, and I interviewed him during a lull in traffic. Business was slow on Saturday, probably owing to the number of panels going on, but we still got to talk to many interesting people. Finally, however, the day drew to a close, and I hurried over to meet with Larry Dixon and Mercedes Lackey, Mila joining us in the hotel restaurant after the table had been squared away. In the restaurant, Dixon invited prolific writer Ed Greenwood to join us, and we soon had a multi-subject interview that turned into some of the best hours I know I’ve ever spent at a con. Howard Tayler eventually joined the conversation, but by then we’d already determined that the interview would become a podcast rather than a text interview. Stay tuned for that to come out sometime this month or in May. It was a fascinating conversation filled with laughter, bawdy jokes, and great insights into writing and the writing life. And Larry Dixon bought me supper! :) High fives were shared by your grateful Gloaming editors, I can tell you!
Saturday night also included the launch party for JM Frey’s Triptych, published by Dragon Moon Press. Mila and I had just enough time to change and get over to the party. We stayed for the reading and prize giveaway, spoke to a few interesting people, then went to get some supper at the Lobby Bar, before sacking out in our rooms after such a busy day! Sadly, neither of us had the stamina to party all night! ;)
Sunday, we rose early enough to pack up, get breakfast at the Timmy’s down the road (where I finally had a decent breakfast of a Timatin and coffee), and check out before going back to the dealer room. On Friday, JM Frey had introduced me to her editor and publisher Gabrielle Harbowy, and we arranged an interview for Sunday morning, so that was where I was first thing at the con. My interview with Gabrielle was also good fun and very interesting, even though we, like everyone that morning, were feeling the effects of being up late the night before. There’s nothing more subdued than a science fiction convention on Sunday morning! That interview will also appear soon on the site. Sunday also went by relatively fast; Mila and I both attended a few more panels – Mila on publishing your first novel and editing it, and I went to a panel on heroes. We made some more sales and got to speak to some more people, but soon enough, it was four o’clock, and time to go! Our trip home on the train was blessedly stress-free, and I’m sure we both collapsed happily in our own beds when we got home!
Some notes that aren’t completely positive, but important to know if you intend to attend the con. If you’re from out of town, you’re pretty much obligated to stay at the hotel (unless you know someone in Toronto who can put you up). It’s in the middle of nowhere in terms of amenities; the only restaurant we ever actually found in walking distance (and Mila tried) was the Tim Horton’s, and they close at 11pm. The hotel was comfortable enough for a weekend, but not the best you can imagine, although the staff was courteous and helpful. Food, however, was not that great. Some sort of catering was provided at the con, and I had about two bites of the vilest pizza I’ve ever had. The Lobby Bar was decent, but expensive. I never saw the price of my meal at the restaurant, but the buffet meal was reasonably good. But, if I go back, I will definitely bring a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread like I do to Fan Expo. The price and quality of food around the con were just not up to snuff. It was unfortunate, because the con had many good points.
Interviews will start going up on the site next week, so watch for that! We want to thank everyone who took the time to speak with us, and all of the authors who let us pepper them with questions. Also we want to thank all of the Con staff who were so helpful and polite, especially Janet Jones and Amy de Ruyte.
For more info on the con, visit the Ad Astra 2011 site.
Below are some pictures we took at the con!
