Darkover Grand
Council 13Darkover Grand
Council 13It was a real kick having Lisa & Melissa as Guests of Honor at Darkover. Don wrote an appreciative essay on the pair for the Program Book. He and Thomas put together a funny presentation for the Masquerade, word-playing on the titles of their various books ("In Silence, in Solitude, clothed in her Armor of Light, the Empress of Earth walks a Mighty Good Road. She meets the Kindly Ones, who offer A Choice of Destinies: stay, and enjoy a pleasure exactly Five-Twelfths of Heaven; or continue past this place, to The Game Beyond."
Don was on four panels, two of which he moderated. He used his meager influence to drag on some of the resident authors who were included in Carmen Miranda's Ghost is Haunting Space Station Three.
"When a Fan Becomes a Writer" included Lisa, Melissa, Diana Paxson, and Amanda Allen. According to Don's notes, they addressed such questions as "Does fan status stand in the way of a professional career?" "What changes have come about in your fan activities?" and "What are the three biggest mistakes made by fans who become writers?"
"Theme Anthologies" featured Diana Paxson, Lisa Waters, Amanda, and Mary Mand. The questions were rather pedestrian: "What defines a theme anthology? How coherent does the theme have to be?" and "How do you go about writing to fit a particular theme?"
Carl Cipra moderated "Being a Gay SF Writer," which consisted of Lisa, Melissa, and Don. It was probably on this panel that they were first exposed to Carl's excellent moderating technique and intelligent, provocative questions. Carl has gone on to become one of the best panel moderators in fandom; the mere knowledge that he will moderate a panel causes guests to demand that they be put on it.
Don's notes also show that he participated in a Sunday morning panel with Lisa Barnett and Lisa Waters called "How to Submit a Manuscript" -- he has a vague recollection that Waters may not have been able to make it, so Barnett asked him to fill in. There must have been some critiquing of writing going on; Don's notes include "dependent clauses -- if you diagram this sentence, you could hang it up like a mobile."
Other items on the program include "Use and Misuse of Harps in Fiction" (with Bob Esty, Kathy Sobansky, and Heather Rose ones, all accomplished harpists) and "Pronouncing Gaelic."
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LEFT: Thomas in his Genesis II outfit, and Sharon Landrum as the Queen of Pentacles. |
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