Glasgow (2024)

Worldcon 82 – In the Shadow of The Armadillo

Worldcon 82 took place in Glasgow, Scotland, August 8-12, 2024. I was fortunate enough to arrange a London visit to see my daughter before hopping a flight north. I was also unfortunate enough to be sick in the weeks leading up to my trip. Basically, I was tired for most of the event, only feeling like myself in the final days.

The event was held at the Scottish Event Center (SEC) and the former Clyde Auditorium, now known as The Armadillo (for obvious reasons). The whole space was situated across the River Clyde from Glasgow Science Centre and the biggest IMAX screen in Scotland.

Despite my occasionally muddled state, I had a great time, connecting up with some old friends and having a long-delayed meeting with an editor who’s published a number of my flash stories.

Event highlights:

  • A pre-con IMAX showing of Deadpool & Wolverine – a total fan-serving popcorn event. Sparsely attended, so reserving seats wasn’t an issue. (I wish I could have hung out for some extra days to watch their SF retrospective, including Galaxy Quest and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  • Badge pickup – moderate security (bag checks) and lots of helpful folks. Got my stuff and was out in less than an hour.
  • A 60-minute performance of Dune! The Musical. “A one-man show combining songwriting, storytelling and the spice melange”  An fabulous, raucous, and funny way to kick off the weekend. Check out the “cast album” and more here.
  • The Science, Fiction, and Ethics of Terraforming
  • Inadvisable Rocket Science (funny and stupid engineering mistakes)
  • Sustainability: Adapting to a Changing world
  • Autograph/book plate hunting
  • Readings by Alastair Reynolds & Aliette de Bodard
  • GOH interview with Ken MacLeod
  • Is the Multiverse the New Time Travel?
  • Group Book Launch, where I purchased ONE book for myself. Such restraint.
  • Alien Artifacts (an improv panel that created fake backstories for ordinary household objects and artwork
  • This Starship Earth
  • The anatomy of Future Bodies
  • SF Caledonia – Scottish SF past, Present, and Future
  • And to wrap it up, a reading from Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, who came from Nigeria thanks to crowd-funded. (I chipped in a few bucks since I wasn’t sure I’d be able to buy him a drink during the con.)

Of course, there were meals and drinks with friends, some writing time at the hotel, and a day trip into Glasgow proper, where I spent most of my gift budget at The Bird & Blend tea shop.

Random cosplay:

Awards

  • Best Novel
    Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
  • Best Novella
    Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
  • Best Novelette
    “The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer
  • Best Short Story
    “Better Living Through Algorithms” by Naomi Kritzer
  • Best Series
    Imperial Radch by Ann Leckie
  • Best Graphic Story or Comic
    Saga, Vol. 11 written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples
  • Best Related Work
    A City on Mars by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith
  • Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
    Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
  • Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
    The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”
  • Best Game or Interactive Work
    Baldur’s Gate 3,
  • Best Editor Short Form
    Neil Clarke
  • Best Editor Long Form
    Ruoxi Chen
  • Best Professional Artist
    Rovina Cai
  • Best Semiprozine
    Strange Horizons, by the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
  • Best Fanzine
    Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together
  • Best Fancast
    Octothorpe, by John Coxon, Alison Scott, and Liz Batty
  • Best Fan Writer
    Paul Weimer
  • Best Fan Artist
    Laya Rose
  • Lodestar Award for Best YA Book
    To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose
  • Astounding Award for Best New Writer
    Xiran Jay Zhao
  • Sidewise Award – “Apollo in Retrograde,” by my friend and fellow word miner, Rosemary Claire Smith!

And the 2026 Worldcon bid went to Los Angeles, well, Anaheim to be precise.

See y’all in Seattle in 2025, assuming I’m still employed.