Date: Sat, 09 Mar 2002 16:46:02 -0500
From: "Michael Walsh" <MJW at mail.press.jhu.edu>
To: <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: What should Capclave be?
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

>
>lee gilliland wrote:
>
>> Alexis weighs in:
>>
>> The question has been raised, what should Capclave be?  My answer is
>> conservative:  Capclave should be like Disclave insofar as this may be
>> possible.  Granted, Disclaves were all over the lot, with attendance =
ranging
>> from 64 to 1400, but in general they were fondly remembered, and rom =
1974
>> on, Disclaves all had art shows.  Sentamentality aside, why should =
Capclave
>> have an art show?  Artists--and thier customers--swell the throng, and, =
done
>> right, art shows make about as much money as the huckster room,  Which =
is to
>> say, an art show improves the con you want to present.
>
>Why do you want to "swell the throng"?  More bodies don't guarantee a =
better
>convention.   I think Capclave should find and exploit an underused niche =
and
>not try to be All Cons For All People.   And it seems to me that Capclave =
#1 has
>already moved promisingly in that direction.
>
>--Ted White

To answer the question in the subject line:

Capclave should be a convention the club wants to attend.

Capclave Numero Uno was a pleasant low-keyed con.  Rather reminiscent of =
the Disclaves of the late 60's when I first attended.

Because the con is essentially the sole source of WSFA funding we do need =
to consider what size con is best for the club.  Certainly a 1500 person =
con this year or next would make WSFA a fair piece of coin, but frankly I =
would prefer to go the slow growth route for the con.

One way to manage growth & quality is through who we invite as Guests.
& here's a list of names offered as a way to spark discussion:

Alastair Reynolds
Ken Macleod
Iain M. Banks
Mary Gentle
China Mievelle
Stephen Baxter
Chip Delany
Terry Bisson (Joe's cancelled Disclave GoH)
James Morrow (he'd be cheap, living in State College, PA)
Michael Bishop
Octavia Butler
Howard Waldrop
former DC area resident Kim Stanley Robinson,
Tim Powers

& not as GoH, but certainly should be invited "to come on down" Walter =
Mosely in NYC

mjw