Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 21:17:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Cathy Green <dalek_cag at yahoo.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Old Schoolkids/future fans [was: Old School]
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

I think it is less that younger people are reading
less SF/fantasy  but that they may not see the need to
attend  literary cons.  Thanks to the internet, I can
"meet" and discuss books and tv shows with people all
over the world without leaving my apartment.  I can
even "meet" authors that was if they have blogs,
livejournals or participate on yahoogroups or the
equivalent.

Cons are still going strong, it's just different kinds
of cons.  Media SF related cons are still popular, in
part due to the opportunity to meet the actors and get
autographs, and anime cons are often huge.  Dragoncon
always does impressive numbers, as does the San Diego
comicon.

I know during my teen and college years I was
attending creation cons (they weren't quite as
commercial then), largely so I could see Dr. Who
actors (my second obsessive fandom) and comic books
conventions, in part to meet the artists and authors,
and in part to shop and horsetrade in the dealers
room.  I used to be on a first name basis with a
number of dealers and artists.

--cathy

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