You Say "Witch" Like It's A Bad Thing?

Stephen King tried to warn us....

I find it ironic that many folks on both sides of the aisle now think that Tea Party candidate Christine O'Donnell is crazy because "she's a witch". I think O'Donnell is foolish for many reasons including the fact that she doesn't know what a witch really is, let alone what one is for. (1)

From what I've seen of her, she does not have enough intelligence, courage, compassion, honesty, learning, critical thinking skills or personal wisdom to be one.

Sia

Further Reading:

How It's Done by Hecate

(I agree with H. The young woman was lying)

Training as a Green Witch

The Christians and the Pagans

Endnotes:

(1) Pratchett and the Pagans

"Certainly witchcraft for Tiffany has very little to do with magic as people generally understand it. It has an awful lot to do with taking responsibility for yourself and taking responsibility also for the less able people and, up to a certain point, guarding your society. This is based on how witchcraft really was, I suspect. The witch was the village herbalist, the midwife, the person who knew things. She would sit up with the dying, lay out the corpses, deliver the newborn. Witches tended to be needed when human beings were meeting the dangerous edges of their lives, the places where there is no map. They don't mess around with tinkly spells; they get their hands dirty."

Terry Pratchett's next book, I Shall Wear Midnight, features his young witch-in-training, Tiffany Aching, and hits US bookstores on Sept. 28th.

Hat Tip: To the reason.com blog for the poster art. Their notes on Ms. O'Donnell are worth reading.

Update 9/22

Starhawk has responded in the Washington Post and she speaks not just for Wiccans but for many Pagans when she says this:

...had O'Donnell really 'dabbled' in Witchcraft, she might have learned that ....Witches do not worship Satan--we consider the Devil to be a purely Christian construct. We see nature as sacred, and human beings as part of nature. Our spirituality does not require belief in things we can't see--but rather an attitude of respect, awe and wonder at the everyday miracles we can see, the great and common mysteries of birth, growth, death and regeneration in the fall of a leaf or the phases of the moon, in the cycles of our lives and the turning of the seasons.

O'Donnell might have learned that Witches see all of life as interconnected, that we are taught to respect other people, to treat one another with compassion, generosity and honor, to protect the earth and to live in balance with nature. We can only imagine how her life, her crusades and her politics might have been shaped by an early encounter with the Goddess, for whom the body is a temple, sexuality is a path of deep and sacred communion...

Unseen Academicals

Unseen Academicals is now available in bookstores. I predict that you will love two new characters: Glenda the pie maker and Pepe who is...many things.

Here's to all those who climb out of the crab bucket....

Sia

The wizards at Ankh-Morpork's Unseen University are renowned for many things—wisdom, magic, and their love of teatime—but athletics is most assuredly not on the list. And so when Lord Ventinari, the city's benevolent tyrant, strongly suggests to Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully that the university revive an erstwhile tradition and once again put forth a football team composed of faculty, students, and staff, the wizards of UU find themselves in a quandary. To begin with, they have to figure out just what it is that makes this sport—soccer with a bit of rugby thrown in—so popular with Ankh-Morporkians of all ages and social strata. Then they have to learn how to play it. Oh, and on top of that, they must win a football match without using magic.

Meanwhile, Trev (a handsome street urchin and a right good kicker) falls hard for kitchen maid Juliet (beautiful, dim, and perhaps the greatest fashion model there ever was), and Juliet's best pal, UU night cook Glenda (homely, sensible, and a baker of jolly good pies) befriends the mysterious Mr. Nutt (about whom no one knows very much, including Mr. Nutt, which is worrisome . . .). As the big match approaches, these four lives are entangled and changed forever. Because the thing about football—the most important thing about football­—is that it is never just about football.

You can get the lastet Terry Pratchett new from the man himself by going here.

Suryia the Orangutan and Roscoe the Dog

Today I would like to share a video about a friendship between Suryia the Orangutan and Roscoe the Dog.

Enjoy,

Sia

P.S. Congratulations to the folks at the North American Discworld Convention who raised over $24,000 for the Orangutan Foundation International during their Discworld Charity Auctions at NADWCon.

Betti and the Discworld Belly Dancers at NADWCon

Here are 3 brief amateur videos taken of the belly dancers at the Discworld Convention banquet. You can see the wonderful green screen photos taken of the some of the 300 guests at that event at the Avalon Arts website.

I had worked with Avalon Arts over the years at our Full Circle Witches' Balls (1) and I was able to recommend them for the Seamstress Guild party, where they did fantastic work. When Margaret Grady, the banquet's decorator and director asked me if they had a green screen, the happy answer was "yes", and you can see how well it all turned out. They also had a booth in the NADWCon dealer's room where they took photos of attendees in costume, including one of the better photos of Terry Pratchett I've seen. If I can get my hands on it, I will post a link to it here.

Sia

Dancers with flames



Here is a short clip with a close up of the flame work:



The infamous "Betti" (AKA Nobby Nobbs), the husband of one of the dancers, joins in ala Terry's book Jingo (wherein Nobby Nobbs, a guardsman behind enemy lines has to dress as a dancing girl and while working "undercover" discovers his feminine side.)



The video taker missed "Betti's" work on at the high table and his clowning around with Terry, which is a shame. Perhaps someone else caught it. I will keep my eye out for more videos.

Sia

Links:

Avalon Arts Studio

Related Articles:

The Witches Ball: When A Party Stands for Pagan Values

The Wiccan Dance Meets Bollywood

Endnotes:

(1) I understand that they took photos for another Witches' Ball in Benecia last March. This is no relation to our Full Circle yearly charity ball and costume event (which ceased production when I moved out of California) but I wish the organizers and the good folks at Avalon Arts all the best.

NADWCon Photos Are Up (North American Discworld Convention)

For those of you who are interested, there is now a link to North American Discworld Convention photos up on the NADWCon website. Look under "con photos, videos and links".

There is some talk of doing this all again in 2011 in a different city. If a well organized, decently funded group steps forward, it could happen. Many of the senior NADWCon volunteer staff have said that they would advise and help any new convention group as much as they can. Terry Pratchett has said that he'll be there "if I am spared" and we hope that he is.

As of this writing, he is working on the new Tiffany Aching novel to be called I Shall Wear Midnight. (1) After that he intends to start work on his autobiography and, possibly, another adult Discworld novel.

While in Arizona he visited the city of Tombstone and seemed much taken with the story of the OK Corral and Wiatt Earp. He also went to the Kitt Peak National Observatory, where he was given a tour by the Observatory's Director.

Sia

Photo: This way to the egress. Photo by Hereatwitsend. Discworld sign by Margaret Grady, Decorating Chair, Logistics Manager and Banquet Director, NADWCon.

Link:

Terry Pratchett News - Paul Kidby's website

Endnotes:

(1) ...which he discussed late at one night in the hotel bar with a small group of Witches and Pagans, myself among them. I am not allowed to say any more except that I look forward to this next Tiffany book with great anticipation.

He also met Pagan author and former Canadian police detective Kerr Cuhulain and his wife at that same convention. I understand that Kerr has since sent him several of his books.

Terry Pratchett and Nanny Ogg - NADWCon Seamstress Guild Stealth Costume Awards

Someone else captured another part of the Seamstress Guild Party Stealth Costume Awards and put it up on Youtube. What you can't hear Mrs. Palm saying as she works to pin the ribbon on Young Greebo is "I don't normally have so much trouble getting it in". Nanny Ogg replies, "I get to take it off".

With those two women on either side of him, you can see why Terry needed the Bursar's frog pills.

The gal who came as Cherry Littlebottom in the outrageous red dwarf costume won for Best NonHuman. Her award gave Terry a chance to tell us all some of the plot from his new book Unseen Academicals. (1)

It was a lovely, funny and enchanted evening. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Towards the end of the convention, at the banquet on Sunday night, Terry announced that this was "The best Discworld convention ever". Wow.

My regards to all who worked so hard (quite literally for years) to make the first North American Discworld Covention a wonderful event. 2) It was a honor to be your colleague and to share in your wonderful company at the con.

NADWCon Maskerade videos can be found here.

Sia

P.S. Two Flower won for Best Prop. His luggage was on a motor and moved about the room all evening. The lovely young people who won the Best Couple Award as Moist and Spike were at the convention on their honeymoon.

Endnotes:

(1) His next book, which he is writing now, is a Tiffany Aching book and is titled I Shall Wear Midnight.

(2) Talk now turns to the second, which would take place two years from now. (...oh, gods...can I get some sleep, first? I just want to live on my happy cloud for a while).

Seamstress Guild Party: Discworld Costume Contest Awards: NADWCon 2009

Well, that was quite a party...

The winners of the Seamstress Guild Party Stealth Costume Contest were wonderful and talented folks. Here is a Youtube video showing Terry giving out some of the awards (one to a Feegle and one to the Death of Rats AKA the Grim Squeaker). Terry himself gets an award from the guild.

Thank you all for a great evening,

Sia

Gone to the Discworld: The North American Discworld Convention

GONE TO DISCWORLD

For the Seamstress Guild this has been a year's worth of planning and organizing behind the scenes. For others on the Con Committee it has been four years of hard effort and cat herding. Now it all comes to fruition. I'm off to the first North American Discworld Convention.

Geek Fun:

NADWCon Twitter Group: Many people will be tweeting about the convention in real time. Should make for an interesting read.

Flickr: You can see photos as they appear on the group flickr page.

Facebook: There is also a Facebook page. (1)

Who's Who's

I will be meeting a number of old friends there, including Xcentricities Corsets who were so often in the dealer's room at our Witches' Balls and the good people of Avalon Arts Photography (also old friends from the ball). (2)

I will finally meet Rowan in person, she who organizes the Fairyworlds Festival in Arizona along with several Pagan events, and who is the con's Volunteer Coordinator. (Brave woman)

There are three women in particular, who, if you meet them, should be offered a huge "Thank You", a hug and a good stiff drink, chocolate and/or help. They are Anna (Guest Liaison and Con Muse), Emily (Vice Chair, and Web Mistress) and Margie (Decorating Chair). Emily and Anna also did the lion's share of work when it came to Programming.

Honors and praise also go to Jeff (Con Banker who has done so much else, as well) and Randall (Maskarade Director, Official Con Punster) and Jon (Con Artist) along with Artemesia and her daughter who made some of our convention art especially for Terry.

A full list of Who's Who at the Con, along with bios, is up on the Committee Page at the site. If you are going to the con, please give these folks your support.


Seamstress Guild Party: If you enjoy the party put on by the guild (of which I am a proud member) you can thank "Mrs Palm", the Party's Director and Organizer, who has also done hundreds of hours of quiet work for NADWCon behind the scenes to support other nadwcon staff and their events.

I would also like to give a shout out to the women and men of the Seamstress Guild who are not only organizing and working the party but volunteering all over the convention. (Look for those purple (women's) and blue (men's) ribbons with the unique rosettes, you can't miss 'em). I am proud to be a member of such a lovely, talented, hardworking group of people.

Thanks, also, to my good friend Chaos, (who is back in L.A. making sure her home doesn't burn). Chaos, I would not have made it through this year without you.

Finally, to Terry Pratchett: Thanks for all the books.

Sia Vogel

P.S. Don't go looking for Sia once you're there. I'm going incognito and using a con name which you won't recognize. If we meet, t'was meant to be.

Endnotes:

(1) There is also a NADWCon2009 Live Journal page which has announcements by the Vice Chair, and an general Discworld group at LJ.

(2) If you live in the Phoenix area of Arizona, the Dealer Room will be open to the public. Have fun.

Seamstress Guild Party in Honor of Terry Pratchett

This just in from the Seamstress Guild:

Not A Needle Among 'Em

The Seamstress Guild is a loose affiliation of women and men who come together for a variety of reasons. Our official purpose (whenever the Watch is making inquiries) is to prepare for the Seamstress Guild Party in honor of Mr. Terry Pratchett which is to be the highlight of the North American Discworld Convention's first night.

On the glorious night in question, the Grand Ballroom will be transformed into the Seamstress Guild Hall. Ladies of the Guild and gentleman from the Men's Auxiliary will be hosting a grand reception that involves food, music, and a Discworld scavenger hunt, as well as the chance to meet the very flower of Discworld Society, such as it is, and be photographed for The Truth's Society Page. Prizes for best costumes worn that evening will be awarded by our Esteemed Patron, Mr Terry Pratchett.

Mr Pratchett has also arranged for a special gift for our attendees, which will remain a secret until the night in question....

NIL VOLVPTI, SINE LVCRE

- Seamstress Guild motto

This is to be the second party of it's kind organized by the Seamstress Guild, the first taking place at the San Jose WorldCon in 2002, where Mr. Pratchett, was the Guest of Honor. The entertainment went well into the wee hours. Our Patron had such a good time with our Guild members and guests that he has asked us to do it again (it being the party, of course - Mr Pratchett has thus far refused all other offers) and so began our preparations. We are now ready to host this next event and would be most pleased if you could join us, and him, on the night in question.

Please see the first link listed below this announcement for information on the convention.

The second link will take you to the Seamstress Guild discussion board, where the men and women of the guild are gathered to plan both the party and their costumes.

Respectfully Yours,

Mrs Palm
Party Maven, NADWCon

For more in the Guild's Background in the Discworld novels, go here:

Please note: Tickets for the convention are limited to 900. At present, we have sold over 750. Those who wait too long to buy their tickets for this event will be disappointed.

Event Location: Mission Palms Hotel - Grand Ballroom in Tempe
Event TIME Details: 7 PM - 9:30 PM


Website: North American Discworld Convention http://www.nadwcon.org/
Website II: Seamstress Guild Yahoo Group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/seamstressguild/

Related Articles:

North American Discworld Convention News

Update 6:23 PM - from the NADWCon page at Live Journal

Terry Pratchett's latest book, Unseen Academicals, is now available for pre-order.

Update 7/16/08

Video of Terry Pratchett receiving an honorary degrees from Bradford University

Happy Birthday, Terry Pratchett

Happy Birthday, Terry

See you in September.

He writes:

Folks,

Probably the strangest, but certainly one of the most rewarding activities over the past month would be the smelting of iron ore to make my own sword, with the help of Jake Keen, formally of the Iron Age Centre in Cranborne. This involved collecting the iron ore (yes, there more of it about that you would think) from a nearby field, building a kiln using clay dug out during Rob’s building work, cleaning, roasting and selecting the best of the ore and two days of actual smelting which resulted in two blooms (large balls of mostly iron mixed with some slag, created in the heart of the furnace).

The next step is to hammer the slag out of the blooms to get wrought iron and then we’re off to see the blacksmith. The whole thing was a strangely fascinating process and the smelting itself, controlling of the kiln and occasional venting of the surplus slag seemed a mix between industrial magic and genecology. The ultimate aim is a completed sword, which every Knight should never be without.

You can read the rest and see some new photos here.

Fans who wish to honor Terry on his birthday might wish to donate to The Alzheimer's Research Trust or the Orangutan Foundation International (Terry is a trustee and spokesperson for the UK branch).

Sia

Art: Portrait of the Author, Himself by Paul Kidby

Links:

Terry Pratchett at Wikipedia

Terry Pratchett Wins L.A. Times Book Award for Nation

This just in: Terry Pratchett has won the L.A. Times Book Award. He accepted the award, by video, with one of his six cats by his side.

Leading for humor was Terry Pratchett, who accepted his prize for young adult novel by video. The tape showed Pratchett leaning back in a chair, books to one side and a stiff, somewhat cranky cat on the other. Pratchett occasionally directed his remarks to the cat, which perched on Pratchett's desk, eventually turning to face the camera as if the award were its own. The audience's laughter prompted master of ceremonies David L. Ulin to quip, "I wish I had a cat.

You can read the full story here.

More Terry news can be found at his blog.

Terry is also on Twitter: @terryandrob

Note to North American Fans: Would you like to meet Terry?
Then why not join us at the North American Discworld Convention.

Sia

Hat tip to Anna MC (a NADWCon staff member) for the information. Thanks, Anna!

Recommended Reading:

Nation by Terry Pratchett

The Unadulterated Cat by Terry Pratchett

Anything, anything at all, by Terry Pratchett. If the man writes a grocery list, you should probably read it.

Discworld Images used here are by Paul Kidby - you can buy mousepads, jewelry, stickers, t-shirts, pins and other Discworld collectibles at his website: Pjsmprints.com

Related Articles:

Terry Pratchett: The State of the Nation
Interview and video

Terry Pratchett talks about writing for children
Interview done after winning award for Maurice and His Educated Rodents

Video Notes: Color of Magic DVD has just been released in the U.S.

Terry Pratchett says " We Need To Talk About Dementia"

Hear! Hear!

What he said on the day he received his knighthood...

Sia

Update 2/22

He also said this: "You can't ask a fantasy writer not to want a knighthood. You know, for two pins I'd get myself a horse and a sword."

Photo: Terry Pratchett and Queen Elizabeth II

Image: The Librarian, Discworld

Related Articles:

North American Discworld Convention

The Real BBC Book List: An English Teacher Comments

Links:

North American Discworld Convention website

The Seamstress Guild
The Seamstress Guild is a loose affiliation of women and men who come together for a variety of reasons. Our official purpose (whenever the Watch is making inquiries) is to prepare for the Seamstress Guild Party in honor of Mr. Terry Pratchett which will take place at the very first North American Discworld Convention in 2009. Mr. Pratchett will be in attendance.

TerryPratchettBooks.com

Discworld Monthly Newsletter

L-Space
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Discworld

Discworld Emporium
T-shirts, stamps, etc.

Discworld Artwork by Paul Kidby

(new) Discworld Miniatures

Arise, Sir Terry

What a lovely way to end the year....My husband came in to say "Terry got knighted" at about the same time I received an email on the same news from my pal Hecate.

Terry writes:

This means that fans, while not calling me Sir, must now refrain from throwing things. Regrettably, no sword is included in the box.

The BBC states that:

Sir Terry , 60, best known for his hugely popular Discworld series of comic fantasy novels, has sold more than 55 million books worldwide.

He said: "There are times when phrases such as 'totally astonished' just don't do the job.

"I am of course delighted and honoured and, needless to say, flabbergasted."

Last year Sir Terry was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease and has since campaigned to raise awareness of the condition.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "I would like to congratulate Terry on this fantastic and well-deserved achievement."

"Terry is not only a successful author and well-loved public figure; he is also playing a key role in fighting the misunderstanding and stigma surrounding dementia."

In other Pratchett news, tickets to the North American Discworld Convention continue to sell well despite the bad economy.

Wishing you a Happy New Year. According to Terry, on the Discworld, this coming year will be the Year of the Pensive Hare. (1)



Sia

Photo (and title for this post) snaked from the talanted folks at PJSM Prints - this is the best spot I've found for the latest news.

Endnotes:

I spent some time tracking this down today. Knowing Terry, it comes from several sources, including this Buddhist parable, this sculpture and this music CD.

A children's book of these stories can be found here.

Cartoon: From User Friendly

Terry Pratchett: The State of the Nation

Terry Pratchett recently warned us about an upcoming Alzheimer's tsunami. This month he wrote to update his fans on his state of health and mind:

I have written 47 novels in the past 25 years, but now I have to check the spelling of even quite simple words - they just blank on me at random.

I would not dare to write this without the once despised checker, and you would have your work cut out to read it, believe me. On the other hand - and this is very typical of PCA - when the kind lady who periodically checks me out asked me to name as many animals as I can, I started with the rock hyrax, the nearest living relative to the elephant, and thylacine - the probably extinct Tasmanian marsupial wolf.

That’s the gift or the curse of our little variant. We have problems handling the physical world but can come pretty close to talking our way out of it so you don’t notice. We might have our shirts done up wrong, but might be able to convince you it’s a new style.

I felt that all I had was a voice, and I should make it heard. It never occurred to me not to use it. I went on the net and told, well, everyone. I wish I could say it was an act of bravery. It wasn’t and I find that suggestion very nearly obscene.

How brave is it to say you have a disease that does not hint of a dissolute youth, riotous living or even terrible eating habits? Anyone can contract dementia; and every day and with a growing momentum, anybody does.

... You can’t battle it, you can’t be a plucky ‘survivor’. It just steals you from yourself.

And I’m 60; that’s supposed to be the new 40. The baby boomers are getting older, and will stay older for longer.

And they will run right into the dementia firing range. How will a society cope?

Especially a society that can’t so readily rely on those stable family relationships that traditionally provided the backbone of care?

What is needed is will and determination. The first step is to talk openly about dementia because it’s a fact, well enshrined in folklore, that if we are to kill the demon then first we have to say its name.

Once we have recognised the demon, without secrecy or shame, we can find its weaknesses.

Regrettably one of the best swords for killing demons like this is made of gold - lots of gold.

These days we call it funding. I believe the D-day battle on Alzheimer’s will be engaged shortly and a lot of things I’ve heard from experts, not always formally, strengthen that belief.

It’s a physical disease, not some mystic curse; therefore it will fall to a physical cure. There’s time to kill the demon before it grows.

To see the full report, Dementia: Out Of The Shadows go to www.alzheimers.org.uk Alzheimer’s Society dementia helpline: 0845 300 0336. Alzheimer’s Research Trust www.alzheimers-research.org.uk

Photo: Terry Pratchett

Youtube Video: Terry Pratchett Interview 2008: On writing a children's book that starts with a disaster...

Sia

Related Articles:

Sweet Fantasy: 25 Years of Terry Pratchett's Discworld

North American Discworld Convention

Links:

Video: Terry Pratchett Talks About His New Book, Nation

Good News for Alzheimer's Patients & Pratchett Fans

The BBC reports that:

UK scientists have developed a drug which may halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Trials of the drug, known as rember, in 321 patients showed an 81% difference in rate of mental decline compared with those not taking the treatment.

More human trials are needed, but it's good news for all concerned.

The Telegraph notes that:

The treatment can bring the “worst affected parts of the brain back to life” and scientists say it is twice as effective as any medication currently available.

They even suggested the drug works so well it might be given to patients in the future to prevent the onset of the illness.

The results of the human trials were hailed a “major new development” in the fight against the disease, which threatens to overwhelm the NHS within decades.

Alzheimer’s currently affects more than 400,000 people in Britain and the number of sufferers is expected to rise rapidly as the population ages.

.....the drugs are expected to cost the same as current treatments for the illness such as Aricept, which are £2.50 a day.

However, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice) the Government’s drugs watchdog, ruled that Aricept, which has been shown to improve the memory and day-to-day life of those in the late stages of the disease, was too expensive for widespread use in Britain.

Terry Pratchett, the best selling author who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, disclosed earlier this year that he was being forced to pay for the drug himself.

The latest breakthrough will lead for increased calls for Nice to reconsider its policy on dementia drugs.

As of this writing:

An estimated 10 million American baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's disease in their lifetime, placing enormous strains on the U.S. health-care system and the already overburdened network of caregivers, a new report predicts.

Currently, at least 5.2 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, including 200,000 to 250,000 people under age 65. By 2010, projections say there will be 500,000 new cases of the mind-wasting disease each year, and nearly one million new cases annually by 2050, the report estimates.

With that in mind, why has the U.S .government cut funding?

...the U.S. government has cut spending on Alzheimer's research, McConnell added. "Right now the government is spending about $640 million a year on Alzheimer's research," he said. "It seems like a lot, but we are spending over $5 billion a year on cancer, and more than $3 billion on heart disease each year. If we can just get that $640 million up to $1 billion a year, that would make a big difference.

Read more about the recent U.S. report at Live Science.

Caregivers Need Help Too:

Are you caring for someone with alzheimers or do you know someone who is? Then this information on caregiver support might prove useful.

Go well, stay well,

Sia

Related Articles:

Latest Terry Pratchett News

Terry Pratchett Pledges 1 Million to Alzheimer Research Trust

Photo of Terry Pratchett

North American Discworld Convention

Update 7/25/09

As of today over 770 memberships to NADWCon have been sold. We stop selling these when we hit 900. If you want to attend, I suggest buying your ticket soon.

...and don't miss the Seamstress Guild Party held in Terry's honor on Friday night.

NADWCon, Tempe, AZ
September 4-7, 2009

See you there,

Sia

*******

The hotel is booked, official announcements are going out and many of the crucial staff positions are now filled; at last U.S. fans will have their own Discworld Convention, with Himself in attendance.

A good deal of organizing & networking will be done, both at WorldCon, at the UK Discworld Convention, and elsewhere. Pass it on.

The Turtle Moves!

The First North American Discworld Convention will be held

September 4-7, 2009

(Labor Day weekend which includes a Monday holiday) at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in downtown Tempe, Arizona (near Phoenix). It will be a celebration of the Discworld universe created by ourGuest of Honor Terry Pratchett. Other guests will include Diane Duane, Peter Morwood, and Esther Friesner, with more to be announced.

During the weekend we will have many panels, presentations, readings and other activities for Discworld fans. We are also planning to have a Maskerade, a Banquet, a Marketplace (dealer's room/art show), a Charity Auction to benefit the Orangutan Foundation, a Hospitality Suite, and other activities for attendees. The North American Discworld Convention is being sponsored by Leprecon, Inc., an Arizona non-profit volunteer corporation.

Our Guest of Honor, Terry Pratchett, is the international best-selling author of the Discworld novel series, which began in 1983 with The Colour of Magic and most recently continued in Making Money. His young adult and children's books, including the Johnny Maxwell series and the Tiffany Aching Discworld YA books, have been well received, and he was awarded the 2001 Carnegie Medal for The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents. He also co-wrote Good Omens with Neil Gaiman.

Our additional guests are fans of Terry's work and good friends of Terry's. They are also excellent convention guests in their own right and we're looking forward to having them join us.

Diane Duane and Peter Morwood have written many novels, comics, and screenplays, both singly and as collaborations. They co-wrote The Ring of the Nibelungs miniseries (aired in the U.S. on SciFi as Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King), and each has several new novels and projects in the works.

Esther Friesner is a science fiction and fantasy writer best known for her humorous stories and anthologies (such as Alien Pregnant by Elvis and the Chicks in Chainmail series) and her fantasy novel series (Majyk, Demons, New York by Knight, and Gnome Man's Land). She's recently embarked on a young adult series featuring a young Helen of Troy with Nobody's Princess and the upcoming Nobody's Prize.

We will be hosting other guests with connections to Terry and Discworld in addition to those above and will announce them as they are confirmed.

The convention will run from early afternoon on Friday, September 4th to late afternoon on Monday, September 7th. There may be some limited activities available for pre-registered members on Thursday night, September 3rd, depending on the travel schedule of our guests.

Tentative plans for major events include a special event on Friday night, the Maskerade on Saturday night, and a Banquet in the early evening on Sunday.

We will have special panels with our guests including a spotlight talk/interview with Terry Pratchett, probably on Saturday afternoon. Outside of the major panels and events we plan to have more discussion panels, presentations, readings, demonstrations, games, and other activities that will make this a fun and memorable weekend for
everyone.

The Charity Auction will benefit Terry Pratchett's favorite charity, the Orangutan Foundation, and will likely be held on Sunday afternoon. There may be some additional fund-raising activities during the weekend as well.

Our venue is the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona. Leprecon, Inc. has recently hosted the 2004 World Fantasy Convention and the 2006 Nebula Awards weekend at the Tempe Mission Palms and it has received acclaim from fans and pros at those events. The hotel is located in the heart of downtown Tempe with a varied selection of restaurants, shopping and nightlife nearby.

It is a short distance from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and is accessible via the Phoenix Light Rail system, which will be opening in late 2008. Our room rates are US $119 per night S/D, US $129 T, and US $139 Q with a US $9.75 per night hospitality fee that includes airport shuttle, valet and self parking, internet access, a fitness center, and more. The online booking code and the reservation phone number will soon be available on our website.

The initial membership rate will be US $60 for a full weekend membership, or US $30 for a supporting membership. Children 6-11 will pay US $30 with kids 5 and under free with an adult membership. These rates will be in effect until March 31, 2008. This rate includes all regular convention events, panels and presentations.

The Banquet and a possible VIP event/charityevent will cost extra and will be announced when details are finalized. Payments can be made via the mail or online via Paypal. Full details are on our website. We are planning to cap membership in the 900 attendee range to ensure that all attendees will be able to be seated at the major functions in our ballroom.

For those wanting to mix in some tourism around the convention we will be looking into making arrangements with local touring companies for trips before and/or after the convention with the possibility for some special excursions being arranged for attendees. Keep an eye on our website for details.

We're looking forward to hosting a fun weekend for all of our attendees and our guests. Please be sure to visit our website at [link] and join in the discussions on our message board and livejournal community.

Lee Whiteside
2009 North American Discworld Chair

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See you there :-)

Sia

Links:

The Seamstress Guild
A group planning and hosting a costume event and party in Terry's honor at the U.S. convention.

The Discworld Reading Guide

Related Articles:

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Latest Terry Pratchett & Discworld News

Image: The Great A'Tuin by John Stephen Player

Terry Pratchett On Questions & Belief

Terry recently wrote an article for the Mail in which he discusses the rumor he has found God:

There is a rumour going around that I have found God. I think this is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.

But it is true that in an interview I gave recently I did describe a sudden, distinct feeling I had one hectic day that everything I was doing was right and things were happening as they should.

It seemed like the memory of a voice and it came wrapped in its own brief little bubble of tranquillity. I'm not used to this.

He goes on to say,

As a boy I had a clear image of the Almighty: He had a tail coat and pinstriped trousers, black, slicked-down hair and an aquiline nose.

On the whole, I was probably a rather strange child, and I wonder what my life might have been like if I'd met a decent theologian when I was nine.

About five years ago that child rose up in me again and I began work on a book, soon to see the light of day as Nation. It came to me overnight, in all but the fine detail.

It is set on a world very like this one, at the time of an explosion very like that of Krakatoa, and in the centre of my book, a 13-year-old boy, now orphaned, screams at his gods for answers when he hasn't fully understood what the questions are.

He hates them too much not to believe. He has had to bury his own family; he is not going to give thanks to anyone. And I watched him try to build a new nation and a new philosophy.

It is a fascinating piece. The ending is especially good. I'm not going to quote that out of context here. It deserves to be read through and appreciated in full as a small window to the ways in which this man's beautiful mind and spirit work.

Enjoy,

Sia

My thanks to Anna of the Seamstress Guild who sent this to me. Anna wears a number of hats. She is also the Moderator the the Message Board over at TerryPratchettBooks.com, and as such, she posts lovely tidbits like this there all the time. If you love Pratchett news, check it out.

Oh, and dear, lucky Anna is going to the Discworld Convention in the UK this coming August. Why even do I speak to her?


Update: 6/25 - The piece in the Mail on Sunday was not an interview with Terry as I had previously noted but written by him as an article, which he titled "The God Moment", and the Mail on Sunday printed it in full (apart from dropping the title). The words "by Terry Pratchett" were a significant clue which I had missed.

I've updated my post to reflect that fact - My thanks to Anna for the correction.

What's He Like?

If you've never met Terry at a signing or convention, here is a good example of what he's like from the blogger at Revenge of the Castanets:

.....it was the man that night that impressed me most. First of all, he took the stage like the most accomplished stand-up comedian and raconteur, speaking of living, of writing, and my friend of the soup, who had not read a word of his, found herself enraptured and in an almost unbroken state of helpless laughter. And second, though I have been around many authors, renowned and not, none have been quite as gracious with misfits, with the awkward ones who desire, such as the few I saw sporting remarkably bad theatrical English accents and costumes, which he seemed to both ignore and appreciate, posing for pictures with any and all, and with seemingly boundless genuine warmth.

Yep. Sounds like him.

Related Articles:

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Photo: One of my very favorite photos of Professor Terry As The Duck Man, taken at Noreascon Four, where Terry was the Guest of Honor. This photo has been wandering around the net for some time. If anyone knows who took this, please let me know so I can give them credit.