Worldcon 2025 and Celebrities

I don’t go to “cons,” but I am going to the Worldcon this year, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society. I don’t even know why, exactly. One of the features of a con is the opportunity to meet celebrities, but I can’t say that I’m particularly excited about that.

My interest in Worldcon stems from my long running interest in the Hugo Awards, and of course my interest in science-fiction and my own writing aspirations. Some have been held at impractically far locations across the globe. Others have been quite close (I squandered the opportunity to go to Chicon in Chicago in 2023). I have often thought about going, but I never really made a plan to do so until it was too late.

This year, it is in Seattle, and I realized that it aligned with another of my goals: to travel the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. I have never been to any of them, and I know there is some beautiful country up there. So last year, I started making a plan.

The plan isn’t finalized, yet. I haven’t chosen my route, or my specific itinerary outside of the convention. However, I have put in for the time off, paid for my WSFS membership and convention access, and made my hotel reservations. I’m definitely going.

I definitely have some favorite authors, and I expect to see many of them there. That said, do I want to talk to them? Take pictures with them? Have books signed by them? Honestly, no.

What would talking to authors be like? “Oh, I like your books. I aspire to write, but I’m doing almost nothing to achieve that.” Basically, any conversation would be meaningful for me, but only me. I would feel that I’m being indulged. Also, it’s not like my conversation skills are top notch.

A book signed by an actual friend would have meaning for me. A book signed by an author who doesn’t know me, or has known me for five minutes, doesn’t really have that much value for me.

I’m not really a selfie person, and authors aren’t endowed with any special photogenicism. Few of my friends would recognize most of the authors I might be interested in being photographed with. What would be the purpose, exactly? To prove to others that I met an author? To help myself remember?

I’m also just not overawed by celebrity. (I assure you, this is not simply because the only genuine celebrity I’ve actually met is a serial rapist who raped my friend.) Celebrities are perhaps great people in some ways, but they are also regular people in most other ways. I know lots of non-celebrities who are great people in one way or another.

So why am I going? I suppose it’s mainly to satisfy my curiosity. If I don’t go at least once, I suspect I will regret it. I believe the experience will be enriching once, but probably not on a regular basis.

Oh, dear. I suppose I’ll end up buying a bunch of books while I’m there.