It’s late August, and the middle-aged nerdwoman’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of DragonCon, that annual Labor Day weekend celebration of all that is strange, weird, and fanciful, from novels to comics to movies to television to games to costuming. This year will mark my twentieth trip to downtown Atlanta, GA to soak up the atmosphere, greet old friends and make new ones, and gather all the ideas my head can hold of what books to read, shows to watch, and stories to write. I’ve loved every Con, even 2020 when panels and other events were hosted virtually. But this Con is special.

(Yes, I know I say that about every Con, but I mean it this time…)

Among my favorite things about DragonCon is the opportunity it gives me, and any/all of us of the nerd persuasion, to learn and talk about things we love with others who share those passions. If you’re a new Con-goer, it won’t take you long to find your people. Do you love historical fantasy or science fiction with a Steampunk flair? Come gather at the Alternate and Historical Fiction Track. Enjoy shows like Doctor Who or PBS Mystery or Masterpiece Theatre? The Brit Track has you covered. The Science Fiction Literature Track covers both classic and modern print science fiction. (This year I get to serve as a panelist for a discussion of Gender Roles on Anne McCaffrey’s Pern, Sunday at 2:30 p.m.) In the generic Fantasy Literature Track, fantasy of all sub-genres is discussed, yet a more specifically targeted High Fantasy Track covers works with an Epic bent. There’s also a track aimed at aspiring SFF authors, the simply named Writer’s Track, a gold mine of useful advice. Animation, Anime, Comics, Costuming, Horror, Star Trek, Star Wars, and more have their own Tracks where fans can share their thoughts and ideas and learn from experts who have worked and/or studied in those fields. One of my favorite days of the year is “DragonCon-Mobile-App-Goes-Live Day”, when the list of all activities and events becomes available online and I can tap into each Track’s schedule to mark the panels I’m interested in. I have my favorites. I spend a lot of time bouncing between the Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature and Writer’s Tracks, with not infrequent visits to the Brit, Animation, and High Fantasy Tracks, but I look over everything on offer, because something might surprise me, like, say, a Jim Henson trivia contest hosted by the Puppetry Track.

Choosing panels is always fun, but this year there seems to be more of what I go to DragonCon for. Most years I’ll have one or two empty blocks of time in my schedule, when I can’t find a panel that intrigues me so I wander through Artists’ Alley or the Dealers’ Room or grab a meal. This year, almost every hour has at least one panel or event marked in it. Many of the hours have multiple panels competing for my attention. Take Friday at 2:30 p.m. The Diversity in Speculative Fiction and Fantasy Track is hosting a discussion called “Empowering Heroines: Unveiling the Might of Female Leads.” At the same time, the Alternate and Historical Fiction Track is hosting, “Herstorically Speaking: Women You Should Know.” I could learn a ton from either of these panels. How am I supposed to choose between them? I expect that circumstance will end up making the final choice. I’ll file it away under “Problems I’m Happy to Have.”

Yet on Friday and Sunday evenings, I will have an even better problem. The 5:00 – 8:30 p.m. blocks of those evenings often feature panels I’d be glad to take part in, but no can do, because those stretches of time belong to the Atlanta Radio Theatre Company. Sunday night we’ll present a revival of our audio dramatization of Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards!, originally performed in 2001. I will be playing one of two narrators. If you think narrators don’t have any fun, well, you haven’t read Pratchett.

ARTC’s Sunday night shows are generally devoted to well-crafted adaptations of well-known SFF authors’ work. Friday nights, however, showcase original scripts by the company’s writers, including Kelley S. Ceccato (that’s me). This year, in addition to a new episode of Ron N. Butler’s popular series Rory Rammer: Space Marshal and the next installment of Mercury: A Broadcast of Hope, ARTC will premiere my newest play, A Pane of Black Glass, a loose adaptation of the folktale “The Robber Bridegroom.” This time, I’m directing the piece as well, and I’m tremendously proud of my cast. I still recall the summer of 2004, when ARTC performed a play I’d written for the first time and I heard those wonderful actors breathe life into my story. I’d never felt a rush quite like it. The company has performed quite a few of my plays since then, and that thrill has never gone away. I’ll never get used to it, and I don’t want to.

Only six more days to go! Will I see you there?

By the way, you haven’t really experienced DragonCon until you visit the Caribou Coffee stand at Peachtree Center. If there’s a way to make a coffee geek-centric, they know!