RavenCon Review

By Erik

 In the corner of the consuite there couched a mysterious chocolate-smelling chest. Leaning against it was what appeared at first glance to be Kevin J. Anderson’s newly launched book, Clockwork Angels. The only explanation given was a small placard stating simply “DO NOT TOUCH”. The most peculiar aspect was the clicking noise that seemed to come from within every few minutes. What could it be? I’ll get to that in a minute.

(Image: Erik)

RavenCon is a smaller literature-focused convention hosted in Richmond. It was replete with all of the standard con inclusions: a dealer’s room, charity auction, guest signings, consuite, and a costume contest. Notably, the 24-hour tabletop and gaming room and the nonstop 36-hour long LARP kept the interest of many until the wee hours of the morning. The panels presented included a myriad of topics ranging from many different writing workshops, designing a scientifically-accurate fictional planet, to alien species, a discussion of the Doctor’s companions, and even a guide to hosting a great room party. I also loved the smaller convention footprint of the Holiday Inn – I kept running into friends the entire time, both old and new.

Speaking of parties, one of the particularly novel aspects of the con was a friendly competition for “Best Room Party”. During the opening ceremonies the award for last year’s Best Party went to a 1984/Brave New World-themed party, where the prize was a plaque and a small attached bottle of Goldschläger. Open parties were advertised on a whiteboard adjacent to registration and included pertinent information like times and theme. The party my friends and I attended on Saturday night was quite congenial and pretty laid-back, but it was cool enough that I got to rub shoulders with several of the staff and guests of honor there.

All the musical performers were great too. Jonah Knight was absolutely sublime with his folksy filk songs with subjects ranging from ghosts, spooky Christmas tidings, and particularly badass ballad about pirates. The location of a smaller panel room made for quite a friendly, intimate setting. Mikey Mason, a comedic guitarist, describes himself best in his song “White Trash Geek” and rocked out with his YouTube hit “She don’t like Firefly” as well as the crowd favorite “Best Game EVER”. And need I mention the midnight Bella Morte concert? Absolutely amazing.

Don’t let yourself be misled, though; events geared toward younger geeks were in full swing the entire weekend. There were a track of activities aimed toward the younger crowd, including a children’s writing workshop and a make-your-own steampunk goggles. At the end of the weekend the kids had a special farewell panel to say goodbye to their new friends.

(Image: Erik)

Would I return to RavenCon next year? Absolutely. If you’ve got a blank spot in your convention-attending schedule next April and are near Richmond, VA, I can’t recommend it enough! You won’t regret it.

Oh, and that chest? Turns out it was actually a gorgeously designed and absolutely delicious cake created by long-time RavenCon attendee and President Carla Brindle. The book was constructed entirely out of fondant and edible ink. Inside the chest-shaped cake was a smaller cake of devil’s food cake designed to look like a heart; a reference to the Poe classic “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Sadly, nobody there ate it khaleesi-style.