00:01.89
jeffekennedy
Good morning, everyone. This is Jeffe Kennedy, author of Epic Fantasy Romance. I'm here with my first cup of coffee.
00:13.15
jeffekennedy
Ah, delightful. ah Today is Monday, June 10th, and I am back in the saddle, back home from a Nebula conference. I got home last night. Got home a little bit late. We had kind of a funny thing. I had a direct flight this time from Burbank to Albuquerque and was feeling snazzy about that. And of course, best laid plans. We were on approach to Albuquerque. We were actually on descent. You know, we were going to be on the ground in like five minutes. And then the plane pulled up and turned on and started going the other way.
00:48.23
jeffekennedy
and you know how like you could see on flight track where it's like we're not circling we're going the other direction and finally the pilot comes on and says uh that there was a microburst, there were thunderstorms in the area, that there was a microburst right over the airport, right as we were about to land, and that we didn't have enough fuel to circle to wait for that to move on. So they were sending us to Phoenix, where we would land, refuel, and come back. Amazingly, they only had to take one person off the plane to re-figure her connections. It's one of the things I love about Southwest is they immediately start looking at re-accommodating you.
01:27.46
jeffekennedy
And yeah, so they pulled her off and then the rest of us went back to Albuquerque and ended up landing about 715, 730, maybe even later. Let's see. Because it looked like it was going to be quicker and then it was, let's see. No, it was 7.15. It just took me a while to get home. Took a while for us to deplane. Took a while for the bags to come off. um A while, a while. And it was raining really hard all the way home. It's still raining here.
01:59.52
jeffekennedy
ah but But... So it goes. I got home fine. I'm here. Nebula conference was amazing. If you are on video, you will see I'm wearing my light up flower garland that we have for the Nebula Awards Banquet and Ceremony. ah Everybody was wearing them and it was so great. ah Our executive director, Kate Baker, wasn't able to be there, which was really sad. I was really sorry that she wasn't there. but Yeah, she arranged for us to have these things on her Amazon gift card and sent them. And so, yeah, it was um it was a lovely thing. Nebula conference. ah What can I tell you all? it was it was It was perfect. It was incandescent. It was great. ah The hotel venue that
02:53.15
jeffekennedy
Kat Brehm, writer and volunteer, arranged for us in Pasadena. It was great. It was the Westin. It was the perfect size um and just really so comfortable. The staff was amazing. ah The outdoor spaces were amazing. uh just and the company the people that came were awesome for some people it was their first nebula some it was their first writers conference all told and the programming was great we had some good times on panels uh there was this wonderful outdoor restaurant and bar where it made it very easy to see people and you could just sit down and join people easily
03:36.14
jeffekennedy
I love a space that encourages that kind of conversation at conferences. I spent the whole time having really wonderful conversations with people ah and for me that is why I go to a conference like that. I maybe go to some of the programming but mostly I want to be able to have those um organic in-person conversations that just don't happen any other way. um and ended up coming up with some interesting things, ideas for the future of that you know like completely unplanned because I ended up like sitting down with a couple people and we started talking about things.
04:15.72
jeffekennedy
I got to hang out with Sarah Gailey, who was our toast master. And I've known Sarah before and said hello to them before. But Sarah turns out, I mean, no surprise there, but to be just an awesome and interesting person. And I bought I love this. Sarah was a huge advocate for ah the fourth Hunger Games book, A Ballad of songbird and Songbirds and Snakes, and I bought it on their recommendation, and which that they made a compelling argument for why it's amazing.
04:52.57
jeffekennedy
We had an in-depth conversation about Twilight. A few of us were talking about, on one of the panels I was on, someone went off on a rant on Twilight, and I won't go into, I mean, it was the standard rant. I hate Bella, I wanted Bella to die. um But so ah afterwards, I was having lunch with a couple of friends um with Vela Roth, that was her first Nebula conference, and Kat Brehm. And we were talking about Twilight and Zabe Ellor had been sitting nearby and came over and said, I have to crush this conversation because I agree. And I love that kind of serendipity. It was it was amazing. It was a terrific time. um Charlie Jane Anders walked by and told me that I'm the only Kennedy that they ever want for president, which was adorable. um I had people were so
05:50.61
jeffekennedy
good to me at this conference. You know, I had a lot of good friends there who were so supportive about my life and things I've been going through and saying good things to me, but then also people being so appreciative about what I'm doing for SFWA and what the organization is doing. And it was just I mean, i I came away, this maybe sounds a little much, but I came away feeling very loved, very loved and appreciated. And that's a lot to ask for. yeah I mean, to get from a conference, right? You know, you don't always get that.
06:27.60
jeffekennedy
Um, a couple of things I told this story on threads, which is funny because, you know, on threads you connect the things. And I know I've been salty about threads lately. I put this story on threads because I was still smiling about it the next morning and, um, it's it's unreal people it's like one of the I don't know mini threads one of the posts is up to over like 4,000 likes ah but so does that count as viral that's kind of feels viral ish so the initial post is now up to 2.8 thousand likes and there's one that's like my sort of wind-up piece of the tail I have to find this if
07:15.47
jeffekennedy
A little hard to find. Oh, it's up to 4.2,000. Did not expect. So I will tell you all this story in case you are not on threads and who can blame you. But so um after the the finalists awards receptions, so we did several receptions. We had a volunteer reception, which was great. um I'm patting myself on the back a little bit because of a few of the things that I've been pushing for have come to fruition with this conference. One is that I had said years and years ago that we needed a dedicated person to be in charge of the conference, that we needed an events director, and Kathleen Monan is our director
07:59.46
jeffekennedy
Events Director and she is the bomb. Last year was the first time she did an on-site conference. This year she just knocked it out of the park. She had assistance with other staff but it was and people kept saying that to me. They're like it seems like the conference is running really smoothly. It ran so smoothly. It was and we all kept knocking on wood you know waiting for something to happen but it was It was amazing. um you know And I was so glad that that happened. And Kate Baker staying home ah kept the other business of CIFF oil running so we didn't like come to a dead standstill. ah I think it's going to be, um I'm just really happy with how that's going. ah For a long time the volunteer reception
08:46.16
jeffekennedy
was on Sunday morning following, you know, with the Nebula Award ceremony on Saturday night, and we would have the reception on Sunday morning when everyone was exhausted, and half of us were hungover, and it was supposed to be a treat, but then, you know, like our staff member, Tara LeMay, was always saying, well, it's partly to get the volunteers there to help clean up, and I'm like, this is not a reward. This is... This is like the whole thing is disingenuous and sucks. Nobody liked it. And I've been pushing for years ah that we do a cocktail party instead. And so Wednesday, no, Thursday evening, we had the volunteer reception. I bet there were like 50 people there. We had a bar, we had desserts and it was a party and people stayed and talked and it was amazing. ah So I was thrilled with that.
09:39.31
jeffekennedy
And then on Friday night, we did the finalist reception. I did have dinner with Joe and Gay Haldeman doing past presidents. And then we did an online. Oh, that was the other thing is we really managed to hit hybrid for this conference. Every panel was streamed. So we had great engagement. ah People kept asking me for numbers. We had about 225 people on site and we ended up with 500 some online because people kept registering online as the conference was going. Uh, so, or I think it was over 500 with online. Um, yeah. So finalist reception, we streamed that we had people who were not there come in and
10:27.31
jeffekennedy
like get to at least have their picture with me and, you know, screenshot wise with their certificate. And then I stayed up talking with friends and we were in this outdoor bar where there was a fire table. And I mean, I think a lot of you know me. I love a fire table. And so we were sitting by the fire table having drinks and there was this group of young people sort of like a little ways over and they seem to be like clearly with a wedding, right? You know, roughly equal number of guys and gals and wearing their suit jackets and their pretty dresses and they were having a good time. And I mean, we were all, you know, celebrating in the bar, having a good time and they were not obnoxious. They were over there, you know, doing their thing and
11:15.19
jeffekennedy
I went in to go to bed like a responsible human being. And I was riding up, got in the elevator to go up to my room by myself. This is the story I told on threads. And you know sort of as the doors were closing, I saw a guy come and give you, so I held the door. And and about 10 of these guys, I don't know if it was that many, but a bunch of these guys piled onto to the elevator. And there I'm in my heels in my party dress, but they're still all towering over me. And they're all like, I don't know, late 20s, maybe mid late 20s. and they're all tuned up and having a great time. And they look at me and I'm wearing my lanyard and one says, are you with the conference? And I said, yes.
11:55.08
jeffekennedy
And another says, are you a writer? And I said, yes. And they're like, what do you write? but What should we read? Which of your books should we read? and And another says, well, are you going to be at the awards ceremony? And I said, well, yeah, the awards ceremony tonight, I'll be one of the people presiding because I'm actually the president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. And they're all like, oh, that's so cool. That's so great. And they ask me more questions. And the doors open for their floor. And one of the guys in the back starts like gently hurting them out. Very good natured. And he's like, okay fellas, let's let's leave her alone. and So they'll pile out. And then just as the doors are closing again, I hear one go, she's a real writer. And it was utterly charming.
12:42.09
jeffekennedy
And I was smiling about it still the next morning. And so I thought, well, I'll tell this story on threads, because I'm always seeing stories on threads about the negative things. And I've been complaining about that, how the negative gets surfaced. And I thought I should tell the story about how great these guys were I loved that there was the one who was kind of keeping heard on everyone and he was same age as all of them but you know he where he's like okay let's leave her alone um some people have commented that it was like sounded like it was being in an elevator or full of of enthusiastic golden retrievers and it was
13:19.55
jeffekennedy
I never felt in any kind of danger. I never felt threatened. They were so enthusiastic. And how often as writers, and a number of writers have commented on this, how often as writers do we get someone being that excited to meet someone who's a real writer?
13:41.60
jeffekennedy
So yeah, that was just, I felt like a gift from the universe to have that happen. What's funny about the thread is that, of course, there are some people getting on there. Of course, they have to be the bear jokes. One person's like, I wonder if it would have been the same if it was 10 inebriated bears. and And another person commented on that, said, well, it depends, are they science fiction fans? which I thought was a great answer. um But other people are like, you know, you should have gotten off the elevator on a different floor and this could have turned out very differently. And it's like, OK, people, I get being careful. I get the.
14:22.84
jeffekennedy
um The fear I get if you are triggered, ah you know, somebody said, you know, given their past trauma that they wouldn't have felt the same. And I think it was Velo Ross when I was recounting this story said, you know, we understand.
14:43.73
jeffekennedy
We understand you know that you've had terrible things happen to you and we feel bad for that, but not everything is about your trauma. And I feel like that is such a great thing to remember. um I think it's so important for us to focus on the good things. And one of the great things, and many, many people commented on this, is that we are finally hitting an era where our young men are Our boys, our young men have been raised with a different ethic that it turns out that we can actually teach them how to behave, right? We can teach each other how to have respectful and enthusiastic encounters that this is
15:30.30
jeffekennedy
the whole idea of boys will be boys was something that we allowed something that we taught them to do that we taught them was okay and now they're being taught that it's not okay and that this is the okay way to behave and it was um it's so hopeful i mean this i understand that there are problems yet to be solved but this tendency you know when we say hey look at this these great things we're doing we're forgiving student loans and you know wonderful things like that and someone has to chime in and say yes but it's not enough we have to remember we have to keep fighting and it's like can we celebrate the wins let's celebrate the wins people and you all know that I am a
16:17.90
jeffekennedy
ah celebrate the wins, choose the happy kind of person. And this was so happy making. And then coming to the Nebula Awards ceremony itself, it was phenomenal. ah Kate Ristaw and her team put together an amazing script and an a amazing ceremony. Sarah Gailey was a fantastic Toastmaster. Everything was on theme. It was emotional. Our immemorials were long. We honored several people. Our service award went to Jim Hossek, our longtime Nebula Awards Commissioner, um who passed away very shortly after I told him that he had been given the service award and his twin brother came to present it and he cried and then
17:18.00
jeffekennedy
oh We gave our um Solstice Award to Jaquel Dene who, i I think I got her name correctly, it might be their name, ah who also passed away and her wife was there to accept it. It was There were a number of of difficult moments like that, but it was good sentiment, you know, it was good sadness. And I came up to present the Infinity Award to Tanithlee, which is given to someone who passed away before we can give them the Grand Master Award.
17:58.13
jeffekennedy
and And I said, it was after the Immemorium, after several of these things. And after the Immemorium, where we show, have a slideshow and show all of the people that we lost in the last year, which is always the tearjerker. And I said, I promised the sad parts over. And then we still had a couple of sad things after that. And people were coming up to me afterwards going, you lied. I was like, yeah, I didn't mean to, I really thought it was. And Kate Ristaw said that as soon as I said that, because she was, you know, like at the back running the tech, and she was like, no, because she knew what was coming with some of the, ah you know, some of the acceptances were pre-recorded and so forth, which is so great that we can do that. um You know, put up the videos of the people accepting and so forth. So, um yeah, it was just a phenomenal weekend. i
18:48.99
jeffekennedy
I wouldn't wouldn't change a thing. So now I am back. I'm getting to work. I got an email just a bit ago from Deanna,
19:02.89
jeffekennedy
who is my editor, Allie's assistant. And she said that editor Allie gave birth to a healthy baby. Congratulations, Allie. ah So this explains why I've not yet gotten my inline edits But Deanna says that she'll be in touch with me later today on those so cross our fingers Maybe I'll actually have those notes Because we do have to do that So, uh, yeah, I hope that you all had a good time ah Come to Nebula conference next year and I will talk to you all on Friday
19:42.08
jeffekennedy
You all take care, bye bye.
