{"id":6090,"date":"2014-09-30T07:15:15","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T11:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawrencecconnolly.com\/archive\/?p=6090"},"modified":"2023-07-29T18:25:24","modified_gmt":"2023-07-29T22:25:24","slug":"taken-out-of-context","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawrencecconnolly.com\/archive\/2014\/09\/30\/taken-out-of-context\/","title":{"rendered":"Taken Out of Context"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Context<\/a>Context always ends too soon. Three amazing days of panels, readings, special events, and networking — and suddenly it’s over for another year. Alas!<\/p>\n

I’ve been attending since 2007, and in that time Context has become one of my favorite regional SF cons. It’s a small affair with big ambitions, and it always manages to attract some of the top names in the field (this year’s\u00a0GoHs included Jonathan Maberry<\/a> and Betsy Mitchell<\/a>) as well as a healthy contingent of readers, fans, and aspiring writers.<\/p>\n

It’s been said that the people make a great\u00a0convention . . . and that certainly applies to Context.<\/p>\n

My first event was a panel on MFA writing programs where I expected to be joined by my good friends Lucy A. Snyder<\/a> and Tim Waggoner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Upon arriving, I learned that Tim couldn’t make the panel, so Lucy and I convinced Chris Phillips, one of our Seton Hill <\/a>MFA students (who also happens to be managing editor of Flash Fiction Online<\/a>), to take his place. It was Chris’s first panel, and he proved to be a knowledgeable conversationalist. It was good having him onboard.<\/p>\n

\"Greg<\/a>Other highlights included a live podcast of Gregory Hall’s The Funky Werepig Show<\/a>, where I joined guests Maurice Broaddus<\/a>, Michael West<\/a>, Matt Betts<\/a>, Gerry Gordon<\/a>, and others talking about writing, publishing, and pork donuts (not necessarily in that order). An archive edition of the podcast will soon be available at the TMV Cafe<\/a>. Watch this blog for a link as soon as one is available.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>I also got the change to join some amazing storytellers at The Beatnik Cafe<\/a>, where the event’s host Gery L. Deer awarded me with a button that made me an honorary member of The Western Ohio Writers Association<\/a> — a button that I wore with pride for the rest of the convention.<\/p>\n

I understand that WOWA holds readings all over the Western Ohio area.\u00a0If you ever get a chance to catch one of them, be sure to do so.<\/p>\n

\"Performing<\/a>My final event was performing some songs at a party hosted by R. Scott McCoy and Stygian Publications<\/a>. The highlight of the event was backing up Gregory Hall in a resounding vocal performance of “Tequila.” He assured me before we started that he knew all the words, and he did.<\/p>\n

The next morning, it was all over. Or so I thought. I walked to my car, preparing for a lonely drive back home, and there — resting on my windshield — was an autographed photo of the Funky Werepig himself. The inscription read: “You are my very best friend, Greg Hall.” I took that baby off my windshield, put it in the passenger seat, and sang “Tequila” all the way.<\/p>\n

\"Greg<\/a>Yeah — you can take the scop out of Context, but you can’t take Context out of the scop.<\/p>\n

Until next time . . . scop on!<\/p>\n

Photos:
\n<\/em><\/span><\/strong>The Context 27 logo.<\/em><\/span>
\n<\/em><\/span><\/strong>Gregory Hall interviews Maurice Broaddus on The Funky Werepig Show.
\n<\/em><\/span>The only credentials a man needs.
\n<\/em>The 21st-Century Scop at the Stygian Publications party.
\n<\/em>A one-of-a-kind autographed portrait of The Funky Werepig.<\/em><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Context always ends too soon. Three amazing days of panels, readings, special events, and networking — and suddenly it’s over for another year. Alas! I’ve been attending since 2007, and in that time Context has become one of my favorite regional SF cons. It’s a small affair with big ambitions, and it always manages to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-cat-21st-centuryscop","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[748,39,6,581,751,754,8,735,602,164,737,757,7,488,756,753,750,755,752,749],"class_list":["post-6090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-21st-centuryscop","category-appearances","tag-context-sf","tag-context","tag-fantasy","tag-flash-fiction-online","tag-gerry-gordon","tag-gery-l-deer","tag-horror","tag-lucy-a-snyder","tag-matt-betts","tag-maurice-broaddus","tag-michael-west","tag-r-scott-mccoy","tag-science-fiction","tag-seton-hill","tag-stygian-publications","tag-the-beatnik-cafe","tag-the-funky-werepig-show","tag-the-western-ohio-writers-association","tag-tmv-cafe","tag-tom-waggoner"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t