I’ve been getting questions as to whether Rita and I will be at LTUE in 2023.
Unfortunately the answer is “No”.
Matter-of-fact, absent a tectonic shift, neither I, nor Rita, nor Raconteur Press will be at another LTUE symposium.
First there was the silliness when they tried to ban JL Curtis — that was fixed easily enough.
Then they played silly buggers with our membership rollovers for the virtual LTUEs during the Covid bushwa — okay, they probably needed the money, and buying a couple of new memberships wasn’t a financial hardship.
When they sent an invitation to be a Guest Panelist, and then rescinded the invitation after I had been squeeing and dancing around the office — that was annoying, but volunteer college students, am I right?
The icing on the cupcake was last year when they announced an extremely restrictive mask and vaccine policy; and justified it by saying it was in line with State of Utah and County policies.
When we pointed out, “No, they aren’t. Here are the State and County policies, and they’re nowhere near being that restrictive” we were ignored. They doubled down by deleting any comments to that point in social media, while allowing snide comments, and insults directed at us from people who favoured the restrictive policies to stand undeleted.
I’m not daft.
We come to this decision after some hard thought — we have friends, and fans, and authors in the Western states, and our current convention schedule trends heavily towards the South and Southeast which puts us out of reach of those friends, fans, and authors — but LTUE is off our list.
As we ramp up, we’ll look into other cons in the West, but as of right now we don’t have anything on our radar.
Sorry guys.
LawDog
Never give money to people who hate you.
As a loooooong time conrunner (back to the early 80s) my advice is the same as always.
Start a competing con, and grind them into the dust.
I’ve found it to be very effective over the years. Helped do it a time or three.
Running a con is a lot of work and a lot of money.
Someone who has the time should take on this task.
Asking an author, who doesn’t have the time is just a non-starter. Also, it would need to be someone who lives in Utah.
Lawdog does not.
I can however think of an author who is a pretty big deal that does live in Utah and isn’t a woke pussy, I think we know who I mean….
But he’s not a “Real” author and I’m sure his fanbase would be after you if we interfered in his already prodigous word count 😉
And, he is very busy. Most of that busy is paying work. I wouldn’t ask him to drop paying work so that he can volunteer to start a con.
It would be…interesting…if some of the Utah based fans of The Writing Mountain decided to start a Writing symposium and made him GOH. But they would need some chops in planning already.
And I’ll add that NONE of the panels we proposed made their list. Just a bit on the frustrating side, considering how well Gordon Frye and my panels had been the previous year.
More go woke, go broke!
Hey Lawdog;
When a con is taken over by *woke Folks*, there ain’t much you can do except hurt them in their wallet…..Still shocked that they tried to ban Old NFO…he is the mellowest one of the group…the rest of y’all are more outspoken.
I’ve been out of the loop for a couple of years with regards to the con circuit. Sad to hear that LTUE pooped the bed. Before this, I’d plans to swing by.
Not anymore.
If they want to play silly buggers and drive off the folks doing their panels and providing the draw, catering to what is doubtless a few small minded fools, well, that’s on them. Shame.
I’ve also thought about it, but after learning of this it’s off my list as well.
I use how people acted during CVD as a barometer and rarely give second chances.
Stick to your guns!
Perhaps they CAN learn. Their covid policy for 2023: Proof of vaccination not required, masks not required but encouraged.
2022 event (thank you archive.org): Pretty much Clown World as you documented.
Still, based on a pattern of past wrongs, I wouldn’t exactly be eager to go back. Something about Lucy and holding footballs.
Apparently, I have missed a memo. I hate when I have to play catch up.
JL Curtis being almost banned? How does that work? The man is one of the most easy going so and so’s I’ve ever met, honest and nice to a fault, and knows where all the bodies are buried because he was the one holding the shovel.
As for the Covid silliness, that’s about par for the course, unfortunately. That will eventually age out most places worth going to.
One of the locals at LTUE engaged Jim on Facebook, baited him until he got the response from Jim he wanted, then deleted his baiting comments, and sniveled to LTUE, using the thread as proof of Jim’s … something.
Fortunately one of Jim’s fans took screenshots before the critter deleted his side.
Ah, horse fuckery. Got it
Yes, Tom. That exactly, I’ve still got those screenshots around here somewhere.
Avoid weasling arseholes and your life is better.
Good on ya!
Sorry???
Why?????
For doing the right thing????
I’m with you, ‘Dog. My rule of thumb is I don’t go places I’m not welcome, unless it’s to raze it and salt the earth. The Wokish Juvenile Stupid was driving me away from cons a decade back, and then it got worse. 🙁
Thank Ghu there are still some places where cons are about the genre and fandoms and not about Stalinesque political games. And that more people are saying NO to the idiocy.
And before anybody says anything about FyreCon, please understand that it’s conrunner is every bit as dishonest and pound foolish as the monkeys at LTUE who ruined that respectable event.
DawnRay Ammon is a toxic and loathsome woman with no loyalty to anything save her own ego.
Skipping a con means more $ to buy books with, from authors I like. Hey …