Winkie Convention Countdown: 16 Days to Go

So with all of the preparation and drama that went into it, how did the 1993 Convention that I chaired go? Pretty smoothly, actually, and it proved to be a lot of fun, not only for me, but also all of the people who thanked me for putting on such a great convention. For once, I actually had less to do during the convention itself than I usually do, since it had all been done in advance, and I'd delegated enough of the work that lots of people had little jobs to do. At some point on Saturday, I had a nice conversation with Eloise Jarvis McGraw about the craft of writing while she autographed a whole bunch of her non-Oz books that I'd bought in the previous couple of years. The plan to keep the program short on Saturday didn't quite work out, as Club business kept getting tacked on, including the presentation of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award to my friend Patty Tobias, since Patty hadn't been at the Ozmopolitan Convention (back when there was an Ozmopolitan Convention). As a result, the radio show got off to a late start, but I think everyone had a good time. We handed out bags of items so that the audience could make sound effects when properly cued by Chris Sterling, our director and foley artist. (The only one I remember now was two sugar packets, which everyone had to flap together to make the sound of Gargoyle wings.) And I had the pleasure of playing Jim the Cab Horse.

So, to sum up, I had a great time chairing the 1993 Winkie Convention. Good thing, too, because I had just the opposite experience the next year — but that will have to wait until tomorrow's post.