Sunday, August 30, 2015

The Latest Oz Reading

Yes, I've gotten through all of those boring non-Oz things that I regress into at times and got started on my latest cycle of Oz reading this weekend! This time, I started with the program book for this year's OzCon International, AKA the 51st Winkie Convention. As in the past, I was too busy this year to actually sit down and read it during the con itself, so I saved it for later. Unlike previous years, I got around to reading it not long after the convention! It has some interesting reminiscences about the Scarecrow and The Scarecrow of Oz, since that book is being celebrated this year for its one hundredth birthday. If you attended the convention you also probably knew it's the thirtieth anniversary of Return to Oz this year as well. In fact, if you attended the convention you may not have known that it was the anniversary of anything else! So if you were wondering where the celebrations were for the anniversaries of The Wiz on Broadway or the novel Wicked, the program book was the place to look, as there were essays in there, as well as a vintage interview with the late Geoffrey Holder, director and costume designer of The Wiz. There's also plenty of photos and advertising art for Return to Oz. All in all, another successful book complementing the convention. It sure has given me a lot to think about, as I'm co-chairing next year's convention, and so I'd better figure out what needs to be in it!

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