Re: [UUPoly-L] UUPA literature at SF conventions

[Roza <alliumphobia@hotmail.com>]

just a thought.  it was heinlein who first introduced me to the idea of poly, and i remember going to GA in boston and being delighted to realize that he hadn't thought it up himself, and that there were actually people who seriously did this (i had a relatively sheltered childhood).  so the idea is already present in some SF . . . .

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> Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:52:26 -0600
> To: uupoly-l@uupa.org
> From: vraymond@iastate.edu
> Subject: Re: [UUPoly-L] UUPA literature at SF conventions
> 
> Dear Alan,
> 
> SF conventions are a diverse bunch.  Arisia, for example, is a major 
> regional convention, getting a broad base of attendees across a wide 
> range of interests.  Similar conventions would include:
>     * Convergence, usually July 4th weekend, in Minneapolis-St. Paul 
> (attendance somewhere around 2500-2700)
>     * Norwescon, in Seattle (attendance somewhere around 2000 or more)
> 
> ...but there are smaller, more focused conventions, handling 
> different interests:
>     * Wiscon, "world's foremost feminist SF convention" - Memorial 
> Day weekend, in Madison, WI (attendance around 1000)
>     * Readercon, on the East Coast, fairly small (I've never been, 
> but you may have gone)
>     * Potlatch, a fundraiser for Clarion West, rotates around the 
> West Coast, medium sized
>     * ...and many, many others.
> 
> The trade-off is between size of convention and likely 
> attendees.  Larger cons are great for spreading the word, but the 
> vast range of interests ensures that a relatively small number will 
> be interested.  The smaller conventions work a little better, *if* 
> you pick one with a compatible focus - Wiscon might be a good fit, 
> for example.  You probably know about all of this anyway, so I'll 
> leave it at one more point:  having programming at the convention 
> related to poly themes is the best way to ensure people will pick up 
> flyers.  Since a lot of SF speculates about changes in human society 
> in the future and in fantasy settings, this is pretty easy to do.
> 
> Maybe a discussion here of worthwhile panel topics and how to take 
> them to conventions might be a good idea?
> 
> Victor
> 
> At 04:03 PM 1/21/2008, you wrote:
> 
> >I just got back from the Arisia science fiction convention in Boston,
> >attendance 2,000. The con had three well-attended poly panels, 50 - 70
> >people at each.
> >
> >On the freebie literature rack by the registration desk, I put out
> >several bunches of flyers about different poly groups and events.
> >Interesting datum: The UUPA flyer (the one titled "Polyamory in
> >Liberal Religion") got picked up by convention-goers quite a bit
> >faster than any of the others (a Poly Boston flyer, a general-purpose
> >"What is polyamory?" handout, one for the upcoming Poly Living con in
> >Philadelphia, and one for Florida Poly Retreat put there by someone
> >else).  This despite the fact that SF fandom is highly irreligious (by
> >American mainstream standards) and UUism has nothing to do with
> >science fiction (though one could argue).
> >
> >A similar experiment at last year's Arisia had the same result.
> >
> >This says to me that we oughta routinely get our flyers onto the
> >freebie racks at SF cons. Anyone know how to do this by mail? Anyone
> >wanna pick up this ball and run with it? Or suggest how I could?
> >
> >Cheers,
> >
> >Alan
> >_______________________________________________
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> >
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> 
> Victor J Raymond
> vraymond "at"  iastate.edu  

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