Photo of Captain Riker snagged from internet by Denny S. Bryce

Once a year for the past six years, I’ve attended an event called Phauxcon in Philadelphia. How I learned about this event isn’t as important as the experiences I’ve had over the years and the people I’ve met and gotten to know. From notables (in the world of writing) such as Jim Butcher, L.A. Banks and Lawrence Schoen (a 2010 Hugo Award Nominee for his short story The Moment), and a laundry list of creative, obsessed, delightful women and men, who are professionals, businesspeople, artists, designers, writers, you name it. They take a day or a day and a half out of their busy lives to talk about their passions — whatever those passions might be — within the realm of popular culture. Let me emphasize the event attracts about 15 people on average – almost 40 the year Jim Butcher joined the fray, but it’s always been small, intimate and friendly – but most of all, for me at least, informative.

This year I learned that “the sky is blue, and I am your god” (you had to be there:); Captain Riker of Star Trek fame belongs to only one woman who lives in Philadelphia; Deep Space Nine has been added to my Netflix cue (thank you Kelly); YA paranormal and SciFi is controversial, edgy, and there are a list of authors I’ll be checking out real soon; and there is a Klingon Language Institute, and I met the man who created it and was instrumental (if he didn’t handle the translation himself) in translating Hamlet into Klingon.

And what really scares me is that spellcheck on my Mac has no problem with Klingon…

My point with this post is to of course say a big thank you to Sierra and Rob for getting this done each year with their extremely busy schedules. My other point is to let you know that some of the best events are small, informal, and all about sharing the love.

And by the way, I like the fact that there’s only a handful of people at Phauxcon. It can be the best kept secret on the planet for years to come as far as I’m concerned.