Black Gate

The glorious Vendor Hall at Necronomicon

As Necronomicon enters the full adult stage of its four day life, wee Thursday toddlerdom and energetic Friday late-teens giving way to brawny, wide-shouldered, keen-eyed prime of life. Today sees peak attendance, as day-trippers flock in to swell the ranks of shoppers on the Vendor Hall and help pack the seating in panels and presentations.

The Armitage Symposium organizes traditionally academic panels at Necronomicon, a nice way to draw a distinction between them and more traditional fan-oriented panels, and also a much nicer thing to put on one’s academic vita (like a resume) than the name of a fictional book that contains… stuff.

In The Surpassing Despair Which Flows from a Loss of Identity: Postcolonial Historiography and Race in Lovecraftiana, four academics presented papers on topics that fit under the awkward umbrella of the panel name. I could do a whole post about the art of crafting panel names for collections of academic papers, but whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy would I do that to you?

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There’s nothing like a well-run ‘con, and veterans of the circuit know the feel of competence, from the preliminary materials and communications to the execution of the event on site. Chief character of this con? The Biltmore Graduate hotel. Still proudly wearing the Biltmore name, this fine building shares con duty with the Omni Hotel here in Providence, Rhode Island. There’s even a Time Machine.

Bright and early, a strong crowd gathered for New York State of Mind: Lovecraft’s New York Period, a panel assembled, far as I can tell, to give a platform to David Goodwin and his book Midnight Rambles: Lovecraft in Gotham. Goodwin and his fellow panelists discussed New York City’s influence on Lovecraft, not shying away from that author’s oft-discussed racism and how his exposure to a variety of immigrants from around the world changed the writer.

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Not the book of cosmically horrible… stuff, we’ll say “stuff” and let that be that, shall we? Not the Necronomicon of dread lore and Lovecraftian literary shenanigans. No, Necronomicon, as in a ‘con, Providence, Rhode Island, beginning August 15. Following in the upswell of interest in Lovecraft — or, more accurately, an uptick in cultural stuff (there’s that word again!) that relates to Lovecraft — the organizers of this event have reanimated it, and from all the early signs they’ve done a great job. It’s got a serious academic track record (adroitly renamed to protect the dignity of academic vitas), a gala ball or somesuch grand event, and other elements beyond description and if you’re interested visit the website already.

Who am I? Writer, academic, gamer, internet bon vivant¹, and for a few volunteer shifts I’ll be keeping an eye on the gaming track at the ‘con.² Watch this space for updates as the ‘con commences 8/15/24.

1 — I officially distance myself from any real claim of bon or vivant in the context of the internet.
2 — Yeah, I noticed this ‘con far too late to submit a paper to present to the academic track, or to even get on the reading schedule.