In the immortal words of Dr. Seuss, the time is here, the time is now… for another Penguicon blog post!

First, let’s get the business out of the way: There is a ConCom meeting this coming Sunday. If you’d like to come and help out with what needs to be done for Penguicon 2018 to go off with as few, and as small, hitches possible, then click that link and get the details.

Second – get your Maker Market applications in! They’re due on February 1!

Third, we had a great time at ConFusion 2018 last weekend! The PenguiLab was a ton of fun and we look forward to next year! For pictures head over to Facebook (the greenish ghoul looks like a fun one).

Ursula K. Le Guin (photo by Eileen Gunn)

Ursula K. Le Guin (photo by Eileen Gunn)

Lastly, and most difficult, it would be remiss of us to not recognize the bittersweet news of Ursula K. Le Guin’s death. There is a large outpouring on Twitter over her passing. Neil Gaiman, Chuck Wendig, Mary Robinette Kowal, and many others are sharing their remembrances and anecdotes about her. Our friend John Scalzi has written his remembrance for the Los Angeles Times – it’s a good read and a worthy memorial for an author who meant so much to so many.

A favorite quote of hers (from Talking About Writing) echoes the spirit of Penguicon quite well. It shows how she unashamedly stood for who she was and what she created: “I was told, at extremely regular intervals, ‘You should try to write about things you know about.’ And I would say, But I do; I know about Orion, and dragons, and imaginary countries. Who do you think knows about my own imaginary countries if I don’t?” Any creator, regardless of their medium, can take that to heart. Her journey surely mattered.

Try to have a good night, all. See you later this week.