So, remember when I praised virtual cons (and creators) for finding ways to continue hosting their cons and presenting their content to everyone? And, how some groups and individuals decided to host their own con? Well, I was able to attend FIYAH Magazine’s 1st FIYAH Con! I won’t bore you or make you all jealous of what I enjoyed about this con—besides the panels of various topics and issues. Instead, I’m going to list what I considered to be the best parts of FIYAH Con; and, there are at least 3 of them.
First, was the layout of the schedule. This con was 3 days long, but the first 2 days consisted of panels that ran over 24 hours straight. And no, I didn’t stay up for 24 hours to watch those panels! Yet, you know who did watch those panels? The guests and the attendees in other countries throughout the world who were able to enjoy these panels during their daytime hours. This was a very considerate idea because there are fans, authors, and staff within the speculative fiction community who live beyond the U.S., Europe and Asia. Allowing panels to run for those who reside in Africa, Australia and the Pacific was a very thoughtful idea. Many attendees from those regions were able to enjoy those panels live. It served as a reminder that there are people involved in this community who reside all over the world.
Second, was the inclusion of all who participate within speculative fiction. There were authors, bloggers, YouTubers, editors, academics, publishers, artists, etc., who were guests of this con. This serves as a reminder that those who participate within this genre community is as diverse and as essential as the (remaining) identities of all of the panelists and the attendees. Everyone makes up the fandom and the community, and it was great to see that FIYAH knew that as well and had (some of) them as guests. In fact, it was interesting to see them all discuss numerous subgenres, issues, topics, changes, etc., within the genre. In addition, FIYAH took the liberty of inviting guests from numerous identities and gave them a panel to discuss their works and the inspiration surrounding them (I didn’t know there were Māori and Pasifika authors in this genre)! This was one of the most eye-opening experiences FIYAH Con offered because, yes more attention has been offered to diverse authors, but we continue to overlook other cultural groups who continue to expand this literary genre. My interest in their works has piqued and I’m looking forward to reading them.
Last, is what FIYAH is doing after their Con. Remember, when I said that some of the panels occurred overnight in some time zones and during the daytime for other ones? Well, FIYAH is posting the archives of all the panels on the conference website for attendees to access what they missed during the Con. This is great because there were panels I missed due to the time difference and overlapping panels, I didn’t get to watch all of the panels—and, some of them seemed very interesting. This is a great opportunity to catch up on what I missed and learn more from all of the guests and the panelists. I know other attendees feel the same way, too. Right now, some of the panels are posted and available on the website. The rest of them will be posted as they become available.
In all, this was a virtual con that was just as amazing as the other ones I’ve attended this year. Yes, 2020 has not been the best year, but it forced everyone to find ways to bring members of various communities and/or fandoms together. Not to mention, FIYAH went beyond everyone’s expectations and made sure the guests were as diverse as the speculative fiction genre. I am guilty of forgetting that other regions in the world hope to present their works to the mainstream (of the community), and this Con presented some of what the rest of the world has to offer. Thanks to FIYAH and their (first ever) Con, I am more aware of other people who write, work and participate in the speculative fiction genre community.
What did you think of FIYAH Con 2020?
