Nerdier Than Thou
by Niki Wyre
Back on June 30th, my awesome comic book store, Emerald Comics, and Wordier Than Thou held a local literary con at Emerald called Nerdier Than Thou. Once I heard the name of the event and knew who was sponsoring it, I knew I just had to go. When I saw the guest list and program, I got really excited to hear some of the speakers with the great topics scheduled.
Here is a copy of their promotional flyer.
If you are wondering about the name of the event, Nerdier Than Thou is a nod to the name of the nonprofit the event benefited, Wordier Than Thou. I highly recommend checking them out. They are a literary nonprofit that are making a difference in the Tampa Bay region of Florida. They have a store online with swag, subscription boxes, author works and more. They also have writer workshops you can purchase if you want to expand your horizons at Camp Wordier Than Thou. They hold events and even book fairs. So definitely worth checking them out and supporting. Your inner literary geek will be be more than happy. <3
As the day arrived, the dismal weather did a number on my body but I was determined to still go. I managed to pull myself together, slap on some makeup, fluff up my wheelchair pillow I sit on and head out in the stormy weather without getting too wet. Of course wearing some fandoms is always required, even if it a low key Harry Potter necklace. 😉
We arrived later than I wanted, so unfortunately, I missed out on the Eerie Florida talk that I was really looking forward to but had lovely chats with the authors (Mark Muncy and Kari Schultz) in between talks.
We did buy all of their books and got this adorable fox pin made by Kari Schultz. I seriously had a hard time picking one. She makes some amazing art. I would highly recommend checking out her work at Fox Dream Art.
My other half has been rather enjoying the Eerie Florida books so far, and he is not the avid reader I am, so that says quite a lot. Eerie Florida is a great set of chilling tales that include Florida legends, ghost tales, mysterious creatures and more. (Visit EerieFlorida,com or find Mark Muncy books on Amazon)
Next up was the Spirituality and Nerdiness talk by author Jason Korsiak. His talk really struck a chord with us both, not just with the spirituality aspect but just on core aspect on being true to yourself. He said sometimes that just stuck. Again, my partner went up and bought a bunch of his books and he never really reads.
If you find yourself struggling with your beliefs versus your fandoms or fitting your fandoms into your faith or just want to be able to explain to those you love better why you can have both and still be okay, check out Jason Korsiak’s titles. (Visit www.kosrisiak.net or see Jason Korsiak books on Amazon)
After that segment, we had a break to visit with the authors and shop a bit before the speakers I had most anticipated. Yes, Harry Potter and the Media. This discussion was being done by the co-authors Leisa Clark and Amanda Firestone. Though some questions from audience did derail this discussion a bit from original topic quite a bit for awhile, the original discussion was about how fandoms evolve from books or movies in to real world crossovers seeming to take on a life of their own. How we can wear them literally on our sleeves or chests, cosplay, communities, etc. It was quite fascinating, and Leisa Clark was a pleasure to visit with throughout the day.
We left after grabbing a copy of their “Harry Potter and Convergence Culture: Essays on Fandom and the Expanding Potterverse” book, a bookmark and blue chocolate frog. <3 How awesome is that?! (Visit McFarlandBooks.com or see Leisa A. Clark books on Amazon)
The next section was Doomsayers, which was several local writers reading a sample of their work, mostly about end of days. They were pretty excellent. We were lucky enough to hear poetry, short stories and a first chapter of a book one writer was writing. All talented in their own way and all in different styles.
It was after this section unfortunately I really couldn’t handle any more sitting with the weather and this body of mine, even with the extra special cushion in my wheelchair. 🙁 So sadly I managed to snap a few more pics and grab a book by Sadie Blackburn before leaving. ( See Sadie Blackburn’s books on Amazon)
So, I did miss the Rick Wilber reading and Women of Genre reading. I also missed out on the talented speaker Bob Dixon, who is a a two-time Guinness World Record holder for the world’s longest cartoon strip. I did manage to snap a pic of him earlier in the day, but since I was buying books after speeches, I forgot to get anything from him since I left earlier. I will have to remedy that situation in the near future.. (Visit Bob Dixon on Facebook or find Bob Dixon books on Amazon.)
All in all, it was a pretty great outing despite the gloomy day and the tailbone from hell. Glad I pushed myself to go and got to meet some excellent writers. Due to health delays this blog took a lot longer to write and get up then I told them, but its finally happening.
I do want to acknowledge them all plus my awesome comic book store, Emerald Comics. I will be featuring Emerald soon. They are so spacious and conscious of handicap needs. Always ask if we need help or offer help. Everyone is always so nice. It’s just a great a place. Not to mention all the events they do. They just rock. Thanks Emerald. <3 Attaching some shots of the awesome inscriptions from these authors in the P.S. so scroll down if you want to see them. 🙂
Well until next time!
<3 Niki Wyre
P.S. Here are some of the inscriptions from these wonderful authors from Nerdier Than Thou. I thought they were worth sharing.
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