WHAT THE 2009 PROGRAM LOOKED LIKE:
May 2009
The formal program began at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 15th and continued through noon on Sunday, October 18th. The basic program grid for our daytime hours consisted of 55-minute sessions followed by 25-minute signing times, with 5 minutes allowed to get from place to place.
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| Michael Connelly |
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| In most time slots, there were four to six sessions to choose from; however, there were also be a few no-conflict, all-conference sessions (including the Guest of Honor interview with Michael Connelly and the Anthony Awards Ceremony and Reception), and there were also be a few programs that ran non-stop throughout the day (such as Continuous Conversation). Our evening hours were filled with a variety of Special Events.
The overall goal of the program committee was to create a wide variety of opportunities for interaction. We employed the traditional format of having five writers on a dais with a moderator, assigned to talk to an audience on a particular topic. That tried and true format is still serviceable, but we recognized that it does not always serve the presenters or the audience well.
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So, in addition to panel discussions, we designed sessions that allowed folks time to meet and chat in a variety of ways. There were small group discussions, conversations among authors that fans listened in on, game shows, an authors’ bazaar, interviews, talks/lectures, demonstrations, etc. Our program was wildly diverse, not just in terms of its participants but also in terms of approach.
Here are a few examples:
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ONE CONFERENCE, ONE BOOK
We celebrated the work of Hoosier native Rex Stout by designating one of his Nero Wolfe novels as our “One Conference, One Book” selection. We asked that attendees read the book before they arrived in Indianapolis, where we built several programs and discussions around the book, including a very special Rex Stout Banquet. We were delighted to work with Bantam Books, The Wolfe Pack, and the Nero Wolfe society to put together these programs.
In addition to programs based directly on the book, we hoped that it would be a touchstone for conversation throughout the convention. Asking attendees to read this book ahead of time allowed us to do something that we otherwise could not do when we discuss mysteries: talk about the ending and how Stout gets there.
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| Rex Stout |
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| THE CRAFT ROOM
So many of today’s cozy mysteries involve a craft such as scrapbooking, knitting, candle-making, etc.
We invited authors to The Craft Room to demonstrate their craft as they introduce themselves and their books.
This idea came from Joanna Campbell Slan, author of a scrapbooking mystery series.
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VENUES IN THE CITY
On Friday afternoon, we left our headquarters hotel on buses headed to programs at two different locations in downtown Indianapolis--venues that spotlighted Indianapolis and created a special atmosphere for discussion and for additional exploration of the topics.
We talked about mysteries of the American West in the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art and discussed political mysteries in the rotunda of Indiana's beautiful State House building. These external events were opened to the patrons of these institutions.
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| THE BAZAAR
This idea came from J.A. Konrath, who believes that a convention should give authors an opportunity to hand out free copies of their books (in order to build readership). On Sunday morning, fans entered the lobby with five tickets. They wandered through the lobby, met and chatted with the authors, then turned in a ticket for a free book.
The first five tickets were given out without charge. After that, we asked for a $5 donation to a literacy group for 5 additional tickets.
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CONTINUOUS CONVERSATION
The Continuous Conversation, suggested by Carl Brookins, is an on- going, roundtable discussion that involves three writers at a time; at specified intervals, one writer steps away from the table and his/ her place is taken by someone new. Readers sit in a circle around the roundtable, listening in and, from time to time, contributing a comment of their own. The main point is to give readers a chance to listen in on what writers talk about when they get together with each other – writers talking craft, business, etc. and not marketing themselves at all. We ran this through the day Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS
We selected presenters from among our conference registrants: writers, reviewers, librarians, booksellers, publishing professionals — folks who brought a fresh perspective and had something to say. Bouchercon is a fan conference, and though there are many opportunities for writers and other professionals, we all attend first as fans.
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| Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
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| Monument Circle |
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| Indy Skyline |
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