Potlatch 23 happened on February 21-23, 2014 in the Sainte Claire Hotel. As the chair, I’d like to thank everyone who attended the conference. It was great to see how it was in full swing even before opening ceremonies.
The program was a success. I didn’t see as much of it as I wanted, because I was running around, but I liked what I saw, all the panels were well attended, and I heard a lot of discussion continuing between panels and on into the evening. The program ideas were suggested and voted on by members of the conference, who also volunteered to be on the program. This was an experiment in self-organization. My thanks to everyone involved for making it work so well.
The Clarion West Benefit Auction was a big success. It raised over $1700, which is above average and particularly impressive given that Potlatch 23 had fewer members than most. Only two unsold items were left at the end. Thank you to Dawn Plaskon, Cindy Scott, Linda Deneroff, and Peggy Rae Sapienza for organizing, and to auctioneers Ellen Klages and Tom Whitmore for a very entertaining performance.
There were many positive comments about the consuite. We have to give a huge thanks to Karen Schaffer who had to overcome many obstacles including key staff members who could not attend, and not even having a room for the consuite until a week before the con. Thanks also to Rich McAllister, Mike Ward, Ruth Leibig and Donya Hazard White for their help in making the consuite such a welcoming and comfortable place.
Randy Smith organized at-con registration. Unfortunately, because of a funeral that came up at the last minute, Randy was not able to be at most of the con. Thanks to Glenn Glazer and Amy Martin for putting in a lot of extra hours at the registration table and making it work.
Thank you to Lucy Huntzinger for the program book and David Bratman for the monumental local restaurant guide.
The dealers room had Other Change of Hobbit, Cargo Cult Books, and PM Press, offering books, books, and more books. It went over very well with the Potlatch crowd. Thanks to David Gallaher for organizing it.
The writers workshop was well attended, with eleven participants. Thank you to Jude-Marie Green for organizing, and to David D. Levine, Rachel Holmen and Cliff Winnig for serving as critiquers.
The Potlatch 23 T-shirts featured another stunning design by Freddie Baer. There is one shirt hasn’t been sold yet, so it now is a rare collector’s item. Look for it at the Clarion West Benefit Auction at a future Potlatch.
There will be a Potlatch 24. Watch this space, and subscribe to the Potlatch [announce] mailing list for information. See you next year in Seattle!
