I returned this weekend from a long vacation, which included a stop at the Readercon convention. I enjoyed seeing authors I've met before, including Chesya Burke, K. Tempest Bradford, David Mercurio Rivera, Nicole Cushing and Kameron Hurley. I also enjoyed meeting a number of amazing genre people for the first time, including Sheila Williams, Sofia Samatar, Ken Liu, Carrie Cuinn, Amal El-Mohtar, Sarah Pinsker, Rose Fox, Daniel José Older and last but definitely not least, Samuel R. Delany.
I will definitely try to attend Readercon again and I recommend it for anyone who loves the literary side of the genre. But I also echo Tempest's frustrations with the con, specifically the lack of Andrea Hairston’s books in the dealer room. I always look forward to purchasing books when I go to conventions and I was shocked Hairston’s books were not available.
As for certain white people at the con not being able to tell apart the various people of color, what the hell is wrong with you folks? As Tempest says:
"Here’s the thing: at cons, we are all wearing name badges. Thus, it is not at all shameful for you to look at said badge to confirm that you are, indeed, addressing the person of color you think you are. Especially if you have not ever met said person of color. It’s okay. But assuming that the Asian man standing in the room must be the Asian man you’ve heard of and asking him to sign a thing? No, people. No."
I recommend people go read Tempest's entire post. It's a must-read.