Tag: POC Dinner

The POC Dinner @ WisCon – It’s A Tradition!

By:  TempestGeekitude

A few days ago Jaymee Goh asked me for some historical info on the POC Safer Space at WisCon, which got me wondering if there were any public posts chronicling the POC Dinner as well. Not exactly. The first formal dinner we did was in 2009, and with that we just met in the lobby and went out to a restaurant. However, that grew out of similar POC lunches and get-togethers that were mainly the result of coordinating the Safer Space.

Very quickly this event became an important part of WisCon for me and other folks of color. Meeting other people from the community in a welcoming and supportive environment is so important. As is meeting people you can go to if the con gets rough in a specific way. And, if you’re new to WisCon, the dinner serves to ease you into the con experience.

We eat, we talk, we joke, we introduce, we create community. It’s one of my favorite parts of WisCon. I want it to be yours as well.

This year’s POC Dinner will take place Friday May 22 at 5:30pm local time (the dinner break) in room 629. Who can come? People who identify as people of color, which is a pretty broad umbrella. We’re not about checking your POC cred at the door. We’re about creating community. Consider yourself welcome1.

Important Details

If you plan to attend, please, please, PLEASE buy a ticket ahead of time. This allows us to not only know how many people are coming but how much (and what kind of) food to order. I’d love it if everyone bought a ticket today, but you can buy one up until 12pm local on Friday. That’s when we’re putting in the final order for food.

If you cannot afford the dinner price you can still come. Generous folks have already donated extra money to cover the costs for people with limited budgets. Your name will only be known to the dinner coordinators and will be kept confidential. Just nab a free ticket at this link.

The menu for dinner is at the link. If you don’t see any food you’re willing to eat, you can still join us. Just bring your own food. Also, nab a BYOF ticket at this link (it helps us to know how many people are attending even if you’re not eating so we get enough tables and chairs).

If you don’t buy a ticket ahead of time you can still come! Just bring cash to pay for dinner.

And if you know a person of color attending WisCon who might not know about this dinner, please pass this post along.

I’m so looking forward to breaking bread with y’all this year and many years to come.

Footnotes

  1. This is usually the point where obnoxious people will say “I have a color: white! So I should get to come!” If you’re that dedicated to being obnoxious, good on you. See how well that works out at the con. [⇧]

POC Dinner @ WorldCon

By:  TempestConventions
POC Dinner @ WorldCon

By popular demand we’re bringing the POC Dinner from WisCon to ChiCon. On Friday, August 31st, the POC attendees of the World Science Fiction Convention are invited to dine in glorious splendor (or just in a nice restaurant).

If you’d like the deets on this event, please contact me through the contact form on my website if you don’t already have my email. If we’re friends on Facebook, check your events list since it’s likely I’ve already invited you.

Looking forward to hanging with folks at WorldCon!

WisCon 36 POC Dinner – Friday

By:  TempestConventions
WisCon 36 POC Dinner - Friday

Just an FYI: there will be a POC dinner at WisCon again this year. The reason I haven’t announced it officially yet is that we’re still nailing down a venue. We’re trying to find a place that can accept 50+ people, is close enough to the hotel that people will walk to it, and is inexpensive. Triangulating this has proved very complex :)

However, the general plan is for the event to happen during the sinner space in programming and before the opening ceremonies. We hope to get GOH Andrea Hairston and Mary Anne Mohanraj to attend, even if just for the beginning since they’ll need to leave early.

After the dinner, those of you who do not want to go to the opening ceremonies can join me in the POC Safer Space to talk about how folks can and should use the room during the con.

[WisCon 35] POC Dinner

By:  TempestConventions
[WisCon 35] POC Dinner

It’s that time of year again. You know, when a young girl’s thoughts turn to wild unicorns and orcs frolicking together and eating things? That’s right, the WisCon POC dinner is on, baby.

Here are the deets:

  • When: Friday, May 27th, 5:30 – 7:30PM
  • Where: Private Dining Room of the Dayton Street Grille (the restaurant inside the Madison Concourse Hotel). If you haven’t been there before, just ask the helpful folks at the front desk or the host station.
  • Who: If you are a person of color attending WisCon, you’re welcome to join.
  • Important Things:
    • If you’re on Facebook, please click here to RSVP. We want to get a mostly accurate count of how many people are coming so the restaurant can plan accordingly. If you’re not on Facebook, RSVP in the comments.
    • Tell other POC and ask them to RSVP as well.
    • Please come as close to 5:30 as you can. We want to be done by 7:10 so that Nisi and anyone else can get to the Opening Ceremonies.
    • Bring cash! This is important (see update below).

Update: We’ve now set the menu for the dinner. This year we’re doing a buffet instead of a traditional sit-down to facilitate mingling and to accommodate those who might be late. Buffet items include:

  • Fresh seasonal fruit
  • Mixed greens with shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers with our housemade balsamic vinaigrette and ranch dressings
  • Asparagus, shrimp and orzo salad [might end up being vegetarian – i.e. no shrimp]
  • Grilled breast of chicken with Portobello mushrooms and caramelized shallots
  • Sliced sirloin of beef with brandy green peppercorn sauce
  • Rosemary-roasted red bliss potatoes [vegan]
  • Sautéed zucchini and tomatoes [vegan]
  • Fresh breads from our bakery
  • Assorted petit fours and finger tarts

Since this is now a catered event/buffet, there’s a set price for dinner. The minimum required to eat is $20. However, if you can pay up to $30 we’d appreciate it. We’re doing a bit of funky math here to keep costs down for everyone and because I don’t know exactly how many people are coming.

If you absolutely cannot afford this, drop me a note, please.