By Ingvar.

Don JT Michaels woke up, to see that the annual Systems Literature Convention would be held at Luna, this upcoming year. Being the successful poet that he was, he was definitely planning to attend. If nothing else, the membership and travel could of course be taken as a business expense.

He wrote a note to his assistant, to ensure that membership tickets were sorted, for everyone, had breakfast, then pondered the next poem in his epic cycle.

:::

With Trigger safely at home, doing whatever sheriffs do when they’re not patrolling, Coraline Snowflake was relaxing at her former establishment, sipping a cup of quite excellent dark roast from the Martian highlands. Opposite her was Barbara Dimatis, her former protégé and current owner of the Coffee Emporium, Fort Corallium’s premier coffee house and poetry salon.

“What do you think, Barbara?” “About?” “Oh, you haven’t read? It seems Javier Finch has been dis-invited from SysLiCon on Luna” “Really? Well, I am not entirely surprised after how the SysLiCon Awards were handled last year.” “No, but it is quite unprecedented.” “That it is, Coraline. Would you like another danish, these have chocolate in the middle? Anthrop, would you fetch us two danishes?” “Oh? Is he a new employee?”

“They. Yes, Anthrop started two days ago, working primarily as a coffee extractor, but we’re also considering starting serving bespoke cocktails, as they are a well-known bartender.”

:::

Later in the evening, Coraline came home, to a freshly arrived edition of “The Systems Literature Society’s Letters of Comment” and started reading.

> From the desk of Don JT Michaels

> Greetings, as you are probably all aware, LunaCon, the SysLiCon on
> Luna, is coming upon us. I have, of course, secured a convention
> membership, back when memberships opened. As I wanted to finalise my
> schedule, I reached out to the convention organisers, to ask what
> panels I had been assigned.

> You would not believe the reply I got back! A form, to fill out, to
> signal my areas of interest, my previous panel experience, and the
> like. Me? Why would they need that information? They know who I am.
> And clearly SysLiCons have, multiple times, managed to put me on
> panels without this.

> I am not sure what has happened here. But I am disappointed. I am a
> poet, writing epic poem cycles, to the adulations of all. Why would
> they not want me on panels? I do not understand.

Coraline scratched her head in confusion. She had attempted to be a panelist at the Luna SysLiCon and while a somewhat cumbersome process, it was pretty straight-forward. You told the conference organisers what you were willing to speak on, any panels you could propose, and eventually listed your (ranked) interest in the panels that they’d decided on.

Surely DJTM was capable of doing that? Or at least had an administrative assistant that could?

:::

The following day, Coraline was back at the Coffee Emporium, talking to Barbara, as she did almost every day.

“Well, this is leading up to be an interesting SysLiCon. We have the whole disinviting of Javier Finch. Then this weird thing from Don JT Michaels. And rumours have it that the Systems Literature Association’s annual meeting is going to have an agenda of hereto unseen proportions.”

“Yes, dear Coraline. You are entirely correct. I am actually sad that I will not be able to attend. The Emporium takes its tender care, as you well know.” “Yes, me and Trigger actually have memberships, but it seems he’s needing to stay behind, here in Fort Corallium.” “It is never easy. Although, I did speak to Anthrop this morning, and it seems they have a newly composed tipple for us to try. Would you like a taste?” “I would. May I?” “Go ahead.” “Mx Ologist, if you would please delight the palates of me and Barbara with you new creation?”