As April fast approaches many fans of The Wheel Time experience a certain sense of anticipation that looms on the horizon. A growing feeling that soon they will be called to their nerdiest passions. This is all thanks to JordanCon, a convention celebrating the life and work of Robert Jordan.
For returning attendees this convention is often stated as "coming home," and there is a true sense of found family pervading the event. For first time attendees it can be overwhelming. Many will meet their fellow WoT fans and online friends for the very first time in person.
Guests of Honor
Before we dive into the schedule and fan anticipation, I would be remiss were I not to mention the convention's Guests of Honor. JordanCon's Artist Guests of Honor are Annie Stegg Gerard & Justin Gerard. The Author Guest of Honor is Faith Hunter. If you wish to know more about these accomplished individuals JordanCon has published a bio page.
Schedule
While some first time attendees might worry about what they should do, JordanCon makes this easier thanks to their schedule of panels and events. This year sees a return to the full programming of years past.
The World of The Wheel of Time track is likely the most interesting to our readership (I mean this is a fansite for The Wheel of Time, am I right?). There are 24 scheduled events for this track. Of course with Season 1 of the show ended you can find plenty of panels dedicated to discussion and theory crafting.
On top of that several of our staff from The Great Blight will be panelists, with many other content creators along with other JordanCon attendees and fans. Yours truly will be on The Music of the Wheel of Time Panel. The Rational Nerd of recent "Data? WoT Data?" fame will be on two, Queering The Wheel of Time* and A New Turning of the Wheel: Episode 105 & 106 Review & Discussion. The ever benevolent Nae'blis will be on Igloo, Bond, Balefire (WoT FMK).
*I'll note that the Queering WoT panel is popular and fills up fast so be early.
Anticipation
I reached out to known goblin and Fantasy News aficionado Daniel Greene for his experience with JordanCon. He had this to say:
"JCon is the most accommodating, friendly, and fun convention I have personally been too. From the incredibly audience involved panels, to the nuanced deep dive group discussions by the bar, JordanCon is where ALL fantasy fans are welcome. Just be prepared to make friends you’ll be messaging about the latest Sanderson news for years to come.” - Daniel Greene, Fantasy News Goblin
Further with all the excitement building I took to #TwitterOfTime to two questions:
As always fans are thrilled to join in the with the great memories and best moments.
And first timers are sharing in the excitement as well:
For the new attendees I highly recommend you check out JordanCon's "Newbie Survival Guide"
With this kind of response, who couldn't be excited to travel to Atlanta and meet up with their friends, both new and old! JordanCon has carved out a space in many a WoT fans yearly calendar, and continues to do so. This sense of community, friendship, and found family certainly endears the experience to those that can attend.
But Wait! There's More!
Let's take a look back at some of last year's best moments from JordanCon 2021!
How could anyone forget the first live-streamed Couch Cons?
Or how about when Rafe dropped this bomb-shell of an announcement during The Wheel of Time Show Panel?
What about the costume contest?
And for anyone curious, you can check out my travel vlog about the last year's con here:
Vance is a contributor to TheGreatBlight.com and creates content for YouTube. He also runs a Podcast. Make sure to checkout his creator page and follow him on TheGreatBlight.com for his next blog. If you want to support him so he can produce more content like this please consider checking out his Patreon.
Fantastic article! Last year was my first and I am excited to see everyone again :)
Youhou great article! I'm a first-timer so this is exciting, can't wait to meet everyone!
Thank you Vance for putting this together! I'm a first-timer myself and can't wait to meet everyone and play some board games and just talk WoT for hours on end!