The Girl’s Guide to Edgar Week, 2007 edition

It’s the end of April and for mystery lovers, that can only mean it’s Edgar Week. And so, like last year and the year before that (with much of the language repeating because as I said then, why mess with a good post?) I present a rough guide of where to go, who to see and what to do leading up to and during those Edgar Allan Poe Awards:

TUESDAY

Things kick off in earnest starting at 6 PM on Tuesday. The place to be is Black Orchid,

where Bonnie and Joe will host their annual pre-Edgar bash. There will

be wine, there will be cheese,  and there will be many a mystery writer

in attendance — some big names, some brand new.  If only the weather

will live up to its promised billing of sunny and 74 so that we can all

hang outside to chat and make good conversation.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday is MWA Symposium day, and the full schedule can be found here. I won’t be attending (mornings are for work)

but for those forking over the $90 ($125 for non-members) the morning agents & editors panel promises to be lively, and Charles Ardai interviewing Stephen King will be a must-attend.

Once you’ve had your fill of the panels, it’s time for the Agents

& Editors Party. But don’t even think about crashing — attendance

is limited and security will be enforced. But if you’ve snagged an

invite and can hold your tongue on pitching anyone in question, it’s a

great time to network and find out that yes, people in the biz are

human just like you.

Still up in the air is whether the Nevermores — the usually-annual sendup of the Edgars hosted by Partners & Crime — will take place. If so, it’ll start at 7. If not, have a leisurely dinner and some drinks. Or crash some of the many fabulous PEN World Voices panels and parties taking place. But save most of that for…

THURSDAY

It’s awards night, and time to make sure that dress still fits and

the tux is clean. The festivities begin with cocktails at six, but

before then, there’s Dell Magazines (parent company of EQMM and AHMM)

and their annual party beginning at 3:30. But that still gives you an

hour to get all dressed up, because hey,

when are you going to get another opportunity to do so all year? And if

you want to stand out, wear a color other than black and a style no one

else does but which actually works for you. (Of course, I did that last year, which means that dress is retired indefinitely. Black it shall be this year once more…)

Once cocktails are done, the awards begin. Find your table, drink

more wine, endure the questionable chicken and let Al Roker be

your guide through the nominees, special awards, Stephen King’s speech and the ultimate

winners. There will be pictures, phone calls, instant updates (not by

me, especially now that I’ve figured out how to download email to my phone and I don’t need additional addictions, thank you very much) and

then some late night carousing. Which takes us to…

FRIDAY

Otherwise known as Decompression Day. Except if you are, like me,

schedule-challenged enough to attend to some business and go hear Alice Sebold, Yasmina Khadra, Alicia Giminez-Bartlett & Massimo Carlotto speak about Mediterranean Noir as part

of the PEN World Voices Festival, taking place concurrently as Edgar

Week. Then I can decompress. Maybe.

Happy Edgars, everybody!