Well, I was a little late, due to RL considerations, and I missed the first talk on Goldberry, but Tom saw it and liked it. My first stop was the Harry Potter discussion. It was refreshing to be in a room with 40 adults who were very intense in there discussion of the themes of the books. People kept popping up with "oh, but in the interview on ___, Rowling said that ___" as the group teased out the nuances of some particular point. Sound familiar?

Then I went to the presentation of a paper on slash in its various permutations and evolutions. This included asides on "cannon" and "fannon", "fanfic" and "litfic" and "derivative fic". Slash started out, evidently, as fanfic by hetero women, concerning tough and unemotional guys, imagining what they'd be like if they'd just unwind and show their heart and soul (and perhaps body) to their male companions. The first slash was about Kirk and Spock, but then it branched off to the Sons of Gondor and elsewhere. Anyway, a very interesting article, by a very interesting gal with a large tengwar tattoo around her upper arm - Ithiliana - her online name.
Dinner was yummy and the company was very enjoyable - Tom B, Goldberry, Carneliana (sp?} from TORC, and N.E. Brigand (who was gracious enough to explain his name to me). I spotted the two red headed hobbits who have shown up in pictures from the gathering, but I did not meet them. There were others in costume as well, ranging from vaguely hippy to vaguely middle ages.
After dinner, I joined the bardic circle, and managed to pass each time the speaking opportunity came around to me. Perhaps tomorrow... Tom gave a very sweet rendition of Annie Laurie, which was especially nice for the two of us in the group named Laurie Ann. There was a harpist and a singer, and several accomplished poets, and an English professor who regaled us to the intro to the Canterbury Tales in Old English. Though I'm not a fan of reading poetry, I did enjoy listening to it. All of the speakers (Including Tom, impersonating himself) were quite animated and entertaining.
All in all, a delightful evening. I'm looking forward to two more days of this.
Voronwë, you couldn't ask for a more appreciative bunch of people. You'll have a great audience tomorrow and I know you will do well. See you!