1999 Dargon Writers' Summit

Visit our 1999 Summit Flickr page to see all the photos plus captions!

The Dargon Writers' Summit is an annual gathering of our writers where we set direction for the zine, get to know one another, and enjoy the attractions of our host city. The 1999 Summit was held in New York City and its Englewood, New Jersey suburb, and was hosted by Alan Lauderdale, author of DargonZine's popular "Mouse Tales". Attendees were Alan, Orny, Carlo, Max, Jon, Dafydd, and newcomers Stuart and Rena.

This page shows thumbnail versions of some of the pictures we took at the Summit. Clicking on an image on this page will bring up the full-sized picture with a more detailed caption. The photos generally are a reasonably-sized 40-70k each.

Because there have been no major hot issues to deal with recently, this year's workings sessions weren't as focused as previous years. We discussed our ideal writing environments, what energizes and de-energizes us about writing for DargonZine, and how much value we as individuals derive from the project and how much value we think we contribute to our peers. We also did a number of teambuilding exercises and came up with a number of ideas for collaborative projects and communal events, as we did last year with the comet story contest.

Our social activites included the usual billiards, bowling, mini-golf, and lots of late night chats at the hotel. We ate at a 50's diner, a western American Italian seafood rib joint bar, a local medieval dinner theater featuring jousting and falconry, and ordered from an uptown deli and had a picnic in Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park (named for "the last civil governor of New York") overlooking the Hudson River. From there we went to the Cloisters, a medieval castle and museum in the middle of the park which houses a large collection of famous tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, weapons, and other relics, and is also famous for its gardens and courtyards. We also enjoyed the sunshine and view from the top of the World Trade Center.

If you find these images interesting, check out our other Summits, which are documented on our Dargon Writers' Summit page.