BLOG: The Tiny Convention at the Edge of the World (Squatchcon 2026 Recap)

After the hustle and bustle of ECCC and C2E2, Seattle and Chicago, it was a nice change of pace to settle down between the mountains and the ocean in Port Angeles for a weekend. En and I had done Squatchcon in 2024, and I have fond memories of that time. This year, our friends Carly and Eli would also be exhibiting at the event, and they graciously hosted us. Even better, Eli convinced Courtney to come, fly across the country, make that 2+ hour drive with them from Seatac to the northern most edge of the Olympic National Park, and spend the weekend in the Vern Burton Community Center with us.

I love a good road trip. The weekend prior, En and I had gone up to Seattle to see Bbno$ and get lunch with Phia, Cas, and Jo. We drove because I waited too long to get train tickets, and despite the rise in gas prices, it was cheaper to drive and pay to park. Even though I love the train, I’m glad it shook out this way. Our friend Cait just finished reading House of Leaves and loaned us her copy. It’s a book that’s been on my forever-want-to-read list, but I didn’t feel like buying another book that would be added to the TBR pile. Something about the time sensitivity of borrowing a book from a friend, in combination with a three hour drive to Seattle, made me start reading.

I read House of Leaves out loud to En that weekend as they drove. Yes, you can read it out loud. If you’re thinking of an audiobook experience, you’re thinking too narrowly. It’s like… the fonts can have different voices. I can stop and describe the text formatting. En glances at the page composition and sees me turning the book upside down from the periphery. It can be done, as a customizable shared moment between just us.

Anyway, I digress.

Port Angeles is beautiful

Driving up to Port Angeles, where train and public transit is basically a non-option realistically, meant that for the first leg of the journey to Olympia, I was able to continue reading House of Leaves to En until we exited for the 101, which signaled my turn as the driver. Then, En took over reading. It reminded us of our first time visiting the Peninsula, one sunny July when we camped at Sol Duc, and we read each other a downloaded ARC of Nona the Ninth, just a PDF on our phone screens. And when we couldn’t read, we would listen to Hozier. Same now as it was then.

I love driving the 101. (Side note: I’m not from California, but my mother is. I grew up on the east coast always saying “the” highway number because of her. I think Californians are right to do it. Let me live.) I see all the tiny towns and isolated homes. I wonder what it would be like to be an artist living in the middle of nowhere. I wonder what it would be like to pay less rent, to have fewer options, to hide away in my house and work on art and no one could ever bother me or find me or invite me out to drinks. Then I remember that most of that is just winter in Portland, so… 

But the Olympic Peninsula is special! I love the juicy green mossy trees and the way the mountains jut up right against the water. I even love getting a little scared when I see the tsunami evacuation route signs as we roll through lowlands and back up again, knowing it probably won’t make a difference how high we are if the Cascadia event happens and the mountains crumble to the sea. Maybe I think about rolling the car window down just in case we fall into the water. I don’t think I have an anxiety disorder. I don’t actually roll the window down.

We make it to Port Angeles with the only tremors being my car tires on the rumble strips as I underestimate the tight curves and the “SLOW DOWN, 25 MPH” signs. 

Carly’s family’s home is on the edge of town, tucked up into the mountains and trees. There are fruit trees, but it’s early April. The branches are still mostly just sticks thinking about leaves and blossoms. There are deer who wander through the orchard, obviously well aware that these will be fruiting in a few months. There are Douglas squirrels and Steller’s jays and bluebells and you can see the ocean just a bit through the branches. If you look the other way, you can see the mountain’s ridge. This life is different from just Portland in the winter. This life feels like something I want some day, a decade or so from now, when I’m done living near an airport.

Eli and Carly picked up Courtney from Seattle’s airport, and the three of them were waiting for us when we arrived, drinking lemonade on the patio. I knew this was about to be a great weekend in that instant. I love my friends!!!!!!!!! On the first night, we picked up burgers and went to the hook, a manmade jetty, to watch the sunset. I only thought about tsunamis a little bit, but mostly thought about how lucky we were to be in such a beautiful place. The hook is also home to several stray cats, seagulls, and some floating sea lions. We sat on rocks to watch the sun sink, and an older couple, clearly envious of our burgers, said, “You look like good people to know.”

Film photos, courtesy of Eli.

Squatchcon

Thursday and Friday at Squatchcon are half days, acknowledging what I think many bigger shows know but do not accommodate for: people work during the day. Attendees won’t show up until after clocking out. I like the community preview day, where people can come for free to check out the vendors without committing to a ticket for the whole event. It’s one of the many attributes of Squatchcon that make it feel so community oriented.

There were more familiar faces at Squatchcon this year than in 2024! Viv and Alex were there. I had met Viv last year and it was great to sit next to her and chat. I also recognized some of the Olympic Peninsula locals who were vending. It felt like a very welcoming space, with a lot of talented cosplayers.

Another bonus to the weekdays being 3-8pm, we had the morning and early afternoon to walk around Port Angeles, doing window shopping and real shopping. It was my birthday, so I got some sparkling wine. I’m trying to drink less by which I mean, not at all except on special occasions, and I think sparkling wine doesn’t really count anyway. I also picked up a vinyl at an antique shop for my friend Cait for her birthday next month. Shout out Cait, our movie-knowing media genius and best cat sitter in the whole world, the premier Taurus in my life who elevates all Taurens in my mind.

Did you know it was my birthday?

Courtney got me some Steel Ball Run charms from Cookiestraw_ for my birthday, and I picked up candles from The Sleepy Sprite (SERIOUSLY THE BEST CANDLES IN THE WORLD, they smell so good).

The evenings were cozy. We had a fire and roasted marshmallows. On the evening of my birthday, Courtney and Carly made brownies (gluten free, and also, my favorite dessert). We smoked weed and watched videos. On the last night, we watched Brokeback Mountain, which neither Carly nor Eli had seen.

Carly: so what about this movie makes you want to watch it while high?

Me: oh, I’ll watch this movie any time, high, drunk, sober, whatever. literally any time.

En: yeah… so basically, this is Steel Ball Run

Carly, charming host that she is, made a luxurious sensory experience with lights and bubbles and squishy toys and her cat, Casper, the star of the show. I think heaven is like that. I’m so grateful that Courtney came all the way to Port Angeles for the show, and even more grateful that I got to spend my birthday with her. I don’t tend to do much for my birthday, maybe I spend a little extra money on myself, and I definitely say “but it’s my birthday” all month long to get my way. But I don’t think about the actual celebration or party aspect. This weekend was exactly perfect.

Eli gave us all the best gift for my birthday, which is a short film montage featuring clips of us during that weekend. I’m going to cherish it for always!!!! Eli is such a talented artist, and I’m kind of pissed off that he gets to be a good artist and designer and cartoonist and film editor. Do you think I could make him do all my art for me as a ghost artist? Do you think I can harness his power somehow? Much to consider.

Back to the con

Spending time at the con also meant that we got to see our friends Cas and Jo again, as well as Steph and her partner Connor, and I got to get coffee with Jenny Blenk! Truly for me, it was a star studded weekend in that little town at the edge of the world.

If you came to this blog to learn if you should do Squatchcon as an artist yourself, the answer is: perhaps! I made ~$600 that weekend and stayed with friends for free. En did a little bit more than me. For us, it’s well worth the drive and the hours, if only to stay in a town we love with people we love. It’s not a crazy money making show like some others we do, but that’s not why we do it.

(As an aside, I sold like 3x as many copies of How Could You at Squatchcon than at C2E2. Just funny/interesting.)

We love Squatchcon because we love the people there. We love the drive, the scenery, the atmosphere. We love getting clocked as out-of-towners by literally every cashier and shop keeper. The people of Port Angeles have a very keen eye for tourists, I suppose. We love being able to bring our work to people who don’t or can’t make it to the big city or expensive shows. It feels good.

Then, our time was up. We had to get out of the house early to make sure Courtney made her flight back to New York. I drove the 101 back home. En drove the 5. We stopped for Burgerville with their sandy gluten free buns. We were home with our baby cat by 1pm, and not a moment too soon. House of Leaves just started getting really complicated. Now we’re on our own reading journeys.

Epilogue

I drove to a Korean restaurant in Saint Johns to pick up dinner that evening. I saw Forest Park doing the thing I love the most— when the deciduous trees turn bright green and contrast with the blue-green of the pine trees. I’m looking forward to staying in the PNW for the rest of the season, even if I have to venture to Juneau and Seattle in May. I love spring here.

Up next: book signing at Phoenix Comics in Seattle!!!!

Then: Juneau Mini Con in Alaska!!!!!!!

See you out there!