For those of you who’ve attended previous Sirens in Vail and Beaver Creek, this year’s conference in Denver may be a respite. After all, we’ll be 3000 feet lower in elevation!

At 5,280 feet above sea level, Denver’s altitude is exactly one mile high—but Denver is not actually in the mountains. Even though Denver’s elevation does not give rise to altitude sickness or other health concerns associated with mountain towns (most airplane cabins are pressurized between 5,000–8,000 feet as a safe and healthy range for most people), we beseech you to not be complacent—as much of Colorado is actually a high-plains desert. What does this mean?

Here’s our hard-won advice:

• Drink plenty of fluids. Drink water early and often—you can even drink a sports drink, with electrolytes, for an extra boost. Even better, start increasing your water intake a few days before traveling to Sirens to help your body adjust more easily. Remember: it’s easier to prevent dehydration in the first place than to recover from its effects! And we’ve got you covered: we’ll have Sirens water bottles for sale in our community room, with some of our fabulous artwork.

• Balm it up. Because of the lack of moisture in the air, you might need to apply extra lip balm, nasal spray, eye drops, and lotion to keep yourself comfortable.

• Eat a snack. May your bellies be full. Even at Denver’s altitude, you might have a bigger appetite than you would normally—your body is working extra hard to compensate for less oxygen and lower temperatures.

• Be aware of the sun. Here, the air is thinner, making you more susceptible to sunburn—so make sure that you cover up and apply sunscreen if you’re going for a walk or lounging outside. Bring your sunglasses, too! Believe us, your eyes can burn.

• Take it easy. Did we mention the air is thinner? That means there is less oxygen going to your brain—so you’ll breathe faster to compensate, at least while you adjust. If you notice that you’re fatigued more quickly while exercising or climbing stairs, give yourself a little extra time to adjust to your environment.

• You might need more sleep than usual. You might be really tired from the plane ride in, or the opposite and suffering from jetlag. It’s often the case that your sleep patterns change when you travel, but it never hurts to take a nap when you’re a mile up!

• Alcohol will have a greater effect on you, so imbibe judiciously. One drink at sea level equals at least two in Denver. Please consider moderating your drinking—and drink plenty of water during and afterwards. If not, your headache the next morning probably isn’t altitude sickness; it’s a hangover. (And if you complain, we will be tempted to give you the side-eye…)

• If you feel a headache coming in, up your fluid intake and try taking ordinary painkillers. Chances are, you’ll feel much better with some rest, too.

For more information, you can check out our page on Denver. Any other questions, please contact us at (help at sirensconference.org). We’re looking forward to seeing you all next week, and we want your experience at Sirens to be amazing!

Previous versions of this post ran in October 2017 and October 2018.

In a week, our Sirens Studio attendees will begin descending on Denver for our 11th annual Sirens, with the rest of you soon to follow! And while there might be familiar faces to greet, there are many of you for whom this will be your first Sirens! So read on for some tips, tricks, and general things to know before you start your journey to Colorado:

1. Follow us on Twitter at @sirens_con and the event hashtag #Sirens19 (if you haven’t already!). We’ll be tweeting our full programming schedule, last-minute changes, quotes from presenters and guests, pictures of things like auction items, and more!

2. Visit us at the Information Desk. Located in room Alpine 1, also home to our community room, Sirens staff members will be available to chat, answer questions, and help you with almost anything you need. This is also where you will pick up your conference badge and registration bag!

3. Find a Sirens Ambassador. We’ve appointed 15 seasoned attendees as Sirens ambassadors, specifically so our new attendees will be able to find a friendly face in the crowd. Our ambassadors will be wearing a special button when they’re available for conversations. Feel free to pepper them with your questions or find them when you’re feeling adrift or out of place—they’re here to help!

4. Start a conversation. Everyone at Sirens is a reader. Whether you’re waiting for the shuttle, lounging in the hotel lobby, or eating at a table, it’s easy to use book talk to break the ice.

5. Attend programming. Sirens’s programming is presented by our attendees, for our attendees—and as everyone’s voice at Sirens is vital to our community, our presenters include readers, librarians, and educators, as well as the scholars, authors, and professionals that you might be expecting. Check out our full schedule and our summaries of programming, geek out over what’s being offered, and plan out your day. Conversations are highly encouraged in between sessions, and sometimes even during sessions, like in the case of roundtables or Q&As.

6. Seating is open. Feel free to sit anywhere while at programming, Books and Breakfast, Bedtime Stories, the community room, or at meals—but please leave the seating closest to doors and aisles open for attendees who might need a closer seat or some extra room to maneuver.

7. Looking for a group for dinner? Check the program book. We’ll have a list of meet-up times and locations, as well as a list of dining recommendations.

8. We have a bookstore, specially stocked with over a thousand fantasy titles by women and nonbinary authors. If you want recommendations, we’re holding Books with Sirens at 2:00 p.m. on Friday and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday in the community room, when Amy will try to sell you books upon books. A word of warning: we’re pretty good at it—some people save their book money all year for our bookstore and some bring a second suitcase to take their treasures home! Shipping is also available for a fee (media mail, in the United States only).

9. We have an auction, of amazing items, some hand-crafted, some one-of-a-kind, some that you simply won’t want to leave behind. The proceeds are crucial to covering a large portion of Sirens’s expenses and keeping our prices down. Your registration bag will include information about the auction and a list of offered items. We hope you’ll bid early and often!

10. Check out our accessibility policy. Sirens is committed to making the conference accessible for a variety of individuals, but we need your help to do so. Please take a look at our accessibility policy (and also printed in your program book), and then consider how you might help make Sirens accessible for others.

11. Bring a bathing suit! And your running shoes! There is an indoor pool and hot tub right next to the spa, as well as a nearby jogging trail. Speaking of the spa, please mention Sirens and receive a 10% discount off all services and retail products!

Any more questions? Please do come find us at the Information Desk starting:

Thursday, October 24 at 3:00 p.m.
Alpine 1 (lobby level)
Hilton Inverness

We can’t wait to meet you at Sirens!

Previous versions of this post ran in October 2017 and October 2018.