Post-Conj update

It's all about the community

I got back from the Clojure Conj last Saturday (almost a week ago as I write this), and I’m still trying to get my life back together. Well, I should say that I always find conferences a bit disruptive to my routines. But that’s kind of the point! Conferences are a space out of time, where the quotidian responsibilities like childcare, work, and dishes are paused while you intensely spend 18 hours per day immersing yourself in a topic you’re interested in. While the cost is high, the benefits are higher. And that’s why I keep attending conferences.

It was great to go to the Conj this year. While it’s kind of a blur, I got what I was looking for, which was basically a boost in the perceived social value of Clojure. Let me put that less obtusely: Most of my friends are not programmers. They don’t know what Clojure is. I can’t really geek out with them about Clojure. Basically, my interest is private. Over time, it becomes harder and harder to maintain interest in something few people I encounter face-to-face care about. Am I crazy liking this thing? Am I out of touch with reality? Does it matter at all?

The Conj gives me that boost. Hundreds of smart people talking about Clojure, validating my interest in it, all in one small space. There are so many people that there are sub-groups. AI vs. anti-AI. Protocols vs. no protocols. Even REPL vs. no REPL (yes! they exist!). And it’s glorious.

The other benefit is that after three days together blabbing on about Clojure, it starts to get personal. You get to know people beyond their code and their jobs. It turns out that even Clojure programmers have lives.

I want to touch on a couple of things.

My workshop went well. The ideal is that I blow people’s minds with skills they couldn’t have learned any other way that they can immediately apply at their work. I hit somewhat short of that. The second best is missing that but learning how to do better next time. That’s where it was. Luckily, I can translate that learning directly into my book. Thanks to all the participants who played along.

People don’t get to see the magic of Rich Hickey outside of the Conj. Seriously, he’s amazing. As far as I can tell, he watches every talk (unless there are two tracks, obviously). He will ask questions during the Q&A. And he’ll approach the speaker after the talk and share opinions, critiques, and encouragement. Despite not being as active online as he once was, he is committed to the community when it comes to in-person gatherings. He’s super engaged with the design of new features and is still thinking through tough problems, even after his retirement.

Speaking of community, it was a big focus this year. Christophe and Jordan (and other volunteers) hosted a community-building event (where we all got to share our love within small groups guided by Clojure luminaries). Just their presence and energy made it clear that this conference is important.

And I’m super excited about the Clojure documentary. Rich Hickey has already been interviewed out at his cabin. Many Clojure folks have also been filmed, including yours truly. I hope my footage doesn’t wind up on the floor. We’re very lucky that the same company that made the Python, Rails, and Node documentaries are making one for Clojure. We’re much smaller. But they’ve told me they think the influence of Clojure is greater than what’s apparent in the number of programmers. I have to agree, but it’s nice that the filmmakers can see that.

Alright, folks! Be good to each other.