What is it like to attend an agency’s spring banquet? At the end of March, Utsudo set out early from the south to attend her agency’s spring banquet in Taipei. She sat with partners from a light sci-fi project; things felt a little stiff at first, but having met in online meetings—plus a bit of alcohol—everyone soon opened up. Most had screenwriting experience, so conversation often turned to film and TV. The food was mostly rich and heavy; she had a few glasses of rosé and left before nine, looking forward to next year.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

Traveling north for my agency’s spring banquet

At the end of March this year, I went north to attend my agency’s spring banquet.

To attend, I left at 7 a.m., and it was already afternoon when I reached Taipei.

That afternoon I met up with a friend at a reptile café, and when it was about time, I headed to the banquet venue to join everyone.

Standing at the entrance, I looked in through the glass and saw about ten people inside. I recognized a few from the agency. They saw me too, came to open the door and chatted a bit.

Inside, every seat was empty—probably the legendary rule that the farther you live, the earlier you arrive XD

Sharing a table with my light sci-fi project partners

I was seated by the window at a table for five, all partners on a light sci-fi project. I sat down and took in the surroundings: dim lights, soft music in the background, a bar on the right backed by a dazzling array of bottles. A very atmospheric bistro.

Honestly, it was my first time in a place like this, so I curiously looked around. On my left, a projector was showing a PowerPoint introducing the authors, and I saw myself in it, which was fun.

Then people gradually arrived, including the rest of our table.

From awkward to chatting freely

It was a bit awkward at first, but we’d met several times in online meetings, and with the help of some alcohol, everyone started opening up—about work and all sorts of gossip. After chatting, I felt I’d gained a lot.

But since more than half of those present had screenwriting experience, they mainly talked about film and TV. I listened in a daze, since I only have experience with fiction and have never done more complex script work. One person seemed to be a very experienced screenwriter, and I learned a bit just by listening.

Free-flowing drinks and rich food

By the way, drinks were unlimited refills. I ordered rosé and found it quite good. Whenever my glass was empty, the bartender came to ask if I wanted a refill. Great service—and I noticed their uniforms looked really sharp (X

Unfortunately, the food was mostly heavy. The first plate was all fried food, followed by seafood Italian dishes. Delicious, but we couldn’t eat much and ended up leaving a lot.

Everyone was having a great time, but I had to hurry back, so I left around nine. Before leaving we took some photos. I thought: next time I want to stay a night in Taipei and really catch up with everyone. Rushing off to catch a train just as the conversation got good is such a shame QQ

Anyway, I’m looking forward to next year’s spring banquet and seeing everyone again!

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #188: Don’t Celebrate Too Soon—Not Every Proposal Pans Out
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.