Readercon 32

Readercon 32 was held July 13-16, 2023, in Quincy MA. Guests of honor were Jeff Van­derMeer and Justina Ire­land; L.A. Banks was the memorial guest of honor. Total attendance was 613 warm bodies. The focus of Readercon is ‘‘imaginative literature’’ – literary science fiction, fantasy, horror, and their intersections, with ‘‘near-total focus on the written word.’’

The event was held at the Boston Marriott Quincy, returning from the convention’s 2022 hiatus for the first in-person Readercon since 2019. There were several changes to the usual events, including redesigning the Meet the Pros(e) party to a speed discussion format. In total, there were 96 hours of talks, panels, workshops, and other main programming items, plus readings, kaffee­klatsches, autograph sessions, the Shirley Jackson Awards, the Cord­wainer Smith Rediscovery Award for an under-recognized author (won by Josephine Saxton), parties, and interviews with the guests of honor. Readings included 75 solo readings and eight group readings, one of which was a two-hour group reading by Fantasy Magazine contributors.

Panels covered a range of topics related to science fiction, fantasy, and horror, including ‘‘Writing Pandemics and Other Apocalypses In Light of COVID-19’’ with Anatoly Belilovsky, Allan Dyen-Shapiro, Shariann Lewitt Kathy Karch, and Sunny Moraine; and ‘‘Dracula Daily: the Unexpected Hit Newsletter of 2022’’ with Gwynne Garfinkle, Emma J. Gibbon, and Kate Nepveu. There were also panels on the works of the guests of honor and of D.G. Compton, the 2021 Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award recipient, as well as three prerecorded online presentations: a recording of a reading and talk by memorial guest of honor L.A. Banks, and presentations on ‘‘lessons SFF writers can draw from the world of speculative poetry’’ and on ‘‘the East Asian four-act story structure.’’ Some programming was also online on Discord. The Heinlein Society organized a blood drive, and the Otherwise Bakesale raised money to support the Otherwise Award (formerly the James Tiptree, Jr. Award). The bookshop featured 16 dealers, including 11 small presses as well as others selling new and/or used titles.

B. Diane Martin, a co-con­chair, reported that during the weekend, the excitement of be­ing back together was evident everywhere. Hanging out on the patio was the de facto spot to be seen. During the evening, parties that would normally be held in rooms were out on the patio. The parties overlapped and rather than hopping from room to room, you travelled from corner to corner of the patio. Karaoke night was again hosted by Rob Cameron and the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers.

‘‘While we were all very happy with the participation in Virtual Readercon 31 (2021), the joy of being back together in person made this a particularly meaningful Readercon for many people.’’

As always, there were a large number of notable professionals in at­tendance, including Charlie Jane Anders, Moniquill Blackgoose, Ellen Datlow, James Patrick Kelly, Ian Muneshwar, Sarah Pinsker, Arley Sorg, Michael Swanwick, Cecilia Tan, Wendy Van Camp, Gary Wolfe, and more. Attending publishers included Scott H. Andrews of Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Bill Campbell of Rosarium, Neil Clarke of Clarkesworld, and Sheila Williams of Asimov’s. Washington Post columnist Michael Dirda wrote a glowing report from the convention, titled, ‘‘At Readercon, print is still king — and thank goodness for that.’’

Readercon 33 is scheduled for July 11-14, 2024 at the Boston Marriott Quincy Hotel in Quincy MA. Program cochair Noah Beit-Aharon said, ‘‘While the process for choosing and reaching out to Guests of Honor has already begun, nothing is nailed down yet in a way that I would be able to announce… It’s too soon to say if any themes will emerge, but I’m ex­cited to be involved!’’ For more information, visit <www.readercon.org>.

[edited to correct panelists]

Photos by Arley Sorg

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