Glasgow 2024 Confirms Los Angeles as Sole Bidder for 2026 Worldcon Site

Glasgow 2024 has announced that LA in 2026 (Los Angeles) is the only site bid submitted by the filing deadline of February 18, 2024, as required by the WSFS Constitution. The election to select the site of the 2026 WorldCon will be administered by Glasgow 2024, the 2024 WorldCon. The documents filed by LA in 2026 are available at glasgow2024.org/for-members/wsfs-site-selection. The proposed convention dates are August 27-31, 2026, at the ...Read More

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Glasgow Worldcon Chair Releases Hugo Awards Statement

The 2024 Glasgow Worldcon chair Esther MacCallum-Stewart has released a statement regarding the committee’s commitment to ensuring transparency in the coming Hugo Award cycle, in the aftermath of the 2023 Hugo Awards debacle.

As Chair of Glasgow 2024, A Worldcon for Our Futures, I unreservedly apologise for the damage caused to nominees, finalists, the community, and the Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Awards.

Kat Jones has resigned with immediate effect as

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2027 Montréal Worldcon Bid

Montréal, Québec, Canada has announced a bid to host the 85th World Science Fiction Convention, to be held in 2027.

The 67th Worldcon in 2009 in Montréal was the last Canadian Worldcon and Montrealers will be happy to see it return. We are bidding to bring the convention to the Palais des Congrès from September 2-6, 2027.

The bid is led by Terry Fong, a Montréal native and a veteran ...Read More

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2023 Hugo, Lodestar, and Astounding Voting

Chengdu Worldcon, the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, received 1,674 valid ballots, down from 2,235 at Chicon 8. There were 1,847 valid nominating ballots (1,843 electronic, four paper), up from 1,368.

Nomination statistics weren’t released until the very last of the 90 days allowed, just before our deadline. They don’t include author names for nominees, and generally don’t offer explanations for why several items were dropped as “not eligible.” To ...Read More

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World Conventions News

Glasgow 2024, A Worldcon for our Futures, to be held August 8th-12th, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland, published Media Release #10 on December 28, 2023, announcing editor and game devel­oper Tanya DePass as a Special Guest. For more, see their website.

 

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McCarty, Standlee, and Others Censured or Reprimanded

Worldcon Intellectual Property (W.I.P.), the California non-profit that holds the service marks of the World Science Fiction Society including “Hugo Award,” issued this statement in a press release on January 31, 2024:

W.I.P. takes very seriously the recent complaints about the 2023 Hugo Award process and complaints about comments made by persons holding official positions in W.I.P. In connection with these concerns, W.I.P. announces the actions listed below. There may ...Read More

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2024 Nebula Conference News

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has announced that the 2024 Nebula Conference and Awards will be held June 6-9, 2024 at the Westin Pasadena in Pasadena CA, and virtually online. “The team has already begun preparations and we hope to once again welcome you no matter which way you decide to attend! Registration will be opening soon, but before it does, we’re looking for both programming ideas ...Read More

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StokerCon 2024 Guests of Honor

StokerCon 2024 has announced new Guests of Honor Justina Ireland and Nisi Shawl, who will be joining previously announced guests Paula Guran, Jonathan Maberry, and Paul Tremblay.

StokerCon 2024 will be held May 30-June 2, 2024 at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley Hotel in San Diego CA.

For more information, see the official website.

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Chengdu Worldcon Report

Chengdu Worldcon, the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, took place October 18-22, 2023 at the Chengdu Science Fiction Museum in the Pidu district of Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Guests of honor were Liu Cixin, Sergey Lukianenko (absent), and Robert J. Sawyer, with “promotion ambassadors” Roc Chen, Yang Lei, Gong Linna, and Zhu Tiexiong. One of the joys of having an international convention is seeing the ways different countries embrace and interpret ...Read More

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2023 World Fantasy Convention Report

The 49th World Fantasy Convention was held as a hybrid event October 26-29, 2023, with the in-person portion held at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City MO. Guests of honor were Adam-Troy Castro, Kij Johnson, Elizabeth Leggett, Jonathan Strahan, and Vincent Villafranca, with toastmasters Steven Barnes and Ta­nanarive Due. Pat Cadigan had been announced as a special guest but was unable to attend. Life Achievement ...Read More

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World Conventions News

Glasgow 2024, A Worldcon for Our Futures, the 82nd World Science Fiction Convention, to be held August 8-12, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland, pub­lished Media Release #7 on November 16, 2023, announcing its full Disease Mitigation Policy, which can be found at < glasgow2024.org/about/disease-mitigation-policy>. ‘‘The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that conventions need to be more mindful of communicable diseases when planning our events. This is why Glasgow 2024 is issuing a ...Read More

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Virtuous Con Announces Special Guests

Virtuous Con has announced Tananarive Due, Victor LaValle, and L.L. McKinney as special guests for 2024.

Virtuous Con will be held virtually February 23-25, 2024. The theme is “The Future is Ours” and is “dedicated to celebrating independent Black artists and creators worldwide.”

For more information, see the Virtuous Con 2024 website.

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ICon: Tel Aviv 2023

The theme for this year’s ICon, held Oc­tober 3-5, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel, was ‘‘Antiquities’’, a perfect fit to the rich and long history of this country. It afforded an opportunity to a collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority, that had its own booth with artifacts and held workshops and lectures about the art of making mosaics and practicing archeology. It is also a theme that allowed for a ...Read More

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SFRA/GF: Disruptive Imaginations

Report on the Disruptive Imaginations Conference

by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley

From August 15-19, 2023, the Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA) and the Gesellschaft für Fantastikforschung (GfF) came together for a joint annual conference: Disruptive Imaginations. The event was hybrid, with the in-person aspect hosted by Technische Universität Dresden in Germany.

Julia Gaterman and Moritz Ingwersen, the chair of North American Literature and Future Studies, organised the event, which was infused ...Read More

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CAN*CON 2023

Can*Con 2023 was held October 13-15 online and in person at the Sheraton Hotel in Ottawa, Canada. Guests of honour were Nivia Evans, Fonda Lee, Sara Megibow, and Annalee Newitz.

In-person programming fea­tured 95 panelists at around 50 sessions, discussing science, writ­ing, literature, and more, such as ‘‘Disability in Sci-Fi and Fantasy: Worldbuilding for Disabled He­roes’’ with Melissa Blair, Cait Gor­don, Ada Hoffmann, and A.D. Sui; ‘‘Spotlight on Québec Sci-Fi ...Read More

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Pemmi-Con 2023

Pemmi-Con, the 15th North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC 15) was held July 20-23, 2023, at Delta Hotels Winnipeg and the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Philip John Currie, Julie E. Czerneda, George Freeman, John Mansfield, Waubgeshig Rice, Nisi Shawl, and katherena vermette (absent) were guests of hon­our; Tanya Huff was toastmaster; Lorna Toolis was ghost of honour. Cana­dian Unity Fan Fund (CUFF) delegate Garth Spencer and Trans-Atlantic ...Read More

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Summer Workshops

Clarion

The Clarion workshop ran from June 25-August 5, 2023 in San Diego CA. Their 2023 faculty included Andy Duncan, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Tochi Onyebuchi, Anjali Sachdeva, Rae Carson, C.C. Finlay, and Jac Jamc (faculty director).

Alpha Workshop for Young Writers

The 2023 Alpha Workshop for Young Writers workshop ran from July 19-July 30. Their guest authors were Ayana Gray, Cassandra Khaw, Sarah Gailey, and Tamora Pierce.

Clarion West

Clarion ...Read More

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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 ...Read More

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2023 StokerCon Report

StokerCon, sponsored by the Horror Writers Association (HWA), was held June 15-18, 2023, on the virtual Hopin platform and in person at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square in Pittsburgh PA. Guests of honor were Jewelle Gomez, Owl Goingback, Alma Katsu, Daniel Kraus, Cynthia Pelayo, and Wrath James White, with Kevin Wetmore as Stoker Awards emcee. Elizabeth Massie, Nuzo Onoh, and John Saul received Lifetime Achievement Awards. Co-chair Michael ...Read More

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Worldcon 2025 Site Selection Open

Chengdu Worldcon has opened site selection voting for the 83rd World Science Fiction Convention, to be held in 2025. The only active bid is Seattle WA, though write-in bids are also allowed.

Voting is open only to members “who have successfully purchased WSFS memberships and voting rights through the official website” of Chengdu Worldcon. Per the announcement sent by email, “Ballots sent in via postal mail or email must be ...Read More

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2023 Locus Awards Online Report

The Locus Awards were twofold this year: held online from June 21-24, 2023 and in person on June 24 in Preservation Park in downtown Oakland CA. Maggie Tokuda-Hall emceed the ceremony, with Connie Willis as special guest. There were 175 guests, with 90 at­tending virtually and 85 in person. Full members received access to virtual and in-person events, six months of digital Locus Magazine, book bags and swag, and more. ...Read More

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BayCon 2023

BayCon 2023 was held July 1-4, 2023 in person at the Santa Clara Mar­riott in Santa Clara CA. Catherynne M. Valente, Tehani Farr, and Brad Lyau were guests of honor; Laser the Boy and Brianna Wu were special guests; and Frank Wu was toastmaster. Around 750 memberships were sold, including 16 VIP memberships, five Patrons, and two support­ing memberships, with 737 warm bodies. Programming offered 429 items total including genre ...Read More

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Glasgow Worldcon AI Art Statement

Glasgow 2024, A Worldcon for Our Futures, has released a statement regarding their policies on AI-generated art in the Glasgow 2024 Art Show.

The use of AI in Art is an issue which has become of key importance to the Fan Community. This statement is a result of consultation with the ASFA (Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists), with artists at Eastercon 2023, Boskone 2023, with Anime Los Angeles ...Read More

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SF in India

The Indian Association for Science Fiction Studies, Bangalore, India held the 22nd Annual/7th International Science Fiction Virtual conference on April 8-9, 2023. The student community occupied the central stage in organizing the entire event successfully. Provisions were made for streaming the session videos af­ter 12 hours so that the participants on the other side of the globe could watch conveniently online.

The conference began with In­dian classical instrumental music, nadaswaram. ...Read More

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WisCon 46

WisCon 46 was held May 26-29, 2023 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison WI, as well as online, with Rivers Solomon and Martha Wells as guests of honor. There were approximately 570 warm bodies, plus 154 online memberships. Programming had 181 items scheduled, offering approximately 80 in-person panels and 30 online panels, all focused on SF/F literature, diversity, feminism, disability, criticism, and more, such as ‘‘Trope Subversion vs. Embracing with ...Read More

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Photo Story: Bay Area Book Festival

The ninth annual Bay Area Book Festival took place over May 6-7, 2023 in downtown Berkeley CA. Free to the public and staffed by a host of volunteers, the festival included interviews, panels, read­ings, and events for adults, teens, and children on a range of topics across the literary spectrum. Over 300 writers participated, with authors of genre interest including Cory Doctorow, Dave Eggers, Marie Lu, Mary Robinette Kowal, Annalee ...Read More

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Hal-Con 2023

One of the earliest examples of proto-science fiction in Japan is the tale of Urashima Taro, in which young fisherman briefly descends to a palace at the bottom of the sea and rises back to a world of the future, altered beyond recognition. For some of us, that’s an image that might describe our recent experience of the world. But here in Japan, where such symbols are as bountiful ...Read More

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2023 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards

A bright afternoon on Friday, April 28, 2023 opened the 39th Writers of the Future Awards and 34rd Illustrators of the Future Awards gala celebration at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood CA. Authors and judges arrived in limousines, walked a red carpet, posed for photographs, and entered the elegantly designed ballroom for a three-course meal. The audience included winners and their families, illustrious writers and art­ists who are part of ...Read More

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2023 SFWA Nebula Conference Report

The 2023 SFWA Nebula Conference was held May 12-14 online and in-person at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort in California, loosely following the tradi­tion of running the event at the same place for two years in a row: the last in-person conference was in Woodland Hills, CA in 2019. There were roughly 200 warm bodies and another 314 regis­tered for online-only access. 2019 saw 465 warm bodies ...Read More

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Norwescon 45

Norwescon 45 was held April 6-9, 2023 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport in SeaTac WA; the theme was ‘‘Between Two Worlds.’’ Guests of honor were P. Djèlí Clark (writer), Grace P. Fong (artist), and Greg Dubos (science). Uncanny was the spotlight publisher, represented by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas. The weekend included hundreds of hours of programming with scores of panels and readings, plus special ...Read More

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2023 International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts

The 44th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA) took place during a sunny and warm March 15-18, 2023 at the tropical Marriott Orlando Airport Hotel Lakeside, with a theme of ‘‘Afrofuturism.’’ Academics, writers, publishers, editors, art­ists, students, independent scholars, and more participated, with 355 people attending (down from 2019’s 480 in-person attendees) with 184 presenters in the academic track and 84 invited creative guests. Guest of honor ...Read More

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2023 Williamson Lectureship

The 46th Williamson Lectureship, held April 13-15, 2023 in Portales NM, was a chance for the event’s committee to try a few new things, including a student display of science fiction artwork inspired by author Jack Williamson’s work and the screening of student genre films.

The theme of “Climates of Empire” suited the second in-person post-COVID Lectureship, held to honor SF pioneer Jack Williamson at Eastern NM University and around ...Read More

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