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Picocon is the name given to a series of British science fiction conventions run by the Imperial College Science Fiction and Fantasy Society (ICSF). [1] Taking place on a Saturday (occasionally extended to Sunday), in February or early March in Imperial College's Blackett Building since 1984.
T-shirts and other merchandise related to the convention are typically emblazoned with the Greek letters ΨΦ (psi, phi), which can be read as Sci-Fi. Roles in organising the convention include the Sofa ("like a chair, only comfier") and the Beanbag.
The reason for the event numbering (Picocon, Picocon Pi, Picocon 4, ⋯) of the first conventions is unclear. One suggestion is that there was a predecessor Picocon event watching videos and playing board games, and that the first formal event with a guest speaker is therefore Picocon 2.
Year | Date(s) | Name | Location | Guest(s) of Honour |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | 2 February | Picocon | Imperial College | David Langford |
1985 | 9 March | Picocon Pi | Imperial College | Dave Langford, Gerry Webb |
1986 | 15 February | Picocon 4 | Imperial College | Dave Langford, Brian Stableford |
1987 | 21 February | Picocon 5 | Imperial College | John Brunner, David Hardy |
1988 | 6 February | Picocon 6 | Imperial College | Terry Pratchett, Michael Scott Rohan, Dave Langford |
1989 | 4 February | Picocon 7 | Imperial College | Dave Langford, Terry Pratchett, Gerry Webb, Dave Lally |
1990 | 3 March | Picocon 8 | Imperial College | Bob Shaw |
1991 | 2 March | Picocon 9 | Imperial College | Dan Abnett, Alex Stewart |
1992 | 7 March | Picocon 10 | Imperial College | Dave Langford, Brian Stableford |
1993 | 6 March | Picocon 11 | Imperial College | Colin Greenland |
1994 | no Picocon in 1994 | |||
1995 | 12 March | Picocon 12 | Imperial College | Iain M. Banks, Dr. Arley Anderson [GoH note 1] |
1996 | 4 February | Picocon 13 | Imperial College | Robert Holdstock, Stephen Baxter, Christopher Priest |
1997 | 2 March | Picocon 14 | Imperial College | Simon Ings, Nicholas Royle |
1998 | 28 February | Picocon 15 | Imperial College | |
1999 | 6 February | Picocon 16 | Imperial College | Stephen Lawhead, Jane Johnson, M John Harrison (who jointly write under the pseudonym Gabriel King) |
2000 | 19 February | Picocon 17 | Imperial College | Juliet McKenna, Brian Stableford, Garry Kilworth, Ian Watson |
2001 | 10 February | Picocon 18 | Imperial College | Christopher Priest, Geoff Ryman, Juliet E. McKenna, Jane Killick [GoH note 2] |
2002 | 9 February | Picocon 19 | Imperial College | Anne Gay, [GoH note 3] China Miéville, Stan Nicholls, Geoff Ryman |
2003 | 22 February | Picocon 20 | Imperial College | Jack Cohen, Gwyneth Jones |
2004 | 7 February | Picocon 21 | Imperial College | Peter F. Hamilton, Paul McAuley, Adam Roberts |
2005 | 19 February | Picocon 22 | Imperial College | Gwyneth Jones, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Brian Stableford |
2006 | 18 February | Picocon 23 [2] | Imperial College | Ian Watson, Natasha Mostert, Mark Roberts |
2007 | 17 February | Picocon 24 | Imperial College | Charlie Stross, Ken MacLeod, Farah Mendlesohn |
2008 | 23 February | Picocon 25 | Imperial College | Paul Cornell, Cory Doctorow, Liz Williams |
2009 | 28 February | Picocon 26 | Imperial College | Pat Cadigan, Robert Rankin, Michael Marshall Smith |
2010 | 27 February | Picocon 27 3^3 | Imperial College | Alastair Reynolds, Amanda Hemingway, Jaine Fenn |
2011 | 19 February | Picocon 28 | Imperial College | Juliet McKenna, Kari Sperring, Paul McAuley |
2012 | 18 February | Picocon 29 | Imperial College | Adrian Czajkowski, Justina Robson, Tricia Sullivan |
2013 | 16-17 February | Picocon 30 [3] | Imperial College | Peter F. Hamilton, Kate Griffin, Steph Swainston, Richard K. Morgan |
2014 | 22 February | Picocon 31 Survival | Imperial College | Sarah Pinborough, Charles Stross, David Southwood |
2015 | 14-15 February | Picocon 32 Duality | Imperial College | Cory Doctorow, Frances Hardinge, Ian McDonald, Kari Sperring, Stuart Ashen |
2016 | 20 February | Picocon 33 [4] [5] | Imperial College | Paul Cornell, Michelle Paver, Carrie Hope Fletcher |
2017 | 18 February | Picocon 34 Futurism: Oh, the humanity | Imperial College | Jaine Fenn, Paul McAuley, Al Robertson, Justina Robson, Stuart Ashen |
2018 | 17 February | Picocon 35 Harmony | Imperial College | Paul Stewart, Chris Riddell, Ben Aaronovitch, Emma Newman |
2019 | 16 February | Picocon 36 | Imperial College | Alexis Kennedy, Lottie Bevan, Simon Morden, Andrew Bannister, Gavin Smith |
2020 | 22 February | Picocon 37 Pride [6] | Imperial College | Juliet Kemp, Roz Kaveney, Tamsyn Muir |
2021 | 20 February | Picocon 38 <automata> [7] | (online) | Jeff Somers, Dan Moren, S.J. Kincaid, Brian David Johnson |
2022 | 5 March | Picocon 39 Apocalypse [8] [9] | Imperial College, online | Bryony Pearce, Louise Mumford, A.J. Flowers, Brendan DuBois, Gareth L. Powell, Matthew Wraith |
2023 | 11 March | Picocon 40 Twisted | Imperial College, online | Alma Alexander, Gav Thorpe, Mark Lawrence, Jonathan Sims, [GoH note 4] Tim Klotz, [GoH note 5] Allan Henry [GoH note 6] |
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