Notable guests
TusCon has had a number of professional writers and artists as Guest of Honor in its history. Included are Evangeline Walton, Gordon Eklund, Theodore Sturgeon, Ed Bryant, Suzy McKee Charnas, George R.R. Martin, Elizabeth A. Lynn, Robert Bloch, Karl Edward Wagner, John Varley, Terry Carr, Tim Powers, Stephen R. Donaldson, David Brin, Dennis McKiernan, Laurell K. Hamilton, and many others.
In addition to the scheduled Guest of Honor, TusCon has had a reputation of having many professional writers, artists, and publishers attend the convention. Among those are Forrest J. Ackerman, Robert Asprin, Keith Henson, S. P. Somtow, David Schow, Dr. Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Simon Hawke, Liz Danforth, Judith Tarr, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, and others.
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as films, television, comics, animation, and games. The format can vary but will tend to have a few similar features such as a guest of honour, discussion panels, readings and large special events such as opening/closing ceremonies and some form of party or entertainment. Science fiction conventions started off primarily in the UK and US but have now spread further and several countries have their own individual conventions as well as playing host to rotating international conventions.
George Edward Barr is an American science fiction and fantasy artist.
BayCon is the San Francisco Bay Area's longest-running fan-run science fiction and fantasy convention. It is held over Memorial Day weekend in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. BayCon draws many attendees from throughout California and also as far away as Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. The most recent BayCon was held from Friday, May 24, through Monday, May 27, 2019, in San Mateo, California. The conventions in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The next BayCon is scheduled for July 1–4, 2022.
InConJunction is a fan-run, not-for-profit science fiction convention held during the first weekend in July in Indianapolis, Indiana. Past guests include Philip José Farmer, Frederik Pohl, Catherine Asaro, George R.R. Martin, Jerry Pournelle, Glen Cook, Mike Resnick, Timothy Zahn, and David Drake. The convention focuses on literature and literacy, but not to the exclusion of other areas of interest. Unique or unusual features include a dedicated Doctor Who room sponsored by The Whoosier Network, an anime room sponsored by The Indiana Animation Club, and a charity auction supporting Indy Reads and other charities as chosen by the convention chairperson.
The 1st World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) was held on 2–4 July 1939 in the Caravan Hall in New York City, United States, in conjunction with the New York World's Fair, which was themed as "The World of Tomorrow". It was later retroactively named "NyCon I" by Forrest J Ackerman.
ConCarolinas is a three-day-long science fiction convention held once each year in Charlotte, North Carolina, hosted by ConCarolinas, Inc., a non-profit corporation.
Norwescon is one of the largest regional science fiction and fantasy conventions in the United States. Located in SeaTac in Washington state, Norwescon has been running continuously since 1978.
The 64th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as L.A.con IV, was held on 23–27 August 2006 at the Anaheim Convention Center and the nearby Hilton and Marriott hotels in Anaheim, California, United States.
The 34th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as MidAmeriCon, was held on 2–6 September 1976 at the Radisson Muehlebach Hotel and nearby Phillips House hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, United States.
FenCon is a literary science fiction and fantasy convention with filk held each year on or around the fourth full weekend of September in or around Dallas, Texas. The name is derived from "fen", the fannish plural of "fan", and "con", an abbreviation for "convention".
ArmadilloCon is a science fiction convention held annually in Austin, Texas, USA, since 1979. As the second longest running science fiction convention in Texas, it is sponsored by the Fandom Association of Central Texas and is known for its emphasis on literary science fiction. ArmadilloCon was traditionally held in mid-October during the weekend of the Texas-OU football game, but moved to a late-summer/early-fall weekend in 1998.
ApolloCon was a science fiction convention held annually in Houston, Texas by the Houston Science Fiction Association (HSFA), a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation.
The 66th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Denvention 3, was held on 6–10 August 2008 at the Colorado Convention Center and the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver, Colorado, United States.
Con†Stellation was an annual general-interest science fiction convention held in Huntsville, Alabama. Held annually since 1982, Con†Stellation is hosted by the North Alabama Science Fiction Association. The convention was not held in 2014 but the sequence resumed with Con†Stellation XXXIII: Coma Berenices in October 2015.
Con-Version was an annual science fiction and fantasy convention held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Since its beginning in 1984, the convention hosted many authors such as Robert J. Sawyer, Larry Niven, and J. Michael Straczynski; it also hosted the judging for the Robyn Herrington Memorial Short Story Competition. Appearances had also been made by Jeremy Bulloch and Dirk Benedict.
Arcana is a long-running horror convention that bills itself as "a convention of the dark fantastic." Arcana is held annually in late September or early October in St. Paul, Minnesota and typically features a famous author or artist from the dark fantasy genre as its guest of honor. Arcana programming includes a variety of panels, talks, and films, plus an interview and reading with the Guest of Honor. Other programming includes a book and art auction and an "open" reading. The presentation of the Minnesota Fantasy Award is a key feature of each year's convention.
ConClave is an annual, weekend-long science fiction convention in southeastern/central Michigan, which draws approximately 600 people. ConClave attendees share an interest in science, science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. The ConClave convention was held each year from 1976 to 2011, and again in 2013.
ConQuesT is the annual science fiction and fantasy convention held in the Kansas City, Missouri area over the U. S. Memorial Day weekend. It is sponsored by the long-running Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society. ConQuesT is the oldest such fan convention of its type in Missouri and in the U. S. central states region, first established using the name Mid-America Con in June 1972. After that, the next nine KaCSFFS-sponsored conventions were named BYOB-Cons In 1980 KaCSFFS adopted the permanent name ConQuesT for the convention.
JordanCon is a North American convention held annually in Atlanta, Georgia that celebrates Robert Jordan's fantasy book series The Wheel of Time, as well as other science fiction and fantasy works. The convention is a 501c4 tax exempt charitable organization founded in honor of the late Robert Jordan.
MystiCon is an American science fiction convention held in Roanoke, Virginia. The name "MystiCon" was chosen by the membership as a tribute to an earlier series of Virginia conventions with that name. The organizers include members that left SheVaCon, another Virginia-based science fiction convention, citing concerns with management and operations.
