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Things to Do: Cons

The ReaderCon of note this time around is Boskone 47 running from February 12th to the 14th, in Boston, MA. The Author Guest of Honor (GoH) is Alastair Reynolds, the Artist GoH is John Picacio, the NESFA Press Guests are Lois McMaster Bujold and Michael Whelan, and the Hal Clement Science Speaker is Vernor Vinge. How can you be anything other than awed with a lineup like that, and they are only the tip of the iceberg for this event!

Another ReaderCon happening from the 11th to the 13th is LTUE2010, also called Life, the Universe & Everything 28, at BYU, sponsored by the BYU College of Theatre and Media Arts. This is the The Marion K. “Doc” Smith Symposium on Science Fiction & Fantasy, with Author GoH Brandon Sanderson and Special Effects Wizard GoH Marty Brenneis.

BTW, if the referents for these two ReaderCons were not immediately obvious to you, take a few minutes to read Triplanetary By Doc E.E.Smith, so you will be ready to defend your galaxy.

For Anime Cons this weekend, KatsuCon takes place in The MD burbs of Washington, DC, at the National Harbor, and runs from the 12th to the 14th. My own personal hang-out point for this event will probably be the Katsu Lounge, listening to bands like the Tokyo Ska Paradise and Unicorn Table.

If there was a GeekCon category (I swear there isn’t, it just might somehow look like there was sometimes), this weeks winner would have to be the Genericon event from the folks at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.

Things to Do: Cons

Topping the MediaCon list this time around is the SFX Weekender, being held in Camber Sands in the UK. Media guests include Doctor Who’s Tom Baker, Buffy’s James Marsters, Torchwood’s Gareth David-Lloyd, True Blood’s Michelle Forbes, Sarah Jane’s Elisabeth Sladen, and Red Dwarf’s Mac McDonald; and that’s just the Actors (the Author guests list is every bit as impressive).

In the US, The Official Xena Convention (the 15th year) takes place this weekend over in LA, and while the guest lineup may not be as varied as the SFX Weekender, it does include many major players in the Xena world, including Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor, Hudson Leick, and Gina Torres. If you were ever a Xena fan, you don’t want to miss this one.

And there is a chance some of you might be able to find your way to BasauriCon in Basauri, Spain, which starts February 5th. It is primarily a Battlestar MediaCon, with Edward James Olmos & Mary McDonnell as the main guests.

In Canada, G-Anime takes place at the Palais des congrès in Ottawa. Besides all the usual Anime Con events, this gathering include a Competitive Cosplay Dance Workshop; be sure to bring your costume for any outfit-specific queries you might have.

Things to Do: Cons

From the 29th to the 31st, OhayoCon takes place in Columbus, Ohio. This Anime con has an amazing list of guests as well as panels, cosplay competitions, and an extensive AMV contest. On the left coast, Animation on Display is the San Fransisco Animation Convention, being held at the Hotel Kabuki on the 30th and 31st. With multiple musical acts, a cosplay portrait environment, and many industry guests, it looks like a fun gathering.

Somehow the ReaderCons and MediaCons have escaped me this week; if I find any, I will post them immediately.

Things to Do: Cons

Chattacon 35 takes place in the historic Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel in TN from the 22nd to the 24th. Guests at this ReaderCon include Sherrilyn Kenyon, Timothy Zahn, Jody Lynn Nye and Bill Fawcett.

COSine 2010 is a ReaderCon with GoH L.E.Modesitt Jr., happening from the 22nd to the 24th in Colorado Springs. Another fan-run gathering is ConFusion 2010; it runs from the 22nd to the 25th, and is the annual Science Fiction convention hosted by the Stilyagi Air Force of Ann Arbor.

The main MediaCon this weekend is the Salute to Star Trek in San Francisco from the 22nd to the 24th. Primary GoH’s are William Shatner and Patrick Stewart, but there will be a ton of others there as well.

Further ConFusion takes place in San Jose, CA, from the 21st to the 25th. Now in its 12th year, FurCon is one of the largest anthropomorphic (aka “furry”) conventions in North America.

On the 23rd through the 26th (they are running from Saturday through Tuesday because Tuesday is a national holiday), ArcanaCon XXVIII takes place in Melbourne, Australia. This is primarily a GamerCon, with the emphasis at the RPG end of the spectrum.

For Anime conventions, the SoDak Anime Convention happens from the 23rd to the 25th in Rapid City, South Dakota. Guests include Voice Actors Vic Mignogna and Wendy Powell, and something no anime con should be without: their own in-house roller derby team, the Rushmore Rollerz, who run under a theme song by Florence and the Machine, A Kiss With The Fist.

Things to Do: Cons

The Media Con this weekend is Twilight Con in Seattle, WA, from the 15th to the 17th.

Reader Cons include DeConPression in Columbus, OH; billed as a Relax-con, with Amelia Mary Earhart as the Ghost of Honor. Also this weekend, Arisia 2010 takes place in Cambridge, MA. While primarily a ReaderCon with GoH Gardner Dozois, there will be a bit of everything going on there. Both of these events are fan run.

On the Anime Con front, Pokettokon takes place at the Illinois Central College (in the Technology Center), again a fan-run event.

Otronicon in Orlando, FL, is something a bit different. It calls itself Orlando’s biggest interactive technology expo, and is more of a commercial trade expo rather than a Con. But it has Gaming (up to and including Halo on an 8 story screen), Cosplay, and Robots to name but a few, so I had to include it here.

Things to Do: Cons

Sac Anime happens from the 8th to the 10th in Sacramento, CA. The musical guests include The Slants and Voltaire, and there are many more guests in many other categories.


Animé Los Angeles 6 also happens this same weekend. They have some great Guests of Honor and some good events set up for the convention.

For the weekend Media Con, there is the Twighlight Con in Miami, FL. It runs from the 8th to the 10th, and the estrogen levels should be intense.