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First Pages Writing Panel Open Submissions

By admin | March 30, 2011

First pages are important! In this workshop, participants submit the first 250 words of their book with no personal identification. The leaders will read each piece aloud in turn and discuss what does and doesn’t work as well as what expectations it sets up for the overall book. Authors remain anonymous, although they are welcome to ask questions afterwards. Limited to 12 participants. To participate, please send your 250 words to programming@norwescon.org, with the subject line “First Pages”. The panel will be held on Sunday, April 24, 2011, at 11 a.m.

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Guest of Honor Cancellation – Marie D. Jones

By Fnightengale | March 22, 2011

I regret to inform the membership of Norwescon 34 that, due to family health issues, our PSIence Guest of Honor, Marie D. Jones, cannot attend this year. Norwescon wishes for the best for Marie and her family, and hopes that some day she will be able to attend Norwescon.

If you have any questions or comments about this, please contact me at chair@norwescon.org/

Shawn Marier
Norwescon 34 Chairman

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March ConCom Meeting

By Fnightengale | March 11, 2011

The next Convention Committee (ConCom) Meeting is Saturday, March 12th.

Different location this month:
Hilton Seattle Airport

The address is:
17620 International Blvd.
Seattle, WA 98188

The times are:
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Exec Team Meeting

ConCom Meeting:
1 p.m. Welcome and announcements
1:15 p.m. Break-out Sessions
2:15 p.m. Break
2:30 p.m. General ConCom Meeting
5:30 p.m. approximate meeting conclusion (note later time – nominations* and getting closer to the con)

The after meeting social will be announced at the meeting.

*Remember, this meeting will be your first chance to nominate candidates for the offices of Chairman and Vice-Chairman and for the 2 slots on the GoH Selection Committee. Information on the responsibilities and qualifications for these offices will be available at the meeting.

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Stuffing Party Announced

By admin | February 24, 2011

You’re Invited to a Party!

The Norwescon stuffing party will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 17 at the DoubleTree Hotel Seattle Airport. The room will be on the daily meeting boards at the hotel entrances. Stuffing should be over by 4 p.m. at the latest.

Please join us for fun and games as we take pieces of paper, paperback books, buttons, and coupons and marry them together to form the packets that everybody receives at registration. The more people we have, the faster it will go. Be the first in your neighborhood to see what sort of goodies everyone will receive. Cop a button or two advertising the next big movie. We might even have the latest programming grids on the wall for your perusal.

Working at the stuffing party counts towards hours worked at the con. Norwescon volunteers receive perks like early seating at the Masquerade and are entered into drawings for many items donated by Norwescon dealers. The drawings take place early Sunday afternoon of the con.

Please note: People attending the stuffing party will have to pay for their own parking. Parking should be $8.

To Have Your Promotional Items Included:

If you or your organization has fliers or other material that you wish to include in the packets, you may either arrange to get them to the Norwescon Transportation department by Thursday, April 14, or bring them to the hotel yourself by noon on April 17. We plan to stuff about 3,500 packets, so plan accordingly. Excess materials will be placed on the flier rack at the start of the con.

To mail materials in, please send them to:

Eric Pawtowski
Norwescon Transportation
#151
19709 Scriber Lake Rd, Suite J
Lynnwood, WA 98036

Please remember that materials mailed in must ARRIVE by April 14.  If the shipment is very large (more than 200lbs), the Transportation department must be informed ahead of time of what it is, who is sending it, the estimated arrival date, the shipping company, and the shipping company tracking number.

If you wish to hand-deliver materials before the stuffing party, please contact NWC Transportation to make arrangements. The Transportation department would appreciate advanced notification of any materials that are brought to the stuffing party or mailed in advance, but that is not a requirement.

NOTE: Norwescon reserves the right to reject any material deemed unsuitable or inappropriate. (This has very rarely been an issue in the past.) Any materials placed in the registration packets must be appropriate and suitable for a mixed audience of science fiction fans, including those under 18. Norwescon does not sort the packets by age of recipient or any other demographic criteria. Non-science fiction & fantasy related commercial or political materials may not be accepted. If you are at all concerned about your material, please submit a sample to the convention Chairman for review in advance. Materials not reviewed in advance will be reviewed by the convention Chairman at the stuffing party and may be rejected at that time.

Organizations that wish to include fliers or coupons are asked to help with the stuffing if feasible, but that is not a requirement.

If you are bringing materials to the stuffing party yourself, please be on time. In the past, those that have brought material in late usually ended up in a corner of the room adding their materials to the packets that have already been stuffed. This is not nearly as much fun as being in the conga line of stuffers.

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Artist Alley

By admin | February 14, 2011

“Artist’s Alley is in full swing and is shaping up to be even more of the place you need to visit during the con. From maille artisans and sculptures to illustrators and comic book artists, we will have it all. Quite a few of our artists are participating in the Art Show as well, so if you have any questions about how they do what they do just stop by and ask! This is the place you can learn a little about the art of making art and see everything up close and personal. How do you make chain maille? How do you start a digital painting? How do you layout a comic book page? How do you design metal sculpture? All your questions can be answered here.

For a few samples of our artists check out the following sites and watch the main page for more links in the coming weeks.

– David Ketcherside,
Artist’s Alley Manager
www.spacetrawler.com

http://www.midnightmarionette.etsy.com

http://www.madolin.deviantart.com

www.coridietsch.com

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2010 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced

By admin | January 18, 2011

2010 Philip K. Dick Award Nominees Announced

The judges of the 2010 Philip K. Dick Award and the Philadelphia SF Society, along with the Philip K. Dick Trust, are pleased to announce seven nominated works that comprise the final ballot for the award:

YARN by Jon Armstrong (Night Shade Books)
CHILL by Elizabeth Bear (Ballantine Books/Spectra)
THE REAPERS ARE THE ANGELS by Alden Bell (Henry Holt & Co.)

SONG OF SCARABAEUS by Sara Creasy (Eos)
THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING HEELED JACK by Mark Hodder (Pyr)
HARMONY by Project Itoh, translated by Alexander O. Smith (Haikasoru)
STATE OF DECAY by James Knapp (Roc)

First prize and any special citations will be announced on Friday, April 22, 2010 at Norwescon 34 at the Doubletree Seattle Airport Hotel, SeaTac, Washington.

The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually with the support of the Philip K. Dick Trust for distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States.  The award is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and the Philip K. Dick Trust and the award ceremony is sponsored by the NorthWest Science Fiction Society.  Last year’s winner was BITTER ANGELS by C. L. Anderson (Ballantine Books/Spectra) with a special citation to CYBERABAD DAYS by Ian McDonald (Pyr).  The 2010 judges are William Barton, Andy Duncan (chair), Bruce McAllister, Melinda Snodgrass, and David Walton.

For more information, contact the award administration:

David G. Hartwell (914) 769-5545.

Gordon Van Gelder (201) 876-2551

For more information about the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, http://www.psfs.org/:

Contact Gary Feldbaum (215) 665-5752

For more information about the Philip K. Dick Trust: www.philipkdick.com

For more information about Norwescon:  http://www.norwescon.org/:

Contact NorthWest SF Society: (425) 686-9737

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Looking back at Norwescon 3

By maydela | January 17, 2011

Art by Victoria Poyser

Norwescon 3 was held March 28-30, 1980 at the Hyatt House in SeaTac. Because of the amount of convention space available at the venue, there were no more then 3 rooms of programming running at one time, with the occasional panel tucked into an odd space. At our current location, we have over 15 regularly used programming rooms, and multiple areas used as fill in space, like the rotunda between the Cascades and the Evergreen rooms. This doesn’t include the Art Show, Dealer’s Room, or the space up at Maxis.

In the Norwescon 3 film room there were movies played on a projector with actual film. We also hosted a premier of the George C Scott movie Changeling. Radio Shack donated 10 TRS-80’s to go along with fan donated systems for the computer gaming room.

The Chair for Norwescon 3 was Stephen T Bard. He found a notice in a comic book shop from Gregory Bennett looking for people to start a science fiction club, and was one of the people who helped start Norwescon. His son, Damon Bard, got his start as a teenager in the Norwescon Art Show and now works designing and sculpting characters for animated films.

The Guest of Honor was Alfred Bester, an author and scriptwriter born in Manhattan to Austrian immigrant parents. He is best known for his Hugo award winning novel The Demolished Man, a crime novel set in 2301 where the world is policed by psychics. Bester has a large legacy in our culture, most notably in the pseudonymous Psi Cop, Alfred Bester on Babylon 5. He’s also been referenced on Firefly, The Simpsons and by Stephen King in his novel Lisey’s Story. Speaking of Stephen King, he was a pro at Norwescon 3. This was before his career had really taken off, when he attended a number of Norwescons as both a pro and a regular attendee.

The FGoh was Frederik Pohl who wrote under multiple pseudonyms until the early 50’s, although he used a few different psuedonyms until the early 60’s even after he had begun writing under his own name. He is the only person who has won a Hugo award for both writing and editing, he has also won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writing for his blog, The Way the Future Blogs, where he writes about his memories in SF fandom and his political opinions.

The Toastmaster was Theodore Sturgeon, who was GoH at Norwescon 1. I don’t have anything new to say about his work, but I would like to direct your attention to the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, awarded at the University of Kansas each year for best short science fiction. The winner for 2010 was James Morrow’s Shambling Towards Hiroshima. The awards committee is looking for serious SF readers who are willing to offer a fresh perspective in their nominations process, just contact Chris McKitterick if you are interested in learning more.

The art for the Program Book cover was created by Victoria (Poyser) Lisi. She lived in Olympia at the time, and has been awarded two fan Hugos for her book cover work. Currently she lives in Colorado with her husband James Lisi, a landscape artist. They collaborate on fine art and she teaches art at Aims Community College.

Thank you to Don Glover for sharing his memories of Norwescon with us for this post.

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First Ever Norwescon Meet and Shop!

By admin | December 3, 2010

This Saturday December 4, from 1 to 3 pm is the first ever Norwescon memberships get together. Come meet other Norwescon fans and start the Xmas shopping season at the coolest store in Wallingford, “Not a Number Cards & Gifts”. There will be two drawing, a regular door prize and a prize for the best costume! The drawing will be held at 2:30 and you do need to be present to win. The Wallingford shopping district has two hour parking, and some great places to eat after your shopping is done. Not a Number has arranged for a drink special at Guadalajara, the neighboring Mexican restaurant and Fainting Goat Gelato will offer a 10% discounts for Norwescon fans. There’s also other Special events throughout Wallingford include the lighting of the Wallingford Sign, and Festivus events at Not a Number.

More information about Not a Number Cards and & Gifts

Not A Number Cards & Gifts specializes outrageous greeting cards and  fun, wacky gifts. Along with fun gifts for everyone from ages 3 to 93,  we feature the largest selection of bumper stickers and buttons in  Seattle. All designed to make you think and laugh! Not A Number also founded WallingfordSaves.com, a neighborhood savings cooperative which provides discounts at over thirty-five small businesses throughout Wallingford.

Not A Number Cards & Gifts
TOYS * BOOKS * GREEN * POLITICAL * LOCAL ART * FUN STUFF
Located in Wallingford, The ‘Hood That Could
1905 N. 45th St. Seattle, WA 98103
ph/fax 206.784.0965
www.NotANumberGifts.com

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Doubletree room block sold out!

By admin | November 23, 2010

The Norwescon room block at the Doubletree is now sold out. This is the earliest sellout ever for the room block, with over 2000 room nights booked.

An alternate room block is available at the Hilton.  The rate is $129.00 per night.  Use the code NOR to make reservations.

Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center
17620 International Blvd, Seattle, Washington, United States 98188-4001
Tel: 1-206-244-4800   Fax: 1-206-248-4499
SEAAH_DS@hilton.com

Other nearby hotels have agreed to offer special rates for Norwescon members through March 31:

  • La Quinta (across the street from the Doubletree), 2824 S 188th St., (206) 241-5211:  $89
  • Coast Gateway Hotel, 18415 International Blvd., (206) 248-8200 (when booking, ask for Tonya De La Cruz or Michelle Fischer):  $89
  • Radisson, 18118 International Blvd., (800) 333-3333:  $109 (+$15 per additional guest)
  • Clarion Hotel, 3000 S 176th St., (206) 242-0200:  $84.99 (free parking!)

Rooms may intermittently become available at the Doubletree outside the Norwescon room block at the regular rate starting at $169.00/night.

As of this writing, the Doubletree still has Family Rooms, Parlor Suites, and Presidential Suites available at negotiated convention rates.  Check the hotel page for more details!

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Looking back at Norwescon 2

By maydela | November 8, 2010

In my last post, I talked about how the committee that organizes Norwescon has grown, but I failed to mention attendance. The first Norwescon had an estimated attendance of 415, the second 725 – almost double! Last year, Norwescon 33 had an estimated attendance of 3,349 and we almost ran out of badge blanks. Currently, 110% of our room block is reserved, so if you are planning to attend, now would be a great time to register. A full weekend membership is only $45 if you buy it before December 31st. Visit our membership page for more information.

The Chair for Norwescon 2 was once again Gregory Bennett. I’m afraid I don’t have anything new to say about him. I think a good way to get more information about the beginning of Norwescon would be to do interviews with the people who started it. If you have any questions you think I should ask, please let me know in the comments!

The Guest of Honor was Philip José Farmer. He died in 2009 after a prolific writing career of over 60 years. He wrote under a number of pseudonyms, as well as under his own name. He is best known for both the Riverworld and World of Tiers series. Farmer often worked with religious themes, and he is also regarded as breaking the taboo on sexual themes in science fiction.

The Fan Guest of Honor was Loren MacGregor, who was born and raised in Seattle and currently lives in Eugene, Oregon. He wrote The Net for the Ace Science Fiction Specials series. He also edited and contributed to a number of zines* and other fan publications in the ’70s and is currently active on a number of internet forums.

The Toast Master was Elizabeth A Lynn. She mostly wrote fantasy works, and is credited for being one of the first authors to write sympathetic gay and lesbian characters. She lives in San Francisco. Her latest published works are Dragon’s Winter (1999) and Dragon’s Treasure (2004), the first two books of a trilogy. Dragon’s Winter got some bad reviews, so I wonder if that means that the trilogy will never be finished. Then again, the gap between those first two books was almost as long.

*Older zines are really hard to research online. If anyone has an idea how to find more information on zines from the ’70s and ’80s, I would really appreciate it.

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