Look for this spot to air on KBTC Public Television over the next month and a half as we gear up for Norwescon 35!

1. The date you intend to arrive and depart from the hotel,
2. the name you wish to check in under,
3. an e-mail address and phone number which the hotel can use to contact you,
4. whether you would prefer to have a single king or double queen room.

Please also let us know if you have special requests, such as needing an ADA room, wanting the room to be placed in the party wing, if you have a reservation outside the room block which you need to cancel, or something else.

These rooms won’t last long, so act fast!

The next Norwescon meeting (February 18) will be your first chance to nominate candidates for the offices of Chairman (Chair) and Vice-Chairman (Vice-Chair) and for the two slots on the Guest of Honor Selection Committee (GOH Committee).

What are the elected positions and what do they do?

• CHAIRMAN — Leads Executive (Exec) and Convention Committee (ConCom) meetings and is in charge of the planning and overall execution of the convention. During the convention the Policies say they should meet and greet guests and appear at certain functions like opening and closing ceremonies and PK Dick Awards. (Other things can be found under “Chair’s Responsibilities” in the Policies.)

  If you have further questions about what the Chairman position entails, you may contact the NWC 35 Chair, Shawn Marier at smarier@gmail.com.

• VICE-CHAIRMAN — Acts for the Chair in their absence and is responsible for the Site Selection Committee. (And other duties as assigned by the Chair.) The Policies (under “Chair’s Responsibilities”) say it’s up to agreement between the Chair and Vice-Chair what the Vice-Chair’s duties are during the convention.

  If you have further questions about what the Vice-Chairman position entails, you may contact the NWC 35 Vice-Chair, Peggy Stewart at peggy.stewart1@gmail.com.

• GUEST OF HONOR SELECTION COMMITTEE — Along with the Chair, Vice-Chair and Program Director, these two ConCom-elected representatives are charged with the selection of guests and theme for the convention two years hence. It is each GOH Committee member’s duty to compile and submit a list of potential guests by November 15.

  If you have further questions about what the Guest of Honor Selection Committee position entails, you may contact NWC 35 GOH Committee members Pat Booze at patb@nwrain.com or Timothy Ketron at superstrch@aol.com.

What are the minimum qualifications for Chair and Vice-Chair?

• You must have held a position on the ConCom at some time within the last five years. (This also applies to GOH Committee)
• You must be able to legally sign contracts in the state of Washington.
• You cannot have held the position of Chair or Vice-Chair for more than four consecutive years.
• If you want to be one of the two GOH Committee members, you can’t be on the Exec Team.

When are nominations and voting?

Nominations open during the Saturday, February 18 ConCom meeting and close at the end of the Saturday, March 17 ConCom meeting. Ballots will be mailed by April 6 at the latest. Voting will continue until the end of the Post-Con meeting (around 5pm) on Saturday, May 12. That evening the votes will be counted and results announced. An email detailing the results and vote counts will be sent out the following week.

How do I get nominated, or nominate someone?

We require a nomination and a second for all elected positions. Nominations may be made during the appointed times at the meeting or by email to me at tourdemondo@yahoo.com.

• If you want to nominate someone, we suggest (though it isn’t required) that you discuss their level of interest with them beforehand.
• If you would like to run, we suggest (though it isn’t required) talking to other ConCom members about your nomination and second.

All candidates will be asked to write a statement that will go out with the ballots. You may choose not to write one, of course, but you must allow your email address and phone number to be published in the election packet. Candidates will also be asked (but not required) to participate in question and answer sessions at the February and March meetings, and possibly the Post-Con meeting.

How do I vote?

At Norwescon, you don’t automatically get a vote unless you ask for one. But we make that easy through a check box on the Convention Committee Registration Form you should have filled out when you accepted your position.

If you haven’t filled out such a form get one from your Exec Team member. Your voting preference needs to be on record with the Secretary by the end of the February 18 meeting (THAT’S THIS NEXT MEETING!) in order to be eligible to vote. You also have the option of not voting.

The bylaws require a quorum of 57% of its voting membership in order for the election to be valid. So if you do want a vote, make sure you send your ballot back!

If you’re not sure if you can vote or not please contact our convention Secretary, Pearl Young at secretary@norwescon.org.

Thanks for listening!

–Keith Johnson, Norwescon 36 Elections

Note: This meeting will be your first chance to nominate candidates for the offices of Chairman (Chair) and Vice-Chairman (Vice-Chair) and for the two slots on the Guest of Honor Selection Committee (GOH Committee). For more details, please see this post.

November’s Norwescon 35 planning meeting will be held:

DATE

Saturday, February 18th, 2012

TIME

10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon: Executive Team Meeting
12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.: Lunch break
1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: Convention Committee (ConCom) Meeting

PLACE

Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport
18740 Pacific Highway South
SeaTac, WA 98188
206-246-8600

For directions and a map, please see the hotel’s website.

NOTE: There is a discounted charge of $8.00 for parking.

Please consult the hotel readerboard when you arrive for the location of the meeting room.

FUTURE EVENTS

• March meeting: 3/17/2012
• Norwescon 35: 4/5-8/2012
• Post Con Meeting: 5/12/2012

The Norwescon Stuffing Party will be held Sunday, April 1 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport at 1 p.m. The room will be on the daily meeting boards at the hotel entrances. Stuffing should be over by 4:00 PM 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.

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, March 29, or bring them to the hotel yourself by noon on April 1.

For more information on contributing your own material, keep reading…

If you wish 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 March 29. If the shipment is very large (more than 200lbs) then 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, once it is shipped.

If you wish to hand-deliver materials before the stuffing party, please contact the NWC Transportation Dept. at transportation@norwescon.org and make arrangements. The Transportation Dept. would appreciate advance 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 SF fen, including those under 18. Norwescon does not sort the packets by age of recipient or any other demographic criteria. Non-SF&F related commercial or political materials may not be accepted. If you are at all concerned about your material, please submit a sample to the Con Chair for review in advance. Any materials not reviewed in advance will be reviewed by the Con Chair 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. Not nearly as much fun as being in the conga line of stuffers. We plan to stuff ~3500 packets, so plan accordingly. Excess materials will be placed on the flier rack at the start of the con.

• A SOLDIER’S DUTY by Jean Johnson (Ace Books)
• AFTER THE APOCALYPSE by Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer Press)
• DEADLINE by Mira Grant (Orbit)
• THE COMPANY MAN by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)
• THE OTHER by Matthew Hughes (Underland Press)
• THE POSTMORTAL by Drew Magary (Penguin Books)
• THE SAMUIL PETROVICH TRILOGY by Simon Morden (Orbit)

First prize and any special citations will be announced on Friday, April 6, 2012 at Norwescon 35 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 THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF SPRING HEELED JACK by Mark Hodder (Pyr) with a special citation to HARMONY by Project Itoh (Haikasoru). The 2011 judges are Scott Baker (chair), Mark Budz, Roby James, Darrell Schweitzer, and Alice K. Turner.

For more information, contact the award administration: David G. Hartwell (914) 769-5545 or Gordon Van Gelder (201) 876-2551.

For more information about the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society: www.psfs.org or 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/ or contact the NorthWest SF Society (425) 686-9737.

First things first: Pre-registration rates for Norwescon 35 go up on Sunday! If you haven’t registered yet, and want to make sure you get in at the current rate of $55 for four full fun-packed days, don’t dawdle! Register today!

We’ve rolled out a number of updates to the website over the holiday weeks. If you’re following us on Twitter, Facebook, or Google Plus, you may already know some of this — but you might not know all of it! So, here’s what we rolled out over the past week or so….

We’ve started listing attending vendors and artists on our Artists’ Alley, Art Show and Dealers’ Room pages. The Dealer’s Room is now fully booked, but we are still accepting applications for both the Artists’ Alley and Art Show. Those will fill up eventually, though, so if you’re still thinking about it…don’t think too long, or you just might miss out!

Our December e-Newsletter update went out. This is often the first place we’ll make announcements, so if you’re not on our mailing list, sign up today!

Our Norwescon 34 post-convention report also went out. This goes out the old-fashioned way — ink on paper through the U.S. Mail — but you’re more than welcome to download the .pdf version (493KB .pdf) for convenient viewing on the electronic device of your choice!

We have a ton of programming lined up for the musically inclined, whether you’re a music creator or just like to listen and dance! Our concert lineup of filk, chiptune, geek folk, and all sorts of gloriously geeky beats is live, complete with samples of some of the artists you can look forward to seeing perform this year. In addition, we wanted to give those of you into performing some time to prepare for the more participatory events, so we’ve also listed our events and workshops.

Our Sunday Special Event has been unveiled: Muggle Quidditch! Get that broom ready to go, practice dodging bludgers, and get ready to catch that golden snitch!

All of our attending pros and panelists are now also live on the site.

And finally, in a bit of a blast from the past, all of our photos from last year’s Norwescon 34 are posted to our Flickr account. Stop by, look for faces you know, relive some memories, and look forward to what’s coming in just a few short months!

That wraps it up for our holiday season updates. Of course, there’s much, much more to come as we move ever closer to Norwescon 35!

November’s Norwescon 35 planning meeting will be held:

DATE

Saturday, January 7th, 2012

TIME

10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon: Executive Team Meeting
12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.: Lunch break
1:00 p.m.–4:30 p.m.: Convention Committee (ConCom) Meeting

PLACE

Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Seattle Airport
18740 Pacific Highway South
SeaTac, WA 98188
206-246-8600

For directions and a map, please see the hotel’s website.

NOTE: There is a discounted charge of $8.00 for parking.

Please consult the hotel readerboard when you arrive for the location of the meeting room.

PLEASE NOTE: Staff who wish to receive a t-shirt, or who wish to have their name and position title printed in the acknowledgement pages of the large glossy souvenir book: The close of the January Concom meeting is the deadline for Enrollment forms. Forms must be completed, signed, paid for and received by the Secretary’s assistant by the end of the January meeting.

(Enrollment forms will be accepted at the February meeting, but t-shirts and printing will be based on the available data from January.)

Also: remember to WAIT for your photocopied receipt when submitting your form at the Enrollment desk.

FUTURE EVENTS

• February meeting: 2/18/2012
• March meeting: 3/17/2012
• Norwescon 35: 4/5-8/2012
• Post Con Meeting: 5/12/2012

We have two nights of exciting activities and entertainment lined up for you. Get on the first elevator you can, take it all the way to the top, and join us at Maxi’s Lounge for an evening you will never forget!

If you want to do more than just come to Maxi’s Lounge and have fun, we have openings for assistant coordinators to help set up and run the fun events being held in Maxi’s Lounge. We are also looking for DJs to light up the dance floor. If you are interested in these positions or you just have some great ideas, please contact us at vicechair@norwescon.org.

• The Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center, just up the road from the DoubleTree, has set up a room block for $120 a night for one to four people (the same rate as the DoubleTree’s room block), plus the following perks:
  • The guest rooms will be double KING rooms, providing larger beds and more comfort. This is the Hilton’s premium room type and generally their most expensive room!
  • All guests staying at the Hilton will be offered a complimentary continental breakfast each day in a private Norwescon Hospitality/Lounge room.
  • Complimentary shuttle service between the Hilton and the Doubletree will be available each day for guests to get to and from the convention.
  • The Hilton will honor the same parking rates as the Doubletree: one complimentary car per room, each additional car will be $8.00 per night.

  Norwescon and the Hilton are happy to be able to offer these perks to those guests who didn’t get space at the DoubleTree. Use the group code “NRW” when booking your room to be sure you get the Norwescon rate.

• La Quinta, 2824 S 188th St, 206-241-5211 (distance: 348 ft.). Rate: $119. Mention Norwescon when making your reservation.
• Coast Gateway Hotel, 18414 International Blvd, 206-248-8200 (distance: 0.1 miles). Rate: $89. Ask for Tonya De La Cruz or Michelle Fischer and mention Norwescon when making the reservation.
• Holiday Inn Seatac, 17338 International Blvd., 877-573-2822 (distance: 0.9 miles). Rate: $89. Use code “INC”. Includes breakfast buffet for 2.