Saturday, July 20, 2013
Noon until 5pm
Point Defiance – Fort Nisqually Picnic Shelter (5400 N. Pearl St., Tacoma, WA 98407)

R.S.V.P. on Facebook or Google+

Please join us July 20th for the Norwescon Volunteer Picnic at the Point Defiance – Fort Nisqually Picnic Shelter in Tacoma. We will be providing hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken patties, veggie patties, buns and condiments. We will also be providing the water and soft drinks. If you can please bring a side dish or desert for everyone to share would be great. Friends and family are welcome.

More information to come as we get closer to the event! Please e-mail personnel@norwescon.org if you have any questions.

A few notes to be aware of…

• Registration is open! A full four-day membership is currently just $50. This price is good through August 31st, 2013, so be sure to get your membership before then to get the best deal!

• Hotel reservations are open! Reserve your room at our host hotel, the Doubletree by Hilton Seattle Airport, at the special convention rate of $126/night.

• Forums are back! After a couple years on hiatus, we’ve brought back the Norwescon community forums. Facebook and Twitter and all are great ways to keep in touch, but not everyone has an account on those services. Now you can register for an account on our website and keep in touch with your fellow unconventional conventionists! The forums are pretty sparse right now, but then, we’ve just brought them back online, so jump in and say hello! Registration and login links are at the bottom right of every page on the site.

• Lots of content is still on the way! Don’t see something listed just yet? That doesn’t mean it won’t exist at Norwescon 37, it just means that we’re still a year away and there’s lots of planning yet to do.

That should wrap everything up. We’re glad to be back, and we’re looking forward to putting together another excellent weekend of fannish fun for all of you next April!

DATE

Saturday, April 20th, 2013

TIME

• 12:00 a.m.–12:00 noon: Executive Team Meeting
• 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m.: Lunch
• 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

• Volunteer Picnic: 7/20/2013

Blog Posts and Writeups

• Chooseomatic Books: Norwescon wrapup! “Norwescon is a weird, wonderful convention, people.”
• Crime and the Forces of Evil: seriously is it wednesday already? “The Saturday night concert set – that was pretty epic.”
• Dennis R. Upkins: Norwescon Interview “So at Norwescon, Triple J and I had just finished lunch and I was in between panels so we decided to do an impromptu interview.”
• Diana Pharaoh Francis: Finally, a Norwescon report “I saw some of the masquerade costumes and many were just stunning. I would have loved to go and see more.”
• Dorkadia: Running 13th Age Demos at Norwescon “The combat was fast and furious, most of the players immediately grasped their class powers in a matter of a single round of combat. The cleric buffed, the barbarian smashed, paladin smote with impunity. Huge success.”
• Fanboy News Network: Norwescon recap “Ran Cards Against Humanity every night in the Gaming area after it went to uncensored play at 10 PM. Most memorable hand: The question was ‘What is Batman’s guilty pleasure?’ the winning card was ‘dead parents.’”
• Speculative Friction: Post Norwescon Blues “As usual, the convention rocked. The panels were awesome, the parties were fun and the crowds were awe inspiring. [...] It’s a great con with lots of great people and perks.”
• Out of the Mouths of Gamers’ Babes: Ambassador to the Norms “There are always fabulous outfits at these things, and this year was no exception. I saw a realistic Xena and a tiny Rainbow Brite, and a giant Totoro, and the YipYip Martians were back. But there was one costume that I felt was so perfectly done it deserved special mention.”
• Geek’s Dream Girl: Pointers for Panel Audiences “I had a whirlwind Norwescon this year, moderating panels and a Q&A with Lee Moyer. It was my first time moderating at a con, and my first time doing a live Q&A interview.”
• Geek Girls Rule!: Podcast #34 — Norwescon Wrap Up! “Ok, so I did Norwescon this last weekend. And this podcast talks about how it went, how much fun I had, and one or two little road bumps that were all me. So, I hope you enjoy it.”
• GeekyLibrary: Norwescon 36 “I had never been to a science fiction convention — there I said it — before this past weekend. I’m a little sad about that, I had no idea what I was missing.”
• Heroines of Fantasy: Norwescon, Seattle “…in the end I would say my experience was a qualified success. The con is GREAT with something for everyone. It has a long history and supports local writers. I will be back.”
• Iron Head Jane: NorWesCon, Dragonlance, and the Awesomeness of Fan-generated Media “If there’s one thing that I have taken away from NorWesCon this weekend, it is that fan fiction and fan art is legitimate and important, and should not be minimized.”
• Jay Lake: Still at Norwescon: fell on my face, must be having fun “My reading yesterday was Standing Room Only. That was fun. I’ve seen a lot of old friends and new and had some really good conversations.”
• Jay Lake: Norwescon and me “Yesterday was a good day. Hugo nominations, yay! Plus lots of time with friends and associates and whatnot.”
• Kevin J. Anderson’s Blog: HELLHOLE AWAKENING–Seattle, Norwescon, and Atlanta “Normally, I wouldn’t consider working the weekend as a guest speaker and panelist at a major science fiction convention to be the RELAXING part of the tour, but it was great just to stay in one place for a couple of days, unpack my suitcase, sleep in the same bed.”
• Mark Andrew Edwards: Norwescon 36 review “Some years, you have a really great Con. This was one of the better ones for me.”
• Michael Tinker Pearce and Linda Pearce: Norwescon- Survived. Barely. “All in all we reconnected with old friends, met some fantastic new ones and certainly did our budding career as writers no harm.”
• Off the Written Path: Norwescon: Roses, Onions, and Assorted Vegetation “Each year I know more people at Norwescon, and each year I make more friends and strengthen previous ones. [...] If I ever leave Seattle, I think the writing and fan community would be the thing I miss the most.”
• Red Harp Arts: Norwescon “I spent nearly all of this beautiful, Spring weekend indoors at Norwescon. [...] There were lots of interesting panels, many people in excellent costumes and a bit of good shopping.”
• Pharyngula: How I spent the last few days “People give me weird looks when I say I’m going to a con as a scientist/educator — but really, this is another example of stepping out of our comfort zones and reaching out to a different population of people…and SF people are a very receptive audience for science talks.”
• Seattle Geeky Girls: Seattle Geeky Girls Visits Norwescon 36 “From the moment we entered, we felt that we were home. There were many familiar faces as well as many new ones.”
• Suvudu: Norwescon 36 Video: Terry Brooks “While at Norwescon 36 in Seattle, WA last weekend, Terry Brooks sat down with Pierce Watters and talked about [the beginning of the Shanarra series].”
• Suburban Fantasy and Science Fiction: Norwescon I “I went to Norwescon in Seattle again this year.”
• Suburban Fantasy and Science Fiction: Norwescon II “Catherine Asaro, among other things, is a chemical physicist, a rock singer, a dance instructor, and a member of a think tank that advises the government on national security. I attended a mini-concert of hers at the convention.”
• Schrodinger’s Stories: Notes from NorWesCon: Big Press, Small Press, or Self-Publishing? Where to Publish Your Book “I had a great time at NorWesCon 2013, and took copious notes of all of the panels I attended. Over the next few weeks, I’ll let you know what I found out.”
• Schrodinger’s Stories: Notes from NorWesCon: What to Look for in a Small Press “This year’s NorWesCon featured a lot of panels that included representatives from regional small presses. With the rise of e-publishing, the role of the small press has also changed. Here are the points I took from these discussions.”
• Missing Worlds Media – The Phoenix Project: The Phoenix Project Update: Monday, April 1, 2013 “Obviously, the biggest event for us was our first ever panel which took place on Friday at the Seattle-based convention. We’re grateful to everyone who came along to spend some time with us and to find out more about what we’re trying to do.”
• These Other Realms: Norwescon 36 – Masquerade! Workshops! Awards! “I had the pleasure of attending Norwescon 36 in the Sea-Tac area of Washington state, a spare 30 minute drive from my home. It was great to discover such a rich and varied convention for fans of science fiction and fantasy right under my nose!”
• ars ludi: Norwescon 2013: GMless RPG talk “…imagine me standing in front of a room full of people, talking about GMless role-playing games for an hour. Too hard? No problem! Like magic you can just listen in as though you were there….”
• Jeremy Zimmerman: Norwescon 2013: After Action Report “All told, I had an awesome time. The volume of things to sit in and hear about was awesome, and I constantly ran into people I know that I felt comfortable around. Really the best fan convention I’ve been to this year.”
• Suvudu: Norwescon Video: Terry Brooks Discusses Art With Todd Lockwood “Bestselling author Terry Brooks and artist Todd Lockwood took the stage at Norwescon 36 to discuss art and the role it plays in the fantasy genre.”
• ars ludi: Norwescon 2013: Women in Gaming Communities “I have a secret agenda…we only play the kind of games that allow everyone at the table to have strong and equal contributions.”

Photosets

• Jon Lavinder: Norwescon 36
• artvixn: Norwescon 2013
• corwyn1: Norwescon 36
• Handsomejimfrommaryland: Norwescon 36 in Seatac, Washington 2013
• EMP Museum: Norwescon 2013
• Xavier_Sword_of_Humakt: Norwescon 36 Thursday and Friday
• Xavier_Sword_of_Humakt: Norwescon 36 Saturday
• Thom Walls: Norwescon 36 2013-03-29
• Merchants of Deva (NPO): OPEN THE DOOR: Norwescon 2013
• Ed Matuskey: Norwescon 2013
• Ed Matuskey: Norwescon 2013 MoD Doctor Who party
• Luke Wesson: NorweCon 2013
• Dethcon: Dethcon 9: Supernatural Hunters

Official photos by the Norwescon photography team should start appearing soon — keep an eye out on our official Flickr page!

Video

And finally, here is a YouTube playlist of Norwescon 36 videos! We’ve found ten videos so far, and we’ll add more to the playlist as we come across them.

The cost for a full-weekend (four day) membership is $50 through August 31st, 2013. The pre-registration rate will increase in September, so register today for the best rate!

Daily memberships will be sold on the specific day of attendance only and rates will be posted in the spring of 2014. If you are planning on attending two convention days a 4-day membership is your most cost-effective option.

From the Panel of Judges:

People’s Choice:

We would also like to congratulate Leanne Dunn for receiving this year’s NWC Raising Artist Scholarship to be applied to her education at the Northwest College of Art.

We’ll be rolling our website over to Norwescon 37 information over the coming weeks. In the meantime, here’s a taste of what’s to come next year!

We’ll be back for another year of fannish fun and frivolity April 17–20, 2014, once again at the Doubletree by Hilton Seattle Airport.

Our theme will be Elegance and Entropy!

Our Guest of Honor lineup so far includes:

• Writer Guest of Honor Michael Moorcock. “Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939, in London) is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published literary novels.” —Wikipedia
• Artist Guest of Honor Robert Gould. “Robert Gould has designed and illustrated the covers of numerous US and UK publications and published a wide variety of prints of his own and other artists’ work. He is best known for his cover designs and illustrations for Michael Moorcock’s works, particularly Elric of Melnibone. Robert specializes in the design and illustration of book series including the Indigo series for Tor Books, The Dungeon for Bantam and the Dragonflight series for Athenaeum.” —The Robert Gould Art Page
• Special Guest of Honor Seanan McGuire. “Seanan McGuire (born January 5, 1978, in Martinez, California) is an American author and filker. In 2010 she was awarded the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer by the 2010 World Science Fiction Convention, largely because of her urban fantasy/detective story Rosemary and Rue and has published a number of other novels since then also featuring October Daye. Writing under the pseudonym Mira Grant, she published the political thriller/zombie trilogy Newsflesh including the books Feed, Deadline and Blackout. Blackout received a 2013 Hugo Award nomination for Best Novel. That year McGuire received a record five Hugo nominations in total, two for works as Grant and the other three under her own name.” —Wikipedia
• Costuming Guest of Honor Animal X.

We’ll have more announcements to come over the coming year, so be sure to keep track of us here, on Twitter, and on Facebook!

• Leave a comment on this post,
• leave a comment on our Facebook page,
• send comments via Twitter by including the #nwconion (for improvements) or #nwcrose (for kudos) hashtags,
• use the “Feedback” link that we just added to our Guidebook app with the latest update,
• or email us directly at info@norwescon.org.

We’re on the lookout for your blog posts and write-ups about your experiences at con. We’ll be posting a selection of links in a week or so, and while we’ll do our best to find as many as we can, please feel free to get in touch with us through any of the above mentioned methods with any links you might find.

We’re also looking forward to seeing this year’s convention through your eyes! Upload your photos to Flickr and add them to this year’s Norwescon 36 photo group! Our official photographs will start to appear on our Flickr and Facebook accounts in the next few weeks, after our photography crew has had time to sort through the thousands of photos they took over the course of the weekend (not to mention catch up on sleep)!

Thanks from all of us on the Norwescon 36 ConCom to all of you who attended, our volunteers, the pros and panelists, dealers and artists, the hotel, and of course, our wonderful Guests of Honor. We’ll see you again next year for Norwescon 37!

LOST EVERYTHING by Brian Francis Slattery (Tor Books)

Special citation was given to:

LOVESTAR by Andri Snær Magnason (Seven Stories Press)

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. The 2012 judges were Bruce Bethke, Sydney Duncan, Daryl Gregory, Bridget McKenna, and Paul Witcover (chair).

This year’s judges are Elizabeth Bear (chair), Siobhan Carroll, Michael Kandel, Jamil Nasir, and Tim Sullivan.

For more information, contact the award administration:

Gordon Van Gelder (201) 876-2551
John Silbersack (212) 333-1513
Pat Lo Brutto (845) 516-4412

For more information about the Philip K. Dick Trust: http://www.philipkdick.com
For more information about the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society: Contact Gary Feldbaum (215) 665-5752
For more information about Norwescon: Contact NorthWest SF Society: (425) 686-9737

Kickstarter is the new hotness in self-publishing, but there are pros and cons to crowd-sourcing. What are some other options for creating and publishing your own board games, video games, and role-playing games? Our panelists will discuss kickstarter as well as other methods of self-publishing your own game.

Julie Haehn (M), Chris Pramas, David Fooden, Jeremy Holcomb, John Harper