It’s That Time of the Year: Convention Season 2018

So, 2018 is well-entrenched and that means Convention Season has started! I thought I’d do a post on some of the big ones that are coming up this year. I’m going to focus on the more “industry” type cons and not on the fan cons. Fans make up a good portion of the attendance at the cons below, it’s just a different vibe than the big fan conventions.

If you’re interested in learning more about conventions, surviving them, things to consider when packing, dangers of conventions, or fun experiences at cons, we have a lot of posts here at SpecChic about conventions!

StokerCon

You can tell I’m a bit late in posting this, because we’ve just missed the big horror convention: StokerCon. StokerCon is where the annual awards for excellence in the horror genre — the Stokers — are presented. I went to the first StokerCon in Vegas and will be attending future ones, just as soon as my house stops eating my bank account.

If you’re a horror fan, one of the really cool things about StokerCon is that it’s pretty laid back. There’s a lot of hanging out and schmoozing and the crowd is small enough that it’s not too overwhelming. So it’s completely possible that you may be sitting at the bar with your favorite horror author (assuming it’s not Stephen King).

As I mentioned, StokerCon in 2018 just passed, but they already have the info up for 2019.

When: May 9-12, 2019 (note that the 2018 event is just over)

Where: Grand Rapids, MI

2019 Guests of Honor: Josh Boone, Kathe Koja, Josh Malerman, Robert R. McCammon, Kaaron Warren, Stephanie M. Wytovich (Editor’s Note: Stephanie is an occasional contributor here at Speculative Chic, and we couldn’t be prouder! You can peruse her columns here.)

Worldcon

The World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) is in California in August. This will be the 76th Worldcon! The longevity is pretty amazing.

Just as Stokercon is home to the Stokers, Worldcon is home to the Hugo Awards, which celebrate the best of the best in the science fiction genre.

I have never attended Worldcon (YET!), but I know a lot of people who do and it’s definitely on my list to get to. If you’re in California, I’d recommend checking in!

When: August 16-20, 2018

Where: San Jose, CA

Guests of Honor: Spider Robinson, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Pierre & Sandy Pettinger (Fan GoH), Edgar Pangborn (Ghost of Honor), Bob Wilkins (Ghost of Honor), Frank Hayes, John Picacio

World Fantasy Convention

World Fantasy is another convention that has been around for a bit. The 2018 con will be the 43rd WFC. I was able to attend World Fantasy years ago in Columbus, OH, and it was a fantastic time. It was at World Fantasy that I learned how important the hotel bar is for networking!

This year is the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and WFC is commemorating that with specific discussions and panels on the story and the works that have derived from it over the centuries. I am considering going to this one, if I can get my finances in order in time!

When: November 1-4, 2018

Where: Baltimore, MD

Guests of Honor: Kaaron Warren, Scott Edelman, Tom Kidd, Michael J. Walsh, Aliette de Bodard, Linda D. Addison (Toastmaster)

So there’s a start for this year! Keep in mind there are also other, smaller conventions and conferences, like the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (I’ve been to this one!) which is more academically-oriented than creativity-oriented, as well as regional ones, like Boskone and Norwescon.

You can find a pretty good listing of upcoming conventions at Locus Magazine, and Wikipedia’s SpecFic portal has several dozen listed by month, but also in which US state the con is located, which makes it easier to find conventions near you.

How about you? What conventions are you looking forward to this year?

All images are courtesy of their respective convention.