World Fantasy Convention
The World Fantasy Convention is an annual convention of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. It places emphasis on literature and art, while de-emphasizing dramatic presentation, gaming, masquerade, and the like. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at the event.[1] Other features include an art show, a dealer's room, and an autograph reception.[2]
Previous conventions
| Dates | Location | Info |
|---|---|---|
| October 31– November 2, 1975 | Holiday Inn Providence, Rhode Island, USA[1][2] | Theme for 1975 is "The Lovecraft Circle". Chaired by Kirby McCauley. Judges were Ramsey Campbell, Edward L. Ferman, David G. Hartwell, Fritz Leiber, and Gahan Wilson. |
| 1976 | The Statler Hotel New York, New York, USA | Theme for 1976 is "Unknown Worlds". Chaired by Thom Anderson. Judges were Charles Collins, Basil Copper, Gordon R. Dickson, Stuart David Schiff, and Gahan Wilson. |
| October 28–30, 1977 | Los Angeles Biltmore Los Angeles, California, USA | Theme for 1977 is "Clark Ashton Smith". Chaired by Dennis Rickard. Judges were Robert Bloch, David Drake, Harlan Ellison, Charles L. Grant, and Robert Weinberg. |
| 1978 | Sheraton Fort Worth Hotel Fort Worth, Texas, USA | Theme for 1978 is "Robert E. Howard". Chaired by Michael Templin. Judges were Charles N. Brown, Carl Jacobi, Stephen King, T. E. D. Klein, and Karl Edward Wagner. |
| 1979 | Providence Biltmore Providence, Rhode Island, USA | Theme for 1979 is "Reunion". Chaired by Bob Booth. Judges were Poul Anderson, Terry Carr, Dennis Etchison, Elizabeth A. Lynn, and Roy A. Squires. |
| October 31– November 2, 1980 | Marriott Hunt Valley Inn Baltimore, Maryland, USA | Theme for 1980 is "Edgar Allan Poe". Chaired by Chuck Miller and Tim Underwood. Judges were Stephen R. Donaldson, Frank Belknap Long, Andrew J. Offutt, Ted White, and Susan Wood. |
| 1981 | The Claremont Hotel Berkeley, California, USA | Theme for 1981 is "Mark Twain, Jack London, Ambrose Bierce, Clark Ashton Smith". Chaired by Jack Rems and Jeff Frane. Judges were Paul C. Allen, C. J. Cherryh, Gardner Dozois, Donald M. Grant, and Arthur W. Saha. |
| 1982 | Park Plaza Hotel New Haven, Connecticut, USA | Theme for 1982 is "Mark Twain". Chaired by Norman Hood and Harold Kinney. Judges were Pat Cadigan, Virginia Kidd, Theodore Sturgeon, Douglas E. Winter, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. |
| 1983 | Chicago, Illinois, USA | Theme for 1983 is "Sixty Years of Weird Tales". Chaired by Robert Weinberg. Judges were Bob Booth, John Coyne, Sharon Jarvis, Alan Ryan, and Elizabeth Wollheim. |
| October 1984 | Westin Hotel Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Theme for 1984 is "Fantasy, An International Genre". Chaired by Rodger Turner and John Bell. Judges were Ellen Asher, Ginjer Buchanan, Les Daniels, Mimi Panitch, and George H. Scithers. Program book cover art was created by Jeff Jones. |
| October 31– November 3, 1985 | Doubletree Hotel Tucson, Arizona, USA | Theme for 1985 is "Fantasy Writers of the Southwest". Chaired by Randal Rau. Judges were Suzy McKee Charnas, Jo Fletcher, George R. R. Martin, Baird Searles, and Terri Windling. |
| October 29– November 2, 1986 | Providence Biltmore Providence, Rhode Island, USA[3] | Theme for 1986 is "From 'New Writers' to 'Old Masters'". Chaired by Robert Plante. Judges were Robert A. Collins, Ellen Datlow, Dean R. Koontz, Patricia A. McKillip, and Charles de Lint. |
| October 29– November 1, 1987 | Hyatt Regency Nashville Nashville, Tennessee, USA | Theme for 1987 is "A Southern Fantasy". Chaired by Maurine Dorris. Judges were John M. Ford, Paul Hazel, Tappan King, Michael McDowell, and Melissa Ann Singer. |
| October 28–31, 1988 | Ramada Inn London, England, UK | Theme for 1988 is "Gaslight & Ghosts". Combined with Fantasycon XIII. Guest of Honor: James Herbert. Artist Guest: Michael Foreman. Special Guest: Diana Wynne Jones. MC: Clive Barker. Chaired by Jo Fletcher and Stephen Jones. Judges were Mike Ashley, Scott Baker, Robert S. Hadji, Maxim Jakubowski, and Donald A. Wollheim |
| October 27–29, 1989 | Seattle Sheraton Seattle, Washington, USA | Theme for 1989 is "Roots of Fantasy: Myth, Folklore & Archetype". Chaired by Robert J. Doyle. |
| November 2–4, 1990 | Hyatt Regency Hotel Schaumburg, Illinois, USA | Theme for 1990 is "An H. P. Lovecraft Centenary Celebration". Chaired by Robert Weinberg. |
| November 1–3, 1991 | The Doubletree Hotel Tucson, Arizona, USA | Theme for 1991 is "The Fantasy Heritage of the Spanish and Indian Cultures". Chaired by Bruce Farr and Randal Rau. |
| October 29– November 1, 1992 | Callaway Gardens Resort Pine Mountain, Georgia, USA | Theme for 1992 is "Grails: Quests, Visitations, and Other Occurrences". Chaired by Richard Gilliam and Edward Kramer. |
| October 28–31, 1993 | Radisson South Hotel Bloomington, Minnesota, USA | Theme for 1993 is "The Vocabulary of the Fantastic". Chaired by Greg Ketter. |
| October 27–31, 1994 | Clarion Hotel New Orleans, Louisiana, USA | Theme for 1994 is "Obsessions in Fantasy and Gothic Horror". Chaired by Tom Hanlon. |
| October 26–29, 1995 | Inner Harbor Marriott Baltimore, Maryland, USA | Theme for 1995 is "Celebrating the Craft of Short Fiction in Fantasy and Horror". Chaired by Michael J. Walsh. |
| October 31– November 3, 1996 | Woodfield Hyatt Regency Hotel Schaumburg, Illinois, USA | Theme for 1996 is "The Many Faces of Fantasy". Chaired by Nancy Ford, Tina L. Jens, and Phyllis Weinberg. |
| October 30– November 2, 1997 | The International Hotel London, England, UK | Theme for 1997 is "The Centenary of Dracula/The Hidden Realms of London". Combined with FantasyCon XXI. Guests of Honour: Iain Sinclair and Joan Aitkin. Artist Guest of Honour: Bob Eggleton. Special Guests: Hugh Cave and Ron Chetwynd Hayes. Special Media Guest: Doug Bradley. Master of Ceremonies: Robert Holdstock. Chaired by Jo Fletcher. |
| October 29– November 1, 1998 | Doubletree & Marriott Hotels Monterey, California, USA | Theme for 1998 is "Golden Ages". Chaired by Bryan Barrett and Linda McAllister. Official website. |
| November 4–7, 1999 | Rhode Island Convention Center Westin and Biltmore Hotels Providence, Rhode Island, USA | The 25th World Fantasy Convention. Theme for 1999 is "Voyages". Chaired by Chip Hitchcock & Davey Snyder. Official website. |
| October 26–29, 2000 | Omni Bayfront Hotel Corpus Christi, Texas, USA[4] | Theme for 2000 is "El Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead)". Guests of Honor: K.W. Jeter and John Crowley. Artist Guest of Honor: Charles Vess. Toastmaster: Joe R. Lansdale. Chaired by Fred Duarte. Judges were Suzi Baker, W. Paul Ganley, Tim Holman, Marvin Kaye, and Melissa Scott. Official website. |
| November 1–4, 2001 | Delta Centre-Ville Hotel Montreal, Quebec, Canada | Theme for 2001 is "Je me souviens (I remember)". Chaired by Bruce & Lea Farr. Official website. |
| October 31– November 3, 2002 | Minneapolis Hilton & Towers Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA | Theme for 2002 is "Of Gods and Monsters". Chaired by Greg Ketter. Official website. |
| October 30– November 2, 2003 | Hyatt Regency Washington Washington, D.C., USA | Theme for 2003 is "Dark Fantasy: Honorable Traditions". Author Guests of Honor: Brian Lumley and Jack Williamson. (Williamson was unable to attend.) Publisher Guest of Honor: W. Paul Ganley. Artist Guest of Honor: Allen Koszowski Master of Ceremonies: Douglas E. Winter. Chaired by Michael J. Walsh. Official website |
| October 28–31, 2004 | Tempe Mission Palms Hotel Tempe, Arizona, USA | Theme for 2004 is "Women in Fantasy and Horror". Author Guest of Honour: Gwyneth Jones. Artist Guest of Honor: Janny Wurts. Editor Guest of Honor: Ellen Datlow. Publisher Guest of Honor: Betty Ballantine. Toastmistress: Jennifer Roberson. Chaired by Mike Willmoth with vice-chair Larry Vela. Official website |
| November 3–6, 2005 | The Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor's Club Madison, Wisconsin, USA | Theme for 2005 is "The Architecture of Fantasy & Horror". Guests of Honor: Graham Joyce, Robert Weinberg, Terri Windling. Artist Guest of Honor: Kinuko Y. Craft. Toastmaster: Peter Straub. Special Recognition: Arkham House. Chaired by Meg Turville-Heitz. Official website |
| November 2–5, 2006 | Renaissance Hotel Austin, Texas, USA | Theme for 2006 is "Robert E. Howard Centennial". Published Cross Plains Universe celebrating Robert E. Howard. Guests of Honor: Glen Cook, Dave Duncan, Robin Hobb. Toastermater: Bradley Denton, Editor Guest of Honor: Glenn Lord. Artist Guest of Honor: John Jude Palencar. Robert E. Howard Artist Guest: Gary Gianni. Chaired by Renee Babcock and Fred Duarte. Official website |
| November 1–4, 2007 | Saratoga City Center Saratoga Springs, New York, USA | Theme for 2007 is "Ghosts and Revenants". Guests of Honor: Carol Emshwiller, Kim Newman, Lisa Tuttle. Artist Guest of Honor: Jean Giraud (Moebius). Special Guests: Joseph Bruchac, Barbara Roden, Christopher Roden, and George Scithers. Master of Ceremonies: Guy Gavriel Kay. Chaired by Joseph T. Berlant. Official website |
| October 30– November 2, 2008 | Hyatt Regency Calgary Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Theme for 2008 is "Mystery in Fantasy and Horror". Guests of Honor: David Morrell, Barbara Hambly, Tom Doherty. Artist Guest of Honor: Todd Lockwood. Toastmaster: Tad Williams. Chaired by Randy McCharles with vice-chair Kristiina Anderson. Official website |
| October 29– November 1, 2009 | Fairmont San Jose Hotel San Jose, California, USA | Theme for 2009 is "Celebrating Edgar Allan Poe's 200th Birthday". Guests of Honor: Garth Nix, Lisa Snellings, Michael Swanwick, Ann VanderMeer, Jeff VanderMeer, Zoran Živković, Donald Sidney-Fryer, and Richard A. Lupoff. Toastmaster: Jay Lake. Chaired by David Gallaher with vice-chair Rina Weisman. Official website |
| October 28–31, 2010 | Hyatt Regency Columbus Columbus, Ohio, USA | Theme for 2010 is "the Whimsical Side of Fantasy". Guests of Honor: Dennis McKiernan, Esther Friesner, David Hartwell, and Darrell K. Sweet. Official website |
| October 27–30, 2011 | Town and Country Resort and Convention Center San Diego, California, USA | Theme for 2011 is "Sailing the Seas of Imagination". Guests of Honor: Jo Fletcher, Neil Gaiman, Parke Godwin, Shawna McCarthy, and Ruth Sanderson. Toastmaster: Connie Willis. Chaired by Val Ontell. Official website |
| November 1–4, 2012 | Toronto, Canada | Elizabeth Hand, John Clute, Richard A. Kirk, Gary K. Wolfe, Charles de Lint. The theme is gothic and urban fantasy. Official website |
| October 31– November 3, 2013 | Hilton Brighton Metropole Brighton, UK | Dedicated to the memory of Richard Matheson Guests of Honour: Joanne Harris, Joe Hill, Richard Christian Matheson, Alan Lee, Master of Ceremonies:China Mieville Co-Chairs: Amanda Foubister, Stephen Jones, Michael Marshall Smith. Official website |
Upcoming conventions
| Dates | Location | Info |
|---|---|---|
| November 6–9, 2014 | Hyatt Regency Crystal City Arlington, VA, USA | The theme is 1914, a time of transition, a commemoration of the births of the artist Virgil Finlay and the author Robert Aickman, as well as the beginning of World War I. Guests of Honor: Guy Gavriel Kay, Les Edwards, Stuart David Schiff, Lail Finlay. Toastmaster: Jane Yolen was originally slated to be Toastmaster but was forced to cancel her appearance due to medical issues, and was replaced by Mary Robinette Kowal.[5] Co-Chairs: Peggy Rae Sapienza & Michael J. Walsh. Official website |
| November 5–8, 2015 | Saratoga City Center and Saratoga Hilton Saratoga Springs, NY, USA | The theme is epic fantasy. Guests of Honor: Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Steven Erikson. Toastmaster: Graham Joyce, Special Guests: David Drake and Glen Cook. Chair: Joseph Berlant Temporary website |
See also
References
- ^ a b "Writers Of Horror Stories Get Together". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. United Press International. November 2, 1975. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ^ a b "Supernatural convention set". Bangor Daily News. United Press International. October 9, 1975. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ^ Krieger, Elliott (November 3, 1986). "Providence hosts hounds of horror". Providence Journal. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ^ Tedesco, John (October 29, 2000). "Fantasy gathering attracts hundreds". San Antonio Express-News. p. 3B.
- ^ "Progress Report Four" (PDF). World Fantasy 2014.