Octocon
| Science Fiction Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Octocon |
| Dates: | 1977?-? |
| Frequency: | |
| Location: | California |
| Type: | fan run, non-profit, science fiction and fantasy |
| Focus: | |
| Organization: | co-sponsored by The Spellbinders, Inc. |
| Founder: | Lucy Buss |
| Founding Date: | |
| URL: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Octocon was a science fiction and fantasy convention in California originally founded by Lucy Buss.
1977? (1)
1978 (2)
From Fern Lynch in 1978:
I belong to a science fiction writers and artists group called THE SPELLBINDERS, and we are again putting on a con October 14-15 here in Santa Rosa. Our guest of honor is Mr. Frank Herbert. We also have Mr. Robert Silverberg, Mr. Richard Lupoff, Chelsea Quinn Yarbo, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and many more. I do not write science fiction. I write more on cons I have been to, the impact of STAR TREK on older people, writing and other diversities. I do not feel capable of writing science fiction. I am almost 68, and using my energy in getting the mail out for the con. We had over 1600 people last year, and we gave a check for $500 to the Sonoma County Council on Aging. This year our benefit is the area chapter of the Braille Transcribers Guild. We also have a blood drive, and Mr. Heinlein was here, too.[1]
1978 (2): Con Reports
One of the topics in 1978 in a disparaging letter by Marion Zimmer Bradley's Letter from MZB was awards -- the awards that mean something, the ones that don't, and Bradley's enduring bitterness about losing the Hugo Award. In it, she mentions "Octocon":
I got a letter from some enormous University in Overland Park, Kansas, whose announcement begins "First it was Pulitzer, then Hugo and Howard. Now it's the Balrog..."
It seems that this is their equivalent of the Oscar and the Emmy for choosing the Very Greatest of Fantasy awards. It seems that they haven't yet heard of the Fritz Leiber Award, presented every year at the Fantasy Faire in Hollywood, or the award presented at the World Fantasy Convention. So they have decided to remedy the deficiency by presenting the Balrog, and are requesting nominations for the finest fantasy, to be given at the 1979 Fool-Con ...I kid you not; that's what it says; at the Fool-con, sponsored by the Sword and Shield Club at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas.
Probably this is not the time to make disparaging remarks about young fans in capes, or even to remark that with the proliferation of awards here and there, a kind of Parkinson's Law operates wherein bad awards drive down the credibility of the good ones. For instance, at the Octocon this year, I was presented by about 1600 local fans, under the auspices of the Spellbinders, with a handsome redwood plaque proclaiming me the winner of the Edmond Hamilton and Leigh Brackett Award for the Sense of Wonder, for my novel FORBIDDEN TOWER.
Now this meant something to me, whereas losing the Hugo (by now, I dare say, everybody and his idiot sister has heard that I lost the Hugo by a paltry few votes, but losing to Fred Pohl is no disgrace) meant very little. The Hugo, after all, is that award which has been picked up year after year by widely advertised professionally printed fanzines, and by amateur artists, and by a number of highly ephemeral novels (who remembers MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE? Be honest, now...) including that disaster THE GODS THEMSELVES. Whereas the Ed Hamilton Memorial Award — well, I remembered Leigh giving it, the first year, to Katherine Kurtz; her tragic and untimely death caused the Spellbinders — sponsors of the Octocon — to change it to the Brackett and Hamilton award; and when Katherine announced that I had won it, I got up on the stage and tried to form a polite speech of acceptance, saying "This is very kind, it's wonderful..." and then I remembered Leigh last year talking about Ed and all I could do was to burst into tears and say "But I'd rather have Leigh here tonight."
And so now we have a Balrog award/presented at something which calls itself the Fool-Con, and I give you my word of honor that I haven't the faintest idea whether this is an elaborate put-on, or just a joyous undergraduate prank, or a lot of very sincere young fans doing their thing and not knowing — or caring — about what has been done before. If it's for real, you might write to them and make nominations for their Balrog award, assuming that you have a favorite fantasy novel. After all, there's Katherine's SAINT CAMBER, and the recent Evangeline Walton book PRINCE OF ANNWYN, and all the AMBER stories, and in general the state of fantasy seems to be blooming after years and years of general neglect.
So I seriously suggest that if you like fantasy you send a stamped self-addressed envelope to the Sword and Shield Club...oops, scratch that, send it to the Balrog Award, Student Activities Office, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas, 66210, and ask for one of their nomination forms; they list Best Novel, Best Short Fiction, Best Anthology, Best Poet, Best Artist and so forth and so on. And if there is no such place as Johnson County, Kansas, and the Fool-con has made a fool of all of us, we'll all look silly together. I have already sent in MY nomination.
1980 (3)
October 11-12, 1980, Santa Rosa, California at the El Rancho Tropicana Hotel
This marked the third year that Spellbinders, Inc. have held Octocon. Octocon is more literary oriented than the typical science fiction convention. It is similar to Westercon, in that it plans its activities to please the literary science fiction fan. This was reflected in its guest list which consisted of: Theodore Sturgeon, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, and E. Hoffman Price among many others.
Octocon is known for its appealing costume contests. Many of its members come dressed in medieval apparel and stage mock sword fights of the front lawn of the hotel. Others come dressed in Star Trek outfits, futuristic dress, and as characters from science fiction novels. Octocon holds an annual Robert A. Heinlein blood drive. Most of the funds collected from this convention is donated to charity, something that not very many other conventions can claim.
This year's Octocon had mixed reactions to the people I polled. The costume contest, art show and panel discussions were well liked but the majority felt that the film program left much to be desired. Most of the films shown were so bad that a small town television station wouldn't air them. While films are not the most important element of a convention they should be interesting enough to allow the convention members to like them while waiting for a certain activity to occur or merely to kill time enjoying a film on a large screen.
For the literary convention goer this year's Octocon was no doubt satisfying enough. The fan who goes to conventions for art shows and panel discussions has probably pleased. The fan who attends conventions for films may have second thoughts about attending Octocon IV. [2]
1982 (4)
OCTOCON IV was an extremely successful gathering in terms of camaraderie, organization, participation and fun. The Con gives our special guests the chance to mingle on a direct basis with their audience, promote their areas of interest, and exercise their talent, and gives you, the attendee, a chance to meet and listen to your favorite authors, artists, and scientists. [3]
"Major science fiction convention this weekend. Want a chance to see slides of the upcoming Star Wars film, "Revenge of the Jedi," narrated by its producer? Or meet some of the top authors of the science fiction field, such as Roger Zelazny, Larry Niven, or Poul Anderson? These are among the attractions offered by Octocon IV, a science fiction and fantasy convention for charity, to be held Oct. 9 and 10, at the El Rancho Tropicana Hotel, Santa Rosa. Sponsored by the Spellbinders, Inc. and Star Klique, two non-profit organizations, the program runs continuously from 9 a.m. Saturday through 6 p.m. Sunday, a marathon of panel discussions, art displays, dealer's tables, films, autographs."[4]
1986 (5)
The chair was Deborah L.S. Sweitzer. The theme was "Creating the Future."
List of events: panel discussions, special presentations, author readings, dealer's room, art show and auction, costume contest, films and video, world building, fan/filk room, gaming, cookbook, blood drive, scholarship programs, and the Hamilton-Brackett Award.
In early 1986, a fan wrote:
Yes Virginia, there will be another Octocon. Octocon V will be held at the Rancho Tropicana hotel in Santa Rosa on October 11 and 12. It will again be put on by Spellbinders of Santa Rosa and Star Klique of Daly City with Spellbinder. Deborah Sweitzer heading it up.
Steve and Judy Schenkofsky of Star Klique will be running the art show. Alex Hochstraser will be running the combined security and gofer force, tentatively called Support Services.
Invitations to guest writers and artists started to go out last week so no confirmed guests yet. David Gerrold was also invited to host the costume show as he has in the past, he is not confirmed as yet. [5]
Confirmed guests at one time were: Artist-Guest-of-Honor James Gurney. Other guests: Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ray Nelson, Stephen Goldin, and Jerry Poumelle. David Gerrold was the MC the costume show.
One flyer said the guest would be: author guest of honor - Frederick Pohl, artist guest of honor - James Gurney, fan guest of honor - Lucy Buss, Master of Ceremonies - David Gerrold.
flyer for 1986
flyer for 1986
flyer for 1986
flyer for 1986
