Readercon
| Convention | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Readercon |
| Dates: | 1987-now |
| Frequency: | yearly |
| Location: | |
| Type: | |
| Focus: | |
| Organization: | |
| Founder: | |
| Founding Date: | |
| URL: | website here |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Readercon is an annual conference or convention devoted to "imaginative literature" — literary science fiction, fantasy, horror, and the unclassifiable works often called "slipstream."
A typical Readercon features over 150 writers, editors, publishers, and critics, attracting prominent figures from across the U.S., and from Canada, the U.K., and occasionally even Australia and Japan.
Although Readercon is modeled on "science fiction conventions," there is no art show, no costumes, no gaming, and almost no media. Instead, Readercon features a near-total focus on the written word.
Con Dates and Locations
Readercons Past page on Readercon website, Archived on 2023-09-27
Readercon 1 (1987)
June 27-28, 1987 at the Holiday Inn of Brookline in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Readercon 2 (1988)
November 18-20, 1988 at the Lowell Hilton in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Readercon 3 (1990)
March 30-April 1, 1990
Readercon 4 (1991)
July 12-14, 1991 was at the Worchester Marriott in Worchester, Massachusetts.
Readercon 5 (1992)
July 10-12, 1992
Readercon 6 (1993)
July 9-11, 1993
Readercon 7 (1994)
July 8-10, 1994
Readercon 7 (1994): Con Reports
Well, while you all were frolicking at Shoreleave, I was having dinner wilh Ellen Kushner and Susanna Sturgis at Readercon. These two dynamite women do a roving panel at cons called The Girls Who Do Boys on Boys." Unfortunately they weren't doing it at Readercon, but I hope to catch them doing it somewhere. Has anyone else been to one? I had a great time talking to them. The other high point of the convention was Chip (Samuel R.J Delany) saying that if gayness didn't exist naturally that straight people would have invented it because it's such a powerful sexual fantasy. [1]
ReaderCon focuses on written sf, no media or filk or costuming or gaming or so on. Ursula LeGuin was GoH, and she was wonderful. I had a good time, including seeing SBPers Sarah Thompson and Leigh Motooka. Going to panels was an odd experience, though; I haven't been to straightforward panel programming like that in a long time, and I often felt as though I were watching talk-show tv. Media cons in which even a "panel" is more of a discussion group, and being on panels myself when they are more panel-like, have made me forget what it's like being on the other side of the stage. [2]
Readercon 8 (1996)
July 12-14, 1996 was at the Boston Marriott Westborough in Westborough, Massachusetts.
Readercon 9 (1997)
July 11-13, 1997
Readercon 10 (1998)
July 10-12, 1998
Readercon 11 (1999)
July 9-11, 1999 at the Westin Waltham in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Readercon 12 (2000)
July 21-23, 2000 at the Boston Marriott Burlington in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Readercon 13 (2001)
July 13-15, 2001
Readercon 14 (2002)
July 12-14, 2002 was at the Boston Marriott in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Readercon 15 (2003)
July 11-13, 2003
Readercon 16 (2005)
July 8-10, 2005
Readercon 17 (2006)
July 7-9, 2006
Readercon 18 (2007)
July 5-8, 2007
Readercon 19 (2008)
July 17-20, 2008
Readercon 20 (2009)
July 9-12, 2009
Readercon 21 (2010)
July 8-11, 2010
Readercon 22 (2011)
July 14-17, 2011
Readercon 23 (2012)
July 12-15, 2012
Readercon 23 (2012): Con Reports
This public statement was made by the Readercon committee on August 5, 2012, a few weeks after Readercon 23. For background, see Misogyny in Fandom#Notable_Misogyny_discussions.
Readercon 24 (2013)
July 11-14, 2013
Readercon 25 (2014)
July 10-13, 2014
Readercon 26 (2015)
July 9-12, 2015
Readercon 27 (2016)
July 7-10, 2016 at the Boston Quincy Marriott in Quincy, MA.
Readercon 27 (2016): Con Reports
Overall a good way to have spent the weekend. Would go back, but would do more work ahead of time re: which panelists would be better or worse to hear and which authors do good readings. Heard I'd missed a good time with Max Gladstone this year. I also learned I'll probably be happier avoiding panels on topics that fandom discusses in depth, because they're likely to feel superficial and frustrating. [3]
Readercon 28 (2017)
July 13-16, 2017
Readercon 29 (2018)
July 12-15, 2018
Readercon 30 (2019)
July 11-14, 2019
Readercon 31 (2021)
August 13-15, 2021 was online.
Readercon 32 (2023)
July 13-16, 2023 at the Boston Quincy Marriott in Quincy, MA
Fanfiction Panels
Included a panel, Fanfic: Progressive, Regressive, with authors Cecelia Tan, Sunny Moraine, Foz Meadows, and Catt Kingsgrave, to discuss mindsets and biases that follow people into speculative fanfiction.[4]
Readercon 33 (2024)
July 11-14, 2024
References
- ^ from Come Together #8
- ^ from Strange Bedfellows (APA) #6
- ^ from 2016 (Readercon 27) con report by bironic (part 1, part 2
- ^ Readercon Schedule