Post Con Report

October 2007
Norwescon31
PR Alpha Report
Bell, Book and Dragon
Persistance of Vision
Post Con Report
Norwescon30
“Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they
are the children of your soul, the blueprints of
your ultimate achievements”
-Napoleon Hill
Norwescon30
Persistance of Vision
Post Con Report
Chairman’s Post-Con Report
by Tracy Knoedler
I can hardly believe it’s over. The 30th anniversary of
Norwescon was the best- attended Norwescon I have ever
been to, topping over 3,000 people. The panel rooms seem to
be filled as well as the Dealer’s room and Art Show. I want to
give a big thank you to our wonderful Guests of Honor, Kim
Stanley Robinson, Luis Royo, Donna Shirley, and Gordon
Van Gelder for their help in celebrating our anniversary year.
As I sit here, a few weeks later, writing this up, I realize that
we could never have made this happen if it were not for all of
our wonderful volunteers. One name I would like to highlight
is Dawn Kaufman for stepping in and helping translate for
our Artist Guest of Honor, Luis Royo. She was a big help to
all of us. Thanks Dawn!
This year I awarded the Lifetime Member Award to Shawn
Marier for all his devoted years to Norwescon. He has spent
many years volunteering for Norwescon in all areas of the
convention. Congratulations Shawn! You deserve it and now
we’ve got you forever!
Please watch our website for news on Norwescon 31. We
should be up and running by September, 2007.
Business Report for Norwescon 28
Chair Vice Chair
Business
Publications
Programming
Member Services
Convention Services
Personnel
Special Events
Capital Expense
Total In
Total Out
Budgeted
6,015.00
16,392.00
16,630.00
40,100.00
9,925.00
3,890.00
18,870.00
9,565.00
2,485.00
9,780.00
137,083.73
107,249.32
Actual
6,812.45
14,961.17
16,362.15
21,854.71
5,844.31
3,211.09
17,617.41
7,973.45
2,053.64
10,559.03
29,834.32
Norwescon 30 Art Show
by Doug and Pat Booze
It was an amazing year; there are so many wonderful things
that happened over this last year and so many people to thank
that it is hard to know where to start.
It would not be an Art Show without our artists. First we
would like to thank Luis Royo for traveling almost as far as
you can to attend our convention. He is an amazing artist
and an extremely generous guest of his time, talent and
good humor. We would also like to thank Rafa Martinez from
Norma Editorial for making Luis Royo’s visit such a great
success; spending four days interpreting and facilitating for
Luis is a monumental feat of patience and we are very grateful.
The heart and soul of the Art Show is our attending and mailin artists. We had a wonderful group this year that brought
the best of themselves and their work to Norwescon. We
would like to thank them for their time and talent that they
have shared with Norwescon. Pat and I have really enjoyed
working with each one of them.
None of this is possible without the tremendous help of our
volunteers. First we would like to thank our Art Show staff.
First a very special thank you to Lori ‘Shaughnessy’ Burtis
who took us under her wing and taught us so much. We
would also like to thank Melissa Kell and Shelly Stephens for
managing the Artist Alley; they did a great job. E.J. Fadgen
took on the ever-daunting task of bag check and did a brilliant
job. LouAnna Valentine worked on our docent program this
year, and we really appreciate all of her efforts. We would
also like to thank Alex Popiel our IT wizard who kept our
computers running and saved our derrieres more than once;
as well as Rory Clark our Art Show programmer for all of
his hard work supporting the Art Show computer systems.
Thank you also to our wonderful finance team of Betty Claar,
Melissa Kell and Mike Orosz. And a huge thank you to Walt
Thomas, our construction chief. Without his hard work and
patience there would be no Art Show. And last but never least,
Ali Grieve who did a wonderful job in planning and executing
our first Artists’ Reception, an outstanding event that we look
forward to repeating next year.
The other group that we want to thank are our at-convention
volunteers. We are very grateful for them taking the time out
of their convention experience to come and help us. Without
them it would have been a harder and longer weekend for all
of our staff. We truly want all of them to know they are part
of our team and we appreciate everything they all did to help.
They are: Angela Lande, Nicholas Strickland, Kat Mercan,
Jane Patterson, Jim Cox, Joyce Palmer, Gayle MacArthur,
Dawn Jackal, Diane Wahlborg, Richard Stuer-Wooden,
Mike Hardin, Carline Westra, Carmen Sumption, Marlene
Helm, Laura Penty, Mathew Robertson, Stanley Leghorn,
Stacy Mardin, Nate Austin, Nick Jones, Leonard Burstiner,
J.D. Maynard, David Todd, Peter Eng, Alan Misten, Angela
Horde, Katie Cagle, Shawn Lum, Eric Wilson, Viola Todd,
Victoria Scanlon and Audrey Penty who was awarded our
Norwescon Art Show Apprentice Award this year for being
an outstanding volunteer.
Thank you to everyone for attending and participating in
this year’s Art Show. We look forward to seeing all of you
next year.
Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report v Norwescon 30 Art Show Awards
Judges awards
Best in Show:
Cory and Catska Ench In the Garden of Gaea
First Place:
Jeff Sturgeon Power Place
Second Place:
H. Ed Cox Brown Leaf Fairy
Third Place:
Luis Royo Subversive Beauty (1)
Best 3-D:
Stephen Lestat Time Machine
Best Jewelry:
Elizabeth Fellows 30th Anniversary Jewelry Set
Best Color:
Mark Roland Sunflower
Best Black and White:
Luis Royo Mother Earth
Best Mix:
Theresa Mather Amber Dragon
People’s Choice awards
Best in Show:
Cory and Catska Ench In the Garden of Gaea
Best Sci-Fi:
Stephen Lestat Time Machine
Best Fantasy:
Todd Lockwood Dragon Fire
Best Horror:
Todd Lockwood War of Angels
Best Humor:
Sarah Clemens Joyride
Programming Report – NWC 30
by William Sadorus
What a monumental weekend! Huge crowds, big names, and
30 years of Norwescon!
Staying true to our theme “Persistence of Vision”, we had a
great time giving you the kind of experience that you’ve come
to expect from Norwescon. We were so honored to have great
v Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report
Guests; Kim Stanley Robinson, Luis Royo, Donna Shirley,
Gordon Van Gelder, and Rafa Martinez. Thanks to them for
helping to set the tone of the convention. Snippets from our
GoH’s: Donna talking about managing Martians, Gordon
speaking on publishing bloopers, Rafa introducing us to the
international experience, Luis drawing a fantastic picture,
and Stan explaining how to reduce our footprint on the
Earth while keeping our eyes on Space. [My most fascinating
moment? Out in the Atrium on Saturday afternoon,
the fifteen minutes of banter and humor as Greg Bear
interviewed Stan and Gordon at the taping session for Closing
Ceremonies. You’ve got to see the interview… jet noises and
everything in the background. Wow!]
I always worry when we try something slightly different. This
year we decided to start panel programming at 1:00 p.m. on
Thursday afternoon. I guess I shouldn’t have worried though.
The rooms were filled and paneling was perking along right
on time. With well over 200+ pros on hand to participate in
the panels during the weekend I hope you found the topics
you wanted to see. Flashes from panels; the audience helping
the Let’s Make a Movie Guys make the feature “Man Slugs,
Steve Barnes speaking about developments in LifeWriting,
Alexander James Adams’ concert premier at NWC, how
to poly-form armor at StarWars Fashion Show and Tell,
promises of a recipe book from To Serve Man, the generation
gap at Women in the Military, and Chris Bruscas on being a
Geek Gaming God. [My moment of discovery? That there are
people out there even more into gardening than I am while at
the Fannish Gardening panel . . . ?!]
Norwescon Programming would not occur without the
help of many people: Sunny Jim in the Pro Suite; Becky in
Workshops; Denise in Traditional Events; Sally, Jo, Margorie,
& Sprite in the Greenroom; Alan, Chris, and Joel in Media
Services; Keith in Movie Previews; Mindy in GoH Relations;
Kevin in Stage Management; Jordan, Elizabeth, Walt, and the
rest of his tech crew; thanks guys! I especially want to thank
Lori and Alisa for their help and support during the neverending grind of Track Programming. You guys are the best!
Thank you!!!
BTW, for all of you who might be wondering, Donna Shirley’s
grandson was born about 2 weeks after the con. His name is
Grayden Thomas. He was 8 lbs 8 oz & 20 inches in length at
birth and currently growing like a weed. Congratulations to
Nana Donna and to the proud parents!
If you think Norwescon 30 was a blast, just wait until next
year . . . Norwescon 31 is gonna knock your socks off. See
you soon!!
Norwescon 30 Programming Statistics
Total Number of Tracks of Programming: 28 Hours
Breakdown of Hours of Programming
(does not include Special Events):
Education
Thursday
Filk
Readings
Programming
Total
GoH
71.0
4.0
4..5
3
82.5
Friday
148.5
11.5
10.5
6.5
177.0
Saturday
139.0
8.0
10.5
11
168.5
Sunday
62.5
2
4.5
1
70.0
Totals
421.0
25.5
30.0
21.5
498.0
Pro Breakdown:
Invited
360
Declined
51
No Answer
78
Cancelled
17
Attending
214
Day Passes
28
Writer’s Workshop:
Submissions
Participating Pros
71.0
148.5
Special Events
by Shawn Marier
This was the first year that Special Events was an exec level
department. This allowed us to spend the time and effort to
make them “special” once again. When I first got involved
with Norwescon 20 years ago, it was as a DJ. So from the
beginning all the special events have had a special place in my
heart. So I want to thank Tracy and Cheryl for giving me the
opportunity to run the department.
I could not have done this job with out the help from my two
assistants Tonya Clark and Peggy Stewart. They both were
in charge of multiple areas in the department; and they did a
wonderful job making sure that the people who attended them
had a great time.
Tonya was in charge of the dances and she had some great DJs
working with her this year. They kept the dance floor busy all
three nights; so a big thank you goes out to all of them:
She also wants to thank all the people who helped with
decorations and opening number.
She also was in charge of the midnight movies. This year we
expanded to 3 nights of movies. On Thursday we showed
Buckaroo Banzai and had Judith Herman who worked on
the movie give a little talk about her experiences. On Friday
we did our traditional Rocky Horror Picture Show with the
VTC giving a show which I’m sure the audience will never
forget. Finally on Saturday night for its 25th anniversary we
showed Shock Treatment.
Peggy was in charge of the Masquerade. To put on the
Masquerade, Peggy and her staff worked all day long getting
everything setup so that you could all enjoy the show. It was
an exciting year as it was the first Masquerade for us with a
ramp. Backstage it was a huge hit. It was used by lots of entries
and made it safer and easier for many of them. The ramp is
definitely the wave of the future for Norwescon.
She wants to give thanks to all the people that helped
Master of Ceremonies- Master Payne
Sound- Keith Johnson
Stage Managers- Paula and Berry Curry
Head Den Mom- Kate McClure
Den Moms- Audrey Penty, Erik Prill, Ruslund Geyer
Front House Manager- Nels Satterlund
Front House Staff- Tahlia Holt, Jeff Soesbe,
Kayla Harrell
Head Ninja- Trent Lum
Ninjas- Kelly Forbis, Michelle Roberts, Cameron Wright,
Toni Forbis, Pamela Wichger, Laura Penty, Martin
Irvin, Jason Lum, Pete Powers, Sydney Lamb,
Frieda “Bri” Orsborn, Lisa Eldred, Beth “Bethmo”
Mourguard
Lights/ Tech- Eric Stratton
Spot 1- Larry Stratton
Spot 2- Edge Von Gore
Technical Director- Michael Citrak
Video- Alan Halfhill
Photo Op- Thom Walls
Children’s Masquerade Group- Felice Nightengale
The Workmanship Judges- Alisa Green &
Maria Cooley
The Presentation Judges- Don Glover, Lori Edwards &
Mimi Noyes
Judge’s Assistant-Vicki Glover
The Red Dance: DJ Black Maru and DJ Eternal Darkness.
The Star Dance: DJ Jammin’ Panda and DJ Bomb
The Saturday Night Hoedown: MC 300Baud
Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report v She humbly apologizes if your name was missed, but know
that she thanks you too for your hard work. Everyone worked
very hard, from staff to volunteers, and, of course, the entrants
to make this a fabulous 30th anniversary Masquerade.
we had over 200 players. The room was once again run by
Scott Perrin and Elizabeth Fellows who make sure that all
the players have a safe but fun time. I don’t think we could do
Lazer Tag with out all the hard work and time they put in.
If the Masquerade wasn’t enough, she also managed the
Fannish Fetish Fashion Show. She brought in Betty Rage who
did a spectacular job of organizing the show, working with
the designers and getting all the fabulous performers. Peggy
would like to thank everyone who made it possible, Betty
Rage, Todd Clark, Timitius, Felice Nightengale, Christopher
Sumption, Leslie, The Von Foxies, Marci Beaucoup, Miz
Ginger Snapz, Estella E’strange, all the volunteers and, last
but not least, the designers, Notorious Curves and Fetishwear.
net and their models.
Finally I need to thank the members of Amtgard who came in
on Sunday morning to give us a demo. Think of them as a live
action fantasy role playing using boffers. Norwescon could
not have done this with out the help of two of their members,
Matt Ward and Chris Bates. Check out the group’s main web
site for more details: www.amtgard.com
For the Masquerade half time I brought in the Comedy Court
Improve Group. This was a very entertaining local group of
performers. If you like improve then you should check out
their website to see where they are next performing.
(http://www.comedycourtimprov.com/) We didn’t have the
best sound setup for them, so I’m sorry to say that those in the
back might not have heard the whole thing.
I also need to thank Pro Roy who ran our Gaming
department. He stepped up and ran the department when the
previous department head had to step down a month from the
convention. With a short period of time and a new location, he
did a great job.
He wanted to make sure that big props went out to the
gaming staff that did a great job monitoring the floor and
making sure games had tables and got started as scheduled!
As well as a congratulations to John Baldwin, this year's Call
of Cthulhu Tournament winner. John won a free membership
to next year's Norwescon!
This year I brought back the casino to Norwescon. It has been
years since we did one and even with it being on Thursday
night we had a huge crowd (over 150 gamblers). I want to
thank Mary Westerling who helped train our dealers and
Becky Citrak who designed some of the best casino money
I’ve ever seen. I also want to thank the following people who
all volunteered to help deal cards: Leonard Burstiner, Bror
Rand, Jessica Vauels, Pamela Wichgers, Alex Williams, Alan
Milsten and Jason McDermott.
We also had a Texas Hold’em Tournament which ran over
3 days. Almost 90 players took part and the when the
tournament was finally over on Saturday night the winner
was Jeramy Hobouty. Thanks to all the people who helped
deal the cards as well as all the players.
Another area which we expanded this year was Lazer Tag.
This year we had it running all 3 nights and because of this
v Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report
Finally I want to thank the Norwescon Tech and
Programming departments, we could not have done this with
out your help and support.
Norwescon 30 Daily 'Zine Post-Convention Report
R'ykandar (Dara) Korra'ti
Another year, another convention newsletter, yay! Our only
big surprise this year was our sudden discovery that the
shop we use for issue duplication suddenly decided to start
closing on Sundays! It was quite the adventure. We want to
particularly thank Laura Reilly, Kathleen Reilly (her mum),
and Marianna Garrett (her sister) and the Office for working
overtime to come up with an alternative copy location and
getting the Sunday edition out on time. Well done, Office staff
and family members, and special thanks to everyone involved!
In other notes, I want to address a few things that have
apparently slipped by people. First, the newsletter is not,
and has never been, titled "Daily 'Zine." It has a new name
every year - as well as a new look, rebuilt from the ground up,
or close to it. Unexpectedly, three people told me that they
noticed I'd changed the 'zine's title this year from "Daily 'Zine"
or some similar variant to "Runner" - well, Run, Runner!
anyway - and that was, as they say, rather a surprise.
Secondly, our contribution to Norwescon's 30th Anniversary
was to use graphic identifiers from each previous issue (where
applicable) in our promotional posters. The current newsletter
crew have put out the following convention newsletters,
or daily 'zines, at Norwescons: The Claw, Mr.Cranky's
Disruptive Newsletter, Gothpark Chronicles, FaxCascadia,
Ad Astro!, Inevitability, The Great and Terrible Voice of OZ,
Letters from Yingzhou, RUE the DAY!, RUN!!, and, this
past year, RUN, RUNNER!. You may note a disturbing trend
towards more and more exclamation marks. Consider that a
desperate plea for attention. The graphics called back from
the dead include the three-eyed upward-pointing alien, the
Mr.Cranky Seal of Certification, Vampire Lord Fatass, Astro,
Your Robotic Overlords, The Four Sigils of the Winds, the
Dr. Cranky Spotlight of Ruing, and this year's, Box, the Food
Storage Robot. So that's what all that was about.
Thirdly, the newsletter comes out daily, which means (in all
years but two when we had special editions), once a day. Yes,
we had a Sunday Afternoon ("GO HOME!") edition of Mr.
Cranky, and a special Saturerday Afternoon edition ("more
heart pieces!") for RUN!! Because we had so much material,
which was great, but that's not a guarantee we'll do that again
ever. And finally, the newsletter is a morning edition, so if you
want things to be in that day's issue, you have to get it to us
the night before, or earlier. We were confused several times to
find submissions for an issue submitted after that issue had
already come out. So if you were wondering why your timesensitive material didn't make it in, that's probably why.
I would like to send out a special thanks to Lydia Bigger and
her staff for the wonderful lunch they made for the blood
drive techs. They enjoyed it very much.
Campaign Sight First II
We had at least 3 donated glasses. This is our first year doing
the eyeglass collection and we appreciate your donations.
And that's about that. Thanks for reading and contributing;
hopefully you found it useful and fun!
Norwescon Elections
Elections were held for the officers of Norwescon 31 on
Saturday, May 12th with Doug Booze, Shawn Marier, and
Catrina Foulger on this year’s election committee. The results
were:
Chairman
Vice-Chairman
GoH Election Committee
GoH Election Committee
Tracy Knoedler
Pat Booze
Kevin Black
Dara Korra’ti
Congratulations to the new officers Tracy, Pat, Kevin and
Dara; and thank you to everyone who participated in this
year’s elections.
Post Con Report for Norwescon 30
Marion Zimmer Bradley Food Drive
We would like to thank the Dealers (from the Dealer Room)
for their donations. We Raised $917.00 from the charity
auction and received many wonderful things for our valued
volunteers.
There were $237.00 donations at registration and we collected
34 lbs of food.
Fairy Tale Bachelor, Copyright 2007 Thom Walls
Norwescon 30 Masquerade Running Order
1. Lead us Not Into Temptation- JourneymanDesigned and constructed by Laura Rieschiek Entrants: Laura
Rieschiek, Mark Rieschiek
2. Ambassador Hugh- Novice- Designed, constructed
and worn by Hugh Mannfield
3. Scratched-
4. Gabrielle vs. Captain Barbosa- Novice- Designed and
constructed by “Can’t read her writing, sorry.”
5. A Poem for Padme- Journeyman- Designed,
constructed and worn by Bethany Roullett
James “Scotty” Doohan Blood Drive
6. Passion- Non- Comp (won at a Costume Con with
costume before)- Designed and constructed and worn by
Alicia Faires
It was fun to see the blood mobile though it was a bit small for
our convention. All of the Blood drive techs were delighted to
be with us and enjoy Norwescon. They were able to collect 18
units of blood, with 19 donors. Thank you to all of our donors.
7. The Gardener’s Dream- Master- Designed and
constructed by Betty Bigelow, Lisa Satterlund, Julie
Zetterberg and sound by Erik Prill. Entrants: Betty Bigelow,
Greg Sardo, Lisa Satterlund, Julie Zetterberg
Thanks to all for your donations.
Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report v 8. Firey Angel – Novice- Designed and constructed and
worn by Mandy Barnett
9. Jedi Knight Tatiana –Novice- Designed and worn by
Dana Marshall, Constructed by Keith Marshall
10. Into the Woods- 30th Anniversary Cat.- Designed
and constructed by Claudette Wagner. Entrants: Cassie
Hallmark, T. Brian Wagner
11.Robotica- Journeyman- Designed, constructed and
worn by Diana Daniels
12. Stalking Elk- Novice- Designed, constructed and
worn by Tiffany Hugentobler
13.Raider of the Temple of Doom- Master- Designed
and constructed by Richard Stephens. Entrants: Richard
Stephens, Ciandi Stephens, Tia Stephens, Forest Kohler,
Austen Del Grado, Chris Girr
14. Gaia’s First Children- Master- Designed and
constructed by Molly Boone, Jonnalyhn Wolfcat, Juliana
Robinson, Bronwyn Thomas, and Jennifer Neel. Nick
Strickland (construction only) and Elizabeth Fellows for the
snood.
Raiders of the Temple of Doom. Copyright 2007 Thom Walls
Norwescon 30 Masquerade Winners
Best in Show
#22 Medusa Luna
Best Master
#18 Fairy Tale Bachelor
Entrants: Molly Boone, Jonnalyhn Wolfcat, Juliana Robinson,
Bronwyn Thomas, Jennifer Neel, Nick Strickland
Best Media Recreation- Master
#13 Raiders of the Temple of Doom
15. Medusa –Novice- Designed, constructed and worn by
Rita Pudlewski. CD by Carl Bergstrom and Rita Pudlewski
Best Journeyman
#22 Medusa Luna
16. Advanced Tactical Assault Trooper –JourneymanDesigned, constructed and worn by Mike Duquette
17. 7 Deadly Sins – Journeyman- Designed and
constructed by Rose City Costumers. Entrants: Annika
Johnson, Suzie Thomas, Mike Elsner, Marilyn Mcquire,
Patrick Wiese, Christie and Doug Van Winkle
18. Fairy Tale Bachelor- Master- Designed and
constructed by Amanda Harris-Forbes, Margo Loes, and
special thanks to Shuree Lovell Entrants: Amanda HarrisForbes, Margo Loes and the Mystery Prince
19. Latouni- Journeyman- Designed by Banpresto Games
and constructed and worn by Angela Krupp
20. Freya Cresent- Trance Mode –J- Designed by
Squaresoft and constructed and worn by Shawna Needengard
21. The Ruler of the Tholian Assembly –M- Designed,
constructed and worn by Garth Stubbs
22. Medusa Luna-J- Designed, constructed and worn by
Joanne Spink, music by Erik Prill, and electronics, Macdonald
Instruments
v Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report
Best Media Recreation- Journeyman
#5 A Poem for Padme
Best Novice
#2 Ambassador Hugh
Best Original Concept
#12 Stalking Elk
Judge’s Choice
#7 The Gardener’s Dream
Beyond Reality Costumer’s Guild Awardor the “Ooh, shiney” award
#20 Freya Cresent- Trance Mode
Workmanship Awards
Best in Show
#14 Gaia’s First Children
Best Master
#18 Fairy Take Bachelor
Best Journeyman
#22 Medusa Luna
Best Novice
#9 Jedi knight Tatiana
Honorable Mention
#1 Lead us Not into Temptation
Best Media Recreation
#5 A Poem for Padme
Most Creative Use of Materials
#2 Ambassador Hugh
Best Use of Sculptural Details
#13 Raiders of the Temple of Doom
Best Headpiece
#15 Medusa
Best Concept
#21 Ruler of the Tholian Assembly
Best Use of Machine Embroidery
#7 The Gardener’s Dream
Best Hands and Feet
#20 Freya Cresent- Trance Mode
troubleshoot problems that we sensed could happen before
the con, and we did have fewer to work out, but that meant
that Problems also managed to do quite a bit of regular
registration.
We remembered to make signs that were easier to read, but
I still missed a few. We made notes for next year, to better
speed up the reg process. I also have my fingers crossed for
new printers for speedier form printing. If that happens, we
may have slightly different forms and can color code to make
the different types of forms easier to figure out.
Our volunteers, as usual, kicked major boo-tay! Nina
Chapman was our Touch Typist of the Year and was
constantly cheery, smart, and fun to be around. We
look forward to having her on staff next year! Richard,
DragonMom and so many others helped us stay sane and
kept the reg lines moving. Willow, Jeff and I thank
you ALL!
Judy Oxford, Registration Lead, also known as J’wyldragon
of Reg
2007 Philip K. Dick Award
Winner Announced
Registration Post-Con Notes
Submitted by J’wyl The Reg Dragon
Wow. No, really! I wouldn’t kid you . . . wow. You people are
awesome!
3,000 members attended the con this year. That is a record.
I think it is like second highest attendance ever (all time
highest is still the year that Anne McCaffrey was there). They
discovered that we do online reg and take PayPal, too! We had
a LOT of pre-reg via PayPal. It was daunting! We thought
that with all those folks doing the pre-reg thing, that the atthe-door would be slower than usual. Nope. That isn’t how it
was. We are all so thrilled that so many people came and had
fun at the con!
Did you notice what was new this year? We had LAPTOPS!
I know it seems like it is a silly thing to be excited about, but
it was a SUPER help to us! They were easy to set up, easy to
take down and since the IT Ninjas rawk in sooo many ways,
they were easily interchangeable between departments if one
went south on us! They were faster, too. Thank you IT and
Exec’s for having the vision to see that this would work out so
well. We also purchased our own badge printers! The badges/
printers worked out so well last year, that we decided it was
worth it to have our own.
Continuing to have a Problem Only Line seemed to work
too. I know because I spent most of the con behind that
station, working out the problems that came up. We tried to
It was announced at Norwescon 30, in SeaTac, Washington,
that the winner for the distinguished original science fiction
paperback published for the first time during 2006 in the
U.S.A. is:
Spin Control
by Chris Moriarty (Bantam Spectra)
Special citation was given to:
Carnival
by Elizabeth Bear (Bantam Spectra)
The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually for
distinguished science fiction published in paperback original
form in the United States. The award is sponsored by the
Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. The 2006 judges were
Geary Gravel, Anne Harris, Christine Mains (chair), Kristine
Smith, and Mark W. Tiedemann.
The 2007 judges are Steve Miller, Chris Moriarty, Steven
Piziks, Randy Schroeder, and Ann Tonsor Zeddies.
For more information, contact the award administration:
David G. Hartwell (914) 769-5545.
Gordon Van Gelder (201) 876-2551
Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report v For more information about the Philadelphia Science Fiction
Society, contact:
the taking at the history display – which you seemed to like,
as about 50 books were taken. We should have brought more!
We had two types of picture displays – paper and electronic.
People gathered around the PC monitor sharing ooohs
and aaahs and playing “remember when”. The albums were
scattered on tables around the room.
Gary Feldbaum (215) 563-2511
http://www.psfs.org/
For more information about Norwescon contact:
http://www.norwescon.org/
Hospitality Report
by Roberta Carlson
Another Norwescon is over and the Hospitality Staff is glad
you all stopped by, and did you ever stop by! You all drank
70 cases of pop, ate 75 pounds of ham, 40 pounds of roast
beef and 35 pounds of turkey, a case and a half of chili,
and much, much more. Special thanks go to my wonderful assistants Kristy, Cherie, and Jean. Without them, there
couldn’t have been a hospitality. I hope to see you all next
year.
Writers' Workshop
The writers' workshop at Norwescon 30 continues to hit high
marks, thanks to the efforts of everyone involved. This year's
workshop filled up quickly with 36 participants, and we regret
having to limit them to a single manuscript apiece in order to
make room for as many people as possible. Half of this year's
participants were new to the Norwescon workshops and half
had experience with at least one previous year's workshop;
while most of our participants come from Washington and
Oregon, this year we also drew writers from California,
Texas, Arizona and Minnesota. We also offered workshop
participants a special hand's-on workshop on writing flash
fiction taught by Mary Rosenblum, a short-story writer,
novelist and writing instructor.
30 Years of Norwescon History
We hope you enjoyed our 30th Anniversary Celebration and
history display. Norwescon is getting older, and we believe it is
important to remember our roots and the milestones along the
way. We hope you enjoyed the history article in the program
book, and found it interesting and informative! We would
like to extend a special thank you to Carolyn Palms who was
our first historian.
The History Display was set up in Olympic 2, quiet
hospitality. There was a display of badges, badge holders,
volunteer tokens, t-shirts, fanzines, flyers, cups and more. We
even had the tiny, little Norwescon 1 Program Book, which is
smaller than our current pocket programs! We had program
books from years past in a display in the lobby, and extras for
v Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report
Several Norwescon members submitted “favorite memory”
stories which we printed out and taped on the walls. We are
always looking for stories to add to the memory book. If you
have a story you would like to share send it to Michael Citrak
at mcitrak@comcast.net.
The 30th Anniversary celebration continued throughout the
con with many special touches. We had:
Pearl embossing on the program book cover in
keeping with the traditional 30th anniversary symbol of
pearls.
“30 Years of Norwescon” souvenir bags.
A special category in the masquerade.
Play money in the casino commemorating our
various hotels.
“30 Years of Norwescon Stories” panel on Friday.
Special goodies for the Volunteers, including a
“pearl” for each year volunteered.
We would like to thank:
Jordan Orr for building two beautiful table-top
display cases!
Rory Clark for the computer and photo displays!
Elizabeth Thomas-Rodolf, Daniel Pawtowski, Don
Glover, John Andrews, and many others for the photos!
Carolyn Palms, Beth Dockins, Jim Cox and many
others for the T-shirts!
Tracy Knoedler for the 30th Celebration
Souvenir bags.
You for sharing your ideas and input over the years!
Keep it coming!
We had our first history display at Norwescon 25, and hope to
have the next one at Norwescon 35 – which means, of course,
that it will become a tradition. The goal for the next 5 years is
to get all of those old photos scanned!
Sneak Preview - Norwescon 31
by William Sadorus
Award for Best New Writer. Can we say, WOW!? I’m excited
about having Naomi here at NWC 31 . . . Are you?!!!!
Norwescon turned 30 this year. The celebration was
stupendous! Our GoHs glorious! I had a (*) time! You might
ask, “How’re they gonna top that?” Well, it isn’t going to easy,
but we’ve got some pretty good ideas up our sleeves just for
you . . .
Stay tuned for more announcements of new Guests of Honor.
You ain’t seen nothing yet…!!!
As announced by Tracy and myself at the Masquerade
halftime, our theme for next year at Norwescon 31 will
be Bell, Book, and Dragon. Is this an invocation? A spell?
Maybe it’s an allusion to a favorite movie from 1959 starring
Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart? C’mere Pyewacket. That’s a
good cat. You got to admit it sounds a bit better than “Music,
Literature, and Fantasy”, doesn’t it?
Get Ready for Norwescon31!
*Add your own superlative here
Bell, Book, and Dragon will be fun romp in the eclectic mix
of topics that you’ve come to expect from Norwescon. To help
spice up the fun we’ve lined up some spectacular Guests of
Honor including Dan Simmons as our Writer GoH, Ciruelo
as Artist GoH, and Naomi Novik as Special GoH.
Dan Simmons is the award winning and versatile author
of many books such as Hyperion, Ilium, and Song of Kali.
He writes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and horror. His
combinations of storyline, character, and realism are both
driven and hypnotic. I came to know Dan’s work through
the Hyperion Cantos, a hard science fiction collection with
a fantasy edge. Children of the Night proved to me that
Dan had a dark side that could compete with the best of the
vampire genre. In the Hardcase detective-mystery books
he created characters that give you a non-stop roller coaster
ride of murder, mayhem, and action. Dan’s latest release, The
Terror, combines artic history with a thrills and chills creature
of epic horror dimensions. Norwescon will be the first
convention that Dan has attended since World Horror Con
- Denver in 2000. We are so honored to be able to have Dan
Simmons at NWC 31.
Naomi Novik. Copyright 2007 Don Glover
Naomi Novik will be a special guest at Norwescon 31
March 20-23, 2008. See www.norwescon.org for further
information.
Ciruelo is the Argentine-born artist now living in Spain
known for his fantastic art. His art has been displayed in
books (Book of the Dragon; Luz, the Art of Ciruelo; Magia,
the Ciruelo Sketchbook), on album covers (Steve Vai’s The
7th Song), in Heavy Metal, Playboy Magazine, Wizards of
the Coast, and book covers from Tor, Warner, and Ballantine.
Ciruelo is usually seen at large Comic Cons so we are
especially lucky to have him here next year!
Naomoi Novik has burst onto the scene as the author of the
Temeraire series. If you haven’t read His Majesty’s Dragon you
might want to pick up a copy. This year it’s nominated for the
Hugo Award for Best Novel, as well as the Compton Crook
Award for Best First Novel, and the Locus Awards for Best
First Novel. Naomi has also been nominated for the Campbell
Norwescon 30 Post-Con Report v Shawn Marier has returned as Special Events director. Since
he received the lifetime membership award last year, we refuse
to let him go.
Norwescon31
Bell, Book and Dragon
PR Alpha Report
Doing an absolutely wonderful job is Catrina Foulger, our
Personnel director. She feeds all of us so be nice to her.
Last is Charlie Knoedler, our Convention Services director.
He makes sure we have a smoothly running convention at the
hotel. His first year was last year and he and his team did a
wonderful job keeping things going.Where Things Are
by Charlie Knoedler
So you ask “Where is the cloakroom?” Well, let me tell you.
Below is a list of where things are within the convention. If
you have any questions, please stop by the convention office in
room 7106 and we’ll be glad to help you.
Statement by the Chair
by Tracy Knoedler
Well I guess it’s that time again. Our lovely executive team
has been eagerly working all summer to plan a wonderful
Norwescon 31. With the conventionharder and faster.
This year we have made a few changes in our team. My Vice
Chair is Pat Booze. Since she has been Chair of Norwescon
as well as both Publications and Convention Services director,
I’m sure many of you already know her - and how can you
forget her!
In charge of our Business department is Ali Grieve. In the
past she was in charge of Programming. I’m very excited
to be working with her again. She will be working hand in
hand with our Treasurer, Mike Orosz, a staple within our
convention as he has been with us for many years. They will
keep us in line and on budget this year.
Our lovely Secretary , Felice Nightengale, is coming back to
help us remember exactly what we say, plan or do. She does a
wonderful job.
Also returning is Rob Stewart, our Member Services director.
You’ll find him hanging out around Registration as well as
helping his wife sell in the Dealers’ Room.
Don Glover has gladly taken up the challenge of Publications
for the first time. He has held many positions with Norwescon
in the past, including Vice Chair.
Everyone knows William Sadorus. He has been around
Norwescon in many capacities, including Chair and as
overseer for the PK Dick Awards. We are lucky to have him
returning as Programming director again. Send him your
ideas for new Guests of Honor.
10 v Norwescon 31 PR Alpha Report
Cloakroom/Lost and Found Room 7101
Norwescon Office Room 7106
Security/Dispatch Room 7108
Volunteers Olympic 2
Hospitality Olympic 3
Green Room Cascade 1 & 2
Dealers’ Room Northwest Ballroom 1-3
Art Show Grand Ballroom 1
Artist Alley Past Wing 7 in Hallway
Gaming Cascade 11 &12
Norwescon 2008 Art Show
by Doug Booze, Art Show Manager
We are planning another amazing art show for you again
for Norwescon 31. We are excited to bring you many of the
same great talent that we have had in the past as well as may
new faces which we hope will excite and intrigue you. We are
thrilled to have as this year’s artist Gust of Honor, Ciruelo
the depth of his work will make an amazing addition to our
already diverse pool of talent. We are also excited to announce
that John Picacio who has won such awards as the Chesley
and the World Fantasy award and was recently in Seattle to
receive the Locus award as best artist will be showing this
year. We will bring you news of additional artists to the art
show as they become firmed up; please check the website for
updates.
Specific news for our artists. All of the information that
you need to sign up for the art show is on our website, we
hope that you will check us out and be a part of our art show
community. If you have any questions always feel free to
contact me directly. I am always available to help you out with
any questions or concerns that you might have about the art
show. You can reach me at artshow@norwescon.net.
The art show has a great team of volunteers but not enough of
them; these are the people who through their hard work make
the art show fun and a success for both the artists and the
congoer. We are looking for more volunteers to make the art
show more successful and rewording for our volunteers and
our members. If you are interested in joining us we would love
to hear from you.
Beyond Here There Be Dragons!
by T. Stewart
Registration is run by dragons. No, really… it is! Trust me
on this I should know, as I am your Registration Chair, J’wyl
– the Reg Dragon! You may have guessed that I am very
excited about Norwescon 31: Bell, Book and Dragons. Ok,
information about Registration, that is what I am supposed to
be going on about.
First, we encourage you to pre-register. You will save a few
bucks and your badge will be pre-printed and waiting for
you when you arrive. Again this year, you can register
online at http://www.norwescon.org/memberships.htm.
Registering online allows you to pay by credit card, gives you
an immediate email confirmation, and ensures that we don’t
mistype your badge name. However, you can still print out a
registration form and mail it in with a check, and this gets you
the same savings!
Price for membership is $50 until 12/31/07; when it goes up
to $55 until 2/28/07; when pre-registration is closed. Price at
the door will be $60.
If you are under 18 or accompanying people who are, get
a minor permission slip from http://www.norwescon.
org/memberships.htm and fill it out before coming to the
convention and waiting in line. The minor’s parent/guardian
must sign the permission slip, and either the parent/guardian
or another adult designated by the parent/guardian must be
on site and a member of the convention.
Oh, and just FYI: Dragons RULE!
Special Events at Norwescon 31
by Shawn Marier
The Special Events department has been expanding the events
which will be happening at Norwescon 31. Some of the new
things we are currently working on:
Game Shows: On Friday night we will have multiple game
shows for you to watch, and if you are lucky, participate in.
Maxi’s Bar Events: The hotel has allowed us to take over
Maxi’s Bar at the top of the tower on Friday and Saturday
nights. We are creating specialty themes for each night.
So come on up to the top floor and enjoy the experience at
Norwescon.
Burlesque Show: Last year we held a popular burlesque
workshop, this year we are going to do it again. After the
workshop (assuming you are willing), you will be able to
participate in a burlesque show in the evening.
Scavenger Hunt: This will run during the entire weekend. We
will give a list of items to be found; the person (or group) who
finds the most will be awarded a prize.
501st Charity Event: Ever wanted to have your picture taken
with a bunch of storm troopers or maybe even Darth Vader?
Well for a small donation to a deserving charity you can.
Of course we will also be bringing back all your old favorite
events:
Gaming: From tournaments to open gaming we will have
something for you to play the entire weekend. The main
gaming rooms will be at the end of the Cascade hallway with
open gaming space out in the Rotunda.
Dances: Dance the night away on all three nights.
Midnight Movies: We will be showing a cult classic
each night at midnight. Audience participation is always
appreciated.
Lazer Tag: We expanded to three nights last year and we still
had people who wanted more. So once again we will have lazer
tag on all three nights.
Masquerade: Come and watch, or even better, bring your
newest costume creation and present it at our largest attended
event.
Fannish Fetish Fashion Show: Back again by popular
demand, come see all the newest designs in fetish fashion
wear. What new things might we have in store for you this
year? Come and see.
Casino: On Thursday night come and gamble the night away.
We will have a selection of your favorite casino games as well
as our Second Annual Texas Hold’em Tournament.
Programming Update
by William Sadorus
The question was, after all the fun and excitement of our 30th
anniversary, what can we do to top ourselves? As it turns out,
I shouldn’t have worried . . . with the turn of a phrase, “Bell,
Book and Dragon,” Norwescon 31 Programming has started
to fall into place.
Norwescon 31 PR Alpha Report v 11
Some of our favorite events are returning, including the
Fandance Film Festival, the Single Pattern Contest, and
the Norwescon Writers’ Workshop in conjunction with the
Fairwood Writers Group. Rules and regulations for these
events will be posted in the Programming section of the
Norwescon home page so please check it frequently for notices
and updates. We’ll also have movie previews, filk concerts,
artist workshops, autograph sessions, and readings by some
of your favorite authors. Panel ideas are being compiled and
distributed to our program participants for consideration.
Did you think that maybe we’d have a couple of panels about
dragons? Well, you’d be right! If you need more than dragons
though, science fiction and fantasy are big parts of panel
programming at Norwescon; and we’ll be including all the
associated topics of writing, editing, and publishing to say
the least… For those of you who enjoy the chills and thrills
of the dark, programming will feature a bit more horror than
we normally do. This emphasis on horror will include panels,
readings, and some flix you may not have seen before. Stay
tuned for more developments!
I’m not neglecting our Guests of Honor, Dan Simmons,
Ciruelo, and Naomi Novik. My enthusiasm about having
them at Norwescon knows no bounds! We are so honored
in having them here!! Please check out their bios on the
Norwescon home page; and be sure to follow the links to their
web sites. If you’re unfamiliar with their work, seek them out
in your local bookstore or public library. Congratulations
to Naomi on receiving the Joseph Campbell Award at
Worldcon this year in Japan! Ciruelo, your reputation in the
international art community precedes you! And Dan, your
genius at story writing astounds us!
Join us this year for a convention filled with the brilliance
of wonder, the magic of fantasy, the mystery of space, and
that lurking darkness-within as Norwescon welcomes Dan
Simmons, Ciruelo, and Naomi Novik as our Guests of Honor
for NWC 31, March 20th through the 23rd, 2008. See you
there!
Open the Door to Better Writing!
by William Sadorus
Now's your chance to advance your writing skills through
critiques by professional writers. Norwescon 31 and the
Fairwood Writers Group are sponsoring a science fiction,
fantasy and horror writers' workshop for short fiction and
novel excerpts.
We offer individual sessions with a small group of the
convention's attending pros; we also offer short-story
participants a group session option that allows you to critique
12 v Norwescon 31 PR Alpha Report
the other submitted manuscripts as well as receive feedback on
your own.
Our submission deadline is early this year: November 28,
2007. Late entries submitted by December 2, 2007, may be
accepted if space permits, but we will not take submissions
after December 2.
Guidelines are posted at www.norwescon.org and
www.fairwoodwriters.org.
Please contact writersworkshop@norwescon.net with any
questions.
Parties (Social Events) at Norwescon
Room Parties are established traditions of SF conventions.
These Norwescon guidelines outline a few things that you
need to know in order to make your party more enjoyable and
safe for everyone.
All member hosted social events will be held in Wing 5B.
There are a finite number of party rooms available. It would be
best to make your reservation early and ask to be placed in one
of these rooms when you reserve your room. When you check
in verify that you have been placed in a room in the party
wing. If you find that you were not placed in a party room as
requested and are told that you can’t be put in one, come to the
convention office and Norwescon will work with you and the
Doubletree staff to try to meet your needs.
Conversely, If you do not want to be near the parties, request a
quiet floor.
The laws in Washington State say that if you are the supplier
of alcohol to minors, or to someone who is already drunk, and
they hurt themselves or others, you can be held liable for their
actions. Be aware that there are heavy fines for contributing to
the delinquency of a minor if you are found to have supplied
them with alcohol.
Noise that brings the police is obviously out of line. Noise that
goes on until dawn is likewise out of line. The official end time
for the dances is 2 AM. The parties should quiet by 3 AM.
Parties that do not quiet down will be subject to closure.
The Norwescon Convention Committee supports and
advocates for members who host parties at the convention.
Please contact hotels at Norwescon dot org with your
questions and concerns, or visit the Norwescon office during
the convention and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.
Due to safety concerns, and concerns about damage to hotel
rooms, the hotel has outlined guidelines and expectations for
party (social event) hosts.
Doubletree Hotel Suite and
Social Event Guidelines
Guest rooms in Wing 5b and suites will be available for
social events. A “social event” is a reception or open house
type event held in a guest room in Wing 5b or a hotel suite.
Food and beverages may be served in compliance with hotel,
state and local regulations. Maximum occupancy guidelines
will be enforced. Service of alcohol must be in accordance
with Washington State Liquor Control Board provisions. A
special occasion license or banquet permit must be obtained
and posted in the suite. Events that do not qualify for a
special license or permit must not serve alcohol. Events
that have an expected attendance that is greater than the
capacity of Doubletree Hotel suites must be booked through
our Catering and Events Department and will be placed
in an appropriate venue. Alcohol service times must be in
accordance with state regulations.
Occupancy
Presidential Suites: 35 persons maximum
Parlors: 25 Persons maximum
Lakeside Suites: 34 persons maximum
Social Event Guidelines
•Hospitality events must be registered at the conven tion office
•Furniture may not be removed from suites or
re-configured within suites
•One (1) 8_” X 11” sign may be posted on suite door
•Events must stop alcohol service and have alcohol
secured by 1:45 a.m.
•A damage/cleaning deposit of $2000.00 will be
required for all suites
•All activities must comply with Washington State
Liquor Control Board policies, rules and laws.
Complaints regarding illegal activity are taken
seriously.
•Designated host/hostess/sponsor of each hospitality
event agrees to schedule a suite walk-thru prior to and
after the event with a representative(s) of Hotel
Management
•If alcohol is being served, a designated representative(s)
from the hosting organization must check identification
to insure that only persons of legal drinking age are
allowed access to and or service of alcoholic beverages
If you feel that your event will have attendance that will
exceed the capacity of one of our suites, please contact John
Collins in our Catering and Events Department. All events
conducted in meeting or event space will be subject to our
Catering guidelines. The hotel will provide all food, beverages
and staff to properly execute the event. Maxi’s Restaurant,
located on the top floor of the Tower, will be closed to the
public and available for Norwescon Social Events that may
exceed the capacity of our suites.
Special Licenses and Permits
A special occasion license allows a nonprofit organization to
sell liquor at a specified date and place. All proceeds from
the sale of liquor must go directly back into the nonprofit
organization. "Selling" includes soliciting, donations, and most
package deals.
The fee for a special occasion license is $60 per day, per
location and allows sales of spirits, beer and wine by individual
serving for on-premise consumption. Special occasion licenses
are limited to 12 single-day events per calendar year. The
organization should apply 45 days before the fundraising
events. You can pick up a special occasion license application
at any local liquor store or agency, or contact the customer
service desk at (360) 664-1600.
A banquet permit is for a private, invitation only event (not
open or advertised to the public). The liquor must be provided
free of charge, or brought by individuals attending the event.
Package deals are allowed that may include, for example,
the cost of dinner, liquor, and entertainment. To assure
participants receive an equal share, tickets exchangeable for
drinks may be issued as part of the package price. No separate
or additional charge may be made for liquor. You can get a
banquet permit for $10 at any local liquor store or agency.
A raffle permit allows a nonprofit organization to raffle liquor
at a specified date and place. The fee is $10 for a single event or
$25 for an annual permit. Please contact the customer service
desk at (360) 664-1600 for an application.
If you have any questions or wish to inquire about
other permits, please call the customer service desk at
(360) 664-1600 or visit the official website of the
Washington State Liquor Control Board at
http://www.liq.wa.gov/default.asp
Norwescon 31 PR Alpha Report v 13