SMOF News, volume 2, issue 32
COVID and ghosting at Sakura-Con, and news in brief.
COVID Policy Trips Up Ghosting Participant At Sakura-Con
Lisa Wallen, comedian and Twitch streamer, was scheduled to do some comedy at Sakura-Con in Seattle this past weekend, but then things went wrong:
after the first 5 min of my set, a guy walked up and told me the panel was cancelled cause I wasn’t wearing a mask. NOBODY enforced it when I was there (cause I’m performing sorry). It was HORRIBLY unprofessional and luckily I came back after that. Seriously fuck @SakuraCon
he didn’t even ask me to put one on the whole time I was waiting to go up. he just walked up during my set and told me I need to leave. I convinced them to let me continue after 10 MINUTES but it fucked up my set and I cannot believe how horribly rude and embarrassing it was.
Sakura-Con’s COVID-19 policy states that masks must be worn at all times except in designated eating and drinking areas. Failure to do so subjects the member to a “three strikes” policy of escalating consequences, detailed on the main policy page. The COVID-19 policy also states that the member’s badge will be marked.
Whether Wallen’s badge had previous strikes against it is not clear, because it was not her badge.
At the start of the convention, Wallen tweeted a complaint about Sakura-Con badges not being free for all program participants. Rey Cabato, who organized the item that included Wallen, also complained, blaming Sakura-Con’s for a weirdly narrow definition of “Asian culture”:
I’ve properly submitted 2 acts @wisalallen and @LemarTheConGuy only to be told day 0 we don’t meet the requirements of “sharing Asian culture” so we don’t qualify for badges. I’m an Asian comedian, comedy has been at the forefront of sharing culture since it’s inception
Sakura-Con’s policy on comped memberships (PDF) requires 3 hours of “on-topic” content or 4 hours of other content to qualify 2 people, and additional time for more people. Cabato’s combined item ran only 90 minutes, so it would not have qualified anyone, regardless of what category it fell into.
The policy also makes it clear that no one should have been surprised after arriving at the convention:
Panelists will be notified if they qualify for membership reimbursement once all panels have been approved in March. If you haven't heard from us by that time but feel that you qualify, please contact the Panels Coordinator at panels@sakuracon.org.
A few hours before the comedy set, Wallen announced that she had found a workaround:
problem solved! someone is giving me their badge after they leave so please still come to the show! 9 PM @ Panels 4 347-348
Sakura-Con’s registration FAQ is very clear that memberships are not transferable.
Wallen followed that tweet up with a challenge to con security to remove her.
Sakura-Con has not yet commented publicly on the incident.
In Brief
The 2025 Eastercon (the UK’s national science fiction convention) will be Reconnect, in Belfast, April 18-21. Guests of Honor will be Lauren Beukes, Derek Landy, Jeanette Ng, Rebecca Roanhorse, William Simpson, and Ian McDonald.
Jane Yolen, Author Guest of Honor for Balticon 57 (Baltimore, Maryland, May 26-29) will be unable to attend for personal reasons. Her son, author Adam Stemple, will appear instead. Yolen is working with Balticon to provide some pre-recorded content.
Indiana Comic Convention (Indianapolis, Indiana, May 5-7) has added Adam Savage, Matt Lanter, Tom Cavanagh, and Ryan Colt Levy as guests.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 21-23) has added Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Rose McGowan as guests.
The winner of the first European Fan Fund vote is Matylda Naczyńska. Naczyńska will attend this year’s Eurocon, Konflikt (Uppsala, Sweden, June 9-11) with the help of EFF funding.
The official pizza of Gen Con (Indianapolis, Indiana, August 3-6) will be The Queen’s Hambit, “with pulled pork, BBQ sauce, ham, onions, pickles and a special spicy mustard drizzle.” Voting is currently open to pick the style of its official beer.
Event Calendar
Weekend of April 14-16
Swancon 47, Maylands, Australia
HAL-CON 2023, Kawasaki, Japan
Les Intergalactiques 2023, Lyon, France
221B Con (Sherlock Holmes), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Las Vegas Fur Con 2023: The Enfurtainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Jack Williamson Lectureship 2023: Climates of Empire, Portales, New Mexico, USA
Conpulsion 2023 (gaming), Edinburgh, UK
MEPACON (gaming), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
CODCON XXVI (gaming), Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
VGM Con: Oops, All Zelda (videogames/music), Plymouth, Minnnesota, USA
Harucon (anime), Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria
Riverwalk Anime, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Comic-Con Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Bold City Con (media), Jacksonville, Florida, USA
SC Comicon, Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Quad Cities Comic Con, Davenport, Iowa, USA
Supanova 2023 – Gold Coast (media), Broadbeach, Australia
Dairycon 2023: The Moo Generation (Transformers), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA
Weekend of April 21-23
RavenCon 16, Richmond, Virginia, USA
ConStellation 12: Age of Aquarius, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
HELIOsphere, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
LuxCon 2023, Dudelange, Luxembourg
Concinnity 2023, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
JordanCon (fantasy literature), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention, Lombard, Illinois, USA
Penguicon 2023 (sf/open source), Southfield, Michigan, USA
Costume-Con 39: Things That Go Bump in the Night, San Jose, California, USA
Farmageddon IX (gaming), Farmer City, Illinois, USA
Cheyenne Gaming Convention, Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA
Rising Phoenix GameCon, Milford, Massachusetts, USA
LexiCon 2023 (gaming), Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Jeu au Boute (boardgames), Chertsey, Québec, Canada
Nashville Tabletop Day 2023 (boardgames), Nashville, Tennessee, USA
CoMo Retro Con (retro video games), Columbia, Missouri, USA
Omnicon Symphony (anime), Cookeville, Tennessee, USA
Mang’Azur (anime), Toulon, France
Anime St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, USA
Saluki Con (anime), Carbondale, Illinois, USA
Mobile Bay Anime Festival, Daphne, Alabama, USA
Anime Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Anime Town Utah, Sandy, Utah, USA
FicZone 2023 (anime), Granada, Spain
Beta Quest 2023 (anime), Kingsland, Georgia, USA
Ithacon 2023 (comics), Ithaca, New York, USA
Sci-Fi Scarborough (media), Scarborough, UK
Yellow City Comic Con 2023, Amarillo, Texas, USA
Fayetteville Comic Con, Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
El Paso Comic Con, El Paso, Texas, USA
Wicked Comic Con, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Sci-Fi on the Rock (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Supanova 2023 – Melbourne (media), Broadbeach, Australia
PortmeiriCon (The Prisoner), Portmeirion, UK
Weekend of April 28-30
Tulkon, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
OmegaCon (relaxacon), Siren, Wisconsin, USA
Ice and Fire Convention (Song of Ice and Fire series), Mt. Sterling, Ohio, USA
Scheibenwelt Convention (Discworld), Witzenhausen, Germany
Malice Domestic 35 (mysteries), Bethesda, Maryland, USA
UBCon XXXII (gaming), Buffalo, New York, USA
Chupacabracon IX (gaming), Round Rock, Texas, USA
2023 Gaming Hoopla, Mundelein, Illinois, USA
Buckeye Game Fest 2023, Columbus, Ohio, USA
LoBsterCon XXIV: Couple Dozen (boardgames), Eastbourne, UK
LAN All Night VII: SpaceLAN (LAN gaming), Grapevine, Texas, USA
Recon 2023: Infantry! (miniatures gaming), Kissimmee, Florida, USA
Little Wars 2023: Damn the Torpedoes! (miniatures gaming), Lisle, Illinois, USA
Warhammer Fest 2023 (Warhammer miniatures game), Manchester, UK
aniMUC (anime), Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany
Castle Point Anime Convention, Seacaucus, New Jersey, USA
LoboCon (anime), Rohnert Park, California, USA
Heroes Made in Asia (anime), Gorinchem, Netherlands
Oz-Con (anime), West Plains, Missouri, USA
Manga-Comic-Con, Leipzig, Germany
MondoCon 2023 (anime), Budapest, Hungary
ExpOtaku Vitoria-Gasteiz 2023 (anime), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Fangaea (media), San Diego, California, USA
Causeacon (media), Beckley, West Virginia, USA
Mini-Mini Con (media), Balcones Heights, Texas, USA
ASU Nerd Con (media), Boone, North Carolina, USA
Central Texas Comic Con, Waco, Texas, USA
Weekend of May 5-7
Starbase DemiCon: A New World, Urbandale, Iowa, USA
Na meji nevidnega, Ljubljana, Slovenia
AtomaCon 2023, North Charleston, South Carolina, USA
ChupacabraCon IX (gaming), San Marcos, Texas, USA
WagonCon 6 (gaming), The Dalles, Oregon, USA
Heroicon (gaming), Decatur, Illinois, USA
Festival Alchemie du Jeu (gaming), Toulouse, France
Congress of Gamers Spring Session, Rockville, Maryland, USA
San Marino Game Convention, San Marino
1d4Con 2023 (gaming), Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA
Indiana Comic Convention, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
SoCal Gaming Expo (video games), Ontario, California, USA
Game Jam South (video games), Huntsville, Alabama, USA
MagicCon (Magic: the Gathering CCG), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Shine Con (anime), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Kogaracon (anime), Edison, New Jersey, USA
Anime Arizona, Mesa, Arizona, USA
Animefest 2023, Brno, Czechia
Pokheimon Festival, Heimsbrunn, France
Northern FanCon (media), Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
Saratoga Comic Con, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA
Apopkon (media), Apopka, Florida, USA
Contropolis Pennsylvania (media), Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA
The Hero Con (media), Fort Meyers, Florida, USA
Weekend of May 12-14
SFeraKon 2023, Zagreb, Croatia
Glasgow International Fantasy Conversations (symposium), online
Furry Weekend Atlanta: The Lost City, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Furry Down Under 2023 (anthropomorphic), Surfers Paradise, Australia
Game Market, Tokyo, Japan
North Star (sf RPGs), Sheffield, UK
Lan ETS (LAN gaming), Montréal, Québec, Canada
Tsunami 41 (anime), Mérida, Mexico
Kameha Con 5 (anime), Allen, Texas, USA
PuchiCon (anime), Atlantc City, New Jersey, USA
IberAnime, Lisboa, Portugal
Hazard Con (anime), Erie, Pennsylvania, USA
Metrotham Con Episode IV: Return of the '90s (media), Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
Geek Days Lille (media), Lille, France
Coda
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