SMOF News, volume 2, issue 43
Press and cons, and news in brief.
How To Convention: Being the Press
The convention world recognizes two types of press. The professional press ranges from traditional newspapers to niche online-only outlets specializing in geek topics. Fan press includes blogs, fanzines, podcasts, and so forth.
In general, members of the professional press are making a living at it (or trying to), while the fan press is just writing for fun. But the key distinction is that the fan press are fans, who would be going to conventions anyway regardless of whether they get around to writing about the cons, while the professional press is only showing up because it’s part of the job. For that reason, only the professional press is offered free passes.
At local conventions, the process may be as simple as handing a badge to anyone who shows up and flashes a credible-looking credential. Larger and more prominent events require pre-con applications, with more and more elaborate procedures for verifying that an outlet exists, that it has a real audience, and that the person requesting a pass actually works for it.
But the fan press is not entirely forgotten. Science fiction conventions in particular, due to their long symbiotic relationship with fanzines, will often allow members of the fan press to wear a press button and have some of the same privileges allowed to the professional press, such as preferred seating and use of dedicated interview space. Some conventions will go so far as to require anyone planning to write about the con to stop by the press office and pick up a button, figuring that the button serves as a warning to other attendees that their conversations may be publicly reported on.
In Brief
Contabile 34, a prospective UK filk convention, is running a survey to see how much interest there is in attending its planned facility on its planned dates.
Guests of Honor for LibertyCon 36 (Chattanooga, Tennesse, June 21-23, 2024) will be M. D. Cooper (literary), Leia Powell (artist), Chuck Rosenfeld (STEM), Kacey Ezell (Master of Ceremonies), Bill Fawcett (special), and Jody Lynn Nye (special).
Retro World Expo (Hartford, Connecticut, August 26-27) has added Tim Kitzrow and Dan Larson.
Flame Con (New York City, August 12-13) has added Alyssa Wong as a guest.
FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, September 21-23) has added Jared Padalecki, Samantha Smith, Genevieve Padalecki, Arthur Darvill, Nick Carter, Zach Aguilar, Cristina Vee, and Daniel Logan as guests.
Event Calendar
Weekend of June 30-July 2
SoonerCon 31, Norman, Oklahoma, USA
Festival Fantazie, Chotěboř, Czech Republic
BayCon 2023: A Night at the Space Opera, Santa Clara, California, USA
Anthrocon 2023: Anthropolis: Our Furry City (anthropomorphic), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Paris est Ludique! (gaming), Paris, France
DexLite (gaming), Morristown, New Jersey, USA
RAGECON 2023 (gaming), Sparks, Nevada, USA
ShepparCon ‘23 (gaming), Shepperton, UK
Delta H Con (anime), Houston, Texas, USA
DoKomi (anime), Düsseldorf , Germany
Sydney Manga & Anime Show, Sydney, Australia
Anime Expo 2023, Los Angeles, California, USA
BA-CON 2023 (anime), Pasadena, Texas, USA
Kowai Con (anime horror), Pflugerville, Texas, USA
Fan Expo Denver (media), Denver, Colorado, USA
Avalon Expo 10/X (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
Nickel City Comic Con, Buffalo, New York, USA
Hershey Comic Con, Grantville, Pennsylvania, USA
Florida Supercon (media), Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Weekend of July 7-9
Finncon 2023 (Finnish national sf convention), Tampere, Finland
InConJunction 42: Space is Big, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
XXXVI Semana Negra, Gijón, Spain
Festival Fantazie, Chotěboř, Czech Republic
Play On Con, Columbiana, Alabama, USA
Edge-Lit, Derby, UK
CONvergence 2023: All Dressed Up..., Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Tremendicon 2023, Springfield, Missouri, USA
Blerdcon Fae'd to Black (Black geekdom), Arlington, Virginia, USA
Fur-Eh! 2023: Broadway Tails (anthropomorphic), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
East Coast Gaming Expo, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA
Dice Tower East (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA
Video Game Summit, McCook, Illinois, USA
Gem State Gaming Convention, Boise, Idaho, USA
Okashicon (anime), Pflugerville, Texas, USA
OokiiSoraCon (anime), Helena, Montana, USA
Anime Blues Con, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Anime Midwest, Rosemont, Illinois, USA
Anime Texas, Houston, Texas, USA
Atsusacon 2023: Into Another World - Isekai Edition (anime), Ghent, Belgium
KuroNekoCon 2023 (anime), Spokane, Washington, USA
ExpOtaku Torremolinos 2023 (anime), Torremolinos, Mexico
Shore Leave 43 (media), Hunt Valley, Maryland, USA
Fanboy Expo Knoxville (media), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
London Film & Comic Con, London, UK
Eternal Con (media), Hampstead, New York, USA
TrotCon 2023 (My Little Pony), Dayton, Ohio, USA
CybFest NW (Transformers), Kent, Washington, USA
30th Anniversary X-Files Fan Fest, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA
Weekend of July 14-16
Estcon 2023 (Estonian national sf convention), Udu, Estonia
Diversicon 30: The Con on the Edge of Forever, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA
ConGregate 9, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Imaginarium Convention, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Readercon 32 (books only), Quincy, MA
Once and Future Fantasies (symposium), Glasgow, UK
Anthro Weekend Utah: Double Awu Seven, Layton, Utah, USA
Brazil FurFest 2023: Universidade Furry (anthropomorphic), Santos, Brazil
Furway 2023 (anthropomorphic), Brandbu, Norway
QuinCon 36 (gaming), Quincy, Illinois, USA
Mega XP (gaming), Mexico City, Mexico
KantCon: Just Game (gaming), Overland Park, Kansas, USA
LevelUp Retreat (gaming), Stamford, Connecticut, USA
Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France
ConQuest Fresno (gaming), Clovis, California, USA
Phoenix Con (gaming), Appleton, Wisconsin, USA
Final Boss Con (gaming), Rio Grande, Ohio, USA
CharCon 2023 (gaming), Charleston, West Virginia, USA
Ettin Con 2023 (gaming), online
Berlin Brettspiel Con 2023 (gaming), Berlin, Germany
Open Gaming Convention 2023, Westford, Massachusetts, USA
Houston Gaming Expo (video games), Houston, Texas, USA
MAGWest 2023 (video games), San Jose, California, USA
MGSCon (Metal Gear video games), Los Angeles, California, USA
Anime Friends, São Paulo, Brazil
Tokyo, OK (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Akaicon (anime), Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
MondoCon (anime), Budapest, Hungary
Animethon 2023, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Ai-Kon 2023 (anime), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Japan Expo 2023 (anime), Villepinte, France
Pretty Heroes (female-centered anime), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
8-Bit Block Party (media), New Braunfels, Texas, USA
Metrocon (media), Tampa, Florida, USA
Comiccon de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Polarity (Doctor Who), Coventry, UK
Above, Below, & Beyond (Beauty and the Beast TV show), San Diego, California, USA
TFcon Toronto (Transformers), Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Weekend of July 21-23
Pemmi-Con (2023 NASFiC), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Celsius 232, Avilés, Spain
Confluence 2023, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA
Fur Out West: Candyland 2023 (anthropomorphic), Scarborough, Western Australia, AustraliaBoard Game Days, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Venger Con II: Electric Boogaloo (gaming), Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France
Fling.con (gaming), New Braunfels, Texas, USA
Twisted Lords Con 2023 (gaming), Midwest City, Oklahoma, USA
24 Hour Board Game Marathon 2023, Ilminster, UK
World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA
Historicon 2023: America: Expansion and Civil War (miniatures gaming), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
Classic Game Fest (retro video games), Austin, Texas, USA
Tosho-con (anime), Cranford, New Jersey, USA
Anime Messe Babelsberg, Berlin, Germany
Kitsune Kon (anime), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA
ExpOtaku Tarragona (anime), Tarragona, Spain
Tekko 2023 (anime), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
AkaiCon 2023 (anime), Lebanon, Tennsesse, USA
Kogan Con 2023 (anime), Grand Haven, Michigan, USA
AFA Creators Super Fest Singapore 2023 (anime), Singapore
Comic-Con International, San Diego, California, USA
ConnectiCon XX (media), Hartford, Connecticut, USA
Saggeek 2023 (media), Saguenay, Québec, Canada
MAPLD Fan Fest (media), Matteson, Illinois, USA
The Urban Nerd Con (Black media), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Weekend of July 28-30
NärCon 2023, Linköping, Sweden
Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien (symposium), Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
OzCon International (Oz series), Pomona, California, USA
Costume College 2023: Cosplay: Fairytales, Fiction, and Fantasy, Los Angeles, California, USA
Ropecon: Menneisyys ja Tulevaisuus (gaming), Helsinki, Finland
World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA
Continuum (gaming), Oadby, UK
PretzCon 2023 (gaming), Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (video games), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Epic.LAN (LAN gaming), Wolverhampton, UK
Maple Gel Con (Tales video game series), Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dream Convention (anime), Austin, Texas, USA
Otakon (anime), Washington, DC, USA
AnimeFest, Dallas, Texas, USA
Tokyo in Tulsa: Worlds Collide (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
Anime Com Fest, Kingston, Jamaica
Wasabicon PDX (anime), Portland, Oregon, USA
Dream Con (anime), Arlington, Texas, USA
Dokidokon (anime), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
AnimeIowa, Coralville, Iowa, USA
Anime Impulse Bay Area, San Mateo, California, USA
New World Comic Con 8, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Alias Entertainment Expo: Rise of the Dragon (media), Tunapuna, Trinidad & Tobago
Corpus Christi Comic Con, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
GalaxyCon Raleigh (media), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
TERRIFICON (media), Uncasville, Connecticut, USA
Tampa Bay Comic Convention, Tampa, Florida, USA
UK Comic Con, Manchester, UK
MegaCon Live Manchester (media), Manchester, UK
GalaCon 2023 (My Little Pony), Waiblingen, Germany
Coda
The 9 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World (Architectural Digest, hat tip: File 770)
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