SMOF News, volume 3, issue 44

Penguicon releases a statement, Westercon may wrap itself up, and news in brief.

Penguicon Defends Unspecified Actions

Penguicon has issued a “Board of Director’s [sic] Statement” reiterating its commitment to safe spaces, beginning with:

As an organization created for and by the community it serves, it’s our priority to create as safe a space as possible for all who join us at our events. We want to ensure attending members who are from minority groups that are generally under-represented in spaces like ours find a welcoming environment at Penguicon. To our deep regret and dismay, this year, we made decisions as an organization that played a role in those folks feeling unsafe at the convention, and we have to own that and do better in the future.

While it mentions no specific incident, it is widely believed to be a response to the fallout from Penguicon’s decision to rescind an invitation to Patrick S. Tomlinson after Tomlinson’s stalkers harassed the convention and some of its other guests.

The Board protests that it has limited information and allows that some institutional memory may have been lost, but ultimately feels it made the right decision:

The Board wants to assure our community that we work hard with our Operations team to verify information that we take action on to the best of our abilities, to consider contradictory or maliciously presented information for its worth, and seek out multiple sources, witnesses, prior complaints, or points of evidence that point in the same direction.

We will always choose to inconvenience one person to provide safety to the whole. We would rather see the organization cease to exist than allow genuine harm to come to our fellow community members through our actions or inaction.

Westercon Bid and Possible End

Having been accepted to host Westercon 77, Baycon has now filed a bid to hold Westercon 78 in 2026, again in combination with Baycon’s own event on the traditional Westercon weekend. Baycon’s bid is the only one, and voting will take place at Westercon 76 this weekend in Salt Lake City.

Westercon 76 may also be considering sunsetting itself after Westercon 78 or 79. In response to comments that Westercon may have outlived its usefulness, Kevin Standlee has posted suggested language for a motion to be proposed at the Westercon Business Meeting, should anyone care to introduce it. (Standlee, as the chair of the meeting this year, will not be introducing any proposals himself.)

If the motion passes this year, it will need to be ratified at Westercon 77 next year. By that time there may already be a Westercon 79 planned, so the motion allows for Westercon to cease after that.

In Brief

• Contabile 35 (Norwich, UK, February 7-9) has announced its guests of honor will be Michael Longcor (Overseas GoH), Edwin Brady (UK GoH), and Valerie Housden (Filker Emerita).

• GrandeCon (Grande Prairie, Alberta, July 12-14) has added Tricia Helfer as a guest.

• RetroWorld Expo (Hartford, Connecticut, August 23-25) has added T. C. Carson as a guest.

• Spooky Empire (Charleston, South Carolina, August 23-25) has added John Kassir and Joey Belladonna as guests.

• FanX Salt Lake (Salt Lake City, Utah, September 26-28) has added Michael Biehn, Jennifer Blanc, and Steven John Ward as guests.

• Portland Retro Gaming Expo (Portland, Oregon, September 27-29) has added James Minter and Scott Adams (the game designer, not the cartoonist) as guests.

• The Uncanny Experience (Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 28-29) has added Gui Augustini and Tyler Kirkham as guests.

• Arisia 2025 (Boston, Massachusetts, January 17-20) has added Sarah Morrison as Artist Guest of Honor.

• Game On Expo (Phoenix, Arizona, April 4-6) has added Samantha Béart as guest.

Event Calendar

Weekend of July 5-7

• Yanecon R (61st Japanese national sf convention), Chino, Japan

• Finncon 2024 (Finnish national sf convention), Jyväskylä, Finland

• Westercon 76, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

• InConJunction 43: Metal and Bolts and Gears, Oh My!, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• XXXVII Semana Negra, Gijón, Spain

• Festival Fantazie, Chotěboř, Czech Republic

• Play On Con, Columbiana, Alabama, USA

• CONvergence 2024: Everyone's Invited, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

• BayCon 2024: Pure Imagination, Santa Clara, California, USA

• Little Island FurCon: Bloom & Gloom (anthropomorphic), Singapore

• Anthrocon 2024 (anthropomorphic), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

• KantCon (gaming), Overland Park, Kansas, USA

• EBBG Con (gaming), Oakland, California, USA

• Dice Tower East (gaming), Orlando, Florida, USA

• ShepparCon ‘24: It Will Be Rad! (gaming), Shepperton, UK

• BA-CON Year 3 (anime), Houston, Texas, USA

• Anime Midwest, Rosemont, Illinois, USA

• Anime Expo LA, Los Angeles, California, USA

• TomoFair Utrecht (anime), Utrecht, Netherlands

• Anime ID, Boise, Idaho, USA

• Kogan Con 2024 (anime), Grand Haven, Michigan, USA

• Metrocon (media), Tampa, Florida, USA

• Comiccon de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada

• LeakyCon (media), Portland, Oregon, USA

• London Film & Comic Con, London, UK

• Fan Expo Denver (media), Denver, Colorado, USA

• Avalon Expo 12/Summer (media), St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada

Weekend of July 12-14

• XXXVII Semana Negra, Gijón, Spain

• ConGregate 10, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

• Blerdcon Summer Madness (Black geekdom), Arlington, Virginia, USA

• Readercon 33 (books only), Quincy, MA

• Nullas Anxietas 9 (Discworld), Adelaide, Australia

• Anthro Weekend Utah: YAPerture Science, Layton, Utah, USA

• LevelUp Retreat (gaming), Stamford, Connecticut, USA

• Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France

• Game on the Table Con, San Jose, California, USA

• Con of the Lakes (gaming), Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, USA

• Play Con (gaming), Hurstville, Australiay, France

• Veterans Game Fest 2024, Clovis, California, USA

• CharCon 2024 (gaming), Charleston, West Virginia, USA

• Twisted Lords Con 2024 (gaming), Midwest City, Oklahoma, USA

• MGSCon 2: Cons of Liberty (Metal Gear video games), Long Beach, California, USA

• Tokyo, OK (anime), Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

• MondoCon (anime), Budapest, Hungary

• Japan Expo (anime), Villepinte, France

• Delta H Con (anime), Houston, Texas, USA

• Ai-Kon 2024 (anime), Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

• New World Comic Con 9, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

• Florida Supercon (media), Miami Beach, Florida, USA

• Fanboy Expo Knoxville (media), Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

• Saggeek (media), Saguenay, Québec, Canada

• GrandeCon (media), Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada

• FurMIT (anthropomorphic films), Luodong, Taiwan

• TrotCon 2024 (My Little Pony), Dayton, Ohio, USA

• TFcon Toronto (Transformers), Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

Weekend of July 19-21

• Buffalo NASFiC 2024, Buffalo, New York, USA

• Celsius 232, Avilés, Spain

• Imaginarium Convention, Louisville, Kentucky, USA

• OzCon International (Oz series), Pomona, California, USA

• Costume College 2024: Costumes of Stage and Screen, Los Angeles, California, USA

• Fur-Eh!: World Anthro Games (anthropomorphic), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

• Furway 2024 (anthropomorphic), Brandbu, Norway

• Brazil FurFest 2024: Hotel Assombrado (anthropomorphic), Santos, Brazil

• Eufuria 2024 (anthopomorphic), Albany, New York, USA

• QuinCon 37 (gaming), Quincy, Illinois, USA

• Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (gaming), Parthenay, France

• Ropecon (gaming), Helsinki, Finland

• Gem State Gaming Convention, Boise, Idaho, USA

• Open Gaming Convention 2024, Westford, Massachusetts, USA

• Berlin Brettspiel Con 2024 (gaming), Berlin, Germany

• PretzCon 2024 (gaming), Omaha, Nebraska, USA

• 1d4Con 2024 (gaming), Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, USA

• World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA

• Venger Con III: Revenge of the OSR (RPGs), Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, USA

• Historicon 2024: From Hollywood to Historicon (miniatures gaming), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA

• Southern-Fried Gaming Expo (video games), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• Classic Game Fest (retro video games), Austin, Texas, USA

• TennoCon 2024 (Warframe), London, Ontario, Canada

• Tosho-con (anime), Cranford, New Jersey, USA

• Anime Friends, São Paulo, Brazil

• Anime Messe Babelsberg, Berlin, Germany

• Sydney Manga & Anime Show, Sydney, Australia

• Kitsune Kon (anime), Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA

• JoMoCon (anime), Joplin, Missouri, USA

• Dokidokon (anime), Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA

• Tekko 2024 (anime), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

• KuroNekoCon 2024 (anime), Spokane, Washington, USA

• ConnectiCon XXI (media), Hartford, Connecticut, USA

• The Urban Nerd Con (Black media), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Weekend of July 26-28

• Confluence 2024, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, USA

• NärCon 2024, Linköping, Sweden

• Aurawra (anthropomorphic), Sydney, Australia

• Continuum (gaming), Cranfield, UK

• Fling.con (gaming), Schertz, Texas, USA

• Board Game Days, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

• Go Play NW 2024 (gaming), Seattle, Washington, USA

• World Boardgaming Championships, Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, USA

• GriffCon24 (miniatures gaming), Harlow, UK

• Epic42 With Intel (LAN gaming), Kettering, UK

• Dream Con (anime), Austin, Texas, USA

• AnimeFest, Arlington, Texas, USA

• AnimeCom: Entertainment District Arc, Kingston, Jamaica

• Wasabicon PDX (anime), Portland, Oregon, USA

• AnimeIowa, Coralville, Iowa, USA

• OokiiSoraCon (anime), Helena, Montana, USA

• Anime STX, San Antonio, Texas, USA

• Advík 2024 (anime), Prague, Czechia

• AFA Creators Super Fest 2024 (anime), Singapore

• Pretty Heroes (female-centered anime), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• Comic-Con International, San Diego, California, USA

• Shore Leave 44 (media), Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA

• Alias Entertainment Expo: Battle Arena (media), Tunapuna, Trinidad & Tobago

• Corpus Christi Comic Con, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA

• GalaxyCon Raleigh (media), Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

• Comic Con Manchester, Manchester, UK

• MegaCon Live Manchester (media), Manchester, UK

• GalaCon 2024 (My Little Pony), Waiblingen, Germany

Weekend of August 2-4

• Diversicon 31/Mythcon 53: Fantasies of the Middle Lands, Plymouth, Minnesota, USA

• AMA-CON, Amarillo, Texas, USA

• PulpFest 2024, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

• Surrey Steampunk Convivial, Epsom, UK

• CanFURence 2024: As Seen On TV (anthropomorphic), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

• Gen Con 2024 (gaming), Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

• StarCon (gaming), Rye, New Hampshire, USA

• 24 Hour Board Game Marathon, Ilminster, UK

• AnimagiC (anime), Mannheim, Germany

• Anime Town Louisiana, Gonzales, Louisiana, USA

• Otakon (anime), Washington, DC, USA

• Otakuthon (anime), Montréal, Québec, Canada

• Otakukon 2024: Chuunin Exams (anime), Harare, Zimbabwe

• Really Cool Comic Con, Flint, Michigan, USA

• Bell County Comic Con, Belton, Texas, USA

• Enid Comic Con, Enid, Oklahoma, USA

• Monster-Mania 59 (horror media), Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA

• STLV: 58-Year Mission (Star Trek), Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

• Starfleet International Conference 2024 (Star Trek), Atlanta, Georgia, USA

• CybFest NW (Transformers), Kent, Washington, USA

Coda

• The public demands googly eyes (Associated Press)

Thank you for reading! Send tips, corrections, press releases, and letters of comment to: smofnews@gmx.com.