Readercon

Readercon
StatusActive
GenreScience fiction
VenueBoston Marriott Burlington
Location(s)Boston, Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
InauguratedJune 26, 1987
Websitehttps://readercon.org/

Readercon is an annual science fiction convention, typically held every July in the Boston, Massachusetts area, currently taking place in Burlington, Massachusetts. It was founded by Bob Colby and Eric Van in 1987[1] with the goal of focusing almost exclusively on science fiction, fantasy, slipstream and speculative fiction in the written form. On the rare occasion that there is a discussion held about non-written science fiction, it will have a tongue-in-cheek title such as "Our biannual media panel".[2]

Each convention has at least one guest of honor. Past guests of honor have included authors such as Greer Gilman, Gene Wolfe, Octavia E. Butler, Samuel R. Delany, Karen Joy Fowler, Brian Aldiss, Nalo Hopkinson, Joe Haldeman, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Peter Straub, and China Miéville, and editors such as Ellen Datlow and David G. Hartwell. The convention also makes a point of honoring a deceased author as the Memorial Guest of Honor. In 2009, for instance, the guests of honor were the living writers Elizabeth Hand and Greer Gilman and the memorial guest of honor was Hope Mirrlees.[3]

As of 2012, attendance at the convention has been consistently around 850 for several years.[4]

From 2005 to 2011, Readercon was the official venue for presentation of the Rhysling Award.[5] It has hosted the Shirley Jackson Awards since their founding in 2007.[6]

Conventions

At least one Guest of Honor and typically one Memorial Guest of Honor are featured during each convention.[7]

Year Dates Name Venue Location Guests of Honor Memorial Chair Program
1987 June 27–28 Readercon 1 Holiday Inn of Brookline Brookline, MA Gene Wolfe Philip K. Dick
1988 November 18–20 Readercon 2 Lowell Hilton Lowell, MA Samuel R. Delany Theodore Sturgeon
1990 March 30-April Readercon 3 Lowell Hilton Lowell, MA John Crowley, Thomas M. Disch T. H. White RC3 Program Guide
1991 July 12–14 Readercon 4 Worcester Marriott Worcester, MA Barry N. Malzberg, John Clute RC4 Program Guide
1992 July 10–12 Readercon 5 Worcester Marriott Worcester, MA Michael Bishop, Richard M. Powers James Tiptree Jr. RC5 Program Guide
1993 July 9–11 Readercon 6 Worcester Marriott Worcester, MA Brian Aldiss, Judith Merril H. G. Wells RC6 Program Guide
1994 July 8–10 Readercon 7 Worcester Marriott Worcester, MA Ursula K. LeGuin, Terri Windling Cordwainer Smith RC7 Program Guide
1996 July 12–14 Readercon 8 Boston Marriott Westborough Westborough, MA William Gibson, Larry McCaffrey Alfred Bester RC8 Program Guide
1997 July 11–13 Readercon 9 Boston Marriott Westborough Westborough, MA Kim Stanley Robinson, Algis Budrys Cyril M. Kornbluth RC9 Program Guide
1998 July 10–12 Readercon 10 Boston Marriott Westborough Westborough, MA Bruce Sterling, Lisa Goldstein Leigh Brackett RC10 Program Guide
1999 July 9–11 Readercon 11 Westin Waltham Waltham, MA Harlan Ellison, Ellen Datlow Gerald Kersh RC11 Program Guide
2000 July 21–23 Readercon 12 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Michael Moorcock, Suzy McKee Charnas Mervyn Peake RC12 Program Guide
2001 July 13–15 Readercon 13 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Michael Swanwick, David Hartwell Clifford D. Simak RC13 Program Guide
2002 July 12–14 Readercon 14 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Octavia E. Butler, Gwyneth Jones John Brunner RC14 Program Guide
2003 July 11–13 Readercon 15 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Hal Clement, Rudy Rucker, Howard Waldrop R. A. Lafferty RC15 Program Guide
2005 July 8–10 Readercon 16 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Joe Haldeman, Kate Wilhelm Henry Kuttner, C. L. Moore RC16 Program Guide
2006 July 7–9 Readercon 17 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA China Miéville, James K. Morrow Jorge Luis Borges RC17 Program Guide
2007 July 5–8 Readercon 18 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Lucius Shepard, Karen Joy Fowler Angela Carter RC18 Program Guide
2008 July 17–20 Readercon 19 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Jonathan Lethem, James Patrick Kelly Stanislaw Lem RC19 Program Guide
2009 July 9–12 Readercon 20 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Elizabeth Hand, Greer Gilman Hope Mirrlees RC20 Program Guide
2010 July 8–11 Readercon 21 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Nalo Hopkinson, Charles Stross Olaf Stapledon RC21 Program Guide
2011 July 14–17 Readercon 22 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Geoff Ryman, Gardner Dozois Mark Twain RC22 Program Guide
2012 July 12–15 Readercon 23 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Peter Straub, Caitlín R. Kiernan Shirley Jackson RC23 Program Guide
2013 July 11–14 Readercon 24 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Maureen F. McHugh, Patricia A. McKillip Roger Zelazny RC24 Program Guide
2014 July 10–13 Readercon 25 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Andrea Hairston, Kit Reed Mary Shelley RC25 Program Guide
2015 July 9–12 Readercon 26 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Nicola Griffith, Gary K. Wolfe Joanna Russ RC26 Program Guide
2016 July 7–10 Readercon 27 Boston Quincy Marriott Quincy, MA Catherynne M. Valente, Tim Powers Diana Wynne Jones) RC27 Program Guide
2017 July 13–16 Readercon 28 Boston Quincy Marriott Quincy, MA Naomi Novik, Nnedi Okorafor Tanith Lee RC28 Program Guide
2018 July 12–15 Readercon 29 Boston Quincy Marriott Quincy, MA Ken Liu, Nisi Shawl E. Nesbit RC29 Program Guide
2019 July 11–14 Readercon 30 Boston Quincy Marriott Quincy, MA Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones[8] Edward Bryant RC30 Program Guide
2021 August 13–15 Readercon 31 online Jeffrey Ford, Ursula Vernon[9] Vonda N. McIntyre RC31 Program Guide
2023 July 13–16 Readercon 32 Boston Quincy Marriott Quincy, MA Jeff VanderMeer, Justina Ireland[10] L.A. Banks RC32 Program Guide
2024 July 11–14 Readercon 33 Boston Quincy Marriott Quincy, MA Rebecca Roanhorse, Amal El-Mohtar[11] Naomi Mitchison RC33 Program Guide
2025 July 17–20 Readercon 34 Boston Marriott Burlington Burlington, MA Cecilia Tan and P. Djèlí Clark[12] Charles R. Saunders Readercon 34

References

  1. ^ Shanahan, Mark (June 23, 2005). "His numbers are in the ballpark". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  2. ^ Gunderson, Matt (July 13, 2006). "Glitz an alien concept to these sci-fi fans". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  3. ^ "Readercon: Guests". Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  4. ^ Fox, Rose (July 2, 2012). "Readercon is close to selling out of memberships!". Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  5. ^ Silver, Steven H (July 13, 2009). "Rhysling Winners". SF Site News. SF Site. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  6. ^ "The Shirley Jackson Awards". Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  7. ^ "Readercons Past". Readercon. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  8. ^ "Readercon30 Guests". Readercon. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Readercon31 Guests". Readercon. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  10. ^ "Readercon32 Guests". Readercon. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Readercon33 Guests". Readercon. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Readercon 34". Readercon. Retrieved 3 July 2025.


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