Windycon: Adventure Is Out There

I’ll be at Windycon, Chicagoland’s longest running science fiction convention this weekend, November 10 to 12. Usually about 1,000 members attend. This is an all-volunteer fan-run event, more intimate than mega-conventions, and everyone gets a chance to have fun and conversations with friends and special guests. You can join at the door. It will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Oakbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

This year’s theme: Adventure Is Out There. We’ll have an art show, charity drive, dealers room, gaming, amateur radio broadcast at W9W, workshops, cosplay, theater, music, concerts, panels, science presentations, snacks, beer, and parties. If you see me, say hi!

Here’s my schedule:

Writer’s Workshop, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. A critique-session workshop, usually with doughnuts (thanks, Rich!), prior registration required.

SETI Protocols, Saturday, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., York Room. What are the protocols for alien contact? A lot of people and organizations, such as NASA, have put serious thought into this. We’ll discuss their intractable questions and try to come up with reasonable answers. Sue Burke; J. Taylor, moderator.

The Many Types of Fantasy, Saturday, 8:00 to 9:00 p.m. Ogden Room. From high fantasy to low fantasy — and let’s not forget the popular epic fantasy. Who determines the meaning of these distinctions? Are they different? How many kinds of fantasy are there? Let us count the ways… Richard Chwedyk, R. Garfinkle, Z Jeffries, Angeli Primlani; Sue Burke, moderator.

The Obligatory Dr. Who Panel: Good-Bye Rubber Suits, Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Hunt Room. Has it lost its nostalgic charm since the special effects are better? P. Hahn, J. Skwarski; Sue Burke, moderator (but I have opinions!).