(Progress Report 1 was mailed in November 1998 to members of WFC 1996, WFC 1997 & WFC 1998. This web version has been modified with changes, but please also check the rest of this web site for other additions.)
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Our theme is "Voyages", many and varied. Quests literal, metaphorical, and personal can all be fantasy's roads. We'll talk about journeying and travelers, about territories, maps, and cartographers. We'll talk about the paths of fantasy literature and the evolution of the genre. And we'll trace the first quarter-century of the World Fantasy Convention itself.
We're planning two tracks of program, plus readings, all of the usual events (the Friday evening autograph reception, Sunday afternoon luncheon and award presentation, etc.), and a few special surprises.
The convention will return to Providence, Rhode Island, site of the first World Fantasy Convention (and the fifth and twelfth, as well) -- but this isn't the Providence you remember. It's a bright and attractive city, with walkways along the waterways, good restaurants, and a new (1993) Rhode Island Convention Center for our daytime program and exhibit space. Guest rooms will be available in both the new Westin Hotel (connected to the RICC by an internal corridor) and a comfortably refurbished Biltmore Hotel. The city is easily accessible by plane, train, and car.
Hotel information will be provided in a future Progress Report.
Artists and Dealers: please provide us with complete contact information, including address, phone number, and email if available. Details of space and rates will be sent to you as soon as they're available.
Attending:
Payment may be made by VISA or MasterCard, or by check payable to "MCFI" (US banks and funds only, please).
Massachusetts Convention Fandom, Inc. (MCFI) is a non-profit corporation organized to promote science fiction and fantasy through the sponsorship of conventions. We can be contacted at:
PO Box 1010
Framingham, Massachusetts 01701 USA
Our fax telephone number is: (+1) 617-776-3243
We're also on the Internet at: info@noreascon.org
Our Web location is: http://www.mcfi.org/wfc
(updated information and links to other sites are available on our Guests of Honor page.)
Patricia A. McKillip's The Forgotten Beasts of Eld won the first World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. She has gone on to bring us dozens of complex characters and worlds representing the best of high fantasy, from the Riddle of Stars trilogy to The Sorceress and the Cygnet, The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Winter Rose, and Song for the Basilisk.
Charles de Lint has defined the contemporary urban fantasy, in both the real cities of Canada and the imaginary city of Newford, with novels such as Moonheart and Jack the Giant Killer, and several World Fantasy Award nominees including "Paperjack" and "The Conjure Man".
Robert Silverberg has developed the territory outside traditional fantasy with everything from personal-scale works such as The Book of Skulls through Star of Gypsies, To The Land of the Living, and the epic Majipoor chronicles. He is also the founding editor of the New Dimensions series of original anthologies.
Leo & Diane Dillon have been creating award-winning fantasy art for over thirty years. Their work, in a wide variety of media, combines contemporary styles with influences from around the world, complementing everything from literate fantasies to folktales for children. They received the Caldecott Award for their artwork for Ashanti to Zulu and Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears.
Samuel R. Delany is known both as an author (The Einstein Intersection, the Nevèrÿon cycle) and as a teacher and scholar; his writings from The Jewel-Hinged Jaw to The New York Review of Science Fiction have extended the boundaries of criticism of fantastic literature.
John M. Ford is the author of The Dragon Waiting and "Winter Solstice: Camelot Station", both World Fantasy Award-winning works. He is also notorious as the improvising "Ask Dr. Mike", answering questions of science and philosophy with equal aplomb.
(An updated membership list is available.)
| Erik Arthur Bonnie Atwood Ted Atwood Judy Bemis Seth Breidbart Ann Broomhead Rebekah Memel Brown James L. Cambias Diana Cormier James J. Daly Charles de Lint Samuel R. Delany Steven desJardins Diane Dillon Leo Dillon John R. Douglas Fred Duarte Jo Fletcher George Flynn John M. Ford Pam Fremon | Christopher Friedline Esther M. Friesner Jack Gonzalez Karen Haber MaryAnn Harris Irene Harrison Art Henderson Becky Henderson Lisa Hertel Mark Hertel Chip Hitchcock Peggy Hu Diane Kelly Allan Kent Elise Matthesen Linda McAllister Rich McAllister Patricia A. McKillip Scott Neely Mark L. Olson Priscilla Olson | Tony Parker Steve Pasechnick Gary L. Plumlee Faye Ringel Mary Tafuri Ross Marlene Y. Satter Robert Silverberg Davey Snyder Carol Springs Tim Szczesuil Carolyn Tallan Michael Tallan Cecilia Tan Patricia A. Vandenberg David Weidl Guest of RK Weiner Robert K. Weiner Gene Wolfe Scott Wyatt |
In the days when ship captains were people of note in their home towns, it was customary for a captain who had returned from a long voyage to put a pineapple in front of his house. (This motif became permanent for those who grew wealthy from the sea; in Annapolis and Newport, among others, fine houses have wooden pineapples on the gateposts.) Simply read, it was a sign that the voyager was "at home", so the pineapple is commonly used as a symbol of hospitality.
More broadly, it meant, "I have returned from distant places with strange new goods", "I am available to talk about my voyage" -- and, on a more practical note, "I'm ready to do business about the goods I've brought back." All of these are appropriate extensions of our theme: we are all interested in the goods and experiences brought by returning voyagers, and many of us come to World Fantasy Conventions to do business over the results of our own voyages.
Our metaphorical pineapples are different in one particular: according to a
Hawaiian friend, the finest pineapples are consumed as they're harvested and never
make it out of the fields, but we hope everyone will bring their especially prized
tales and experiences to this convention.
The city of Providence has strong ties to the fantasy genre. One of Providence's notable citizens was H.P. Lovecraft, who deeply identified with Providence, declaring it the only "livable" city.
Seeking to bring the wide-ranging scope of science fiction to the horror genre, Lovecraft was inspired by the Gothic-style College Hill atmosphere and the abundant colonial architecture. Providence was such an important city to Lovecraft that he chose "I Am Providence" as his epitaph.
Providence has many attractions for visitors to explore -- museums, theaters, historic sites, colleges and universities, an award-winning zoo, and world-class dining.
More information about the city will be in Progress Report 2, and can be found at http://www.ProvidenceRI.com/home.html.
25th World Fantasy Convention Membership Registration Form
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