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WisCon 40

Registration update — including free day passes for Friday and Monday!

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Chris Wallish
SF3 Communications Committee

the Registration Desk -- gently cluttered with bookmarks, Registration infoYou have just a few short hours left to register for WisCon using our online registration system!  We’ll be turning that off at 11:59pm Central Time tonight (today’s Thursday, May 19, by the way — the last week before the convention is a blur and we keep forgetting, too).  [Midnight update:  IT’S DEAD, JIM.]

But if you still haven’t quite made up your mind if you’re coming this year, don’t worry!  We will still have at-the-door memberships available when Registration opens at 9:30am on Friday.  We also offer day passes for all four days of the convention.

And speaking of our day passes — for those of you who are on the fence about attending WisCon 40, here’s the really great news…

Friday and Monday day passes are now FREE.  Yes, $0!  ZERO.

(Saturday and Sunday day passes are $25 each.)

So if you’ll be in the Madison area over Memorial Day weekend and you’re interested in checking out this feminist science fiction convention you’ve heard about, please swing by on Friday or Monday for a visit!  Friday would be an especially great day to get a taste of WisCon because there’s The Gathering on Friday afternoon, followed by some of our famous panel programming, Opening Ceremonies, and evening parties (and more panels)!  Monday is a more low-key day, with panels only in the morning and both the Dealers’ Room and Art Show wrapping up around lunchtime, but Monday is also when the SignOut happens if you’re interested in getting any books/comics/&c. signed.

WisCon is only a week away now and we get more and more excited as each day gets crossed off the calendar!  We are really looking forward to seeing all of you who will be joining us this year to honor Sofia Samatar, Justine Larbalestier, and Nalo Hopkinson, and to celebrate 40 years of smashing the patriarchy with science fiction!

WisCon 40

Calling all lovers of baked goods!

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Chris Wallish
SF3 Communications Committee

baked goods on a paper plate
Tempting baked goods!

Sometimes, world domination is best achieved through a bake sale. Every year, WisCon does just that — holding a Saturday bake sale to support the Otherwise Award.

To pull off this delicious fundraiser, we need your help. We are looking for donations of baked goods, preferably home-baked instead of store-bought. We need folks who can contribute a single batch or pan of their favorite dessert. Bakers should provide a list of ingredients in their contributions so that friends with dietary restrictions can choose wisely.

We’re also looking for volunteers to staff the bake sale as counter help for 1-hour shifts from 11am to 4pm on Saturday. Don’t forget that working a shift in the bake sale counts toward the six hours needed for your volunteer rebate!

If you have questions about bringing some baked goods for the sale, or if you’d like to volunteer as counter help, email bakesale@wiscon.net

(Your convention can hold an Otherwise bake sale, too! Details are on the Otherwise site.)

WisCon 40

Nalo Hopkinson Signing at the PM Press Booth

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Report from Planet Midnight Nalo Hopkinson

Gemma
SF3 Communications Committee

Get your sign on!

Saturday, May 28th, Nalo Hopkinson will be at the PM Press Booth from 2:30 – 3:30pm to sign her book Report From Planet Midnight.

Published in 2012, Hopkinson’s Report From Planet Midnight takes on sexism and racism in the publishing industry. Also included is her short stories Message In A Bottle, a time travel story with a twist, Shift, an erotic adventure, and PM Press’ Outspoken Interview with the author.

Nalo Hopkinson is the author of Falling in Love With Hominids, Midnight Robber, and Brown Girl in the Ring. She is a recipient of the John W. Campbell Award, the Andre Norton Award, a two-time recipient of the Sunburst Award for the Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, and the World Fantasy Award. She is also WisCon’s 40 Guest of Honor.

Breaking down the genre walls to open up conversations of race and ethnicity in SF and Fantasy, we’re honored to have Nalo Hopkinson at WisCon! Make sure to head over to the PM Press Booth on Saturday and get your own signed copy of Report From Planet Midnight!

WisCon 40

Tiptree auction seeking donations

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Megan Condis
SF3 Communications Committee

An image of items found at Tiptree Auctions -- books, a tentacle
A sampling of Tiptree Auction items — don’t worry, it gets even stranger and more delightful than this. Tentacles are just the tip of the … iceberg?

Just a reminder that the Tiptree Auction is still seeking weird, wild, and fabulous donations.

The Tiptree Auction is one of the premiere annual events for the James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award — and it’s certainly the highlight of any convention that hosts it. WisCon has been proud to host the Tiptree Auction time and again over the years, and we’re delighted to welcome the auction back again this year.

An image of items found at Tiptree Auctions -- a Space Babe, zap gun, Wonder Woman
Tiptree Auction items range from Space Babe and zap guns to Wonder Woman.

Follow the links for forms to donate books or to donate other items, from jewelry to art to memorabilia.  The sooner we know what wonderful things are coming our way, the better the auction will be!

We’d really love it if you could send donations ahead of time, but if you can’t, we’ll have a donation station at the con on Thursday and Friday.

We are also on the lookout for Auction volunteers.  Contact us here if you are interested in helping out.

Remember: every single dollar from the Auction goes to supporting the James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award.

For more information, check out the Auction FAQ here.

a woman scowls at the camera while displaying blasters
Fans of the Tiptree Award will have the opportunity to bid on a genuine blaster that was once the sidearm of Space Babe, a legendary feminist superhero. (Blaster is modeled here by a Space Babe cosplayer.)
WisCon 40

2016 construction and traffic update for Madison

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Aileen
WisCon 40 Co-Chair

Ah, the four seasons in Wisconsin: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction.

The entire north half of the Capitol Square is currently undergoing heavy road work. Both blocks of Mifflin Street (the side of the Square closest to the Concourse Hotel) and their intersections will most likely be closed to vehicle traffic during the convention. The sidewalks are still open, but if you do plan to walk or roll along the Square you should expect some additional bumpiness. For those of us who like to visit the Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square, the market is running more or less as usual in spite of the dust.

The City of Madison website has additional road construction information.

The construction on the Square has also affected the routes of the Madison Half Marathon and Twilight 10K, which will now send runners down Dayton Street right in front of the Concourse Hotel. The 10K begins on Saturday around 8pm, and the half marathon begins on Sunday at 7am. In both cases our hotel is near the beginning of the racecourse.

The Madison Marathon website has course maps, start times, and other marathon information that you may find useful.

WisCon 40

Be a hero — be a Con Suite ServSafe volunteer!

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Chris W.
Con Suite

A green circle, overlaid with black text reading "I helped feed WisCon 40"One of the most beloved spaces at WisCon is the Con Suite — which makes our Con Suite ServSafe volunteers some of the most important hidden heroes of the convention.

What makes for a Con Suite ServSafe volunteer?  In addition to a commitment to volunteering in the Con Suite for a few hours, you must also have a current ServSafe food safety certificate.  In order for the Con Suite to serve any food, we’re required by our contract with the Concourse Hotel to ensure that all food preparation is overseen by someone with the ServSafe certification.

What do ServSafe volunteers do?  During your shift, you will essentially be the volunteer who supervises all food-handling.  Anyone volunteering in the Con Suite can help prepare food, but ONLY if there’s a ServSafe volunteer who’s overseeing all of the food prep.  You, as that ServSafe volunteer, will keep an eye out that all our food is being prepared safely according to the ServSafe guidelines.  Are all food-handlers washing their hands and wearing gloves?  Is food being stored safely?  Are hot foods are the correct temperature?  And so on.

Why is it so necessary to have ServSafe-certified supervisors?  Well, in a nutshell — we really, really don’t want anyone to get sick.  Those of us who are regular attendees of conventions may be familiar with concrud, but there’s a post-con cold and then there’s norovirus.  WisCon’s Con Suite, in all its years, has never been the source of a food poisoning outbreak, but during WisCon 32 in 2008 we were caught by an epidemic of norovirus that hit Madison.  Our Con Suite wasn’t the source and WisCon wasn’t the only group hit by it — many people who ate at downtown restaurants were also affected as well as lots of people involved in Madison’s Memorial Day marathon.  But because WisCon was the largest single group impacted, the particular strain of norovirus that hit Madison that year has been officially designated “AY502008 (Wiscon).”  Longtime WisCon attendees still refer to this as “Wischolera,” and after that year the Concourse Hotel began requiring that our Con Suite staff be ServSafe certified.

What is ServSafe certification and how do you get it?  The ServSafe certification course is entirely online — you’ll need an internet connection and time enough to complete the course and receive your certificate.  The course takes from an hour to two-and-a-half hours (depending on your personal pace) to complete, but you can stop at any time and return to the course later.  The course is broken into sections and you’re quizzed along the way so that you’re pretty well prepared for the final test at the end.  There is a cost for taking the course, but WisCon will pay for it.

Do you already have a current ServSafe certification in Wisconsin??  OMG, please come join us!  All we’ll need is a copy of your current certificate.

Are there any side effects associated with becoming ServSafe certified?  Well, it’s true that our ServSafe-certified Con Suite volunteers report a complete inability to eat any free food that appears at their day jobs, because who knows how long it’s been sitting out?  So if you have any food anxieties, this is probably not the volunteer task for you (but please do consider some of WisCon’s other at-con volunteer jobs!).

But if you do take up the ServSafe certification mantle, you will become a true hero of the Con Suite and can bask in the satisfaction that YOU helped feed WisCon 40!

For all the details you’ll need on taking the course, getting reimbursed, and choosing a shift, email consuite@wiscon.net!

WisCon 40

WisCon 40 — At-con volunteers needed

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Kristin Livdahl
Volunteers

A purple badge holder that declares "I volunteered at WisCon"WisCon relies on volunteers for all aspects of convention-planning and to ensure a successful and enjoyable weekend for everyone. We still have a variety of volunteer shifts to fill in many departments and these volunteers are critical to our success.

Please contact us at volunteers@wiscon.net for more information on openings, if you have any questions, or to sign up.

Please consider joining us for a shift or more during the convention!

Volunteer positions listed by department

Children’s Programming — Needs 2 people each for Saturday and Sunday from 1-3:45 pm. A background check will be required.

Logistics — Looking for someone local to help with directing the movers for convention set up and tear down.

A/V — Could use a couple volunteers to help with set-up before major events, programming, and parties throughout the weekend.

Con Suite — This area is often understaffed. We need volunteers the entire time the Con Suite is open to provide hospitality to convention goers. We also have a need for a few more volunteers who are ServSafe certified or willing to become certified.

Art Show — This area is also often understaffed. Volunteers are needed to help with set up, tear down, sales, and during the show preview (on Friday night). We have a schedule set-up with lots of openings.

Access — Needs 1-2 people throughout the convention to set up blue tape (early mornings and before Opening Ceremonies, the Tiptree Auction, and the Dessert Salon).

Green Room — Needs volunteers throughout the convention as programming runs.

Registration — Is open almost the entire convention and needs volunteers throughout.

Safety — Various shifts open throughout the weekend. Training provided.

Tiptree Bakesale — Needs volunteers for 1-hour shifts from 11am-4pm on Saturday.

For volunteers interested a more serious time commitment with possible conversion to a ConCom position for Wiscon 41, the Gathering needs an at-con lead! The Gathering is the official start to WisCon — every year on Friday at 1pm sharp!  The Gathering is a fair full of fun, free activities.  This is the time and place to decompress from the rigors of travel, meet friends old and new, make the transition to WisCon space-time, and get into the WisCon frame of mind!

Most of our pre-con Gathering tasks have been handled already, so the remaining set-up will involve: bringing Gathering items out of Storage, making last-minute adjustments to layouts, and fielding donations (books, clothes, nail polish). During the Gathering itself, the at-con Gathering lead is available to give short breaks to volunteers who staff their tables.

This position will require the volunteer to be available on Friday morning and afternoon during the set-up and running of the Gathering itself. Pick-up after the Gathering usually cuts into the first Programming timeslot.”

Thank you!

All volunteers this year will receive a WisCon logo water bottle as a “thank you” gift. Volunteer six or more hours and you will be eligible to request a volunteer rebate.

We look forward to working with you!

WisCon 40

Hotel reminder — Concourse Hotel’s 7-day cancellation policy

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Hotel

WisCon is just 13 days away — and if you have a hotel reservation that you don’t need, now is the time to contact the Concourse to cancel it!

The Concourse’s cancellation policy is:  A reservation must be canceled by 4pm Central Time 7 days prior to arrival, otherwise you’ll be charged 1 night.

If you do need to cancel your reservation, call the Concourse at 1-800-356-8293.

The Concourse does keep a waitlist of reservations who booked at a higher rate and would like to move into the WisCon room block, so canceling your reservation could help another WisCon member save money.

If you’d prefer to transfer your unneeded reservation to another member, you can often connect with someone who needs a room by dropping a note in one of the communities mentioned on our Hotel page under “Want roommates?” or by posting to the WisCon hashtags (#WisCon, #WisCon40) on Twitter.

WisCon 40

WisCon 40 — Announcing our full programming schedule!!!

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Tempest Bradford, Tanya DePass, Joanna Lowenstein, & Stef Maruch
Programming

Hello, Wiscon 40 members!  The long wait for this year’s programming is over. We have thirteen sessions in our academic track, several gaming events throughout the convention, and over one-hundred thirty panels to choose from among ten different tracks.

Here is the full schedule grid!!

If you’re looking for something in particular, the schedule grid is searchable!  There are also three display options — schedule, list, and grid.  Plus, you can use the event types at the top to filter by events, the Gathering, the Writers’ Workshop, the academic track, (panel) program items, readings, kids’ programming, parties, gaming, and the ever-popular “other.”  And did you know that you can click more than one type at a time?  In case your main interests at WisCon are the Writers’ Workshop and parties.  Clicking “all event types” will get you back to the main grid.

We’ve done our best to make sure there’s something for everyone who attends!

Enjoy!

WisCon 40

WisCon 40 — Announcing our Dessert Salon dessert selections

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Dessert Salon

The Dessert Salon team presents your WisCon 40 Dessert Salon Menu. Feast your eyes on the delectable offerings and their despicable allergens in the table below!  Of, if you’d like to manipulate the data to your heart’s content, you can view the allergen table in this Google Sheet.

Tickets are on a pay-what-you-can scale of $10 to $25 and will remain available via our website (you will need an account) through the close of online registration on May 15.

WisCon Dessert Salon allergy guide

Dessert Name Contains These Allergens Does Not Contain These Allergens
Banana Cream Pie with Toasted Almonds contains: gluten, milk, egg, tree nuts, corn does not contain: artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine, coconut
Brazilian Chocolate Pavè contains: gluten, milk, egg, corn does not contain: tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine, coconut
Carrot Cake with Maple Icing contains: gluten, milk, egg does not contain: tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, corn, caffeine, coconut
GF Chocolate Decadence Cake with Whipped Caramel contains: milk, egg, corn does not contain: gluten, tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine, coconut
GF Vegan Chocolate Dipped Strawberries contains: no listed allergens does not contain: gluten, milk, egg, tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, corn, caffeine, coconut
GF Vegan Coconut Budino with Passionfruit Hibiscus Coulis contains: corn, coconut does not contain: gluten, milk, egg, tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine
GF Espresso Cream Coffee Cup Petit Fours contains: milk, corn, caffeine does not contain: gluten, egg, tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, coconut
GF Vegan Fresh Fruit Cups with Strawberries, Blueberries, Pineapple, and Melon contains: no listed allergens does not contain: gluten, milk, egg, tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, corn, caffeine, coconut
Key Lime Pie contains: gluten, milk, egg, artificial color, corn does not contain: tree nuts, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine, coconut
Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake contains: gluten, milk, egg does not contain: tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, corn, caffeine, coconut
Meyer Lemon Meringue Bar contains: gluten, milk, egg, corn does not contain: tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine, coconut
Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Tarts contains: gluten, milk, egg, tree nuts does not contain: artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, corn, caffeine, coconut
Profiteroles with Bavarian Cream and Dark Chocolate Glaze contains: gluten, milk, egg, corn does not contain: tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine, coconut
Raspberry White Chocolate Tartlettes contains: gluten, milk, egg does not contain: tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, corn, caffeine, coconut
Red Velvet Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting contains: gluten, milk, egg, artificial color, corn does not contain: tree nuts, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine, coconut
GF Salted Caramel Pudding with Chantilly Cream contains: milk, egg, corn does not contain: tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, caffeine, coconut
GF Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Dark Sweet Cherries contains: milk, gelatin does not contain: egg, tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, corn, caffeine, coconut
Vegan Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing contains: gluten, soy does not contain: milk, egg, tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, gelatin, corn, caffeine, coconut
GF Vegan Dark Chocolate Coconut Truffle Bar contains: coconut does not contain: gluten, milk, egg, tree nuts, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, corn, caffeine
GF Vegan Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Pistachios contains: tree nuts does not contain:gluten, milk, egg, artificial color, peanuts, soy, gelatin, corn, caffeine, coconut
WisCon 40

WisCon 40 — Announcing our party lineup

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Gretchen & Sooshe
Parties

A good part of the fun at WisCon is the numerous member-hosted parties. Here is the lineup for WisCon40. Check your pocket program or the WisCon app to get the correct time, location, and additional details of each event. See you at WisCon40, and party on, people!

Friday’s events

Carl Brandon Society Party Up!

  • Friday in Room 629
  • Hosted by Nisi Shawl and K. Tempest Bradford of The Carl Brandon Society

Colo(u)r your world(s) with the Carl Brandon Society in celebration of POC representation in the fantastic genres. Make crowns, win award-earning books, give donations, hear about progress in our many programs, hang out. And remember: If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.

SCI-FI SAVED MY LIFE! (A Think Galactic Party)

  • Friday in Room 627
  • Hosted by Jacob Daniel Casella and Elijah Itah of Think Galactic

At SCI-FI SAVED MY LIFE! we want to collect passages and quotes from spec fic stories that have been meaningful or transformative to us personally. Please consider the story that made you realize you loved sci-fi or something you read that shifted your viewpoint, something that resonates with where you are at or want to be, or just a beautiful bit of writing that feeds you. We encourage you to bring short pieces of fiction to share. Also, come dressed as people in need of saving and/or saviors and/or wearing implements of saving. We’d love to see folks in armor, doctors, survivalist gear, life preservers – for example. SCI-FI SAVED MY LIFE! is brought to you by Chicago’s premier leftist sci-fi book group THINK GALACTIC. The current reading list is on thinkgalactic.org.

Saturday’s events

Haiku Earring Party

  • Saturday in Room 627
  • Hosted by Elise Matthesen

The Haiku Earring Party is back after last year’s hiatus! Come be part of a WisCon tradition. There are many many pairs of earrings waiting for you to choose yours, get a title from Elise, and write a haiku. (Well, senryu, usually, but we’re flexible. We’ve even gotten the occasional sonnet.) Come and write, or just come by to visit and read the poetry.

Vid Party

  • Saturday in Room 629
  • Hosted by Melissa Getreu, Sandy Olson, Alexis Lothian, and Gretchen T.

Vids are fan-created remix videos with something to say. They are also super fun. Come join us at WisCon’s 7th annual Vid Party! As usual there will be a sing-along portion with subtitled vids, as well as short shows on various themes (to be announced). #VidParty

Will Do Magic For Small Change Book and CD release Party

  • Saturday in Conference V
  • Hosted by Andrea Hairston and Pan Morigan

This is a release party for Andrea’s new novel, Will Do Magic For Small Change and Pan’s CD–which is songs from Andrea’s novels Redwood and Wildfire and Will Do Magic For Small Change, and from Andrea’s novelette Saltwater Railroad. We’ll do singing and theatre and eat yummy food and get everybody to tell tall tales.

Saturday Night DDP Yoga Party (and Dance Off)

  • Saturday in Conference II
  • Hosted by Jacqueline Gross and Mikki Kendall

We know that yoga can be appropriated but can it also be gendered? Join us as we plumb the mysteries of DDP (Diamond Dallas Page) Yoga, as well as other sources. There may also be dancing at the end. This is a very casual activity. Come ready to laugh and sweat.

Floomp VI: Time Travel

  • Saturday in Assembly
  • Hosted by Liz Gorinsky and Meghan McCarron

Continuing a six-year-old WisCon tradition, The Floomp is a gleeful dance party that seeks to create a queer space for everyone. Beyond the obvious fun of dressing up and dancing our brains out, we aim to foster an inclusive and responsible space for the queer-identified and all their friends. Like its inspiration, The Tiptree Awards, The Floomp remains a safer space to explore and expand ideas of gender with no judgements. DJ Buckminster Fuller and other special guests, including Charlie Jane Anders and Annalee Newitz, will keep the party going all night—or at least until the hotel kicks us out. This year’s theme is Time Travel. Adherence to theme is by no means required, but it’s a fine time to break out your best historic or futuristic duds if you have them.

Sunday’s events

Strange Horizons Tea Party

  • Sunday in Room 627 from 3pm-4:30pm
  • Hosted by Catherine Krahe of Strange Horizons

The Strange Horizons Tea Party offers a variety of tea and treats for you to enjoy as you chat about stunning poetry, insightful articles, critical reviews, inspiring short fiction, eye-opening art, and anything else that comes to mind.

The Robot’s Guide To Love Roboriffic Release Party

  • Sunday in Room 627
  • Hosted by Shayla Dunn and Theo Lorenz

Come join us to color the night away and celebrate the release of The Robot’s Guide To Love Coloring Book by Theo Lorenz. If you are now or ever plan to become a robot, you might just need this book to help you find your perfect dreambot.

By the bi

  • Sunday in Room 629
  • Hosted by Lou Hoffman, Betsy Lundsten, and Colleen Waldie

A Venn diagram of non-monosexuals and fandom would put this party right in the fabulous middle. Come celebrate bisexual, pansexual, queer, unlabeled, and other non-monosexual identies in fandom. Food, drinks, games, what else makes a great party? Will we have live fanfic readings? Will we have a raffle for bi and pan colored swag? You’ll just have to come by to find out. (It WILL be amazing, though. That’s not in dispute.) While this is a celebration of non-monosexual identities, all are welcome.

Monday’s events

Fond Farewell Party

  • Monday in Room 629
  • Hosted by Ctein and Laura Majerus

If you’re still here on Monday night, come join others who are still here for a Fond Farewell party. We’ll have munchies, beverages, and good conversation. It’s the last party for Wiscon 2016! It’ll begin at 9 PM and run until the last fan falls over.