I’m going to be completely honest: I struggle with writing. Sure, I enjoy plotting out the beats to my indigenous fantasy series or adding occasional chapters to my AU noir/crossover fan fiction (yes, you read that correctly). More often than not, however, I end up staring at my computer like Steve Coogan in Hamlet 2, gobsmacked at how incredibly and profoundly hard stories can be to create.
Other writers and artists inspire me, which was one of my primary motivations for attending my first Worldcon in person. I wanted to light that fire in my belly once more, to feel that spark in the fingertips when a narrative truly takes hold. Worldcon seemed like the answer, and like a scrap of steel striking flint, certain programs and workshops have produced a spark here and there.
And then we arrived at the masquerade, where everything finally ignited in my mind.
William Dezoma, master of ceremonies for the event, made a wonderful point along the way: “Costuming is for everybody. It’s about immersing yourself. Be courageous! Be magnificent!” His words were spot on. As the audience reveled in the creativity of the entrants and cheered the magnificent performance of Raks Geek, I came to appreciate Oscar Wilde’s declaration that “life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” Stories breathe life into our days. They create music in our minds and give rhythm to our steps. These tales, the ones that really matter and mean something to someone, make us dance. Yes, we may stumble along the way. We may feel the flames go dim from time to time, but as long as we have the courage to try again, we will find our inspiration.
I am grateful to Chicon 8 for giving me a renewed sense of courage and the motivation to make something new. As Day Four begins and we look forward to the Hugo Awards, which will be streaming on our YouTube channel at 8 pm, I hope you too will be inspired to create and enjoy the stories all around us.
Rex Allen Hughes, Newsletter Editor
Chicon Updates
Hugo Ceremony Streaming Details
The Hugo Award Ceremony will be streaming on YouTube! The channel has been embedded below and will be added to our Hugo updates tomorrow. You can also save this channel as a bookmark in your browser or set to “Watch Later” in your YouTube account.
The ceremony is not being streamed on Airmeet!
Art Show Winners
Best in Show: Vincent DiFate, “The Outer Reach”
Best 2D Work: Eric Wilkerson, “Alien Lives Matter”
Best 3D Work: John Douglass, “Green Autoe Tanker”
Director’s Choice Award: Lucy Synk, “Strange New Worlds”
We’ll be announcing winners at the art auction and the closing ceremony!
Sales to Members Update
On-site convention merchandise is running low! We have lots of iron-on Chicon 8 logo patches left, but we are down to only Small and Medium t-shirts. Most of the pins have sold out as well, although we have a few left. If you’d like to buy merchandise on-site, Sales to Members (located in the Grand Lobby) will be open from 2-5 pm on Sunday. Note: it will be closed on Sunday morning.
We hope to have the official online merchandise store up and running again soon, and will let our members know when it is.
Chicon 8 Loves the Fan Funds!
The fan funds thank Dublin 2029, CoNZealand, Glasgow 2024, Tammy’s Tastings, all who shopped at the Great Fannish Yard Sale in the Fanzine, and all who turned up to bid, bid, bid at Saturday night’s fan funds auction.
The auction brought in $2,160 as fans ended the night with a flash fiction by Michael Swanwick, dill chips from TAFF delegate Fia Karlsson, a hand-beaded/hand-knit lace shawl from Esther Maccullum-Stewart, and an original poem by Jane Yolen as well as one by Jo Walton. “Tuckerizations” courtesy of Mary Robinette Kowal, Cat Valente, and Steven Barnes in collaboration with Larry Niven.
Between everything, the fan funds have already raised $3,409 here at Chicon and there’s more to come! The Silent Auction is accepting bids in the Fanzine Lounge until the auction closes at 5:00 pm Sunday. There are Tuckerizations from Walter Jon Williams, Garth Nix, and Charlaine Harris, plus fanzines, books, and various amusements! The yard sale will resume on Monday, again in the Fanzine Lounge (Exhibit Hall, Purple East). Proceeds go to TAFF, DUFF, GUFF, and FFANZ.
Volunteers Needed for Program Gophers and Move Out
Do you have some time to spare and want to fill it? Stop by Program Ops in Columbian and offer to help be a Gopher. Grab a blank volunteer slip from the desk downstairs from Columbian to record your hours and get some free stuff!
If you have some time on Tuesday, Sept 6th, we could use some help unloading the art show grid into a couple of different storage units in different parts of town. Please email logistics@chicon.org if you can lend a hand, likely from about 9am-4pm.
Fire Sale
Everything must go! Monday, Sept 5, from 2-6 pm in Monroe 5, we will be selling off everything left over from the convention. Some of those things include TVs, color printers, high speed printers, grid (If you know what it is, you probably need some), office supplies, and more. Come by for some gently used items at good prices. Check out the ever-growing list here.
Poster Art for “Man and Atom Society”
If you were admiring the display of poster art by Kelly Freas at the “Man and Atom Society” booth, you might be interested to know that there are six total pieces. These are being displayed in rotation, two at a time, so come by Sunday or Monday to see the whole set.
Fan Gathering : Number 6, The Prisoner, Portmeirion, Secret Agent (D-Man)
On Sunday, September 4th, at 6:30-7 pm in the Acapulco Room, join Dave Lally (immediate past chair of ESFS, which runs the annual Eurocons, and first-time visitor to the US!) for a chat regarding all things Number 6. A raffle will be held with proceeds going to Fan Funds, TAFF, GUFF, etc. Some items focus on the famous Prisoner “Village,” Portmeirion. These include village maps, two bottles of No 6 Stout (one full and one empty… sorry).
Also, you can hear news regarding LocationCon, August 2024 (one week before Glasgow Worldcon). Starting in London and ending in Glasgow the day before that Worldcon starts, we visit two Prisoner locations (Number 6’s London house and the above village in NW Wales) plus other SF sites (London TARDIS, Steed’s Avengers Flat, and H G Well’s Tripod, plus sites from The Wicker Man). Look for The Prisoner and LocationCon leaflets around Chicon 8. Be seeing you!
Special thanks to David Lally, Geri Sullivan, Shana Worthen, C.D. Carson, Karin May, Elizabeth Klein-Lebbink, and Ian Stockdale for contributing to the Sunrise Edition.
If you would like to submit updates to the newsletter for morning (Sunrise Edition, 9 am) or evening publication (Chicon Signals, 5 pm), please email us at newsletter@chicon.org! You can also visit our social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook for more news!
The Star Chart newsletter is produced with the (much appreciated) help of several folks, including our Publications team, roving reporters Suzan Spitzberg and Michael Nelson, and various contributors. We look forward to experiencing Chicon 8 with all of you!