Convention History

2008 Science Fiction World Conference

Previous Denventions were held in Denver in 1941 and 1981; Denvention 3 was the first Denvention of the new Millennium. Denvention attracted about 3750 science fiction readers from around the world. The 2008 World Science Fiction Convention, Denvention 3, ran from August 6-10 in Denver.

For Sci Fi fans out there, here are some of the main events that ran in the Science Fiction conference.

• Stargate-14 Boot Camp
• Wonders of 1958 – Classics of Science Fiction book discussions
• Children’s Programming
• Technology of Reading
• Rising Stars, items for aspiring writers
• Readings and Kaffee Klatsches

Stargate-14 Boot Camp

The recruits will attend six intensive but fun training sessions, full of props, costumes, wacky characters, interesting information, visual aids, and more. The six presentations are: SG Command, Science Labs, Research and Development, Medical, Weapons and Combat, and Atlantis. A welcome package with SG-14 info, copy of the presentations, and Stargate goodies will be given to each participant.

The recruits will be sent on a mission to test their knowledge and courage, and put into practice everything they have learned. They will roam Denvention 3 in a scavenger hunt, trying to find all seven glyphs for a very particular Stargate address.

An award ceremony will reward those who deserve it. The best teams will get special Stargate Boot Camp merchandise prices. All the competing teams or individuals who finish the training and the mission will be recognized. Interested? Have we piqued your curiosity? Do you want to know more?

Wonders of 1958 Classics of Science Fiction

We are in the golden-anniversary year of 1958, a golden year for science fiction. We’ll celebrate with five Classics of SF book discussions on books published that year and still famous, often reprinted, worth re-reading or first reading now. Look for them in the program grid as “Wonders of 1958.”

James Blish, A Case of Conscience and The Triumph of Time

Some call Conscience Blish’s finest book. Is it science fiction? Is it a story? Is its best moment when the Pope says “What did you do about it?” In the same year came the last of the four Cities in Flight novels. Is it a success standing alone? How does Time compare to Conscience?

Algis Budrys, Who?

This penetrating study of identity, loyalty, uncertainty may be both more bleak and more hopeful than it seems. If there is a sermon, it is preached by silence. Budrys is known for his deftness and timing; here too are poetry, a fundamental grasp of tragedy, and the surprises of love.

Robert Heinlein, Methuselah’s Children

By painting portraits Heinlein repeatedly asks the next question. What if your lifespan was two hundred years? What if you didn’t care? If you are hunted, should you run? Where should you go? Here too is the first and perhaps best of Lazarus Long. Extra credit: compare the carefully rewritten 1941 version in the July-September Astounding.

Fritz Leiber, The Big Time

Spiders are the good guys, and our hero is a woman. The first Hero was a woman too, go look up Leander. Indeed this is a very classical book; it preserves the unities of time, place, and persons, which is mighty strange, considering. There’s slashing drama, and if you’ve never been a party girl, it might not be what you think.

Jack Vance, The Languages of Pao

With four worlds in the spotlight, one populated by fifteen billion, this is a story of one boy and one man. Knowledge may be power. Concentration and diversity may each be extreme. The characters say linguistics is the science here; perhaps it is really cross-cultural study, or patience. Vance’s own language is the gold.

Children’s Programming

Denvention 3 had 94 child members (under 12) and a sizeable number of young adult members.  There was a series of program items, workshops, films, and presentations — including storyteller Bill Mayhew — of interest to the young members.

The difference between children’s programming and child care is that children’s programming did not have controlled access. That means that children’s program items were open to whomever wanted to attend, and that anyone attending could enter or exit the session as desired. The people on the panel, doing the workshop, telling the stories, etc. were not supervising the children, and did not keep them from leaving the room.   To attend children’s programming on his or her own, children needed a child membership and to wear a badge.

Technology of Reading

“Fans love reading, from novels to fanzines to progress re ports. As such, we are really excited to bring our Exhibition Event, The Technology of Reading, to Denver and to Fandom. We plan to have a full track of panels and roundtables on the subject, covering everything from ancient calligraphy to how computer chat is changing our language. We will present demonstrations of papyrus and paper making, modern eBook readers and perhaps a few surprises in between. We will also be hosting an exhibit displaying these various technologies and their products.

Beyond that, we are specifically looking for two kinds of people. The first group is those with the skills to present those very fannish technologies of mimeo and hekto. The other group is those who work for any of the various computer reader companies who would be willing to help bring their company’s products and presenters to Denvention.

Every session of the Olympic Games gets the opportunity to do an Exhibition Event–a competition that is not one of the regular Olympic sports, but that the organizers feel people will enjoy and want to participate in. Since we are all readers, and since the face of what it means to “read” is changing in our lifetimes, our Exhibition Event for the Denvention 3 Worldcon is a set of exhibits, workshops, and panels on The Technology of Reading.

We plan to have panels and presentations on The History of the Book–from clay tablets to e-books–with discussion on the history of writing media (clay to wax to parchment to paper) and also technology (tablets, scrolls, and codices, moving to print media and then electronic). Other topics will be “Hardcopy to Softcopy–The Move from Book to eBooks,” the basics of cataloging (starting with Hypatia and the library at Alexandria and moving forward to hypertext), and the cost-effectiveness of e-publishing.

Workshops will include clay tablet making, using wax and stylus, making papyrus, and bookbinding–with different sessions for children and adults. Exhibits will include some historical manuscript pages, some tablets and ostraca (if we are successful with loans from museums and private collections), and some displays of museum exhibits done in pictures or video. Companies that produce e-books and e-book readers will also be asked to exhibit.

The Technology of Reading special event is proud to say that we have many interesting and unique items planned for Denvention 3. At one of the end of the scale, we are arranging for papermaking and bookbinding workshops. At the other end, we are talking to major eBook vendors like Sony and Amazon to come and present their products. Along the way from traditional to modern, we’ll visit audio books, flash and other technologies. We are particuarly keen to present a demo of hekto and/or mimeo.”

Rising Stars

Denvention 3 presented the “Rising Stars” program concentration, developed for aspiring and newly-published professional writers who are new to the genre. The centerpiece of the program was the Rising Stars reception hosted by Joe and Gay Haldeman where authors will be able to present their new works, as well as network with readers, other new authors, editors, publishers, and con-runners.

Writing, editing, securing an agent, submitting a manuscript, and advice on how to work effectively with fans and conventions was part of the programming.

Readings and Kaffee Klatsches

What would a World Science Fiction Convention be without Kaffeeklatsches and author readings?  It’s a great way to spend some quiet, quality time with your favorite author. Kaffee Klatsches were in a small, intimate area set away from the hustle and bustle of the convention. Just you, a hot beverage, seven other attendees, and a great author. What more could one ask for at a convention?

Sign ups for Kaffee Klatsches started at 9 am every morning for that day’s get-togethers. To keep it intimate, seating was limited. The day’s sign-up sheets will be near the Denvention 3 registration area in the CCC.

Critter Crunch

In addition to the usual Worldcon events and the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, they introduced the Worldcon to a Denver tradition, Critter Crunch, the original robot battle competition.  The Critter Crunch contest was created by the Denver Area Mad Scientists. This group still governs Critter Crunch. This is the original robot battle competition and predates Robot Wars and Battle Bots by more than ten years. The competition has been held in the past in conjunction with the MileHiCon convention, but this will be the first time it will take place at a Worldcon.