Writer, editor TV producer/writer, and fan: Martin's honors include Hugo, Nebula, Locus, World Fantasy, and Bram Stoker awards. His range of creativity and his dry wit make him a delightful guest; his most recent novel is A Storm of Swords (October 2000).
Fantasy and comic book artist Vess is known for rich, magical, and evocative work in both black & white and color. His Book of Ballads and Sagas reflects his love of art, music, and storytelling. Vess is also the creative force behind Green Man Press.
Internationally renowned reproductive biologist and SF alien design consultant, Cohen is fan, scientist, and raconteur of the humorous and bawdy (and humorously bawdy). He was co-author of the 1999 Hugo nominee The Science of Discworld, and his latest book, Wheelers, develops intriguing aliens.
Coulson is a woman of many talents: filker, fan, huckster, and author. She is a singer/composer of distinctive voice and dynamic range. With her late husband Buck, she won the 1965 Fanzine Hugo and was a Guest at the 1972 Worldcon.
FANAC Fan History Project: Be part of the FHP, dedicated to preserving our science fiction and fannish heritage and making this material available to the present-day fan. Check out the web page at http://fanac.org. There are fannish reference works and thousands of photographs on the web site. You may even find your own picture there!
We will be at Boskone to archive our past. We'll have a scanning station to record photos, and a small display to tell you more about us. If you have some unusual items, we'll try to photograph or record them at the convention. If you have any photos, fanzines, publications, or other memorabilia that you might be interested in donating to the FHP collection, contact Joe Siclari at jsiclari@gate.net or talk with him at the convention. All donations are tax-deductible.
Friday night--Meet the VIPs/Alien Casino and Honky-Tonk: We invite attendees to wear the formal attire of their homeworlds, and we'll provide the gambling chips. Games of chance from several galaxies will test the skill (and sneakiness) of players, while everyone has a chance to mingle with our guests of honor and professionals. Refreshments, dealers, and really tacky prizes will all be available.
Saturday afternoon--a concert by our featured filker, Juanita Coulson.
Saturday evening--after the Boskone banquet (at 9 p.m.) we'll present for your edification delightful presentations by George R.R. Martin and Jack Cohen--seating will be available for those not partaking of the banquet.
Sunday afternoon--a Regency Soiree. Learn the proper way to dance, play cards, and drink tea (albeit not all at the same time). There will be a Dancing Master to teach and call contra dance (all skill levels are welcome), and instructors in whist and vingt-et-un. Regency period costume is appreciated but not required, spectators are invited (and invited to become participants!). In the late hours of unday afternoon, join us for our Dead Dog Cocktail Hour.
| Area | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration | 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. | 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 9:30 a.m. to Noon |
| Art Show | 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 10 a.m. to Noon |
| Con Suite | 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. | 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Dealers' Room | 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Information | 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Dragonslair* | 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Space Cadets* | 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 9:30 to 4 p.m. |
| *Both will close for meals. | |||
The Boskone 38 program offers panels, talks, discussion, and workshops on many aspects of the science fiction and fantasy field. We have discussions of hard SF and fantasy, literature, movies, and TV. And at Boskone 38 we will have a special emphasis on cutting-edge science and technology and its interaction with SF
There will be discussions on SF art, fandom, individual authors, and probably Buffy. There will also be an Anime Video room--our gurus have assembled the new, the chic, the fun, and the specials. Pick up your schedule at Information.
Anime--This year's Anime selection looks at why the fate of the world will be determined by your average Japanese female high-school student. From "The Bubblegum Crisis" to "Tenchi Muyo In Love" women are a vital element in Today's Anime scene. Also on the schedule is "Record Of Lodoss War," "Babylon 5 - Londo's Wives," Jackie Chan's "City Hunter" and "Forbidden Planet." Grab your schedule and catch the wave.
Kaffeeklatsches--Interested in participating in an informal discussion with one of our program participants over coffee or tea? Sign up for Kaffeeklatsches at Information.
Autographing--Get an autograph from your favorite pro! Signings will be held in the Promenade in front of the Dealers' Room--check your Pocket Program to see when!
Readings--Come hear writers read and discuss their own works; the Pocket Program tells all (but check Helmuth, the daily newsletter, for errata, addenda, and corrigenda).
Discussion Groups--We are particularly interested in setting up small-scale program items that appeal specifically to you. We'll need your help! This year we want to offer numerous Discussion Groups where you can meet people with similar interests. Some of these will be pre-arranged (check the Pocket Program), but we'll have space available for you to form last-minute groups at-con as well. Sign up at Information. If you have a special request or want to offer to run a discussion group on a specific topic, please email us at info@boskone.org.
Of course, our Guests -- George R.R. Martin, Jack Cohen, Charles Vess, and Juanita Coulson -- will be there.
In addition, confirmed participants as of 18 December 2000 are: Michael A. Burstein, Hal Clement, Bruce Coville, Don D'ammassa, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Debra Doyle, Thomas A. Easton, Gregory Feeley, Esther Friesner, Nancy C. Hanger, Jeff Hecht, Daniel Kimmel, Fruma Klass, Frederick Andrew Lerner, Paul Levinson, James D. Macdonald, Mark Mandel, Madeleine E. Robins, Charles Ryan, Don Sakers, Steven Sawicki, Robert J. Sawyer, Darrell Schweitzer, Joe Siclari, Allen Steele, William Tenn, Jerry Weist, Jane Yolen
Filksinging--Filksongs are fandom's folk songs, with themes of SF, fantasy, and fandom. The Filk Program begins with group singing on Friday evening. On Saturday afternoon, there will be concert sets by local and visiting performers and a voice workshop. Saturday evening, there will be more concert sets. There will be open filking on Friday and Saturday nights, and dead dog filking on Sunday afternoon. There will be a theme concert on "Beauties and Beasts." People are invited to sign up and perform a song.
Our Saturday evening begins with a buffet of Southron victuals--perfect for a New England winter's evening--and ends with delightful presentations by George R.R. Martin and Jack Cohen. For those whose taste buds have been shot off, we'll provide a variety of hot sauces to spice things up.
Black Bean Soup
Salad of watercress, mixed baby greens and walnuts with assorted dressings
Spicy cole slaw
Southern Ppotato salad with bacon and egg dressing
Barbecued pork--New Orleans jambalaya--Fried catfish
Red beans & rice--glazed sweet potatoes--corn on the cob
Warm corn bread and dinner rolls with whipped butter
Pecan pie & whipped cream--warm rice pudding
Coffee (real and decaffeinated) and herbal teas
The cost is $34 per person, which includes all applicable taxes and gratuities. Tickets are required for the banquet: please see the registration form. If you have any dietary restrictions, please get in touch with us and we'll see what we can do. Any tickets not picked up by noon Saturday may be re-sold.
Gaming Room--This year's Boskone Game Room will feature a tournament for players of Magic:The Gathering, specialized board games, space for people who want to play everything from checkers to Dungeons and Dragons.
Art Show & Print Shop--Our Art Show includes a special exhibit of the works of our Official Artist Charles Vess plus over 80 panels and tables full of original SF artwork, most of which is available for bid and/or purchase at the con. Also check out our Print Shop for many great buys.
Dealers' Room--The Dealers' Room (aka The Hucksters' Room) will feature a wide variety of science fiction, fantasy, and genre books, jewelry, clothing, and all manners of tchotchkes. Check the Boskone web site <http://www.nesfa.org/boskone/> for a list of dealers scheduled to attend. The Dealer's Room will be in a new location, next to the Art Show on the main level of the hotel.
Con Suite--The Boskone 38 Con Suite is at the hub of the universe convention. Fans can join program participants for party-type refreshments, interesting conversation, and special events. Children may not be left unattended in the Con Suite. The Con Suite will be in a new location on the lower level of the hotel.
Dragonslair & Space Cadets--Dragonslair is children's programming for ages 7 to 12. We are planning some fun and interesting things. Bruce Coville has promised us a storytelling/ reading hour; Jim Macdonald will teach children how to craft amazing paper airplanes; and Deb Geisler will do a group-participation beading demonstration (nobody leaves without a necklace!). We're also looking for your ideas for things you'd like to do -- you can email us at <info@boskone.org>. We'll create some artwork to be hung in the art show -- how about a mural? -- and have time to just hang out. We have firm hours of operation (see list earlier in this PR) and will close for lunch and dinner on Saturday. We reserve the right to collect a fee for children not picked up at these times. Let us know if you will be using Dragonslair -- come and have fun!
Space Cadets is for active children 2.5 to 6 years old, with plenty of energetic play, and simple arts and crafts.
Purchase of a Boskone membership entitles a child to attend either or both of these programs. Advance registration is requested to assist us in planning and preparation. A child younger than 2.5 is welcome to attend Boskone as a child-in-tow (at no cost). You must attend your child at all time. We do not provide baby-sitting, but we will assist parents in making private baby-sitting arrangements if requested (please write us).
Information--Seeking knowledge? Whether it's details on area restaurants, or the location of the secret staircase, Information on the Grand Promenade can help. It's also the place to go to pre-register for a discussion group, kaffeeklatsch, or other event that requires sign-up; drop off items for the convention newsletter; or get the latest copy of Helmuth. Stop by the Information table on the Grand Promenade and see what we can do for you!
Body Snatchers (Volunteers)--The best way to meet other people at a convention is by volunteering, and Boskone needs you! Science fiction conventions run on blood, sweat, and volunteers. Body Snatchers allocates volunteers among the many different areas that need them--opportunities are available for all physical and mental abilities. If you are willing to help, please fill out the volunteer form (including a Release Form) at Information. Those who work at least six hours will receive a gift. If you are under 18, your parent or guardian must sign the Release Form (but you'll only have to work 4 hours for your gift).
Club & Bid Tables--Want to publicize your club, convention, or bid? We will have tables available for this purpose on the Promenade. Table space is limited, so please write or email us in advance.
Registration--Registration for Boskone will be open on the Promenade (outside the Grand Ballroom) all weekend. Get your convention material and name badge there. Everyone--committee, staff, artists, program participants, dealers--registers here. We will make it as painless an experience as we can! You can help: bring your "Quickie Sheet" with you. (It's the back cover of this Progress Report.) If you arrive late, ask at the Convention Office about after-hours registration. If you haven't yet bought a membership and wish to do so before the convention, please fill out the form in this PR and return it to us by January 19, 2001.
The cost of advance memberships is $36. We accept Visa, MasterCard, checks, and money orders. At-con rates are: Full membership--$46, Friday--$15, Saturday--$33, Sunday--$17. We also accept cash at the con.
The cost of Dragonslair and Space Cadets is included in the con membership, so all children who use these services must be convention members. There is no reduced rate for children. However, children under 10 who stay with their parents at all times are considered "kids-in-tow" who need not have memberships ("kids-in-tow" do not receive any convention materials).
Transferring Memberships. Boskone does not refund memberships. However, you may transfer your membership to someone else. All membership transfers must be done in writing. Your transferree will be able to register much more quickly at the convention if you write to us in advance to let us know of the transfer and have your transferee bring a copy of your transfer letter and your "Quickie Sheet" to Registration. Please note that life memberships are not transferable.
Newsletter--Helmuth, Speaking for Boskone, the convention newsletter, features updates and changes to the program as well as lists of parties and other news. Copies of Helmuth will be distributed around the hotel--Art Show, Hucksters' Room, Con Suite, et al. You can always find copies at Information on the Grand Promenade.
NESFA Press--This year there is a Boskone book--Quartet, by George R.R. Martin. The book will be available in both a trade and boxed state from the NESFA Sales table in the Hucksters' Room. Cover art and design is by our Official Artist -- Charles Vess.
We will also have the latest "NESFA's Choice" books at Boskone: From These Ashes: The Complete Short SF of Fredric Brown, by Fredric Brown and Immodest Proposals: The Complete Science Fiction of William Tenn, Vol. 1, by William Tenn.
Writers' Workshop--Boskone 38 will host a private writers workshop (run along Clarion lines) organized by David Alexander Smith, where several professional writers critique works submitted by a select group of amateur writers. To apply or for more information, send submissions directly to David A. Smith, 112 Avon Hill Street, Cambridge, MA 02140, +1.617.661.3223, or via email at Dsmith@recapadvisors.com.
Boskone's hotel is the Sheraton in Framingham, Massachusetts, located on Route 9 (west from exit 12 of the Mass Pike), a short distance from several restaurants and shopping malls. The hotel rates per night are: single or double $101, triple or quad $111 (please contact us for suite availability). Phone +1.508.879.7200 for reservations by 5 p.m. EST January 25, 2001, and be sure to mention "Boskone" to get the convention rate.
Special Requests: A limited number of handicap-access rooms and non-smoking rooms are available, so please let the hotel know right away if you have any special needs. Likewise, rollaway beds and cribs are in short supply, so let them know if you think you'll need one. (There is a $15 charge for a cot.) Please specify a party or non-party floor at the time of reservation. If you want to reserve a suite, please contact us at info@boskone.org or write to us at our postal address.
Check-in and Check-out: Check-in begins at 3 p.m. Check-out time is 12 noon. A late check-out of 2 p.m. may be available. You can avoid morning check-out lines by pre-paying as early as the night before!
Last-minute information about Boskone will be available in the week preceding Boskone 38 on our answering machine (+1.617.625.2311), or, for the electronically inclined, on the web at http://www.nesfa.org and USENET (newsgroup rec.arts.sf.announce). In addition, the near-final Program will be uploaded to the aforementioned services and our Web page about a week before the con.
By Car--The Sheraton Framingham is on Route 9 west at the Framingham exit (exit 12) of the Mass Pike (Interstate 90), about halfway between I-495 and Route 128 (I-95). The hotel is a castle (you can't miss it!--trust us!), clearly visible from both the Pike and Route 9. Take the Mass Pike to Exit 12 (Framingham) and bear left after the tolls onto Route 9 west. Drive 150 yards to the Sheraton on the right. Parking is free!
By Air--if you fly into Boston's Logan Airport: from any terminal at Logan take the Logan Express to Framingham. (There are Logan Express buses to other destinations, so be sure you get on the right one.) It costs $8 one-way ($14 round trip); accompanied children under 12 are free; you pay at the Framingham end. The ride takes about 30-45 minutes. It leaves the airport every half-hour essentially the entire time that fans will be traveling Friday or Sunday. The Saturday schedule is hourly. The last bus leaves the airport at midnight. For information, phone +1.800.23.LOGAN at any time for details, or see www.massport.com/logan/. Once you are at the Framingham terminal, use the Shuttle Bus, below, to get to the hotel. Failing that, we suggest you take a taxi. There is an enclosed waiting room, phones, and lists of taxi companies at the Logan Express Framingham terminal which is next to Shoppers' World, just off Route 30.
Worcester Airport Limo, +1.800.660.0992, provides transportation from Logan directly to the Sheraton at $22 per person, one way. Reservations are strongly recommended; 48 hours notice is requested. Knight's Limo Service is another company serving Logan, +1.800.822.5456, which costs $27/1 person, $54/2, $57/3, $64/4, $70/5. Reservations are strongly recommended; 48-hour notice is requested.
If you fly into Worcester's airport: Worcester Airport Limo, +1.800.660.0992, provides transportation from the Worcester airport to the Sheraton at $79+20%, or about $95 per car, one way. There is no regular service. Reservations are required; 48-hour notice is requested.
Amtrak--Framingham has a twice-a-day Amtrak service from New York. The station is in downtown Framingham (officially Framingham Junction) about five miles from the hotel. We recommend taking a taxi from there to the hotel (taxi cost is about $15). The route 128 terminal (about 15 miles from the hotel) has Amtrak trains from points east and west which run several times a day, seven days a week. Call 800-USA-RAIL or your local Amtrak office for schedule and ticketing information, or see www.amtrak.com.
Commuter Rail--Framingham has about 20 daily commuter rail trains weekdays. Trains leave from Boston's South Station. The cost is $3.25 one way. In Framingham, the station is about five miles from the hotel. We recommend taking a taxi to the Sheraton (cost is about $15). Call MBTA Commuter Rail at +1.617.222.3200, +1.800.392.6100, and hearing-impaired +1.TDD.222.5246 for schedules, or surf to: www.mbta.com.
Bus from Boston--You can get to Framingham from Boston from the bus terminal at South Station. The bus runs every 2 hours on Friday and somewhat less frequently on Saturday and Sunday. The one way fare is $5.85 each way. Call Peter Pan Bus Lines, +1.800.343.9999, for schedule and ticketing information, or see www.peterpanbus.com. See below for Shuttle Bus information.
Shuttle Bus--Boskone will have a shuttle bus running between the Sheraton and the Framingham Logan Express bus terminal next to Shoppers' World on the Route 30 side. The service will run continuously, taking about 40 minutes for the loop. It will run Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m.. The bus will be labeled "Sheraton Shuttle." Otherwise taxi service is available through Tommy's Taxi, +1.508.872.3500.
(Banquet tickets must be picked up by noon Saturday at the convention! Tickets not picked up by then may be resold)
| Boskone 38 Buffet Banquet | ____ | meals at $34.00 | _____ |
| Boskone 38 Pre-registration until January 17, 2000 | ____ | memberships at $36.00 | _____ |
| Quartet--trade state @ $15.75 ($15.00 + $0.75 tax) | _____ | ||
| Quartet--boxed state @ $22.05 ($21.00 + $1.05 tax) | _____ | ||
| I would like book # ____, ____, ____, ____ | |||
| 1-175 boxed state, 176-1000 trade state | |||
| Advance order books must be picked up at the NESFA Sales table in the Hucksters' Room. They will not be mailed. Book prices increase to $25/$36 after Boskone | |||
| Total | _____ | ||
The above prices include taxes. Payment must accompany order. We accept checks, money orders, Visa, and MasterCard. Please don't mail cash.
| I am paying by: __check/money order __Visa __MasterCard | |||||
| Credit Card # | ____________________________ | Exp. Date: | ___________ | ||
| Name on card: | _______________________________________________________________ | ||||
| Signature: | _______________________________________________________________ | ||||
| Name(s): | _______________________________________________________________ | ||||
| _______________________________________________________________ | |||||
| Address: | _______________________________________________________________ | ||||
| _______________________________________________________________ | |||||
| City: | _______________ | State: | _____ | Zip/Postal Code: | __________ |
| Country: | _______________ | Email Address: | _____________________ | ||
| Telephone: | (_______) _______ - __________________________________ | ||||
Please send me information about:
__Volunteering __Joining NESFA
(Please attach any additional memberships and addresses. Thank you!)
Mail to: Boskone 38, PO Box 809, Framingham, MA 01701
Fax to: 617.776.3243 (only Visa and MasterCard on fax orders)