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February 14-16, 2003 Sheraton Boston Hotel (617) 236-2000 Boston, MA |
David Brin is an imaginative and insightful writer whose works have earned him Hugo, Campbell, and Nebula awards. Some of his more noted titles are Startide Rising, The Uplift War, and Brightness Reef in the Uplift Saga; while other works include The Postman, Earth, and Glory Season (and don't forget Tomorrow Happens, the Boskone 40 book!).
Jim Burns is an amazing artist from the U.K., who has won awards on both sides of the Atlantic (BSFA and Hugo types!). All his works are highly realistic depictions of science fiction scenarios, cleanly illustrating the worlds described in the books they grace.
Charles Brown is the founder and Editor Emeritus of Locus, the premier journal of the science fiction trade, as well as the editor and publisher of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror indexes from 1984 to 1991, and is a permanent fixture on the SF scene.
Clam Chowder is a small musical group from Maryland which plays an eclectic collection of British and American folk songs, sea chanteys, unusual songs from all sources, original material, and anything else that presents opportunities for close harmony.
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 www.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@earthlink.net or talk with him at the convention. All donations are tax-deductible.
Friday night – Our Guest of Honor, David Brin, will do a reading. Last year's popular Grudge Match returns. The Art Show reception will be open to all. Finally, we'll remember those in the SF community whom we lost in the past year.
Saturday evening – Saturday night we'll present the NESFA Awards, the Guest of Honor speech, and a special concert by our Featured Filkers, Clam Chowder.
Sunday afternoon – How about a Regency Soirée? 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 dancing (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!).
| 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 | 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. | 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. | 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| Dealers' Room | 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 3 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 40 Program offers panels, talks, discussions, demos, and workshops on many aspects of the science fiction and fantasy field. We include items about hard SF and fantasy, science and art, fandom and movies, literature and TV, music and comics, and heaps of related topics! The science program is expanded, and once again our "wicked awesome anime" gurus are putting together a video program to delight you. The full schedule will be in the Pocket Program – what more can you ask? (OK, OK, if you have a special request, email us at info@boskone.org.)
Kaffeeklatsches/Literary Beers – Interested in participating in an informal discussion with one of our program participants over coffee, tea, or beer? Sign up for these at Information at the convention.
Autographing – Get an autograph from your favorite writer, editor, or artist. Signings will be held in the Dealers' Room. Check your Pocket Program for times.
Readings – Hear writers read and discuss their own works; as before, the Pocket Program tells all... (but check Helmuth, the daily newsletter, for errata, addenda, and corrigenda!).
Discussion Groups – This year, we're setting up a great bunch of individual presentations and focused discussions by a variety of program participants. We'll also have some space available for you to form your own last-minute groups at-con. Sign up for these in Program Ops (or email us ahead at the address given above).
Anime — Team Anime returns to Boskone this year with three projects:
The Children's Hour: Anime geared toward the younger viewer, and in English. Corrupt them...ummm...Convert, yeah, convert them when they're young. That's our motto.
CA/TP: The Chaotic Anime/Theatre Project: What? You thought it stood for something else? This is our standard potpourri of new and old-time favorites.
The Other Children of the Night: Things to scare that which goes bump in the night.
Of course, our Guests – David Brin, Jim Burns, Charles N. Brown, and Clam Chowder – will be there. In addition, confirmed participants as of 29 December 2002 are:
Ellen Asher, Lisa A. Barnett, Michael A. Burstein, Jack Carroll, Jeffrey A. Carver, Barbara Chepaitis, Hal Clement, Guy Consolmagno, Glen Cook, F. Brett Cox, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Debra Doyle, Thomas A. Easton, Paul Estin, Bob Esty, Gregory Feeley, Gregory Frost, Laura Anne Gilman, Barry Gold, Lee Gold, Christopher Golden, Leigh Grossman, Nancy Hanger, David G. Hartwell, Daniel Hatch, Jeff Hecht, Robin Holly, John Huff, Walter H. Hunt, Alex Irvine, Robert I. Katz, James Patrick Kelly, Daniel Kimmel, Rosemary Kirstein, Fruma Klass, Cliff Laufer, Sharon Lee, Evelyn C. Leeper, Mark R. Leeper, Fred Lerner, Paul Levinson, Shariann Lewitt, Timothy E. Liebe, James D. Macdonald, Jim Mann, Laurie Mann, Laurie J. Marks, Michael McAfee, Terry A. McGarry, Gary D. McGath, Juliet E. McKenna, Steve Miller, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Mark L. Olson, Priscilla Olson, Margaret Organ-Kean, Tamora Pierce, Omar Rayyan, Patricia Rubin, Don Sakers, Steven Sawicki, Robert J. Sawyer, Sharon Sbarsky, Darrell Schweitzer, George R. Scithers, Melissa Scott, Josepha Sherman, Joe Siclari, Kathy Sobansky, Wen Spencer, Allen Steele, Charles Stross, Geri Sullivan, Cecilia Tan, Virginia Taylor, William Tenn, Shane Tourtellotte, Jonathan Turner, Jo Walton, Peter Weston and Ben Yalow.
We're in a new (to many of you) hotel this year. Most functions will be in rooms on the third floor. The Art Show and Dealers' Room will be on the second floor.
Gaming Room — This year's Boskone Game Room will feature lots of options: Magic: The Gathering, specialized board games, and people playing everything from checkers to Dungeons and Dragons. Gaming will be in the Kent Room.
Art Show & Print Shop — Our Art Show includes a special exhibit of the works of our Official Artist, Jim Burns, plus over 80 panels and tables full of original SF&F artwork, most of which is available for bid and/or purchase at the con. Also check out our Print Shop for many great buys. The Art Show will be located on the second floor in the Back Bay Ballroom.
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 (www.boskone.org) after January 20, 2003 for a list of dealers scheduled to attend. The Dealers' Room will be on the second floor in the Back Bay Ballroom, sharing space with the Art Show.
Con Suite — Once again, the Con Suite will be on the Program floor in the center of the convention. Everyone is welcome to stop by the Commonwealth Room for soda and munchies, to meet other fans, or just to relax for a while. Children may not be left unattended.
Dragonslair & Space Cadets — Dragonslair is children's programming for ages 7 to 12. We plan some fun and interesting activities. We'll probably have some readings, storytellings, games and crafts projects, including, we hope, costuming. We're also looking for your ideas for things you'd like to do — you can email us at info@boskone.org. Maybe we'll create some artwork to be hung in the art show and maybe we'll just hang out and play. We have firm hours of operation; please see list earlier in this PR. Dragonslair will close for lunch and dinner on Saturday. Please pick up your children before we close for lunch, dinner, or the day. We reserve the right to collect a fee for children not picked up by these times. Let us know if you will be using Dragonslair. Then come and have some 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 kid-in-tow (at no cost). You must be with your child at all times. 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 ATM, Information, located on the third floor, 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 ofHelmuth. Stop by the Information table 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).
Registration for Boskone will be open all weekend on the third floor. Get your convention material and name badge there. Everyone — committee, staff, artists, program participants, dealers — registers there. 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, a registration form is available atwww.boskone.org (due Jan. 19, 2003). You can also buy a Boskone 41 membership (for 2004) there.
The cost of an advance membership is $40. We accept Visa, MasterCard, checks, and money orders. At-con rates are: Full membership—$48, Friday—$15, Saturday—$35, 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 transferee 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, Dealers' Room, Con Suite, et al. You can always find copies at Information on the third floor.
NESFA Press – This year there is a Boskone book – Tomorrow Happens by David Brin. The book will be available in both trade and boxed states from the NESFA Sales table in the Hucksters' Room. The cover art is by our Official Artist, Jim Burns.
We will also have the latest "NESFA's Choice" books at Boskone:Transfinite: The Essential A.E. van Vogt, a collection of A.E. van Vogt's shorter works; and A New Dawn, the Don A. Stuart Stories of John W. Campbell, Jr. Both of these are new for Boskone 40.
Writers' Workshop – Boskone 40 will host a private writers' workshop (run along Clarion lines) organized this year by Sarah Smith, where several professional writers critique works submitted by a select group of amateur writers. For more information contact David A. Smith, 112 Avon Hill Street, Cambridge, MA 02140, (617) 661-3223, or via email at Dsmith@recapadvisors.com.
Club & Bid Tables — Want to publicize your club, convention, or bid? We will have tables available for this purpose located in the Con Suite. Table space is limited, so please write or email us in advance.
Boskone's hotel is the Sheraton Boston at 39 Dalton St. in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts, located just off the Massachusetts Turnpike (exit 22, Prudential Center/Copley Square), an area smothered with restaurants and shopping. The hotel rates per night are: single $119, double $129, triple $139, quad $149. Please contact us for suite availability. Phone 617-236-2000 (or fax 617-236-1702) for reservations by 5 p.m. EST January 24, 2003, and be sure to mention "Boskone" to get the convention rate. Additional rooms may be available after the deadline at the convention rate on a firstcome first-served basis only. If you have to cancel your reservation, you must do so at least 48 hours before your check-in time to avoid a penalty. Now you can book on the web! Go to www.boskone.org and follow the directions for online booking.
Special Requests: A limited number of handicapped-access rooms and 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. Please specify a party or non-party floor room 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 40 on our answering machine (message only) at (617) 625-2311, or, for the electronically inclined, on the web at www.boskone.org and USENET (newsgroup rec.arts.sf.announce). In addition, the near-final Program will be uploaded to our web pages about a week before the con.
By Car — The Sheraton Boston is at 39 Dalton St. in Boston's "Back Bay" area.
From the North: Take Interstate 93 South to exit 26 (Storrow Drive). Proceed on Storrow Drive until you come to the Fenway exit which will be on the left. Stay to the left (this will be Boylston Street) and go through 5 traffic lights. At the fifth light, take a right onto Dalton Street. Proceed to the hotel.
From the South: Take Interstate 93 North to exit 18 (Massachusetts Avenue). Take a right at the bottom of the off-ramp onto Massachusetts Avenue. Continue for approximately one mile, and then take a right onto Huntington Avenue. At the second light turn left onto Belvedere. The hotel is on the right.
From the West: Take Interstate 90 East (Massachusetts Pike) to exit 22 (Prudential Center/Copley Square). Stay to the left to Prudential Center. Once above ground on Huntington Avenue and at the first set of lights, take a right onto Belvedere. The hotel is on the right.
A note on parking: Since we are in a major city, parking costs are going to be very expensive close to the hotel. The garage attached to the hotel charges $28/day ($33/day for valet parking). The hotel does not own the garage, so we can't negotiate a better rate. There are alternatives. Consider parking in one of the large lots at the end of the subway or commuter rail lines, and taking the subway in. Riverside Station, on the end of the 'D' spur of the Green Line, has a large openair lot where parking costs $3.25/day. Alewife station, at one end of the Red Line, charges $4.50/day for parking for its multi-story garage lot (not suitable for tall vehicles). Alewife is a little closer to the hotel than Riverside is, but you will need to change trains at the Downtown Crossing Station for an Orange Line train going to Back Bay Station. See directions below for "by the 'T'."
By Air — if you fly into Boston's Logan Airport you can take a shared ride van to the hotel, or take the 'T' (subway) Blue Line train to Government Center, and change there for a Green Line train to Prudential Center ('E' spur only). Or take Back Bay Coach for $9 per person to the Sheraton Boston. Other similar coach services are roughly the same.
Amtrak — The closest Amtrak stop is the Back Bay station (Amtrak's station code BBY). The station is at 145 Dartmouth St. (the second-to-last stop, before South Station). To reach the hotel from Back Bay, you may either walk to the hotel (several long blocks) or take a cab (~$8, according to the Sheraton concierge).
If you are planning to take public transportation, the closest subway stop is Prudential Center on the Green Line. Be sure to take an E-labeled train.
For Amtrak information, see www.amtrak.com. or call 1-800-USARAIL.
Commuter Rail — If coming from the south or west, take a commuter train to Back Bay Station. From the north, take a train to North Station and then see below for "by the 'T'".
By the 'T' — There are two reasonably close stops: Back Bay on the Orange Line, and Prudential Center on the Green Line (the'E' spur of the Green Line). See www.mbta.com. or call 617-222-3200 or 1-800-392-6100.
| (Special Boskone Release of a new NESFA Press Book) | |
| Tomorrow Happens, David Brin [LIMIT TWO COPIES] | |
| • trade state @ $15 ($25 after Boskone) | _____ |
| • boxed state @ $24 ($40 after Boskone) | _____ |
| I would like book # ____, ____, ____, ____ | |
| 1-190 boxed state, 191-1190 trade state | |
| Add 5% Massachusetts sales tax | _____ |
| Total | _____ |
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: | _______________________________________________________________ | ||||
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| City: | _______________ | State: | _____ | Zip/Postal Code: | __________ |
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| Telephone: | (_______) _______ - __________________________________ | ||||
Advance order books must be picked up at the NESFA Sales table in the Dealers' Room. They will not be mailed. Limit 2 boxed copies of Tomorrow Happens by advance sale. Prices increase after Boskone 40.
Mail to: Boskone 40, PO Box 809, Framingham, MA 01701
Fax to: 617.776.3243 (only Visa and MasterCard on fax orders)