Hugo.

I'm going to the Hugos!

Well, technically speaking I'm attending Worldcon, the annual World Science Fiction Convention, which is taking place in Seattle from August 13th to 17th of 2025 - but in my mind, I'm going to the Hugo Awards.  

In the process of researching a previous posting on the trials and tribulations being suffered by the Hugo Awards, I happened to notice that the 2025 Worldcon host city was Seattle, which is just a hop, step and a jump away from Vancouver.  As such, I decided to do a bit of a feasibility study on attending - given that plane tickets wouldn't be a factor in expenses.  

As it turned out, there's a reduced membership price for new attendees, which brought the price down to something somewhat reasonable, and I decided to go for it.  In addition, Seattle last hosted Worldcon in 1961, the year I was born, so there's a certain symmetry in attending its return to the Emerald City. 

I'm actually a bit giddy about it - it's like being a lifelong fan of the cinema who is not only going to the Oscars, but gets to vote on the winners as well. 

I've talked about the Hugo Awards - and the eponymous Hugo himself, Hugo Gernsback - in previous postings, but I haven't gone into a lot of detail about the process.

Worldcon is the original science fiction convention - the mother of all conventions, if you will.*  The first Worldcon took place in July of 1939, but the Hugos weren't part of the event until 1953, becoming an annual awards event in 1955.  I was surprised to learn that the official title of the awards is the Science Fiction Achievement Awards, I never knew them as anything other than the Hugos** - presumably I wasn't alone in this, as the awards were officially renamed as the Hugos in 1993. 

The Hugo voting process is a little odd. In order to vote, you need to be a member of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). But the WSFS doesn't really exist, it's just a mechanism for hosting Worldcons, and you become a member of the WSFS by buying a ticket to a Worldcon.

However, you don't have to attend to vote, and you can buy a cheaper non-attending membership which just lets you vote for the Hugo winners and choice of the hosting city two years hence. There's also a reduced price attending membership for new attendees, staff, and "individuals who would otherwise feel cost-constrained to attend the convention." In addition, if you buy your membership before January 31st, you also have the ability to make nominations for the awards. For anyone desiring to see a detailed breakdown of the process, I direct you to the Seattle Worldcon membership page for more information.

Suffice it to say that as a first time attendee who is very aware of the current exchange rate between USD and CAD, I opted for the reduced rate adult membership, which didn't seem to raise any red flags.

As a sign that the gods were smiling upon my trip, I also managed to find a downtown Seattle rental on VRBO that came in under a thousand dollars CAD for my six night stay - provided it's not a scam (it has ZERO reviews, never a good sign, but it's also a new listing) it's a great deal, not right in the back yard of the Seattle Convention Center but close enough to the Space Needle (and monorail) to make for a reasonable commute.

Note to self - pencil in a visit to the Infinite Worlds of Science Fiction at the MOPOP!

But wait - how does the Hugo awards ceremony work?  Is there a dinner?  If so, is it extra?  Do I need to wear a tux? Make a reservation?  Is it a cash bar? Fingers crossed for a robust FAQ...

But, for now, none of that matters - I'm going to the Hugos!

- Sid

* At this point, the shade of Sir Arthur C. Clarke appears to defend the first UK fan meeting, held in Leeds in 1937, in response to which American fans point to the 1936 Philadelphia fan meet-up with members of a New York group.  Regardless, Worldcon undeniably has the title of longest ongoing event, although there was a hiatus during World War II.  (And the 2020 event was done solely online due to COVID.)

**  Hey, trivia fans - apparently a fan named Bob Madle was the genius who suggested calling the new awards the Hugos.  Madle was also a founding member of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, which hosted the 1939 Worldcon after the dissolution of the International Scientific Association by Donald A. Wollheim in 1937 following the collapse of the Science Fiction League, Hugo Gernsback's Wonder Stories-based group.  (When you start digging around on the Internet, you can end up doing some very deep dives...)

"This is a time to support each other."

The following message from Seattle Worldcon regarding the current situation in the United States appeared in my mailbox this afternoon - I think it speaks for itself.  Sadly, my wife and I have already discussed the possibility that I might need to cancel my attendance if things change even more for the worse, and I'm pleased to see how the convention is responding.

- Sid

Dear Worldcon Community,

I am writing this statement in order to share the status of Seattle Worldcon’s current journey through living up to our theme of Building Yesterday's Future—For Everyone. We have received a number of concerns asking how the convention will respond to orders and actions of the U.S. government, which we condemn, that create hostile conditions and travel barriers for LGBTQ+ members and international members.

We appreciate everyone’s concerns as we navigate the current political landscape together. As I stated when we won the bid, our theme is an acknowledgment that we have not successfully built the future we have aspired to, but we are also inspired by optimism for a better future—including the movements that have existed throughout history pushing us to build communities and pushing us to recognize our shared humanity. The personal is political, and our fandom lives cannot and should not be separated from that reality. 

We are not going to get everything right, and I am explicitly asking for your grace as we move forward, do our best, listen to feedback, and correct our course as necessary. 

We do not have a list of all the steps we are going to take in light of the political landscape right now, as it continues to shift rapidly. We know this is not a particularly satisfying answer in light of the many concerns that we have heard from you about our members who need to enter the United States and what they might encounter trying to cross the border. We are not minimizing those concerns. The situation is frightening, and we encourage our members to make the best decisions for themselves even if that means that we will miss you at our convention. At the same time we are committed to not cancelling the in-person Worldcon as some have suggested because it is even more important than ever to gather with those who are able to do so to discuss our theme and celebrate the power of SFF to imagine different societies. 

We are investigating what concrete actions we can take and offer to our members. Our Code of Conduct, Diversity Commitment, and Anti-Racism Statement provide the guidelines we are using in making these determinations. We would also like to remind people about what we are already doing.  

First, we have in place a Virtual Membership for people who determine that they are no longer safe traveling to the U.S or cannot attend for other reasons. As part of our program, we are partnering with groups from around the world to bring virtual panels to the shoulder hours (before and after in-person programming) every day of the convention to broaden our streaming offerings and include members from other parts of the world. We are actively working on this part of our virtual event and more announcements will be forthcoming. You also can participate in the Hugo Awards online – voting on the final ballot, and discussing Finalists with each other on our social media or in your own bookclubs. There is also the on-line Business Meeting as has been previously announced.  

Second, building on the work of other Worldcons and conventions, we will be having Safer Spaces Lounges available for members of marginalized communities who attend the convention in person. These spaces will be marked on convention maps.

Third, we will be drafting a resource guide to collate many of the wonderful resources that local organizations have already put together. In the interim, the ACLU of Washington has several Know Your Rights publications available, as does Northwest Immigrants Rights Project for individuals concerned about their rights while traveling.  

Fourth, we will be fundraising for the following nonprofit organizations at the convention: Books to Prisoners, The Bureau of Fearless Ideas, and Hugo House. All of these organizations do important work to promote literacy education in the Seattle area and help build community resilience.  

Finally, the political landscape is changing daily and impacting all of us in differing, but profound ways. Our staff is not immune. Many of our staff are deeply, personally impacted by the actions of the U.S. president, as his bigoted and hateful orders target our shared humanity. Many of us are federal employees who are now navigating what is happening to the civil service, terminations from our careers, and extreme uncertainty about our livelihoods. Many of us are also still dealing with the impact of the Los Angeles fires, Hurricane Helene, tornadoes, and other recent severe weather events on our families, loved ones, and friends. As citizens in the U.S. and around the world, we have many concerns, which are probably similar to yours. We all care deeply about our community and about Worldcon and are working diligently to navigate all of the waters that surround us, but we are also human with all the fallibility, blind spots, and competing demands on our time that entails. 

This is a time to support each other. If you have questions about how we can support you in deciding about your Worldcon attendance, please reach out to chair@seattlein2025.org.  

In solidarity,
Kathy Bond
(she/her)
Chair Seattle Worldcon 2025 

Worldcon 2025: Epilogue.

Event Horizon by Donato Giancola

And now it's the day after.  I have a mild Worldcon hangover - like the children in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, it all seems like a dream now.  I somehow doubt that I'll attend another one, so this really was a once in a lifetime event for me.

In retrospect? It was an enormously satisfying experience in every way.  If anyone reading this is a fan of the written word in science fiction and/or fantasy, I strongly suggest that you attend a Worldcon if you can: it's a rare opportunity to participate in sessions and dialogues about the things that you know and love, to pick up new information, to hear stories and anecdotes, to see some of your favourite authors read and discuss their work in person, to be introduced to new authors, to get autographs, pick up some books, old or new, buy some merch, and generally celebrate your love of the field for five days.

I'm not a very gregarious person, so I didn't attend any of the after dark events, it's not in my nature, but I applaud the people who took advantage of that opportunity to celebrate the community on the dance floor as well.  

However, there were some  - well, disappointments is a strong word - let's say surprises.  

I thought that Tor Books would have a massive presence in the dealers room.  In fact, I thought all the major publishers would be there.  There was excellent representation by smaller publishing houses, but none of the major players were in attendance.

I was a bit surprised that Guest of Honour Martha Wells didn't present an award at the Hugos. There were some guest presenters - and, full disclosure, no one I knew by name - but there were some well known names in attendance, such as David Brin, Paolo Bacigalupi, Nancy Kress, and Robin Hobb, and it struck me as odd that I didn't see anyone whose name I recognized from my bookshelves handing out a rocket ship statue.

On which note, I had no idea that so many authors other than the Guest of Honour would be in attendance.  Logic says that I should have expected other writers to be there, but I feel that a list of the better known names would have been helpful.

There were a few gaps in the management of the event. The first day was very obviously a learning experience for the panelists in terms of figuring out how the microphones worked, activating the voice-to-text accommodation systems, trying to connect to projectors, and otherwise dealing with tech support issues that should have been supported by the venue.  

There were also some situations that required an event representative who just wasn't there, such as checking signups for the in-person author Table Talk event on the last day.  I was on the standby list for Larry Niven, and the start time came and went without anyone from the convention taking charge. If there had been room at the table, I would probably have just sat down with Mr. Niven - and for all I know, some of the people filling the seats had just shown up and taken a chair.

Finally, there were several sessions where I honestly felt I could have done a better job as a panelist than the actual participants.  Obviously not the more specialized sessions, such as the excellent NASA/JPL talks, but for topical programs such as War—From Star Trek to The Expanse or Man Versus Extraterrestrial Nature, I would have been able to bring as much to the table (literally) as some of the chosen panelists, if not more. 

That being said, I have a general dislike of non-participant criticism, so maybe I should try to attend another Worldcon after all, and put my name in the hat as a panelist.  Apparently Edmonton is in the early stages of bidding for the 2030 Worldcon, that might be my opportunity to put my money where my mouth is.

Criticism aside, the short answer is that it was an excellent event and I had a wonderful time, and I would like to thank all of the people who were involved in any way with making this Worldcon happen.  My only real regret is that there was not enough time in the day to do all of the things I wanted to do.  

- Sid

Worldcon 2025: Valentine's Day.

Finally, it all successfully comes together for my quest to get a signature at Worldcon from science fiction legend Robert Silverberg. 

The autograph session is scheduled from 3:00 to 4:00. At 2:30 I leave a disappointing talk on the Europa Clipper mission by Space Guest of Honour Bridget Landry, who spent the first fifteen minutes of her allotted hour eating lunch and answering questions with her mouth full, and the next 15 minutes waiting for someone to run back to her hotel room and find the USB stick with her presentation slides, and hurriedly take the escalator down to the third floor autograph venue.

It makes me a little nervous to see that there's already a substantial lineup, and that one of the people in line has a dolly with a couple of storage boxes on it, presumably filled with copies of Silverberg's books.  I quickly get in line and do some math: there's about 30 people in front of me, the autograph session is scheduled for about an hour, hopefully most people don't take much more than a minute - I should be fine, provided that the 90-year-old man of the hour arrives on time and stays the course for the full sixty minutes.

A Worldcon volunteer makes their way along the line, offering Post-It™ notes for people to write out any personalized salutations in advance, and announcing that Mr. Silverberg will be signing a maximum of three books. (Presumably to the disappointment of Mr. Dolly.)  I'm good - I have the hard cover first edition of Lord Valentine's Castle that I ordered online and the paperback copy that I found in Vancouver, along with a trade paperback version of Science Fiction 101, his combined textbook/reminiscence/anthology.  I have other Silverberg books in my collection, but they were not in ideal condition, and I felt oddly embarrassed to show up with something the worse for wear for a signature.

The line begins to move - presumably someplace around the corner, Mr. Silverberg has made his arrival.  We move along at a decent pace, until he comes into view.  The person behind me in line comments that Silverberg looks to be in a good mood, an issue which hadn't occurred to me.  Apparently he was less friendly at the 2024 Glasgow Worldcon, due to a bad flight experience and time zone issues. 

Once my turn comes, there are no problems, and Silverberg is affable and cheerful, if a bit businesslike:  after all, he has a lot of signatures to get through.  He carefully signs my three books, and consents to a photo:

I give him my sincere thanks, leave the line, and return my books to their protective wrapping, hopefully I can get them home without any mishaps or damage.

And finally, the result:

Thanks again, Robert - I hope you continue to attend Worldcon for many years to come.

- Sid

Worldcon 2025: Prologue.

Today's the big day - well, the day before the big day, but still. 

It's 6:00 AM, and I'm waiting to board the Amtrak train to Seattle, ready to spend the next five days at Worldcon, the annual World Science Fiction Society convention where the Hugo Awards are presented.  I'm a bit conflicted, to be honest. On one hand, this is a unique experience, and I'm very excited to have the opportunity to attend. On the other hand, the current rift between Canada and the USA makes travel across the border a bit of a political statement, and a lot of people have cancelled trips like this.  On the gripping hand?*  Everything was booked and paid for last November, long before the current situation developed, and to be honest, I'd rather not lose my money.

Surprisingly, the bus is actually a faster option than Amtrak rail - notably so, with the bus taking three hours and 45 minutes and the train logging in at four hours and 25.  However, the train has other advantages, not the least of which is that passengers go through US Immigration while still in Canada, which means if there are any issues, you can't be detained, only refused entry.  I don't anticipate any problems, but my wife has read too many cautionary tales on the internet for us to ignore possible complications, better safe than sorry.

However, things have changed since my last train trip to the US.  Shortly after crossing the border, there is a brief stop so that Immigration can check our documents again - and now we're on American soil. The inspection announcement is stern:  while the agents are on the train, passengers will not leave their seats, will not use the rest rooms, and will not use electronic devices. 

Fortunately, it's just a quick passport check by a polite Immigration agent, they collect our entry forms, and we're back on our way, actually arriving at King Street Station a little bit early. 

I leave the station and hike up to Pike Place Market, where I temporarily stash my luggage, and do a bit of shopping at Golden Age Collectables.  I top up my assortment of genre buttons, then head up to the street so that I can scout a route to the convention center and register, hopefully avoiding a lineup tomorrow.

The Summit Convention Center is an imposing structure, conveniently located a straight five minute walk from the Westlake Monorail stop.  Once inside, there's a bit of a line for registration but it's not too serious, only a few people have decided to pick up today - presumably tomorrow morning will be a LOT busier.  The age spectrum is skewed a bit older than I expected, there are more than a few white-haired attendees in line.

A friendly volunteer registers me, and I collect my badge, along with a couple of ribbons (apparently ribbons are a Worldcon thing).  That's all there is at this point in the process:  program guides and souvenir books won't be available until Wednesday morning.

Back to Pike Place, where I collect my luggage, and trudge up to my VRBO booking, about a kilometer and a half north.  Checking in goes smoothly - it's not a large space but well set up, and really, all I need is a place to sleep and shower, with the kitchenette being a welcome convenience for morning tea and breakfast. It's not very close to the convention center, but it's a relatively short ten minute walk to the Space Needle monorail terminal, which, as already established, is just five minutes from the Center - I'm all set. 

I'm really not sure what to expect in the morning.  Media coverage of events like San Diego Comic Con has left me with the impression that large fan conventions are like feeding time at the zoo, as my mother would say, but I'd also like to think that the Worldcon crowd is going to be a little more genteel than their comic book cousins.  

In my mind, this is a bit like a geek Pride Week. Admittedly, in the age of the internet, being a science fiction and fantasy fan is not the lonely experience that it was when I was a teenager, but there's still a certain feeling of isolation that comes with the territory, and as such I can't help but think that this is going to be a validating experience.

Ultimately, it's going to be a wait and see situation  - but I'm confident that it's going to be a good five days. 

- Sid

* This useful term is taken from The Gripping Hand, the sequel to The Mote in God's Eye, by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven.  The two books detail humanity's first alien contact - the aliens in question are asymmetrical, with two arms on one side, and a larger, more muscular arm on the other - allowing them to have look at one hand, the other hand, and then, to wrap the question up, the large gripping hand. Coincidentally, Mr. Niven is on several of the convention's panels.

Worldcon 2025: Gallery.

 A selection of images from Worldcon 2025 in Seattle:

The big room - dealers, publishers, sellers, promoters...

And a Tiki Dalek. 

 

I somehow feel that there's always a TARDIS at this sort of event - as there should be, of course.

Legendary - LEGENDARY - artist Phil Foglio, whose comic book adaptation of Robert Aspirin's Mythadventures novel is a million times funnier than the source material.  I felt honoured - and a little bit shy when I asked for a photo. 

https://girlgeniusonline.com/

https://www.studiofoglio.com/

Grand Master of Science Fiction Robert Silverberg mingling - I somehow expected more exciting socks.

 

It did taste good, but I'm sorry, this plus a Sprite is NOT a $29.91 CAD meal.

Publisher's Row.

The LOCUS booth - but where are the other magazines?

Fantasy author Robin Hobb doing sponsored booth signings.  For absolutely no good reason, I always thought that Robin Hobb was a man, not that it matters.

I have thought about making a costume to go with my X-Wing pilot's helmet, but $450 USD is well above my price point - even if it comes with boots.

The venue's automated captioning system turned out to be an unexpected source of entertainment.

"If I were a rich man..."

"All day long I'd biddy dibby bum, if I were a wealthy man!"

"And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men..."

Hard to go wrong with dinosaurs.

That being said, cephalopods are certainly having a moment.  I remember when it was dolphins...

I was strongly tempted by this one, Roger Zelazny has always been one of my favourite authors - but it actually wasn't in great condition.  No regrets...

A great selection, but honestly, all priced just a little bit too high - I would be able to find a lot of these locally in Vancouver for less money.  

The Sistah Sci-Fi Vending Machine - better living through science.

T-shirts, anyone? Fortunately I had already used up my clothing budget on a Worldcon souvenir t-shirt.

- Sid

 

Worldcon 2025: It's happening!

Round trip Amtrak ticket purchased for my trip to Worldcon and the Hugos in Seattle next month!  And there are finally some reviews for my little affordable VRBO booking near the Space Needle - it's always bit worrisome when a property hasn't received a single comment.

Just over a month to go!

- Sid

  

Worldcon 2025: TANSTAAFL?

If there was one thing that surprised me more than anything else about Worldcon, it was that there was a Freebies booth.  I generally don't have a lot of faith in giveaways, as per the title of this posting*, but in this case, it turned out to be accurate.

There were three kinds of freebies available - random ephemera, like pens, buttons, post cards and book marks; free books from publishers; and, most unexpectedly, a donations section, where attendees dropped off unwanted books for the taking.  

I have to admit that I do love little bits and pieces of merch, and the freebies table was a target rich environment.  That being said, I managed to avoid overindulging, and walked away with a relatively small selection of glossy items, including a very nicely printed 11x17 poster for Matt Wagner's 2019 Grendel comic book series on heavy stock.  (Full disclosure, I actually nabbed three of these, in hopes that at least one of them would survive the rigours of packing and the luggage compartment on the bus home.)

The selection of new publications being given away didn't hold a huge appeal for me, which is probably unfortunate, given that the whole purpose of giving away copies of a new book is to help create buzz.  However, I've been trying to limit my new book acquisitions, even free ones, and I only had so much extra room in my luggage. 

The free used books were a different story (no pun intended).  I visited the used shelves several times during the convention, and there seemed to be a steady flow of new donations, my thanks to all the contributors who kept the selection fresh. I did my best not to get carried away, but I still ended up with a solid stack of replacement copies, along with a couple of spur of the moment choices, like the Jim Burns book. There were even some free Ace Doubles** in good condition - I can only imagine the embarrassment of riches in someone's library that would allow them to do this.

I could easily have come back with a much bigger stack of books, were it not for the realities of transporting them back to Canada on the bus. As it was, I felt a bit like a bag lady as I stood in line at the bus terminal, but fortunately, no one sat beside me, which gave me a little bit more room for extra luggage.

Oh, and all three of the Grendel posters reached Vancouver almost completely unscathed, please let me know if you're in the GVR and you'd like one.

- Sid

 * There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, a phrase which I first encountered in the classic Robert A. Heinlein's novel The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress. 

** Even more surprising than someone giving away free Ace Doubles in good condition was the fact that two of them were new editions of previously published Ace Double novels, which I'd never seen before.  It had never occurred to me that that Ace would do remix editions.