MidSouthCon is an annual multi-day

fan convention Fan convention (also known as con or fan meeting), a term that predates 1942, is an event in which fans of a particular topic gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and each other. Some ...

in the Mid-Southern United States.

Background

Run by Mid-South Science and Fictions Conventions Inc., the annual multi-day

focuses on

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

, comic books,

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

media, films, medieval weaponry,

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

s, and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

. The con's wide gamut of celebrated subjects has been recognized as one of its draws.

Past events

2000s

In 2004, MidSouthCon 22 and

DeepSouthCon The DeepSouthCon (DSC) is an annual science fiction convention, which is hosted in different cities in the Southern United States. Site selection is by vote of the membership of a given DSC, for the convention to be held 2 years in the future. DS ...

42 were jointly held in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

that March 26–28; Dr.

Amy H. Sturgis Amy H. Sturgis (born 1971) is an American author, speaker and scholar of science fiction and fantasy studies and Native American studies. She earned her Ph.D. in intellectual history from Vanderbilt University, served on the advisory board of Myt ...

was a featured guest. 2007's MidSouthCon 25 was held at the Memphis Holiday Inn from 23–25 March; tickets at the door were , and featured guests included

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first nov ...

and

Mark Waid Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Dar ...

. MidSouthCon 27 was held from March 21–22, 2009 at the Whispering Woods Conference Center in

Olive Branch, Mississippi Olive Branch is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population is 39,711. Olive Branch is part of the Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region that consists of three counties in southwest Te ...

; both days cost , and featured guests included

Vincent Di Fate Vincent Di Fate (born November 21, 1945) is an American artist specializing in science fiction, fantasy and realistic space art (hardware art) illustration. He was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame on June 25, 2011. Di Fate was bor ...

, Stanton T. Friedman,

Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick (; March 5, 1942 – January 9, 2020) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He won five Hugo awards and a Nebula award, and was the guest of honor at Chicon 7. He was the executive editor of the defunct ...

, and

Ann VanderMeer Ann VanderMeer (née Kennedy) is an American publisher and editor, and the second female editor of the horror magazine ''Weird Tales''. She is the founder of Buzzcity Press. Work from her press and related periodicals has won the British Fantasy ...

2010s

In 2010, MidSouthCon 28 hosted about 1300 attendees from March 12–14 at Whispering Woods. From March 25–27, 2011, MidSouthCon 29—at the Hilton Memphis—was expected to have 1500 attendees; tickets at the door sold for , and featured guests included

Kurt Busiek Kurt Busiek ( ) (born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the ''Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled ''Astro City'', a four-year run on ''The Avengers (comic book), The Avengers, Thunderbolts (comics ...

Monte Cook Monte Cook is an American professional tabletop role-playing game designer and writer, best known for his work on ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Role-playing industry career Early years Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, worki ...

Mary Robinette Kowal Mary Robinette Kowal (; born February 8, 1969) is an American author and puppeteer. Originally a puppeteer by primary trade after receiving a bachelor's degree in art education, she became art director for science fiction magazines and by 2010 was ...

Luke Ski Luke Collis Sienkowski (born January 14, 1974), better known as the great Luke Ski or simply as Luke Ski, is an American parody, filk, and rap artist, who writes, records and performs comedy music. The decapitalization of "the great" in Sienko ...

, and Nene Thomas. MidSouthCon 30 returned to the Hilton Memphis from March 22–25, 2012;

Mark Goddard Mark Goddard (born Charles Harvey Goddard; July 24, 1936) is an American actor who has starred in a number of television programs. He is probably best known for portraying Major Don West in the CBS series ''Lost in Space'' (1965–1968). He ...

Marta Kristen Marta Kristen is a Norwegian-born American actress. Kristen is best known for her role as Judy Robinson, the oldest child of Professor John Robinson and his wife, Maureen, in the television series ''Lost in Space'' (1965–1968). Her character w ...

Andy Looney Andrew J. Looney (born November 5, 1963) is a game designer and computer programmer. He is also a photographer, a cartoonist, a video-blogger, and a marijuana-legalization advocate. Andrew and Kristin Looney together founded the games company Lo ...

Ethan Siegel Ethan R. Siegel is an American theoretical astrophysicist and science writer, who studies the Big Bang theory. In the past he has been a professor at Lewis & Clark College and a blogger at ''Starts With a Bang'', on ScienceBlogs and also on For ...

, and Michael A. Stackpole were among the featured guests, and the four-day event cost . In 2015, MidSouthCon 33 hosted 2146 attendees. MidSouthCon 34, held in 2016 from March 18–20 at the Hilton Memphis, featured Christie Golden, Bob McLeod, and

as guests. At the Hilton Memphis from March 9–11, 2018's MidSouthCon 36 expected 2300 attendees alongside featured guests

Mike Carlin Michael Carlin (born October 6, 1958) is an American comic book writer, editor, and executive. He has worked principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics since the 1970s. Early life Carlin attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, ...

Ellen Datlow Ellen Datlow (born December 31, 1949) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award (Horror Writers Association). Career Datlow began her career ...

, and

; the three-day pass cost .

Charity

At 2017's MidSouthCon 35, was raised for Literacy Mid-South and the

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While ...

's emergency medical fund.

References

External links

* {{multigenre conventions in North and South America annual events in the United States conventions in Mississippi conventions in Tennessee culture of Memphis, Tennessee multigenre conventions science fiction conventions in the United States