WisCon or Wiscon, a

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

science fiction convention Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction genre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expres ...

, is the oldest, and often called the world's leading,

feminist science fiction Feminist science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction (abbreviated "SF") focused on theories that include feminist themes including but not limited to gender inequality, sexuality, race, economics, reproduction, and environment. Feminist ...

convention and conference. It was first held in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

, Wisconsin in February 1977, after a group of fans attending the 1976 34th World Science Fiction Convention in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

was inspired to organize a convention like

WorldCon Worldcon, or more formally the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during ...

but with feminism as the dominant theme. The convention is held annually in May, during the four-day weekend of

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

. Sponsored by the Society for the Furtherance and Study of Fantasy and Science Fiction, or ''(SF)³'', WisCon gathers together fans, writers, editors, publishers, scholars, and artists to discuss science fiction and fantasy, with emphasis on issues of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...

race Race, RACE or "The Race" may refer to: * Race (biology), an informal taxonomic classification within a species, generally within a sub-species * Race (human categorization), classification of humans into groups based on physical traits, and/or s ...

, and

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

Guests of Honor

Since its inception, WisCon has invited one or more guests of honor to attend the convention every year, guiding and participating in programming and giving a speech at a ceremony in their honor. WisCon 30 (May 26–29, 2006) was an anniversary Wiscon, and 39 previous Guests of Honor attended. For WisCon 40, the convention invited a third guest of honor,

Nalo Hopkinson Nalo Hopkinson (born 20 December 1960) is a Jamaican-born Canadian speculative fiction writer and editor. Her novels ('' Brown Girl in the Ring'', ''Midnight Robber'', '' The Salt Roads'', ''The New Moon's Arms'') and short stories such as thos ...

, who was previously a guest of honor at WisCon 26. A virtual event happened on Memorial Day weekend in 2020 at WisCon XLIV. Here are the Guests of honor below:

Offshoot organizations and awards

Avedon Carol, Beth Meacham, Lois McMaster Bujold

Multiple awards and organizations have been created through or developed from conversations at WisCon that focus on various issues within science fiction and fantasy. Many of these offshoots still maintain close ties to WisCon, hosting parties or panel discussions focused on their areas of interest. The James Tiptree, Jr. Award (now the

Otherwise Award The Otherwise Award, formerly known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science f ...

), an annual literary prize for science fiction or fantasy "that expands or explores our understanding of gender" was first discussed as part of Pat Murphy's Guest of Honor speech at WisCon 15 in 1991. The concept originated in a discussion at a prior WisCon, partly as "...a reaction to the fact that all of the science fiction awards were named after men. So they named the Tiptree for a man who was actually a woman". James Tiptree, Jr., was the pen name of Alice B. Sheldon. The Tiptree Ceremony has been held at other conventions, but is usually held at WisCon. The

Carl Brandon Society The Carl Brandon Society is a group originating within the science fiction fandom, science fiction community "dedicated to addressing the representation of people of color in the fantastical genres such as science fiction, fantasy and Horror fictio ...

was founded in 1999 following discussions at Wiscon 23 about race, racism, and science and fantasy, inspired in part by Delany’s essay “Racism and Science Fiction” published in the ''

New York Review of Science Fiction ''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' is a monthly literary magazine of science fiction that was established in 1988. It includes works of science fiction criticism, essays, and in-depth critical reviews of new works of fiction and scholarsh ...

'' (August 1998). The organization is dedicated to addressing the representation of

people of color The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

in science fiction, fantasy and horror. In 2005 they created the Parallax Award, given to works of speculative fiction created by a self-identified person of color, and the Kindred Award, which is given to any work of speculative fiction dealing with issues of race and ethnicity; nominees may be of any racial or ethnic group.

Broad Universe {{Sex in SF mini Broad Universe is a United States-based, all volunteer organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women. Writers, editors, publishers, reviewers, artists, and fans are invited ...

, an organization with the primary goal of promoting science fiction, fantasy, and horror written by women, was first discussed at a panel discussion in 2000 at WisCon 24. It has since developed into a nonprofit with an online newsletter and other publications, a podcast, and a frequent presence at many conventions both to sell books written by members and to provide more information and help organize to support women writing, editing, and publishing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction.

Books about WisCon

In 2007,

Aqueduct Press Aqueduct Press is a publisher based in Seattle, Washington, United States that publishes material featuring a feminist viewpoint. History Aqueduct Press was founded in 2004 by L. Timmel Duchamp. The company has focused on publishing speculati ...

began issuing a series of books titled "WisCon Chronicles", with ''The WisCon Chronicles: Vol. 1'' , edited by L. Timmel Duchamp. Volume 2 was ''The WisCon Chronicles: Volume 2: Provocative essays on feminism, race, revolution, and the future'' , edited by Duchamp and

Eileen Gunn Eileen Gunn (born June 23, 1945, Dorchester, Massachusetts) is a science fiction author and editor based in Seattle, Washington, who began publishing in 1978. Her story "Coming to Terms", inspired, in part, by a friendship with Avram Davidson, wo ...

; followed by ''The WisCon Chronicles: Vol. 3: The Carnival of Feminist SF'' , edited by Liz Henry; ''The WisCon Chronicles: Vol. 4: Voices of WisCon'' edited by Sylvia Kelso; and ''The WisCon Chronicles: Volume 5: Writing and Racial Identity'' , edited by

Nisi Shawl Nisi Shawl (born 1955) is an African-American writer, editor, and journalist. They are best known as an author of science fiction and fantasy short stories who writes and teaches about how fantastic fiction might reflect real-world diversity of ...

and released at WisCon 35 (May 27–30, 2011), where Shawl was Guest of Honor. Volume 5, like Volume 4 before it, was supported by a grant from the Society for the Furtherance & Study of Fantasy & Science Fiction SF)³ ''The WisCon Chronicles 6: Futures of Feminism and Fandom'' , edited by Alexis Lothian, was issued at WisCon 36 in 2012; and ''The WisCon Chroncles 7: Shattering Ableist Narratives'' , edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft, was issued at WisCon 37 in late May 2013. Helen Merrick's 2009 '' The Secret Feminist Cabal'' (), a 2010

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...

nominee, while a broader history of the topic, contains a number of mentions and descriptions of WisCon itself and of various WisCon-spawned projects such as the Tiptree Awards, Broad Universe, and the Carl Brandon Society, beginning with the author's

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes ...

and continuing throughout the book.Merrick, Helen. ''The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of Science Fiction Feminisms'' Seattle: Aqueduct Press, 2009; pp. v–vi, ''et seq.''

References

Sources

*Bankier, Amanda, "Guest of Honor Speech at Wiscon 1

*Gomoll, Jeanne, "Guest of Honor Speech at Wiscon 24

*Gomoll, Jeanne, "An Open Letter to Joanna Russ", in ''Six Shooter'' (Jeanne Gomoll, Linda Pickersgill, and Pam Wells, eds.) - reprinted in ''Fanthology '87'

*Hanson, Amy Axt, "How Is Wiscon Different from Other Cons?", ''The Broadsheet'' May 200

*Marks, Laurie J., "Why, and How a Wallflower Throws a Party at Wiscon", ''The Broadsheet'' May 200

*McClenahan, Catherine. "Wiscon, Then and Now." ''Wiscon 20 Souvenir Book'', Madison: SF³, 1996; pp. 46–48. *Morgan, Cheryl, "Down Among the Rad Fems, 1998", ''The Broadsheet'' May 200

*Merrick, Helen. "From ''Female Man'' to Feminist Fan: Uncovering 'Herstory' in the Annals of SF Fandom," in ''Women of Other Worlds: Excursions through Science Fiction and Feminism'', edited by Helen Merrick and Tess Williams; Nedlands: University of Western Australia Press, 1999; pp. 115–139. *Wiedenhoeft, John. "Klingons Not Focus of Wiscon The Science Fiction Convention Celebrates Literature and Feminism", ''The Capital Times'' May 26, 200

External links