59th World Science Fiction Convention
Encyclopedia
The Millennium Philcon was the 59th World Science Fiction Convention, held from August 30 to September 3, 2001 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center
& Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Most commentators mentioned the titanic size of the convention center. Darrell Schweitzer
said of it, "Imagine a convention held in a zeppelin hangar -- designed for multiple zeppelins -- and you will begin to get the idea ... [There was] enough airspace to fly a small plane indoors."
won the bid for the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention
to be held in 2004.
115 individual dealers sold goods at 258 tables in the dealers' room.
industry as a whole. There was much concern about mass market paperbacks, the catastrophic reduction in the number of book distributors from about 300 to three, and the high percentage of books returned unsold. On the panel "The Science Fiction Short Story Today" it was noted that even famous short story magazines are seeing declining circulation.
.
Gardner Dozois said the science fiction field had endured many boom and bust cycles before, and pointed out that historically, science fiction of today was freed from many of the unfortunate prejudices and restraints that it has had in the past.
oriented art. Free docent tours were led by professional artists. The Art Show Award for Best in Show was awarded to Bob Eggleton's "Quimeartha's Dream 1 & 2".
was held Saturday evening. There were 31 competitors. Several very large dragons impressed the audience.The winning entry for Best In Show was "Fridays at Ten," a skit of several Twilight Zone
episodes done in black, white, and grey costumes. "The H-Mercs" won Best Workmanship for their spectacular mechanical dragon. Intermission entertainment was supplied by Harmonytryx, a female a cappella
group.
Naturally, there were many "hall costumes" as well worn throughout the con, including Centauri
, Klingons, and a young Princess Ozma
.
, held in New York in 1939, as well as Hugo Awards, mugs, medallions, program books, t-shirts and the like from more recent conventions.
Philadelphia's Chinatown
is immediately outside the convention center, and many a budget-conscious attendee ate delicious Chinese food and dim sum
rather than expensive hotel fare that weekend.
On Saturday "The Junkyard Wars" were held in some of the spare space in the exhibit hall. Ten teams of six people tried to build mechanisms from whatever they could find to propel a raw egg over a barrier as far as they could without it breaking. The winning team received "a rosette and a trophy made from junk found in the hotel basement that morning."
the week after it closed.
Pennsylvania Convention Center
The Pennsylvania Convention Center is a multi-use public facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which is designed to accommodate conventions, exhibitions, conferences and other events.-History:...
& Philadelphia Marriott Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Most commentators mentioned the titanic size of the convention center. Darrell Schweitzer
Darrell Schweitzer
Darrell Charles Schweitzer is an American writer, editor, and essayist in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror, although he does also work in science fiction and fantasy...
said of it, "Imagine a convention held in a zeppelin hangar -- designed for multiple zeppelins -- and you will begin to get the idea ... [There was] enough airspace to fly a small plane indoors."
Guests of Honor
- Greg BearGreg BearGregory Dale Bear is an American science fiction and mainstream author. His work has covered themes of galactic conflict , artificial universes , consciousness and cultural practices , and accelerated evolution...
(author) - Stephen Youll (Artist)
- Gardner DozoisGardner DozoisGardner Raymond Dozois is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004...
(Editor) - George Scithers (Fan)
- Esther FriesnerEsther FriesnerEsther Mona Friesner-Stutzman, née Friesner is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for her humorous pieces.- Life :...
(Toastmaster)
2001 Hugo Awards
- Best Novel: Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the fourth novel in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, published on 8 July 2000.The novel won a Hugo Award in 2001, the only Harry Potter novel to do so...
by J. K. RowlingJ. K. RowlingJoanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series... - Best Novella: "The Ultimate Earth" by Jack WilliamsonJack WilliamsonJohn Stewart Williamson , who wrote as Jack Williamson was a U.S. writer often referred to as the "Dean of Science Fiction" following the death in 1988 of Robert A...
(AnalogAnalog Science Fiction and FactAnalog Science Fiction and Fact is an American science fiction magazine. As of 2011, it is the longest running continuously published magazine of that genre...
, December 2000) - Best Novelette: "Millennium Babies" by Kristine Kathryn RuschKristine Kathryn RuschKristine Kathryn Rusch is an American writer. She writes under various pseudonyms in multiple genres, including science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, and mainstream....
(Asimov's, January 2000) - Best Short Story: "Different Kinds of Darkness" by David LangfordDavid LangfordDavid Rowland Langford is a British author, editor and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter Ansible.-Personal background:...
(F & SFThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science FictionThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction is a digest-size American fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House and then by Fantasy House. Both were subsidiaries of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Publications, which took over as publisher in 1958. Spilogale, Inc...
, January 2000) - Best Related Book: Greetings from Earth: The Art of Bob Eggleton by Bob EggletonBob EggletonBob Eggleton is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror artist. Eggleton has been honored with the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist eight times, first winning in 1994. He also won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2001 for his art book "Greetings From Earth"...
and Nigel Suckling (Paper TigerPaper Tiger BooksPaper Tiger is a publishing house started in 1976 by Martyn and Roger Dean, on the back of their success at publishing Dean's Views graphic album under sister imprint Dragon's Dream...
) - Best Dramatic Presentation: Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonCrouching Tiger, Hidden DragonCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 wuxia film. An American-Chinese-Hong Kong-Taiwanese co-production, the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of ethnic Chinese actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen...
- Best Professional Editor: Gardner DozoisGardner DozoisGardner Raymond Dozois is an American science fiction author and editor. He was editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine from 1984 to 2004...
- Best Pro Artist: Bob EggletonBob EggletonBob Eggleton is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror artist. Eggleton has been honored with the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist eight times, first winning in 1994. He also won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2001 for his art book "Greetings From Earth"...
- Best Semiprozine: LocusLocus (magazine)Locus, subtitled "The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field", is published monthly in Oakland, California. It reports on the science fiction and fantasy publishing field, including comprehensive listings of all new books published in the genre. It is considered the news organ and trade...
, edited by Charles N. BrownCharles N. BrownCharles Nikki Brown was the co-founder and editor of Locus, the long-running news and reviews magazine covering the genres of science fiction and fantasy literature. He was born on June 24, 1937 in Brooklyn, New York. He attended City College until 1956, when he joined the military ; he served in... - Best Fanzine: File 770File 770File 770 is a long running science fiction fanzine and newszine published by Mike Glyer; it is named after the now legendary party held in Room 770 at Nolacon, the 9th World Science Fiction Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, that ran continuously for nearly two days and upstaged all the other...
, edited by Mike GlyerMike GlyerMike Glyer is both the editor and publisher of the long-running science fiction fan newszine File 770. He holds the record for being nominated the most times for the Hugo Award; he has won 9 times in two categories: File 770 won the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1984, 1985, 1989, 2000, 2001 and 2008, and... - Best Fan Writer: Dave Langford
- Best Fan Artist: Teddy HarviaTeddy HarviaTeddy Harvia is the nom de plume of David Thayer, an American science fiction fan artist. "Teddy Harvia" is an anagram of "David Thayer". He was born in Oklahoma but grew up in and resides in Dallas, Texas....
- John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer of 2000 or 2001: Kristine SmithKristine SmithKristine Smith is an American science fiction and fantasy author. In 2001 she won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. She lives in northern Illinois....
1951 Retro Hugo Awards
- Best Novel: Farmer in the SkyFarmer in the SkyFarmer In The Sky is a 1953 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about a teenaged boy who emigrates with his family to Jupiter's moon Ganymede, which is in the process of being terraformed. A condensed version of the novel was published in serial form in 1950 in Boys' Life magazine , under...
by Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of... - Best Novella: "The Man Who Sold the Moon" by Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
(The Man Who Sold the Moon, Shasta Publishers) - Best Novelette: "The Little Black Bag" by C. M. Kornbluth (Astounding Science Fiction, July 1950)
- Best Short Story: "To Serve ManTo Serve Man"To Serve Man" is a science fiction short story written by Damon Knight. It first appeared in the November 1950 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction and has been reprinted a number of times, including in Frontiers in Space , Far Out and The Best of Damon Knight...
" by Damon KnightDamon KnightDamon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, critic and fan. His forte was short stories and he is widely acknowledged as having been a master of the genre.-Biography:...
(GalaxyGalaxyA galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
, November 1950) - Best Dramatic Presentation: Destination MoonDestination Moon (film)Destination Moon is an American science fiction feature film produced by George Pal, who later produced When Worlds Collide, The War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine. Pal commissioned the script by James O'Hanlon and Rip Van Ronkel...
- Best Professional Editor: John W. Campbell, Jr.
- Best Pro Artist: Frank Kelly FreasFrank Kelly FreasFrank Kelly Freas , called the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists", was a science fiction and fantasy artist with a career spanning more than 50 years.-Early life, education, and personal life:...
- Best Fanzine: Science Fiction Newsletter
- Best Fan Writer: Bob SilverbergRobert SilverbergRobert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:...
- Best Fan Artist: Jack GaughanJack GaughanJack Gaughan was an American science fiction artist and illustrator who won the Hugo Award several times. Working primarily with Donald A...
62nd Worldcon site selection
BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
won the bid for the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention
62nd World Science Fiction Convention
The 62nd World Science Fiction Convention was Noreascon 4, which was held in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 2–6, 2004. The venues for the 62nd Worldcon were Hynes Convention Center, Sheraton Boston Hotel and Boston Marriott Copley Place...
to be held in 2004.
Other noteworthy program participants
|
Don Maitz Don Maitz is an American science fiction, fantasy, and commercial artist. His most widely-known creation is the "Captain" character of the Captain Morgan brand of rum, although he is perhaps most notable for twice winning the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist, science fiction's highest honor... George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of... Elizabeth Moon Elizabeth Moon is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Her novel The Speed of Dark won the 2003 Nebula Award.-Biography:... Patrick Nielsen Hayden Patrick James Nielsen Hayden , is an American science fiction editor, fan, fanzine publisher, essayist, reviewer, anthologist, teacher and blogger. He is a World Fantasy Award and Hugo Award winner , and is an editor and the Manager of Science Fiction at Tor Books... Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics... Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem... Mike Resnick Michael Diamond Resnick , better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is an American science fiction author. He was executive editor of Jim Baen's Universe.-Biography:... Robert J. Sawyer Robert James Sawyer is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 20 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award ,... Darrell Schweitzer Darrell Charles Schweitzer is an American writer, editor, and essayist in the field of speculative fiction. Much of his focus has been on dark fantasy and horror, although he does also work in science fiction and fantasy... Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:... Norman Spinrad Norman Richard Spinrad is an American science fiction author.Born in New York City, Spinrad is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. In 1957 he entered City College of New York and graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree as a pre-law major. In 1966 he moved to San Francisco,... Nancy Springer Nancy Connor Springer is an American author of fantasy, young adult literature, mystery, and science fiction. Her novel Larque on the Wing won the Tiptree Award, and she has also received the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.-Series:Book of the Isle* 1. The White Hart * 2... S. M. Stirling Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.-Personal:Stirling was born on... Lois Tilton Lois Tilton is a science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and horror writer. She won the Sidewise Award for Alternate History in the short form category for her story "Pericles the Tyrant" in 2006. In 2005, her story, "The Gladiator's War" was a nominee for the Nebula Award for Best Novelette... Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :... Mary Turzillo Mary A. Turzillo is an American science fiction writer noted primarily for short stories. She won the Nebula Award for Best Novelette in 2000 for her story Mars is No Place for Children, published originally in Science Fiction Age, and her story "Pride," published originally in Fast Forward 1, was... Gordon Van Gelder Gordon Van Gelder is a Hugo Award-winning American science fiction editor. As of 2008, Van Gelder is both editor and publisher of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, for which he has twice won the Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form... Jo Walton Jo Walton is a Welsh-Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2002 and the World Fantasy award for her novel Tooth and Claw in 2004. Her novel Ha'penny was a co-winner of the 2008 Prometheus Award... Lawrence Watt-Evans Lawrence Watt-Evans is one of the pseudonyms of American science fiction and fantasy author Lawrence Watt Evans... Len Wein Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men... Michael Whelan Michael Whelan is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years he worked as an illustrator specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art... Walter Jon Williams Walter Jon Williams is an American writer, primarily of science fiction.Several of Williams' novels have a distinct cyberpunk feel to them, notably Hardwired , Voice of the Whirlwind and Angel Stationn... |
Attendance
Total memberships of all types were 6,288. Of those, 933 were supporting memberships and 6 were kids-in-tow. Actual on-site attendance was 4,592.115 individual dealers sold goods at 258 tables in the dealers' room.
About the convention
Many commentators spoke of the outsize the Philadelphia Convention Center. Despite the convention being sizable, "attendees seemed to rattle around the oversize room." Dealers reported good sales, but there was some confusion about tax laws and last-minute license charges which upset some dealers.Programming
440 people participated in 530 panel discussions, dialogues, slide shows, autograph sessionl, and readings. The panel on "The State of Science Fiction Publishing Today" took a troubling look at the publishingPublishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
industry as a whole. There was much concern about mass market paperbacks, the catastrophic reduction in the number of book distributors from about 300 to three, and the high percentage of books returned unsold. On the panel "The Science Fiction Short Story Today" it was noted that even famous short story magazines are seeing declining circulation.
Guests of honor
Greg Bear talked about how common many of the tropes of science fiction have become, and how this is an encouraging sign of the mainstream acceptance of science fiction. He also spoke of his father-in-law, the late Poul AndersonPoul Anderson
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
.
Gardner Dozois said the science fiction field had endured many boom and bust cycles before, and pointed out that historically, science fiction of today was freed from many of the unfortunate prejudices and restraints that it has had in the past.
Art show
The art show had a great variety of science fiction and fantasyFantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
oriented art. Free docent tours were led by professional artists. The Art Show Award for Best in Show was awarded to Bob Eggleton's "Quimeartha's Dream 1 & 2".
Masquerade
The MasqueradeMasquerade ball
A masquerade ball is an event which the participants attend in costume wearing a mask. - History :...
was held Saturday evening. There were 31 competitors. Several very large dragons impressed the audience.The winning entry for Best In Show was "Fridays at Ten," a skit of several Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
episodes done in black, white, and grey costumes. "The H-Mercs" won Best Workmanship for their spectacular mechanical dragon. Intermission entertainment was supplied by Harmonytryx, a female a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group.
Naturally, there were many "hall costumes" as well worn throughout the con, including Centauri
Centauri (Babylon 5)
The Centauri are a humanoid species in the fictional universe of the Babylon 5 television series. They were the first alien species to make open contact with the human race. Their homeworld is Centauri Prime, a small Earth-like planet consisting of two large continents and several smaller islands...
, Klingons, and a young Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma
Princess Ozma is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by L. Frank Baum. She appears in every book of the series except the first, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz .She is the rightful ruler of Oz, and L...
.
Fan memorabilia
A large exhibit of historical Worldcon artifacts was spread across the exhibit hall. There were photographs and clippings from Nycon I1st World Science Fiction Convention
The First World Science Fiction Convention was held in the Caravan Hall in New York from July 2 to July 4, 1939, in conjunction with the New York World's Fair, which was themed as "The World of Tomorrow"...
, held in New York in 1939, as well as Hugo Awards, mugs, medallions, program books, t-shirts and the like from more recent conventions.
Weirdness, fun and otherwise
A nearby Christian convention, "For His Glory", was held simultaneously. Several attendees of that convention were disturbed by fans dressed up as demons and the like. They disrupted several panels and convention registration by singing hymns until Security was called to escort them away.Philadelphia's Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
is immediately outside the convention center, and many a budget-conscious attendee ate delicious Chinese food and dim sum
Dim sum
Dim sum refers to a style of Chinese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates...
rather than expensive hotel fare that weekend.
On Saturday "The Junkyard Wars" were held in some of the spare space in the exhibit hall. Ten teams of six people tried to build mechanisms from whatever they could find to propel a raw egg over a barrier as far as they could without it breaking. The winning team received "a rosette and a trophy made from junk found in the hotel basement that morning."
Afterword
The Millennium Philcon is remembered for having an absolutely enormous convention center which dwarfed the event. Memories of the convention were made bittersweet by the attacks on the World Trade Center and US PentagonSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
the week after it closed.