Philcon
Encyclopedia
Philcon, also known as the "Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference", is an annual science fiction convention
, which has been held in or near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, nearly every year since 1936. The convention is run by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society
(PSFS). Usually held in November, its programming features a mixture of literary, science, gaming, film, anime
, and costuming. There is usually an open Meet the Authors/Artists Party on Friday and a Masquerade on Saturday, as well as the usual programming mixture of literature, art, costuming, and gaming panels, an art show, a dealers' room, a masquerade, and movies.
, a Canadian science fiction author, journalist, and blogger. who serves as co-editor of the blog
Boing Boing. His novel, Little Brother
, which foresaw the impact of social media on political movements, was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award
. In a case of life imitating art, Little Brother has been translated into Persian and is being covertly distributed by liberal activists in Iran. The Artist Guests of Honor are the husband and wife team of Boris Vallejo
and Julie Bell
. Boris Vallejo
works almost exclusively in the fantasy and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have graced the covers of dozens of science fiction paperbacks and are featured in a series of best-selling glossy calendars, as well as on album covers, video box art, and movie advertising. Julie Bell
has painted the covers for about 100 fantasy/science fiction book and magazine covers since 1990. She was the first female artist to do a cover painting for the Marvel Comics
version of Conan the Barbarian
. In the early 1990s, she illustrated painted covers for video games as well as best-selling trading cards for the superheroes of Marvel and DC. She designed the award-winning Dragons of Destiny sculpture series, Mistress of the Dragon's Realm dagger series, as well as the Temptation Rides sculpture series produced by The Franklin Mint. She also did the cover art for two albums by the rock icon Meat Loaf
. S.J. Tucker tours the USA solo and as leader of two bands, Skinny White Chick and Tricky Pixie. She has released seven full-length albums containing all-original material, as well as two live discs. Her sound stretches from comedy to lullabyes to full-on punk, even including electronica
, electing Rothman as chair and New Yorker Frederik Pohl
as Secretary. Since Philadelphia had been the site of the 1936 Democratic
and Republican National Convention
s, they declared themselves the Philadelphia Science Fiction Convention. Part of the group went to John Baltadonis
' home to examine his art collection and the printing press used to publish the PSFS newsletter. At Rothman's house, the group talked about science fiction and played craps. On the way back to the train station, some of the attendees sang early filk songs. One of the attendees, John B. Michel published an account of the day, the first convention report, in a New York fanzine.
Nine people attended the first Philcon in 1936. They were Ossie Train, Donald A. Wollheim
, Milton A. Rothman, Frederik Pohl, John B. Michel, Will Sykora, David Kyle
, Robert A. Madle, and John Baltadonis.
Many fan historians, as well as the PSFS, claim that the first Philcon was the first science fiction convention ever held. Others make this claim for a 1937 event in Leeds
, England
. Attendees at the British event bought tickets to sit in a hall and listen to several speakers and to hear a few congratulatory telegrams. They also voted to create the British Science Fiction Association
.
, "The Immortal Storm", Hyperion Press, 1974, available from NESFA Press, http://www.nesfa.org/press/. The history of science fiction fandom up to World War II by one of the key players.
John Bristol (Jack Speer), "Fancyclopedia", Fantasy Foundation, 1944, is available online at fanac.org/Fannish_Reference_Works/Fancyclopedia/Fancyclopedia_I/. One of the first serious attempts to study science fiction fandom.
Dick Eney, "Fancyclopedia II", Operation Crifanac 1959. This is an attempt to update Jack Speer's earlier encyclopedia. The site, fanac.org, is the site of The Fan History Project, an organization dedicated to the serious study of the history of science fiction.
Lew Wolkoff, "The First Philcon, An Oral History", Phanadelphia Corporation, 1985, is available from The Millennium Philcon, the 2001 World Science Fiction Convention, which may be contacted from www.2001.worldcon.org. This was an oral history, a series of interviews with the persons who had attended the 1936 Philcon along with supplemental material, which includes: a map of Philadelphia; listings of the contents of the October 1936 issues of various science fiction magazines; a summary of current events, current science fiction movies, and the current plotline of several science fiction/fantasy newspaper comic strips; photographs taken at the event and supplied by the photographer; and copies of the text of several science fiction fan magazine reports of the event.
Frederik Pohl
, "The Way the Future Was: A Memoir", Del Rey Books, 1978. Covers much of his career in fandom, including his accounts of attending the first PhilCon in 1936.
Science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
, which has been held in or near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, nearly every year since 1936. The convention is run by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society
Philadelphia Science Fiction Society
The Philadelphia Science Fiction Society is a science fiction club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PSFS is the second oldest group in science fiction fandom and hosted what is considered by some to be the first science fiction convention...
(PSFS). Usually held in November, its programming features a mixture of literary, science, gaming, film, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
, and costuming. There is usually an open Meet the Authors/Artists Party on Friday and a Masquerade on Saturday, as well as the usual programming mixture of literature, art, costuming, and gaming panels, an art show, a dealers' room, a masquerade, and movies.
Philcon 2011
The 2011 Philcon will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ from November 18 through 20. The Principal Speaker is science fiction author Cory DoctorowCory Doctorow
Cory Efram Doctorow is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who serves as co-editor of the blog Boing Boing. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of the Creative Commons organization, using some of their licences for his books...
, a Canadian science fiction author, journalist, and blogger. who serves as co-editor of the blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
Boing Boing. His novel, Little Brother
Little Brother (Cory Doctorow novel)
Little Brother is a novel by Cory Doctorow, published by Tor Books. It was released on April 29, 2008. The novel is about several teenagers in San Francisco who, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack on the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge and BART system, defend themselves against the...
, which foresaw the impact of social media on political movements, was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
. In a case of life imitating art, Little Brother has been translated into Persian and is being covertly distributed by liberal activists in Iran. The Artist Guests of Honor are the husband and wife team of Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo is a Peruvian-born American painter. He immigrated to the United States in 1964, and he currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He frequently works with Julie Bell, his wife, painter, and model....
and Julie Bell
Julie Bell
Julie Bell is an American painter. A fantasy artist and wildlife artist, she is a former bodybuilder and fantasy model for her husband, painter Boris Vallejo.-Career:...
. Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo is a Peruvian-born American painter. He immigrated to the United States in 1964, and he currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He frequently works with Julie Bell, his wife, painter, and model....
works almost exclusively in the fantasy and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have graced the covers of dozens of science fiction paperbacks and are featured in a series of best-selling glossy calendars, as well as on album covers, video box art, and movie advertising. Julie Bell
Julie Bell
Julie Bell is an American painter. A fantasy artist and wildlife artist, she is a former bodybuilder and fantasy model for her husband, painter Boris Vallejo.-Career:...
has painted the covers for about 100 fantasy/science fiction book and magazine covers since 1990. She was the first female artist to do a cover painting for the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
version of Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
. In the early 1990s, she illustrated painted covers for video games as well as best-selling trading cards for the superheroes of Marvel and DC. She designed the award-winning Dragons of Destiny sculpture series, Mistress of the Dragon's Realm dagger series, as well as the Temptation Rides sculpture series produced by The Franklin Mint. She also did the cover art for two albums by the rock icon Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
. S.J. Tucker tours the USA solo and as leader of two bands, Skinny White Chick and Tricky Pixie. She has released seven full-length albums containing all-original material, as well as two live discs. Her sound stretches from comedy to lullabyes to full-on punk, even including electronica
History
In 1936, a half dozen fans came down from New York by train for the first intercity meeting of fans ever held. A picture taken of the group at Independence Hall has appeared in a number of the histories of science fiction fandom. They held a business meeting at the house of Philadelphia fan Milton A. RothmanMilton A. Rothman
Milton A. Rothman was a United States nuclear physicist and college professor.He was also an active science fiction fan and a co-founder of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society...
, electing Rothman as chair and New Yorker Frederik Pohl
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...
as Secretary. Since Philadelphia had been the site of the 1936 Democratic
1936 Democratic National Convention
The 1936 Democratic National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from June 23 to 27, 1936. The convention resulted in the re-nomination of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Vice President John Nance Garner....
and Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
s, they declared themselves the Philadelphia Science Fiction Convention. Part of the group went to John Baltadonis
John Baltadonis
John V. Baltadonis was elected to First Fandom's Hall of Fame in 1998 for his early contributions to science fiction, including being a founding member of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society.-Career:...
' home to examine his art collection and the printing press used to publish the PSFS newsletter. At Rothman's house, the group talked about science fiction and played craps. On the way back to the train station, some of the attendees sang early filk songs. One of the attendees, John B. Michel published an account of the day, the first convention report, in a New York fanzine.
Nine people attended the first Philcon in 1936. They were Ossie Train, Donald A. Wollheim
Donald A. Wollheim
Donald Allen Wollheim was an American science fiction ' editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell....
, Milton A. Rothman, Frederik Pohl, John B. Michel, Will Sykora, David Kyle
David Kyle
David A. Kyle is a Potsdam, New York-based science fiction writer and prominent member of science fiction fandom.-Professional career:With Martin Greenberg, Kyle founded Gnome Press in 1948...
, Robert A. Madle, and John Baltadonis.
Many fan historians, as well as the PSFS, claim that the first Philcon was the first science fiction convention ever held. Others make this claim for a 1937 event in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Attendees at the British event bought tickets to sit in a hall and listen to several speakers and to hear a few congratulatory telegrams. They also voted to create the British Science Fiction Association
British Science Fiction Association
The British Science Fiction Association was founded in 1958 by a group of British science fiction fans, authors, publishers and booksellers, in order to encourage science fiction in every form. It is an open membership organisation costing £26 per year for UK residents and £18 for the unwaged. The...
.
Worldcons
The World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, has been held in Philadelphia three times:- The 5th World Science Fiction Convention5th World Science Fiction ConventionThe 5th World Science Fiction Convention, also known as Philcon I, was held 30 August – 1 September 1947 at the Penn-Sheraton Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA....
, called Philcon I, was held in 1947. - The 11th World Science Fiction Convention11th World Science Fiction ConventionThe 11th World Science Fiction Convention, also known as Philcon II, was held in September 1953 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was the first Worldcon to present the Hugo Awards. The supporting organization was the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. The guest of honor was Willy Ley. ...
, called Philcon II, was held in 1953. - The 59th World Science Fiction Convention59th World Science Fiction ConventionThe 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....
, called the Millennium Philcon, was held in 2001.
Sources
Sam MoskowitzSam Moskowitz
Sam Moskowitz was an early fan and organizer of interest in science fiction and, later, a writer, critic, and historian of the field.-Biography:...
, "The Immortal Storm", Hyperion Press, 1974, available from NESFA Press, http://www.nesfa.org/press/. The history of science fiction fandom up to World War II by one of the key players.
John Bristol (Jack Speer), "Fancyclopedia", Fantasy Foundation, 1944, is available online at fanac.org/Fannish_Reference_Works/Fancyclopedia/Fancyclopedia_I/. One of the first serious attempts to study science fiction fandom.
Dick Eney, "Fancyclopedia II", Operation Crifanac 1959. This is an attempt to update Jack Speer's earlier encyclopedia. The site, fanac.org, is the site of The Fan History Project, an organization dedicated to the serious study of the history of science fiction.
Lew Wolkoff, "The First Philcon, An Oral History", Phanadelphia Corporation, 1985, is available from The Millennium Philcon, the 2001 World Science Fiction Convention, which may be contacted from www.2001.worldcon.org. This was an oral history, a series of interviews with the persons who had attended the 1936 Philcon along with supplemental material, which includes: a map of Philadelphia; listings of the contents of the October 1936 issues of various science fiction magazines; a summary of current events, current science fiction movies, and the current plotline of several science fiction/fantasy newspaper comic strips; photographs taken at the event and supplied by the photographer; and copies of the text of several science fiction fan magazine reports of the event.
Frederik Pohl
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...
, "The Way the Future Was: A Memoir", Del Rey Books, 1978. Covers much of his career in fandom, including his accounts of attending the first PhilCon in 1936.