TusCon is a science fiction convention

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...

 that has been held annually in Tucson, Arizona

Tucson, Arizona

Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...

 since 1974, making it the oldest continuous science fiction convention in the state of Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

. It is currently presented every November by the Baja Arizona Science Fiction Association (BASFA), a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit corporation.

Notable guests

TusCon has had a number of professional writers and artists as Guest of Honor in its history. Included are Evangeline Walton

Evangeline Walton

Evangeline Walton was the pen name of Evangeline Wilna Ensley, an American author of fantasy fiction. She remains popular in North America and Europe because of her “ability to humanize historical and mythological subjects with eloquence, humor and compassion”. Evangeline Walton (24 November 1907...

, Gordon Eklund

Gordon Eklund

Gordon Eklund is a Nebula Award-winning, American science fiction author whose works include the "Lord Tedric" series and two of the earliest original novels based on the 1960s Star Trek TV series. He has written under the pen name Wendell Stewart, and in one instance under the name of the late E. E...

, Theodore Sturgeon

Theodore Sturgeon

Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...

, Ed Bryant

Edward Bryant

Edward Winslow Bryant Jr. is a science fiction and horror writer sometimes associated with the Dangerous Visions series of anthologies that bolstered The New Wave....

, Suzy McKee Charnas

Suzy McKee Charnas

Suzy McKee Charnas is an American novelist and short story writer, writing primarily in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. She has won several awards for her fiction, including the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award and the James Tiptree, Jr. Award. A selection of her short fiction was collected...

, George R.R. Martin, Elizabeth A. Lynn

Elizabeth A. Lynn

Elizabeth A. Lynn is a US writer most known for fantasy and to a lesser extent science fiction. She is particularly known for being one of the first writers in science fiction or fantasy to introduce gay and lesbian characters; in honor of Lynn, the GLBT bookstore "A Different Light" took its...

, Robert Bloch

Robert Bloch

Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...

, Karl Edward Wagner

Karl Edward Wagner

Karl Edward Wagner was an American writer, editor and publisher of horror, science fiction, and heroic fantasy, who was born in Knoxville, Tennessee and originally trained as a psychiatrist. His disillusionment with the medical profession can be seen in the stories "The Fourth Seal" and "Into...

, John Varley

John Varley (author)

John Herbert Varley is an American science fiction author.-Biography:Varley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, moved to Port Arthur in 1957, and graduated from Nederland High School. He went to Michigan State University on a National Merit Scholarship because, of the schools that he could afford, it...

, Terry Carr

Terry Carr

Terry Gene Carr was a U.S. science fiction author, editor, and teacher.Terry Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon...

, Tim Powers

Tim Powers

Timothy Thomas "Tim" Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare...

, Stephen R. Donaldson

Stephen R. Donaldson

Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for his Thomas Covenant series...

, David Brin

David Brin

Glen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:...

, Dennis McKiernan, Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell Kaye Hamilton is an American fantasy and romance writer. She is the author of two series of stories. Hamilton is known for her New York Times-bestselling Anita Blake series, featuring a professional zombie raiser/supernatural consultant for the police as the protagonist in a world where...

, and many others.

In addition to the scheduled Guest of Honor, TusCon has had a reputation of having many professional writers, artists, and publishers attend the convention. Among those are Forrest J. Ackerman, Robert Asprin

Robert Asprin

Robert Lynn Asprin was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, best known for his humorous MythAdventures and Phule's Company series.- Background :...

, Keith Henson

Keith Henson

Howard Keith Henson is an American electrical engineer and writer on life extension, cryonics, memetics and evolutionary psychology....

, S. P. Somtow

S. P. Somtow

S. P. Somtow is a Thai-American musical composer. He is also a science fiction, fantasy, and horror author writing in English...

, David Schow, Dr. Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin

Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...

, Simon Hawke

Simon Hawke

Simon Hawke is an American author of mainly science fiction and fantasy novels. He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D...

, Liz Danforth

Liz Danforth

Elizabeth T. Danforth is a figure of note in the game industry. Although primarily recognized as an illustrator, she is an editor, writer, game scenario designer, and game developer.-Creative works:...

, Judith Tarr

Judith Tarr

Judith Tarr is an American author, best known for her fantasy books. She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University...

, Patrick Nielsen Hayden

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...

, and others.

Activities

In addition to the type of events that are prevalent at most conventions, TusCon has developed several different activities that have been adopted at other conventions. These include a Writers Workshop and contest held in conjunction with the Tucson-Pima Co. Municipal Library, An "adults-only" Midnight masquerade where costumes (or the lack thereof) tended to stretch societal norms, a "Furry Critter Stomp" where a dance floor was littered with a variety of nondescript plush beanbag "critters" and Congoers were invited to dance without concern for foot placement, A flintknapping seminar by Dr. Susan Gleason, and chili served to Convention members during the "Dead Dog Party" on the last day of the Con.

External links

• TusCon Homepage
• History of TusCon (with Photos)