Conventions: for readers and writers

Morgan Biscup

I've had difficulties finding information about conventions when relying on search engines, so I thought I'd start compiling them as I found them. This thread is meant as a catch-all for conventions and other such annual events, both in-person and online, across all genres.

Please add your own suggestions to this list, using the format below. Every genre or annual book-related event is welcome!

**Name:** **Location:** **Genre:** **Focus:** **Online Options:** **Website:**

Morgan Biscup

Name: WorldCon (The World Science Fiction Convention)
Location: Varies, voted on several years in advance, worldwide
Genre: Science Fiction
Focus: All Science Fiction
Online Options: Yes, quality varies depending on host
Website: https://www.worldcon.org/

Name: SFWA Nebulas
Location: Varies, but favors the USA
Genre: SFF (Science Fiction, Fantasy)
Focus: All SFF
Online Options: Yes, but with more limited networking options
Website: https://events.sfwa.org/

Name: DragonCon
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Genre: SFF (Science Fiction, Fantasy)
Focus: Pop Culture - gaming, comics, literature, art, music, film
Online Options: No.
Website: https://www.dragoncon.org/

Morgan Biscup

Name: WisCon
Location: Wisconsin, USA (if funded sufficiently for in-person)
Genre: SFF (Science Fiction & Fantasy) / SpecLit (Speculative Literature)
Focus: feminism, gender, race, disibility, class, and social justice across literature, television, film, comics, and games
Online Options: Yes (and well-managed)
Website: https://wiscon.net/

Name: Gaylaxicon
Location: Minnesota, USA
Genre: SFF & Horror / SpecLit
Focus: LGBTQ+
Online Options: No
Website: https://www.gaylaxiconmn.org/

Name: Indie Pride Books
Location: Manchester, UK
Genre: LGBTQ+ and Why Choose
Focus: Indie LGBTQ+ and Why Choose
Online Options: No
Website: https://www.phoenixbookevents.com/indiepridebookcon

Morgan Biscup

Name: Baltimore Book Festival
Location: Baltimore, MD, USA
Genre: Any
Focus: Books
Online Options: No
Website: https://baltimorebookfestival.com/?link
Other Notes: This festival seems to be under new management, so potentially subject to change.

Name: Book Con
Location: New York City, NY, USA
Genre: Any
Focus: Books
Online Options: No
Website: https://www.bookcon.com/

Name: Philcon
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ, USA ("Philadelphia Area")
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
Focus: literature, art, television, film, anime, comics, science, gaming, costuming and cosplay, music, and other topics of interest to fans of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror
Online Options: No
Website: https://philcon.org/

Morgan Biscup

Name: Rainbow Space Magic
Location: Online Only
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Focus: Queer SFF
Online Options: Yes, Free
Website: https://www.rainbowspacemagic.org/

Name: Citrus Con
Location: Online Only
Genre: Boys Love and Queer, 18+
Focus: queer content including media, shipping, fan works, fan culture
Online Options: Yes, Free
Website: https://www.citruscon.com/

Name: The Philly Bookstore Crawl
Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA and surrounding suburbs
Genre: Any
Focus: Indie Bookstores
Online Options: No
Website: https://www.phillybookstorecrawl.com/
Notes: So this is an event, more than a convention, but indie bookstores deserve love, too.

Morgan Biscup

Name: AWP Conference and Book Fair

Location: Varies, US-centric

Genre: Any

Focus: writers, teachers, students, editors, and publishers

Online Options: Yes

Website: https://www.awpwriter.org/

Morgan Biscup

Name: Write Hive Con

Location: Online Only

Genre: Writing

Focus: Writing and Networking, Indie and Trad

Online Options: Online Only

Website: https://www.writehivecon.org/

Morgan Biscup

Name: ConCarolinas

Location: Charlotte, NC, USA

Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy

Focus: books, movies, art

Online Options: No

Website: https://concarolinas.org/

Morgan Biscup

Name: Can*Con

Location: Ottowa, CA

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror

Focus: Literature and Books

Online Options: Yes

Website: https://www.can-con.org/

Morgan Biscup

Name: PaSciFy
Location: Yorkshire, UK
Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, and Science Fiction, including romance subgenres
Focus: Author-focused book festival
Online Options: No
Website: https://pascify.com/
Other Notes: Attendees must be 12+ (handheld infants okay)

Morgan Biscup

Name: BristolCon
Location: Bristol, UK
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Focus: books, comics, authors, artists, performers
Online Options: No
Website: https://www.bristolcon.org/

Name: Thrillerfest
Location: New York City, NY, USA
Genre: Thrillers
Focus: Thriller authors and thriller fans
Online Options: No
Website: https://thrillerfest.com/

Morgan Biscup

Name: Norwescon
Location: SeaTac, WA, USA
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Focus: Literature primarily, but also comics, costuming, art, gaming, science, technology, and more
Online Options: No
Website: https://www.norwescon.org/

Morgan Biscup

Name: Readercon
Location: Burlington, MA, USA
Genre: Science Fiction
Focus: written SciFi
Online Options: No
Website: https://readercon.org/

Name: AwesomeCon
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Genre: Pop Culture
Focus: comics, movies, TV, toys, games, and more
Online Options: No
Website: https://awesome-con.com/

Name: Archon
Location: St. Louis, IL, USA
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Focus: SFF fandom
Online Options: No
Website: https://www.archonstl.org/

Morgan Biscup

Name: Octocon
Location: Ireland
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
Focus: books, comics, TV, films and games
Online Options: Yes
Website: https://octocon.com/

Name: Arisia
Location: Boston, MA, USA
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Focus: all SFF
Online Options: No
Website: https://www.arisia.org/
Notes: This con provides childcare options

Name: Minicon
Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Focus: all SciFi
Online Options: No
Website: https://mnstf.org/minicon/
Notes: Always Easter weekend

Morgan Biscup

Name: EasterCon
Location: UK
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Focus: all SFF
Online Options: No?
Website: http://www.eastercon.org/
Notes: Always Easter Weekend

Name: Picocon
Location: Imperial College, London, UK
Genre: Science Fiction and Fantasy
Focus: SFF
Online Options: No?
Website: https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/activities/a-to-z/science-fiction-and-fantasy

Morgan Biscup

Name: Toronto Indie Author Conference
Location: Toronto, Canada
Genre: n/a
Focus: Canada indie publishing author businesses
Online Options: No
Website: https://torontoindieauthorcon.com/

Morgan Biscup

Name: ACGN CON
Location: Richmond, NC, Canada
Genre: Anime
Focus: anime, comics, games, and novels
Online Options:
Website: https://www.acgnexpo.com/

Morgan Biscup

Name: SugarPages Indie Author Book Events
Location: UK
Genre:
Focus: Indie Authors
Online Options:
Website: https://www.sugarpagesauthorevents.com/cardiff-book-fair/