Over the Hills and Far Away
EMP Museum is excited to partner with The Fairwood Writers group and Norwescon to kick off the call for submissions for EMP's 2017 Write Out Of This World: Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Story Contest by offering a Youth Writers Workshop. The workshop and short story contests are open to youth grades 3-12. Please visit the Youth Writers Workshop page for additional information.
Date: November 5, 2016
Time: 1:00pm - 3:30pm
Location: EMP Museum
Cost: $6 per youth attending, includes museum admission for the day
Norwescon 40 Art Show is now accepting applications from artists and we would love to hear from you. Headlined by our artist guests of Honor, Cory & Catska Ench, this promises to be another exciting year.
The Norwescon art show's goal is not only to feature the most well-known and successful of artists, but also to supply a venue for up-and-coming artists to hone their craft and to provide exposure and build a successful career.
We would like you to be part of our community. Please go to our Artist's Registration page for more information on how you can sign up with the Norwescon 40 Art Show.
The hotel is currently sold out of Double Queen rooms. We are also sold out of Wednesday night rooms at the con rate. You can still make a reservation to include Wednesday night but it will be at a different rate. The last date to cancel a room and still get your deposit back is January 25, 2017. Please contact the Hotel Liaison if you have any questions at hotels@norwescon.org or check the Hotel page on the Norwescon website for the most up to date information.
Dealers' Room applications are now available on our website until November 15th.
Have you wanted to be part of a big group costume, but don't have a group? Or maybe you want to make a costume for the convention, but feel out of depth? Looking for some inspiration? Well, look no further. Norwescon was started by a group of Star Trek fans, so to celebrate 50 years of Star Trek, let's all dress as people from the Star Trek universe. And feel free to mash it up with your favorite time period, both ours and Trek's! Renaissance TNG bridge officer? 50's housewife Klingon? Grunge Vulcan from the 90's? Hippie Romulan? The sky is the limit! Go as simple or fancy as you want, and we'll see you out and about at the convention on Friday, going boldly. Look at the schedule for a meetup and photo op!
Our Business department is looking for team members who are good with numbers.
PR Street Team
PR Assistant
Charities Assistants
Hotel Liaison Second
Security and Dispatch Team Members
Information Technology (IT) staff (hardware and software support)
Convention Space Floor Plan Layouts
Transportation & Logistics Support
Backstage, Light, and Sound Techs
Operations Office Support
Registration Staff
Art Show Cashiers and Art Wranglers
Personnel Second
Convention Suite Host
Volunteer Support Lead
Volunteer Support Staff
Stage Management
Green Room/Staff Support staff
Guest of Honor Liaison(s)
Pro-Check-in staff
Photographers
Editors
Film Festival Coordinator
Single Pattern Contest Coordinator
Prop Building Contest Coordinator
For more information about these positions and how to apply, please see the Open Volunteer Positions page at Norwescon.org.
Youth Writers Workshop
Norwescon Art Show
Hotel and Dealers' Room
Time Travel Star Trek
Open Volunteer Positions
Pre-registration for Norwescon 40 is now open! Just $ 60 for a full four-day weekend membership!
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Over the Hills and Far Away
Our planned Writer Guest of Honor, Charles de Lint, regretfully informed us that he will be unable to attend Norwescon 40. He hopes that he will be able to join us in the future and wishes everyone a great time at the convention.
The new Writer Guest of Honor will be announced as soon as possible, so stay tuned!
Longtime Norwescon volunteer, Patrick Nash, passed away earlier this month. The memorial service was held on November 18th at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent. More details can be found at his obituary link here. Patrick will be missed and we would like to extend our condolences to his family and friends.
Suite reservations are still open and available until the rooms are gone.
For more information and to request a suite go to http://www.norwescon.org/con/hotel/
The writers' workshop at Norwescon offers feedback from writing professionals that will help you improve your science fiction, fantasy and horror short fiction and novels. You'll find our guidelines here -- but don't delay! Submit your manuscripts by 11:59 p.m. PST on Dec. 4, 2016 for a place in the 2017 workshop.
Norwescon's Art Show is now accepting submissions for the second annual Emerging Artist Competition for young adults aged 14- 18. To see the amazing prizes (including cash and a chance to display your art) and contest rules please visit the competition page here. We would like to thank our sponsor, the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists, for their generous support of this event.
Charles de Lint
Patrick Nash
Hotel Suites
Writers' Workshop
Emerging Artists Competition
Pre-registration for Norwescon 40 is now open! Just $ 60 for a full four-day weekend membership!
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Over the Hills and Far Away
If you made a reservation at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport and find that you need to cancel, you may do so without penalty until January 25, 2017. After that date you will be charged a cancellation fee equal to one room night. Please contact hotels@norwescon.org with questions.
This year's pattern is Simplicity 8196, Misses' D.C. Comics Bombshells Wonder Woman Costume. The object of the competition is to create a one-of-a-kind garment and use three or more of the accessories using this pattern. Some adjustments or changes to the accessories pattern are allowed as long as the end product reflects the original pattern. Judging will be based on:
No preregistration is required. Entries will be taken at the judging session.
Here is a link to order Simplicity 8196 Online: http://www.simplicity.com/pattern-8196-misses-d.c.-comics-bombshells-wonder-woman-costume/8196.html
Happy holidays! If you plan to give a Norwescon registration as a present for someone, please consider donating an extra dollar or two to Northwest Harvest. It's easy to do as you go through the registration process; Northwest Harvest is an option that you may add to your shopping cart. Norwescon has proudly supported this organization in their ongoing efforts to stamp out hunger throughout Washington, and we hope you will join us in this fight.
Also, remember us during your holiday shopping and consider shopping via AmazonSmile. This is a program where you can do your normal shopping through https://smile.amazon.com and also raise money for Norwescon. You can preset your Amazon settings to automatically shop through the AmazonSmile site and set Norwescon as your charity.
If you are thinking ahead about the convention, don't forget our Charity Auction on the last day of the con. Come and acquire some treasures while supporting a good cause at the same time!
MoPOP (formerly EMP) and SIFF will present the 12th annual Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Film Festival on January 28, 2017 at the Seattle Cinerama theater.
The festival brings together industry professionals in film-making and the genres of science fiction and fantasy to encourage and support new, creative additions to science fiction and fantasy cinema arts. The festival will showcase animated and live-action science fiction and fantasy films. For ticket sales and additional information, please visit the SFFSFF webpage.
Norwescon is proud to be a supporter of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Film Festival.
The Norwescon Artists' Workshop is back! What is the Artists' Workshop? It's a program designed to help artists improve their craft. The workshop provides artists with an opportunity to develop their skills through a critique of their work by Norwescon panelists, professional artists, and their peers. It is also an opportunity to network with other artists, learn about markets and submissions, and to be part of the community of artists at Norwescon. Please click here for application information.
Hotel Cancellation Policy
Single Pattern Contest
Charities News
SFF Short Film Festival Artists' Workshop
Pre-registration for Norwescon 40 is now open! Just $ 60 for a full four-day weekend membership! Remember, the price will increase on January 1!
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Over the Hills and Far Away
The Charities Superfriends wanted to take a moment to salute all of the heroes in our midst who have donated money or non-perishable goods to Northwest Harvest in the past. But who are they? Where does your donation go? What does it do?
Northwest Harvest is Washington's own statewide hunger relief agency. Their mission is to lead the fight for hungry people statewide to have access to nutritious food while respecting their dignity and promoting good health. Their vision is ending hunger in Washington.
More than 90% of every dollar donated goes directly to help feed those in need all over our state. Northwest Harvest is the only non-profit food bank distributor operating statewide, with a network of more than 380 food banks, meal programs and high-need school programs. They provide more than 2 million meals every month and contribute 34 million pounds of food every year to the network of emergency food providers. Be a hero! Bring a donation to con! Donation bins will be located near the Information Table.
What types of food does Northwest Harvest need?
They can use any nonperishable food (or monetary donation). If you prefer to donate food, please select shelf-stable food with the lowest saturated fats and refined carbohydrates (sugar, white flour). They already buy white rice, beans, oats, pasta and tomato products in bulk, so please consider donating other items. Here are some suggestions (ranked by importance): Beef stew, chili and similar meals with low salt, sugar and saturated fats, canned fruit, especially with low sugar (but not artificial sweeteners), canned fish or meat, peanut butter (plastic jars are preferred), canned vegetables (low sodium), brown rice, whole grain pastas, canned tomato sauces, and shelf-stable milk.
Also welcome: baby formula, jars of baby food, powdered or canned milk, and infant cereal. They also accept baby diapers.
Every little bit really does help! And a big, big THANK YOU to everyone who has donated in the past. We hope you will continue to support Northwest Harvest in the future.
There are still many open staff positions! Bring your skills to the table for a discounted membership rate and the chance to help out the convention and make it a better experience for everyone! Plus you get to work with awesome people!
Check out the open positions page here on the website, and if you don't find anything to interest you, be sure to keep an eye on it. Positions are added or changed as things evolve.
If you made a reservation at the DoubleTree by Hilton Seattle Airport and find that you need to cancel, you may do so without penalty until January 25, 2017. After that date you will be charged a cancellation fee equal to one room night. Please contact hotels@norwescon.org with questions.
There are still double-queen rooms available at the Hilton rate of $129.00 per night. Click this link to reserve your room now! The Norwescon group code is NOR.
Remember to attend the 12th annual Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Film Festival on January 28, 2017 at the Seattle Cinerama theater.
The festival will showcase animated and live-action science fiction and fantasy films. For ticket sales and additional information, please visit the SFFSFF webpage.
Norwescon is proud to be a supporter of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Film Festival.
Charities Update
Staff Positions
Room Cancellation
SFF Short Film Festival
Pre-registration for Norwescon 40 is still open! Just $ 65 for a full four-day weekend membership!
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Open Volunteer Positions
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Over the Hills and Far Away
Info table volunteers needed! Love people watching? Enjoy cosplay? Want to help fellow con-goers have the best experience ever? Here's your chance! Come join some of the funnest people you'll ever meet at the Info table in the lobby at Norwescon 40. There will be at least 3 ribbons for your efforts. We need two folks for each two-hour spot. Please don't hesitate to ask questions.
Or do you want to hang out with the cool kids? And by cool kids, I mean our awesome pros and panelists! We still have positions open for Pro Check-in and Stage Management. Pro Check-in is lots of fun because you get to meet the pros and make sure they have what they need to have a successful con experience. Stage Management are those helpful folks who let everyone know that they need to wrap up their panels.
Contact programming@norwescon.org if you're interested, or if you have questions.
Wizard dueling, kookie klatches, and mermaid encounters are just a few examples of what we have planned for fen of all ages this year. The schedule is chock-full Thursday through Sunday with activities for youth and their families including arts and crafts, writing workshops, story time, sensory and quiet time, science, costuming, and more. Check out the youth programming page on the website for more information.
Explore your passion or discover a new one! We've got presentations, classes, and demos for convention goers of all ages. Our pros will offer inspiration and instruction on art, costuming, culture, film, gaming, history, music, writing, and more! All workshops are included with your Norwescon 40 membership. Some workshops require advance signup and a few require a small additional fee for materials.
Norwescon is also pleased to announce that we've expanded our panel offerings to include over 15 writing workshops. This is an incredible opportunity to learn from professional writers, editors, publishers, and artists in small group/classroom environments while at the convention. Explore new directions in your writing and thinking, sharpen your skills, and receive critical feedback. Beginners, intermediate, and advanced learners of all ages are welcome and there are no extra fees to attend the workshops. Special thanks to our workshop partners Cascade Writers, Clarion West, and Willamette Writers, and to our instructors for lending their time and talent - Liz Argall, Curtis Chen, Brenda Cooper, Nancy Kress, Tod McCoy, Lisa Mantchev, Lee Moyer, Evan J. Peterson, Kate Ristau, Kat Richardson, Sienna Saint-Cyr, Nisi Shawl, Patrick Swenson, and Mark Teppo. Space is limited - advance sign ups are encouraged and required in some cases. For complete workshop descriptions and more information, click here.
In fandom, we often wear the "escapist" label with pride. Fandom gives us a chance to explore realities and experiences, and ways of being unimaginable to the mundanes around us. We get to build the reality we want to experience, to live it as much as possible, to share that with our fellow fans.
The real world today does not contain enough hope for too many of our fellow travellers. So this Norwescon, we'd like to expand the tradition of community service and outreach beyond the food banks and the walls of the DoubleTree Hotel. On Saturday, April 15th, join us in the front lobby at 1pm for an excursion to the SeaTac light rail station and beyond to Westlake Park. There, we will join the BlackLivesMatter March on Seattle 2.0 from 2pm to 6pm before returning to the DoubleTree and our evening revels.
We all, in our own ways, enjoy building alternate realities from the one we inhabit in the day to day. Let's spend a few hours helping others build their own alternate reality, in the here and now.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1821071081482170/
As the title suggests, we're looking for volunteers to step up and help create mini-communities within our memberships. Are you passionate about Dune? Really want to get together and hang out with fellow fae enthusiasts? Or maybe you're looking for other fans who love to garden or talk about diversity. Whatever your passion, we'd love to have you volunteer to host a meet-up. If interested, please respond to Kathy Bond at chair@norwescon.org with the following information by February 25nd:
Name
Contact Info
Title of Meetup
Brief 2-3 line description of group
2 or 3 times during the convention that you'd be available to host.
All meet-ups will be held in Olympic 2 (Volunteer Lounge), and all that is required of you is the willingness to be there for 45 minutes and to make others feel welcome.
Positions Available!
Youth Programming Workshops!
Black Lives Matter Meetups!
Pre-registration for Norwescon 40 is still open! Just $ 65 for a full four-day weekend membership!
Register Now
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Over the Hills and Far Away
Did you know that Norwescon is a totally volunteer-run convention? Are you a member of the convention that uses the Norwescon Cloak Room to store your belongings during the day? We have some hard news; at this time we will be running the cloak room on a very limited basis during this year's convention. The wonderful person and his team who have volunteered to run the cloakroom the last few years has decided to take on other positions with the convention, which is always exciting for us. But this has left a hole in a very valuable service to you. We are looking for a person interested in overseeing the operations of the cloak room, and coordinating staff and member volunteers.
Speaking of volunteering - are you part of a fan group that would like to earn extra volunteer hours? We've got a deal for you! If your organization signs up to take on a block or two of hours in the cloakroom, you could earn double credit for your volunteer hours. If interested, please contact us at volunteers@norwescon.org.
Info table volunteers also needed! Love people watching? Enjoy cosplay? Want to help fellow con-goers have the best experience ever? Here's your chance! Come join some of the funnest people you'll ever meet at the Info table in the lobby at Norwescon 40. There will be at least 3 ribbons for your efforts. We need two folks for each two-hour spot. Please don't hesitate to ask questions.
Or do you want to hang out with the cool kids? And by cool kids, I mean our awesome pros and panelists! We still have positions open for Pro Check-in and Stage Management. Pro Check-in is lots of fun because you get to meet the pros and make sure they have what they need to have a successful con experience. Stage Management are those helpful folks who let everyone know that they need to wrap up their panels. Contact programming@norwescon.org if you're interested, or if you have questions.
There are plenty of other open positions, so please peruse the list at http://www.norwescon.org/get-involved/open- volunteer-positions/ and join the gang!
Norwescon is just a few weeks away, but it is not too late to get signed up to run your game! Gaming is also still recruiting game room staff, so if you'd like to get involved we'd love to have you. To DM or sign up as staff, email gaming@norwescon.org and we'll get you all set up!
The guild seeks 20 potential heroes willing to pursue the challenges of becoming a champion. The god of time has commissioned Hero Corps to retrieve his lost controller. Heroes will need to use their wits, cunning, and prowess to be this god's champion. So grab your bag of tricks and join us at the convention to face challenges on an epic quest to earn the title of Champion!
Start planning your time at the convention now! Full panel descriptions for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are available on the Programming page of our website.
Enhance your convention experience with Guidebook, your mobile guide to Norwescon 40. It includes all scheduled events and panels, plus profiles for attending professionals, artists, and dealers. Other features include maps, photo sharing, messaging with other attendees, and "my schedule," where you can plan each day. Best of all, Guidebook provides you with up-to- the-minute schedule changes. Visit our website for more information and a download link, then search for Norwescon 40 on Guidebook!
http://www.norwescon.org/con/schedule-of- events/
Just a brief reminder to save the date and HELP US MOVE into the Hotel on Wednesday, April 12. To help say thank you for your help and to keep you fueled, we will be hosting a volunteer social in the new Green Room (on the third floor of the Tower) at 6 p.m. There will be food! Please bring your own beverage.
At about 6:30 p.m., there will be some brief announcements as well.
At this late date, you can no longer get your deposit back if you cancel your room. If you don't want to lose out on your deposit, you can transfer your room to another attendee. Post about your room on Norwescon's Facebook or Twitter and transfer your room to another needy fan! Need a room? Transfer or search for one here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/norwescon/
Cloak Room Help Wanted
Gaming!
The Program Schedule Lives!
Help Us Move In!
Cancel or Transfer a Room
Pre-registration for Norwescon 40 is still open! Just $ 65 for a full four-day weekend membership!
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Over the Hills and Far Away
The Norwescon Stuffing Party will be held today Sunday, April 9, at the SeaTac DoubleTree Hotel at 1:00 p.m. (If you are bringing materials to put into the bags, please show up at noon.) The room will be on the daily meeting boards at the hotel entrances. Stuffing should be over by 4:00 p.m. at the latest.
Please join us for fun and games as we take pieces of paper, paperback books, buttons, and coupons and marry them together to form the packets that everybody receives at Registration. The more people we have, the faster it will go. Be the first in your neighborhood to see what sort of goodies everyone will receive. Cop a button or two advertising the next big movie. We might even have the latest programming grids on the wall for your perusal.
Working at the Stuffing Party counts towards hours worked at the con. Norwescon volunteers receive perks like early seating at the Masquerade and are entered into drawings for many items donated by Norwescon dealers. The drawings take place early Sunday afternoon of the con.
Please note: People attending the Stuffing Party will have to pay for their own parking. Parking should be $8.
Charities has a special ribbon available for a minimum donation of a dollar apiece. All proceeds go directly to Norwescon's sponsored charity, Northwest Harvest.
Although we have several people with these super special ribbons, our Ribbon Diva, Willow, has a table in Artists in Action or can be found wandering the halls. Ribbons will also be available in the Office. Your donations make a BIG difference. Thank you everyone!!
Just a quick reminder, if you plan on donating items for the Charity Auction, please contact the Charities Super Friends at charities@norwescon.org.
Back for their 11th year, Alan Halfhill and partner Keith Johnson are delighted to bring their unique brand of Movie Previews & News to Norwescon. They commit countless hours of behind-the-scenes toil to bring you the latest movie news, rumors, and trailers out of Hollywood and beyond.
But they're so much more than that. They highlight the latest trends, innovations, challenges, and also the wider entertainment culture TV shows, home video, theme parks - the whole gamut! Now how much would you pay?
And this year you get TWO opportunities to load up your media memory banks. The first is bright and early Friday from 10 a.m. to noon in Grand 3. Then there's an after-party meetup at 1 p.m. Friday in the Volunteers' Lounge for things they didn't have time for in the main show. And they celebrate the triumphant return of their Sunday show, which our veterans know is more freeform and features the must-be-experienced-to-be-believed, "why? Why? WHY?" Sunday at noon in Evergreen 1-2. Alan and Keith make it easy to get your weekend's dose of full-frontal media mayhem!
The complete convention schedule is now available and up to date on the Guidebook app. View all the fun you have in store, and use "My Schedule" to start planning your con. Use this link to download to your mobile device: http://guidebook.com/g/nwc40/.
While you're packing for Norwescon 40, do you have things that should be added to the archives? There are a couple of things that we are looking for:
Daily Zines: We don't know when we started the Daily Newsletter, but we need any from Norwescon 17 and earlier. We could also use last year's, Norwescon 39.
Program Books: We would like to get a couple more copies of Norwescon 1's cute little program book.
If you have any donations, please bring them to the History Display in Olympic 2. Thanks.
Stuffing Party
Charities!
Movie Previews
Download Guidebook
Archives
Pre-registration is closed, but you can show up at con and pay only $75 for a full four- day weekend membership! Daily memberships are also available.
Norwescon Website
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Norwescon History
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Over the Hills and Far Away
Norwescon 40 is a wrap and we look forward to planning the next one! The election results for Norwescon 41 are as follows:
Chair: Loree Parker
Vice Chair: Tonya Clark
Guest of Honor Selection Committee:
Jackie Nordquist
Katrina Marier
Also, the proposed bylaw change proposed below was Approved (to add the Special Events Director as a voting member):
ARTICLE FOUR: COMMITTEES
F. Guest of Honor Selection Committee. The voting members of this committee shall consist of the Program Director, who shall chair this committee, the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, the Special Events Director, and two representatives elected by the Convention Committee concurrently with the election of Officers. These two representatives shall not be Officers of the Convention as defined in Article Three, Section One. This committee may, from time to time, invite non-voting consultants to participate.
The Norwescon Volunteer Appreciation Picnic will be held on July 15th at Steel Lake Park in Federal Way from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Not a volunteer yet? Come anyway and talk to someone about getting involved! More information, including the address and directions, can be found on the website here.
The Locus Awards are a science fiction and fantasy literary award polled by the readers of Locus Magazine since 1971. The awards are presented at a banquet MC'd by the witty and entertaining Connie Willis. An autograph session, panel discussions with leading authors, and an annual Hawaiian shirt contest are highlights of the event. Attending memberships are $60 include a six month digital subscription to Locus Magazine (February to August 2017 issues). In addition, the Locus Writers Workshop will be taking place the same weekend with instructors Connie Willis and Carrie Vaughn. More details are available at Locus Awards Weekend.
Norwescon is proud to be a sponsor for the Locus Awards Weekend.
Next year's theme is UNCOVERING MYSTERIES!
Memberships are available now at the low price of $55 for a full four-day membership! The price will go up a few times before the next convention, so save now! Get yours now!
Hotel reservations are also open! The hotel fills up well before the convention, so be sure to grab your room well ahead of time. Remember the Hilton requires a one-night deposit to be paid at the time of reservation. (This is fully refundable until January 13, 2018.) Book here to get our discounted rate!
Do you have panel suggestions or want to be a panelist next year? Fill out the form here to let us know!
Do you want a discounted membership and a cool t- shirt? Join the Convention Committee and become a staff member! You don't even have to attend all the monthly meetings - many positions can be managed from a distance, or are needed at-con only. A helping hand is always welcome, so come and join us! If you're interested in a certain position or department, send an email to Chair@Norwescon.org and let us know what you want to do!
Election results
Volunteer picnic
Locus Awards Weekend Membership & Hotel
Get Involved!
Pre-registration is now open! Only $55 for a full four-day membership!
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