Norwescon 1 Program Book

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Title

Norwescon 1 Program Book

Subject

Norwescon 1

Description

The full program book for Norwescon 1.

Notes from Gregory Bennett, Norwescon 1 chair:

And yet another fun note about the Norwescon 1 program book and how it got to be that size.

I had mentioned the pocket program at Midamericon in Kansas City in 1976, and how convenient that turned out to be. However, I neglected to explain that it was sized to fit into the back pocket of a pair of blue jeans.

I also failed to note that my vision was for a large, fancy souvenir book accompanied by a pocket program that would be printed at the last minute the latest version of the schedule.

So, come the next concom meeting, we were talking about thus and such when a couple of guys–had to be Bill Warren and another of the Usual Suspects–came over and started fussing with the pocket of the shirt I was wearing.

“Just ignore us,” they said. So I did. We just kept on keeping on while they did what they wanted to do. It turned out they were measuring the pocket of the shirt that I was wearing that day, and so the Norwescon 1 program book was sized to fit that pocket!

And that, dear fans, is the source of “Chairman Greggie’s Little Green Book.”

Fortunately, we got it right in future Norwescons. :)

Creator

Northwest Science Fiction Society

Publisher

Northwest Science Fiction Society

Date

March 25-26, 1978

Contributor

Don Glover

Rights

Copyright (c) 1978 by the Northwest Science Fiction Society, for the Contributors.

Text Item Type Metadata

Text

NORWESCON

MARCH 25 & 26, 1978

Sponsored by NORTHWEST SCIENCE FICTION SOCIETY

Copyright (c) 1978 by the Northwest Science Fiction Society, for the Contributors.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROGRAMMING: Pages 4 thru 8
FILM SCHEDULE: Page 10
ART SHOW, GAMES, HUCKSTERS, CONTINUOUS PROGRAMMING: Page 11
HOTEL MAP: Page 12
MASQUERADE & HOSPITALITY SUITE: Page 13
THEODORE STURGEON: Pages 14 thru 18
JOHN BERRY: Pages 20 and 21
ALAN E. NOURSE: Pages 22 and 23
POUL ANDERSON: Page 24
J.F. BONE: Page 25
MILDRED DOWNEY BROXON: Page 26
F.M. BUSBY: Page 27
VONDA MCINTYRE: Page 28
H WARNER MUNN: Page 29
OSCAR ROSSITER: Page 30
ALEX SCHOMBERG: Page 31
JODY SCOTT: Page 32
SYDNEY VAN SCYOC: Page 33
JOHN VARLEY: Page 34
HISTORY OF NWSFS: Pages 36 and 37
RESTURANTS: Page 45
NORWESCON MEMBERS: Pages 47 thru 49
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Page 50

PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE

THE FOLLOWING PHENOMENA WILL ALL TAKE PLACE IN ROOM 747A unless otherwise noted:

FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1978

8:00 PM - Opening Party (In Hospitality Suite, Rms. 207 & 209) Solemn ceremony involving the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol.

12:00 PM - Special Sneak Preview Film Showing (in Room 747B) of something that you can see later in the con at at a saner hour.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 1978

8:00 AM - Registration Desk awakens, yawns (Lobby)

9:00 AM - Dealer Room Opens. Rabid collectors rush in. (Rooms 727/737)

9:00 AM - Film Room Opens. Celluloid addicts disappear Into Its maw, and are never heard from again. (Room 7471)

10:00 AM - Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Science Fiction Fandom But Were Afraid to Ask presentation. Clever slideshow followed by panel discussion between hardcore representatives of various fannish pursuits. (Indispensible for neofans yet entertaining for the rest of you).

11:15 AM - Guest of Honor Interview Theodore Sturgeon is interrogated unmercifully by Bob Brown.

12:15 PM - History of the Brass Bra. Nostalgic slide show of SF Pulp Cover Art from the Golden Age.

1:00 PM - How I Construct My Aliens. Panel of notorious authors (and an artist) tell how they make their little green men, give lessons on the care and feeding of little green men, and maybe even fabricate a few right before your very eyes!

2:30 PM - Meet-the-Authors Autograph Party (Upstairs in the 11th Floor Cocktail Lounge) Fifteen or so fascinating authors will scribble on their books for us and answer all our dumb questions. Books by attending authors will be available in exchange for money during the party, and a no host bar will be provided. Buy your favorite author a belt!

2:30 PM - Space Sciences Update. Slideshow covering recent developments in astronomy and space sciences, narrated by Dennis Pernaa.

3:15 PM - Life on Other Worlds. Panel of scientists and authors discuss the probability of life elsewhere in the universe, and speculate on the forms it might take.

6:00 PM - A screening of the film The Day the Earth Stood Still, which most of us will miss if we hope to have a meal this day.

8:00 PM - Masquerade and Miscellaneous Entertainments. Costume Show and other assorted amusements.

10:30 PM - Seattle in '81 Bidding Party. The Northwest Science Fiction Society tries to buy your Worldcon vote with liquor, fast women (or men, as the case may be)...and finger food?

SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 1978

8:00 AM - Registration opens (maybe)

9:00 AM - Easter Egg Hunt Commences. There will be plastic Easter Eggs hidden in any or all of the rooms in which NORWESCON programming is scheduled. Inside most of these you will find a tiny morsel of carbohydrate nourishment. However, a few will hold a code number corresponding to a door prize, which could be anything from a free presupporting membership in Seattle in '81 to a NORWESCON T-shirt. To redeem your Easter egg, drop by the hospitality suite any time after 6:00 PM on Sunday.

9:00 AM - Dealer Room Opens (727/737). A few die-hard collectors and even some of the dealers themselves actually show up at this hour!

9:00 AM - Film Room Opens (747B). The denizens are awakened in their seats for today’s celluloid ration.

10:30 AM - Northwest Science Fiction Community: Is There One? Panel of professional writers, publishers and booksellers discuss its purported existence.

11:30 AM - Gender in the Year 2200. Panel discussion on cultural revolution thru science fiction.

11:30 AM - Artists Demonstration (747B) Local artists conduct informal live-action exhibitions and answer your questions.

1:00 PM - Luncheon Banquet. Succulent braised beef tips garnished with silver tongued speechifying and topped with a generous helping of absurd awards. (Tickets available for $6 at registration).

4:00 PM - Space Industrialization Slide Show and Panel Discussion with Northwest L-5 Society representatives and aerospace industry spokesmen, discussing near-term opportunities for the colonization and industrialization of space to pay its own way.

4:00 PM - Art Auction (Room 107 & 109) Starving artists cackle hysterically as stubborn art fanciers bid up their works to astronomical prices!

6:30 PM - Trivia Bowl. Teams of people whose minds are cluttered with the most incredible flotsam and jetsam via for toss-up and bonus questions amid blinking lights and buzzers.

8:30 PM - Guest-of-Honor Reading: Theodore Sturgeon reads from an unpublished work.

9:00 PM - Dead-Sasquatch Party in Hospitality Suite(Rms 207/209)

tapes

TAPE RECORDINGS OF ALL PROGRAM EVENTS ARE AVAILABLE FROM:

DAVID MACDONALD
[address redacted]

CASSETTES - $4 per 90 Minutes
REEL TO REEL - $12 per 6 Hours (Minimum order)
ALSO AVAILABLE: DIMENSION X, X MINUS ONE, AND OTHER OLD RADIO CLASSICS.

There is no truth to the rumor...

that Seattle would be a bad place to hold the World Science Fiction Convention in 1981 because there's bigfoots in the basement.

You see, in 1889, Seattle had a fire so big it made the little thingie that Mrs. O’Leary's cow started in Chicago look like a weenie roast. They decided to clean up the mess by burying the old city and starting again, from the ground up. Well, somebody's been spreading stories that there's a race of troglodyte inhabitants in the famous Seattle Underground who come out at night to forage for nuts and berries, and that they are responsible for the numerous Sasquatch sightings of late.

They're probably spreading these rumors because they can't find anything else negatory to say about Seattle's bid...with a better-than-adequate site reserved, con-committee experience on no less than eleven previous Worldcons at this writing... and we do not have Bigfoots in the basement! But we do have a good convention in planning. Write to: WORLDCON SEATTLE 1981
13001 79th Place N.E.
Kirkland, Washington 98033
for more information. SASE's are nice.

Pre-supporting memberships $1.00 or 6,000 lbs. of nuts and berries.

SATURDAY FILM SCHEDULE

9:00 AM The Day the Earth Stood Still
11:00 AM Robinson Crusoe on Mars
1:00 PM Animation: Art in Motion
Cibernetiks 5.3
The Critic
Experiments in Motion Graphics
Synchrony
A World is Born (from Disneys Fantasia)
Evolution
Megalopolis
Closed Mondays
Rainbow Pass
3:00 PM Five Million Years to Earth
5:00 PM FILM ROOM CLOSES FOR ONE HOUR
6:00 PM The Day the Earth Stood Still
8:00 PM FILM ROOM CLOSES FOR MASQUERADE
11:00 PM On the Beach

SUNDAY FILM SCHEDULE

9:00 AM Five Million Years to Earth
10:45 AM The Witches of Salem
11:30 AM FILM ROOM CLOSED FOR ARTISTS’ DEMO
1:00 PM Potpourri
Discovering Electronic Music
K-9000: A Space Oddity
Eat the Sun
2:25 PM Things to Come
4:00 PM Robinson Crusoe on Mars
6:00 PM Space Travel: The Prophesy and the Reality
A Trip to the Moon
Man in Space
Moon Walk
Reflections in Space
Space: Beyond Tomorrow
Space Place
9:00 PM The Day the Earth Stood Still

CONTINUOUS PROGRAMING

Film Room Hours
Saturday 9 am thru 2 am
Sunday 9 am thru 12 pm

Art Room Hours
Saturday: 10 am thru 6 pm
Sunday: 10 am thru 1 pm (auction 4 pm to 5 pm)

Dealer Room Hours
Saturday: 9 am thru 6 pm
Sunday: 9 am thru 6 pm

Hospitality Suite
Friday - Opens 6 pm
Saturday - Opens 9 am
Sunday - Opens 9 am, Closed during banquet

Games Room
Friday - Opens 6 pm
Saturday - Opens 9 am
Sunday - Opens 9 am (Closed during banquet)

GAMES ROOM in room 207 will feature computer games and continuous video tape showings.

Personal home micro-computer systems are a fast-growing entertainment rage. Besides doing math drills, storing receipt files, computing moon orbits, and balancing a checkbook, microcomputers also play very clever games. In addition to several micro-computers, the games room has terminals connected to larger computer systems.

Video tapes of old science fiction movies, "Prisoner" episodes, and other special features will be shown continuously. Science Fiction and fantasy board games, and maybe a D & D game, are also available for playing.

ART ROOM in room 107-109 displays the finest works of Northwest artists. Science fiction and fantasy art has a growing recognition as a viable art form. However, this art is rarely displayed other than at science fiction conventions. Here is a chance to enjoy, enjoy!

Many of the works on show will be for sale. Write-in bids will be accepted throughout the show, and a voice bld auction will occur at the end of the convention. Minimum blds may be set by the artists.

HOSPITALITY SUITE: No matter how enjoyable a con is, there are still sometimes hectic, high-pressure moments when one feels a need to escape, to find a place of quiet. The hospitality suite is that place. Whether you wish to only sit and relax, have a sip of coffee or tea, rendevous with old friends, or make new ones, the hospitality suite will be open soon after 9 AM each day, to be closed during the day only during the banquet, 1-4 PM Sunday. Beginning soon after 10 PM Saturday and 9 PM Sunday, the hospitality suite will also be the site of the parties sponsored by the Northwest Science Fiction Society. Some food, wine, and beer will be available at the Bidding Party Saturday. For the Dead Dog Party Sunday, bring your own, and collapse in comfort and good company.

MASQUERADE INSTRUCTIONS

Participants in the Norwescon masquerade should sign up in advance at the registration desk before 6:00 PM on Saturday.

For those who need a dressing and make-up room, room 205 (next to the Hospitality Suite) will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 PM on Saturday.

Please come in costume at 7:30, a half hour before the masquerade, to the hallway in back of the 747 rooms (where you go into the film room). You should have with you a 3 x 5 note card giving your name and whatever information you want the emcees to read about your costume. You will be escorted to the stage and back to the staging area by Norwescon personnel.

Emcees for the Masquerade are Karrie Dunning and Greg Bennett. Don’t hesitate to contact Karrie before the event if you have any questions.

Judges will be artist William Warren and several of our guest celebrities. Certificates, signed by the judges, will be awarded to the best costumes.

GUEST OF HONOR THEODORE STURGEON

Perhaps the beet way I can tell you what I think of a Theodore Sturgeon story is to explain with what diligent interest, in the year 1940, I split every Sturgeon tale down the middle and fetched out its innards to see what made it function. At that time I had not sold one story, I was 20, I was feverish for the vast secrets of successful writers. I looked upon Sturgeon with a secret and gnawing jealousy. And Jealousy, it must be admitted, is the most certain symptom a writer can know to tell him of another author's superiority. The worst thing you can say of a writer's style is that it bored you, the most complimentary thing I can think to say of Sturgeon is that I hated his damned, efficient, witty guts. And yet because he had the thing for which I was looking, originality (always rare in the pulps), I was forced, in an agony of jealousy, to return again and again to his stories, to dissect, to pull apart, to re-examine the bones. Whether or not I ever really discovered Sturgeon's secret la a moot question. It is pretty hard to dissect laughing gas with a scalpel. Wit and spontaneity are far too evasive, they are brilliant gaseous material all too soon exploded and vanished. You put your hand up, as to a pulsation of fireworks in a summer sky, cry "There!" and pull back, for even while you tried to touch the wonder It blew eway.

Sturgeon has many of the attributes of a magnificent firecracker string, ending in a loud 12-incher. There are sparklers and wondrous snakes and Vesuvian cones of invention, humor and charm in his stories. And before essaying your Journey through this book and its attendant wonders, it may well reward you to have your glands x-rayed. For it is evident that Mr. Sturgeon writes with his glands. And if you do not read with your glands functioning healthily, then this is no book for you.

Now, writing with the glands is a precarious occupation. Many a good writer has tripped over his gut, you might say, and plunged to a horrible death, vanishing in writhing messes of tripe, down within the maw of his black monstrously evil typewriter. This is not true of Sturgeon, for it is evident that hie viscera, at midnight, cast a most incredible glow upon all nearby objects. In a world of mock-pomp and towering hypocrisy it is wonderful to find stories written not only with the large enwrinkled object above the eyes, but most particularly with the zestful ingredients of the peritoneal cavity.

Above all. Sturgeon seems to love writing, delighting in the swiftly paced and happy tale. True, some of the tales enclosed herein are not monuments of gayety, but, perversely, are cold green edifices of fear. This book is to be recommended by those blackly unscrupulous physicians who wish to dispatch such violences of warmth and coldness to their patients that influenza is the inevitable result. The extremes of temperature herein are incredible. IT, a very serious tale, an unsmiling mask of a story, was evidently written in a black refrigerator at two in the morning. BRAT, on the other hand, was culled from a daisyfield on a hot summer’s day. SHOTTLE BOP and THE ULTIMATE EGOIST reside in some half-twilight, speckled here and there with flashes of sunshine, deepening into shadow at the last.

I have never met Mr. Sturgeon, but his letters have been exploding in my mailbox for some time now, and from several days of theorizing, I see Mr. Sturgeon as a child run off from home on a spring day never to return, to take refuge and nourishment under a bridge, a bright small troll with whisking pen and ink and white paper, listening to the thunder of a timeless world overhead. And this incredulous Troll, under his roaring bridge, unable to see the secret world rushing by above, has affected his own concepts of that hidden civilization. It might be 1928 up there, or 2432 or 1979, who knows? Part of his picture is drawn from a life he has guessed with hilarious accuracy from the sounds of the footfalls above, the clickings and talkings of people passing on the high paths; the rest is pure fantasy and invention, a giant carnival distorted but all the more real for its unreality. We see ourselves caught in grotesque gesture, in mid-act.

If you ask for the names of those stories most agreeable to me I would select POKER FACE, a tale with a nice, if coincidental irony and some very humorous writing in it, MICROCOSMIC GOD for its fascinating generation on generation of Neoterics plus its unselfconscious hero, plus the Breather stories for their screwball antics. I also believe that IT, partaking of a locale all too often neglected by American writers, will be with us for a good number of years as one of the finest weird tales in the genre.

Some day I hope to meet Sturgeon. I shall take me a walking trip across the midwest and the east, down country roads and along sycamore lanes, stopping by every old stone bridge to listen and look and wait, and perhaps one summer afternoon, in the silence of which such days partake, I shall look down and beneath a shale arch I shall find Mr. Sturgeon busily writing away with pen and ink. It will be hard to find him. For I have not as yet figured out what sort of bridge he prefers, the tall metal soaring architectural bridges like those of Brooklyn and San Francisco, or the little, forgotten, moss-covered creek bridges in home town ravines where mosquitoes sing and the silence is green. When I have figured the two halves of his split writing personality I shall start my trek. And if it is night when I come upon some lone bridge somewhere I shall recognize his hiding place by the pure shining glow of his viscera making a light you can see across the furthest night meadow and hill.

In the meantime, I compliment Mr. Sturgeon by concluding that I still hate him.

RAY BRADBURY
March 16th, 1948 (Reprinted by permission of Ray Bradbury)

"In Spades!"

RAY BRADBURY
March, 1978

The foregoing is the introduction from Theodore Sturgeon's first book, Without Sorcery. Though written precisely 30 years ago (and thus preceeding most of Sturgeon's best work) Ray Bradbury's words from midcentury best capture the magical vitality of Sturgeon's writing.

Although Theodore Sturgeon is probably beat known for his classic novel More Than Human (published in 17 languages), it is his exquisite, gemlike short stories that have most contributed to the literary development of modem science fiction. Always years ahead of his time, Sturgeon’s depth of characterization and his exploration of emotion and the human condition have influenced many of today's popular science fiction and fantasy writers.

Theodore Sturgeon currently resides in Los Angeles with his "keeper", Lady Jayne. He appears to be continuously involved in a variety of fascinating projects, the next of which will be an extended trip to France starting later this spring, where be will write the screenplay for More Than Human.

THEODORE STURGEON BIBLIOGRAPHY (Books Only)

Without Sorcery, Prime Press, 1948
(Reprinted as Not Without Sorcery, Ballantine)
The Dreaming Jewels, Greenburg, 1950
(Reprinted as The Synthetic Man, Pyramid, 1957)
E Pluribus Unicorn, Abelard Press, 1953
More Than Human, Farrar, Straus & Young, 1953
A Way Home, Funk & Wagnalls, 1955
I, Libertine, (as Frederick R. Ewing), Ballantine, 1956
Thunder and Roses, Michael Joseph (London), 1957
The Cosmic Rape, Dell, 1958
A Touch of Strange, Doubleday, 1958
Aliens 4, Avon, 1959
Beyond, Avon, 1960
Venus Plus X, Pyramid, 1960
Some of Your Blood, Ballentine, 1961
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Pyramid, 1961
Sturgeon in Orbit, Pyramid, 1964
Two Complete Theodore Sturgeon Science Fiction Novels, Galaxy Magabook #3, 1965
The Joyous Invasions, Gollancz (London), 1965
Starshine, Pyramid, 1966
Sturgeon is Alive and Well..., Putnam, 1971
The Worlds of Theodore Sturgeon, Ace, 1972
To Here and the Easel, Gollancz (London), 1973
Sturgeon's West, Doubleday, 1973
Case and the Dreamer, Signet, 1974

FORTHCOMING

Two new collections of previously uncollected stories (Fall, 1978)
Novelisation of When You Care, When You Love (1979)
GODBODY (Magnum Opus - To be decided)

JOHN BERRY

Photo by Jeff Frane

John Berry stands at a perfectly unreasonable height, and has done so for several years. I'm not really sure what effect this altitude has had on his career, but I suspect that the rar-ifiled atmosphere has contributed to such notable Berrvzines as Hitchhike, Foolscap, Paper Soul, and (with Ted White) Egoboo.

This is not to suggest that John is one-dimensional, the one dimension being up. He has unsuspected depths as well. Who else, for example (with the possible exception of his co-editor, Calvin Demmon), would create a weekly fanzine filled with casual ramblings about San Francisco, his own life, and fandom in general, and call it Hot Shit? For more weeks than one can count (unless one has six fingers on each hand, and a similar number o' toes) John and Calvin wrote about themselves, each other, everybody else, everything in general, and nothing at all, while continuing to be witty and literate.

That was the "San Francisco Period". During what John seldom refers to as his "Virginia Period"*. John also conducted "The Clubhouse" in Amazing Stories, and is thereby responsible for dragging (in some cases while they kicked and screamed) several people into the wonderful world of fanac. John's distinctive style of fanzine reviewing was opinionated and subjective—and interesting enough that people who had never even heard of fanzines found themselves sending off sticky quarters to people they had never even met.

Meanwhile, John has continued to cheerfully amble towards a career, writing the type of personal journalistic material he likes to read. He couples a degree in history with an interest in people, a juxtaposition which has led to sales to The People's Almanac and to newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.

John is also the only editor I know who has operated an ice cream concession in France, bought rugs in a Turkish Bazaar, and driven from Palo Alto, California to Carson City, Nevada for the sole purpose of buying a decent burrito.**

That's John D. Berry, your Fan Guest of Honor: Traveling Jiant, Famous Fan Ed, Starving Writer. I think you'll enjoy meeting him.

Loren MacGregor

* Actually, he never refers to it as his "Virginia Period". But considering that he never refers to his San Francisco period as his "San Francisco Period" either, I consider the point academic. This has been an official footnote.

** If you ask him, he'll tell you the burrito was wretched.

TOASTMASTER ALAN E. NOURSE

Although a practicing physician in North Bend, Washington, for many years, Alan E. Nourse has somehow found the time to write many fine stories and no less than 42 books! The books have ranged from medical texts like The Family Medical Guide to science books like Universe, Earth and Atom, to the following science fiction titles:

Trouble on Titan
A Man Obsessed
Rocket to Limbo
Scavengers in Space
Star Surgeon
The Invaders are Coming (with J.A. Meyer)
Tiger by the Tail
Raiders from the Rings
The Counterfeit Man
The Universe Between
PSI-High and Others
The Mercy Men
Rx for Tomorrow
The Bladerunner

Dr. Nourse's major new medical novel, The Practice, will be published in April.

POUL ANDERSON

Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Poul Anderson is the author of too damn many fine science fiction and fantasy novels to list here. However, it is books like Brain Wave, Three Hearts and Three Lions, The High Crusade, and Tau Zero that prompted Harlan Ellison to write, "the man is incapable of writing a dull word!". Some of Poul Anderson's long out-of-print earlier works are currently being reprinted by Ace Books. Anderson is also the author of a speculative 'science' book entitled Is There Life on Other Worlds?

J. F. BONE

J.F. Bone, a resident of Corvalis, Oregon, is the author of THE LANI PEOPLE, THE MEDDLERS, and LEGACY. Another novel, THE MATADOR, is due to be published later this year.

MILDRED DOWNEY BROXON

Mildred Downey Broxon has had a number of stories published in original anthologies, some of which have been reprinted In Best-of-the-Year anthologies. She has recently finished her first book, a fantasy novel entitled TOO LONG A SACRIFICE. Mildred Downey Broxon is also the current vice-president of the Science Fiction Writers of America.

F. M. BUSBY

F.M. Busby is the author of numerous science fiction stories which have appeared in magazines, original anthologies and best-of-the-year anthologies. His published novels are CAGE A MAN and its sequel THE PROUD ENEMY, plus the epic RISSA KERGUELLEN. His next published novel, ALL THESE EARTHS, will be available at this year’s Worldcon, where "Buzz" will be toastmaster. He has sold an additional S.F. novel entitled ZELDE M'TANA and has recently finished a suspense novel.

VONDA N. MCINTYRE

Vonda N. McIntyre became the youngest Nebula Award recipient with her short story OF MIST AND SAND AND GRASS. Her first novel, THE EXILE WAITING, was a Science Fiction Book Club selection. Her new novel, DREAMSNAKE, which is an enlargement of the Nebula-winning story, will be published shortly in hardcover.

HAROLD WARNER MUNN

Harold Warner Munn's early work was published in Weird Tales magazine in the 1920's, and he was acquainted with many of the other Weird Tales authors, including H.P. Lovecraft. His works include The Werewolf of Ponkert, King of the World's Edge, Ship from Atlantis, The Banner of Joan, Merlin's Ring, and Merlin's Godson.

OSCAR ROSSITER

Oscar Rossiter is the pseudonym of a Seattle doctor whose well-received first science fiction novel, Tetrasomy Two, was a Frederick Pohl selection in paperback. He has just completed a second novel entitled The A.C. Scrolls.

ALEX SCHOMBURG

Alex Schomburg did his first color magazine covers for Hugo Gernsback in 1925 and continued to work for Gernsback through 1965. He did many black and white story illustrations for detective, Western, mystery, sports, love, and science fiction pulp magazines. In the 1940's, 50's, and 60's he painted covers for such magazines as Amazing, Fantastic, Startling, Wonder, Galaxy, Future, F. & S.F., and Satellite. Schomburg also illustrated the entire Winston series of juvenile S.F., did over 400 comic book covers, and worked briefly with Stanley Kubrick on the film 2001, A Space Odyssey. His work is currently appearing in Asimov's S.F. Magazine, F. & S.F., and Analog.

JODY SCOTT

Jody Scott is the author of PASSING FOR HUMAN, a satire on contemporary society and science fiction.

SYDNEY J. VAN SCYOC

Joyce Van Scyoc is the author of the popular science fiction novels Saltflower, Assignment Nor'Dyren, Starmother, and Cloudcry. She has recently complete a new novel, Sunwave.

JOHN VARLEY

In the few short years since the publication of his first story in 1974, John Varley has become a perennial contributor to best-of-the-year anthologies and to Hugo and Nebula Award ballots, including two nominees on last year's final Hugo ballot for Best Novelette. His highly-regarded first novel, The Ophiuchi Hotline, was the premier selection of the new "Quantum" series of high quality science fiction, and his first collection, entitled Persistance of Vision, will also be published soon by Quantum. John Varley's second novel, Titan, is scheduled for publication this fall.

Q: HOW IS THIS SCENE FROM '2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY' LIKE THE 1981 WORLDCON BID?

Here are some hints:

Seattle, Washington has had committee experience on many previous World Science Fiction Conventions, including hosting the Worldcon in 1961. We have a great site already reserved! Send an SASE and we’ll elaborate.

A: THERE’S A SPACE NEEDLE IN THE PICTURE!

SEATTLE IN 1981
13001 79th Pl NE
Kirkland, WA 98033

OBSERVATIONS ON THE OOGENESIS OF THE NORTHWEST SCIENCE FICTION SOCIETY

by Stephen T. Bard

At something called "SeaCon ’76", whilst skulking amongst vast Bounds of comic books in search of an elusive science fiction collectible, I chanced upon a little scrap of paper purporting to organise a "Northwest Science Fiction Society".

"Preposterous and pretentious" I thought sneeringly. A regional science fiction society geminating in our midst, totally unbeknownst to the venerable "Nameless Ones"? (That grand old monthly convocation of intrepid and decrepit fans, published and would-be writers, book junkies and their connections, plus other assorted oddities).

I steadfastly resolved not to send this Gregory R. Bennett fellow the 25¢ that he had the gaul to solicit from me for an initial "newsletter"...

Curiosity!! My great frustration at the lack of interest among the Nameless Ones in sponsoring conventions and other S.F. activities was tantalized by this bold message from terra incognita (Lands East of the Big Lake).

So, after steadfastly resolving not to get my hopes up, I taped my little coin onto a skeptical little note inquiring as to the predicted doings of this alleged science fiction "society", and entrusted it to my postman with the usual prayer.

In due course I received a short newsletter and a curt reply to my inquiry, stating that of course the Northwest Science Fiction Society planned to do things; that is it’s purpose!

Now, while this was what I wanted to hear, I brought a "show me" attitude to the first meeting of the Society. Although there were only three attendees besides the organizers, and although this Greg Bennett was obviously suffering from delusions of grandeur (he was already talking about putting on a Worldcon!), he exuded an unmistakable aura of calm competence and leadership, and he certainly had no dearth of enthusiasm.

In due course Greg was elected dictator of this otherwise Democratic body (nobody else was masochistic enough to want the job) and the rest, as they say, is history...

During its first year the fledgeling Society has published its informative and entertaining monthly newsletter without missing an issue.

At something called SeaCon-77, the Society appropriated enough hotel space to practice all the non-financial aspects of convention organizing and had a grand time in the process.

Last fall NWSFS (pronounced "NOOS-fuss)” organized a 'phone patch from a back yard in Kenmore to the World Science Fiction Convention in Miami, Florida, and listened live to the banquet speeches and Hugo Awards presentation. When it was announced that NWSFS was listening in, we were greeted with applause from the entire throng there in Miami, and when toastmaster Robert Silverberg later quipped "Are there really a bunch of people in Seattle listening to all this?!” we all grinned ridiculously.

And now, a little more than a year after its founding, NWSFS has over 140 newsletter-subscribing members, it operates a book service, providing new books to members at a 20% discount, and it has published two issues of its clubzine entitled "Hydrazine”.

You may have noticed that you are now attending "NORWESCON”, a conservative "first-convention”, also sponsored by the Northwest Science Fiction Society. This madness is expected to recur every spring, in increasing quality, providing that the con-committee members don't end up in an asylum in the meanwhile.

The Society is also sponsoring a chartered bus to this year's World Science Fiction Convention, "Iguanacon”, in Phoenix, Arizona, and is very actively bidding for a Worldcon of our own in Seattle in 1981 (which even the most inveterate skeptics are beginning to take seriously).

If you think that the Northwest Science Fiction Society has something to offer you (and you it), drop by to one of our monthly meeting/parties and check it out.

Society memberships, which include a subscription to the monthly newsletter, are available at $5.00 yearly at:

NWSFS
P.O. Box 24207
Seattle, WA 98124

NAMING THE CONVENTION

Norwescon's name goes beyond just reflecting the name of its sponsoring organization, the Northwest Science Fiction Society. This name was chosen also to honor one of the first major events in science fiction fandom in the Northwest: the 1950 World Science Fiction Convention, which was held in Portland, Oregon. In this small way, our Northwest Regional pays tribute to the pioneers of Northwestern fandom, and to the early fans who sponsored Norwescon in Portland in 1950, and who sponsored Seacon in Seattle in 1961.

PSST CON-III

The Third Annual Star Trek Convention of one of the 3 largest Star Trek Clubs in the Entire United States!

Harlan Ellison
Nichelle "Uhura" Nicholls
George "Sulu" Takei
Bjo Trimble
Susan Sackett
Bill Malone and for certain, Robby the Robot!

Star Trek episodes • A Boy And His Dog • War of the Worlds • THX-1138 • The Day the Earth Stood Still • WestWorld • Much More!

Costume Contest (Clothes Encounters of the Third Con) and other Contests... Cash Prizes!
Friday Night Disco
Blood Drive

9: AM to 11: PM Sunday, April 16 at the Seattle Center North Court. Call [redacted] or send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

PUGET SOUND STAR TREKKERS
6207 7th Avenue NW
Seattle WA 98107

RESTAURANT LISTING

NORTH TO SOUTH ON PACIFIC HIGHWAY SOUTH

Restaurants listed north to south on Pacific Highway South
Street #
3 Miles Kings Restaurant 12606
2 Miles Herfy's 14000
White Shutter Inn 14101
House of Pancakes 14212
Luigis Italian Restaurant 14406
A & W 14457
The Flower Drum 15035
McDonalds 15210
Hearthstone King of the Road 15838
Taco Time 16000
1/2 Mile Hugo's (Hyatt House) 17001
VIP's 17206
Top of the Inn (Holiday Inn) 17338
Holiday Inn Coffee Shop 17338
Henri's LaPlace (Hilton) 17620
Thirteen Coins 18000
The Outrigger 18601
Pizza Hut 18605
Dennys 18623
SeaTac Motor Inn 18740
1 Mile Jack-in-the-Box 18800
South China Doll 19222
Sandstone Restaurant 19225
Raintree Pizza & Steak House 19815
Jade Tree Restaurant 20023
Sperry's Restaurant 20023
Burger Kitchen 22625
4 Miles Pepe's Chill Parlor 23433

V-CON VI

SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION
VANCOUVER, B.C.

Gage Residence, U.B.C.
MAY 26-28, 1978

A E VAN VOGT - GOH
SUSAN WOOD - FAN GOH

Rates: $8.00 at the door

Room Rates: Single - $12/day Suites
Single-$24/day
Twin - $31/day (Suites have kitchens)

NORWESCON MEMBERS

  1. Theodore Sturgeon
  2. Lady Jayne
  3. Alan Nourse
  4. Ann Nourse
  5. John Berry
  6. Vonda McIntyre
  7. H Warner Munn
  8. Lorraine Tucker
  9. F.M. Busby
  10. Elinor Busby
  11. Oscar Rossiter
  12. Elizabeth A. Lynn
  13. Mildred Downey Broxon
  14. Bill Broxon
  15. Betty Bigelow
  16. Greg Bennett
  17. Becky Bennett
  18. Jane Hawkins
  19. Jeanne A. Hutton
  20. Lauraine Miranda
  21. Kathryn K. Krauel
  22. Joseph E. Pizzorna
  23. Carolyn Palm
  24. Richard Wright
  25. John Fraser
  26. Jim Johnston
  27. John Thompson
  28. Ken Wong
  29. Dennis Pernaa
  30. Steve Bard
  31. Ted Butler
  32. Bruce M. Thompson
  33. Ed Thorburn
  34. Chuck Wilson
  35. Susan Wood
  36. Eli Cohen
  37. Elaine Louise Wright
  38. Michael Graham
  39. Cliff Merganz
  40. Jerry Kauffman
  41. Robert Woodward
  42. Jody Scott
  43. Mary Whealan
  44. Tom Wood
  45. Jon Gustafson
  46. David D. George
  47. K Patricia Burrows
  48. Dale Musselman
  49. Lynda Musselman
  50. Brent Irwin
  51. John C. Andrews
  52. John Stowell
  53. Beverly A. Mendhelm
  54. Joe Stewart
  55. Pat McGown
  56. N Kay Richards
  57. Clifford Wind
  58. Thomas D. Walls
  59. Sydney J. Van Scyoc
  60. Sandra Van Scyoc
  61. Michael J. Eve
  62. Al Stone
  63. William P. Grader
  64. Mike Bailey
  65. Donna Flint
  66. Michael Flint
  67. Polly Collins
  68. John Lorentz
  69. David Greer
  70. Karalee Craig
  71. Anthony Pepin
  72. John Strilcov
  73. Gary Lee Shapiro
  74. Walt Guyll
  75. Poul Anderson
  76. Karen K. Anderson
  77. William Sell
  78. Kennedy Poyser
  79. Vicki Poyser
  80. Paul C. Fowles
  81. Kay J. Ewing
  82. Abram Larmour
  83. April C. Owens
  84. Joseph C. McGuire
  85. Barbara Przeklasa
  86. Vaughn Fraser
  87. Samuel G. Butler
  88. Nancy K. Holcomb
  89. Karl Frunz
  90. Dave Bray
  91. Jay L. Mullins
  92. Debbie Olin
  93. Carol J. Buffington
  94. Jo F.M. Calk
  95. Eileen T. Canning
  96. Audrey A. Yater
  97. Alan Kincaid
  98. Carolyn McMillin
  99. Barbara Dryer
  100. William Trojan
  101. R.F. Wald
  102. Jack Weaver
  103. Frank Rabinovitch
  104. Michael Mandeville
  105. Gary Hill
  106. Horizon Books
  107. Dave Turner
  108. Bob Brown
  109. Michael Lane
  110. J.F. Bone
  111. Faye Bone
  112. James L. Miller
  113. Robert Funderburke
  114. Swan's Magazine Mart
  115. A Change of Hobbit
  116. Jim Lightfoot
  117. Mark Gardner
  118. Garvin & Levin Books
  119. Garvin & Levin Books
  120. Johnny Achziger
  121. Karrie Dunning
  122. Pat Mallinson
  123. Nancy C. Morris
  124. Helene Flanders
  125. Beth Weise
  126. William Pellett
  127. Kenneth W. Keith
  128. Dave MacDonald
  129. Robert Cox
  130. Kathleen Buckley
  131. Michael Finkbiner
  132. Beth Finkbiner
  133. Dianna Dodson
  134. Frank Lehmann
  135. Tim Hunt
  136. Sigurd Stubsjoen
  137. Kathleen Patterson
  138. Neil Kuern
  139. Curtis Bronson
  140. R Steven Dimeo
  141. James Kerr
  142. Michael B. Dann
  143. Michael Munro
  144. Bruce Taylor
  145. Martha E. Sanneman
  146. Kay Putman
  147. Michael Vollmer
  148. Jenny M. Hicks
  149. Lynn Kingsley
  150. Michael George Nelson
  151. Pauline Palmer
  152. Martin Williams
  153. Paula Webb
  154. Jo Feldman
  155. Steve Titterness
  156. Norris H. Hart
  157. Bob Doyle
  158. Mrs. L.E. Johnson
  159. Mitchel Cunninghan
  160. Don Mott
  161. Vera W. Heminger
  162. Frank Denton
  163. Anna Jo Denton
  164. David K. Bowman
  165. Bruce Ramsey
  166. Margaret McEwan
  167. Glen Warner
  168. Janet Sanneman
  169. Derek Haining
  170. David Bowerman
  171. Craig Steed
  172. Martin Burgess
  173. Lea Samples
  174. Kit Canterbury
  175. Brian Goldade
  176. Nelle Goldade
  177. Larry Paschelke
  178. John Brandes
  179. Ann Brandes
  180. Matt Hargreaves
  181. Roxanne Baker

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the time and effort put forth by the many people who worked on this convention. Among these many are our own Chairman, Greg Bennett, Jane Hawkins, Richard Wright, Bill Warren, Gordon Erickson, Cliff Wind and his pet carrot, Bob Doyle, Karrie Dunning, Becky Bennett, Steve Bard, Lauraine Miranda, Elizabeth Warren, Dave Bray, Ed Thorburn, Pat Malllnson, Dave MacDonald, Lance Kittamura, Ray Bradbury, and Bellevue Graphics (for making this program book possible).

We also express our gratitude for the heartwarming support given us by the authors, artists and panelists on this, our first Northwest Science Fiction Convention.

Collection

Citation

Northwest Science Fiction Society, “Norwescon 1 Program Book,” Norwescon History, accessed April 23, 2024, https://history.norwescon.org/items/show/1.

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