BasedCon 2023 Becomes the Culture Wars Battlefield of Its Dreams

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Mike Glyer

Two days ago Id Software co-founder and former Oculus VR CTO John Carmack told his 1 million Twitter followers that he’d be attending Rob Kroese’s BasedCon again this year as a guest. When he was at BasedCon last year it flew under the radar, but gaming news outlet PC Gamer has turned this week’s announcement into a major story: “Doom co-creator John Carmack is headlining a ‘toxic and proud’ sci-fi convention that rails against ‘woke propaganda'”.

… Carmack is known for having something of a libertarian bent—he recently defended the idea of self-made billionaires (opens in new tab), for instance—and has never seemed particularly concerned about his public image. And he gets a lot of slack, because he’s a little weird and he made Doom and Quake. But headlining an event like this is a step too far for a lot of his followers on social media….

The pushback is typified by Alastair McBain’s tweet: “You literally made a game about shooting fascists but I guess now that they’re heading a con it’s totally excusable.”

And that’s the way BasedCon in its third year has finally struck the publicity goldmine Rob Kroese was always looking for. Because you can’t be an important right-winger if nobody is complaining about you. File 770 merely teased about the original announcement of the event in its 2021 post “BasedCon Planning for Dozens of Attendees”. That was enough to inspire Kroese to run this meme on the BasedCon 2022 home page for months.

On the convention website Kroese explains what “based” means to him and why his con has that name.

Why “BasedCon”?

In internet parlance, “based” means something like “in touch with reality.” Based behavior is the opposite of social justice activism, which is about meaningless virtue signaling and beating up strawmen. Some based beliefs include:

Men cannot give birth
Guns don’t kill people; people kill people
A fetus is a human being
Socialism has failed everywhere it’s been tried
Discriminating against white people is racism

BasedCon isn’t about pushing any particular ideology, but honest conversations have to start with a shared understanding of reality. If you think people with a certain skin color can’t be racist or you expect people to use made-up pronouns when talking about you, you may want to do a reality check before coming to BasedCon.

The BasedCon “About” page also devotes several paragraphs to the now-familiar “lost cause” genre narrative, for example —

Sci-fi cons used to be a lot of fun. They were places where people of all colors and creeds could get together to talk and learn about science fiction and fantasy books, games, movies, and TV shows. Then, starting a few years ago, things changed. Cons became increasingly dominated by a small clique of authoritarian jerks who made them into venues for pushing social justice dogma and, in the name of “inclusiveness,” shut down any opinions that didn’t align with progressive orthodoxy. You may remember the Sad Puppies saga, which culminated in WorldCon voters selecting “No Award” in several categories of the Hugo Awards rather than reward people outside their tribe…

Of course, after today’s coverage on myriad game industry websites, Kroese claims sympathizers are making his cash register ring.

In contrast, John Carmack, who initially spoke only about what fun he had last year at BasedCon, has written a long and defensive response to the criticism he’s receiving and now claims he really “felt a little uncomfortable” a year ago.

Meanwhile, other right-wing sff writers are loath to see this publicity bonanza wasted on Kroese alone. Within hours Jon Del Arroz had produced a video about it to help sell his comics: “WOKE Journalist Tries To Cancel DOOM Creator For Attending ‘Non-Woke’ Sci-Fi Convention!”.

No SiliCon in 2023

Posted on May 12, 2023 by Mike Glyer

Silicon will not be returning to the Bay Area in 2023 the committee told Facebook readers on May 5. The event had been scheduled for October 14-15 in Santa Clara, CA and promised a guest list heavy with media celebrities.

The convention website, now shuttered except for the cancellation announcement, formerly noted that the event was founded in 2014 as the vision of Rick White and Steve Wozniak “as they sought to bring together the best of technology and pop culture” and in its heyday attracted about 60,000 people each year over its three-day run. Adam Savage joined them in 2019 “to bring a new dimension to the event which embraced the maker ethos and community.”

The SiliCon 2023 website gave this explanation for the decision:

Q:Why was the event canceled?

A: As you are likely aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a significant disruption to public gatherings and events, and we have seen a slow return to normalcy, we continue to face challenges and uncertainties. The economic impact has been severe, and many individuals and businesses continue to face financial hardships. We hope to resume SiliCon in the future, and we appreciate your understanding and support during these challenging times.

All ticket buyers have been promised a full refund. The convention’s ultimate fate remains unknown:

Q: Will SiliCon return in the future?

A: We are exploring all options and will keep you notified regarding the details of future events.

Westercon 75 Anaheim Canceled

Posted on May 9, 2023 by Mike Glyer

Chair Arlene Busby notified Westercon 75 members today that the convention has been canceled. The event was to have been held June 30-July 3 in Anaheim. She wrote, “It saddens us to do this, but a cascade of circumstances won’t allow it to happen.”

Loscon 49, scheduled for November 24-26, 2023, at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel, will assume the mantle of Westercon 75, and will honor the memberships of those members of Westercon 75 who do not request a refund from the Anaheim committee. The Chair of Loscon 49 has agreed to accept members of Westercon 75 as members with the transfer of money.

Westercon 75 members are being offered three options: (1) to receive a refund; (2) to donate their Westercon 75 membership to Aerospace Legacy Foundation (Anaheim’s parent organization) to cover expenses already incurred by Westercon 75; or (3) to retain their existing membership in Westercon 75, including voting and attendance rights where applicable and have the membership transferred to Loscon 49.

The 2023 Westercon Business Meeting will be held at Loscon 49, during which the election to choose the site of the 2025 Westercon (Westercon 77) will occur.

Kevin Standlee further explained in a post on the official Westercon website:

…Westercon 75 [is] …disbanding their committee. They are working with LASFS, owner of the Westercon service mark, to implement Section 1.9 of the Westercon Bylaws regarding a Westercon committee failure. Loscon 49, scheduled for November 24-26, 2023 at the Marriott Los Angeles Airport Hotel, will assume the mantle of Westercon 75, and has said that they will honor the memberships, both attending and supporting, of those members of Westercon 73 who do not request a refund from the Anaheim committee. The 2023 Westercon Business Meeting will thus be held at Loscon 49, as will be the election to choose the site of the 2025 Westercon (Westercon 77). All members of Loscon 49, including those members of Westercon 77 who transfer their memberships to Loscon 49, will be eligible to vote on the 2025 Westercon site selection and at the Westercon 77 business meeting.

[Thanks to Rick Moen for the story.]

Update 05/15/2023: For more information on the Westercon Business Meeting, contact:

Westercon Chair: Kevin Standlee [email protected]
Westercon Business Meeting Deputy Chair: Martin Pyne
Westercon Business Meeting Secretary: Linda Deneroff
Westercon Videographer: Lisa Hayes
Westercon Site Selection: Linda Deneroff [email protected]

Malice Domestic #35 Report

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Mike Glyer

Guest of Honor Hank Phillipi Ryan (right) being interviewed

By Teresa Peschel: Bill and I are Peschel Press. This was our third Malice Domestic. If you’re a fan of cozy mysteries and looking for your tribe, Malice is the place to be.

Officially, it runs Friday morning through Sunday afternoon at the end of April. This year’s dates were April 28-30. Unofficially, Malice gets started on Thursday evening when Maureen Jennings hosts a showing of a current Murdoch Mysteries episode. In this case, she wrote the episode we saw but I don’t know if that’s always true. Afterwards, Maureen Jennings answers questions from the audience about the episode, how TV adapts her books, and similar topics.

Maureen Jennings (right) at one of the many, many panels

Malice runs about 600 people attending, roughly divided between true-blue fans and authors. The authors range wildly from debut authors (including indies) to longtime stalwarts in the mystery world. There’s always a guest of honor, lifetime achievement guest, international guest of honor, fan guest of honor, toastmaster, Poirot award (sometimes), Amelia award, toastmaster, and of course, the Agatha awards in five categories.

Events start promptly Friday at 9 a.m. with the first round of panels on dozens of subjects. At the same time, the Dealer Room, Hospitality Suite, and Silent Auction Room open for the day.

Other programs include introducing Malice to first-time attendees, volunteer information, speed-dating with authors, and Kensington handing out armloads of free books. During the day, a rotating cast of authors show up in the Dealers’ Room to sign books.

Having the authors sign in the Dealers’ Room means more traffic and a better chance of sales.

Saturday and Sunday have a similar, fully-packed schedule with panels, interviews, signings, speed-dating, and swag galore.

Friday’s evening events include Opening Ceremonies, Dinner on your own, a memorial program for Elizabeth Peters, and the live charity auction with an exquisite array of fancy pastries on each table. Many people attend for the auction. Others of us attend to scarf up the pastries.

Saturday morning started with a fancy breakfast (The Last Croissant Disappears at Nine). The evening events started with cocktails in the grand foyer, followed by the Agatha Awards Banquet including awarding the prize teapots to the winners, followed by the Agatha Afterward party.

Saturday evening events had a musical background courtesy of Georgetown Prep’s prom going on in the ballroom next door. You could really tell the difference between the Malice crowd and Georgetown Prep. Our average age was 60. Theirs was 18.

Sunday began with a free breakfast sponsored by Kensington to promote all the debut authors. The day ended on Sunday afternoon with the Agatha tea and closing ceremonies.

There are Malice attendees who’ve been to all 35 conventions. It’s a fun crowd, full of old friends meeting each other again. Attendees come from across the U.S., along with Canada and a few from further away.

You never know who you will meet. I got a picture of myself with noted local author, Misty Simon (aka Gabby Allan). We took the picture with me holding The Sun, ensuring we’ll get our picture in The Sun (circulation is about 7,000+).

Misty Simon (aka Gabby Allan), left, The Sun, and Teresa Peschel, right.

Will we go next year? Yes, we will. It’s fun and we sell books. We debuted Agatha Christie, She Watched: One Woman’s Plot to Watch 201 Agatha Christie Movies Without Murdering the Director, Screenwriter, Cast, or Her Husband and it did well.

Should you go? If you like mysteries and you’re in the area, you can dip your toe in the water by buying a day pass on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday and getting a feel for the convention.

Visit Malice’s website for more details covering everything from registration to advertising.

The Future of the SFWA Nebula Conference & In-Person Scholarships Now Available

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Mike Glyer

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America are questioning whether their in-person Nebula Conference can continue into the future. The organization discussed the problems facing them in a press release issued May 4.

With just over a week left until our 2023 Nebula Conference, the SFWA Events Team and our many incredible volunteers have been busy putting the final touches on our first hybrid event since 2019.

With this pivot, the organization has faced many unique challenges including the much higher costs of holding the in-person component. In the planning stages for 2023, the SFWA Board and team did everything they could to minimize the financial impact and burden on both our attendees and the organization when researching venue and dates. Teams looked at many different hotels, considering accessibility, price, and location. Negotiations went on for weeks, with our team trying to bring down the costs as much as we could across the event. It was clear from the beginning that properties were only focused on recouping their own losses during lockdown which forced us to walk away from a few ongoing negotiations.

Like many conferences making their way back into in-person spaces, there are incredible challenges to face. From the current cost-of-living crisis, lower attendance numbers, difficult hotel negotiations and relationships, to the higher cost of travel and expenditures on everything from supplies to audio/visual requirements to every bite of food.

And it’s not happening to just us. We’ve received many reports from beloved genre conventions that we are not alone in all of these challenges.

With that said, SFWA is absorbing the majority of costs this year and only passed on what we absolutely could not carry in the form of registration fees. SFWA has never made a profit from our conference but has always used all income from ticket sales and sponsorships to fund future Nebula Conference events. As a non-profit, our goal is to make the Nebula Conference budget neutral each year. The organization has been successful in doing so right up until now. The SFWA Board understands the stark reality that despite the organization subsidizing a portion of the costs this year, the ticket price is still unreachable for many attendees wishing to attend in person.

SFWA is committed to making our professional development, career knowledge, networking conference and awards sustainable, attainable, and equitable and going forward, we will be discussing how we can serve all SFF genre writers in the future with our events and programs. Within that conversation, however, there is a very real danger that in its current form, this may be the last time we can do anything like this.

Why?

Because there is absolutely nothing left in our funds to pass on to future events.

SFWA is a 501c3 public benefit charity focused on genre writers across the globe. We depend on donations (both monetary and time) to fund our programs and services which help support worldwide communities. We’re not going to be able to do this again without your help and support.

A donation to SFWA goes a long way and you can donate here: sfwa.org/donate

Similarly, we’re always looking for more volunteers to help keep things running and your time and expertise is just as valuable as any money you can give. If you are interested in helping the organization continue to fulfill its mission, please email [email protected].

In-Person Scholarships Now Available

Addressing our current predicament on affordability, the SFWA Board has dedicated some in-person scholarships to those who would otherwise be unable to afford to attend the in-person conference this year. This scholarship is open now to SFF genre writers who wish to attend the SFWA Nebula Conference on May 12-14th.

The scholarship will contain one complimentary conference registration and a three-night hotel stay at the Sheraton Anaheim beginning Friday May 12 and checking out on Monday, May 15. There are an extremely limited amount of these scholarships available, and the deadline to apply will be midnight on Tuesday May 9 PT. We will be choosing our scholarship winners via a lottery.

Please help us spread the word. If you’re chosen, and if you can get here, we’ll give you a badge and a place to dream.

Please visit here to apply: The Future of the SFWA Nebula Conference & In-Person Nebula Scholarships Now Available – SFWA

WFC 2024 To Be Held In Niagara Falls

Posted on May 1, 2023 by Mike Glyer

World Fantasy Convention 2024 will be held from October 16-20, 2024 in Niagara Falls, NY.

The host organization will be New Amsterdam Science Fiction and Fantasy Fandom Inc. (NASF3), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that also runs the annual Heliosphere.

The group recently unveiled a website with the announcement, however, it has yet to be listed on the official WFC website as of this writing.

The venue will be the Niagara Falls Convention Center. The members of the committee are Debi Chowdhury, Mary Catelynn Cunningham, Judy Bemis (Treasurer), Todd Dashoff (Hotel Liaison), Scott Zrubek (Art Show), Mark Richards, Liz Crefin, Joni Dashoff, Bryan Herring, and Louise Amy Herring.

Norwescon Pays Tribute to the Works and Impact of Greg Bear

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Mike Glyer

[Frank Catalano initially wrote this as a third-person news story for File 770 but I thought he should have a byline, too.]

By Frank Catalano. Norwescon 45 celebrated the life and career of the longtime Seattle-area author Greg Bear at its SeaTac, Washington convention over Easter weekend. The panel, “Polymath: The Works and Impact of Greg Bear,” took a wide-ranging view of the accomplishments of Bear, who died in November 2022 at the age of 71 following complications from surgery.

Panelists included Mark Teppo (collaborator with Bear, Neal Stephenson and others on The Mongoliad project), Brenda Cooper (writer and futurist), Frank Catalano (secretary of SFWA when Bear was the organization’s president) and moderator Brooks Peck (writer and pop culture curator who knew Bear through their work with Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame).

The panel was joined by Astrid Anderson Bear, who provided additional reminiscences and perspective about her husband — from how he initially became involved with Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s Science Fiction Museum, to the challenges faced by Catalano in helping the Bears hang a large (fake) T-Rex bust in the two-story atrium of their home.

Left to right: Astrid Anderson Bear, Brenda Cooper and Frank Catalano. Mark Teppo and Brooks Peck, the moderator, are on the other side of the split stage and out of camera range. The video tribute from David Brin is about to be played on the screen. Photo by Denise Catalano.

Teppo and Cooper emphasized how open Bear was to other writers, no matter what their level of accomplishment or celebrity, and how he and Astrid would host Clarion West parties for the workshop’s students every summer at their home.

Panelists and audience members also mentioned Bear’s writing forays into the Star Trek, Star Wars and Halo universes, with one audience member crediting Bear’s Halo novels for getting his video game-playing son to start reading.

David Brin, who provided a video tribute, said that the thing that he’ll miss most about Bear “is his booming laugh.”

“Greg was an artist, and a collector, but he didn’t let anything keep him from being a true science fiction author,” Brin said. “He had to write. And he was an explorer — as good a storyteller as Poul and Karen Anderson, his parents-in-law, and as good an explorer of ideas as Fred Pohl.”

Brin accompanied his tribute with a photo from the 1984 Hugo Awards, where Bear won for Blood Music, adding, “Poul and Karen out in the audience nodded and said, ‘Okay, he’ll do.’”

Greg Bear, second from right, on stage after the presentation of the Hugo Awards at the 1984 Worldcon. (From left, Octavia Butler, Michael Whelan, Shawna McCarthy and R.A. MacAvoy.)

Brin also noted the one time he and Bear were collaborators (along with Gregory Benford) on the second Foundation trilogy based on the initial books by Isaac Asimov. “Greg was the one who truly captured Isaac’s voice,” Brin said. “Greg was devoted to the story and the character.”

Bear was also remembered for his influence and efforts outside of speculation fiction.

Journalist Knute Berger, who spearheaded the Washington State Centennial Time Capsule project in 1989, said he approached Bear to be on the advisory board “and he was all-in on helping me conceive the project.” In a written remembrance read aloud during the session, Berger said they were loading the container for the capsule, set to remain sealed until 2389, when, “I looked at my finger and it was smeared with blood from a paper cut. ‘Congratulations!’ Greg shouted. ‘You’ll be cloned!’”

“Greg devoted a great deal of time and energy,” Berger wrote. “He really believed in the promise of the project and took joy in going through the intellectual exercises of trying to ensure its future. He and Astrid were just a delight to work with.”

The Norwescon panel closed with the reading of a quote from a 2017 podcast produced by the tech news site GeekWire. In it, Bear expressed how pleased he was with his first 50 years as a science-fiction writer.

“I don’t think any writer is ever happy with the attention we get, but I have very few complaints,” Bear said. “My books have been read by the people I read when I was a teenager, and that just knocked my socks off when I found that out.”

[Thanks to Frank Catalano for contributing this story.]

Belfast Wins Eastercon (UK) 2025 Site Selection Vote

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Mike Glyer

Belfast, Northern Ireland is the voters’ choice for the site of the 2025 UK Eastercon, the first time the convention will be held in Ireland. Reconnect, will take place April 18-21, 2025.

Reconnect’s venue is within half a mile of the city center: the Belfast International Conference Centre and connected Hilton Lanyon Place.

Deputy Chair Jo Zebedee said “We are delighted to be bringing the Eastercon to Belfast, and look forward to welcoming hundreds of fans to a city full of exciting literary and cultural elements”.

Two bids for 2025 were submitted, Catastrophe! and Reconnect (Belfast). Catastrophe! was, of course, a spoof bid but very humorous in content says Dave Lally, who reports in the end it did actually receive some votes.

Reconnect’s guests of honour will be Lauren Beukes, Rebecca Roanhorse, Jeannette Ng, Derek Landy, Will Simpson and Bar Friendly Ian McDonald.

Co-Chair James Bacon said, “We are thrilled to be able to welcome such an illustrious and fabulous range of guests of honour to Reconnect. We hope that we can share our passion for the fantastic as we welcome fans to a new venue for Reconnect and welcome new fans to their first Eastercon.”

A special rate of £60 is available until the end of May with a series of discounted rates available online.

Co-Chair Tommy Ferguson noted: “We have a long history of fandom in Belfast, be it Walt Willis, James White and Bob Shaw with their groundbreaking fanzines in the 40’s and 50’s up to our local convention scene which has been vibrant, and we want to reconnect fandom to Northern Ireland and with one another as we celebrate science fiction, fantasy and horror in all its forms in person.”

Traveling fan Dave Lally also notes that Northern Ireland’s tourist attractions include “the obvious Game of Thrones locations; and there are also C S Lewis (Narnia etc.) connections in Belfast. Already offered on the Easter Friday morning (and just pre-Con opening) is a fan arranged visit to the award-winning Titanic Centre in Belfast. This is right beside where the doomed liner was built, before its tragic end in April 1912 in the cold, still, waters of the Atlantic.”

And in the neighboring Republic of Ireland, Malin Head, County Donegal (Star Wars), and the charms of Ireland’s capital city, Dublin, (the express Belfast-Dublin train is called “The Enterprise” — 2 hours journey time-between the two Irish cities, and that service leaves from the main Belfast Lanyon Place Station (just ~300m from the Con itself).)

[NOTE: Eastercon 2024/“Levitation” is already approved. Location: Telford (just north of Birmingham) Dates: March 29-April 1, 2024.]

2023 Nebula Conference Scholarship and Sponsorship Opportunities

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Mike Glyer

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is once again offering more than 100 scholarships for members of underserved communities for online registrations for the hybrid 2023 Nebula Conference.

To support efforts such as funding conference scholarships and other programs that promote and advance SFF creators and the genres, SFWA is also offering several conference sponsorship tiers for interested parties.

The 2023 Nebula Conference is rapidly approaching, taking place May 12–14, 2023. The conference is geared toward aspiring and professional storytellers in the speculative fiction genres and offers a professional development weekend full of panels, networking opportunities, and chances to learn from and interact with experts in related fields.

The 2023 Nebula Conference: May 12–14, 2023. Registration prices:

Anaheim, CA: $449.00
Online only: $150.00

Both of these prices include one full year of amazing content. Register here: https://events.sfwa.org/

NEBULA SCHOLARSHIPS. Scholarship applications for the Nebula Conference must be completed on this form by April 21, 11:59pm Pacific Time.

Here are the categories of scholarships we’re offering and the number available for each.

Scholarship for Black and/or Indigenous Creators: This scholarship is open to Black and/or Indigenous creators in the United States and abroad. (quantity: 25)
Scholarship for AAPI Creators: This scholarship is available to Asian creators, Asian American creators, and creators from the Pacific Islands. (quantity: 25)
Scholarships for Hispanic/Latinx Creators: This scholarship is available to creators with backgrounds in Spanish-speaking and/or Latin American cultures. (quantity: 25)
Scholarship for Writers Based Outside of the U.S.: This scholarship is available to creators who live outside the United States. (quantity: 25)
Scholarship for Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community: This scholarship is available to creators who identify as LGBTQIA+. (quantity: 25)

From the applicant pool, the scholarship recipients will be selected by lottery. This scholarship will be available for our online conference only, which will give access to the streamed/online conference events over the conference weekend and all future online events for a full year.

Support of underserved communities isn’t possible without help. Donations are welcome at sfwa.org/donate to help support this very worthy cause. Questions about scholarships can be sent to [email protected].

NEBULA SPONSORSHIPS. Conference sponsorships are an important way SFWA funds essential outreach, like the Nebula scholarships, to the diverse voices within the global science fiction and fantasy publishing community. The cost of funding a scholarship significantly rises for in-person conferences and SFWA needs help to make them possible for future years.

Are you looking to increase the visibility of your latest book release? Interested in getting your brand in front of hundreds of conference attendees both in-person and around the world online? SFWA has a sponsorship option for you!

Here are this year’s options:

Gold Sponsor: Support our Suite Refreshments
Two of the most popular hangouts during the conference are the hospitality suite and volunteer suite. As a Gold Sponsor, your logo will adorn the doors of each suite! Your logo will also be on all Nebula Award and conference email communication to SFWA members and conference attendees and will appear in the commemorative program book! — $5,000
Silver Sponsor: Support Receptions
Forever link your logo in the minds of reception attendees with their own celebration as a Silver Sponsor! Your logo will be proudly displayed at the in-person Nebula Finalist Reception, the Past Presidents Meetup, and the Mentor Meetup. It will also be included on all Nebula Award and conference email communication to SFWA members and conference attendees and appear in the commemorative program book! — $2,500
Bronze Sponsor:
As one of our Bronze Sponsors, your logo will be on all Nebula Award and conference email communication to SFWA members and conference attendees and will also appear in the commemorative program book! — $750
Sponsor a Private Party:
Be the envy of everyone at the Nebulas by hosting a private party. Your logo will be a highlight of the party listing announcement and be displayed in the private room where the party will take place. — $2,000

*additional costs dependent on cocktail/menu selection.

Sponsor a Panel for our Virtual Attendees:
The Nebula Airship is primed for takeoff, and as a virtual panel sponsor your logo will grace the background of the onliner panel of your choice. — $350
Congratulate a Nebula Finalist!
Being a SFWA Nebula Finalist is a career milestone and the awards evening will be filled with excitement and nerves. Send your well wishes and congratulations to any finalist you wish by filling out a form, which will be available soon at store.sfwa.org! Your note will be delivered to the finalist’s chair before the ceremony begins, providing them with good vibes to last through the evening! —$50

If you’re interested in any of our sponsorship opportunities, email [email protected] for details. Sharing the opportunities for sponsorships and scholarships with publishers, agents, and other industry friends is highly encouraged.

[Based on a press release.]

Cheryl Platz to Host the 58th Nebula Awards

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Mike Glyer

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) announced today that acclaimed performer and designer Cheryl Platz will serve as toastmaster for the 58th Annual Nebula Awards® Ceremony. The ceremony will take place in Anaheim, CA, on Sunday, May 14, 2023. This year marks the return of the ceremony to an in-person event and continues SFWA’s tradition of inviting the global science fiction and fantasy community to take part by livestreaming the festivities.

Cheryl Platz. Photo Credit: Michael Doucett

Cheryl Platz is a world-renowned designer, author, game developer, speaker, and actress best known for her work on cutting-edge products from Alexa to Azure, from Disney Parks to The Sims, and her work on multiple Internet TV shows. Her first book, Design Beyond Devices: Creating Multimodal, Cross-Device Experiences, was published by Rosenfeld Media in 2020. For folks new to design, she describes her book as “the design manual for folks who aspire to design the starship bridge of their dreams.”

In her current role as Director of User Experience for the Player Platform at Riot Games, Platz leads a team working to build a coherent cross-device experience for millions of players. Her past game development experience includes production, game design, and game writing on a variety of titles, from The Sims Makin’ Magic, The Sims 2, and The Urbz to the Chronicles of Narnia and Disney Friends.

Platz’s acting career includes credits on Internet shows such as Shadowrun: Corporate SINs, voice-over credits for The Sims 2 (DS) and BATTLETECH (2018) among others, and over 15 years of professional improv comedy performances with Unexpected Productions, Seattle Experimental Theater, and NERDprov. She also owns design education firm Ideaplatz, LLC and has delivered keynotes, workshops, and consulting services on 5 continents and in over a dozen countries.

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy shared, “We are proud to welcome Cheryl Platz as our 2023 Toastmaster. Platz shares our love of game writing and exploring new worlds — from the page to the movie screen and onto our consoles. We can’t wait to see her on the stage of the Airship Nebula on the next stage of its journey.”

“Science fiction and fantasy have always been a huge part of my life,” remarked Platz, “from growing up with Star Trek to surviving college with Discworld and dreaming of alternative futures with today’s Lady Astronaut books. It is a tremendous honor to combine my own experience in writing, games, hosting, and improv to help bring this year’s triumphant re-launch of the live Nebulas experience to life not just for in-person audiences, but for live audiences around the world. I look forward to guiding you all on our away mission as the Airship Nebula docks for the first time in years this May for a memorable planetary visit.”