Westercon LXIII convenes in Pasadena, CA from July 1-4. John Hertz has let them reprint his answer to “What is a Science Fiction Convention?” which begins humorously:

It seems that human activities give rise to gatherings.There are lawyers’ conventions and magicians’ conventions.There is an element of shared investigation; one wants to see if anyone has learned what to do with stray feathers when making parrots disappear…