Karen Lord. (Photo by Marlon James.)

(1) Karen R.A. Lord has been named Worldcon 75’s Toastmistress.

Today we are also thrilled to announce #Worldcon75's Toastmistress, the amazing Karen Lord a.k.a. @drkarenlord! ????

— Worldcon 75 (@worldcon75) January 26, 2017

https://twitter.com/drkarenlord/status/824726753142800384

(2) Worldcon 75 has released Progress Report 3. Download it free here.

If you have paid for paper publications, you will also receive a printed PR3 in the post early next month. If you have not paid for paper publications, you are still welcome to print out this PR3 and savor its wisdom and knowledge in a nice warm sauna or elsewhere, or to enjoy its pixels directly on your screen.

(2) PR3 contains articles on:

• Words of Wisdom from our Guests of Honour
• We introduce our Toastmistress!
• Hugo Nomination information and ballot
• Finnish foods and where to find them
• A brief history of Finnish fandom, part 2
• and much more!

(4) Storycom will provide support for two Chinese fans to attend Worldcon 75 who are willing to work this year’s con and help with a future Chinese Worldcon bid. Here is the bilingual link for the funding: http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/DN8UO45YFxeANe_IReUExQ

Worldcon 75 Attending Funding for Chinese Fans

In order to encourage Chinese fans to take active part in Worldcons and enhance the communication between Chinese and international fandom, Storycom sets up this Worldcon 75 Attending Funding. 2 active Chinese fans will be selected and granted RMB 10,000 each, for their attendance in and work for Worldcon 75, which will be held in Helsinki in August 2017. The beneficiaries should buy attending memberships for Worldcon 75, book their flights and hotels, as well as apply for visa by themselves, with the help of Storycom. The beneficiaries should also volunteer to work for Worldcon 75 and promise to take active part in attending and organizing both domestic and international science fiction activities in the future.

1. The applicant must be a Chinese citizen and live in mainland China.
2. The applicant must be a science fiction fan and have experience in organizing science fiction activities.
3. The applicant must be available during August 9-13, 2017 and can attend Worldcon 75 in Helsinki, Finland. He/she should also volunteer to work for Worldcon 75 before the con actually takes place.
4. The applicant should promise that he/she will help with future Chinese Worldcon bid if there is any.
5. The applicant’s English proficiency should meet the requirements of working for Worldcon 75.

Applications will be judged by:

• Xia Jia, science fiction writer, Associate Professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University
• Jukka Halme, Chair of Worldcon 75