Being a semi-faithful transcription of page 3 of the 8 page Progress Report 1 from SwanCon 22, dated April 1996. All caps are exhausting, we ignored those; typos on the other hand, are music to our pedantic little souls. -AH
For those not quite sure what conventions (cons) are (including many regular attendees), they are an opportunity to be informed and entertained on a variety of topics. Ours is no exception…
Introduction
Welcome… As co-convenor of SwanCon 22 – The Festival of the Imagination I welcome you to our inaugural Progress Report. Inside you will find all the up-to-date information you could hope for at this stage. There may be some inaccuracies due to fatigue, stupidity or just plain ignorance. Do not be alarmed, we know what we’re doing.
What we’ve tried to do with this PR is convey the general flavour of our convention, as we presently see things. Much is subject to change. For instance, if you didn’t buy membership at The Festival 1996, you’re already out of pocket an extra $10. Change? hmm…
Our GoH is the one and only Howard Waldrop (and, to agree with Kim Newman, “we’re not worthy!”), more details of the man/legend/deity within these very pages. We know that many of you do not know much about him – we will remedy this oversight. Let it be known that Howard s a sincere man who is really looking forward to coming down under and is known to be good value. What more can be asked of a guest?
A Little Philosophy, some ideas and a call to arms…
This Con began, quite literally, in a puff of smoke. And if one inhales too deeply in the fumes of fandom, being on a committee is the inevitable result.
Fandom in itself is a diverse beast. While it must be said that our Con is a literary con, and that none of our guest have (to my knowledge) appeared in an episode of Babylon 5 or Trek, I feel that everyone will be able to enjoy our guests and the myriad of other pleasures we have in store for you.
On the literary side, SwanCon 22 will be a celebration of the short story. It was only by unintentional coincidence that both of our guests are primarily known for their short stories, having only published 1.5 novels between them (and one forthcoming, hopefully by the Con). The short story, once the mainstay of publishing, has fallen from grace. The markets are drying up, especially the high paying ones. The short story has given us “All You Zombies” by Robert Heinlein, “A Boy and His Dog” by Harlan Ellison, “Baby Makes Three” by Theodore Sturgeon, “Them Ugly Chickens” by Howard Waldrop, among many others. So come and celebrate the short story with us.
If you want information on Swancan 22 Freeforming, please contact Peter Kelly, whose phone number and email are listed on the back page.
There will be more information on our grandiose schemes in the next Report, due September 1996. Until then, your homework is to read up on our guests.
Russell B Farr
Co-convenor
SwanCon 22 – The Festival of the Imagination is an official project of the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation Inc and runs under its directives. WASFF is a non-profit incorporated organisation.