WHEELING, Illinois - Since 1980, fans of science fiction, fantasy and other forms of speculative fiction in every media from literature to television, films, and graphic novels have gathered in the Chicago area for a celebration of the speculative fiction community. Capricon 32 celebrates that diversity by letting attendees choose their own adventure in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Alternate History.
Capricon 32 is a four-day science fiction convention to be held at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, Illinois February 9 to 12, 2012This year the guests of honor will be:
- Author Cory Doctorow,
- Artist Les McClaine,
- Fan Steven H Silver, and
- Special guest Javier Grillo-Marxuach.
Author Guest of Honor Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger -- the co-editor of Boing Boing (boingboing.net) and the author of the bestselling Tor Teens/HarperCollins UK novel LITTLE BROTHER. His latest novel is FOR THE WIN, a young adult novel; his latest short story collection is WITH A LITTLE HELP. He is a contributor to The Guardian, the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, Wired, and many other newspapers, magazines and websites. He was formerly Director of European Affairs for the Electronic Frontier Foundation (eff.org), a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties. He is a Visiting Senior Lecturer at Open University (UK) and Scholar in Virtual Residence at the University of Waterloo (Canada); in 2007, he served as the Fulbright Chair at the Annenberg Center for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California.
Artist Guest of Honor Les McClaine was born in Ventura, California. He grew up in the historic town of Lexington, Massachusetts, where he worked in the public library. After graduating from high school, Les attended the Savannah College of Art and Design, where he majored in sequential art, and graduated cum laude. Following college, Les created the comic book series, Highway 13 for Slave Labor Graphics, which ran for ten issues. Around the same time, Les produced the popular web-comic Life With Leslie, an autobiographical comic strip that was later published in a collection titled Repeat Until Death. Currently, Les resides in Portland, Oregon and his work can be seen in the comic book, The Middle Man, written and co-created by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, and published by Viper Comics. In 2008 it made its debut as a TV series The Middleman (TV series). He is currently working on The Tick the New Series from New England Comics. Les has also published a graphic novel through Dark Horse Comics, titled Jonny Crossbones, which also appeared as a web-comic on his website. Les is also an occasional freelance contributor to The Portland Mercury newspaper as an illustrator. In 2005 Les was nominated for an Eisner Award in the Best Digital Comic category for Jonny Crossbones.
Fan Guest of Honor Steven H Silver is an Illinois science fiction fan, writer, and editor. He has been nominated for the Hugo Award in the Best Fan Writer category four times. Silver is known as an on-line reviewer and has written several articles for fanzines, as well as publishing his own annual 'zine Argentus, and the monthly APA-zine Plata. In 2003, he edited three anthologies, Wondrous Beginnings, Magical Beginnings, and Horrible Beginnings, which reprinted the first published stories of authors in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. Beginning in 2004, he became the publisher of ISFiC Press. In addition to his writing and editing activities, Silver is involved in running science fiction conventions. He has chaired Windycon twice, founded Midfan and chaired the first Midwest Construction, and ran programming for Chicon 2000, the Worldcon. Since 1998, he has sat on the board of ISFiC. In 1995, he founded the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and has served as a judge ever since. In 2002, he was on the short story jury for the Nebula Award and in 2003, he was on the novel jury for the Nebula Award. In 2000, Silver appeared on Jeopardy!, winning two days and coming in second on his third day. He won $15,000.
Special Guest of Honor Javier Grillo-Marxuach is an award-winning creator of television, movies, comic books and interactive media. Though best known as one of the Emmy Award-winning writer/producers of “Lost,” and for creating the comic book and television series, “The Middleman,” Grillo-Marxuach is currently working on “Ramiel – Wrath of God” – an original graphic novel and writing “Tom Clancy’s Homeland Security.” He was born and raised in Puerto Rico. His name is pronounced “HA-VEE-AIR GREE-JOH MARX-WATCH.
Capricon has been a celebration of the speculative fiction community in it's various forms and genres held annually in the Chicago area since 1980. This year's convention celebrates that diversity by letting attendees choose their own adventure in the genres of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Alternate History. Members attend panels on a varety of topics from celebrate the best of science fiction and fantasy, with a focus on literature.
There are panel discussions and a wide variety of other activities for attendees to enjoy over the weekend. The discussions range from literature, movies and television shows on well known properties such as Star Trek and Star Wars to other series such as Doctor Who and Firefly and on further to more obscure science fiction properties. Other things for attendees to do at Capricon include:
- Panels offering instruction on various creative endeavors such as writing, art, costuming from the creative process to the commerical practical matters.
- Members can also stop by the gaming area to borrow a board or card game from a library of games, bring their favorite game and find other people to play with, or learn a new game.
- There are author readings and autograph sessions with the guests of honor as well as other author attendees.
- Attendees can visit a Dealers Room with books, crafts, collectibles, with a science fiction slant, visit and shop in an Art Show featuring work by local, regional, and nationally known artists.
- There are also live music concerts by performers of filk music — folk music with a science fiction or fantasy theme.
Activities are scheduled from morning on through the night and the majority of attendees take advantage of special hotel rates arranged with the convention. There are late night panels, filk performances, a Euchre tournament for players of the popular card game and hospitality suites offered by other regional — and even international —conventions as well as local social groups.
The convention is run by a committee of volunteers who are aided by the members of the convention to make it all happen.
www.capricon.org
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