Norwescon: A Valuable Regional Convention

Norwescon 35 was held April 5th-8th in SeaTac, a suburb of Seattle. Home to the Philip K. Dick awards ceremony and one of the five conventions where the Hugo Nominations are simultaneously announced, the convention sees yearly announcements of publishing industry news. With more than 3,000 attendees and 260 panelists in 2012, NWC is a robust regional convention, and valuable for writers of all career levels to attend.

There were 68 unique author readings listed this year, published and unpublished works, across science fiction, fantasy and horror. NWC has served as an incubator for a number of first time panelists, as well as fertile ground for developing panels. There’s a rich science track—in 2012 there were 20 panels on biological science alone. Mary Robinette Kowal’s workshop, on giving effective readings, is useful for all writers no matter where in their career.

Publishing industry parties were  standing room only; every square foot occupied by writers, editors, publishers, and other professionals in the industry. Though a contingent of guests and pros in attendance do come from outside the west coast, Norwescon retains a core of professionals from the region. If you want to meet your peers in speculative fiction who reside in the northwest, Norwescon is one of your best chances to do so.

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