Balticon 36 will feature a dozen continuous program rooms throughout the 4-day weekend plus fixed functions such as our Art show, Dealers Room, Computer Gaming Room etc. Our goal is to amaze and inspire your sense of wonder by broadening your understanding about the genre and art-form of science fiction & fantasy beyond the everyday world...
Formal panel discussions with SF professionals (writers, artists, agents, etc.), informal discussions among devoted fans, skills demonstrations, readings and performances are included.
Cafe Balticon will have a coffeehouse atmosphere in which you will be allowed to consume your own drinks and snacks, while listening to our programs. We'll present Balticon's academic track, informal discussions of genre and social issues, con running and a reader's track. BSFans will play Social Class and other strange card games from 11 pm to 2am Friday Saturday & Sunday.
So far these guests have confirmed that they will participate in this years's BALTICON program:
Danielle Ackley-McPhail
G. Mitchell Allen
Donna Andrews
John Ashmead
Patrick Ball
Blessing Bird
Brick Barrientos
Bob Beideman
Carol Berg
Holly Black
Steve Boehm
Elaine Brennan
Conrad Brooks
Kevin Burgess
Stephen L. Burns
Dana Carson
Jack L. Chalker
Ralph Chapman
Robert R. Chase
Christopher Clark
Brenda W. Clough
Walter Cole
Greg Cox
Dan Cragg
Ann C. Crispin
Vonnie Winslow Crist
Linda Deck
Jonna Dionne
Scott Dorsey
Scott Edelman
Terilee Edwards-Hewitt
Orlando Figurosa
Eric J. Fleischer, M.D.
Ric Frane
Wendy Frane
Nan Fredman
Robert Furey
Alexis Gilliland
Charles Gilliland
Lee Gilliland
Erica Ginter
Robert Glaub
Ruth Glick
Daniel Graham Jr
Brad Graper
C.M. Griffin, martial arts, film production
Pat Harris
Helen Hart
John G. Hemry
Inge Heyer
Tom Hill
Bob Hole
Dr. Thomas R. Holtz, Jr
Walter Hunt
Muriel Hykes
RiKK Jacobs
Cheryl Jewett-Koblinsky
Robert I. Katz
Joel Keener
Mindy Klasky
Jim Kling
Bill Koblinsky
Aimee Kratts
Paul Kraus
Nancy Kress
David W. Kriebel
Jagi Lamplighter
Grig Larsen
J. Ardian Lee
Paul Levinson
Tim Livengood
Hugh Loebner
Andy Looney
Kristin Looney
Joel Lord
Sallie Lowenstein
Perrianne Lurie
Andrew Love
John Miller
Ron Miller
Tee Morris
John Norman
Eric Nylund
Wendie Old, librarian, children's book author
L. W. Perkins
Nicholas C. Prata
Ray Ridenour
LtCol Chuck Riechers
Tony Ruggiero
Rock Savage
Dr. Lawrence Schoen
Darrell Schweitzer
Hannah Shapero
Charles Sheffield
David Sherman
Dr. Paul Shuch
Dr. Anne E. Simon
Jon Singer
R. Wayt Smith
Bud Sparhawk
Wen Spencer
W.H. Stephens
Elaine Stiles
Steve Stiles
Dave Theison
Alan "Hobbit" Walker
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Diane Weinstein
Sydney Weinstein
Ramona Louise Wheeler
Eva Whitley
John C. Wright
Balticon 36 Art Show Participating Artists (As of 04/01/02)
Jim Clouse* These Artists will not be physically present at Balticon.
This year's programming tracks will feature philosophical debates, story crafting tips and ideas, author readings, book signings and outrageous speculation by every science fiction author we can lure to the convention. There will be separate poetry, academic, literary and media tracks. Meet our Guests of Honor, award winners and other program participants.
Once again, there will be a presentation of papers on science fiction, fantasy & horror in books, film & television. Deadline for entries: January 31, 2002. Papers accepted will be published in the BSFAN souvenir book.
Once again hosted by The Lite Circle, publisher of Lite: Baltimore's Literary Newspaper, our poetry track continues to explore the arena of non-prose literature from inspiration and writing to submitting for publication and an overview of small press publishing. There will be featured readers and an open reading. To contribute or participate either e-mail: poetry@balticon.org or check the Poetry Track/Workshop box on the registration form.
Enter the Balticon 36 SF Poetry Contest
-1st prize: $50; 2nd prize: $30; 3rd prize: $20.The Lite Circle Awards Ceremony for the winners of the contest will be held at Cafe Balticon room on Sunday at 4pm.
Balticon 36 Writers' Workshop: "How Do I Sell My Story?"
This year's writers' workshop will be concerned with 'marketing' your work: how do you present your work in the best way to get it published? How do you 'talk' to an editor? Where should I send my work? Is there a 'back door' that professionals know about, that guarantees a sale?
We will be discussing these and other questions and approaches. Everyone will be expected to contribute. The only requirement is to be at the appointed room by 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning, ready to present ideas, constructively criticize others' ideas and/or relate experiences. Published and unpublished writers are welcome.
Our famous science program continues with the kind of briefings you see for industry, academic and government leaders. Topics include NASA and space industry planning, launch systems, paleontology, DNA research and more. For information and suggestions, email science@balticon.org
Games, projects and stories for children ages 4-12 to inspire your kids to appreciate the convention experience. This is not daycare; parents retain full responsibility for children during this program. Kids can pop rockets, build volcanoes, hold real fossils, hunt for treasure and meet Mr. Polymer.
Informal discussions of your favorite part of the SF universe moderated by the people who know it best. Share your opinions. Tell others about any groups or clubs you represent or know of by voice, e-mail or snail mail. Topic suggestions are most welcome. Fan Organizations are encouraged to contact yakira@bsfs.org with program ideas or hal@bsfs.org if they are interested in having a table fan club table. We will also accept con or club flyers to distribute at Balticon.
Art techniques, tips and demos from the experts.
Returns to Balticon bringing science-fiction folk music to life. There will be panels and workshops and concerts. Our Filk Guest of Honor, The Boogie Knights, will perform. Of course, there will be music Friday through Sunday. Yep, that's 3 full nights of filk. Check out the intemet newsgroup rec.music.filk for more details as well as e-mail filk@balticon.org or check the filk box on the registration form.
Learn new skills to make your own costume dreams a reality for the hall or stage. We have workshops, demos and panels. Sign up in advance by e-mail at costume@balticon.org or check the Costuming Track/Workshop box on the registration form. Check the website prior to the con for more details.
On Saturday night Balticon hosts one of the oldest and largest masquerades on the East Coast. This event features a clever and creative variety of costuming art. Marvel at the participants crafting of fabric and other materials into imaginative and extraordinary costumes. The masquerade competition will be judged on the experience skills division system to give beginners a chance to go home winners. Masquerade rules are available on the web page, or request them by mail by checking off the masquerade box on the registration form. Questions? E-mail to masq@balticon.org. Hall Costumes as well will be encouraged on stage this year.
The Original Play moves to Sunday afternoon as Dave Keefer and Misfit Toy Productions present their parody of "Lord of the Rings." Will Frodo marry Bilbo? Perhaps Gandalf was hiding an even greater secret that he was (GASP!) Melodramatic!?! Hear actors speak Elvish! "Thank yuh. Thank yuh verah much!" You'll believe a Balrog can fly! Or not?
Each year we look for the most colorful, unusual and imaginative hall costumes. Whether novice or an expert costumer, Balticon wants you to dress up.
Visit one of the biggest and best regional art shows on the East Coast. There will be over thirty-two hundred square feet of exhibits packed with both original art and prints. Most of the works and prints are available for sale. Artists must pre-register to be included in the art show. Information will be mailed in January. For details, send a request to artshow@balticon.org or write: Balticon Art Show PMB 61, 8775 Cloudleap Court, Columbia, MD 21045.
Continuing this year, The Joe Mayhew Phan Artist ward will be presented for the best Phan artwork on display during the convention.
Features a 4500 square-foot space with room for over sixty tables. Everything a Fan might want! From hard- to-find books to ancient weapons, costumes, collectibles, models and more can be found. This year, the room will be open late Sunday and until 2pm Monday. Dealers in SF and Fantasy related merchandise may inquire about availability by writing: Balticon 36 Dealers Room, c/o P.O. Box 70013, Baltimore, MD., 21237 or by e-mail at bsfs@bsfs.org. Write to us now since the reserved space fills up well before the con.
New games and SF related software and demos of new computer hardware provide an opportunity for the Fan to see what's cutting edge.
Presenting multiple tournaments and role-playing games. Some games will feature prizes, some will be or the honor of the win. We will also have free-form gaming. Contact the gaming czar at gaming@balticon.org
Come join the fun in the old west! Find out who murdered Professor Jenkins after he made the discovery of his life? And why has that discovery been hidden? Set in the Deadlands TM universe, this Live Action Role Playing game is a different way to look at the Old West! Whether you wish to be a Pinkerton Detective, Gunslinger, Card Shark, Saloon Girl or anything else you can dream up! Cost: $5.00 pre registered or $10.00 at the door in addition to con registration. email: larp@bsfs.org with questions & pre reg inquiries. Make subject line-"LARP related".
A high-resolution screen with home theater surround sound will be open 24 hours and present a dazzling array of the latest SF and Fantasy anime. The anime schedule will be posted on the Balticon webpage with panels, events and anime guests.
See the hottest new SF movies selected from some of the brightest movie/video studios in the world. Share a screening with friends. Video producers with works they wish to share with the Balticon audience should e-mail details to video@balticon.org. We are working on video premeries and possibly UK material never seen in the USA...
In space, all warriors are cold warriors." Join the Imperial Klingon Battle Fleet for starship combat. Return to the days of Chang, Kirk and Kruge! Command your own starship in combat against the Klingons, Romulans or Federation. Participate in strategy & tactics using miniatures you need two hands to pick up. Crawl around on the floor with your enemies. Blatantly defile the peace! DaHjaj jlHeghrup 'ej jlQuch! (Today is a good day to die!) This mock war-game with model ships and officers in costume inspires a vision of the Klingon Empire war-room.
Sunday is sneak preview night. You will be the first audience to see one of this years blockbuster Science Fiction and Fantasy movies on DVD. Due to contractual agreements we can not tell you the title until you get to Balticon. But this will be your chance to see a resent blockbuster on the large screen once again with your friend.
This contest is for young Maryland writers (age 14-18) of SF and Fantasy, sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Share your stories and compete for fame and cash prizes. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2002. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Saturday. Check the Young Writer's information box on the registration form for more information or e-mail: ywc@balticon.org. Contest rules will be available on the website.
The BSFAN is our annual color-cover, 8 1/2 x 11 perfect-bound, eighty-page souvenir magazine appealing to the Balticon fan. Attendees will receive a copy of the BSFAN at registration. Submissions of art, short stories, research articles and poetry are greatly encouraged. Advertising Rates: Full page ad:$200; Half-page ad:$110; Quarter-page ad:$70. There is a 50% discount for fan organizations. Balticon dealers can submit a camera ready business card sized ad for $30. Rates for center spread may be negotiated. Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2002. Submissions and questions should be sent to the main address, attention BSFAN or e-mail: bsfan@balticon.org
Send all correspondence and membership fees to the appropriate department at the address below. Please add your phone number & address when sending e-mail so we may respond with the most effective information package. Updates will be posted on the Balticon web page as they become available.
BALTICON 36If you would like to receive Balticon and Maryland SF News updates, e-mail majordomo@balticon.org with "subscribe info" as the body of the message minus the quotes. Year round monthly Maryland SF cultural event information will also be sent to this list with Balticon updates. These will be posted on the BSFS website at www.bsfs.org under Balticon News.
Balticon will be held at the Wyndham Inner Harbor Hotel. (formerly the Omni) Room rates are $119, plus applicable tax for single, double, triple or quad. (There will be no energy sur-charge this year) Members should make their reservations directly with the hotel by calling (410) 752-1100 or by calling toll free, 1-800-WYNDHAM. The hotel does not guarantee our room block after May 2, 2002; so make your reservations soon or you will be in a race to make a reservation before members of other groups. The hotel will provide the Balticon rate on a space available basis right up until the con starts, however, the web site and national 800 number may not be clue full so call the hotel directly if you are told otherwise. When vou call the hotel. mention that you will be attending Balticon: you must be an attending member of Balticon to get the convention rate. Please register for your room early. If fate prevents you from attending Balticon, call at least 3 days prior to your arrival date to cancel and you won't be charged. You can use your credit card to guarantee your reservation with confidence because the hotel can't charge your card until your arrival date. Early registration helps you and it helps your favorite SF conventions. Last year we sold out our block of hotel rooms in the last two weeks and were then out competed for rooms by others. If other groups reserve rooms early, as they did last year, then we need to reserve our rooms earlier as well. When booking a room please call the hotel directly because the 1-800 national booking number tells folks the block is full when it isn't. If a hotel employee tells you the hotel is full, e-mail dale@balticon.org and our hotel liaison will check the status and make sure.
On-Line Hotel Registration: Read this First
The Wyndham registration site uses a secure server and has a guarantee from American Express. It works well with Internet Explorer and poorly with other browsers. The standard site language says there is an energy surcharge, but that is not true for Balticon members. Remember to change the check-in dates as desired. The site asks you for your group code near the "check availability" box and you must enter "OS463bn" to get proper room rate. Bring up Explorer and enter in the address window: http://wynres.wyndham.com/pls/wbe/html_ui_search.availability?ref=082332001055506&usr=&gue=&cha=WYNDHAM&pro=BWIIH
From points north, take 1-95 south through the Fort McHenry tunnel. Take Exit 53(1-395) toward the Inner Harbor. Proceed north on 1-395 until it becomes Howard Street. Continue up Howard Street four blocks until you are just past the Baltimore Arena, then tum right onto Baltimore Street. Proceed east on Baltimore Street for one-and-one-half blocks, looking to your left for the Wyndham Hotel. The hotel is bounded by Baltimore street on the south, Fayette Street on the north and Liberty Street on the west.
From points south take 1-95 north to Exit 53(1-395) and follow the directions above.
From 1-83: At the southern end of 1-83, turn right onto Fayette Street. The Wyndham is approximately eight blocks on your left.
For folks coming from BWI, or who have parked at a commuter lot of the light rail system, the University Center/Baltimore Street Light Rail stop, which is at the corner of Baltimore and Howard Streets, is the closest to the Wyndham. Walk east on Baltimore Street to Liberty Street, then north on Liberty to the front of the Wyndham. Distance; 3/10ths of a mile. The closest Metro subway stop is the "Charles Center on Baltimore Street, near Charles Street and Baltimore Street, near Calvert Street" station 4/10th of a mile east of the Wyndham hotel on Baltimore Street. To find the front of the Wyndham come out on the Calvert Street side, walk north on Calvert Street to Fayette, turn left and you will see the entrance to the Wyndham. The Metro is less useful to folks commuting from outside the city due to it's limited route. Check www.mtamaryland.com for subway, lightrail and bus schedules. Try the Baltimore MTA bus routes 3, 61 and 64 that pass the Wyndham as the best bus connection. There is a Greyhound Bus terminal just northwest of the Wyndham within visual distance; for their schedules check www.greyhound.com
Amtrak has a number of trains available to reach Balticon. Check www.amtrak.com for your preferred schedule. From the Amtrak station, ride the light rail to stop near the hotel (see above).
The Wyndham parking is valet only with 280 spaces available 24 hours a day. Valet parking at the front of the Wyndham is $22.00 per 24 hours or $15.00 for day.
There are several underground parking lots near the Wyndham. The largest and closest garage open 24 hours is Edison Parking with 650 spaces. Edison is entered by a ramp in the center of Fayette street right in front of the Wyndham, so approach it on Fayette from the east. The ramp looks long but there are cameras covering the ramp and ticket machine with an attendant waiting to resolve any problem. Price is $14.00 per 24 hours Monday- Friday and $7.50 on Sat-Sun. Edison Parking is located at 100 West Fayette Street, phone: 410-659- 5824. The facility is under 24 hour security with an elevator exit right across the street from the Wyndham. The second largest underground lot open 24 hours is Arrow Parking at 210 West Baltimore Street just one block west of the Wyndham. They have 550 spaces and charge $9.00 per 24 hours. Both lots have signs indicating if they're full.
Above ground parking is limited around the Wyndham but there are a few open air lots nearby. Guilford and Baltimore Street lot is 3/10th of a mile east on Baltimore Street. Rate is $6.00 a day on weekends. Pratt & President Streets lot (Little Italy parking lot) is $7.00 per day maximum and a $6-7 cab ride or a 6 block walk from the Wyndham.
Balticon will be registering open parties and grouping them all together, which will be on a low floor in the hotel hence easily accessible by everyone. Registering your open party will ensure that you are covered by Balticon's corkage agreement (allowing ou to serve food and non-alcoholic drinks), and that your neighbors don't mind the noise generated. This is important since parties will be open until 3:00 am this year. Alcohol is not permitted at open room partles.There is a $25.00 per party night cleaning fee that Baiticon will collect before the convention based on the number of nights you plan to hold an open party in your room. If you plan on holding a private party you should let us know at party@balticon.org, we will put you with the other open parties so you can stay up all night talking and laughing without worrying about potential noise complaints. If your room is on the party floor, but you are not throwing an open party, you will not be charged the additional cleaning fee. Please check the box on the registration form if you would like to receive the open-party information packet or send mail to party@balticon.org. Requests received by March 31, 2002 will receive priority.
Most areas of the convention will close at 3:00 am each night with the exception of Anime, Filk and the Hopklns conversation room and it's associated lower level area. These will be open 24 hours a day or as close to that as our volunteers can manage.
Maryland law prohibits indoor public smoking except in designated areas. The Wyndham provides designated smoking hotel sleeping rooms and the smoking sections in the restaurant and bar.
Pets are not allowed in the hotel. Service or guide animals are not pets.
If you require special access services from the convention, please contact us before March 1 2002 and we will attempt to accommodate you.
Balticon is an all-volunteer managed convention and we can always use more help. Show your SF community spirit by volunteering a few hours at the con. Volunteers who work more than 10 hours receive our exclusive volunteer T-shirt. Work more than 20 hours and next year's Balticon membership is comped. Sign up at the convention or check the Volunteering box on the registration form.
A charity auction for the benefit of Reading is Fundamental will be held during the halftime break of the Masquerade on Saturday night. There will be SF collectibles, memorabilia and other exotic items put on the block. If you have something to donate to the auction bring it to the con. For the sixth year in a row, Baiticon is acceptIng donations for Reading is Fundamental. This terrific organization works nationwide to teach kids to read by getting them hooked on reading at an early age and distributes free books to many children who can not afford a book of their own. RIF listed Balticon as one of their top 100 donors in recent years. For more information on RIF please check Reading is Fundamental on the registration form or e-mail rif@balticon.org
Share this flyer by photo-copying the front page and posting it wherever SF and Fantasy fans might see it. We try to cover as much of the region as we can and are always looking for new friends to come to Balticon. But, we can't reach everyone without your help so, if you have friends, family, co-workers or some like minded acquaintances who would be interested in attending, please copy the front page which has all the vital informatIon and hand it out! The more the merrier.