Chessiecon 2023 Canceled
At the February 26, 2023, TSFS Business Meeting, the members decided that Chessiecon 2023 will not happen. TSFS does not have the financial or human resources to consider putting on Chessiecon this year.
The Thanksgiving Science Fiction Society will continue its mission and determine the nature of future Chessiecons and other activities. We are cutting the fixed expenses, such as the storage room, and exploring other funding sources.
Please volunteer or donate to the GoFundMe to help make this happen.
Letter from the Con Chair
December, 2022
To all Chessiecon members past, present, and future:
In case you haven’t heard, Chessiecon, and its parent organization, Thanksgiving Science Fiction Society, Inc. (TSFS,) are experiencing two very serious issues that threaten our ability to go forward.
The first is financial: in short, we failed to make room block for Chessiecon 2022, so under the hotel contract, TSFS must pay the hotel for the shortfall. A GoFundMe has been set up raise money with a goal of $11,000. Progress toward the goal, as of the December Solstice, is $4,676. The Thanksgiving Science Fiction Society would especially like to thank the following people and organizations who have made generous contributions. These are:
- Christina Cowan of Undiscovered Treasures, a long-supporting vendor at Chessiecon
- Carl Cipra, a long-supporting panelist and moderator for Chessiecon
- DISCON III, the 79th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Washington DC in 2021.
While the GoFundMe progress so far is encouraging, if you want to have a Chessiecon next year and can contribute even a small amount to the effort, go here:
The second critical issue that Chessiecon faces is staffing. Many of the current convention staff have been doubling up, even tripling up on the various jobs it takes to run a convention, and are burned out. Again, if you want to have a Chessiecon next year, we very much need more staff. Becoming a Chessiecon staff member is comparatively easy: You just have to be a TSFS voting member and volunteer for the position that fits your skill set. Becoming a TSFS voting member is almost just as easy: You need to 1) have a paid Chessiecon 2022 membership (effectively your TSFS dues), 2) attend two business meetings, and then 3) state your intention to become a TSFS voting member. Chessiecon business meeting are held on Discord. If you’d like to attend a business meeting and are not on the TSFS server, simply send your Discord name (remember to include ID#) to: info@chessiecon.org.
Thanks to all the members for all that you do.
Aleksandr Poryshkin
Chessiecon 2022 con chair, TSFS Treasurer
Announcements
The Chessiecon 2022 Souvenir Program Book is here.
Go to the Turkey page for this year’s Turkey Award winners
The full weekend schedule is now available. Visit the Program menu to choose an individual day, hours of operation, or a meeting room diagram
Learn about our prestigious presenters on the Presenter Biography page
See the Vendors page for a list of this year’s vendors
Guests of Honor
Award-winning author, editor, and publisher Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for longer than she cares to admit. In 2014 she joined forces with husband Mike McPhail and friend Greg Schauer to form her own publishing house, eSpec Books (www.especbooks.com)
The Blibbering Humdingers draw inspiration from the Harry Potter series, Dr Who, the SCA, medieval fantasy, science fiction and all kinds of delightfully, geeky fandomness. Scott and Kirsten Vaughan began performing together in 1992 in the SCA, where they are known as Efenwealt Wystle and Maîtresse Aénor d’Anjou. With the release of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows in 2007, they decided to form their own wizard rock act. From there they’ve branched into all kinds of nerd rock, filk, folk and fun. blibberinghumdingers.com
A small con with a 45-year tradition
Chessiecon is a science fiction and fantasy convention put on by the Thanksgiving Science Fiction Society to continue in the tradition of DarkoverCon. The con emphasizes the work of women creators of science fiction and fantasy in literature and art. Chessiecon has over 200 hours of programming including writing, music, gaming, art, and science. Come and browse the dealer room featuring an eclectic mix of handmade items, books, games, and more. Join in the traditional Turkey Awards and the Midnight Hallelujah Chorus.
The convention is run entirely by volunteers. See the Volunteers page if you want to help.