FOGhorn 6.2, November 2015

FOGcon 6 * March 11-13, 2015 * WALNUT CREEK, CA *
Theme:  Transformations
Honored Guests:  Ted Chiang, Donna Haraway, and Jo Walton
Honored Ghost: Octavia Butler
FOGhorn 6.2
MEMBERSHIP RATES:
Adults:
$60 if purchased by November 7, 2015
$70 from November 8, 2015 to December 31, 2015
$80 from January 2, 2016 to February 28, 2016
$90 at the door
Youth (11-17):
Full weekend membership - $20
Day pass - $10 per day
Children (10 and under): Free! (Must be attended by an adult)
FOGCON ON THE WEB
FOGblog the FOGcon Blog: http://fogcon.org/fogblog/
*TABLE OF CONTENTS
Message from the Chair
Programming for FOGcon 6
Children at FOGcon 6
Idea Show
Writing Workshop
*MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Hello FOGcon folks,This is just a quick message to remind you that our membership rates are going up on November 8th from $60 to $70. So if you want to take advantage of the lowest possible rates, head over to http://db.fogcon.org/account/login and register now.
(Also note that our previous FOGhorn contained a few errors in the membership rates. We're sorry for any confusion caused - you can find the complete list of memberships and rates here: http://fogcon.org/registration/.)
You'll also find some information below about our writing workshop and our student writing contest. Start sharpening your pencils!
Wendy Shaffer, Chair FOGcon 6
*PROGRAMMING FOR FOGCON 6
Your dedicated programming committee is planning a lot of amazing and wonderful things for FOGcon 6, but we can't do it all by ourselves -- we need your help!
Our theme this year is Transformation -- accidental or substantial, transformations of all kinds and all degrees. What transformations are going on in your world or your lives? What transformations can you not wait for? What transformations would you rather postpone or avoid?  We will have a lot to talk about!
And as we've mentioned before, we have a wonderful set of honored guests to talk with -- Ted Chiang, Jo Walton, and our first non-genre honored guest, Donna Haraway, who among many other things has been contributing to ideas about how our relationships with each other, with animals, with machines, and with our own bodies and minds are changing as our technology continues to change.
But great guests and a rich, intriguing theme are only the beginning of making FOGcon great -- every year we have thought-provoking, conversation-stimulating programming items, from panels to body-art to interactive slide shows and more.  No programming committee, no matter how dedicated, can top (or even match) the suggestions we get every year from our members.
So please!  Go to http://db.fogcon.org/idea/ and submit your programming ideas!  Remember that we'll have kids' programming again this year -- we welcome ideas for kids or grown-ups, for readers, writers, artists, viewers, thinkers, tinkers -- ideas that draw on science or technology, on fantasy, daydreams, nightmares, on history, sociology, or any other -ology you can come up with (well, probably -- at least, I can't think of any I wouldn't be interested in talking about some part of).
You don't have to have a perfect, fully fleshed out idea, it doesn't have to tie in to our theme or our guests (I'm sure some will, but it's not a requirement) and you don't have to be willing to be on the program item yourself -- tell us what you're interested in, what you're intrigued by, what sparks your brain; tell us something you've always wanted to see at a convention and haven't gotten yet, ideas that you've seen before and loved and think still have unexplored depths.
And if it's taking you a minute to think of something, while you cogitate on programming go ahead and register for FOGcon 6 -- we need your ideas, but you need your presence, too. We can't have that conversation without you.
*CHILDREN AT FOGCON 6
There is no cost to bring a child who is supervised by an adult at all times (a "kid in tow") to FOGcon.
However, if you want to have a safe, friendly, creative place for your child or children to spend time without you, we've got you covered. FOGcon 6 will be FOGcon's third year of providing low-cost childcare, to make the convention more accessible for parents. Childcare will be provided by Abundant Beginnings (http://abundantbeginnings.org/) and overseen by Shayna Cureton, founder of Abundant Beginnings, for the committee.
Child care can be purchased with your membership. Childcare rates for the entire weekend are currently $45 for the first child in each family (you can define "family") and $35 for each additional child. Childcare hours are Friday afternoon during programming, Saturday all day during programming with a break for lunch, and Sunday morning during programming. Childcare will not be open Sunday afternoon.
In addition, FOGcon is planning an afternoon of children's programming, Last year's successful first attempt included "Program Your Parents" and was a great success.
We look forward to seeing you and your children at FOGcon!
*IDEA SHOW
In the last Progress Report, we asked for people who might be interested in the Idea Show – and we got a couple of nibbles. We're extending the deadline until Dec. 1st for people to get back to us with an expression of interest; we'd like more than 2-3 people for our inaugural show.
So, if you're interested, let us know: ideashow@fogcon.org (there was a small glitch with that address, so if it failed before, please try again.) If you already have, great!
And no, if you don't let us know, that doesn't mean you can't do a poster – unless we don't get enough interest to do it at all.
As a reminder: The Idea Show is a cross between an Art Show and a scientific poster session. It's a way to present ideas to people at the convention. It's a way to show off your imagination, your artwork, and your thoughts.
You submit a piece of work, from 8.5x11 to two 11x17 sheets, with your idea, that's somehow related to the theme of the convention. Want to publicize your werewolf-generating recipe? Cool. Want to draw pictures about how costumes in space have transformed since the
20s? Great!
Hoping to see some interesting ideas on the FOGcon walls,
Steven Schwartz
Vice-Chair, FOGcon 6.
*WRITING WORKSHOP
We're bringing back our popular Writing Workshops, which match three or four participants with a published author for a Clarion-style critique of manuscripts 7,500 words or less. Openings are limited. Registration starts November 15 2015 and ends when all openings are full or by January 31 2016 at the latest. You would need to register for FOGcon before registering for the workshop. Email us at workshop@fogcon.org
*CONTACT US
Mailing Address
FOGcon
PO Box 3764
Hayward, CA 94540
Email
For more information, email us at fogcon@fogcon.org
To discuss access issues, email us at access@fogcon.org
To volunteer, email us at volunteers@fogcon.org or click the link
in your account that says, "Would you like to volunteer?"
To inquire about being a dealer, email us at dealers@fogcon.org