BayCon
Encyclopedia
BayCon is the San Francisco Bay Area
's main science fiction and fantasy convention
. It is held over Memorial Day
weekend in Santa Clara
, California
. BayCon is a large convention topping two thousand attendees over the last several years. The convention draws many attendees from throughout California and also as far away as Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. The next BayCon will be held from Friday, May 25th, through Monday, May 28th, 2012. The Writer Guest of Honor is Brandon Sanderson
, the Artist Guest of Honor is Stephan Martiniere
, the Fan Guests of Honor are Scott and Cathy Beckstead, and the Toastmasters are Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin. The theme is "30th Anniversary Pleasure Cruise".
Some of the better known regular attendees include Howard Hendrix, Diana Paxson, Lee Martindale, and Irene Radford. Past Writer Guests of Honor include David Brin
, Orson Scott Card
, Harlan Ellison
, Esther Friesner
, James P. Hogan
, Barry Longyear, Larry Niven
, Spider and Jeanne Robinson
, Harry Turtledove
, and Gene Wolfe
. Past Artist Guests of Honor include Bob Eggleton
, Frank Kelly Freas
, Don Maitz
, Rick Sternbach
, and Michael Whelan
. Past Fan Guests of Honor include Forrest J Ackerman
, Mike Glyer
, and Art Widner. Past Special Guests include Poppy Z. Brite
, Mike Jittlov
, and Jerry Pournelle
. Toastmasters have included Kent Brewster
, Frank Catalano, Raymond E. Feist
, Laura Brodian Freas, Richard A. Lupoff
, Frank M. Robinson
, and Scott Sigler
.
, and a San Francisco Bay Area comics convention from 1973-78.) To avoid conflicts with Southern California's annual regional convention, Loscon, BayCon moved to Memorial Day weekend, skipping Thanksgiving in 1984. For most of its history, it was held at the Doubletree
Hotel in San Jose (formerly the Red Lion
). In 2007, it was held at the San Mateo
Marriott Hotel
. From 2008-2013, it will be held at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara and Santa Clara Convention Center
in Santa Clara, California
.
In early 2010, twenty-two of the top staff members resigned due to the parent corporation, Artistic Solutions Inc., losing its legal right to do business in California due to a failure in filing tax returns. The situation was resolved in March 2010, and some of those who resigned agreed to return.
, artist Frank Lurz, special music guest Jordin Kare
, and fan Jana Keeler.
BayCon '96 was held May 24–27, 1996, at the San Jose Red Lion Hotel. Honored guests included writer Jennifer Roberson
, artist Mary Hanson-Roberts, fan Forrest J. Ackerman, musician Heather Alexander, and toastmasters Kevin J. Anderson
& Rebecca Moesta
. Charity efforts raised over $2700 for the American Cancer Society
. Paid attendance for the weekend totaled just over 1750 members.
BayCon '97 was held May 23–26, 1997, at the San Jose Red Lion Hotel. The event's theme was "Space Flights of Fancy: Let Your Imagination Take Wing!". Honored guests included writer Jack L. Chalker
, artist Bob Eggleton
, fans Craig & Sharon Nicolai, and toastmaster Tad Williams. Michael Siladi served as convention chairman.
BayCon '98 was held May 22–25, 1998, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel—the same hotel as in recent years under a new flag. The event's theme was "Alernate Universes and Other Possibilities". Honored guests included writer S.M. Stirling, artist Alicia Austin, fan Michael Siladi, and toastmaster Lillian Csernica.
BayCon 1999 was held May 28–31, 1999, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The event's theme was "Bold Deeds and Grand Epics". Honored guests included writers Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, artist Nene Tina Thomas, fan Jan Price, and toastmaster Kent Brewster. Charity efforts raised funds for Bay Area Literacy.
BayCon 2000 was held May 26–29, 2000, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The convention's theme was "Yesterday's Tomorrows"". Honored guests included writer Esther Friesner, artist Baron Engel, fan Dave Clark, and toastmaster Kent Brewster. Amy-Elyse Patterson served as convention chairman. The weekend's charity efforts raised $4,478 for the Friends of the California Air & Space Center.
BayCon 2001 was held May 25–28, 2001, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The weekend's theme was "All Your Monolith Are Belong To Us!!!". Honored guests included author Rudy Rucker
, artist Bill Hartmann, fans Kathryn and James Stanley Daugherty, and special guest Poppy Z. Brite
. The event included a "Towel Day" as a tribute to Douglas Adams
who had died just two weeks before the convention. Charity efforts at the convention raised money for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
/
BayCon 2002, the 20th anniversary convention, was held May 24–27, 2002, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The event's theme was "The Magic of Now". Honored guests included writer Harry Turtledove, artist Theresa Mather, fan Christian McGuire, and toastmaster Jane Mailander. Author Harlan Ellison was a special guest.
BayCon 2003 was held May 23–26, 2003, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The convention's theme was "It's About Time!" Honored guests included writer Greg Bear
, artist Mark Ferrari, fan Janice Gelb, and toastmaster Rachel Holmen.
BayCon 2004 was held May 28–31, 2004, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The event's theme was "Paradise Found". Honored guests included writer Michael Swanwick
, artist Jael, fan Elayne Pelz, and toastmaster Esther Friesner. Tony Cratz served as convention chairman.
BayCon 2005 was held May 27–30, 2005, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The convention's theme was "The Con You Can't Refuse", a play on the famous line "an offer you can't refuse" from The Godfather
. Honored guests included writer Jay Lake
, artist Frank Wu
, fans Kevin Roche & Andy Trembley, and toastmaster Christopher Garcia. The event also featured actress Chase Masterson
as a special guest.
BayCon 2006 was held May 26–29, 2006, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The weekend's theme was "Tales of Purple Space". Honored guests included writers Larry Niven
and Jerry Pournelle
, fan Craig Miller, and actor Stephen Furst
.
BayCon 2007, the 25th anniversary convention, was held May 25–28, 2007, at the San Mateo Marriott. The event's theme was "Silver Streak". Honored guests included science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster
, fantasy writer Diana L. Paxson
, artist Richard Hescox, fan Linda "Kitty" VonBraskat-Crowe, special guest Ctein, and toastmaster Seanan McGuire. The charity auction and casino raised money in support of the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association.
BayCon 2008 was held May 23–26, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The event's theme was "Adventures in Space - A Pirate's Tale". Honored guests included writer Tim Powers
, artist Todd Lockwood
, fan Patty Wells, and toastmaster Scott Sigler
.
BayCon 2009 was held May 22–25, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The theme for the weekend was "The Lost Sky City of Pyrocumulon". Honored guests included writers Mercedes Lackey
and Larry Dixon, artist Tim Kirk
, fan Fred Patten
, and toastmaster Jennifer Brozek. Due to separate illnesses, Patten, Lackey, and Dixon were unable to attend the convention in person. The convention also featured a concert by Tempest and a special appearance by actress Chase Masterson.
BayCon 2010 was held May 28–31, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The theme was "It's an adventure!" Honored guests included writer Peter S. Beagle
, fans Colleen and Steve Savitzky, toastmaster Tadao Tomomatsu, artist Lee Moyer, and special guests Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon. Events at the convention raised money for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
.
BayCon 2011 was held May 27–30, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The theme was "Carnivale". Guests of Honor included Writer Guest of Honor Mary Robinette Kowal
, Artist Guest of Honor John Picacio
, Fan Guest of Honor Bobbie DuFault (chair for Seattle 2012 Westercon
), and Toastmaster Martin Young. Charity events raised over $3000 for Noisebridge
, a San Francisco hackerspace
.
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
's main science fiction and fantasy convention
Science fiction convention
Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of various forms of speculative fiction including science fiction and fantasy. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of expression as movies and...
. It is held over Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend in Santa Clara
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. BayCon is a large convention topping two thousand attendees over the last several years. The convention draws many attendees from throughout California and also as far away as Oregon, Washington, and Arizona. The next BayCon will be held from Friday, May 25th, through Monday, May 28th, 2012. The Writer Guest of Honor is Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Sanderson is an American fantasy author. A Nebraska native, he currently resides in American Fork, Utah. He earned his Master's degree in Creative Writing in 2005 from Brigham Young University, where he was on the staff of Leading Edge, a semi-professional speculative fiction magazine...
, the Artist Guest of Honor is Stephan Martiniere
Stephan Martinière
Stephan Martinière is an award-winning French science fiction and fantasy artist, using his considerable skill and experience to morph from cartoonist, to concept illustrator, to art director.-Biography:...
, the Fan Guests of Honor are Scott and Cathy Beckstead, and the Toastmasters are Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin. The theme is "30th Anniversary Pleasure Cruise".
Guests
David Brin
Glen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:...
, Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
, Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison is an American writer. His principal genre is speculative fiction.His published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media...
, Esther Friesner
Esther Friesner
Esther Mona Friesner-Stutzman, née Friesner is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for her humorous pieces.- Life :...
, James P. Hogan
James P. Hogan (writer)
James Patrick Hogan was a British science fiction author.-Biography:Hogan was born in London, England. He was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London...
, Barry Longyear, Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
, Spider and Jeanne Robinson
Spider Robinson
Spider Robinson is an American-born Canadian Hugo and Nebula award winning science fiction author.- Biography :Born in the Bronx, New York City, Robinson attended Catholic high school, spending his junior year in a seminary, followed by two years in a Catholic college, and five years at the State...
, Harry Turtledove
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
, and Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
. Past Artist Guests of Honor include Bob Eggleton
Bob Eggleton
Bob Eggleton is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror artist. Eggleton has been honored with the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist eight times, first winning in 1994. He also won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2001 for his art book "Greetings From Earth"...
, Frank Kelly Freas
Frank Kelly Freas
Frank Kelly Freas , called the "Dean of Science Fiction Artists", was a science fiction and fantasy artist with a career spanning more than 50 years.-Early life, education, and personal life:...
, Don Maitz
Don Maitz
Don Maitz is an American science fiction, fantasy, and commercial artist. His most widely-known creation is the "Captain" character of the Captain Morgan brand of rum, although he is perhaps most notable for twice winning the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist, science fiction's highest honor...
, Rick Sternbach
Rick Sternbach
Richard Michael Sternbach is an illustrator who is best known for his space illustrations and his work on the Star Trek television series.- Early years :...
, and Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan
Michael Whelan is an American artist of imaginative realism. For more than 30 years he worked as an illustrator specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art...
. Past Fan Guests of Honor include Forrest J Ackerman
Forrest J Ackerman
Forrest J Ackerman was an American collector of science fiction books and movie memorabilia and a science fiction fan...
, Mike Glyer
Mike Glyer
Mike Glyer is both the editor and publisher of the long-running science fiction fan newszine File 770. He holds the record for being nominated the most times for the Hugo Award; he has won 9 times in two categories: File 770 won the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1984, 1985, 1989, 2000, 2001 and 2008, and...
, and Art Widner. Past Special Guests include Poppy Z. Brite
Poppy Z. Brite
Poppy Z. Brite is an American author. Brite initially achieved notoriety in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s after publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections...
, Mike Jittlov
Mike Jittlov
Mike Jittlov is an American animator and the creator of short films and one feature length movie using forms of special effects animation, including stop-motion animation, rotoscoping, and pixilation...
, and Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
. Toastmasters have included Kent Brewster
Kent Brewster
Kent Brewster is a writer, editor, and publisher. He was the publisher and frequent editor of the Hugo Award-nominated Speculations, a magazine of science fiction and other speculative fiction, from its inception in 1994 until it ceased operating in 2008.Brewster's short story, "“In the Pound,...
, Frank Catalano, Raymond E. Feist
Raymond E. Feist
Raymond Elias Feist is an American author who primarily writes fantasy fiction. He is best known for The Riftwar Cycle series of novels and short stories. His books have been translated into multiple languages and have sold over 15 million copies.- Biography :Raymond E...
, Laura Brodian Freas, Richard A. Lupoff
Richard A. Lupoff
Richard Allen Lupoff is an American science fiction and mystery author, who has also written humor, satire, non-fiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he has also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He is an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice...
, Frank M. Robinson
Frank M. Robinson
Frank M. Robinson is an American science fiction and techno-thriller writer.-Biography:Robinson was born in Chicago, Illinois. The son of a check forger, Frank started out working as a copy boy for International Service in his teens and then became an office boy for Ziff-Davis...
, and Scott Sigler
Scott Sigler
Scott Carl Sigler is a contemporary American author of science fiction and horror as well as an avid podcaster. Originally from Michigan he now resides in San Francisco, California with his wife and their dog, Emma.-Biography:...
.
History
Co-founded by John McLaughlin and Randall Cooper, the first BayCon in its current existence as "The San Francisco Bay Area Regional Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention" was held over Thanksgiving weekend in 1982. BayCon '83 was also held over Thanksgiving weekend. (The name was previously used by the 1961 Westercon, 1968 Worldcon26th World Science Fiction Convention
The 26th World Science Fiction Convention, also known as Baycon, was held August 29-September 2, 1968, at the Hotel Claremont in Berkeley, California, USA....
, and a San Francisco Bay Area comics convention from 1973-78.) To avoid conflicts with Southern California's annual regional convention, Loscon, BayCon moved to Memorial Day weekend, skipping Thanksgiving in 1984. For most of its history, it was held at the Doubletree
Doubletree
.Doubletree by Hilton is a worldwide brand of upscale, full-service hotels and resorts trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. There are currently more than 220 locations with 55,000 rooms worldwide in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica, Peru, China, United Kingdom, Italy, Slovakia, Tanzania, Norway...
Hotel in San Jose (formerly the Red Lion
Red Lion Hotels Corporation
Red Lion Hotels Corporation , formerly the WestCoast Hospitality until 2006, is a US corporation operating in the western United States and Canada through three subsidiaries: Red Lion Hotels, WestCoast Hotel Partners and TicketsWest.-History:...
). In 2007, it was held at the San Mateo
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
Marriott Hotel
Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's flagship brand of full service hotels and resorts. The company, based in Washington D.C., is repeatedly included on the Forbes Best Companies to Work for list, and was voted the 4th best company to work for in the UK by The Times in 2009.As of...
. From 2008-2013, it will be held at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara and Santa Clara Convention Center
Santa Clara Convention Center
The Santa Clara Convention Center is located in northern Santa Clara, California. It serves as one of the large meeting and convention facilities in Silicon Valley, with of meeting space....
in Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
.
In early 2010, twenty-two of the top staff members resigned due to the parent corporation, Artistic Solutions Inc., losing its legal right to do business in California due to a failure in filing tax returns. The situation was resolved in March 2010, and some of those who resigned agreed to return.
Past
BayCon '95 was held May 26–29, 1995, at the San Jose Red Lion Hotel. Honored guests included writer Joe HaldemanJoe Haldeman
Joe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
, artist Frank Lurz, special music guest Jordin Kare
Jordin Kare
Jordin Kare is a physicist and aerospace engineer known for his research on laser propulsion. In particular, he was responsible for Mockingbird, a conceptual design for an extremely small reusable launch vehicle, and was involved in the Clementine lunar mapping mission.Kare is also known as...
, and fan Jana Keeler.
BayCon '96 was held May 24–27, 1996, at the San Jose Red Lion Hotel. Honored guests included writer Jennifer Roberson
Jennifer Roberson
Jennifer Mitchell Roberson is an author of fantasy and historical literature.Roberson has lived in Arizona since 1957. She grew up in Phoenix, but in 1999 relocated to Flagstaff. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Northern Arizona University in 1982 as an adult student...
, artist Mary Hanson-Roberts, fan Forrest J. Ackerman, musician Heather Alexander, and toastmasters Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...
& Rebecca Moesta
Rebecca Moesta
Rebecca Moesta Anderson is the author of several science fiction books. Although born in Germany, Rebecca was born to American parents and raised in Pasadena, California, where she lived until her early twenties. Rebecca graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Cal State L.A....
. Charity efforts raised over $2700 for the American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
. Paid attendance for the weekend totaled just over 1750 members.
BayCon '97 was held May 23–26, 1997, at the San Jose Red Lion Hotel. The event's theme was "Space Flights of Fancy: Let Your Imagination Take Wing!". Honored guests included writer Jack L. Chalker
Jack L. Chalker
Jack Laurence Chalker was an American science fiction author. Chalker was also a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for 12 years, retiring in 1978 to write full-time...
, artist Bob Eggleton
Bob Eggleton
Bob Eggleton is a science fiction, fantasy, and horror artist. Eggleton has been honored with the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist eight times, first winning in 1994. He also won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book in 2001 for his art book "Greetings From Earth"...
, fans Craig & Sharon Nicolai, and toastmaster Tad Williams. Michael Siladi served as convention chairman.
BayCon '98 was held May 22–25, 1998, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel—the same hotel as in recent years under a new flag. The event's theme was "Alernate Universes and Other Possibilities". Honored guests included writer S.M. Stirling, artist Alicia Austin, fan Michael Siladi, and toastmaster Lillian Csernica.
BayCon 1999 was held May 28–31, 1999, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The event's theme was "Bold Deeds and Grand Epics". Honored guests included writers Kevin J. Anderson & Rebecca Moesta, artist Nene Tina Thomas, fan Jan Price, and toastmaster Kent Brewster. Charity efforts raised funds for Bay Area Literacy.
BayCon 2000 was held May 26–29, 2000, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The convention's theme was "Yesterday's Tomorrows"". Honored guests included writer Esther Friesner, artist Baron Engel, fan Dave Clark, and toastmaster Kent Brewster. Amy-Elyse Patterson served as convention chairman. The weekend's charity efforts raised $4,478 for the Friends of the California Air & Space Center.
BayCon 2001 was held May 25–28, 2001, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The weekend's theme was "All Your Monolith Are Belong To Us!!!". Honored guests included author Rudy Rucker
Rudy Rucker
Rudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of...
, artist Bill Hartmann, fans Kathryn and James Stanley Daugherty, and special guest Poppy Z. Brite
Poppy Z. Brite
Poppy Z. Brite is an American author. Brite initially achieved notoriety in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s after publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections...
. The event included a "Towel Day" as a tribute to Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams
Douglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
who had died just two weeks before the convention. Charity efforts at the convention raised money for the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
/
BayCon 2002, the 20th anniversary convention, was held May 24–27, 2002, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The event's theme was "The Magic of Now". Honored guests included writer Harry Turtledove, artist Theresa Mather, fan Christian McGuire, and toastmaster Jane Mailander. Author Harlan Ellison was a special guest.
BayCon 2003 was held May 23–26, 2003, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The convention's theme was "It's About Time!" Honored guests included writer Greg Bear
Greg Bear
Gregory Dale Bear is an American science fiction and mainstream author. His work has covered themes of galactic conflict , artificial universes , consciousness and cultural practices , and accelerated evolution...
, artist Mark Ferrari, fan Janice Gelb, and toastmaster Rachel Holmen.
BayCon 2004 was held May 28–31, 2004, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The event's theme was "Paradise Found". Honored guests included writer Michael Swanwick
Michael Swanwick
Michael Swanwick is an American science fiction author. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began publishing in the early 1980s.-Biography:...
, artist Jael, fan Elayne Pelz, and toastmaster Esther Friesner. Tony Cratz served as convention chairman.
BayCon 2005 was held May 27–30, 2005, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The convention's theme was "The Con You Can't Refuse", a play on the famous line "an offer you can't refuse" from The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
. Honored guests included writer Jay Lake
Jay Lake
Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is a science fiction and fantasy writer. In 2003 he was a quarterly first place winner in the Writers of the Future contest. In 2004 he won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction. He lives in Portland, Oregon and currently works as a product manager...
, artist Frank Wu
Frank Wu
Frank Wu is a science fiction and fantasy artist living in Arlington, MA. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Artist in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2009; he was previously nominated in 2002 and 2003. He also won the Grand Prize in the Illustrators of the Future contest in 2000. In 2008 he was nominated...
, fans Kevin Roche & Andy Trembley, and toastmaster Christopher Garcia. The event also featured actress Chase Masterson
Chase Masterson
Chase Masterson, born Christianne Carafano on February 26, 1963 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is an American actress and singer.-Career:...
as a special guest.
BayCon 2006 was held May 26–29, 2006, at the San Jose DoubleTree Hotel. The weekend's theme was "Tales of Purple Space". Honored guests included writers Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
and Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
, fan Craig Miller, and actor Stephen Furst
Stephen Furst
Stephen Furst is an American actor and film and television director. He was a regular in the science fiction series Babylon 5 playing Centauri diplomatic attaché Vir Cotto and as Dr. Elliot Axelrod on St...
.
BayCon 2007, the 25th anniversary convention, was held May 25–28, 2007, at the San Mateo Marriott. The event's theme was "Silver Streak". Honored guests included science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelizations of film scripts...
, fantasy writer Diana L. Paxson
Diana L. Paxson
Diana L. Paxson is an author, primarily in the fields of Paganism and Heathenism. Her published works include fantasy and historical fiction novels, as well as numerous short stories...
, artist Richard Hescox, fan Linda "Kitty" VonBraskat-Crowe, special guest Ctein, and toastmaster Seanan McGuire. The charity auction and casino raised money in support of the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association.
BayCon 2008 was held May 23–26, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The event's theme was "Adventures in Space - A Pirate's Tale". Honored guests included writer Tim Powers
Tim Powers
Timothy Thomas "Tim" Powers is an American science fiction and fantasy author. Powers has won the World Fantasy Award twice for his critically acclaimed novels Last Call and Declare...
, artist Todd Lockwood
Todd Lockwood
Todd Wills Lockwood, born in Boulder, Colorado, is an American artist specializing in fantasy and science fiction illustration. He is best known for his work on the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and for his covers for the books of R.A. Salvatore...
, fan Patty Wells, and toastmaster Scott Sigler
Scott Sigler
Scott Carl Sigler is a contemporary American author of science fiction and horror as well as an avid podcaster. Originally from Michigan he now resides in San Francisco, California with his wife and their dog, Emma.-Biography:...
.
BayCon 2009 was held May 22–25, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The theme for the weekend was "The Lost Sky City of Pyrocumulon". Honored guests included writers Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes Lackey
Mercedes "Misty" Lackey is a best-selling American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar...
and Larry Dixon, artist Tim Kirk
Tim Kirk
Tim Kirk is an American fan artist. He has been a senior designer at Tokyo DisneySea. Previously, he was an Imagineer for Walt Disney, and an illustrator for Hallmark Cards. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in Commercial Art, and his Master’s degree in Illustration from...
, fan Fred Patten
Fred Patten
Frederick Walter Patten is known for his work as a historian in the science fiction, anime, manga, and furry fandoms, where he has gained great distinction through a substantial contribution to both print and online books, magazines, and other media....
, and toastmaster Jennifer Brozek. Due to separate illnesses, Patten, Lackey, and Dixon were unable to attend the convention in person. The convention also featured a concert by Tempest and a special appearance by actress Chase Masterson.
BayCon 2010 was held May 28–31, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The theme was "It's an adventure!" Honored guests included writer Peter S. Beagle
Peter S. Beagle
Peter Soyer Beagle is an American fantasist and author of novels, nonfiction, and screenplays. His most notable works include the novels The Last Unicorn, A Fine and Private Place and Tamsin, and the award-winning story "Two Hearts".-Career:Beagle won early recognition from The Scholastic Art &...
, fans Colleen and Steve Savitzky, toastmaster Tadao Tomomatsu, artist Lee Moyer, and special guests Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon. Events at the convention raised money for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is a United States non-profit organization created in 1986 to protect the First Amendment rights of comics creators, publishers, and retailers covering legal expenses....
.
BayCon 2011 was held May 27–30, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The theme was "Carnivale". Guests of Honor included Writer Guest of Honor Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal is an American author and puppeteer. She also served as art director for Shimmer Magazine and in 2010 was named art director for Weird Tales...
, Artist Guest of Honor John Picacio
John Picacio
John Picacio is an award-winning American artist specializing in science fiction, fantasy and horror illustration.-Biography:...
, Fan Guest of Honor Bobbie DuFault (chair for Seattle 2012 Westercon
Westercon
Westercon is a regional science fiction and fantasy convention founded in September 1948 by Walter J. "Doc" Dougherty of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society...
), and Toastmaster Martin Young. Charity events raised over $3000 for Noisebridge
Noisebridge
Noisebridge is an award winning anarchistic educational hackerspace in San Francisco, inspired by the Chaos Computer Club and other hacker organizations. It is a registered non-profit California corporation, with IRS 501 charitable status...
, a San Francisco hackerspace
Hackerspace
A hackerspace or hackspace is a location where people with common interests, often in computers, technology, science, or digital or electronic art can meet, socialise and/or collaborate...
.