# OryCon

Orycon is Portland, Oregon's annual science fiction/fantasy convention, held in November since 1979.

## Event history

| Event | Dates | Guests | Attendance | Notes |
| OryCon 0 | Nov 11, 1978 | No GOHs | ~125 | The Symposium |
| OryCon | Nov 9-11, 1979 | John Varley (Pro), Steve Perry (TM) & Richard Geis (Fan) | 525 | |
| OryCon '80 | Nov 14-16, 1980 | Fritz Leiber (Pro), Steve Perry (TM) & Elton Elliott (Fan) | 1,010 | |
| OryCon '81 | Oct 30-Nov 1, 1981 | Frederik Pohl (Pro), Steve Fahnestalk (TM) & Kennedy Poyser (Fan) | 965 | |
| OryCon '82 | Nov 12-14, 1982 | Robert Silverberg (Pro) & Jeff Frane (Fan) | 979 | |
| OryCon 5 | Nov 11-13, 1983 | Octavia Butler (Pro), Terry Carr (TM) & Wilson Tucker (Fan) | 937 | |
| OryCon '84 | Nov 9-11, 1984 | Reginald Bretnor (Pro) & Steve Perry (TM) | 424 | "The Relaxicon" |
| OryCon '85 | Nov 8-10, 1985 | Somtow Sucharitkul (Pro), Steven Barnes (TM), William Rotsler (Artist) & Jon Singer (Fan—chosen by lot) | 889 | |
| OryCon '86 | Nov 7-9, 1986 | Edward Bryant (Pro), George R. R. Martin (TM) & Jessica Amanda Salmonson (Editor) | 873 | |
| OryCon '87 | Nov 13-15, 1987 | Tim Powers (Pro), Michael P. Kube-McDowell (TM) & Ben Yalow (Fan) | 954 | |
| OryCon 10 | Nov 11-13, 1988 | Lucius Shepard, John Varley, Connie Willis (Pros) & Mona Clee (Special Petrey Guest) | 973 | |
| OryCon 11 | Nov 10-12, 1989 | Michael Bishop (Pro) & David Langford (Special Guest) | 1,069 | |
| OryCon 12 | Nov 9-11, 1990 | Howard Waldrop & K. W. Jeter (Pros) | 1,055 | |
| OryCon 13 | Nov 8-10, 1991 | Emma Bull & Will Shetterly (Pros) | 1,196 | |
| OryCon 14 | Nov 20-22, 1992 | Esther Friesner (Pro), James Warhola (Artist) & Steve Forty (Fan) | 1,342 | |
| OryCon 15 | Nov 12-14, 1993 | Terry Pratchett Pro), Mark Ferrari (Artist) & Robert Lionel Fanthorpe (Special Guest) | 1,358 | |
| OryCon 16 | Nov 11-13, 1994 | Tappan King (Pro), Beth Meachem (Editor), Real Musgrave (Artist) & Pat Cadigan (Special Guest) | 1,451 | |
| OryCon 17 | Nov 10-12, 1995 | Joel Rosenberg (Writer), Heather Hudson & Dameon Willich (Artists), Kristine Kathryn Rusch & Dean Wesley Smith (Special Guests) | 1,385 | |
| OryCon 18 | Nov 8-10, 1996 | Diane Duane & Peter Morwood (Writers), Patricia Davis (Artist), Gardner Dozois (Editor) | 1,624 | |
| OryCon 19 | Nov 7-9, 1997 | Steven Barnes (Writer), Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden (Editors), Frank Lurz (Artist) | 1,600 | |
| OryCon 20 | Nov 13-15, 1998 | Lois McMaster Bujold (Writer), Ellen Asher (Editor), David Langford & Howard Waldrop (Returning GOHs), Kathe Koja (Special Petrey Guest), Alan Clark (Artist), Robert Lionel Fanthorpe (Special Guest) | ~1,600 | |
| OryCon 21 | Nov 12-14, 1999 | Néné Thomas (Artist), Warren Lapine & Angela Kessler (Editors), Nicola Griffith (Writer), Charles Sheffield (Science), Bill Bowers (Fan) | ~1,550 | |
| OryCon 22 | Nov 17-19, 2000 | Kara Dalkey & John Barnes (Writers), Gordon Van Gelder (Editor), Dr. Robert Forward (Science), Gail Butler (Artist), Larry Warner (Music), Richard Dansky (Gaming) | ~1,600 | |
| OryCon 23 | Nov 9-11, 2001 | Melanie Rawn (Writer), Laura Anne Gilman (Editor), Real Musgrave (Artist), Steve Macdonald (Special Friends of Filk guest) | 1,628 | |
| OryCon 24 | Nov 22-24, 2002 | Susan R. Matthews (Writer), Lee Seed (Artist), Martin H. Greenberg (Editor) | | |
| OryCon 25 | Nov 14-16, 2003 | Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Writer), Ken Goddard (Science and Author), Toni Weisskopf (Editor), Martin Greenberg (Editor), Gail Butler (Artist), Uffington Horse (Friends of Filk) | | |
| OryCon 26 | Nov 5-7, 2004 | Jerry Oltion (Writer), Mark Roland (Artist), Jennifer Heddle (Editor) | | |
| OryCon 27 | Nov 4-6, 2005 | Brian Herbert (Writer), Kevin J. Anderson (Writer), Paul Guinan (Artist), Tom Smith (Filk) | | |
| OryCon 28 | Nov 17 - 19, 2006 | Cory Doctorow (Writer), Chair Mary Olsen | | |
| OryCon 29 | Nov 16-18, 2007 | Robert Charles Wilson (Writer), Liz Scheier (Editor), Molly Harrison (Artist), Vic & Kelly Bonilla (Media), Jonas Saunders (Fan), Peter S. Beagle (Filk) | | |
| OryCon 30 | Nov 21-23, 2008 | Harry Turtledove (Writer), Ginjer Buchanan (Editor), Jeff Fennel (Artist), Cecilia Eng (Fan), Tricky Pixie (Filk) | | |
| OryCon 31 | Nov 27-29, 2009 | Patricia Briggs (Author), Lou Anders (Editor), Lubov (Artist), Jeff Hitchin (Fan), Chris Lester(Filk), Chair Debra Stansbury | | |
| OryCon 32 | Nov 12-14, 2010 | P.N. Elrod (Author), Sharyn November (Editor), Chad Savage (Artist), Seanan McGuire (Filk), Chair Tammy J. Lindsley | | |
| OryCon 33 | Nov 11-13, 2011 | E. E. Knight (Author), Scott Allie (Editor), Jim Pavelec (Artist), Tempest (Music), Chair Devlin Perez | | |
| OryCon 34 | Nov 2-4, 2012 | Mike Shepherd (Author), Jess Hartley (Editor), Vance Kovacs (Artist), Aaron Duran (Media), Michael Longcor (Music), Chair Tracy Penner | | |
| OryCon 35 | Nov 8–10, 2013 | Ann Bishop (Author), Liz Gorinsky (Editor), Jay Lake (Special), Matt Vancil (Media), Larry Elmore (Artist), Debs and Errol (Filk), Chair Lea Rush | 1,632 | |
| OryCon 36 | Nov 7–9, 2014 | William F. Nolan (Author), Jason Andrew (Editor), Mark Roland (Artist), Jesse Lagers (Cosplay), Vixy & Tony (Music), Jay Lake (Ghost), Chair Devlin Perez | | |
| OryCon 37 | Nov 20-22, 2015 | Tanya Huff (Author), Alan M. Clark (Artist), Jason V. Brock (Editor), Ryan Wells (Cosplay), The PDX Broadsides (Music) | | |
| OryCon 38 | Nov 18–20, 2016 | David Weber (Author), Diana Gill (Editor), David Mattingly (Artist) | | |
| OryCon 39 | Nov 17-19, 2017 | Timothy Zahn (Author), Sarah Clemens (Artist), David Boop (Editor), Solovox (Musical), Brichibi Cosplay (Cosplay) | | |
| OryCon 40 | Nov, 2018 | | | |
| OryCon 41 | Nov, 2019 | | | |
| OryCon 42 | Nov 12-14, 2021 | Phil Foglio and Kaja Foglio (Artists), A. Lee Martinez (Author) | | |
The one-day Symposium in 1978 was held at Portland State University. OryCon was held at the Lloyd Center Sheraton in 1979, at the Portland Hilton 1980-83 and 1985, at the Portland Cosmopolitan Hotel in 1984, at the Red Lion/Lloyd Center (formerly the Lloyd Center Sheraton) in 1986, at the Red Lion/Doubletree Columbia River Hotel from 1987 to 2003, at the Marriott (waterfront downtown) from 2003 to 2008, at the Red Lion/Lloyd Center beginning 2009.

## Highlights

Orycon promotes science fiction and fantasy works of all kinds.
There are many panels and workshops discussing topics from how to write a great science fiction novel to current events in science, as well as numerous filk sessions and concerts. Some of the recent panel topics have included:
* Writing
** When is enough research too much?
** How to write about something you don't really know about
** Using Your Imagination to Write and Draw
** Inventing Languages: Alien Linguistics
** Balancing Writing with Family/Real Life—Deadlines vs. diapers
* Current events
** What impact does technology really have on history
** Murdering stemcells and frankenfood: modern biology and the far left and right
** The web in 2015 - a look ahead
** The rest of the world's last year in space/Japanese Space Program. What they've done, what they are doing, what they have planned.
* Costuming
** Making an original costume: What you need to get started
** Fabric manipulation-How to twist, dye, stitch, fold, pleat and otherwise bully your fabric into submission
** Period costumes beyond Victorian and medieval: Why don't we see more eras?
** Costuming 101: Pattern bashing for beginners
* Art
** Art Jam - Everybody Draws
** Selling the Offspring: Your Emotional Investment in Your Art and How Much do You Charge for It?
** The Business of Art
** My inspiration - My art: Why I did what I did
The Susan C Petrey Scholarship Fund Auction awards scholarships to the Clarion Science Fiction Writers' Workshop (both in the East and West)

### The Endeavour Award

The Endeavour Award is presented to a distinguished science fiction or fantasy book written by a Pacific Northwest author or authors and published in the previous year.

#### Finalists for 2012

* Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (Tor)
* City of Ruins by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Pyr)
* River Marked by Patricia Briggs (Ace)
* Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (Doubleday)
* When the Saints by Dave Duncan (Tor)

#### 2011 Winner

* Dreadnought by Cherie Priest