WisCon
Wasi Daniju
A close-up of Rivers Solomon.
Rivers Solomon
This annual convention celebrates speculative fiction, film/TV, games and culture with a focus on feminist and social justice themes. The weekend is packed with panels, workshops, readings, gaming and much more. Guests of honor Rivers Solomon (author of Sorrowland and An Unkindness of Ghosts) and Martha Wells (author of the bestselling Murderbot series; new novel Witch King is out May 30) will also read at a pre-fest reception open to all, at 6 p.m., Thursday, May 25, Central Library. Note: The host nonprofit, Society for the Furtherance & Study of Fantasy & Science Fiction (SF3), has announced WisCon is taking a break from the full-on convention in 2024, so you don't want to miss this edition. Find the full schedule and registration info at wiscon.net.
media release: WisCon is returning in 2023 as a hybrid convention, May 26-29 at the Concourse Hotel!
Our Guests of Honor in 2023 are Rivers Solomon (fae/faer) and Martha Wells (she/her)! WisCon Guests of Honor are chosen by, and often from within, our own community, and we’re excited to celebrate these amazing authors at WisCon 46 in 2023!
Our schedule for WisCon 46 in 2023 is now published! The public schedule is available at https://wiscon.net/schedule.
Preceding the con, at 6 pm on May 25: Join us the Thursday evening before WisCon for readings by our Guests of Honor, Martha Wells (she/her) and Rivers Solomon (fae/faer), at the Madison Public Library Central Branch, followed by book signing. A Room of One's Own is helping us organize this event, and they will have copies of Ms. Wells's and Mx. Solomon's books for sale. This event is free and open to the public.
And while you're checking out the schedule, please think about signing up for a couple of volunteer shifts. WisCon is volunteer-powered and we can't make the con happen without you. You can find volunteer shifts through the programming system! To sign up for shifts, log in at program.wiscon.net, select the “Volunteer” tab, and click “Add shifts” on the right. This will bring up a list of all Volunteer shifts, organized by time.
In-person registration will remain open through the start of the convention or until we meet our cap of 600 in-person members. There is no deadline or cap for online memberships. For all the details, visit wiscon.net/register.
Adult Memberships (18+ at the time of the convention) In-Person: $65; Online: $25
Teen/Youth Memberships (7-17 at the time of the convention) In-Person: $25; Online: $25
Supporting Membership: $20
Former WisCon Guests of Honor: Free
Dessert Salon Minimum: $20; Suggested: $35
Child Care (age 6mo – 5 years): $1 per child; requires pre-registration. Please provide the age of each child to be enrolled in childcare. More details on Child Care for 2023 coming soon!
You can pay online by credit card, or if you plan to attend in person, you can pay at the convention by credit card, cash, or check.
If you can’t use the online registration system but wish to pre-register, email registration@WisCon.net.
COVID Safety
What to bring to WisCon to be prepared for our COVID requirements:
- Masks - Cloth or surgical masks meet our requirements, though we strongly encourage members to wear N95 masks, or masks with similar fit and filtration quality (KN95, etc.).
- Proof of vaccination - We require members to have had at least one bivalent booster, or, if coming from outside the USA, any vaccine recommended by WHO. We will accept any form of proof, including but not limited to vaccine cards, photos of vaccine cards, electronic vaccine passports, and printouts of medical records.
Recommended:
- COVID test kits - we will have some test kits for attendees, but not enough for everyone. If you have access to kits, we recommend bringing at least one, and having more to use after returning home.