As many of you know, Boskone, is the annual convention held by the New England Science Fiction Asssociation (NESFA), one of the oldest science fiction clubs in New England. The club’s longevity provides rich history and insight into the culture of the science fiction community over the past 40 years.

Each year, NESFA presents the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction, or more commonly referred to as the Skylark Award. It is presented “to some person, who, in the opinion of the membership, has contributed significantly to science fiction, both through work in the field and by exemplifying the personal qualities which made the late “Doc” Smith well-loved by those who knew him.”

E.E. “Doc” Smith authored both the Lensman and Skylark series and is closely associated with space opera, sometimes even being referred to as the father of space opera. Click here to read Andrew Liptak’s recent post on Kirkus

Past recipients include Charles Stross, George R.R. Martin and Jane Yolen. Haven’t heard the Jane Yolen Skylark story? Click here

This year’s award ceremony takes place at 9pm on Saturday evening in the Harbor Ballroom. Featured Musician Heather Dale starts the evening with a concert at 8pm.

A highlight of Boskone is the Art Show. One of the largest in New England, this year’s art show has over 90 panels, 3D art displays, two special exhibits and as always, our Official Artist.

This year’s Official Artist is Lisa Snellings.

According to the Boskone 50 website, “A Gaughan Award and Chesley Award winner, Lisa’s sometimes disquieting and macabre artworks reflect her background in biology and pathology. Her images and sculptures are the bases for collaborative projects with authors such as Neil Gaiman, Gene Wolfe, and Charles de Lint”. Click here to read the io9 post about her work

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ASygLXMbqA]

In addition to having her original works featured in the Art Show, Official Artist Lisa Snellings will give a tour of her artwork in the Art Show and will join in at Dragonslair, in addition to her other program participation.

Want to see more? Click here to view the Poppets on Tour Flickr group or Poppet Planet on Facebook

Modern musical interpretations of medieval music might sound difficult to some, but the talented Heather Dale, creates it with beautiful ease. Each year, the Boskone honors a Featured Musician who plays a concert as part of our Saturday night activities.

This year’s Featured Musician is Heather Dale.

A commenter on her website, describes her as a “Celtic goddess”. During her recent tour, An Ancient Yule, she played venues in Montreal, Toronto, St. Louis, Omaha, Minneapolis and more. Read a review

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xK_VXSL1D4]

We are thrilled to have Heather at Boskone 50 where she’ll  play  two Saturday night concerts and will lead performance workshops throughout the day.

Want to hear more? She’s offering a free downloadable album, Perpetual Gift, here.

Boskone 50’s Special Guest John Hertz will be hosting discussions on three classics of science fiction novels: Galactic Patrol by E.E. “Doc” Smith, Moonraker by Ian Fleming, and The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick. We thought you might like to know these book titles in advance so that you’d have an opportunity to read or reacquaint yourself with these novels. We’re sure the discussion that John has prepared will be fantastic. See you there!

More program related information for Boskone 50 will be coming soon!

Here are the artists who’ll be displaying their work at Boskone: Art Show Info

Registration rates

The deadline for pre-registration is January 21, 2013. If you register now the membership rates are:

• Adult full convention: $50
• College student full convention: $35 (school ID required)
• K-12 full convention: $25 (school ID may be required)

You can buy day memberships anytime; these rates will be the same through the convention:

• Friday Only: $15
• Saturday Only: $40
• Sunday Only: $15

The adult full membership will be $55 at the door.

If you’d prefer to not use eCommerce to buy your membership, here’s a registration form you can print, complete it and send it to us.

Visit the Boskone 50 registration page for more information.