We look forward to seeing you February 14-16 for Boskone 57 and another great convention! The complete program is now available both as a text-only list as well as a customizable schedule. Written below are some of Boskone’s highlights along with some informational tips.

Free Friday Afternoon Programming:
Programming on Friday, February 14th is (free to the public) from 2:00-6:00 pm. Memberships are required after 6:00 pm on Friday and throughout the rest of the convention.

Personalize Your Schedule
There is so much to do this year that you may want to download the mobile scheduling app for Grenadine or KonOpas. Instructions are available on Boskone’s Going Mobile page.

Register Today!
Buy your Boskone 57 membership today and don’t miss a moment of fun at this year’s convention. Full weekend memberships as well as day rates are available.

If you have any questions about programming, please contact our Program Committee at program@boskone.org.

Friday Highlights

3:30 PM (free to the public)
Welcome to Boskone (I)
Laurie Mann, Brenda Noiseux
Independence · 50 min · Docent Tour
New to Boskone? Or returning after a long absence? Join us for a short discussion about what Boskone has to offer, learn some of the convention lingo, and meet new people. Then join our docent for a stroll around the con.

5:00 PM (free to the public)
Young Adult Fiction Guest Interview: Holly Black
Holly Black, Kelly Link
Harbor I · 50 min · Interview
Meet Holly Black! With over 30 fantasy novels for kids and teens, Holly has earned her place as one of YA’s most beloved authors. Get the inside scoop on what makes Holly tick in this special interview with her longtime friend Kelly Link. From new shoes to new books, the conversation is sure to wander into magical, unexplored territory that can only be navigated by two master storytellers who know each other well. Warning: There may be laughter.

6:00 PM
Great Website Designs & A Special Boskone Reveal
Deena Warner, Matthew Warner, Erin Underwood (M), Melanie Meadors, David Marshall
Harbor II · 50 min · Panel
Websites are essential marketing tools for authors and artists to connect with fans. What does it take to create a great one? What do readers want to see? How fancy or snazzy should it be? What information must you include? Get tips from the pros about how to design a site that fits your needs. Plus come see a special reveal of the brand-new redesign for next year’s Boskone 58 website.

7:00 PM
Hal Clement Science Speaker Interview Featuring Jon Singer
Jon Singer, Geri Sullivan
Harbor I · 50 min · Interview
You might say that our Hal Clement Science Speaker this year is poly-curious … About science, people! Jon Singer is curious about all kinds of things relating to science. Long ago a tech writer for Apple and Microsoft, and more recently a researcher about, well, nearly everything, Jon will talk with his friend Boskone SMOF Geri Sullivan about a few things on his mind tonight. Possibly including but certainly not limited to lasers, ceramic glazes, food, roses, calligraphy inks, the role of science in all the above, and the polycentric ways that science intersects with art and life.

9:00 PM
Opening Ceremony: Meet the Guests
Holly Black, Jim Burns, Eric Coleman, Lizzie Crowe, Kim Stanley Robinson, Susan Weiner, Eric Wilkerson, Jon Singer, David G. Grubbs (M), Rick Kovalcik (M), Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Galleria – Art Show · 15 min · Event
Welcome to Boskone, New England’s longest-running convention for fans and creators of science fiction, fantasy, and horror! Whether you are attending for the first time or the fifty-seventh, we invite you to join us in the Galleria to meet this year’s guests:

• GUEST OF HONOR: Kim Stanley Robinson
• YOUNG ADULT FICTION GUEST: Holly Black
• OFFICIAL ARTIST: Eric Wilkerson
• MUSICAL GUEST: Cheshire Moon
• HAL CLEMENT SCIENCE SPEAKER: Jon Singer
• NESFA PRESS GUEST: Jim Burns

9:15 PM
Boskone 57 Reception
Holly Black, Jim Burns, Eric Coleman, Lizzie Crowe, Kim Stanley Robinson, Jon Singer, Susan Weiner, Eric Wilkerson, David G. Grubbs (M), Rick Kovalcik (M), Patrick Nielsen Hayden
Galleria – Art Show · 105 min · Event
Connoisseurs and philistines alike: welcome to the Boskone Art Show! Join us in the Galleria for an upscale social mixer. Meet our program participants while enjoying refreshments, stimulating conversation, and exceptional art that’s a feast for the eyes. Experience the music and festivities as Boskone celebrates another year of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in Boston. This year’s reception is co-sponsored by Tor Books in celebration of their new Tor Essentials line.

Saturday Highlights

10:00 AM
Welcome to Boskone (II) – Meet Up
Tim Szczesuil, Jackie Kamlot
Galleria – Meetup Spot · 50 min · Docent Tour
New to Boskone? Or returning after a long absence? Join us for a short discussion about what Boskone has to offer, learn some of the convention lingo, and meet new people. Then join our docent for a stroll around the con.

10:00 AM
Authors New to Boskone! Group Reading
Melissa Caruso, Sara Codair (M), Liz Delton, Cameron Roberson, Gregory Wilson, Isabel Yap
Griffin · 50 min · Reading
Each year we invite a number of fresh faces: authors attending their first Boskone as program participants. This morning’s special event highlights several. Each writer will read for 5 minutes. It’s a great way for you to get a taste of some innovative talents — and bring your questions for the Q& A at hour’s end.

10:00 AM
Official Artist Interview: Eric Wilkerson
Eric Wilkerson, Gerald L. Coleman
Harbor I · 50 min · Interview
He’s created amazing art in film, TV, advertising, animation, publishing, and video games for everyone from Random House to Activision, Disney, Marvel, and Weta Workshop. You know you’re looking at a Wilkerson when you see dynamic diversity, light-drenched drama, and the strongest possible connection to the narrative moment. This conversation promises to be similarly stellar. Let’s find out as writer Gerald L. Coleman talks with our Official Artist, Eric Wilkerson.

1:00 PM
Special Fan Exhibit Tour (1)
David Ritter, Daniel Ritter
Galleria – Art Show · 50 min · Docent Tour
Take an informative stroll around the special fan history exhibit with the curator of this extensive and unique display of fandom’s history. It’s an item not to be missed if you enjoy all things fannish.

1:00 PM
Guest of Honor Interview: Kim Stanley Robinson
Gideon Lichfield, Kim Stanley Robinson
Harbor I · 50 min · Interview
His masterful SF stories tackle big themes such as environmental sustainability and utopian plausibility. Yet they focus on the little daily dilemmas of his characters: a disabled shaman, a waterlogged New York building super, a pacifistic Muslim nuclear scientist, several Martian revolutionaries, or a strangely endearing starship AI. His work has won the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy awards, and more. He writes the best infodumps since Moby Dick. Tom Hanks blurbed one of his books … Expect a truly fascinating conversation as Gideon Lichfield, editor in chief of MIT Technology Review, speaks with our GOH, Kim Stanley Robinson.

1:00 PM
Guru of the Game Tournament
Bill Todd (M)
Harbor III – Gaming · 355 min · Gaming
The games: Ticket to Ride (1910), DC Universe Card Game (base), Wingspan, Puerto Rico.

Four games in 5 hours. Tournament starts at 1 pm. Please be in the game room by 12:30 pm. If I call your name and you are not in the room, you will not be allowed to play. Please be prepared to play all 4 games. Quitting the tournament gives a huge advantage to the other players at your table, so please stick with it.

Each game will end in 60 minutes, regardless of whether or not the game is actually over. You earn points based on how you placed. First place gets 10 points, 2nd gets 9, and so on. The top 4 winners get to pick prizes off the table. Once you pick a prize, you own it. You may trade your game(s) for others; however, due to hotel regulations, you cannot sell your game on hotel property. You can ask for help from other players but they are not required to tell the truth. You can ask Bill, who is neutral, but he will not play your game for you.

This is open to all, but you should have a working understanding of the games. Please attend a scheduled demo or see Bill if you need a quick refresher on a particular game.

4:00 PM
NESFA Press Guest Interview: Jim Burns
Jim Burns, Bob Eggleton
Harbor II · 50 min · Interview
He flew jets for the RAF. He contributed preproduction art for Blade Runner. And he’s won three Hugos (so far) over a long career creating sleek starships, convincing creatures, and compelling planetscapes to intrigue science fiction fans worldwide. Let’s see if Bob Eggleton can get Jim Burns to reveal how he crafts such photorealistic renderings — of things that don’t exist.

6:00 PM
Fan Fund Auction
Geri Sullivan
Marina 1 · 50 min · Other
Take science fictional treasures, entertaining tat, and various curiosities home from Boskone by supporting the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund (TAFF), the Down-Under Fan Fund (DUFF), the Otherwise Award, and other worthy fannish activities with your bids at the fan funds live voice auction. Come and exchange your cash for quality merchandise and unique items! (Geri Sullivan, Joe Siclari, Diane Martin, Murray Moore, Mary Ellen Moore)

6:30 PM
Boskone 57 Book Party
Sara Codair, Dave Seeley, Mike Squatrito Jr, Jeff Hecht, Clea Simon, Nicole Givens Kurtz, R.W.W. Greene, Steven Popkes, Gregory Wilson, Errick Nunnally, James Patrick Kelly, Kim Stanley Robinson, Christopher Paniccia, E. C. Ambrose, Jeffrey A. Carver, Erin Underwood (M), Rick Berry, Patricia Morgan Lang, Jim Burns
Galleria – Stage · 60 min · Event
Come join the fun at Boskone 57’s Book Party. You’ll meet the authors and publishers who have new books coming out at the con! This is your chance to see what’s new from writers you already love, as well as those you have yet to discover.

7:00 PM
Reading: NESFA Short Story Finalists
Steven Lee (M), Bob Kuhn, David G. Grubbs, Kit Harding, Jonathan Bronico, Mary Alexandra Agner
Griffin · 50 min · Reading
The finalists in the NESFA Short Story Contest read from their submitted works. (If a finalist can’t attend Boskone, selections from their story will be read on their behalf.)

8:00 PM
Pictionary With the Pros
Bob Kuhn (M), Esther Friesner, Leigh Perry, Frank Wu, Deena Warner, Josh Dahl, Ingrid Kallick, Christine Taylor-Butler, Hillary Monahan
Galleria – Stage · 50 min · Event
Audience members will write down suggestions of speculative fiction movies, plays, novels, comic series, and TV series for our MC. Then, one suggestion at a time, one person from each of our two teams of speculative fiction pros will draw while the rest of their team tries to guess the answer before the other team. Which team of artists and authors will prevail? Come find out … and bring your fiendishly difficult ideas to offer.

8:00 PM
Saturday Night Events, Featuring Cheshire Moon
Susan Weiner, Lizzie Crowe, Eric Coleman
Harbor I · 20 min · Event
Come meet Cheshire Moon, our Musical Guest, who are the fanciful collaboration of trickster bird LizzieCrowe, musical mistress Susan Weiner, and crazed magician Eric Coleman. Cheshire Moon will kick off Boskone’s Saturday evening events with a short set before our annual Awards Ceremony.

8:30 PM
Boskone 57 Awards Ceremony
David G. Grubbs, Gay Ellen Dennett, Jane Yolen, Rick Kovalcik
Harbor I · 20 min · Event
Saturday night’s extravaganza begins with the New England Science Fiction Association’s Award Ceremony, in which we present our annual Skylark and Gaughan awards. The Skylark Award honors the work and personal qualities of an exceptional contributor to science fiction. The Gaughan Award is presented to a talented up-and-coming / emerging speculative artist. We’ll also be announcing the winner of the NESFA Short Story Contest!

9:00 PM
Musical Guest’s Concert, Featuring Cheshire Moon
Susan Weiner, Lizzie Crowe, Eric Coleman
Harbor I · 75 min · Concert
Cheshire Moon is the fanciful collaboration of trickster bird Lizzie Crowe, musical mistress Susan Weiner, and crazed magician Eric Coleman. Infusing flavors of punk, folk, and prog rock, Cheshire Moon’s otherworldly sound is brought to life as they weave song and story into old myths, new faces onto old gods, and telling the princess’s side of the tale.

Sunday Highlights

10:00 AM
Official Artist Presentation by Eric Wilkerson
Eric Wilkerson
Harbor II · 50 min · Solo Talk
Shining blades, blazing blasters; bold warriors, courageous kids; evocative emotions, diverse identities; intense eyes, luminous skies — the work is full of rousing detail and chromatic color. Join Eric Wilkerson as he shows off the imaginative images that made him this year’s Boskone Official Artist.

11:00 AM
Science Demo by Jon Singer
Jon Singer
Harbor II · 50 min · Solo Talk
What is Jon Singer doing? Come find out at this special science demo, where our Hal Clement Science Speaker expects to assemble (from preconfigured parts, as otherwise the demo would take about 6 hours and would be very boring) and operate an air laser. Jon may also attempt to use the output of the air laser to drive a very small organic dye laser.

1:00 PM
Boskone Book Club: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Bob Kuhn (M), Holly Black
Marina 2 · 50 min · Discussion Group
Join us for a conversation that brings con-goers together to consider one noteworthy work at length. This year we are reading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, our Young Adult Fiction Guest. Boskone’s own Bob Kuhn will lead the discussion; Holly Black will join the group halfway through for a Q&A. To participate, please read the book and come ready with your thoughts and questions.

3:00 PM
Feedback Session
Erin Underwood, Rick Kovalcik (M), Tim Szczesuil, Priscilla Olson
Burroughs · 50 min · Panel
This con is over, people. (Except for Dead Dog Filking—and of course teardown, where we’d love to have your help!) But we’re already working on Boskone 58. Help us get a good head start with reports on what went right (or wrong) this time, and how to achieve perfection next year.