| Windycon | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Science Fiction/Fantasy Convention |
| Location(s) | Oak Brook, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | October 25-27, 1974 |
| Most recent | November 10-12, 2023 |
| Next event | November 8-10, 2024 |
| Organized by | ISFiC |
| Filing status | Non-profit |
| Website | http://www.windycon.org/ |
Windycon is a science fiction and fantasy literature convention held in Oak Brook, Illinois, on the weekend closest to Veterans Day.
ISFiC, the parent corporation that runs Windycon,[1] was founded in 1973 in Chicago. The first Windycon was held the following year and has been held annually ever since either in Chicago or a Chicago suburb.[2] It is a general interest convention.
ISFiC and Windycon were founded to raise the profile of fandom in Chicago in preparation for a Worldcon bid.[1] In 1982, Chicon IV was the result. From its small beginnings, Windycon has grown to have an annual membership hovering around 1300. It is the largest of the two fan-run Chicago conventions.
Annually since 1986, ISFiC has hosted a writers contest, open to unpublished authors. The contest is judged by professional authors and editors.[3] Separately, Windycon has hosted a writers' workshop under the coordination of Richard Chwedyk since 2000.[4] From 2004 to 2015, ISFiC Press, the publishing arm of Windycon's parent organization, published a Guest of Honor book to be released at the convention.
In addition to traditional con activities, Windycon has also run a series of on-line chats during the con, hosting by Cybling.[5][6]
| Event | Date | Location | Convention chair | Theme | Guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windycon I | October 25-27, 1974 | The Blackstone Hotel | Lynne & Mark Aronson |
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| Windycon II | October 3-5, 1975 | The Blackstone Hotel | Lynne & Mark Aronson |
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| Windycon III | October 15-17, 1976 | Sheraton Chicago | Lynne & Mark Aronson |
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| Windycon IV | October 7-9, 1977 | Arlington Park Hilton | Larry Propp | The Latvian Loganberry Festival |
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| Windycon V | October 6-8, 1978 | Arlington Park Hilton | Doug Rice |
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| Windycon VI | October 5-7, 1979 | Arlington Park Hilton | Larry Propp |
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| Windycon VII | October 24-26, 1980 | Hyatt Regency Chicago | Midge Reitan & Marcy Lyn-Waitsman |
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| Windycon VIII | December 18-20, 1981 | Hyatt Regency Chicago | Ross Pavlac & Larry Propp | A Holiday Party |
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| Windycon IX | December 10-12, 1982 | Lincolnwood Hyatt | Dick Spelman |
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| Windycon X | October 7-9, 1983 | Arlington Park Hilton | Tom Veal |
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| Windycon XI | December 7-9, 1984 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Kathleen Meyer |
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| Windycon XII | October 11-13, 1985 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Kathleen Meyer |
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| Windycon XIII | November 14-16, 1986 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Debra A. Wright |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Getting Along with Larga" by Richard Chwedyk | |
| Windycon XIV | November 6-8, 1987 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Debra A. Wright |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "The Library" by Eugenia M. Hayden | |
| Windycon XV | November 11-13, 1988 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Kathleen Meyer |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "A Man Makes a Machine" by Richard Chwedyk | |
| Windycon XVI | November 10-12, 1989 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Lenny Wenshe |
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| Windycon XVII | November 9-11, 1990 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Lenny Wenshe |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Ailin's Castle" by Robin Leigh Michaels | |
| Windycon XVIII | November 8-10, 1991 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Marie Bartlett-Sloan |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Soul to Take" by Vanessa Crouther | |
| Windycon XIX | November 6-8, 1992 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Marie Bartlett-Sloan |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Make-Up Magic" by Sheila Insley | |
| Windycon XX | November 12-14, 1993 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Dina S. Krause |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Dead Chute" by C. T. Fluhr | |
| Windycon XXI | November 11-13, 1994 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Dina S. Krause |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Packers" by Emmett Gard Pittman | |
| Windycon XXII | November 10-12, 1995 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Bill Roper |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "In Memoriam" by William McCahon | |
| Windycon XXIII | November 8-10, 1996 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Bill Roper |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "All Through the House" by C. T. Fluhr | |
| Windycon XXIV | November 7-9, 1997 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Ross Pavlac | Scots in Space |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: Little Girl Lost" by David W. Crawford & Carol Johnson |
| Windycon XXV | November 13-15, 1998 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Rick Waterson |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Grandpa" by Susan L. Wachowski | |
| Windycon XXVI | November 12-14, 1999 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Rick Waterson |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Passing Through" by Sharon L. Nelson | |
| Windycon XXVII | November 10-12, 2000 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Amy Wenshe |
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| Windycon XXVIII | November 9-11, 2001 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Amy Wenshe |
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| Windycon XXIX | November 8-10, 2002 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Steven H Silver | A Visit to Newford |
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ISFiC Press release: A Walk on the Windy Side CD |
| Windycon XXX | November 7-9, 2003 | Hyatt Regency Woodfield | Steven H Silver | Space Station Windycon |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "True Worth" by John D. Nikitow |
| Windycon 31 | November 12-14, 2004 | Wyndham O'Hare | Bonnie Jones | Innerspace |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Orbital One" by Chris Krolczyk
ISFiC Press release: Relativity by Robert J. Sawyer |
| Windycon 32 | November 11-13, 2005 | Wyndham O'Hare | Bonnie Jones | Alternate History |
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ISFiC Press release: Every Inch a King by Harry Turtledove |
| Windycon 33 | November 10-12, 2006 | Wyndham O'Hare | Pat Sayre McCoy | First Contact |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Ad Alienos" by P. R. Gomez
ISFiC Press release: Outbound by Jack McDevitt |
| Windycon 34 | November 9-11, 2007 | Wyndham O'Hare | Pat Sayre McCoy | The Worlds of the Others |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Ivan and the Plate of Fried Chicken" by Joe McCauley
ISFiC Press release: Finding Magic by Tanya Huff |
| Windycon 35 | November 14-16, 2008 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Rick Waterson | Military SF |
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ISFiC Press release: When Diplomacy Fails edited by Eric Flint & Mike Resnick |
| Windycon 36 | November 13-15, 2009 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Joseph Stockman | Steampunk |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Oracle" by John M. Cowan
ISFiC Press release: The Shadow on the Doorstep by James P. Blaylock |
| Windycon 37 | November 12-14, 2010 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Joseph Stockman | The Lands of Fae and Back Again |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Lost and Found" by Mary Mascari
ISFiC Press release: Assassin and Other Stories by Steven Barnes |
| Windycon 38 | November 11-13, 2011 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Richard France | The Periodic Table of the Science Fiction Elements |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "The Pod" by Mary Mascari
ISFiC Press release: Aurora in Four Voices by Catherine Asaro |
| Windycon 39 | November 9-11, 2012 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Richard France & Bill Roper | Zombies |
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ISFiC Press release: Velveteen vs. The Junior Super Patriots by Seanan McGuire |
| Windycon 40 | November 8-10, 2013 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Bill Roper | The Big Tent |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Windy van Hooten's Was Never Like This" by Liz A. Vogel
ISFiC Press release: The Goblin Master's Grimoire by Jim C. Hines |
| Windycon 41 | November 14-16, 2014 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Deb Kosiba | Grimm Tales |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Under the Hill" by Siobhan Duffy
ISFiC Press release: Harvest Season by SF Squeecast |
| Windycon 42 | November 13-15, 2015 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Steven H Silver | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Windycon |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Catamount" by M. Arguete
ISFiC Press release: Bimbo on the Cover by Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff |
| Windycon 43 | November 11-13, 2016 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Daniel Gunderson | King of the Nerds |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "The Furrier" by Siobhan Duffy |
| Windycon 44 | November 10-12, 2017 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Daniel Gunderson | Dystopia |
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| Windycon 45 | November 9-11, 2018 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Daniel Gunderson & Kerry Kuhn | Unlikely Heroes |
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| Windycon 46 | November 15-17, 2019 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Kerry Kuhn | Space Opera |
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| Breezycon | November 13-15, 2020 | Online | Evan Reeves | Online replacement due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| Windycon 47 | November 12-14, 2021 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | Evan Reeves | Urban Fantastic |
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| Windycon 48 | November 11-13, 2022 | Westin Lombard Yorktown Center | John Donat | Shattering the Glass Ceiling |
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| Windycon 49 | November 10-12, 2023 | DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago - Oak Brook | Dana "Star" DeMichael | Adventure Is Out There |
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ISFiC Writers Contest Winner: "Boxed" by David L. Wyatt Jr. |
| Windycon 50 | November 8-10, 2024 | DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago - Oak Brook | Joseph "Vlad" Stockman & Daniel Gunderson | Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations |