Boskone 60 (info@boskone.org)  has received the following positive Covid reports from Boskone 60 members:

Case A:

This member asked that their name not be used.

Date: Tue, Feb 21, 2023 at 11:19 AM

My temperature was creeping up all day yesterday, and I got a positive test in the evening. I assume this is from breakfast at the Westin Saturday morning*. Sauciete has tall ceilings and good ventilation and I had a table by myself. But the staff wasn’t masked, nor the patrons, of course. This was the only time I took my mask off in public for months.

* Somewhere around 8 to 9. I left the con around noon, and didn’t recognize anyone in Sauciete,

Case B:

Date: Wed, Feb 22, 2023 at 11:34 AM

Tyler Stewart was staffing the Pandemonium booth in the Boskone 60 Dealer’s Room on Friday and Saturday of last week, and he just tested positive for Covid.

Case C:

date: Feb 22, 2023, 1:18 PM

Saw you putting in reports so here’s ours – one of my <roommates> has tested positive after the con. They have been basically asymptomatic and both of us in the same hotel room have tested clear twice, so I have hopes they weren’t shedding much. They did not go to many things in person and we ate in the room, but we were at the Glasgow party on Saturday for a bit and the Stan Rogers singalong. (They neither had snacks at Glasgow nor actually did meaningful singing.)

We have sessions for in-person members as well as online members. So, find the date and time that works for you, and we’ll see you here!

 IN-PERSON SESSIONS

Fri 5:30 PM
Galleria – MeetUp 2
Welcome to Boskone: Touring Boskone
New to Boskone? Or returning after a long absence? Join us for a tour of the Galleria and the programming floors so you can learn what Boskone has to offer, learn some of the convention lingo, and meet other people. We’ll meet down in the Galleria, at Meetup Table 2, to the left of the Art Show and up the short flight of stairs (take the nearby ramp if needed).

Sat 10:00 AM
Galleria – MeetUp 2
Welcome to Boskone: Touring Boskone
New to Boskone? Or returning after a long absence? Join us for a tour of the Galleria and the programming floors so you can learn what Boskone has to offer, learn some of the convention lingo, and meet other people.  We’ll meet down in the Galleria, at Meetup Table 2, to the left of the Art Show and up the short flight of stairs (take the nearby ramp if needed).

VIRTUAL SESSION

Fri 2:30 PM
Virtual 1
VIRTUAL: Welcome to Boskone
Virtual attendees! 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. While we can’t stroll through the physical convention space, we’ll take some time talking about the schedule and how to connect with friends and fans in the virtual environment.

Registered Members: Check Your Email for the Online Activities Link

On February 12, Boskone 60 Registration sent out an email to all registered members (as of that date) that included the access link to the online programming site and to the discord server. If you don’t see the email, please check your spam folder. If you still don’t see the email, please contact us at registration@boskone.org.

This email includes all the information you will need to connect to Boskone virtually. Members who purchased their memberships after  February 12 will receive the email today and memberships purchase from this point forward will receive their connection information on a rolling basis. So, please do not wait until the last minute to purchase your membership as it make take a little time to receive your access email and to log into the site.

Boskone 60 Memberships

If you haven’t yet purchased your in-person or online membership, there is still time! In-person memberships can be purchased via the registration website until it closes on Thursday, February 16 at 9pm Eastern time. In-person Boskone 60 memberships will also be available for purchase onsite at the Westin Boston Seaport District, located at 425 Summer Street Boston, MA 02210.

Virtual memberships will be available for purchase online through the end of Boskone 60, from now until February 19, 2023.

To purchase your membership, visit the Boskone 60 registration site.

Join our Welcome to Boskone sessions!

For those of you who are new to Boskone or who have been away for awhile, join us at one of our Welcome to Boskone sessions for either in-person or online members:

Welcome to Boskone: Touring Boskone
Boskone, Conventions, Fandom / Fanfic New to Boskone? Or returning after a long absence? Join us for a tour of the Galleria and the programming floors so you can learn what Boskone has to offer, learn some of the convention lingo, and meet other people. We’ll meet down in the Galleria, at Meetup Table 2, to the left of the Art Show and up the short flight of stairs (take the nearby ramp if needed).

• • Virtual: Fri 2:30 PM
  • In-person: Fri 5:30 PM
  • In-person: Sat 10:00 AM

See you soon!

This year, Boskone 60 has received several membership donations that have been designated for people in need who don’t have the funds to pay for a full weekend membership. A few of them have specifically been designated for people of color who are in need of a membership.

If you are a person in need and would like to request one of the donated memberships, please contact FantasticFund@boskone.org and let us know that you need a community membership to attend and let us know if you will be attending in-person or online only.

We trust our community to know if they are in need or not, and we will not ask for proof of need. Our only request is that you only request one of these community memberships if you are sure you are able to attend because we only have a few of these memberships.

Before requesting a membership, please see Boskone’s Code of Conduct and in-person policies regarding Covid (all attendees must be vaccinated) and mask wearing (a mask must be worn at all times) here /about/policies/.

Boskone 60 is producing a full-color, expanded Virtual Souvenir Book (in PDF format only). The Virtual Souvenir Book is a great way to get your books, events, and groups in front of an audience who loves speculative fiction. This wonderful souvenir will be available on the Boskone 60 website and emailed to our members.

Due Dates & Deadlines:

• Reservation deadline: February 1, 2023 – extended deadline
• Ad copy deadline: February 5, 2023

Rates for Virtual Souvenir Book:

Ready to place an ad? Contact us at boskone-ads@boskone.org with details about what you would like to include.

For technical specs and additional information about placing an ad in the Boskone 60 Souvenir Book, please visit Boskone’s Advertising page.

There truly is something for everyone at this year’s convention. Buy your membership today and check out the Boskone 60 program schedule to start planning your con!

Listed below are the full convention rates as well as the day rates for Boskone 60.

Boskone 60 Registration Rates

Join us in Boston, February 17-19, 2023.

*(ID may be required

Boskone 60’s Program Schedule

We have two versions of the Boskone 60 program schedule available. Instructions for accessing the virtual con, which includes zoom links, discord, and virtual kaffeeklatsch signups, will be published soon and emailed to all members.

View the list of program participants to see who is coming to Boskone 60.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with Boskone’s Policies page to ensure that you are familiar with convention expectations, such as the Covid Vaccination & Mask Policy.

Note that we are working with NASA to finalize Science Guest Jeanette Epps’ schedule at Boskone. We hope to have it posted before the end of January.

Interactive Schedule (click to view)

• Add sessions to your con schedule: Click on the check box next to a session title. The box will turn blue.
• View your con schedule: Click the menu button at the top that says “My Con.”

Register to Attend!

Buy your Boskone 60 membership today and don’t miss a moment of fun at this year’s convention.

Kaffeeklatsches

All kaffeeklatsches require sign up in advance. You must be present to sign up and you may only sign up for yourself. In person signups will be at the program ops desk in the Harbor foyer.

Sign-up at Program Ops (Upper Level)

• Friday Sessions – no kaffeeklatsches are scheduled on Friday
• Saturday Sessions – signups start Friday 3:00 pm
• Sunday Sessions – signups start Saturday 12:00 noon

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

We look forward to seeing you at Boskone for another great convention!

Jeanette J. Epps was selected by NASA in 2009 as an astronaut. She completed astronaut candidate training which included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in International Space Station systems, spacewalk training, robotics, T-38 flight training and wilderness survival training. The New York native was a NASA Fellow during graduate school and authored several journal and conference articles describing her research. Dr. Epps worked for Ford Motor Company where she received both a provisional patent and a U.S. patent for her research. After leaving Ford, she joined the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for seven years working as a Technical Intelligence Officer before becoming an astronaut. She currently serves in the ISS Operations Branch working issues in support of space station crews. (Full NASA bio here.)

Boskone 60 lands in the Westin Boston Seaport District on Friday, February 17 until Sunday, February 19, 2023.  Our Guest of Honor is Nalo Hopkinson, Official Artist is Victo Ngai, Special Guest is Tui T. Sutherland, Musical Guest is Dave Clement, and the Science Speaker is Jeanette J. Epps.

Boskone is New England’s longest running science fiction convention, featuring writers, artists, musicians, and scientists from across the country and around the globe (literally). While Boskone is primarily an in-person convention (vaccination and masks required), we will offer a selection of panels and events that will be available to view online. Memberships are needed to attend.

• Memberships:  /registration/buy-a-membership/
• Hotel reservations: /venue/accommodations/  (the room block closes on January 28, but is likely to sell out before this date)

Featuring a wide variety of program sessions, Boskone 60 is home to a fantastic Art Show, Dealers Room, concerts, gaming, videos, and children’s activities (Dragonslair). Our schedule will be online by Saturday, January 14, 2023. Visit boskone.org for the complete schedule, hours, activities, and policies.

We look forward to seeing you at Boskone! Buy your membership today.

COVID Vaccination & Mask Policy

Please contact us (at info@boskone.org) if you have any questions.

(Note: We are interpreting fully vaccinated to mean boosters are NOT REQUIRED. Boosters, especially the bivalent one, ARE RECOMMENDED.) You can also read our full set of policies here.

<Post Updated Jan 13, 2023.>

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Buy your membership today and let us know that you are coming.

Please help us in welcoming a fantastic group of program participants to Boskone 60 this year. Buy your membership today and let us know that you are coming.

View the full list here.

We also wanted to share that we received over 230 requests from potential program participants for 150 slots. We wish that we could have included everyone.

We have stretched things as much as possible and increased that number to fit as many people as possible. As a result we currently have over 185 people on the Boskone 60 program, and we will likely be adding a few final people.

We can’t wait to see you at Boskone 60 along with this wonderful group of program participants. Be sure to purchase your membership soon!

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Note: Letters have not yet gone out to the people who asked to be on program and who haven’t yet been accepted or declined.  We anticipate that all queries will be answered within the week.