John Scalzi is an American author and online writer, and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Hugo Award-nominated science fiction novel Old Man's War.

Chas Somdahl is well known to Minicon and conventions across the Midwest as part of Riverfolk. He is also known as typically one of the last musicians playing in the late night music circles.

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Letter from the Chair

Hi everyone. I have some unfortunate news about Minicon 46. Charles Stross, our Author Guest of Honor will not be able to attend due to a family medical emergency. I know all of you out there, like us here at Minicon, wish his family the best.

– Joel Phillips, co-chair Minicon 46

Program Book

The Minicon 46 Program Book. This PDF is not exactly the same as the printed book and we weren't organized enough to keep the exact file that the book was printed from. However, it is very close. The only difference I found from flipping through is that the Diversicon ad in the PDF doesn't take up the whole page, but in the printed book it does.

And here's the Pocket Program. It too differs slightly from the printed copy. The printed copy has no grid lines on the schedules and on the maps says "Registration" where this copy says "Registration & Volunteers".

The Minicon 46 Program Book and Pocket Program by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike except for art by Frank Wu (inside front cover of program book), which is © Frank Wu and is reproduced here by permission. Advertisements remain property of the advertisers.

Progress Reports

We sent out Progress Report 1 as a postcard and as an e-mail.

And here is Progress Report 2. This went out to everyone on paper. Note that the pages of the PDF are in the order needed to fold it into a booklet.

The Minicon 46 Progress Report 1 by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike.

The Minicon 46 Progress Report 2 by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society & David Dyer-Bennet (photographs) is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike. The illustrations on pages 2, 3, & 6 are public domain.

Bozo Bus Tribune

The Bozo Bus Tribune was Minicon 46's at-con newsletter. It had four issues:

(Some formatting went a little off in these PDFs relative to the paper copies. All of the issues fit just fine on a single two-sided sheet each, etc.)

The Minicon 46 Bozo Bus Tribune, issues 1–4 by the Minnesota Science Fiction Society is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike.

T-shirt

We had a t-shirt. Here's the front of each, with the backs being blank. At least the first one was available in both short and long sleeves:

You can also see the first shirt on John Scalzi's blog.

Family Programming Flyer

Here it is! (Or as an image.)

Registration

Hotel Reservations

Minicon 46 is over, but here is the pre-registration form for historical interest, and similarly here are the at-the-door rates:

Adult registration: $60
Student (13-20) registration: $35
Child (6-12) registration: $20
One-day, Friday (Fri 10am to Sat 10am): $30
One-day, Saturday (Sat 10am to Sun 10am): $40
One-day, Sunday (Sun 10am to closing): $25
Upgrade of supporting to attending: $40
Replacement of lost badge: $1
Transfer of membership: no charge

As usual, we're at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel. Our rate for reservations made by March 31 is $89 for both regular rooms and poolside cabanas. Afterward, it is $94 for regular rooms and $99 for cabanas.

For regular rooms, you can book online by using this special link or by calling the Sheraton at 952-835-7800 and mentioning Minicon.

To get a cabana (poolside), e-mail our parties head: <parties@minicon46.mnstf.org>. Some of these are reserved for room parties, but others will be available for the general con-goer.

Don't forget to get a hotel room! Filling hotel rooms is how we pay for our function space, so we would very much appreciate it if you stayed in the Sheraton.

The Sheraton Bloomington

7800 Normandale Blvd. Minneapolis, MN 55439
Register | Google Maps | Mapquest

Book your room online now!

Minicon News

This is an archived version of our social feed frozen just after Minicon 46

The Big Kahuna

Did anyone audio or video-tape Thorin's brain-melting Big Kahuna soliloquy at Minicon closing ceremonies? Or take a picture of the poster with the clues?
thaedeus on April 27, 2011, 1:46 pm PDT

The Whatever Blog

John Scalzi said many nice things about Minicon in his blog today. Here is a link.
Mischievous Misanthropy on April 26, 2011, 6:19 pm PDT

Unemployed and Geeky

Hi! Below the cut are notes from my contribution to the Unemployed and Geeky panel on Saturday at MiniCon. Also see kaustin's resource page: http://www.sffan.net/uag/... more >>
Skylarker on April 25, 2011, 9:01 am PDT

D&D skills in business!

This article was mentioned during the "Geek Social Skills in the Workplace" panel: 10 Business Lessons I Learned from Playing Dungeons & Dragons.
aedifica on April 23, 2011, 12:47 pm PDT

Friday @ Minicon 46

Registration will be open from 10am 'til 10pm on Friday and is located on the second floor just in front of where you get off of the escalators from the first floor. During the day and evening, that's also the place to go if you would like to volunteer or if you have any questions. ... more >>
Laurel Krahn on April 22, 2011, 7:31 am PDT

It's a Minicon already.

Other folks can post here, of course. Post your panel reports, notes on cool things that are going on. Etc. Consuite is open. Art show panels are up. Truck is unloaded. There's food and drink. Plenty of people picked up badges and program books and such this evening.
Laurel Krahn on April 21, 2011, 9:18 pm PDT

things seem to be progressing nicely

The truck just arrived at the Sheraton and they're just opening it up. They got things done ahead of schedule thanks to having enough or more than enough volunteers for the journey thus far. Thanks to everybody who helped!... more >>
Laurel Krahn on April 21, 2011, 1:23 pm PDT

internet access, twitter

Keith Malgren reports that "All sleeping rooms in the Sheraton now have free internet access." Woohoo! I'm assuming both ethernet and wifi as that was what was in the rooms previously when you had to pay for access; will confirm once I get to the hotel or someone else can report here in comments.... more >>
Laurel Krahn on April 21, 2011, 10:51 am PDT

truck timetable and set up at hotel

Minicon 46 co-chair kaustin just left here to head over to Dreamhaven. He informs me that the schedule for schlepping things today is approximately:... more >>
Laurel Krahn on April 21, 2011, 10:42 am PDT

If you're attending Minicon...

... and you enjoy reading, writing, talking about Time Travel - we're actively looking for more panelists on the following fascinating panel topic. I proposed the panel, so I also get to moderate it. Unfortunately, one of our panelists had to drop off because (ironically enough) he was unable to time-travel around a schedule conflict. Go figure. Anyway, Programming's stated policy is that additional panelists can be added to any panel up until 5 minutes after the panel starts. So if you're interested you can reply here, talk to me or Programming (mle292 ) or show up at the beginning of the panel and if there are still empty chairs up there, volunteer on the spot. It should be fun. ... more >>
Sharon Kahn on April 19, 2011, 4:29 pm PDT

Reg stuff

Can anyone stop by my house before the Wednesday work party and pick up a bin of supplies for registration?
Carol Kennedy on April 19, 2011, 3:17 pm PDT

Co-hosting the LJ party

As a follow-up to cakmpls' post - my darling iraunink and I have been given the adjoining room, and will be co-hosting the LJ party with Dean and Laura.
Scott Raun on April 19, 2011, 2:14 am PDT

LJ Party

For health reasons, I have withdrawn from Minicon activities this year. (If you're on my f-list, you probably saw a post about it. If you aren't, you can ask someone who is--this is not a secret!) ... more >>
Carol Kennedy on April 18, 2011, 3:29 pm PDT

Wednesday night work party

The work party the Wednesday before Minicon (4/20/2011) will start at 6pm and be at: 6323 Excelsior Blvd., Saint Louis Park, MN There was much discussion at today's concom meeting as to the best places to park, but as I'm going to be bicycling to the meeting I didn't pay as much attention as I probably should have.
Kevin G. Austin on April 10, 2011, 5:05 pm PDT

Minicon Registration and Hotel Information

The Minicon Registration deadline is fast approaching. Until March 31, the pre-registration rate is only $45, a significant savings over the $60 at the door rate. Here's more information about Minicon Registration. ... more >>
Mischievous Misanthropy on March 29, 2011, 8:31 pm PDT

Minicon 46 programming Department Update

Greetings from the Minicon 46 Programming Department! We're moving ahead to scheduling, and we're getting close to "last call" for publishing deadlines. As of today, we believe that everyone who has signed up for an author reading has been acknowledged. If you requested an author reading spot, you should have at least one email from us that verifies your email was received. If you don't have any such email, please write to us at programming@minicon46.mnstf.org and let us know. ... more >>
Mischievous Misanthropy on March 24, 2011, 12:27 pm PDT

LJ Party at Minicon 46

There will be one, hosted yet again by Dean and Laura and yours truly. No reason to mess with success, so it will again be Saturday, 8 p.m. till whenever, in our adjoining 2nd-floor rooms. Look for signs or mention in the program book.... more >>
Carol Kennedy on March 16, 2011, 10:35 am PDT

A poll about beer

I am reposting this poll. I suspect that because I originally created the poll as a private entry so that I could edit it easily, it doesn't want to let anyone but me vote. I also have an update, we've just got word that this project is a go! Hooray for beer! ... more >>
Mischievous Misanthropy on February 11, 2011, 9:35 pm PST

A poll about beer

There's an update. See the more recent entry Hello! This is a poll for those of you who plan to attend Minicon 46. We're still working on seeing if it can happen, but there is the possibility that there will be two kegs of home brewed beers at the convention. Because beer takes several weeks to ferment, we need to hurry up and get to brewing. ... more >>
Mischievous Misanthropy on February 11, 2011, 1:48 pm PST

Minicon 46 Guest of Honor change

[stolen from Joel's announcement on Facebook] Hi everyone, I have some unfortunate news about Minicon 46. Charles Stross our Author Guest of Honor will not be able to attend due to a family medical emergency. I know all of you out there like us here at Minicon wish his family the best.... more >>
Kevin G. Austin on January 28, 2011, 7:00 am PST

Minicon 46 concom meeting - today

[stolen from Joel's meeting announcement on Facebook] Time: Sunday, January 9 · 4:00pm - 6:00pm Location: 6323 Excelsior Blvd., Saint Louis Park, MN This is our monthly committee meeting to discuss, and plan our convention. Anyone is welcome to come. If you have any interest in seeing the inner workings of our convention please feel free to join us and speak up too. It's a great group of people and we are always looking for more and new ideas.
Kevin G. Austin on January 9, 2011, 10:45 am PST

Open planning meeting for Chicon 7

Chicon 7 The 70th World Science Fiction Convention P.O. Box 13 Skokie, IL 60076 www.chicon.org Greetings! As you hopefully have heard, Chicago has been selected as the site for the World Science Fiction Convention in 2012. It’s a large event and we’re excited to be doing it. Who is “we” you may ask? Good question. If you’re reading this, it could be a group that includes *you*!... more >>
et in Arcadia egoboo on October 5, 2010, 9:15 am PDT

Conjecture, the Minn-stf fallcon, will be here in less than a month!

Conjecture, the Minn-stf fallcon, will be here in less than a month! It's been a slow start, but things are on track -- now what we need are memberships. If you're planning on attending, we'd really appreciate if you'd do it as soon as possible, since we need both the money for operating funds, and an idea of how many people to expect.... more >>
Scott Raun on September 22, 2010, 7:14 pm PDT

Minicon History

I'm working on a project to get all of the old Minicon program books up on the web. You might be interested in the results of this project so far. Books that are available in their entirety are at: ... more >>
Matthew Strait. Wait, too clear, I mean — Aaaahhh! on August 27, 2010, 6:52 am PDT

minicon @ 2010-08-25T12:35:00

Sue Mason just posted this here on LJ: Minicon Chapbook I was looking for one of my old fillos to show someone at werk (the Moose-skipping-across-the-Austrian-Tyrol-with-Eidelweiss, if you have to know, thank you very much Ms Scott) and we found the Minicon chapbook on line from when I was Fan GOH (good memories).... more >>
von_krag on August 25, 2010, 10:35 am PDT

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minicon: Music has already started at the Dead Dog Party. Lots of people playing games too. And hanging out. The Usual.
April 24, 2011, 7:35 pm PDT

minicon: Congrats to Ted Chiang and Chris Garcia on their Hugo nominations; they'll be our GoHs next year at Minicon 47 along with Frank Wu.
April 24, 2011, 3:02 pm PDT

minicon: Thanks so much to @scalzi and Chas for being such excellent guests of honor!
April 24, 2011, 2:51 pm PDT

minicon: Big round of applause here at Minicon for all the nominees. (live at http://ustre.am/y1rj)
April 24, 2011, 2:32 pm PDT

minicon: John Scalzi is reading the nominees so far here at Minicon closing ceremonies. (live at http://ustre.am/y1rj)
April 24, 2011, 2:28 pm PDT

minicon: Watching from Minicon closing ceremonies. (live at http://ustre.am/y1rj)
April 24, 2011, 2:14 pm PDT

minicon: Closing ceremonies is about to begin in the Edina Room. Wah!
April 24, 2011, 1:49 pm PDT

minicon: @mrsmodew Minicon hearts you too!
April 24, 2011, 12:10 am PDT

minicon: @mplscorwin After 40+ years, Minicon is used to toddlers. Even Brust toddlers! (Still battening down hatches.)
April 23, 2011, 11:10 am PDT

minicon: Twitter asks, "what's happening?" Silly question. Minicon is happening!
April 23, 2011, 10:26 am PDT

minicon: Concert starting now: Patrick Nielsen Hayden & the Deaf Tones (Elise Matthesen & Teresa Nielsen Hayden).
April 22, 2011, 7:29 pm PDT

minicon: Bedtime Stories with Jane Yolen should be starting nowish in Veranda 1. And who wouldn't want to listen to Jane Yolen tell a story?
April 22, 2011, 6:58 pm PDT

minicon: Brother Seamus concert is at 8:30pm; Jason Becker, Corwin & Dee Brust, and Nicole Emery are sure to rock (or folk) the house.
April 22, 2011, 4:52 pm PDT

minicon: Next up: Opening Ceremonies at 7pm in the Edina Room. Our GoHs will be introduced, announcements will be made, and so on.
April 22, 2011, 4:32 pm PDT

minicon: @mplscorwin Eek! Minicon is frightened. Or battening down the hatches. Or something.
April 22, 2011, 4:21 pm PDT

minicon: Registration opens at 10am and is located on 2nd floor near escalators. Art Show/Dealers & consuite open at 3pm. 1st panels start @ 4pm.
April 22, 2011, 7:12 am PDT

minicon: Curtains may be closed on the big poolside second floor suites, but there is fannish activity afoot. Plus food and drink.
April 21, 2011, 7:30 pm PDT

minicon: Program books are available, those that aren't here can check out the PDF at http://sffan.net/kaustin/M46_programbook_final.pdf
April 21, 2011, 6:52 pm PDT

minicon: If you're pre-registered and show up to help set things up tonight, you can pick up your badge starting at around 8pm in/near consuite.
April 21, 2011, 1:43 pm PDT

minicon: @scalzi Minnesota welcomes you or at least Minicon does.
April 21, 2011, 1:39 pm PDT

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Registered Member List
To see if you're registered, check the list at the bottom of the registration page. This contains all of the registered members who wanted their name displayed in the list.
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Cluemeister's Corner
A new feature for Minicon 46! Try your hand at monthly puzzles created by the mind behind the Minicon Medallion Hunt... and get an edge when Minicon begins!
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Meet fun people, make new friends
Minicon wouldn't work without volunteers. Consider helping out--badging, consuite, art show, registration--volunteers have more fun!
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See the programming grid
Our schedule is complete! Browse the panels and plan your Minicon weekend.
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Hosting Room Parties for Minicon at other Cons
Check this Word doc if you're hosting a room party for Minicon at another con to see if and how you can be reimbursed for your expenses. Use this form for reimbursement.
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Follow us on twitter
Get the absolute very latest up-to-the-minute information on twitter.
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Are you an artist?
Enter your art in the art show! Come play (or watch) "Who's Sketch Is It, Anyway?", an improv sketching panel full of fun and art. And come to the Art Show Grand Opening party just before the opening ceremony.
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