NewsDesk

Clear Ether Monday Edition

newsdesk — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 08:51:38 +0000

Clear Ether Monday Edition newsdesk Mon, 01/16/2023 - 03:51

Programming Updates

The following panel has been canceled for Monday, January 16:

10am - Neurodiversity & Neuroscience in SFF

The following panelists have are unable to attend and we wish them well: M. Dalto, Julie C. Day, Thom Dunn, Andy Demeo, Megan Frank, Shana Jean Hausman, Kevin McLaughlin, and Jess Waters

Sad, Sweet Sorrow

We have enjoyed spending this weekend with you. It has been a balm to the soul to share this space in person together, to be together again. It is bittersweet to say goodbye. As we pack up our gear and load up the trucks, may we be most excellent to one another and the hotel staff. Let’s have a wonderful end to Arisia 2023 and look forward to coming back together here in 2024!!

Get Your Goat

The lovely folks at Coat Check will be working hard to keep the goats at bay and so far so good. However, the last chance to get your coats from coat check are 8-2pm today. After that, the goats may feast at hotel lost & found.

Arisia 2024

Melissa Kaplan and Ilene Tatroe will chair Arisia 2024 and are confirming guests of honor. Save some cash and buy your Arisia 2024 membership for $50 at Reg today or online through 1/18/23 at arisia.org/reg.

2023 Masquerade Awards

This year’s masquerade was delightful and every single attendee did a great job. Thank you to the emcee and volunteers who organized and presented - you all rock! Here are the award winners per category:

Young Fan Awards

Workmanship

Best Creation: Princess Monono (most beautiful)

Best Material Manipulation: Zornoff (bringer of evil)

Most Masterful Use of Technique: Lord of the Rings (best presentation)

Novice Division

Workmanship: Arcane Enemies
- Best Artistic Realization: Doubtful Guest
- Best Original Character: Telo Rodo
- Best Embroidery: Aline Starkov
Presentation: Arcane Enemies
- Honorable Mention: Nazuna Hiwatasha

2023 Masquerade Awards

- Best Audience Capture: Figueroth Faeth
- Best Choreography: Telo Rodo
- Most Humorous: The Doubtful Guest

Journeyman Division

Workmanship: Lolita Korok
- Best Original Character: Rosie Maple Moth
- Best Armor: Blade the Half Wolf
- Best Attention to Detail: Sorin Markov
- Best Effective Use of Materials: Fire Lord Azula
Presentation: The Magic of Technicolor
- Honorable Mention: Lolita Korok
- Best Anime Recreation: Lemillion
- Best Interpretation: Sorin Markov
- Best Recreation: Fire Lord Azula

Masters Division

Workmanship: Shadowcat
- Best Approach to Practicality: Bayonetta
Presentation: Bayonetta

Best in Show

- Workmanship: Magic in Technicolor
- Presentation: Blade the Half Wolf

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Arisia is grateful to all of the staff and volunteers who made Arisia 2023 happen. Please don’t forget to turn in your timesheets to Team Arisia Services. Want to volunteer for Arisia 2024? Keep an eye out info on Convention Committee (ConCom) meetings and volunteer postings: https://www.arisia.org/Meetings.

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Code of Conduct

To help ensure our members' happiness and a successful convention, we have established a Code of Conduct and Behavior Policies for all members and staff. Please familiarize yourself with our CoC online arisia.org/Code-of-Conduct.

No Covid at Con!

Did you remember to take your Covid test today? If you test positive, isolate and report your positive test to Safety via text/call 617-863-2472. Thank you!

Report Problems

The Safety Team (our security) and Incident Response Team (IRT) are here to help address problems you come across. Safety assists with basic First Aid, line management, crowding issues, badge and ID checking, oversight of closed areas, and general de-escalation needs. The IRT is specifically tasked with intaking and addressing any reports of violation of the Code of Conduct or other member behavior issues.

Safety Team is located in Otis and the IRT is located in Quincy.

If you’re in immediate danger, dial 911 & notify Safety

Anonymous and post-Con incident reports can be done via emailing irmc@arisia.org or using the anonymous reporting form https://www.arisia.org/Contact

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Arisia is supported by grants from the Boston Cultural Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.

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IMPORTANT TIME-SENSITIVE COVID UPDATE/REMINDER

newsdesk — Fri, 30 Dec 2022 17:48:27 +0000

IMPORTANT TIME-SENSITIVE COVID UPDATE/REMINDER newsdesk Fri, 12/30/2022 - 12:48

Message From the Con Chair

Over the last two days Arisia staff has become aware that our messaging about the bivalent booster was unclear and many people did not realize we were requiring it until this week. We’re truly sorry, and though we hope most of you were getting your boosters for your own safety and not just to attend Arisia, we are extending our vaccination deadline. Unfortunately biology and best practices do not allow us to do more.

Full details of our COVID policy are available here https://arisia.org/covid.

Covid-19 Vaccination Policy Update

This is an important, time-sensitive COVID policy update/reminder. Please read.

For those of you who have not gotten your bivalent vaccine booster, you must[*] get vaccinated by Tuesday January 3. This is an extension from the previous deadline of 12/31/22. There will be NO FURTHER EXTENSIONS in order to be able to attend Arisia 2023.

Please e-mail your proof of bivalent vaccination (QR codes; official PDFs from vaccination centers; images of vaccination cards; etc) to the vaccination verification team: vaccination@arisia.org.

If you would prefer to arrange a live display of your proofs via Zoom, please e-mail the vaccination verification team (vaccination@arisia.org) to secure an appointment.

(The vaccination verification team will verify, note on your registration, and delete the information to maintain medical privacy.)

[*] If you have a medical reason for inability to be vaccinated, please contact vaccination@arisia.org

If you have paid for a membership to Arisia 2023 and are unable to attend, your membership can be rolled over to 2024. This includes memberships for Arisia 2023 that were originally paid for in 2022. You must email @email to do so. If you have a comp membership, it will not roll over to 2024.

Again, proof of bivalent vaccine booster is required before you can pick up your badge. To avoid delays at registration, please send your proof ASAP.

This is an important, time-sensitive COVID policy update/reminder. Please read.

Please e-mail your proof of bivalent vaccination (QR codes; official PDFs from vaccination centers; images of vaccination cards; etc) to the vaccination verification team: vaccination@arisia.org.

If you would prefer to arrange a live display of your proofs via Zoom, please e-mail the vaccination verification team (vaccination@arisia.org) to secure an appointment.

(The vaccination verification team will verify, note on your registration, and delete the information to maintain medical privacy.)

[*] If you have a medical reason for inability to be vaccinated, please contact vaccination@arisia.org

Again, proof of bivalent vaccine booster is required before you can pick up your badge. To avoid delays at registration, please send your proof ASAP.

At-Con Covid Policy

Masks are required. N95, KN95, KF94 or FFP2 preferred. P100 masks *must* have outgoing filtration. Surgical masks permitted.

Cloth masks are NOT permitted. Refusal to wear an acceptable mask is a Code of Conduct violation and you will be removed from the convention.

Things to keep in mind:

- Test before you come! Rapid antigen tests (RAT) are available at pharmacies and stores.

- If you are feeling sick, stay home. Do not come to Arisia - we want to keep people safe.

- If you live with someone who tests positive in the week before Arisia, please stay home.

- If you test positive within 5 days of the convention, please stay home.

- Bring tests with you and test during the convention weekend! If you test positive during the weekend, isolate and inform Safety.

- If you start feeling ill during the weekend, isolate and test. Even if you think it’s just a cold, allergies, or dry air. Test!

Guests of Honor | Code of Conduct | Safer Spaces | Participate

Arisia is supported by grants from the Boston Cultural Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.

519 Somerville Ave # 371

Somerville, MA 02143
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COVID Vaccination Verification Update

newsdesk — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 04:14:07 +0000

COVID Vaccination Verification Update newsdesk Wed, 12/28/2022 - 23:14

We are seeing some confusion from people about the details of our COVID policy. This update will hopefully clarify the situation.

Following the CDC guidelines, Arisia is requiring COVID vaccination including the bivalent booster (BB) for all attendees. However, there is a small population of people who have not received a BB and then got COVID in the last 2.5 months. Many of these people, particularly those with complex medical history, are being told by their doctors to wait to get the bivalent until 3 months after infection. This puts their first “safe” vaccination date after the Arisia BB deadline. Because this advice is so pervasive, individuals who contact Arisia's vaccination verification in this specific circumstance may be counted as verified if they are otherwise fully vaccinated and their positive test dates fall within 90 days of our deadline. These individuals are being asked to test daily during the convention. Arisia has a policy that forging proof of vaccination would constitute a Code of Conduct violation and could result in a permanent ban from Arisia. The same is true for lying about a recent infection in order to attend without a booster. We encourage anyone in this situation who becomes booster eligible in the time between the Arisia BB deadline and the con to go ahead and get their booster then. Partial effectiveness is better than zero.

Because of the risks of COVID, we are not relying solely on vaccination to manage COVID risk. Our second major tool is masks. Everyone must be masked. We strongly recommend N95, KN95, KF94 and FFP2. Surgical masks are permitted. Some people may choose to wear cloth masks over their surgical mask to get a better fit and that’s ok, but cloth alone is not sufficient.

Third in our arsenal is testing and isolation. We expect everyone to be testing themselves for COVID before coming to the convention, and staying home if they test positive. We also expect people who have known exposure to COVID, such as living with someone who has tested positive, to stay home. We expect people to be testing during the convention, daily if possible. We expect anyone who is experiencing symptoms that are abnormal for them to isolate and test. We expect anyone who tests positive during the convention to withdraw from participating in the convention, isolate (stay in your hotel room or return to your home) and report their positive test to our Safety team (@email).

Finally, we have our measures to manage air quality by providing additional air filtration and CO2 monitoring in crowded spaces.

With all of that, there is still a risk of contracting COVID-19 at Arisia. We have acknowledged this in our official COVID policy. Attending Arisia means you have agreed to assume that risk.

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Good News on the Vaccination Front! And a reminder

newsdesk — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 19:50:31 +0000

Good News on the Vaccination Front! And a reminder newsdesk Fri, 12/09/2022 - 14:50

We have some good news on the vaccination front -- and also a reminder.

Previously there was not a Bivalent Booster option for children under 5. However as of December 9 2022, the good news is that the Moderna bivalent booster is now also available for anyone age 6 months and up. (See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html) That means that anyone attending Arisia who is 6 months old or older can be protected from the Omicron virus and help protect other con-goers from it as well.

We realize that it may be difficult to get young children in for their boosters between now and the end of the year due to the holidays, so we will not be requiring it of those under 5, but we do strongly encourage all attendees, including the youngsters, to get their Bivalent Boosters as soon as they are eligible.

The reminder is that, since vaccines take two weeks to become fully effective, all Bivalent Boosters for attendees over 5 must be obtained by December 31, 2022 in order to be effective in time for the beginning day of the convention.

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A Word from the Acting Con Chair

newsdesk — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 21:37:24 +0000

A Word from the Acting Con Chair newsdesk Mon, 12/05/2022 - 16:37

Hello again from the Arisia 2023 Acting Con Chair! Today I want to update our community on the various measures we are taking to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses at this year’s convention and what these mean for you (apart from the positive side effect of reducing your likelihood on con crud!)

Our complete COVID policy is located here https://arisia.org/covid

This policy covers masks, vaccination, party policies, you name it. We will be strictly enforcing the mask policy. All staff are empowered to address mask policy violations that they witness. Refusing to wear a mask (outside the designated mask optional spaces) constitutes a Code of Conduct violation and can result in removal from the convention.

We have volunteers who will be verifying everyone’s vaccination status. We strongly suggest you submit your vaccination information before the convention. There are two ways to do this: 1) You can send a scan, screenshot or photo of your proof of vaccination to @email Someone will mark your registration record and then delete the e-mail containing your personal information. 2) If you would prefer not to send your vaccine info through e-mail, you can send a message to that same address requesting a zoom appointment with one of our volunteers. During that time you will hold your proof of vaccination up to the camera.If you are not comfortable with either of these options you can bring your proof of vaccination to be checked on site. Please be aware that this will probably mean longer wait times at registration.

The con suite is a designated mask optional space within the convention where attendees can gather and eat together without being exposed to the general public. There will be snacks and drinks available (more details on that coming later) but you should plan to account for your own meals throughout the weekend. Hotel rooms at the Westin have small refrigerators. Because of the mask policy, the program participant Green Room and Staff Den will not have food this year.

In addition to your contributions to COVID mitigation, Arisia is planning to place Corsi-Rosenthal boxes in the highest traffic spaces to improve air filtration and to do CO2 monitoring. Our top priority for these measures is the con suite. We are also targeting areas where large crowds gather such as the Masquerade, dances, gaming, art show and dealers room.

We know our policy is stricter than a lot of public events policies are at this stage of the pandemic. Our reasoning is simple; we want as many people as possible to be able to attend, and that includes high risk members of our community. By doing these two simple things - getting vaccinated and wearing a mask - each of you is contributing to a welcoming and diverse convention.

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A Word from the Acting Con Chair

newsdesk — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 21:37:24 +0000

A Word from the Acting Con Chair newsdesk Mon, 12/05/2022 - 16:37

Our complete COVID policy is located here https://arisia.org/covid

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Statement from the new Acting Con Chair

newsdesk — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 01:12:45 +0000

Statement from the new Acting Con Chair newsdesk Mon, 11/28/2022 - 20:12

The past few months have been among the most tumultuous in Arisia’s long history. After the loss of our conchair Jodie Lawhorne, two people stepped up to complete his work. In late October we learned about a serious incident involving one of our volunteers that was reported but never written down many years ago. The individual was put through our current more robust incident response protocol and was subsequently banned from all future participation in Arisia. We also learned that the acting con chairs had had knowledge of this and despite that, had consulted with this individual about volunteering for Arisia 2023. Between that information, and increasing levels of unrelated personal stress on those acting con chairs, it was determined that it was best for all parties for them to step down. Where that left us was 7 weeks out from a convention with no one in charge. I reached out to the e-board and offered to fill in the gap.

So hi, my name is Melissa Kaplan and I’ll be your acting con chair for the next 6.5 weeks. It occurs to me that over the years I’ve gone to Arisia, the con chair has always been somewhat of a mystery figure. Unless I knew them personally, I knew very little about them and their history with Arisia. The need for transparency has never been greater and so I want everyone who might be concerned or questioning to at least know who I am and what my priorities are.

I’ve been attending Arisia since 2001. For a long time Arisia was a place I went purely to escape, but over the years it grew into one of the most important parts of my life. In 2018 when the corporation suffered a leadership crisis due to serious code of conduct violations among the executive board members, I decided to join the corporation and volunteer at the convention. My first job as a volunteer was as part of our at con Incident Response Team (IRT) in 2019. I felt that given the nature of the recent crisis, it was important to become involved directly in the increasing of safety and accountability for code of conduct violations at our event. I continued that work at the 2020 event and added in volunteering for sign shop before the con, registration at the con and working con chair on duty shifts. Through all of that my first priority remained the IRT. In 2021 I also worked IRT shifts for our online event and later that year I joined the corporate committee which does followup on incident reports after the convention is over. For the canceled 2022 con, my plan was to split my time at con between the IRT and working with one of our guests of honor. My original role for Arisia 2023 was Guest of Honor Liaison and I also worked with the vaccine verification team and on our COVID policy.

As acting con chair, my top priority is addressing our ongoing safety concerns. Once again our IRT will be taking reports of code of conduct violations at the convention. No event can guarantee an entirely problem-free experience, but we can promise to be vigilant and to follow up as necessary to create a space that prioritizes the needs of our most vulnerable attendees. My second priority is minimizing COVID transmission at the con. Our safety team and all of our staff are empowered to address violations of masking policies. People who refuse to mask or attempt to get around masking rules will not be able to participate. I am also working with a COVID advisory team to implement additional measures such as CO2 monitoring and enhanced air filtration. Focusing on code of conduct and COVID mitigation serves the big picture goal of making Arisia a place where marginalized and vulnerable individuals can fully participate. To that end, I am endlessly grateful for the help of my advisor Kat Tanaka Okopnik whose value to our community cannot be overstated. Kat’s experience as a con runner and her expertise in racial and disability justice are helping Arisia to evolve with the changing face of Sci Fi and Fantasy fandom.

I hope that by telling you a little not just about myself, but about my team and our philosophy, that I can begin to open up lines of communication between the people running this event and the community at large. I want people to contact us, ask questions and offer suggestions. Most of all, I want anyone who has anything to report regarding code of conduct violations to know that your reports will be welcomed and followed up on through resolution.. If you are out there holding in your mind and heart an issue with an attendee that has not been addressed or you’re not sure if it’s been addressed, please follow the instructions below so we can try to get it resolved before Arisia 2023 begins. All my love to our community and I hope for a better future built on trust and accountability.

Incident Reporting Instructions Please email irmc@arisia.org or incidents@arisia.org with incident reports. irmc@ goes to fewer people. Incidents@ is better for a quicker response during con. At con, you can also make reports in person at the IRT desk. For anonymous reporting use https://www.arisia.org/Contact and fill in irmc@arisia.org in the email field instead of your own. Arisia will not be able to respond to anonymous reports but they will go through the same process as all other reports.

Melissa Kaplan
Acting Con Chair, Arisia 2023

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Vaccination Verification is open for business!

newsdesk — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 17:42:36 +0000

Vaccination Verification is open for business! newsdesk Mon, 11/21/2022 - 12:42

Arisia 2023 Vaccination Verification Procedure

The full text of the COVID Policy for Arisia 2023 can be found at https://www.arisia.org/covid

Arisia 2023 will be following CDC recommendations regarding what constitutes being up to date for COVID vaccinations (See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html). As of November 1, 2022, the CDC guidance states that a person is up to date if they have received a primary vaccination series and the most recent booster recommended by the CDC (the bivalent booster).

As of December 9 2022, the Moderna bivalent booster is also available for anyone age 6 months and up. We realize that it may be difficult to get children in for their boosters between now and the end of the year due to the holidays so we will not be requiring the bivalent booster shot for children under 5, but we strongly encourage attendees to do so.

All boosters must be obtained by December 31, 2022 to be effective in time for the convention

A limited number of people will be considered fully vaccinated if they recently had COVID and they are following the CDC guidelines to delay getting the booster. For more details, please see the Vaccination Verification update page.

Vaccination Verification

In order to have one’s vaccination status verified for attending Arisia 2023, please first make sure you are registered for Arisia 2023. Then all one needs to do is:

Send an email message to @email containing information that will assist us in identifying your registration (any names you’ve used, your phone number & badge number), with a scan of your up-to-date vaccination card or other verified documentation of vaccination.

Once a member of the Vaccination Verification team has verified that you are registered and properly vaccinated, they will record your vaccination status on your registration record and delete the information you sent in, so no copy is retained. They will save only the fact that you have met the requirement. They will also send you an email confirming your status.

If you do not want to send in a copy of your vaccination documentation, simply send an email message to @email requesting a Zoom appointment where you can display the documentation via video. There will be no recording, and a Vaccination Verification team member will verify your vaccination and your registration and update the registration files with your status. If you wish, they will also send you an email confirming your status.

Please address any questions via email to @email .

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Progress Report #2 - Arisia 2023

newsdesk — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Progress Report #2 - Arisia 2023 newsdesk Mon, 10/10/2022 - 20:00

It’s Fall, Ya’ll!

We are moving ever closer to Arisia 2023, which is taking place January 13-16, 2023 at the newly renamed Westin Boston Seaport District Hotel. In this PR issue, we are bringing you the news of hotel booking, registration updates, volunteer opportunities, programming announcements, accessibility, and other highlights.

Virtual Attendance

After careful consideration, the Arisia 2023 Convention Committee has decided not to offer virtual programming during the convention. All panels and programming will be held on-site. While we recognize that virtual programming is an increasingly important part of modern day conventions, we do not have the volunteer base to lead or support this effort. As we get closer to convention-time, we will be discussing potential options to stream out onsite content to members of our community who are unable to attend, and are eagerly accepting volunteers to assist in making that happen.

We hope to have virtual leadership and staff available to bring this important aspect of modern-day convention attendance to future Arisias.

Registration Rates Increase October 1

Make sure to lock in your $55 weekend registration rate by going online and registering before 10/1/2022. Rates increase by $10 for adults once the calendar turns the page to October.

$65 as of 10/01/2022
$35 - students (students age 13-25 with a valid student ID)
Free - Kid-in-Tow must be with a paying attendee at all times.

* These rates are for:

* Full memberships and FastTrack memberships (for children between 6 and 12 years).

Fast Track is a separate track of program items geared specifically for children aged 6 to 12 years.

More information about Fast Track and Turtle Track is available at Kids and Teens at Arisia.

Get Your Arisia 2023 Membership

Arisia is once again participating in the Massachusetts Card to Culture program. Card holders can register to attend Arisia 2023 at no cost to them. Email Registration to find out how!

Hotel Reservations Open October 19, 2022

Reservations for the Westin Boston Waterfront will open at Noon EDT on October 19th. Please keep an eye on our social media for more details closer to this date. You can find hotel info on our Web site, and we have a hotel information FAQ .

If you have any hotel-related questions not covered in the FAQs you can email innkeeper.

Access Needs

The Access Division is here to make sure every Arisia attendee is able to have a great experience at the con! If you have an accommodation request please email us anytime before Wednesday, December 14th. We are also able to announce that we will have Assistive Listening Devices (ALD) available in the main events room throughout the con this year, in lieu of our traditional live captioning (CART) for the Masquerade only. Details on how to request an ALD will be available closer to the con.

Access is also looking for volunteers for the following roles: an Assistant Area Head to assist the Access head on tasks prior to and at the convention. As well as a Tactile Tour Docent to administer Arisia's annual Art Show Tactile Tour.

Email us to request accommodations or to inquire about our available positions.

Volunteers Needed

The reason we can put on Arisia is because of people like you! Come volunteer! It's a great way to keep Arisia going and meet your fellow Arisians. We have many job opportunities listed at our Volunteers Wanted page. New jobs will be posted there regularly.

Want to help out but not sure where you want to do that? Sign up at our Volunteer Signup page and let us know what you're looking for, and we'll do our best to match you with available jobs.

Have questions about volunteering? Email @email with any questions

Events

We are excited to announce that Athena School of Arms, Boston Armizare, Massachusetts Historical Swordsmanship, and Swords of Chivalry will all return with demonstrations and workshops.

Gaming

We’re aiming to have gaming be the place you’ve come to know and love - a comfortable, welcoming space to play and run games. As always, we’re looking for more people to run tabletop games and LARPs, and you can sign up below.

Donate to the Videogame Library!

Videogaming is a challenge this year. Due to budget constraints, we are not hiring our usual vendor to build out a video game room. So we’re doing it ourselves.

Handheld meetup - bring your own device, play what you like!
Minecraft LAN party - we’ve got some laptops and a minecraft server. Join in Creative or Survival, continuing the tradition from Arisia Online, and…

Got a laptop or console just taking up space?

Email us with details of your donation to the con. Please make sure it works, has all the necessary pieces and parts, and we’ll find a use for it! Got a working Dreamcast? There are Ecco the Dolphin fans. Got a laptop too slow to run Minecraft? We’ll set up a library of Interactive Fiction and ASCII Rogue-like games. We will take care of your old system and bring the history and joy of videogaming to this and future Arisias. If we can’t go High-tech, we’ll go Retro.

Guests of Honor | Code of Conduct | Safer Spaces | Participate

Arisia is supported by grants from the Boston Cultural Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association.

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Progress Report #1 - Arisia 2023

newsdesk — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 14:39:45 +0000

Progress Report #1 - Arisia 2023 newsdesk Tue, 09/27/2022 - 10:39

Welcome. We’re glad you’re here.

Arisia 2023 is taking place January 13-16, 2023 at the newly renamed Westin Boston Seaport District Hotel. In this PR issue, we are bringing you the news of our guests of honor, volunteer opportunities, programming announcements, updates, and highlights.

Registration is Open for Arisia 2023!
Weekend Rates:

$55* through 9/30/2022
$30 - students (students age 13-25 with a valid student ID)
Free - Kid-in-Tow must be with a paying attendee at all times.

* These rates are for:

* Full memberships and FastTrack memberships (for children between 6 and 12 years).

Fast Track is a separate track of program items geared specifically for children aged 6 to 12 years.

More information about Fast Track and Turtle Track is available at Kids and Teens at Arisia.

Get Your Arisia 2023 Membership

Arisia is once again participating in the Massachusetts Card to Culture program. Card holders can register to attend Arisia 2023 at no cost to them. Email Registration to find out how!

Announcing the Arisia 2023 Guests of Honor

We are incredibly lucky and honored that the three amazing folks who were going to be our guests of honor for A’22 have graciously agreed to be our A’23 guests of honor! Due to Covid-19, we were unable to host A’22, and so we look forward to spending quality time with our artist, author, and fan guests of honor at A’23.

Author Guest of Honor

At Smith College, Andrea is the Louise Wolff Kahn 1931 Professor of Theatre and Africana Studies. She has taught playwriting and screenwriting and a course on speculative theatre and film: Shamans, Shapesifters and the Magic IF. She has given many talks and published numerous critical essays on Octavia Butler, speculative theatre and film, and popular culture. Lonely Stardust, a collection of critical essays and plays was published by Aqueduct Press. In 2011, Andrea received the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts Distinguished Scholarship Award.

Tor.com published her most recent novel, Master of Poisons, and it was on Kirkus Review’s Best SF and F list in 2020. Tor.com has also reissued Redwood and Wildfire and Will Do Magic For Small Change. Her next novel, Archangels of Funk, will be out from Tor.com in 2023.

Artist Guest of Honor

Reiko Murakami is a U.S. based concept artist and illustrator specializing in surreal fantasy art. With her expressive gesture drawings she focuses on capturing moments filled with unspeakable emotions. In 2013 she started a series called Resonance, a project that depicts complex emotional reactions through metaphorical representation of a figure. Her work has appeared on many science fiction media including: Tor.com, Pyr, Subterranean Press, Tachyon Publications, DC comics, Wizards of the Coast and Lightpseed Magazine. Her work has been exhibited at Nucleus Portland, Helikon Gallery, Krabjab Studio, Light Grey Art Lab and published in Spectrum, Infected by Art, Exposé, 2D Artist, and many others.

Fan Guest of Honor

Hugo, Aurora and BFA winning editor Elsa Sjunneson is a Deafblind hurricane in a vintage dress. Her nonfiction editorial work has appeared at Uncanny Magazine and Fireside Magazine. As an author, her work has appeared at CNN Opinion, Tor.com, the Boston Globe, and the Nebula nominated Fate Accessibility Toolkit among numerous other venues. She also co-authored Marvel's Jessica Jones: Playing With Fire which was produced by Serial Box. In addition to editorial and authorial pursuits, she destroys structural ableism in her spare time. Her memoir "Being Seen: One Deafblind Woman’s Fight To End Ableism" came out in 2021 and has been nominated for a Hugo awards. Elsa lives in Seattle, Washington with two cats. Want to know more? Go to snarkbat.com!

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!!!

It may be summer, but program planning is well underway for Arisia 2023. We have some great ideas that we just didn’t get to run for A’22 which we hope to run for A’23. We also have some new ideas - so stay tuned for what we expect will be awesome and interesting program!

Are you interested in becoming a panelist? We’re accepting applications for new panelists for A’23 through August 15, 2022. Any applications that we receive after that date may be considered for A’24. If you are interested in participating in panels and have never applied before, please complete the application here. If you have applied in the past, you do not need to reapply.

Programming Wants YOU!

We are also looking to fill a few Area Head positions. These roles often do the bulk of the work -- panel selection, panelist assignments, and scheduling -- pre-con, with some minimal at-con hours required. We are currently looking to fill the following:

- Literature Area Head
- Meetup Area Head

Programming is also looking to fill a new and exciting role: Virtual Area Head. This person will be responsible for helping the Division Heads and Programming Area Heads set up and run virtual programming, hopefully allowing people offsite to attend and even participate in some panels. This role is responsible for ensuring the convention has the technology and staff necessary to run a successful virtual program.

If you are interested in any of these Program Area roles, please reach out to Programming.

Our innkeeper is fast at work opening the windows to let the fresh air in, changing linens, and tidying rooms in preparation for hotel bookings. We know you are eager to book your hotel room at the Westin Boston Seaport District, and we are excited to have you! There will be a separate mailing and social media postings later this summer with room rates, booking timetable, and other pertinent information. If you have questions before then, please email them to innkeeper.

Arisia Receives Grants!!

Arisia is proud to announce that we are a recipient of a grant in the amount of $15,000 from the City of Boston, which helped pay for costs like rent in the wake of canceling Arisia 2022.

We also received multiple grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the largest of which was in the amount of $3,000, to be used to improve accessibility at Arisia. We have used that money to purchase Assistive Listening Devices that we can use at the convention, and also lend to other cons! This improves access for con goers everywhere!

And finally, we received $2,275 from the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association which helped pay nonrefundable expenses for the canceled Arisia

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Arisia is supported by grants from the Boston Cultural Council, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association

Our mailing address is:
Arisia Inc

519 Somerville Ave # 371

Somerville, MA 02143
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NewsDesk

Clear Ether Monday Edition

IMPORTANT TIME-SENSITIVE COVID UPDATE/REMINDER

COVID Vaccination Verification Update

Good News on the Vaccination Front! And a reminder

A Word from the Acting Con Chair

A Word from the Acting Con Chair

Statement from the new Acting Con Chair

Vaccination Verification is open for business!

Progress Report #2 - Arisia 2023

It’s Fall, Ya’ll!

Arisia is once again participating in the Massachusetts Card to Culture program. Card holders can register to attend Arisia 2023 at no cost to them. Email Registration to find out how!

Progress Report #1 - Arisia 2023

Welcome. We’re glad you’re here.

Registration is Open for Arisia 2023! Weekend Rates:

Arisia is once again participating in the Massachusetts Card to Culture program. Card holders can register to attend Arisia 2023 at no cost to them. Email Registration to find out how!

Announcing the Arisia 2023 Guests of Honor

Author Guest of Honor

Artist Guest of Honor

Fan Guest of Honor

Registration is Open for Arisia 2023!
Weekend Rates: