Space City Con (Houston, August 10-12)

If you have not got any plans this weekend, or are going to be in the Houston area anyway, then you are not going to find anything more fun and exciting to do then go to Space City Con! I will be a there as an "author guest" of the convention and giving talks on various things related to fantasy literature in general and his books in particular, and my Skirmisher Publishing LLC and d-Infinity game magazine will also be exhibiting and running events.

Being held at the Westin Galleria hotel and convention center August 10-12, this event is an all-ages fan festival of comics, sci-fi, fantasy, gaming, literature, and art. According to its organizers, it is a "geek festival with free parking" for which they have attempted to "put on the best convention possible for current generations of fans and instill a love of comics, sci-fi, and fantasy in the next generation."

Space City Con is the Gulf Coast’s newest fan culture convention, offering a robust mix of authors, artists, sci-fi, fantasy, comics, gaming, fan group networking, literature, writing workshops and more, and has specifically been designed to be family-friendly.

Venue for this event, being held for the first time this year, is the fourth largest mall in America, in the fourth largest city in America. Galleria Mall boasts 375 stores, a large food court, ice rink, and a wide variety of restaurants.

Just as Houston has a broad economic mix in aerospace, energy, manufacturing, transportation, it also boasts the world’s largest concentration of healthcare and research institutions. It also has the top-ranked port in the United States, has always been home to a large international community, and is home to famous NASA Johnson Space Center and Mission Control.

"Space City Con will be a gathering of fans of all ages, with an exchange of pop culture passions," said founder George Comits. "More than entertainment, a place to escape for a while, forge lasting friendships, and connect with talented creators across a spectrum of genres."

During this inaugural year, Space City Con is embracing the Kids Need to Read foundation, as its founders say they consider "these elements as fuel for creative thinking, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and most of all, expanding the boundaries of what is known, into dreams and a yearning for what is unknown, what is unseen … but can be painted by the incredible human mind and spirit."

Space City Con wants to pass on the torch from one generation to the next, echoing the cry for “Inspiring Imagination!”