List of past Minicons

This list of past Minicons is in chronological order (which is not the same as numerical order). Location, dates, and guests of honor are noted when known.

Minicon 1

• Year: 1968
• Location: Coffman Union at the University of Minnesota
• Guests of Honor: Gordon R. Dickson, Charles De Vet, Clifford Simak

Minicon 2

• Year: 1969
• Location: Andrews Hotel; Minneapolis, MN
• Guests of Honor: Gordon R. Dickson, Charles De Vet, Clifford Simak

Minicon 3

• Year: 1970
• Location: Dyckman Hotel; Minneapolis, MN
• Guests of Honor: Poul Anderson, Gordon R. Dickson, Clifford Simak

Minicon 4

• Year: 1971
• Location: Curtis Hotel; Minneapolis, MN
• Guest of Honor: Lin Carter

Minicon 5

• Year: 1971
• Location: Andrews Hotel; Minneapolis, MN
• Guest of Honor: Volsted Gridban was listed, but it did not refer to one of the authors who had used that pseudonym being the guest; there was no guest of honor at this Minicon.

Minicon 6

• Year: 1972
• Location: Hyatt Lodge; Minneapolis, MN
• Theme: The Stereo-opticon
• Guest of Honor: Ruth Berman

Minicon 7

• Year: 1973
• Location: Hyatt Lodge; Minneapolis, MN
• Guests of Honor: Larry Niven (pro), Rusty Hevelin (fan)

Minicon 8

• Year: 1974
• Location: Dyckman Hotel; Minneapolis, MN
• Guests of Honor: Kelly Freas (pro), Bob Tucker (fan)

Minicon 9

• Year: 1974
• Location: Dyckman Hotel; Minneapolis, MN
• Guests of Honor: Judy-Lynn del Rey and Lester del Rey

Minicon 10

• Year: 1975
• Location: Holiday Inn
• Guests of Honor: Poul Anderson (pro), Gordon Dickson (fan), Lester del Rey (toastmaster)

Minicon 11

• Year: 1976
• Location: Leamington Hotel
• Guests of Honor: Edmond Hamilton (pro), Leigh Brackett (pro), Leigh and Norb Couch (fans), Jackie Franke and Rusty Hevelin (toastmasters)

Minicon 12

• Year: 1977
• Location: Leamington Hotel
• Guests of Honor: Ben Bova (pro), Buck Coulson and Juanita Coulson (fans), Joe Haldeman (toastmaster)

Minicon 13

• Year: 1978
• Location: Leamington Hotel
• Theme: Nothing is as it seems.
• Guests of Honor: Samuel R. Delany (pro), Spider Robinson (fan), Bob Tucker (artist), Krissy (toastmaster)

Minicon 15

• Year: 1979
• Location: Minneapolis Radisson
• Guests of Honor: Theodore Sturgeon (pro), Tom Digby (fan), Rick Sternbach (artist), Robert E. Vardeman (toastmaster)

Minicon 16

• Year: 1980
• Location: Minneapolis Radisson
• Guests of Honor: C. J. Cherryh (pro), Jon Singer (fan), Ken Fletcher (artist), Nate Bucklin (musician), Bob Tucker (toastmaster)

Minicon 17

• Year: 1981
• Location: Minneapolis Radisson
• Guests of Honor: Jack Vance (pro), Jerry Boyajian (fan), Reed Waller (musician), Kathy Marschall (artist)

Minicon 14

• Year: 1982
• Location: Saint Paul Radisson
• Theme: Forward, Into the Past
• Guests of Honor: John Varley (pro), Clifford D. Simak (fan), Spider Robinson (musician)

Minicon 19

• Year: 1983
• Location: Saint Paul Radisson
• Theme: Backward, Into the Future
• Guests of Honor: Larry Niven (pro), Pamela Dean and David Dyer-Bennet (fans), Dave Sim (artist), Spider John Koerner (music), Steven Brust (toastmaster), Nostradamus (proxy)

Minicon 18

• Year: 1984
• Location: Leamington Hotel
• Theme: We know what we're doing and you don't. Trust us.
• Guests of Honor: Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (pro), Dave Wixon (fan), Stephen Hickman (artist), S.P. Somtow (musician), Rusty Hevelin (toastmaster), Bob Tucker ("smooth")

Minicon 20

• Year: 1985
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Guests of Honor: James P. Hogan (pro), The Permanent Floating Riot Club (fan group), The White Women (musicians), Stu Shiffman (artist), Jerry Stearns and Kara Dalkey (toastmasters)

Minicon 21

• Year: 1986
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Now we're just immoral and fattening
• Guests of Honor: Damon Knight and Kate Wilhelm (pro), Denny Lien (fan), Ken Fletcher (artist), Anne Passovoy (musician), Diane Duane (toastmaster)
• Honored guests: Phyllis Eisenstein, Terri Windling, John M. Ford, P. C. Hodgell

Minicon 22

• Year: 1987
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Still Crazy After All These Years
• Guests of Honor: David Brin (pro), Fred Haskell (fan), Erin McKee (artist), Jerry Stearns (music), Robert Bloch (toastmaster)
• Honored guests: Diane Duane, Jane Yolen, Ellen Kushner

Minicon 23

• Year: 1988
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Spring Forward, Fall Over
• Guests of Honor: Eleanor Arnason (author), Eric Heideman (fan), Frederik Pohl (editor), Crystal Marvig (artist), Richard Feynman (science, posthumous)
• Honored guests: Jane Yolen, David Hartwell, Algis Budrys

Minicon 24

• Year: 1989
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Zen and the Art of Fan Maintenance
• Guests of Honor: Harry Harrison, George "Lan" Laskowski, Fritz Leiber, Barry B. Longyear
• Honored guests: Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, P. C. Hodgell, Larry Niven, John Sladek

Minicon 25

• Year: 1990
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: The Silver Edition
• Guests of Honor: Jane Yolen, Kim Stanley Robinson (author), Patrick Price ("arthur"), David Thayer a.k.a. Teddy Harvia (artist), DavE Romm (fan), Earl Joseph (science)
• Honored guests: Dave Clement, P. C. Hodgell, Dr. Joseph Romm, Art Widner

Minicon 26

• Year: 1991
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Think of it as Evolution in Action
• Guests of Honor: George Alec Effinger (author), David Cherry (artist), Al Kuhfeld, Ph.D. (science), Suzanne V. Tompkins and Jerry Kaufman (fans), Jon Singer (lunch)

Minicon 27

• Year: 1992
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Don't Ever Be A Dodo
• Guests of Honor: Lois McMaster Bujold (author), Ctein (artist), Dave Van Ronk (music)

Minicon 28

• Year: 1993
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota^[1]
• Theme: Suite, Savage Minicon
• Guests of Honor: Susan Allison (editor), Diane Duane (author), Peter Morwood (author), Kathy Mar (music), Don Fitch (bless his sweet heart), John M. Ford (interesting person)

Minicon 29

• Year: 1994
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: It seemed like a good idea at the time
• Guests of Honor: Tom Doherty (publisher), Jack Williamson (author), Rusty Hevelin (fan), Phil Foglio (artist)

Minicon 30

• Year: 1995
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Would you like fries with that?
• Guests of Honor: Vernor Vinge (author), Robert L. Forward (science), Jody Lee (artist), The Bhigg House (fan group)
• Honored guest: Glen Cook

Minicon 31

• Date: April 5–7, 1996
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Coming Soon to a Galaxy Near You!
• Guests of Honor: Suzette Haden Elgin (author), Ed Emshwiller (artist, posthumous), Joe Siclari & Edie Stern (fans), David Ossman (audio)

Minicon 32

• Date: March 28–30, 1997
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Guests of Honor: Algis Budrys (author), C. J. Cherryh (author), Tom Doherty (publisher), Tom Lopez (audio), Patrick Nielsen Hayden (fan), Teresa Nielsen Hayden (fan), Michael Swanwick

Minicon 33

• Date: April 10–12, 1998
• Location: Radisson South Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Heisenberg Probably Slept Here
• Guests of Honor: Gardner Dozois (publishing), David Langford (fan), John M. Ford (toastmaster)

Minicon 34

• Date: April 2–4, 1999
• Location: Minneapolis Hilton & Towers Hotel
• Guests of Honor: Octavia E. Butler (author), Mark & Priscilla Olson (fans), David Nee (bookseller)

Minicon 35

• Date: April 21–23, 2000
• Location: Hilton Minneapolis & Towers
• Guests of Honor: Maureen F. McHugh (author), John Berkey (artist), Lenny Bailes (fan)

Minicon 36

• Date: April 13–15, 2001
• Location: Hilton Minneapolis & Towers
• Guests of Honor: Ken MacLeod (author), Jo Walton (fan), Leslie Fish (musician)

Minicon 37

• Date: March 29–31, 2002
• Location: Hilton Minneapolis
• Guests of Honor: Emma Bull (author), Will Shetterly (author), Arthur Hlavaty (fan), Rick Berry (artist)

Minicon 38

• Date: April 18–20, 2003
• Location: Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Guests of Honor: Robert J. Sawyer (author), Carolyn Clink (poet), Sue Mason (fan), Steve Macdonald (musician)

Minicon 39

• Date: April 9–11, 2004
• Location: Millennium Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
• Guests of Honor: Walter Jon Williams (author), Sharyn November (editor), Deb Geisler (fan)

Minicon 40

• Date: March 25–27, 2005
• Location: Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota
• Theme: Minicon Fortean
• Guests of Honor: Terry Pratchett (author), Fastner & Larson (artists), James Young (fan)

Minicon 41

• Date: April 14–16, 2006
• Location: Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Theme: XLi, Robot
• Guests of Honor: Harlan Ellison (author), John Picacio (artist), Doug Friauf (fan)

Minicon 42

• Date: April 6–8, 2007
• Location: Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Theme: "And the question was..." (in reference to the number 42)
• Guests of Honor: Charles de Lint (author), Charles Vess (artist)

Minicon 43

• Date: March 21–23, 2008
• Location: Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Theme: "Digging up the Future"
• Guests of Honor: Alastair Reynolds (author), Wayne Barlowe (artist, in absentia), Shawna McCarthy (editor), Nate Bucklin (fan)

Minicon 44

• Date: April 10–12, 2009
• Location: Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Guests of Honor: Karl Schroeder (author), Stephan Martinere (artist, in absentia), Seth Shostak (scientist)

Minicon 45

• Date: April 2–4, 2010
• Location: Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Guests of Honor: Brandon Sanderson (author), Daniel Dos Santos (artist)
• Special Guests: Moshe Feder (editor)

Minicon 46

• Date: April 22–24, 2011
• Location: Sheraton Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Theme: "Not yet dead from the neck up"
• Guests of Honor: Charles Stross, (author in absentia), John Scalzi, (author), Chas Somdahl, (musician)

Minicon 47

• Date: April 6–8, 2012
• Location: DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Hotel rebranded)
• Theme: "The minions are coming..."
• Guests of Honor: Ted Chiang (author), Christopher J Garcia (fanzine), Frank Wu (artist),
• Special Guest: Brianna "Spacekat" Wu (game developer)

Minicon 48

• Date: March 29-31, 2013
• Location: DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Theme: "The Game of Life"
• Guests of Honor: Julie Czerneda (author), Richard Tatge (fan)

Minicon 49

• Date: April 17–20, 2014
• Location: DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Theme: "Pirates and Airships"
• Guests of Honor: Catherynne Valente (author), Janny Wurts (author), Don Maitz (artist)

Minicon 50

• Date: April 2–5, 2015
• Location: DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Theme: "The Gold Edition"
• Guests of Honor: Jane Yolen (author), Larry Niven author, Brandon Sanderson (author), Tom Doherty (publisher), Adam Stemple (musician), Michael Whelan (artist)

Minicon 51

• Date: March 25-27, 2016
• Location: DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Guests of Honor: Seanan McGuire (author), Sara Butcher Burrier (artist)

Minicon 52

• Date: April 14–16, 2017
• Location: DoubleTree Bloomington Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota.
• Guests of Honor: Brother Guy Consolmagno (scientist)
• Special Guests: Moshe Feder (editor)

References