Fantasy artist Todd Lockwood and sci-fi author Alan Dean Foster will headline the FiestaCon convention over Independence Day weekend in Tempe.
Foster, who lives in Prescott, is a prolific writer whose credits include many original stories in addition to novelizations of films such as the first three Alien movies, Clash of the Titans, The Chronicles of Riddick, Transformers and this year’s Star Trek and Terminator Salvation.
Lockwood worked as staff artist at Wizards of the Coast, where he illustrated cards for Magic: The Gathering and redefined the look of Dungeons & Dragons for the release of the game’s 3rd Edition in 2000. He lives in Washington state.
Other FiestaCon guests include Stanley Schmidt, a writer and editor of fiction and nonfiction; fanzine pioneers Jim and Doreen Webbert; Tor Books editors Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden; novelists Diana Gabaldon, Jennifer Roberson, Eric Flint, Dani and Eytan Kollin, James A. Owen, Michelle M. Welch, Jacqueline Lichtenberg and David Lee Summers; artists Mark Greenawalt, Susan Krinard, Tony Parker and Sarah Clemens; and ASU researcher Dr. David A. Williams.
The convention also hosts a Guest of Honor dinner, body painting demo, SciFi Jeopardy presented by the United Federation of Phoenix, charity auction, masquerade with costume competition, movie previews, discussion panels, writers workshops, gaming, film and anime screenings and a dealers room and art shows. Charity auctions, including one featuring signed first-edition books, will benefit The Arizona Challenger Space Center and the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame.
If you go
When and where: FiestaCon will take place July 2-5 at the Tempe Mission Palms, 60 E. Fifth St. The hours are 2 p.m. Thursday to 1 a.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Price: Memberships cost $85 for the whole thing (Thursday through Sunday) or $30 per day Friday and Saturday and $20 per day Thursday and Sunday. Children ages 7-12 are half-price, while children younger than 6 get in free with an adult membership. The dealer’s room and art exhibits are open to the public for free.
Contact: For more information, call (480) 945-6890 before the convention, (480) 994-1400 during the convention or e-mail info@fiestacon.org. The event’s Web site is www.fiestacon.org.
Ack. There’s a mistake in the pre-con phone number to call made in the press release. It should be 480-945-6890, not the one listed.
Thanks for letting me know, Lee. I’ll fix it in the text.
FYI, the FiestaCon website has been updated with the full program schedule. We’ve also added a new participant, Aprilynne Pike, who recently hit #1 on the NYT Children’s book chart with her YA fantasy novel “Wings”.