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George RR Martin
Guest of honour ... George RR Martin mingled with fans at this year's British National Science Fiction Convention in Heathrow. Photograph: Karolina Webb
Guest of honour ... George RR Martin mingled with fans at this year's British National Science Fiction Convention in Heathrow. Photograph: Karolina Webb

The rise of Eastercon: the SF/fantasy convention with community spirit

This article is more than 11 years old
A policy of inclusivity has changed the face of the British National Science Fiction Convention, with an equal gender split and a distinct lack of Klingons

"The first time I went to a convention, all I could see was a sea of white, male faces, says Rita Medany. "I found it very disheartening, and I knew I could either go away and never go to another con or try to do something about it."

She settled on the latter, and as chair of the 63rd British National Science Fiction Convention, more commonly known as "Eastercon", which ends today, her and her fellow committee members, including husband John, have pulled off something of a triumph. Eastercon was completely sold out in advance for the first time in almost 30 years, and inclusivity has become something of a watchword, with the 1,400 attendees in roughly an equal gender split.

Eastercon is the biggest date in the UK SF/fantasy convention calendar, and moves location each year – this year it was at the Radisson Edwardian hotel in Heathrow, London, along a suitably Ballardian strip of hotels and squat airport buildings. Next year it moves up north to Bradford.

John Medany says, "It wasn't so long ago that Eastercon was getting about 400 people, and this year we've got more than treble that."

Perhaps a lot of the draw was the presence of the guest of honour, author George RR Martin. A huge name among SF and fantasy fans for decades, he has been catapulted to the forefront of the general public consciousness thanks to being the author of the A Song of Ice and Fire series of novels which are currently chewing up the ratings as HBO's supremely slick Game of Thrones TV series.

Martin is a large yet quiet presence whenever he walks through the hotel lobby with his UK editor at Harper's SF imprint Voyager, Jane Johnson, a successful novelist in her own right. That lobby is dominated by the throne of swords itself from the TV adaptation, where a steady succession of fans queue to have their pictures taken in the same pose as Sean Bean's brooding Nedd Stark.

Martin seems to accept the attention he gets in public equably enough – he's about as un-prima donna-ish as anyone could be while dominating the bestseller lists with multiple volumes. Martin still wears his trademark fisherman's cap wherever he goes.

"I get over to the UK maybe once a year," he says as fans surreptitiously fire off shots with their camera phones. "Eastercon has been utterly amazing this year. The enthusiasm of the fans has been great. The TV show has certainly brought a lot of new fans. Sales of the books have gone crazy."

"Nine million copies sold worldwide," Jane Johnson tells me with understandable pride. Would Mr Martin consent to a photograph? Perhaps on the throne itself?

"Sure!" he says, cackling delightedly as, from nowhere, someone hands him a sword to wield and fans rush over for this unprecedented photo-opportunity.

But while the big names such as Martin and the other guests of honour including Tricia Sullivan, Cory Doctorow and Paul Cornell are obvious draws, the schedule is packed with panels probing the minutiae of SF, with a special emphasis on books, though there are movie strands and discussions on comics and gaming.

And then there are the awards. The Hugo shortlists were announced simultaneously at Eastercon and several other worldwide locations on Saturday night; the British Science Fiction Association award winners were unveiled last night exclusively at Heathrow, with complaints that the preamble was too long-winded and "un-PC", prompting a walkout in some quarters. Those that left, however, missed first-hand the delicious irony of the best novel gong going to The Islanders by Christopher Priest, who last month caused a flap with his no-holds barred deconstruction of the Arthur C Clarke shortlist.

Just like some people go to Glastonbury and never watch a live band, so many Eastercon attendees are content to sit in the bar, meet other fans and the growing army of SF book bloggers, and of course, rub shoulders with their favourite writers.

John Jarrold is one of the UK's leading literary agents specialising in SF and fantasy, a former editor for the likes of Orbit and Simon and Schuster and, first and foremost, a fan who has been attending conventions for longer than he cares to remember.

"It's a community, very simply," he says. "I don't think there is any other genre in literature where the fans are given such easy and free access to their favourite authors. Writers will come and stand in the bar, have a drink with their readers. It's wonderful."

If your view of SF conventions is of people running around in fancy dress, then Eastercon would disappoint. Well, there was one Klingon, called somewhat disarmingly Roy. But ordinary mortals are welcome, too, in the spirit of inclusivity.

"I think we've sorted out the gender thing," says John Medany. "Look around. Half of the attendees are female. Next we want to tackle the race issue."

"It's been a brilliant success this year," says Rita. "We went for inclusivity and I think we got it. There was even an airline pilot staying overnight in the hotel who came and had a look and was so impressed he let us sign him up. Our aim is to make Eastercon a 'safe space' for everyone to enjoy, regardless of who they are."

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