Readercon 34
July 17 – 20, 2025
Boston Marriott Burlington in Burlington, MA
Guests of Honor:
Cecilia Tan and P. Djélí Clark
Memorial Guest of Honor:
Questions?
Send mail to info@readercon.org for answers.
Looking Ahead
Help us make the next Readercon even better!
Drop us an anonymous suggestion.
Suggest a panel, or recommend yourself or someone else as a program participant.
Join our incredible all-volunteer crew.
About Readercon
Although Readercon is modeled on general "science fiction conventions," we feature a near-total focus on the written word.
In many years the list of Readercon guests rivals or surpasses that of the Worldcon in quality. Readercon is the only small convention regularly attended by such giants of imaginative literature as Samuel R. Delany, Ellen Datlow, Amal El-Mohtar, John Crowley, Greer Gilman, and Catherynne M. Valente.
The program consists of two tracks each of panel discussions, author readings, and solo talks or workshops, plus kaffeeklatsches (intimate gatherings with an author), autograph signings, and extracurricular activities. The program also currently features the presentation of two major genre awards: the Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award for a neglected author and the Shirley Jackson Awards for dark fantasy and psychological suspense.
There is a large Bookshop full of new, used, and rare, and collectible books & magazines (and yet more great conversation; if a Readercon attendee is not at a program item, they're probably here).
There's more. We publish a Souvenir Book whose pages of content rival a Worldcon's in number, and a separate, comprehensive Program Guide. There is a hospitality suite well-stocked with munchies; and, yes, there are parties. Readercon is also proud to host a number of charitable efforts.
Quotes
"The reason I love Readercon is that it's all about the words. The people who read them mix effortlessly with the people who write them… The panels are lively and unusual, the panelists ardent and articulate."
— Hugo-winning author James Patrick Kelly, in Asimov's, naming Readercon as one of three recommended conventions (the others being the World Science Fiction and World Fantasy Conventions)
"Readercon is my favorite convention."
— Samuel R. Delany
"I will miss a Worldcon, but never a Readercon."
— Yves Meynard, winner of the Grand Prix de la Science-Fiction et du Fantastique Quebecois
"In most respects the best-organized convention I've ever been to or heard about."
— Lev Grossman, time.com
"We support the subversive notion that thinking is fun."
— Readercon founder Bob Colby