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CoKoCon

Overview

CoKoCon (cokocon.org) is an active traditional science fiction/fantasy convention in Phoenix, founded in 2018.

Social Media | Most Recent Program Book Covers | History | Other Documents | Attendance

Background

Phandom (Phoenix fandom) in 2017 was at an odd high and low. On the high side, LepreCon, Inc. was hosting Westercon 70, a regional convention that moves around the western third of North America, so we were entertaining many out of state fans who were enjoying what we do here. On the low side, that looked like it for a couple of years.

There have been three local fandom groups for many years. LepreCon, Inc. was still running LepreCon, but it was slated to be a very different sort of event for the following two years, hosted in an art gallery. CASFS (the Central Arizona Speculative Fiction Society) hadn't run a CopperCon since 2014 because of financial constraints. And the WesternSFA, who had run a variety of events over a decade and change, hadn't run one for quite a while.

Hal Astell (that's me) decided that the fifth largest city in the US ought to have an annual traditional science fiction convention, so reached out to the WesternSFA to see if they'd be willing to sponsor a new one, with many of the core staff from the successful Westercon 70. When dates led us to Labor Day, the regular slot for the still on hiatus CopperCon, this nascent event reached out to CASFS to see if they would co-sponsor. Both groups were up for the challenge.

Thus, the name is a portmanteau of CopperCon and ConKopelli, with the hope that people would go cuckoo for CoKoCon. CASFS had hosted annual CopperCons from 1981 to 2014. ConKopelli was the friendly name given to the WesternSFA's Westercon in 2004.

CoKoCon aimed to bring consistency to Phoenix science fiction conventions by retaining the same core details year on year, as TusCon does in Tucson: chairs, committee, dates, location, etc. Hal and Dee Astell alternate as chair for the WesternSFA; the CASFS chair was elected annually and was always Mark Boniece. CoKoCon also inherits CopperCon's core focus on books and authors to complement LepreCon's core focus on art.

While the events are numbered in the table below for consistency and convenient reference, CoKoCons are traditionally referred to by year, e.g. CoKoCon 2019.

CoKoCon ended in its current form, as a four day hotel-based convention, after its 2023 event.

Social Media

Most Recent Program Book Covers

Click on the images below to open larger versions.

Cover art (left to right) was by andyvanoverberghe, Ave Rose and Gilead.

History

Chronology of Arizona Conventions | Index of Program Books

# Date Location Chairs Guests Book Web Notes

1 2018
31 Aug
3 Sep DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix North
Phoenix Hal C. F. Astell
Mark Boniece Author: Harry Turtledove
Local Author: Beth Cato
Artist: Steve Rude
Filk: Cheshire Moon
Gaming: Eric Wile
45 MB 1

2 2019
30 Aug
2 Sep DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix North
Phoenix Dee Astell
Mark Boniece Local Author: Emily Devenport
Weird Science: Professor Sparks
Artist: Gilead
Filk: Alexander James Adams
46 MB

3 2020
4 Sep
7 Sep DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe
Tempe Hal C. F. Astell
Mark Boniece Author: Steven Barnes
Local Author: Linda Addison
Filk: S. J. Tucker 2

4 2021
3 Sep
6 Sep Virtual
Dee Astell
Mark Boniece
99 MB 3

5 2022
2 Sep
5 Sep DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe
Tempe Hal C. F. Astell
Mark Boniece Author: Joseph Nassise
Local Author: Linda Addison
Artist: Ave Rose
Filk: S. J. Tucker
33 MB 4

6 2023
1 Sep
4 Sep DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe
Tempe Dee Astell
Mark Boniece Author: Seanan McGuire
Local Author: Bruce Davis
Artist: andyvanoverberghe
Filk: Margaret & Kristoph
46 MB

#	Date	Location	Chairs	Guests	Book	Notes
1	2018 31 Aug 3 Sep	DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix North Phoenix	Hal C. F. Astell Mark Boniece	Author: Harry Turtledove Local Author: Beth Cato Artist: Steve Rude Filk: Cheshire Moon Gaming: Eric Wile	45 MB	1
2	2019 30 Aug 2 Sep	DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix North Phoenix	Dee Astell Mark Boniece	Local Author: Emily Devenport Weird Science: Professor Sparks Artist: Gilead Filk: Alexander James Adams	46 MB
3	2020 4 Sep 7 Sep	DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe Tempe	Hal C. F. Astell Mark Boniece	Author: Steven Barnes Local Author: Linda Addison Filk: S. J. Tucker		2
4	2021 3 Sep 6 Sep	Virtual	Dee Astell Mark Boniece		99 MB	3
5	2022 2 Sep 5 Sep	DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe Tempe	Hal C. F. Astell Mark Boniece	Author: Joseph Nassise Local Author: Linda Addison Artist: Ave Rose Filk: S. J. Tucker	33 MB	4
6	2023 1 Sep 4 Sep	DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe Tempe	Dee Astell Mark Boniece	Author: Seanan McGuire Local Author: Bruce Davis Artist: andyvanoverberghe Filk: Margaret & Kristoph	46 MB

Notes

Eric Wile was unable to attend CoKoCon 2018.

CoKoCon 2020 was cancelled due to concerns over COVID-19. The Guests of Honor (Steven Barnes, Linda Addison and S. J. Tucker) rolled over to 2022.

CoKoCon 2021 was originally scheduled at DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Tempe but went virtual due to concerns over COVID-19 and was held in Discord and Zoom. The GoHs (Seanan McGuire, Margaret & Kristoph and Dr. Bruce Davis) rolled over to CoKoCon 2023 but attended 2021 as featured panelists, as did most of the announced GoHs for 2020 who will now appear in 2022.

Steven Barnes was unable to attend because of other professional commitments, so rolled over to CoKoCon 2024. Joseph Nassise became the new Author GoH.

Other Documents

Index of Ephemera

CoKoCon 1

Pocket Program (592k)
Postcard (598k)
Registration Form (129k)

CoKoCon 2

Pocket Program (467k)
Postcard 2 (9 MB)
Postcard 3 (1 MB)
Registration Form (129k)

CoKoCon 4

Pocket Program (2 MB)
Gaming Grid (331k)
Attendee Packet (145k)

CoKoCon 5

Pocket Program (2 MB)
Postcard 1 (5 MB)
Postcard 2 (4 MB)
Registration Form (123k)

CoKoCon 6

Postcard (5 MB)
Registration Form (123k)