Black book with a red torch - Freedom to Read Foundation logo

Freedom to Read Foundation selected as Capricon 38 Charity

Capricon 38 is pleased to announce that we will be supporting the work of the Freedom to Read Foundation as this year’s charity.

The Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) is a non-profit legal and educational organization that protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect – and individuals to access – information. Incorporated in 1969, FTRF has participated in key litigation efforts, fighting all the way to the Supreme Court to stand up to internet censorship and government surveillance. It also encourages various public events, such as support of the American Library Association’s annual Banned Books Week.

Banned Books Week, runs this year from Sept. 24- Sept. 30. The theme this year is Words have Power! Find out which books made the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2016 and explore Top Ten talking points, infographics and social media art on the Top Ten resource page (http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/NLW-Top10).

Every year books are challenged or banned from libraries across the country and around the world. Many of those titles are science fiction and fantasy classics such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. More recent challenged materials include the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. This series was the number one challenged book from 2000 to 2009.

“The Freedom to Read Foundation does important work supporting access to materials that some find offensive or inappropriate, but many hail as important works of literature that challenge assumptions about society or deal with issues of sexuality or identity,” said Terrence Miltner, Chair of Capricon 38. “I was surprised that so many people would have a problem with the Harry Potter books.”

Capricon 38: Expanding Universes will be held February 15-18, 2018 at the Westin North Shore in Wheeling, IL.

Capricon is a four-day science fiction convention held annually in the Chicagoland area since 1981. We celebrate the best of science fiction and fantasy, with a focus on literature. During the day, members attend programming on a variety of topics: books, movies, television, anime, space exploration, and science. There’s something for everyone including a special children’s track for our young fans and a teen lounge.

Above all, Capricon is about friends, fandom, and fun. The convention committee is made up entirely of volunteers. This year’s convention, Expanding Universes, will explore the infinite loop between the written word, film and televsion, and games and how they all inspire one another.

For more information about the Freedom to Read Foundation, go to www.ftrf.org.

For more information about Capricon, go to www.capricon.org.

 

Black book with a red torch - Freedom to Read Foundation logo

Capricious wearing the Capricon 36 Con Com shirt.

Edition of Goat Droppings is Out!

Greetings Members of Phandemonium!

We’re extremely excited about Capricon 37 which is coming up in just a few weeks! We’ve put together an edition of Goat Droppings for you that will give you a preview of some of the fun we have planned. There’s info on programming, special events, how to volunteer, our annual book and food drives, and information about the Board of Directors. There is also, of course, our Out-of-CONtext quotes for your amusement.

You can download the PDF here:

https://www.capricon.org/capricon40/blog/goat-droppings-january-2017-final/

A really important thing to know – we have EXTENDED PRE-REGISTRATION until tomorrow, January 31, 2017. If you haven’t bought your membership yet, please do so! It will be cheaper than at the door, and the more that are purchased pre-convention, the easier it is for us to plan things.

You can go here to register: https://www.capricon.org/capricon40/capricon37/registration/

We’ll see you on February 16 at Capricon!

Peace,
Capricious and the Capricon 37 Convention Committee

goatdroppings@capricon.org
ooc@capricon.org

Capricious the Goat wearing the Capricon 36 Con Com shirt.