When MileHiCon returns this weekend for its 46th year, the literary science-fiction convention will have more than eighty authors in attendance. That lineup is headlined by Hugo and Nebula award winner Michael Swanwick and the writing duo of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, creators of the Expanse series coming to SyFy. But the focus isn’t just on books: The con will also host legendary fantasy artists Kaja and Phil Foglio, the region’s largest sci-fi/fantasy art show, and programming across the spectrum of fandom. Best of all, many of the events will have fans engaging as active participants.

“I’ve done a bit more art and costuming programming this year, so there will be additional art demos and hands-on stuff,” promises programming director Rose Beetem. “I like the fact that people who attend can do things. We have a panel called the challenge panel, where if a member of the audience has a sufficiently good idea, they can supplant someone on the panel and take their place.”

Throw in old favorites like the costume contest, the Critter Crunch – i.e., robots battling for supremacy -- and the Literacy Auction, and you have the makings of a con for the ages. The con starts at 2 p.m. today and runs all weekend at the Hyatt Regency DTC, 7800 East Tufts Avenue. Memberships are $46 for the full weekend, with day passes starting at $18. For more info, visit milehicon.org.
Oct. 24-26, 2014