WSU EAST Hosts FyreCon
OGDEN, Utah – Dragons, aliens and worlds beyond imagination will come together on June 8-10 as the College of Engineering, Applied Science & Technology at Weber State University hosts FyreCon, a convention dedicated to the creative side of fantasy and science fiction.
Rob Carlos, artist
The convention, which is the first of its kind in Northern Utah, connects young artists with professionals working in the field of fantasy and sci-fi to help give them the tools to take the next step as writers and artists.
“There are a lot of writing conferences out there, some basic and some more advanced, and for a young writer these can be too costly to attend,” said DawnRay Ammon, FyreCon creator. “We wanted a conference that could bring in established professionals to help young writers and artists develop their craft without blowing their budgets.”
The convention will be held at WSU Davis (2750 N. Park Blvd., Layton). It will feature writers and artists such as New York Times bestselling author David Farland; Toni Weisskopf, editor and the publisher of Baen Books; New York Times bestselling author Larry Correia; Heather Theurer, award-winning artist whose themes include religious symbolism, fantasy realism, equine and wildlife, and reworking of Disney characters; Philo Barnhart, film animator, known for his work on feature-length films, including “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Little Mermaid”; Michael R. Collings, author, literary critic and poet with several published volumes of science fiction poetry; and Rebekah R. Ganiere, award-winning author and screenwriter.
In addition to limited-capacity master classes that provide focused time with featured artists, a specific track has been set up so students can receive personalized instruction.
“We have been working hard to make this conference available to young artists,” said Dana Dellinger, director of WSU's Center for Technology Outreach. “One of the convention tracks is dedicated to students, and will incorporate students from the WSU PREP program. We hope it will be a fun learning experience that helps our students develop proper communication skills needed to succeed."
Cost is $50 for general admission, $10 for students and $45 with military ID. Registration prices vary by day. In addition to multiple vendors, books for participants have been donated by the following vendors: Shadow Mountain Publishing, Simon & Schuster, Baen Books, Tor Publishing, The King’s English Bookshop, Pioneer Book, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Visit fyrecon.com to register.
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Charles Bowker, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7295 • charlesbowker@weber.edu- Contact:
Dana Dellinger, Director, Center for Technology Outreach, EAST
801-626-7552 • danadellinger@weber.eduDawnRay Ammon, Director at FyreCon
801-901-3545 • dawnray@fyrecon.com