SFScope and Fantastic Books are headed to Boston for the weekend, as publisher/editor Ian Randal Strock will be on programming, in the dealers’ room, and hosting a party at Arisia. What that means directly for SFScope is a slow-down for the long weekend. But we’ll be back in New York and back to regular updates starting Tuesday.

For those of you who don’t know, Arisia is a massive science fiction convention running four days at the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel. Last year, attendance was 3,200 or so. This year, they think they may reach their attendance cap, so if you’re planning to attend and don’t already have a membership, get there early.

As I said, I’ll be spending most of the daylight hours in the dealers’ room at the Fantastic Books table (scheduled to be tables 122 and 123, just to the left as you walk in the main entrance — the dealers’ room will be open 5-9pm Friday, 9:30am-6:30pm Saturday and Sunday, and 9:30am-2:30pm Monday). Sunday night, from 7pm, Fantastic Books will be hosting a party. It was originally to have been a launch party, but several circumstances beyond anyone’s control conspired to keep the book we were launching from actually getting written. But since we had the party scheduled already, it’ll be a thank you party for your readers, writers, and friends. Visit the dealers’ table, or read the signs, for the room number.

Also, I’ll be on several panels during the weekend. My schedule currently includes:

Friday at 7pm in the Alcott Room: “The Eagle Has Landed: Looking Back at 7/20/1969” with Jack Dietz, Abby Hafer, Ian Schleifer, and Tom Wysmuller.

Saturday at 8:30pm in the Faneuil Room: “Let’s Rule the Universe!” with Hugh Casey, Vikki Ciaffone, Forest Handford, and John Murphy.

Sunday at 11:30am in the Burroughs Room: “GRRM Is Still Not Your B****” with Keith R.A. DeCandido, Tanya Huff, Toni L.P. Kelner, and Kiini Ibura Salaam.

Hope to see at least some of you there!

–Ian, the Editor