The 84th World Science Fiction Convention
In July 1946, just months after the end of World War II, the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society hosted the first Pacificon—the fourth World Science Fiction Convention and the first to take place after the war. Fans traveled from across the country, guided largely by fanzines (still the primary way news traveled in those pre-ubiquitous-telephone days). Prozines like Astounding Stories helped spread the word, and the program featured lectures, an auction, a costume ball, and a banquet. Fanzine publishers even collaborated on a special “Pacifican Combozine” that included art by Virgil Finlay.
Among those present were early pulp writers and fans such as Clare Winger Harris, Bob Olsen, Wilson (Bob) Tucker, Ross Rocklynne, Guest of Honor A. E. van Vogt, and Bryce Walton. That gathering is remembered today as LAcon I.
This August 27–31, 2026, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention returns to Los Angeles for the fifth time as LAcon V—and I’ll be there.
I’ll be appearing on five panels, including sessions on the Amazing Stories centennial, Women in Early Science Fiction and Fandom, and the roots of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art. For me, this is a chance to share the research I do every day into the history of popular fiction, illustration, and publishing—the same work that shapes Lucina Press, Flying Pony Studios, and everything I publish.
Whether through books, exhibitions, lectures, or convention programming, the goal remains the same: to bring overlooked stories, artists, and ideas to new audiences and to deepen our appreciation of the creative traditions that shaped twentieth-century popular culture.
If you’ll be at LAcon V, I’d love to connect. My complete panel schedule is posted at SaraLightWaller.com.
See you in Los Angeles!