Bouchercon

Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention, is an annual fan convention of creators and devotees of mystery and crime fiction. It is named in honor of writer, reviewer, and editor Anthony Boucher, and pronounced the way he pronounced his name, rhyming with "voucher".

The multi-day convention is held annually (August-October), and hosted in a different city by a different group of volunteers called the Local Organizing Committee.

Each year, attending Bouchercon members nominate and vote for the Anthony Awards for excellence in crime fiction, including: Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Short Story, Best Critical Non-Fiction, and Best Paperback Original.

People who attend are fans, authors, agents, booksellers, publishers and other people who read and enjoy mystery and crime fiction. The first Bouchercon was held in Santa Monica, California in 1970. The guest of honor was Robert Bloch of Psycho fame.

Registered attendees of each Bouchercon are designated as 'members', and vote at the annual business meeting (held during the convention) on necessary business items. Bouchercon's governing body is a volunteer National Board, which changes year to year, consisting of elected Board members, and Local Organizing Committee (LOC) members who have hosted, or will host the convention.