On April 4, 2008, Icon 27 commenced on the SUNY at Stony Brook campus. The three day event attracted a diverse array of science fiction and fantasy fans. Media personalities and events in the areas of: art, gaming, literature, movies and television, gathered on the university campus to the delight of their fans.
As usual, the convention offered many panels and speakers for sci-fi aficionados. My tastes run towards the literary, but I made time for movies, television and other venues that comes along. This year I had the opportunity to glimpse the mind of a literary great, gain into the industry with two women of science fiction and hear some past and future icons of movie and television speak. I attended a documentary followed by a speaking event both featuring author, Harlan Ellison. His stories span literature, television and movies. The straight-talking writer inspired the crowd with anecdotes from his personal experiences. As I glimpsed parallels with my own life, I wondered if all writers’ childhoods involved negative treatment from their peers or was such treatment exclusive to science fiction writers.
Another venue I attended was the Women in Media panel hosted by Charlaine Harris and Tracy Scoggins.  They shared their personal accomplishments-Harris with her Sookie Stackhouse series adapted for television by HBO and Traci Scoggins, Captain Elizabeth Lochley on Babylon 5, and actress in various other television and movie projects. During the panel, they also observed the slow progress women are making in certain aspects of media.
Actors were present to talk about their past and future projects. Jeffrey Combs, star of Re-Animator movies as well as other H.P. Lovecraft based movies, who also had roles on Star Trek: DS9 and Enterprise and most recently 4400 spoke at the convention. Tim Russ, from Voyager talked about his Star Trek days and his new role on Samantha Who? Ray Park spoke about his martial arts trainind and his upcoming role in the new G.I. Joe movie.
These were just a few areas of programming at Icon 27.