Welcome to the April Newsletter from Unconfined - Eastercon 2027 in Glasgow. Welcome to all of our new members and subscribers. Long one this, with lots of news, so let’s get going right away…

What’s contained in this newsletter…

1. Goodbye, and Thank you to Iridescence
2. Introducing the Eastercon 2027 Fan Discord
3. In Memoriam – Ian Watson
4. Unconfined Online Book Club
5. Team Changes
6. Rate Rises coming very soon
7. Announcing: Virtual Memberships, and a membership Instalment Plan!
8. Are you thinking of attending Unconfined with children?
9. Meet us at other conventions soon!
10. 20% off Merchandise if you’ve joined recently
11. More merch choices too!
12. Programme Suggestions
13. Volunteer with us!
14. Newsletter Admin

Goodbye, and Thank you to Iridescence

We had a lot of fun at Iridescence. We were happy to meet so many of you who came to our fan table and bought memberships. At time of writing (which does include the week after Eastercon) 99 people joined the convention, for which we thank you all.

We didn’t manage to entirely deplete our stash of biscuits and tea cakes from Tunnocks. However, as brave and dutiful members of a convention committee, we made sure that the remainder went to good and deserving homes.

We really had a great time talking to everyone and experiencing the enthusiasm everyone had for our Eastercon next year. So much so, we didn’t want the chatting to end. And this is why we decided to …

The Eastercon 2027 Fan Discord

… set up a Fan Discord, so we could keep the conversations going!

Our Discord isn’t just limited to members of the convention – it’s for everyone who is interested in Eastercon. It’s already going strong. So whether you are a regular convention attendee, someone who has been in the past, or someone who has never been at all – you can get a taste of the convention, and ask anything you want. You can join by clicking here.

In Memoriam – Ian Watson

The Team were saddened to hear of the death of Ian Watson, on 13^th April. Ian was one of the leading lights of SF through the seventies and eighties, a Guest of Honour at many European and UK conventions, and a friend to many Eastercons. We will miss him. Our thoughts are with Cristina, his wife, at this time.

Unconfined Online Book Club

Our first online book club was held on 14^th April, where Ann, Ila (they/them), Meg (she/her) and Tommy (he/him) discussed The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by our Guest of Honour P. Djèlí Clark

If you missed it, you can watch it here. Our next book club is on the 12th May, discussing Some Desparate Glory by Emily Tesh. We hope to see you there.

Team Changes

Unfortunately, Tommy Ferguson has had to stand down as Communications Lead. He’ll be missed. However, replacing him is Mark Bailey. Mark returned to fandom after Glasgow 2024, helping with registration at Reconnect in 2025. He’s on the committee for Norncon, to be held in Belfast next month, and now us. Welcome!

Rate Rises coming very soon

Our rates will be rising on 1 May 2026 – now is the time to get your membership and make sure your friends know too!

• FULL ADULT rises from £105 to £120
• DISCOUNTED ADULT rises from £70 to £80
• YOUNG ADULT rises from £25 to £30
• UNDER 13 stays at £10
• APOCRYPHAL rises from £2 to £5

If you’re not a member yet, you can sign up here.

Announcing: Virtual Memberships and a Membership Instalment Plan!

Also on 1 May, we will be launching virtual memberships. These enable you to stream and catch up on all of the conventions’s programme that we are able to provide.

Prices for virtual memberships will be:

• FULL VIRTUAL will be £40
• DISCOUNTED VIRTUAL will be £25

The Instalment Plan

We’re happy to also introduce an instalment plan, for those who can’t pay in one go. In order to access this, you will need to buy a virtual membership for each member wanting to make use of the installment plan, and payments must be completed by 28^th February 2027. Plans will not be available for Child or Young Adult memberships.

Full details on how set up an instalment plan will be go live on our website on 1^st May.

Are you thinking of attending Unconfined with Children?

We want to make it as easy as possible for people with children to attend our convention – and in order to do this we need to know as early as possible if you are likely to attend with children.

If you’re thinking about attending with children, could you please fill in this form (5 questions, 3 mandatory) to let us gain an idea about what provision we need to make? This is not a commitment – merely something to aid us in our planning.

The form’s URL is https://forms.gle/RdcVfDfB7k3s27yC6 – please pass this on to anyone you know who might want to attend our convention and who has children. Thank you!

Meet us at other conventions soon!

We’re going to be at a lot of conventions in the coming months, starting with two in the month of May.

Firstly, we’ll be at NornCon – 8-9 May at the Hilton, Lanyon Place in Belfast.

Then we’ll be at Satellite 9 – 22-24 May in our home town of Glasgow. If you fancy coming to Satellite, book soon, as they are very nearly reaching their membership cap!

Come say hi and ask us any questions you want.

20% off Merchandise with Membership!

If you signed up for membership at Iridescence, you should have been given a 20% off voucher for any of our merchandise, valid until the end of April. Didn’t get it? please let us know and we’ll send details out to you.

And just as an added bonus, for those joining before the rate rise, we’ll send one out to you too.

More Merch choices too!

If you liked our merch based on our range of convention logos, but didn’t like the fit of the Unisex t-shirt, we listened. We’ve added the Fantasy, Spooky and Steampunk logos in Womens’ t-shirt cuts.

Anything else you want to see in the store? Let us know!

We’re looking for Programme Suggestions

One of the great things about coming back from an Eastercon is that everyone is buzzing with ideas for items that could be on the programme. We definitely are, but we want to hear your suggestions too. If you have an idea and you think we should consider it, please fill in our form.

We’re also looking for Volunteers!

We’re definitely gearing up for Unconfined now, and there is a lot to do. We’re putting together our list of roles needed, and there are pre-con liaison and information roles that would be best performed by someone in and around Glasgow. Drop us an email if that sounds interesting.

But we’re always looking for people who want to help out. You can find out more information, and a form to let us know you’re interested, on the volunteering page on our website.

Thanks to…

España Sheriff, both for all our wonderful logos.

Newsletter Admin

When you join Unconfined, you choose to have sent to you all communications or essential updates only. We are proposing to send out each Progress Report (maximum of four before the convention) plus final details to all members. All other newsletters — around one a month — will be sent to those who have chosen to receive all communications.

If you are a member of the convention and wish to change how often you receive mail from us, please log into the registration system and update your choice.