At its inception, SoonerCon was presented by STAR OKC, a science fiction and fantasy fan club which was active from 1971 to 2005. The first SoonerCons were literary-focused, aimed at the then-small sci-fi fandom crowd.
The first SoonerCon was held in June, 1986. SoonerCon 2 was rushed into existence in November, 1986, and subsequent October-November SoonerCons were hosted in various OKC venues through SoonerCon 13 in 1997. SoonerCon 2006 reestablished this tradition, with the endorsement of the original convention organizers. Several past Convention Committee members have returned to serve in SoonerCon’s second incarnation, with over 30 dedicated convention committee staff volunteers serving each year.
SoonerCon is a collaborative, 100% volunteer organized effort that brings together fans, creative and academic professionals, artists, authors, musicians, small and large businesses, and community members together each year at its annual convention in OKC metro each June. The convention draws more than 2,000 attendees and participants. Additionally, charitable giving is a central focus of the convention’s community outreach endeavors, with these contributions from members growing year over year.
As pop culture and geek culture have both grown to infuse aspects of sci-fi into daily life, SoonerCon’s scope has broadened beyond its literary roots to include offering science, technology, and arts education programming. From filmmaking, STEM demos, art and writing workshops with industry professionals, gaming, comics in the classroom, performances, children’s programming and much more, SoonerCon makes room at the fandom table. There’s always room for another place!