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The collection before you is a collection of joyful journeys into the Underspace and back. On these pilgrimages, many things happened to Bojan, or perhaps they didn't. You know, the essence of life is a slalom around the gates of death and immortality. A little bit of everything. In fact, it is a unique travelogue that does not describe any real-world path.

About something new - Mission Complete: MetropolCon 2026 in Berlin ...

A Slovenian at Eurocon: My MetropolCon 2026 Experience

This year's Eurocon was held together with MetropolCon, following the usual Eurocon tradition. The host convention expands its programme with English-language content and international guests, transforming what would otherwise be a local event into an international one. It is a great way for the European science fiction and fantasy community to discover local conventions and fandoms.

Together with Dominik Lenarčič, I represented Slovenia on behalf of the Celje Literary Society (Celjsko literarno društvo). This year Slovenia played a much more active role than at last year's Archipelacon in Mariehamn, Finland.

Besides preparing Slovenia's nominations for the ESFS Awards, we also hosted a Fan Table, where we presented Supernova, Fanfest, and several highlights of the Slovenian science fiction and fantasy scene. As editor of Supernova, I also had the honour of joining an excellent panel of editors for the discussion The World of SFF Magazines. As in previous years, the official convention booklet included advertisements for both Supernova and Fanfest, helping us introduce international visitors to Slovenian fandom.

Getting to the venue turned into a small adventure of its own, thanks to delayed transport, a runaway taxi, and a few other unexpected incidents.

On Wednesday, we set up our Fan Table, which we happily shared with our Romanian friends. Dominik brought a large Slovenian flag that immediately caught everyone's attention, along with a small donation jar. We displayed copies of the English edition, Supernova – Eurocon Special 2.

Thursday began with the official opening ceremony, during which MetropolCon formally received the ESFS flag. Soon afterwards, the convention programme was in full swing across six different venues. Dominik attended several discussions and panel sessions, while I joined an excellent discussion titled What Is Happening in European SF? The panel explored the unique characteristics of European speculative fiction, its current challenges, and its future.

Meanwhile, our Fan Table became increasingly busy. Visitors were curious about Supernova, our publishing activities, and Slovenian fandom in general, leading to many enjoyable conversations.

Friday brought a particularly busy schedule. We first attended the ESFS Business Meeting 1, where delegates from forty countries registered and voted on various ESFS matters. The meeting concluded with presentations of the national ESFS Award nominations from sixteen participating countries. Dominik did an outstanding job presenting the Slovenian nominations, supported by an excellent and highly original slideshow.

Before all the presentations had even finished, we hurried to the neighbouring hall for our own presentation on Slovenian fandom. It turned into a lively and engaging discussion about the Slovenian SF&F community and its contribution to European fandom. Participants from many different countries joined the conversation, making it especially diverse and interesting.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at our Fan Table, talking with visitors eager to learn more about our activities. Many delegates stopped by, giving me plenty of opportunities to practise what I jokingly call my "broken English." Fortunately, I soon realised I wasn't the only one speaking imperfect English. One of the wonderful things about Eurocon is the welcoming atmosphere—people come to exchange ideas, not to judge each other's accents or grammar. That openness makes all the difference.

Saturday began with ESFS Business Meeting 2, devoted primarily to future Eurocon bids. Lisbon had already been selected to host Eurocon 2027, so the focus shifted to 2028 and beyond. Zagreb was the only candidate for Eurocon 2028 and impressed everyone with a highly professional presentation, supported by the rich tradition of Sferakon, whose 50th anniversary will coincide with the convention.

For Eurocon 2029, Warsaw and Sofia will compete next year, while Birmingham has also entered the race for a future convention. It is worth mentioning that Birmingham graciously withdrew its 2028 bid last year in support of Zagreb's anniversary—a fine example of the friendly spirit that exists within European fandom.

After the presentations and the vote confirming Zagreb as the host of Eurocon 2028, I returned to our Fan Table. Once again, there was a constant flow of visitors. Although we certainly were not giving away copies of Supernova for free, we still ran out of magazines. My promotional materials disappeared just as quickly.

I also gave an interview to the Romanian magazine Helion, which turned into a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The Romanian delegation was wonderful company—we had a great time together. Among the familiar faces were my Austrian friend Nina Horvath, the ever-energetic and entertaining Dave Lally, Cheryl Morgan, and many others. One of the things I value most about Eurocon is how generously experienced fans, editors, and writers are willing to share their knowledge.

Sunday began with a presentation on Czech science fiction and fantasy by my friends Julie Nováková and Lucia Lukačovičová. Afterwards came one of the highlights of the convention for me: the panel discussion The World of SFF Magazines. I had the privilege of sitting alongside Neil Clarke, Ádám Gerencsér, Felix Meyer zu Venne, Rebecca E. Treasure, and Francesco Verso.

Before an almost full audience, each of us first introduced our magazine, after which we discussed editorial policies, the economics of publishing, current challenges, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in magazine production. The audience contributed many thoughtful and engaging questions.

Before the panel began, I confessed with a smile:

"I'm sorry about my triple broken English."

Fortunately, the audience appreciated the humour. People do not come to Eurocon to judge pronunciation or grammar—they come to exchange ideas. One of the most entertaining moments was when I quoted ChatGPT's own answer about its role in preparing Supernova, which sparked plenty of laughter and discussion.

Then came the ESFS Awards ceremony.

The voting process is straightforward but carefully organised. Verified delegates cast their votes through a secure online ballot, and the winners are determined by the results.

I already knew I would receive the ESFS Chrysalis Award, since every nominee in that category receives the award. Its purpose is to encourage promising newcomers and support their future work.

Slovenia had nominations in several categories, but I tried not to expect too much.

Then my heart skipped a beat.

The words "Supernova, Slovenia" were announced as the winner of the ESFS Award for Best Magazine.

A magazine that had started as a small volunteer project had gradually grown into the Best European Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine. It proved that even a volunteer initiative can achieve professional results when it is driven by enthusiasm, dedication, and a genuine love of the genre. It is worth noting that the Best Magazine category recognises professional publications, while fan-produced magazines compete separately in the Best Fanzine category.

My own name also appeared among the nominees for Best Promoter. The award quite deservedly went to the renowned Italian editor and publisher Francesco Verso. Honestly, simply finding myself nominated alongside him already felt like an honour. Francesco and I congratulated each other afterwards and happily posed together for a photograph.

The closing ceremony was followed by the traditional charity auction, featuring all kinds of science fiction and fantasy memorabilia. Among the most sought-after items were the three official MetropolCon 2026 flags, which were sold to enthusiastic bidders. Some items reached surprisingly high prices. Every euro raised went to the Fan Funds, which support fandom communities in less affluent countries.

Then it was time to head home.

This time there were no runaway taxis, delayed buses, or other travel adventures—at least until we reached Slovenia. Ironically, the only serious delay occurred after crossing the Slovenian border. I got off the bus in Maribor only about fifteen minutes behind schedule, but Dominik arrived in Ljubljana an hour and a half late.

That, unfortunately, is the reality of Slovenian road traffic.

Think about it: from Berlin all the way to Graz—and even through the Vienna morning rush hour—the journey stayed on schedule. Yet once we crossed into Slovenia, traffic jams and bottlenecks turned the final stretch to Ljubljana into an extra ninety minutes on the road. I can only imagine how much later the bus finally reached the southern border.

Despite that rather predictable ending, the memories of MetropolCon 2026 remain overwhelmingly positive. It was a convention full of inspiring conversations, new friendships, shared enthusiasm, and proof that even a small country like Slovenia can make a meaningful contribution to the European science fiction and fantasy community.

Read the general article about Slovenia's participation

Photo by Dominik Lenarčič, Bojan Ekselenski and others ..

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