Arcana is a long-running horror convention that bills itself as "a convention of the dark fantastic." Arcana is held annually in late September or early October in St. Paul, Minnesota and typically features a famous author or artist from the dark fantasy genre as its guest of honor. Arcana programming includes a variety of panels, talks, and films, plus an interview and reading with the Guest of Honor. Other programming includes a book and art auction and an "open" reading. The presentation of the Minnesota Fantasy Award is a key feature of each year's convention. History Arcana began in 1971, when two fans of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard and other writers of the pulp era discovered each other and began meeting regularly. John J. Koblas and Eric Carlson soon found others with similar interests, and the gatherings became known as MinnCon. By 1988, the group numbered in the dozens. The possibility of featuring professional guests by charging an admission fee was broached. Confusion with the Minneapolis SF convention Minicon made it desirable to adopt a different name. Thus, Arcana. Minnesota Fantasy Award The Minnesota Fantasy Award is presented annually to a person or persons with ties to Minnesota in recognition of their contributions to the fields of fantasy, science fiction and horror. To be eligible, a nominee must be a Minnesotan by virtue of one of the following: birth; having been a resident of the state for at least five years; or having been a resident of the state for at least one year during which the nominee made a significant contribution to the fields of fantasy, science fiction or horror. The trophy was designed by artist Mike Odden, based on his metal sculpture "Spectre". The first recipients of the award were author Carl Jacobi, writer/poet Donald Wandrei, writer/editor Howard Wandrei, and author Clifford Simak in 1988. Other recipients have included authors, scholars, editors, directors, and poets. Winners from 1988 to the present are listed below with the convention at which the award was announced. Though the award has usually been presented annually, it appears no award was made in the years 2001-2003 inclusive, nor in 2005. Location The first conventions were held in members' homes but after a few years MinnCon grew beyond the capacity of these houses and the event moved to a local hotel. Several hotels have been used over the years,