December, 2014 Askance Volume VII, Number 2 Whole Number 32 Edited and published by John Purcell, 3744 Marielene Circle, College Station, TX 77845-3926 Contents © 2014 by John A. Purcell. Contact information: [email protected] 3744 Marielene Circle, College Station, TX 77845 Even so, all rights revert to original artists and authors upon publication. Trust me: you know I'm right about this. What you have here in your hands (or on screen) is another Mythical Publication. Copies of this fine, sort of semi-quarterly fanzine can be had for The Usual, which means expressed interest, submission and eventual inclusion of articles and artwork, letters of comment, expressed interest, and cold hard cash in the amount of $3.00 USD. Bribes are also accepted. Of course, if you send in locs, articles, and artwork, you just earned a life-time free subscription. Not a bad deal, if you ask me. Contents Bemused Natterings………………………………………3 Academics Over Coffee Over the Internet, a Facebook Group conversation between John Purcell, Cait Coker, Robin Reid, and Matthew Davis…………..7 Steampunk Invasion 2014, A Photo Essay Report by John Purcell………………..17 Book Review: The Marvelous Mechanical Man (a Steampunk novel by Rie Sheridan Rose)…………..25 "When Zeus Goes Surfing," Poem by David Emerson……………………………..26 Fanzines Received, Read, & Reviewed…………….……...27 From the Hinterlands, letters from devoted readers…………………………..30 Regional Convention Calendar………………………….35 What's Next………………………………………………42 Kevin Standlee Shoots a Shot-Gun…………………………………43 Art credits: Front Cover by Steve Stiles / Back Cover by Union Army Sheryl Birkhead - 2; Hal O’Brien – photo of Stu Shiffman; Stu Shiffman – 5, 6, 8, 32; Image Googling – 7, 16, 26, 27, 29, 30; Al Sirois – 11; Tomka @ deviantart.com - 35 ; Brad Foster – 42; Photos by John Purcell – 17 – 24, 34, 36, 37, 40; Valerie Purcell – 29, 38, 42; Jose Sanchez – 43. Askance Contest #1! Scattered throughout this issue are linos from a science fiction novel of which I have two copies. The first person to identify the book is the winner and I shall mail it to that lucky person. Have at it! Member: FWA (since 2007!) 2 This issue isn't late. Really, it's not! Once again the time to crank out another issue of Askance has arrived, and not a moment too soon. In fact, I daresay this particular issue cannot be said to be late because I have stopped promising to pub on a steady quarterly schedule. Forget that crap. Instead, following the lead of Nic Farey and Jim Trash with Beam #8 (recently posted on www.efanzines.com), I am getting this zine finally completed and posted - maybe even mail *gasp* paper copies before the end of 2014 so that people voting in the FAAn Awards will remember this damn zine when nomination and voting time arrives. Then again, that all depends on how many people actually read and remember what they've read online anyway. Who knows? Then again, who really cares? All quiet on the fannish front Valerie and I have not attended any science fiction conventions since the end of June this year - still 2014? Yeah, it is - and the next one is most likely going to be Aggiecon 46 next March. Already she is beginning work on assorted art projects for that convention's art show, in addition to other art shows she is committed to. Artistically speaking, Val is a busy person, what with her being the recording secretary for the Brazos Valley Art League and entering assorted shows, so getting something done for a con is a relatively less pressured deadline since those damned things are constantly cropping up. Just take a look at the convention calendar in this issue: there are a lot of them coming up. Take your pick which one to get to or ship your work there. As for myself, I've been busy with school work, both teaching and writing wise. Stu Shiffman (1954 - 2014) The more I read of the passing of fans each year, the more I cherish those that I have known. Learning of Stu Shiffman's death on November 26th while working on this issue hits hard and hurts incredibly much. It certainly feels like a lifetime ago when I first met Stu at a Minicon (he was Artist Guest of Honor at Minicon 20 in 1985), and I remember having conversations with him and Ken Fletcher, Lee Pelton, and others in the consuite at Minicon 19 (1982). Naturally we were nattering madly about fanzines, movies, music, mysteries,and so on, and all the while Stu and Ken were dashing off rapid fire cartoons and assorted filler art faster than Lee and I - and other Minneapolis faneditors like John Bartelt and Mark Digre - could grab them. It was a lot of fun. I think Larry Brommer and Reed Waller even got involved with that toon and zine jam. And that was just one of the many times that I spent time talking with Stu. He was, to put it simply, a sweet guy. Smart, 3 talented, funny… feel free to add any other adjectives to describe him here, folks. No question about it, Stu was one of many friends that I have cherished over the years. So it was incredibly sad to read of his death on Facebook the evening of November 26th. The day before Thanksgiving. Damn! That is not the way to celebrate this holiday. Two years ago Stu suffered a massive stroke from which he fought valiantly to recover. He made significant progress, too; so much, in fact, that in the summer of 2014 he and his long-time partner Andi Malala Shechter married. As I think about their wedding, it makes me feel good that Stu and Andi were able to celebrate their love for each other with family and friends. The photos posted to Facebook were a delight to see, and Stu looked great, smiling in practically all the pictures, and obviously enjoying himself. But sadly, now he is gone. Facebook and LiveJournal have been running non-stop recollections and celebrations ever since, and Andi noted in a response to something that I wrote that the out-pouring of support has given her much needed strength. Bless her heart. And I thank Great Roscoe for giving us Stu Shiffman. Scattered throughout this issue of Askance will be illustrations of his culled from the pages of my first fanzine, This House (1976-1988) and found on the Internet. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate his craft but to give a sampling of what he gave us. Goodbye, Stu. We miss you terribly. Addendum to the Above In my brief and completely incompetent tribute to Stu Shiffman above, I mentioned a posting that I wrote on my Facebook page. Since it expresses something near and dear to my heart - fannish friends - and the influence of social media, here it is: Before I get back to fanzine writing, the outpouring of love and support for Andi Malala Shechter following the loss of her husband, Stu Shiffman, yesterday has done nothing but reinforce how I feel about my friends in fandom: they are among the kindest, most caring, good-hearted people I have ever known. Also, all of you are demonstrating the best side of social media, the way that it can and really should be used: to communicate and stay connected. When someone shares news of the loss of a family member, beloved pet, or job, talking about it, the emotional sharing is a necessary part of the human experience. We cry, grieve, and gnash our teeth, lose sleep, and suffer through these difficult times in our lives, and in the process call out for help. And friends and family respond. So in this modern, distance-information sharing age, we may no longer have the immediacy of friends and family who live nearby to come and offer comfort, we turn to social media. What I have been reading over and over and over again since last night is both saddening and empowering. Losing Stu is overwhelmingly sad and heartbreaking for Andi, but witnessing from a distance the pure love and support she is receiving from so many people around the world has got to be having an effect on Andi and will help her get through this. It will take time, oh yes, but you people are there as probably the largest support group anybody will ever have. Already you are making a difference. 4 This is how it is done, world. This is one way in which social media makes a positive difference in people's lives. Well played, Fandom. Well played. This is probably a shining example of preaching to the choir, but I don't care: it says exactly how I feel. I am very glad that you people are a part of my life. Someday, hopefully many years from now, when it's my turn to shuck this mortal coil, I know that you folks will do the same for Valerie. Just don't forget the Kraken Rum. She will love you for that. But let's not harp on things that are yet to be. It is time to get into the business of who and what is going on in this, the 32nd issue of a fanzine begun the month after Corflu Quire (March, 2007). It won't be long - a little over two years now - before the big 10th year of pubbing hits. Who's in this issue A fair number of names, and some new folks have managed to sneak into these pages. Even though the majority of this issue was written by your humble editor, it is always good to have contributions from other fans.