Science Fiction/San Francisco Issue 104 Editor-in-Chief: Jean Martin April 28, 2010 Editor: España Sheriff email: [email protected] Proofreader: Rina Weisman Compositor: Tom Becker Contents Editorial............................................................................................ España Sheriff.................................... ...................................................................... 2 World Horror Con in Brief............................................................. Christopher J. Garcia........ ........................................................................................ 3 Hugo Nomination Thoughts............................................................ Christopher J. Garcia........ ........................................................................................ 4 Nova Albion...................................................................................... España Sheriff.................. Photos by Deborah Kopec and Jean Martin................... 6 WonderCon Gets Better Every Year.............................................. España Sheriff.................. Photo by Nicole Klepper.............................................. 10 Encom Press Conference and Flynn Lives Rally.......................... JohnnyAbsinthe................ Photos by JohnnyAbsinthe and Jet Set Sean................ 14 Letters of Comment......................................................................... Jean Martin....................... ...................................................................................... 17 BASFA Minutes: Meetings 1025-8.................................................. .......................................... ...................................................................................... 18 Bay Area Fannish Calendar............................................................ España Sheriff.................. Photo by Lucy Huntzinger........................................... 23 Art Credits Cover Star Turn by Lucy Huntzinger Page 17 Night Reef © by Leah Jay Science Fiction/San Francisco is the monthly news zine for the San Francisco Bay Area. All issues can be found at www.efanzines.com. Except as noted, all articles and photos are copyright 2010 by the original creators. Used with permission. 1 Editorial by España Sheriff reading and watching potential Hugo of their songs for a promo. At the top of Editor nominees. My Netflix queue, library my sercon activity list is signing up for Once upon a time convention season borrowing and iTunes subscriptions the San Francisco Tech Shop when it used to start for me with Baycon; from have all been conscripted to the cause. opens and learning to use my new-to-me the beginning of the year I'd plan, prep I’m also glad to say several of my sewing machine, both entirely for and count the days. Nowadays though, it selections have made it onto the ballot, costuming reasons. seem to pretty much run all year round. including the wonderful StarShipSofa Hopefully this will also mean that May is on my doorstep and 2010 already podcast. instead of filling this here zine with has four conventions under its belt. This all means that for once I am double con and event reports each Although Baycon looks to be a well ahead on my Hugo homework, month from yours truly, I’ll be able to comparatively low-key affair this year, having read four and a bit out of six get back to writing my column on a that’s fine with me, since between novel nominees, and quite a lot from the regular basis and coerce new folks to conventions, one-shot events and my short fiction categories as well. So, write up events for us, so it's good news ever-increasing fanzine commitments I wonderful as fannish immersion can be, all around. If you notice a change at all, could use a relaxacon. Well, except for I'm making a late New Year's resolution dear readers, it will be for the better. the fact that I’ve agreed to be on some to take advantage of a bit of a lull over panels (assuming they can find anything the next few months to catch some non- I am interested in and feel qualified to sfnal activities and local sights and talk about). sounds, particularly some live music and Meanwhile the internet provides 24/7 shows. opportunities for fannishness while not Of course, looking at my list the first at an actual meetspace event (well, upcoming shows of interest are Young Join our crew! sometimes also during those); the blogs, Frankenstein and Peter Beagle's Giant We are looking for writers to cover local events, conventions, fan ezines, twitter and podcasts that make up Bones and the band I'm the keenest to groups and the fannish scene in most of my consumption are primarily check out next month is Mumford & general. Contact Jean Martin at genre-related. In particular, the last few Sons, which I learned about through a [email protected] months have been all about researching, Doctor Who site after the BBC used one 2 World Horror Con in Brief By Chris Garcia them talking. It was a surprise to but it was a moment that was less than Staff Writer everyone that Gaiman showed up. congenial. Last weekend, Brighton hosted the There was a lot of partying. James Overall, everyone I talked to at the World Horror Convention, a world- Bacon could not stop raving about the con thought it was a great time. One traveling con that attracts attendees from amount spent by the committee on their thing that World Horror did better than around the world. We flew in from San parties. I missed the Friday party, but any other con I’ve ever been to was its Francisco, headed from Heathrow to the apparently they poured several thousand publications. The program book was a con on various trains, and, after pounds worth of booze for attendees to hardcover, and was good, but the dropping off the bags, headed off to the quaff. The variety and quality of the Souvenir Book, Brighton Shock, was Royal Albion hotel for the convention. freebies was quite high! amazing! Hundreds of pages featuring The amazing thing was walking in Saturday evening was a lovely time, the writing of everyone from Tanith Lee and being assaulted with books. The with a couple of parties going on and to Kim Newman to Chelsea Quinn bookbag was amazing, with copies of lots of discussion of the books. It was Yarbro. It’s an amazing thing and you everything from Tim Powers’ great to chat with authors such as Maura got one for just being a member! bibliography Secret Histories to a McHugh and Kim Newman, whose HUGE book of Zombie Comics! writing I’ve always enjoyed. Readers could be found mining their There were a couple of problems. bookbags in the bar all day. This was a The hotel was a bit confusing and the con that was built around books. The signs weren’t exactly perfect. I spent a dealer’s room was full of book dealers, lot of time figuring out where to go and which was fantastic. It was the home for it wasn’t easy to get from here to there. reader geeks! There were also a few problems with the Sadly, I made few panels, but there parties and who was allowed in. One was a fine program item featuring a very well-known writer and his gentleman named Neil Gaiman talking companions were denied entry to one of about being Neil Gaiman. I like that he the parties. I witnessed it and it was a and Kim Newman can chat and draw bad scene. These things happen at cons, everyone within a dozen miles to see 3 Hugo Nomination Thoughts By Chris Garcia Frederick Pohl. He was writing for weird because there are so many great Staff Writer fanzines when my grandparents were in fanzines out there, including this one, Well, this year’s ballot is interesting diapers (and that’s not a joke, my that are doing amazing work. I’m not so not only due to what’s on the ballot, but grandma was born in 1938!) and people annoyed about Pohl; the guy’s got zine for what’s not on the ballot. Let us start love his blog. cred going back for decades, though he with the Fan Hugos. No Dave Langford. For Best Fan Artist, there’s no Frank hasn’t written for any zines that I know The guy had been on the ballot for a Wu. That was kinda expected and it’s of for a good while, and if Dave Howell couple of decades and had a habit of possible that he declined a nomination. wins, I’ll be so happy because he’s a winning every year until a couple of On the ballot, however, is Dave Howell, great guy and he did an amazing piece years ago. Frank Wu came within two who did the best Hugo trophy ever last with the Hugo trophy. Star Ship Sofa’s a nominations of knocking him off the year and ended up on the ballot because really fun podcast, and it’d have my vote ballot in 2008 (it might have been ‘07) of it. in Best Dram Pres (where it got my when he was regularly writing, and I For Best Fanzine, you can simply nomination, actually) but it’s not a was shocked to see that he wasn’t on the slide Electric Velocipede off last year’s fanzine and it shouldn’t be in the ballot. Steven Silver, another ballot ballot and file in StarShipSofa. This is category. We need a category for regular, fell off, as did John Hertz. This annoying as it’s not a fanzine, it’s a podcasts and blogs and so on. It’s may have something to do with an podcast, and should be in Best Dramatic something we should work on. increased desire to get bloggers and such presentation, but the nominators don’t On other parts of the ballot, we know on the ballot. I’ve never heard of James see it like that and the Administrator that an artist denied a nomination, and Nicoll, but that’s probably more my didn’t feel it was wise to do the move. I not seeing Donato Giancola on the ballot problem. Lloyd Penney’s appearance is completely disagree with it being there, makes me think it’s him. Stephan long-delayed, as he’s the obvious heir to and it’ll obviously walk away with the Martiniere is back on the ballot, and I’m the legendary Harry Warner. Claire award like EV did last year.