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August, 2013 Askance Volume VI, Number 4

Whole Number 29

Edited and published by John Purcell, 3744 Marielene Circle, College Station, TX 77845-3926

Contents © 2013 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.

What you have here in your hands (or on screen) is another Mythical Publication. Copies of this fine, 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. Heck of a deal, eh?

Special LoneStarCon 3 Issue

CONTENTS

Bemused Natterings…………………………………….3 A Legend of Aussiecon, by Bill Wright…………….….7 RE: LONCON 3 FAN PROGRAMME, byJim Mowratt.…..9 Chattacon XXXVIII Report, by Mike Lowrey………..11 At Least My Brilliant…, by Taral Wayne…………….16 Fanzine Reviews……………………………….……...18 From the Hinterlands…………………………….…...21 Regional Convention Calendar……………………….31 What’s Next – and when!...... 39

ARTWORK: Front cover: Taral Wayne. Sheryl Birkhead – 2; Ian Gunn – 3; clip art – 5; image Googled Aussiecon – 7,8;

Image Googled Loncon 3 – 9; image Googled Graham Charnock – 10; image Googled Chattacon 38 – 11; Photos supplied by Mike Lowrey – 12, 14; amymebberson.tumbler.com – 16; Steve Stiles – 18; image Googled middle of nowhere – 21; Teddy Harvia – 25; Brad Foster – 33; Jose Sanchez – 37; Photo by Valerie Purcell - 39 Back cover: Teddy Harvia.

Member: FWA (since 2007!)

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TCOB (TAKING CARE OF BIZNESS)

Yes, I am calling this the Special LoneStarCon 3 Issue of Askance; the 71st World Science Fiction Convention is being held at the Gonzalez Convention Center, Sa Antonio, Texas, from August 29th to September 2nd, 2013, and Valerie and I have been looking forward to attending for the last year. Face it: the last world convention I attended was Iguanacon II, the Phoenix, AZ WorldCon held over Labor Day weekend of 1978. That is 35 years between WorldCons. As some folks would say, “that’s not too many,” but considering that this year’s premier event in the science fiction community is being held almost in my backyard – San Antonio is roughly a three hour drive from College Station – this was almost as much of a no-brainer as my attending Corflu 24 in Austin, Texas, in 2007 (a two-hour drive from home). So, this is one of those things that given the opportunity to take in the biggest event of the science fiction community’s calendar, we are there.

Be that as it may, we still have things to take care of before LoneStarCon 3 hits. As I write this, it is three weeks before the con begins on August 29, 2013, and both of us have a lot to do before then. For Valerie, it is preparing a lot of artwork for the artshow and Artist’s Alley , plus the cover for this year’s WOOF collation. WOOF, for those of you who don’t know what that acronym stands for, is the Worldcon Organization Of Faneditors, and WOOF is essentially the World Convention’s APA (Amateur Press Association). A such, this is a publication that comes out only oce a year, traditionally collated on the Sunday of the WorldCon and each contributor to the WOOF APA gets a copy. If there are any exta copies, those are available usually at the whims of the OE (Official Editor) for that year. This time, it’s me: John Hertz, who has served in this capacity in the past, asked if I would be willing to be the OE of LSC3’s WOOF, and I accepted. Having an artist for a wife made it easy to procure a cover, and what I then had to do was get the word out to all and sundry as to what the copy count is for this year’s WOOF, when the collation would be, plus getting the details from everyone contributing so I can get a table of contents together and run off copies. This last item typically is created on site, and if I get contributions early enough I could conceivably bring the TOC to San Antonio. I don’t see that happening, though; I know how these faneditors operate.

My other duties over the LSC3 weekend are fairly straightforward, but require a good amount of preparation. As I said in the last issue and also in three issues of Askew this year, I am the host of the Fanzine Lounge at LSC3, and taking a historical approach. Each day the fanzine lounge will feature some means of fanzine reproduction that fans have used since fanzines first began back in the early 1930s. So one day will be simple typewriter and carbon paper, another day will be a demonstration/workshop on hectograph, then there will be a mimeograph demo/workshop, then the whole shebang will wrap up

3 with a desktop publishing day. I did have plans to use a ditto machine, but unfortunately those fell through. For that, I apologize, but there will still be much to do and enjoy in the fanzine lounge.

Besides the requisite comfy chairs and loveseats for conversation, the lounge will have banquet round tables with chairs for folks to sit, converse, play cards or some other game (I’m bringing a couple games), plus other fun things (coloring paper, crayons, coloured pencils, origami paper, etc.), so the lounge is designed for camaraderie and conversation during the whole of the convention. And the big advantage is that there is a bar next to the fanzine lounge. It doesn’t get any better than that, does it?

So come on over, peruse the fanzine tables – freebies, fan fund auction items, zines for sale, etc. – and enjoy the company of fans who take part in this literary productive side of fandom. It is my sincerest hope that young fans who will be cruising the exhibit hall in the Gonzalez Convention Center will stop and partake of the planned and unplanned events. It should be a fun time.

WHY THIS CONVENTION IS IMPORTANT TO ME

For the past month I have been mulling this topic over and over inside my head. These ruminations reveal a number of reasons for why I look at LoneStarCon 3 as such an important event. First and foremost, this will be my first WorldCon since Iguanacon back in 1978. There are some definite similarities between the two, the big one being that both are HOT, as in triple-digit high temperatures; for those of you who favour the Celsius scale, that translates into the high 30s and low 40s. For example, when it hit 105° F last week here in College Station, Texas, the equivalent Celsius temperature is 41°. Brother, that is hot! Factor in the humidity factor – which is usually over 60% everyday – then according to the heat index, that feels like 112° F, or… Well, you get the idea. In comparison, during Iggy the average daily high was 110° F, but the humidity was a bone-dry 10-20%, if that much. So both of these cons will be “feeling” about the same, heat-wise.

Fun-wise, both should be similar, but it has been 35 years since my last world science fiction convention, and from what I can tell so far, this beast has changed dramatically in that time. So another part of me is very curious to experience a 21st century WorldCon and marvel at the changes both positive and negative. Some aspects have not changed: fans still grouse about the Fan Hugos, and voting blocs, the so-called BNFs who rule the roost, so to speak; stuff like that.

And like in 1978, there is a national political issue hanging over the host state. Thirty-five years ago the issue was women’s rights: Arizona was refusing to sign the Equal Rights Amendment that would guarantee women full and equal rights. The ERA had passed both houses of the American Congress and had gone to the states for ratification (needing 2/3rds of the states to vote yes) by June 30th of 1982, but failed to do so. Arizona, being very pig-headed about the issue, refused to ratify, prompting Iguanacon Guest of Honor Harlan Ellison to protest by refusing to put any of his money into the state coffers; how well I remember the Winnebago he lived in parked outside the Phoenix Hyatt. I also remember Harlan sitting inside a plastic tent in the Hyatt’s Atrium tippy-tapping on a manual typewriter a story that would eventually become “Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54' N, Longitude 77° 00' 13"

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W", one of the longer titles Ellison created. Damn story even won the Hugo Award for best short story at the following year’s world convention. But I seriously am off topic here.

What I’m getting at this year is how the Texas State Legislature, led by its cheerleader Governor Rick Perry, is waging a full-blown yet undeclared war on women. This has been going on for quite a few years actually as the Republican Party in this state – and across the country, too – seems to “have it in” for limiting women’s access to health care, closing down Planned Parenthood offices, abortion clinics, and blocking virtually anything that would benefit women who happen to be 53% of all registered voters in Texas (regardless of party affiliation). So once again, a number of people are protesting/boycotting anything Texas, which sadly includes the WorldCon, which, if anything, is essentially non-affiliated with any political party while fans of all political stripes attend the con. Go figure. I guess it really is true that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I would have thought that 35 years later this country would have made greater strides forward. Seems as though we’ve gone backwards instead.

But, that’s the political climate comparison between Iguanacon and LoneStarCon 3. It will be interesting to see how programming and attendees react and comment on this during the con.

LoneStarCon 3 is also my wife’s very first World Science Fiction Convention. Valerie is not only a lovely person, smart as a whip with a great sense of humor, but a talented artist. She created the cover for this year’s WOOF (which I have written about already) and will be having her work on display in the Art Show, plus will be arts and crafting away in the Artist’s Alley on Friday evening. She is also a gifted seamstress, creating wonderful Renaissance costumes for us; I don’t know as of this writing if she will have the time to complete our Steampunk outfits for the con. Keep your fingers crossed on that one, please. But she is extremely excited to be there and see what this malarkey is all about. It is not her first sf convention: she’s been to Aggiecons and Fencon8/ DeepSouthCon 49 a couple years ago, and enjoys the fannish company. I really want her to have a good time at LoneStarCon 3 and not feel all stressed out over her artwork. A WorldCon is a place where fans love to see each other and hang out, have a good time, so I dearly hope she can relax and enjoy the event.

Far and away, the most important reason is that this is where my friends gather. Some of these people I have not seen in positively decades. I can name names, but I’d rather not: the list would take up the rest of this issue. The main thing is that over the years I have come to love fans as my friends. This bunch of crazy, whacked-out, Buck Rogers loving weirdoes is my kind of people, and I am proud to say that they are dear friends. It has been so long since I have seen some of these folks – others, not that long since they attend cons that I’ve been to in the last five years – that I am expecting this WorldCon to be rather emotional for me. As such, I will probably become verklempt from time to time. So be it. I really cannot wait to see my friends again. You are the reason I am involved with fandom and persist in writing locs, articles and producing fanzines.

Let’s not make the next time such a huge gap in between. Thirty-five years? That’s definitely too many!

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WHO IS IN THIS ISSUE

Everybody here is involved with conventions in one way or another. The really fun thing is that both fan fund delegates to LoneStarCon 3 have contributed brief articles regarding either past or future worldcons, which works out very nicely.

As such, it’s a good bunch of people. They are all folks that I have corresponded with over the years, and funny thing, I have never met any of them in person. Well, I may have met Orange Mike Lowrey at a Windycon or Minicon ages ago, but I just cannot remember doing so.

Michael Lowrey Also known in fandom as “Orange Mike”, his Chattacon XXXVIII (that translates to 38 for those ignorant of Roman numerals) first appeared on the Southern Fandom Classic listserv earlier this year. I am not sure how long Mike has been involved with fandom, but I’m positive he got into it in the 1970s like many of us. In any event, he is gracious to let me reprint his daily convention updates in this issue.

Jim Mowatt

Jim – also called Jim Trash by his dearest friends – is this year’s TAFF representative and hails from Jolly Old England, though he may deny that at some point during the world convention. He and co- conspirator Nic Farey produce Beam, a fanzine that has been produced in print, but costs have now relegated it to being solely electronic so it is available for perusing and enjoyment at http://efanzines.com. Enjoy it. I sure do.

Taral Wayne

Even though he is not writing as much for other fanzines lately – I guess once you’ve written 100 contributions to Drink Tank burn-out is inevitable – but mostly concentrating on producing his fanzine Broken Toys (again, available on the efanzines site), recently Taral sent me this little piece. I think it balances things off nicely against the other content herein.

Bill Wright

Bill hails from Australia – g’day, mate! Australia, Australia, Australia! We love ya, amen – and is this years DUFF representative to the world science fiction convention. He likewise produces a fanzine, the beautifully produced Interstellar Ramjet Scoop, which is mostly intended for ANZAPA (Australia-New Zealand Amateur Press Association) but somehow also finds its way on efanzines.com. Wonder why that is? Readers will learn more about his extensive background in fandom in his contribution.

“Peace was restored in the Middle East, the Indo-China War fizzled out and the World Science Fiction Society was recognised by the United Nations as the legislative arm of World Government.”

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A LEGEND OF AUSSIECON

a saga of epic proportions by Aussiecon (1975)’s Parliamentarian, Bill Wright

Not many fans are aware it was hushed up by the SMOFs ..that the business meeting of the 33rd World Science Fiction Convention (Aussiecon) held in Melbourne Australia in 1975 was, not to put too fine a pointon it, an utter shambles. This was due in no small part to the depredations of its Parliamentarian. In a spirit of reforming zeal and dazzled by the prospect of taking the World Science Fiction Society away from the Americans who thought they owned it, I tried to substitute Renton's Guide for Meetings and Organisations based on Australian law for Roberts Rules of Order as the basis for determining the outcome of Worldcon business meetings.

Following is my account of proceedings, first published in 1976 in my fanzine Interstellar Ramjet Scoop.

"This business meeting of the 33rd World Science Fiction Convention will come to order" intoned the Chairman. "First item on the agenda is ratification of the Constitution bequeathed to us by DISCON 2. All in avour say Aye; to the contrary No; I think the Ayes have it – Secretary, note that the Constitution is ratified”. Instant bedlam erupted. The Chairman's resonant monologue had taken all of twenty seconds. He smiled at the meeting through a half inch screen of bullet-proof plastiglass. "Order, ladies and gentlemen, please. Sergeant at Arms, escort those two men fighting out of the room!" Bedlam gave way to a tense silence.

"I will recognise a point of order," said the Chairman in a soft voice, glancing significantly at the armalite riflebeing twirled in negligent fashion by the Sergeant at Arms. An insignificant-looking American rose hesitantly to his feet. "M-mister Chairman," he began and then with a rush, "point-of-order-I-think- there-should have been-some-debate." “Oh you do, do you?" said the Chairman in a tone that froze his listeners to the marrow," Perhaps we had better learn what the Parliamentarian has to say about that."

The lights dimmed and a pearly radiance was seen to emanate from a raised throne in a corner of the dais. Gradually, as their eyes adjusted to the gloom, the audience took cognisance of a commanding personage seated on the throne. The Parliamentarian spoke in soft musical tones. No one remembered exactly what he said, but all present carried away with them an impression of having been vouchsafed the wisdom of ages.

On their descent from epiphany, the lights once more flared into brilliance and the Chairman continued with the meeting. "The next item on the agenda is Kansas City's objection to ratification procedures in the Constitution." An unnatural silence greeted this announcement. "Well, well. Have they got a surprise coming!" commented the Chairman cheerfully and moved straight on to the main item of business - the

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NaSFiC controversy. A forest of hands was raised, each member trying to catch the Chairman's eye. "One moment," said the Chairman, "first we must have a statement of process from the Parliamentarian."

The Parliamentarian rose to his feet and the audience was spellbound by the austere beauty of his sensitive fannish stance. "Inasmuch as it is accessible to human understanding," he began – and this time his words resonated clear are as a bell in everybody's mind, "the NaSFiC is entirely the concern of the Americans, so discussions concerning it would normally be conducted in North America. However, at this meeting we have assembled the elite of fandom whose minds are finessed to a subtlety that might well be capable of resolving the NaSFiC conundrum ..don't you lower your voice to Me, Mr Chairman! Here, on this neutral ground, contestants meet each to pit his wits and experience against the massed opposition of his peers."

A feast of argument ensued. The Parliamentarian retired into the background with a smirk of satisfaction on his fat face. The Chairman's spectacles glittered with intellectual rapture as he steered the meeting through the shoals of debate until - and nobody to this day is sure when the actual moment arrived - the NaSFiC was explained and a brand new insight was born into the world. John Foyster cried out in amazement; the argument had shown him how to square the circle. An excited babble broke out as each member tried to expound to his neighbour his own blinding revelation from the NaSFiC solution.

The meeting broke up in disorder, but it wasn’t long before NaSFiC was being applied to all sorts of problems everywhere. Peace was restored in the Middle East, the Indo-China War fizzled out and the World Science Fiction Society was recognised by the United Nations as the legislative arm of World Government. The Rule of the SMOFS had begun.

Nowadays, the WSFS is a relatively stable organisation. Aussiecon's resolutions were rescinded the following year at MidAmericon and it is as tribute to FIAWOL that no one has seriously challenged North America's hegemony over the WSFS ever since.

- Bill Wright

“[Graham Charnock] calls me a twat most days. It’s a kind of hobby.”

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Memo from JIM MOWATT

RE: LONCON 3 FAN PROGRAMME

[Editor’s note: When I asked for something related to world cons from Jim, this is what he sent. Next year’s World Science Fiction Convention – the 72nd one (collect the whole series!) – is being held in London, England, and Jim and his wife Carrie are heading up the Programme committee for it. As you can deduce from the title, this then is about that subject and was sent to the Loncon 3 chairpersons. All I can say is, I am glad that I am not this involved in working on a world convention.]

I am writing to you in my capacity as Division head for Programme for Loncon 3. These and several other words arrived in our email inboxes. They were flung in our direction by James Bacon, who is indeed Division head forProgramme for Loncon 3.

“Oh my goodness,” says Carrie and I. We throw up our arms and howl at the moon. We run and gibber and panic and run and gibber some more, but it is of no use. We are caught by the Worldcon machine and must do our duty, hating every second and complaining loudly to anyone that will listen that Worldcons are evil and wrong and they suck every amount of goodness from the local fandom, passing forever onwards leaving behind nothing but dried husks, spent fandoms and the soft moans of the discarded corpses of fanprog enthusiasts.

Of course this is quite untrue, but we did have reservations. The first thing that sprang to mind was the article that Christina Lake wrote for issue 5 of Beam. Christina felt alienated and isolated to some degree during her stint at producing Eastercon fan programming. There was also a piece from Max in Banana Wings where she wrote of difficulties during another Eastercon. We talked to many people and most said things such as don’t do it, please don’t do it, and fergoodness sake are you complete idiots? Graham Charnock called me a twat but I’m not sure that had anything to do with this. He calls me a twat most days. It’s a kind of hobby. I wrote to Christina asking what she thought and she was wonderfully supportive and assured me that if I needed assistance then I should feel free to ask. Claire Brialey also said supportive things and suggested that Carrie and I are a team that tick a helluvalotta boxes as regards fan programming.

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We also sent many probing questions to programming peeps James Bacon, Ian Stockdale and Liz Batty and they went to some considerable lengths to answer our messages. This was all very much appreciated. We decided that they could possibly be a really good team to work with and it would give us a chance to bring into being some of our ideas for fan programming. I’m convinced that the reason we were asked is that we have been very keen to produce interactive programme items for conventions. There have been a number of Eastercons at which we have run ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha silly games events. I Yer a twat! very much enjoy getting people involved and trying to create extraordinary moments.

We want to make this programme stream enticing for both established fans and those who are still getting to know the fannish community, with a leaning towards activities where everyone can get involved. Some of our initial programming ideas include dramatisation of great fannish events (first con/first Worldcon) and a snakes and ladders floor tile game that will simulate your progress through fandom. We want to feature fanartists talking about their work. It would be wonderful to demonstrate duplicator technology such as the hecto duplicator and a hand cranked enchanted duplicator. We’d like to feature small fan groups and get them to show us some of the exciting and unusual things that make them unique and remarkable. Our brief is that we focus upon traditional fanactivity and we are looking for ideas/suggestions and offers of help to make our Loncon 3 fan programming stream truly extraordinary.

Please contact Carrie and I at [email protected] with your thoughts.

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

[Yet another editorial note: Science fiction conventions are an interesting beast. They serve a number of functions, as I wrote in my editorial blatherings at the start of this issue, but networking between fans and professionals also occurs. In other words, real WORK pertaining to the literature - as in writing and editing, hammering out contract details, and such - gets done at these things. Who’d a-thunk it?

At any rate, there are so many conventions it’s silly. One of the longer running conventions is Chattacon, which I have never had the pleasure to attend, but have always heard good things about. Mike Lowrey, who has a long affiliation with that con, attending the most recent one (January 25-27, 2013) and then posting daily reports to the Southern Fandom Classic Listserv. With his permission, I am reprinting those, spicing them up with photos I have found on the Internet by googling “images Chattacon 38.” Hey, whatever works, I’m gonna do it.

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CHATTACON XXXVIII REPORT

by “ORANGE MIKE” LOWREY

Day One Report

(For those of you who don't know the story: I was membership #3 at the first Chattacon, which was attended by less than 100 people; so when I moved from Nashville to Milwaukee, I vowed not to break my streak. For probably a decade now, I'm the only person left who has attended every single one. Cicatrice understands, and has occasionally come with me, with or without Kelly, when finances permitted. This, alas, was not one of those years.)

Up at 4 a.m., with the temperature approximately 4 degrees (F) outside. Cicatrice bids me a farewell that does NOT embrace getting out of a warm bed in this kind of cold, and I drive to the airport. (She'll pick the car up later.) I get on my redeye flight and sleep through most of it, as well as the connecting flight out of Detroit (I was up late the night before, proofing her MilwApa zine and doing preparatory stuff for my trip).

In Chattanooga's tiny airport, I encounter a local fan who is on his way OUT of town, since he's got a paid gig; he expresses his regret at missing Chatta this year (it doesn't help that he no longer lives in East Tennessee). The shuttle driver and I discuss the hardships of civil service (he used to drive tanker trucks for the city's vehiclefleet, which can be a really fun gig during a major snowfall event). Ilearn that everybody locally is dreading an announced "freezing rain" storm, which can leave quarter-inch thick coats of frozen ice on every road, wall, pine needle, twig and power line in the region, and mere fear of which has already caused cancellation of schools, etc. [Anti-climax warning: it didn't happen, and I expect the usual clueless mockery by people who think weather is not a chaotic a system as it is. The hysteria, however, may cut into walk-in memberships for the con.]

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I'm amazingly early, but also amazingly tired; I check in and grab a brief nap, rather than explore the town in my usual token way. When I get up, registration has opened, but the line for pre-registered is non-existent, so I grab my badge and wander over to the meeting rooms after cruising the registration line for old familiar faces (the faces, are fannish, but no especially familiar ones swim into view). In the meeting hall, I run into a couple of folks I recall from prior Chattacons: we discuss SF and tastes; I recommend a title for his wife, who likes books about the Fae (after she reads Terry Pratchett's "Lords and Ladies", she'll never look at them the same way again). Based on the glowing accounts his friend and I give of Discworld in general, I suspect he's going to be buying some Pratchett for himself as well.

The dealer's room is open, and (as expected) light on books, heavy on garments and tchotkes. I have a limited budget, and buy nothing as yet. I haven't eaten all day, so I go for the hotel restaurant's buffet: it's their usual mediocre offering, with nothing bad enough to whine about (except the pecan pies were made with crusts that had been sitting in a freezer long enough to acquire that odd stale flavor) or good enough to recommend it, and nothing to indicate that you're eating in the South, a region where good cooking is prized. I overeat, trying too hard to get my money's worth, and come away a bit bloated.

Opening ceremony is nice enough: Wendy Webb is toastmistress, and has done the "google for your guests' names and see what has been done by people with the same name" bit. William Stout and Tim Powers speak briefly but amusingly. Cherie Priest does as well, but ribs the con committee for not realizing that this "Seattle writer" they've invited as a guest is a former Chattanooga resident and Chattacon attendee who is in the process of moving back to Chattanooga! She says she wants to get away from the cold wet weather; it's 33 degrees and raining as she speaks. As it is breaking up, I walk over to a tiny girl who's there with family: the mom tells me, "You played with her at WorldCon! She looked over and said, 'I remember him!'" I don't remember this specific small person (under 5) from Chicon last, but I am a total sucker for children, and at cons I always go out of my way to acknowledge them as people who are welcome to the con and whom I hope to see again.

At the meet-the-guests party afterwards, I speak briefly with Priest, and more at length with Stout. I'm an old fart, and remember him from the glory days of underground comix with titles like "Bicentennial Grossouts" (he tells me he's seen that one in a Bicentennial Museum collection) and the immortal "Slow Death"; we don't talk about "Bizarre Sex". We talk about the people who are fans of his era from one era or another, and don't connect

12 the dots to other stages of his career. (That's one of the things I love about doing a good Wikipedia article: connecting the Montana pioneer to the Wisconsin Greenback legislator; or the labor leader to the old-time YPSL activist; or the fanzine fan to the noted poet.) I see and greet old acquaintances, and run down Chattacon's official historian, to whom I give a printout of the article from "Die Welt" written about Chattacon. [see http://www.welt.de/debatte/henryk-m-broder/article13836767/Science-Fiction- der-Notausgang-aus-der-Langeweile.html] I am still overfull, and unable to give the marvelous hors d'oeuvres at the party the attention they so emphatically deserve. (Local fannish foodies make them in quantity, and they are inevitably a gustatory highlight of the weekend.) I get into my second conversation of the weekend about the "1632" series with somebody who's spotted the book I'm carrying, and I suspect I've made another convert.

I head over to the Con Suite, which is actually in another building, a former ice skating rink. Unfortunately, the heat in is on the fritz, although the temps are not down to ice-forming levels. I eat the token Little Debbie Swiss Roll (it is Chattacon), and a few slices of tangerine. I run into younger fans who remember me from prior Chattacons where we've talked fannish history, and a local reporter whom I helped with a Chattacon story a while back (he says his boss prefers "sci fi" in a headline, although he understands my attitude on the term), and the reporter introduces me to his wife, who's there for the first time. I sit and read for a while ("1635: Papal Stakes"), then head over to the section of the hotel where the few parties are. Neither has started yet, so I sit in the lobby and read the local paper (not a long process) before returning to find the LibertyCon party now under way. I have heard good things about LibertyCon, but can only afford one long trip to a regional con per year; I keep hoping that some year they will invite me as a fan GoH ("Chattanooga's most familiar face you only see once a year, here in June for a change!"). After a while, I move on to the other party, a steampunk event billed as a stag party for one of their own whom I don't know. It's crowded and I don't stay long.

I return to my room, map out this report in my head, and collapse with it unwritten.

Day Two Report

I wake up late and bleary a little before 10:00 a.m. local time (9:00 a.m. my body's time); but discover there's no programming until 11:00; and nothing I want to attend until 1:00 p.m. I type and post the first installment of this series, and head for the con suite. The Krispy Kreme donuts are all gone, but I grab some cereal and milk, and a few Little Debbie snack cakes, to go with my Dr. Pepper. I wander around aimlessly, greeting acquaintances and smiling at children. As has been happening all con, I get folks shaking my hands and saying things like, "I know it's Chattacon now: the orange guy is here!" I do take advantage of the free massage offer from the local chiropractor trying to drum up business; it aches afterwards, but in a good sort of way.

I drift over to the programming building (the Centennial Center) and wander the hucksters' room, which is more populated now (although a couple of tables will go unclaimed throughout the con). The Larry Smith operation has oodles of new books; there is one person selling "vintage" (i.e., used) books for excessive prices, and a few smaller publishers and self-publishers pushing their own wares, plus artist GoH William Stout selling a tempting array of collections of his own work over the years. Otherwise:

13 dealers in clothing, glassware, jewelry, weapons, steampunk props, and t-shirts, plus one guy (apparently Japanese himself) selling an extensive array of anime- and manga-related stuff. I politely ignore the Dragon*Con booth.

Outsided the dealers room are tables for local cons, the local SCA barony, the AAA(!), and an anthropology undergrad doing a survey about "geek fandom". She explains that her professor said that fandom was about more than science fiction nowadays, so she shouldn't call it "science fiction fandom"; I lecture her about respecting the customs and self-definitions of the culture in which you are doing fieldwork, and tell her the old reservation joke about the basic Native American family unit.

At 1:00 o'clock a guy named Saylor whose first name I never caught gives a slideshow/lecture on the history of SF from Verne to Star Wars. He's earnest, touches a lot of the requisite bases, tries to put developments in cultural context, and is apparently a friend of Bob Madle's, but on the whole I'm definitely not impressed: sorry, friend Saylor. I catch one of the frequent shuttles (a vital necessity at the Choo Choo, which sprawls across a space bigger than some college campuses I've seen) back to the con suite, snack a bit more, and sit to read for a bit. A few folks say howdy, and one of the veteran bartender-DJs comes to my table to ask me if there's anything I want. He knows the answer before I speak; soon the dulcet strains of Frank Zappa and the Mothers fill the hall (they know me here).

At 3 there's the annual Baen Books traveling slide show (speaking of traveling, they're publishing the first novel by Frank Chadwick, the guy who designed the SF roleplaying game Traveler). I leave the room with more books than I came in with; this is a good thing for a book reviewer. There was some discussion, occasionally grumpy, about the whole Jim Hines vs. the Contortionist Art Directors issue of improbably postured people on SF book covers. Afterwards, I go to my room to lighten my load of books, drop off my jacket (which I no longer need since the temperature has soared above 34 F.) and check my e-mail; there might have been a quick nap in there.

Another drift through the dealer's room, where I am mildly tempted by an orange cowboy hat as worn by Portagas D. Ace from One Piece, a show I've never seen. Later, I will post this on Facebook, where my daughter will proclaim "*giggles* (oh dear gods, if you get ityou have to wear the rest of the outfit as some point.)" I shall decline the hat and the offer, even though I look so much like this guy {Mike included this illo. – ed}. Instead, I go back

14 once more to the consuite.

There is no masquerade this year, but this doesn't stop folks from wearing a variety of colorful garb, from the WW2 re-enactor to a variety of the "two heaps of jelly squeezed onto a shelf" school of bosom enhancement and display. One woman wears a skin-tight pseudo-vintage-WAC outfit that (except for the pink streaks in her blonde hair) could be described as "Sluttina, the Andrews Sister nobody talked about". The "white kids from the Atlanta suburbs wearing the latex and leather fetish gear they bought with the 'rents credit cards" element seems to have passed on from Chattacon to some other venue Mommy and Daddy don't know about; not that such garb did not make an appearance, but there was a lot more of steampunk, pirates, SCA and pseudo-medieval, comic books and media costuming, from the Star Trek: Next Gen bridge crew (including a stunning Counselor Troi) to Jasmine to Drs. Who to Muppets. The fez was a common fashion accessory; I don't know whether Andy Hooper should be jealous or proud. (Ye gods! A Google Image search reminds me that there are fannish whippersnappers who've never seen Hooper in his once-canonical Major Hoople fez!)

There are very few parties: one by a local "party crew" (a fad I deplore; just not my style, and in my opinion not something to be encouraged in fandom), another a book release celebration by a new writer I haven't read yet (I took her card), and the third held by JordanCon 2013, which is hosting the 2013 DeepSouthCon in Roswell, Georgia, outside Atlanta. I will confess I have not gotten around to reading the last few doorstops in the Wheel of Time series; but I remember Jordan when he was just another local minor pro who came to Chattacons, like Karl Edward Wagner or Robert Adams (all now deceased). On the way from one party to another, a younger guy Ivaguely recognize stops me to ask a question about the first Chattacon, which I answer to the best of my knowledge; he says that somebody told him I would know the answer if anybody did. He's been coming to Chatta for years, but knew not the name Irv Koch. Somebody else in his posse suggests that Chattacon should add a history section to their website where such tales could be told.

It's getting later, and I shuttle back to the consuite, where I people-watch (some folks have already changed hall costumes) and snack and read, again interrupted by very welcome conversations on everything from the SCA to what I (and they) are reading. (Have you ever tried to explain the Liaden Universe in half-a-dozen sentences, even to an SF fan?) After a while I return to the room, check e-mail and websurf a smidgen (I've been lent Cicatrice's battered old iBook G4, since she's now got a Macbook Air; free Wi-Fi in the room). I think about doing this report, and decide I'm too groggy and achy (I seem to have forgotten to pack my Indomethacin, and my joint pain is not forgiving me for this sin of omission) to do it now. Michael J. Lowrey

------“I got to DeepSouthCon, and YOU WEREN’T THERE. Where’s your priorities?”

15

At My Least Brilliant… Taral Wayne

…to say the least. “Got up. Got out of bed. Dragged a comb across my head. Found my way downstairs and drank a cup …”

If you don’t recognize that, you’re not old enough to know what it really means to be tired. The song by The Beatles pretty much sums up most of my days, though. I don’t bother with a comb as a rule, and I don’t need to go downstairs to reach the kitchen and put the coffee on. In 1967 there was no home computer to boot up to start the day … otherwise, Ringo nailed it.

I look at the screen and wonder where Windows will take me today? To exciting new adventures, to exotic locales, to knowledge beyond my wildest imagining? No … it never does. I start my routine by checking a small number of online comics, then the blogsite at File 770 to see what fandom has been up to. I check at eFanzines to see if my latest issue has been posted … it has … good. I usually check a few sites run by NASA for the latest from Mercury, Mars and Saturn. Lately, rather little has been transmitted back to Earth, so I quickly switch to the news. There I find the usual murder and mayhem, but Hizzoner the Mayor has been caught with his bloated piggy fingers in a bag of crack, providing a bit of comic relief. It’s beginning to look as though Hizzoner may have bought the video evidence that would convict him, from the dealer who made it. Comedy like this can’t be written.

Finally, I log into DeviantArt and FurAffinity. Of the two, DA is the less responsive. I tend to post material there where serious-minded people can view it, but I’ve had some very satisfying conversations there as well. I particularly enjoyed my talks with the hot-rod builder, the Fraggle fan and others. FurAffinity is the friendlier site, though, with more interaction between the members … although all of it

16 brightens my day, by any means. I’ve encountered some prime cases of justifiable homicide during my time in FurAffinity. I also pick up the odd commission and have arranged trades to my benefit. Now and then I admire some of the new art that has been posted.

If I have a mind to, I may log into FaceBook. There are four fannish groups that I belong to, and at least a couple more that I don’t belong to. This is where the bulk of Old School Fandom has gone to die, like so many watery-eyed, snaggle-tusked elephants who know their time has passed. They exchange memories and photographs. “Remember Philcon in 1974? I’ve posted a photograph of three fans I took in the dealer’s room. There’s Ronnie, Carl and Herb. Don’t they look much younger then? I bought a copy of The Demolished Man, there, too.” Sometimes I know who’s in the photographs; more often I don’t. Another favorite pastime of the Old Schoolers seems to be posting links – usually to online stories and articles I’ve already read, or that I don’t give a rat’s ass about anyhow. It takes no time, fortunately, to scroll past the endless photos of television personalities and film stars who would be 96 today … if they hadn’t inconsiderately died ages ago. On an average day, someone asks to be my “friend.” I used to ask who they were, but trying to be polite about it took too much effort, so finally I gave it up – I just accept everyone, whoever the devil they are. I have 368 “friends” at the moment. I think I might know about half of them, and at most I might call 50 of them actual friends. But since my real friends have better things to do than spend their time on FaceBook, I put up with anyone who is willing to call themselves one. Everyone on FaceBook seems to talk to the point of an obsession, yet most days there doesn’t seem to be much said. Good. I can move on without making matters worse.

Having put this behind me, I start the day. I also notice that the pot of coffee I made in the morning is now empty, and that the day is nearly through… Time for dinner, then bed.

I’ll get some “real” work done tomorrow.

“Found my way upstairs and had a smoke, Somebody spoke and I went into a dream …”

Ahhh–ah–ah–aaaaah… Kryten needs a polish, and the Fraggles are out of radishes. Sleep at last.

Taral Wayne

The editor strikes back

Recently on Facebook someone – who shall remain nameless to protect the sort of innocent – asked me if I was feuding with Arnie Katz. This fan based this deduction on a loc I had written to Fanstuff, Arnie’s fine online fanzine. “No,” I responded. “We simply have a difference of opinion. That’s all.” And that’s that. So I recommend that as you read this issue’s fanzine review column, keep that in mind. I believe it will help you understand my thoughts more clearly. We now resume our regularly scheduled fanzine.

17 fanzine reviews by ye not so humble editor topic: writing letters of comment

Something I truly enjoy doing is writing letters of comment (locs) to other fans’ fanzines. The way I figure it, if someone has gone through all the trouble of writing, laying out, drawing (or collecting) artwork, and so on of producing a fanzine then sending it to me, then I owe it to them to say that I have either received it or write a brief letter commenting on said fanzine. Writing locs is a time-honored tradition in science fiction fanzine fandom, dating all the way back to the early pro-zines which published letters from readers in their pages. Once fanzines began cropping up at the beginning of the 1930s, this habit continued, and thus began the long conversation of fandom.

Over the years certain fans elevated the writing of locs to an art form. The famed Hermit of Hagerstown, Harry Warner, Jr. wrote a loc in response to virtually every single fanzine he ever received, although I am sure he missed a few here and there. As Bob Tucker wrote in the introduction to Harry’s All Our Yesterdays, the faned who didn’t receive a letter of comment from Harry Warner, Jr., would slink away in shame. Such was Warner’s influence on fanzine fandom that the Best Letterhack category in the FAAn (Fanzine Activity Achievement) Awards was renamed the Harry Warner, Jr. Memorial Award in 2003 at Corflu Badger (held in Madison, Wisconsin). At Corflu Quire (the 24th Corflu held in Austin, Texas) I was honored to finish third for this award: it was won that year by Lloyd Penney, who definitely exemplifies Harry’s devotion to fanzines by writing a loc to just about every single fanzine Lloyd reads either online or in print.

So when I began thinking about which fanzine(s) to review for this issue, this thought came to mind: what makes a fanzine loc-able? In other words, what appeals to me in a zine that results in my writing a loc? Therefore, what I am going to do here is outline what I consider important aspects of a fanzine that merit a response.

Essentially, it all comes down to two categories: is the fanzine visually appealing and does it contain interesting content? Allow me to expand on these.

18

Visually appealing

Not a hard concept to get into. Obviously, the artwork that graces a fanzine front to back cover from fan artists both well-known is a prime consideration. A lot of this is name recognition; fanzines display covers and filler art from the likes of Dan Steffan, Steve Stiles, Brad Foster, et al , and up-and-comers such as Jose Sanchez, Valerie Purcell, Bill Fischer, and others. Another consideration I believe important is interior layout, readability (in terms of font size and columns), use of white space to break up large blocks of text, and even if the zine is printed on colored paper or not; if a fanzine uses color printing, that’s even better. Tightly clustered text with confusing layout is major turn-off to me. One of the biggest offenders of this over the years has been Pablo Lennis, which John Thiel has been cranking out for something like 30+ years now. Then again, I know that his jam-packed text and layout is deliberate: he knows what he is doing and basically the design of Pablo Lennis (and also his Surprising Stories website) is his way of being a nonconformist in fanzine production. So be it. Even understanding that doesn’t help me get into the content. See, a fan can produce a gorgeous looking zine but it still must have… Interesting content

…which is likewise subjective, maybe more so than visual appeal. I honestly believe that not everyone will find any given fanzine completely fascinating from cover to cover. True confessions time, gang: there are fanzines that bore me even though they may be produced by a good friend. For example, Yipe! is a fanzine that mainly focuses on costuming fanac, and while I admire and respect the time and effort people put into creating their costumes, for the most part I am not a costuming fan. Even my dear friend Chris Garcia’s Drink Tank has content that I am not interested in; sure, I’ll read the zine whenever it appears on http://efanzines.com, which is damned frequent, but sometimes Chris writes about things that I really find uninteresting. So I don’t write a loc. Simple as that. It doesn’t mean I have “unfriended” him, but this is simply an issue to issue deal. Therefore, a fanzine must have content that readers find interesting enough to write a response letter.

What kinds of things fans do find interesting, though, is the rub. They vary not only from fan to fan, but fanzine to fanzine, even issue to issue within a single fanzine’s run. I have witnessed this myself over the assorted fanzines I have produced since 1976. Sometimes a certain issue garners a pile of responses while others don’t. A fan editor’s job, I doth believe, is to produce an issue that is as interesting as it can possibly be. A good rule of thumb to follow here is that if you think you’d write a letter of comment based on the content in the zine, then chances are others will.

Case in point. Two issues ago (#27) a large segment of Askance was devoted to a debate/conversation between Taral Wayne, Lloyd Penney, Eric Mayer, and myself regarding the direction of fanzines not only in terms of reproductive methods, but in terms of relevance to fandom in general and their possible survival rate. A good amount of locs resulted, which pleased me greatly. Then again, there have been issues where only a few locs trickled in, if that many. One time I wrote three phony letters of comment just for the heck of it to make the loccol look better than just the one I did receive (Lloyd Penney, stand

19 up and take a bow.) Other fanzines – especially e-zines – only get a single letter that gets printed, such as Science Fiction in San Francisco or Drink Tank. It is not that these are not good fanzines, it is just that readers may find their material not their particular cup of tea and so will not respond with a loc even though they very well read every single issue that’s posted to efanzines.

So the issue is interesting content. Two fanzines that disprove the commonly held notion that online fanzines do not get a lot of letters of comment are Arnie Katz’s Fanstuff (38 issues now) and Taral Wayne’s Broken Toys (18 issues). Each issue of these zines has a large letter column. So why is that? Well, look at the content of these fanzines and a pattern emerges.

In Fanstuff, Arnie is not afraid to voice his opinions about fan history and fandom in general these days. He has been in fandom since the early 1960s, producing fanzines sometimes at a pace that rivals Chris fandoms, the traditional Us vs. Them argument (faanishness against Fandom at Large, or Trufandom (fanzines) against General Fandom (media fans), are good examples of this), and polls, listings of favorite fans/fanzines, prompting feedback on renaming certain FAAn Awards, and such. Fanstuff is very much fanzine oriented, sometimes featuring excellent articles about fandom and its history from writers like Robert Lichtman, David B. Williams, Dick Lupoff, and others. This results in a lively lettercolumn that runs at least six pages long in each issue and is easily the highlight of the whole package. If I had more time I would definitely loc every single Fanstuff that gets posted, so I do whenever the chance arises.

Broken Toys is a personalzine that likewise is Taral Wayne voicing his opinions on all sorts of topics. These range anywhere from animated movies, to his personal health, health care insurance, his displeasure at the Fan Hugo Awards, attending conventions, watching television, the public transportation system in Toronto, and so on. Like Fanstuff, these musings provoke a good number of locs: typically Broken Toys has at least a half-dozen locs that Taral prints and responds to. Again, like Fanstuff these letters are the best part of each issue. From a fan editor’s point of view, this is the ultimate goal of pubbing your ish: feedback. This provides egoboo to the faned, which fuels the desire to put out another issue, and the cycle renews itself.

So are visual appeals and interesting content the only two criteria that prompt letters of comment? Not at all. Timely commentary on burning issues of the day work well, though technically this probably falls under the aegis of “interesting content.” In fact, social media definitely fits here: the rhetorical concept of kairos – the timeliness and opportunity to voice an opinion – applies very well. Fanzines in the traditional paper and mail format lose out on the instantaneous transmission of information and ideas. Maybe, thanks to modern communication technology, social media - Facebook, LiveJournal, blogs, listservs, Twitter, etc. – may possibly be replacing traditional loc-writing. Something to consider.

Therefore, I hereby throw this topic out to all y’all: what you find loccable in a fanzine? What sort of writing, topics, what-evers tweak your “gotta say something about that” mode?

In addition to the above mentioned fanzines, other loc-provoking zines – in my humble opinion – are Trap Door, Chunga, Relapse, Banana Wings, Journey Planet, Alexiad, and The Reluctant Famulus. What other fanzines do you gentle readers favor?

20

Yeah, this will be many fans driving across the vast expanses of Texas on their way to San Antonio. Trust me: this is no exaggeration. A large portion of Texas is indeed desert, and in fact, a recent report of the US Meteorological Society claims that in the near future – possibly less than 10 years – the San Antonio area could very well be designated as desert if the current drought situation doesn’t end soon. Be very afraid.

Anyway, there were quite a few letters in response to the 28th issue of ASKANCE, so let’s get on with it, okay? Leading off is arguably this issues “featured loc” – I admit to borrowing this idea from Claire Brialey’s and Mark Plummer’s excellent fanzine BANANA WINGS – from this tall gentleman:

Richard Dengrove Dec., 10, 2012

I well realize I am too late to respond to Askance #26 because Askance #27 is out. However, I can never keep up with anything. Come to think of it, can anyone? The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland was right: it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. Things are worse with technology. I am always wondering: am I far behind on new technology or do young people not know

21 what they are doing? Probably a little of both.

Well, while I didn’t respond to Askance in time, you had an omission of your own. I got to DeepSouthCon, and YOU WEREN’T THERE. Where’s your priorities? Of course, your day job, and dissertation schedule, comes first. Con Season is whenever you have the time. However, although you weren’t at DeepSouthCon, something was there in Askance, great illos. Executed by a great stable of artists, who are too numerous to mention. Please, keep them there for the next issues. Of course, just as you are at the mercy of prior commitments so are they. So am I. {I certainly wish we could have attended DSC last year – and this year, too, for that matter – but as you noted, priorities. After meeting you and many others at DSC 49 in Dallas, we would love to attend another.}

Another person who couldn’t make his commitment was Robert Sabella. And it was his commitment to stay alive. Yes, I was shocked when he died. For one thing, he didn’t publish a letter I had sent him. That’s the most important consideration – to me. Maybe not to you. Maybe not to me either since I am also missing a great APAhacker and a great human being. You certainly knew what a great teacher he was. However, did you know that when he retired, his math class of overachievers had t-shirts emblazoned with his name? That is the sort of loyalty he attracted. Even from afar, he attracted loyalty. I know because I was loyal. Nonetheless, he had an even better reason to stay alive. He was the very essence of vigor. He seemed to be rearing for life. Unfortunately, life was having none of it. {I miss him, too. Robert was one of those fans who truly enjoyed everything. His was a tragic loss, no question.}

Another fan I can’t get enough of is Taral Wayne, fortunately still among the living. He is such a good fan that his zine inspired three comments. One concerns younger fandom, which began earlier than I thought if KeyCon 5/Canvention 8, in 1988, was hosted by every fandom in the city. Of course, a lot of the new fandom constitutes what I call mundane fandom. Basically mundanes, they come to a convention to be entertained: for instance, most Trekkie fans and Star Wars fans. At Dragon*Con, I hear, you’re not supposed to dawdle in the Con Suite. The longer you stay there, the less money they get. {There are a number of reasons I will never attend Dragon*Con or ComicCon San Diego, or other conventions of their nature, the main one being that they are not Literary-based SF conventions, another being that they are mega-crowded media events. I am not interested in that. I like your term of calling these “mundane fandom.” Indeed, they are conventions created for mass media fans.}

Does this mean that literary fandom is done for? Taral wonders near the end of his article. Come to think of it, since lifting a finger for your fandom is passé, does it mean gamers, costumers, filkers, etc., etc. are vestiges of the past. Sphinxes sunken into the sand. Not on your life. It has just become more difficult to sift the real fans from the mundane fans. The mundane fans swamp the misfits, introverts and loners, both young and old. My experience has been that young faanish fans exist – maybe more of them than us – they are just buried in the mass of mundanes that grace many conventions. {This could very well be.}

I also have another comment on mundane fans vs. faanish fans. While the mundane ‘fans’ may be there physically rather than mentally, do we true fans pass through a convention much better. As Taral Wayne says, except for the business meeting and the ‘Turkey’ reading, he does not remember a bloody thing about the entire con. It could be that it took place twenty years ago. However, I find cons blurs too within a few days. At a recent CapClave, my most vivid memory entailed searching two hours for a Starbucks and forgetting keys I later found in my back pocket. Maybe we all go through life unconscious.

22

Taral discusses an issue of great weight, the future of fandom. Lizbeth Phillips discusses cats. Of course, maybe that’s an issue of weight too. Her cat sure came in handy. She could blame her cat for a typo - - and it was credible. What are we other poor mortals to do? An ex-newsman of my acquaintance told me about other sorts of embarrassing and humiliating typos. Those little buggers just arise from nowhere like hurricanes and heroes of the Old West. I have stopped kicking myself for my worst: my shins would really hurt if I’d kept it up.

If we look closely, cats are very interesting, and so is typing. Is there any subject where we cannot find an interesting history if we dig deep enough. Steven Silvers gives us a further example. In the nowhere town of North Utica, IL, he finds remnants of warfare between the British and the Native Americans, and between Native American tribes and other Native American tribes. I have found history in the most boring object that the Department of Agriculture has to offer, the USDA Seal. The corn in the seal has great symbolic significance: the sitting secretary when it was created in 1895, J Sterling Morton, had been a corn farmer; and he hated wheat farmers. Out went the wheat in the informal seal and in came the corn in the formal seal.

You want another interesting tale behind some dull object? This time, I am not giving you one. Instead, I am giving you the interesting tale behind an interesting object, the 1894 map of Mars, which contained the canals. You present that in your article on images from space. The interesting factlet about the map: Eugene Antoniadi, who favored canals at the time, did a 180 degree flip by 1910. Not only did he oppose the canals, but he acted as the lynchpin of the opposition. Without his tireless efforts, the will o’ the wisp that was the canals might have survived for several decades more. {As has always been said in the past, All Knowledge is Contained in Fanzines.}

While the Martian canals lasted, I do not know how much fun they gave its advocates. Perceval Lowell seemed to be having a lot of fun. However, for fun, I would prefer to go to Lloyd Penney’s parties. I remember a nice one I attended where he and Yvonne were wearing crab hats. Not only that but, that time, no one broke the bed as far as I know. I imagine they held it at Buccaneer Con, a Worldcon in Baltimore, around 1998.

Also, I bet Lloyd and Yvonne’s parties got better with the years. It’s more difficult with novels. Sequels and prequels by the same author are bad enough. I hate to think about sequels and prequels by hacks. Neil Jamieson-Williams found that out with the prequels to The Witches of Karres (1949). We are not only talking about plot and characterization; the science in them became progressively less advanced. My only disagreement with Neil is that he somehow expected the novels to trend water, and got his hopes dashed. I wouldn’t have expected it. Instead, I would have expected a good read on vacations and during mindless periods.

If sequels and prequels don’t always work out, other things have, such as new technology. I see that from Neil Jamieson-Williams’ letter, as opposed to his article. With paper publications, storage was a problem. Water got his fanzine Swill. In addition to water being a problem with paper-bound publications, finding enough room for them is a problem, and so is re-assembling our collections when we move. More and more, where possible, I purchase e-books.

With e-books, I end this letter. We have been through day jobs that can be death, true fans and false fans, cats, and the Martian canals. Have I expounded on too many subjects? If you cut down on the number of comment hooks, I will cut down on the number of subjects.

23

Rich Dengrove

{I will NOT cut down on the number of comment hooks. This is, after all, the kind of letter that fan editors dream about: a lengthy loc with lots of interesting commentary, informative and entertaining. Many thanks, Richard, and if you’re at the WorldCon, Valerie and I look forward to seeing you again. If not, maybe at an upcoming DeepSouthCon.}

Always writing interesting material is the modern-day guru of hectograph tech, Eric Mayer.

Eric Mayer Nov 21, 2012

Another excellent issue. Great front cover by Mo Starkey and great bacover by Steve Stiles.

I did a Halloween issue also so needless to say I like your theme idea. I loved Halloweening. What's better for a kid than getting to tramp around dark streets, masked, collecting candy? We didn't do multiple runs like you did, but we had the same calculating, mercenary attitude. Oh, we soon learned what streets to concentrate on and which to avoid. And some years we convinced a parent to drive us on a side trip to the wealthier development nearby where we really made out like bandits. Yes, I remember those enormous piles of candy when I emptied my bag on the kitchen table. Wonderful evocative article.

And that photo of your parents' apartment...I don't have a photo of the apartment I lived in pre-school, and my memory of the building is hazy. However, It was definitely a long, two story red-brick building so possibly not at all unlike the place you lived in. {Meadowbrook Manor was built during the post-war suburban boom across America, so I’m not surprised there were other similar constructions.}

In "Heat" David B. Williams recalls when he first had air conditioning. I can't. I don't think my parents had A/C in the house where I grew up. I remember fans and open windows. My top floor Brooklyn apartment definitely had air conditioning. I remember the Con Ed bills featuring astronomical numbers that would have made John. W. Campbell blanch. (I have all those olf Campbell books you mention. You think maybe I shouldn't try to read them?) David's right. A hot hectograph results in pages thickly coated with purple gel. So, what's that cover represent? Oh, a smear of grape jelly on a piece of toast. Do you like the impasto technique? Mind you, I never attempted to use my hectograph in a totally uncooled room. {I am definitely concerned with the hectograph demonstration planned for LoneStarCon 3’s fanzine lounge. The where, when and how of preparing the “bed” is the big question mark. Pray tp Roscoe for me. I’m gonna need all the support of the fannish ghods for this.}

However, Mary and I get by with fans these days. Usually there are only a handful of unbearably hot days here in north eastern Pennsylvania. We can't do without heating the place during the summer and the cost of propane is sky high and climbing towards earth orbit so we try to save on cooling in the summer.

24

I mind the cold much more than the heat. This time of year I begin got dread the onslaught of winter so I fear that David's horror story about warmth actually made me feel good.

Joy of Tech was brilliant, thanks! {You are welcome. It was an excellent fill in for Figby, which should be back with the next issue – whenever the heck that is!}

I also thoroughly enjoyed Jaqueline Monahan's account of her visit to those ancient sites in the UK. Never seen them, can't really add anything, but they are fascinating. Mary and I just finished a novel in which a stone circle figures prominently. I don't suppose there's any way we'll ever be sure what they were used for. Mary, being fromthe UK, has often mentioned mushy peas but I've never seen them anddon't know that I want to.

Then there's Taral's contribution. Excellent faan fiction, if that is the correct classification. I guess it can't be classified as a "Brandonization" of The Monkey's Paw because it doesn't mimic the style. Being dense I really didn't see where it was going until the end.

The name badge is presented in an appealingly mysterious manner. Of course readers are left wondering where it came from. (A sequel in the works?) And I like the fact that when the revelation of the badge's powers unfolds there is suddenly the twist that the wishes come true but in an unappealing manner. (A twist to someone who didn't latch on to “the Monkey's Paw” link that is. Whether I am alone in that or not I can't say)

Wishing for deceased fans to return is, of course, becoming the one wish most of us would make these days so that is certainly appropriate.

Taral managed to make the characters realistic enough so that the story didn't become a sort of cartoon which, in my opinion, is what happens with most faanfiction. It also seemed to flow along well. Hey, a lot of faanfiction I find unreadable for 1,000 words let alone 10,000!

A note on Neil Jamieson's Loc. It interested me that he chose that all but unreadable font for his first revived issue because it so resembled the output of his old manual typewriter. I faced a similar situation when I did E-Ditto last year. The product of my cheap manual Smith Corona portable, typing through ditto masters, printed on a hand cranked spirit duplicator was atrocious. Barely readable. I could have used a font that would have emulated that

25 exactly. However, today is not 1980. My audience is mostly older, less inclined or less able to decipher a horribly duplicated zine than they were 30 years ago, especially a zine that will mostly be read onscreen. So the effect of using such a typeface today would have created a zine quite different in its effect. Which is why I chose a much more readable typewriter font.

As for Trufandom/Corefandom/Etc., I am getting to the point where I'm tired of talking about the subject. There does not exist any actual entity which is objectively identifiable as fandom. People identify this that and the other thing as "fandom" for many different reasons. Some people are inclined to define fandom as, in essence, their group of long time friends.

Now don't take this wrong, but I think it would be a good idea for you to go away and forget publishing until your finish that PhD which is serious business. Maybe you could return as J.A. (Doc) Purcell.

Eric Mayer

{Well, Eric, I wish I could. On the good news side, that fershlugginer doctorate is essentially all over but the shouting – which will be my defense strategy. (*) I always try to use a readable font when I create my fanzines. What Neil does with SWILL is a conscious decision on his part, and that’s fine: he’s trying to recreate what the zine looked like back in the day. For another example of a faned doing this, go to John Thiel’s PABLO LENNIS; he’s been cranking out that smushed-together content since the 1970s and doesn’t appear to want to stop. More power to John, but I find it rather unappealing. I much prefer readability over trying to dig out decent content from a terrible looking fanzine. In fact, it is beginning to be hard to read print fanzines with smaller font sizes. Eyeglasses do help, but part of me wishes fans wouldn’t reduce the font to an unreadable size, such as no smaller than 10. }

An apology is in order for this next correspondent. Last issue’s segment of Jacq Monahan’s 2012 TAFF trip report included photos of her hosts, and John had misgivings on seeing them in print. Oh, well. Personally I think Mr. Hall here is a most handsome chap.

John Nielsen Hall Nov. 29, 2012

I actually don't like pictures of myself. To be fair, Jacq asked if she could take them, and I let her, and I knew they were going into her trip report, but there's no way I though they were going to be as hideous as they turned out. I'd like to say I’m not really a sort of misshapen zippy in dark glasses, but plainly, I am. Jacq pays me way too many unwarranted compliments- she was doing it when she was here- but in remarking that I like puns, she couldn't be further from the mark. I loathe puns. I cant bear the thought of people wasting their intellects on humorous congruences, and then finding the result funny, that is, if its not so awful all it can elicit is an anguished groan. Call me miserable, many do. But I am glad that Jacq enjoyed her visit to this damp corner of England (it being not so damp when she was here undoubtedly helped) and that she felt able to write about it with such evident sentiment.

Issue 27's lengthy dialogues on fanzines left me feeling there was nothing left to add. But I think you said at some point that the younger the fan, the more natural the electronic forms of communication, and

26 that this, combined with the greying of most of the rest of fandom, meant that Fanzine Fandom would never be so large and influential again. Well, if you did say that, you were right, and I agree. Can we just get back to doing it now, instead of talking about it?

Good luck with the doctorate, chief. You won.t be alone - fandom is full of Doctors and Professors, it seems to me. But that's no reason you should not join their ranks. I hope you go up a grade or two in pay as a just reward for all your effort. Then, perhaps, you will be able to splurge out on a printed ish or two.

John Nielsen Hall

{I thank you, Chief! Just call me Dr. John when all is said and done. (*) I am with you: let’s just produce the dagnabbin’ fanzines and get on with it. Since I began doing ASKEW six months ago – three issues of that paper-only zine now under my belt – I am doing my part for keeping the faith alive. Your fine zine MOTORWAY DREAMER likewise is part of the action. Keep it going, mate.}

One of fanzine fandom’s finest fan fillo creators – ran out of alliterative words there – also writes locs, and a lot of them. He’s been cropping in numerous lettercolumns around the aether and on paper.

Brad Foster, Dec. 12, 2012

Got finished checking out Askance #28 over on e-fanzines this week, and today is "fannish" day where I try to get emails out to everyone. You're next!

First, of course, have to make note of that knockout Frankenstein portrait cover by Mo. Killer piece. If you do more Halloween theme issues in the future, would be cool to see her take on other "classic" monsters like that. Love the light and tones and, well, everything on it.

We only got one Halloween knock at our door as well this year. Most of the families around here know that, if your kids are going to go trick-or-treating, our own neighborhood is not the best for that. Not that it's a "bad" neighborhood, just that we're not a high-income group, so the candy pickings can sometime be a bit thin. But, if you head just a couple of blocks to the east, to the -big- houses all live, you can really score a good night of treats! Heck, if I wasn't already a tub on legs, I'd have wandered that way myself and tried to pick up on a few mega-size chocolate bars! (My costume? "Old bald guy lost in your neighborhood".) {Ooh! So scary!}

David's "Heat Wave" piece reminded me of my own childhood, growing up in San Antonio in a house with no air conditioning. There were lots of fans blowing everywhere to try to move the hot air around, and at least get some of the sweat to evaporate from our bodies. Night time was no sheets, laying as still as possible and trying not to pay attention to the sweat trickling down the sides of your body. When I

27 left to go off to college, being able to sleep in an actual air conditioned dorm was total bliss (though the cramped quarters and series of roommates were less than ideal.). My younger sister left home the following year, the last of the kids to leave the house, and it was only -then- that my mother and grandparents had the house air-conditioned, after all us kids were out on our own! I guess it was just to toughen us up or something. I do know I am less bothered by temperature extremes than Cindy is, maybe just all that early childhood conditioning.

I see you re-used the 'toon here from issue #27. Possibly this is some new fannish tradition, since the same thing happened with a fillo in issue #14 showing up again in #15. (Or does it have to happen once more to be a fannish tradition? I know the old joke at A&M when I went there was that anything that happened twice would be enshrined as a tradition. But sf fandom might require a three-peat.) {The good ones are worth re-using, imho.

Anyway, I see you still have the Zombie Santa I sent. Had hoped he would make it into this issue, seemed timely to the theme. But maybe will still work in the next issue. Of course, in your end comments it looks like the next issue won't be out until several months into 2013. Still, since these days zombies are not super-hot (the kids just love 'em!) and popular anytime and anywhere these days, I hear. So should work whenever you find a home for him there. {The Zombie Santa will get used, trust me. If all goes well, the 30th issue will be out between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it will work wonderfully then.}

Only six dozen more emails to write, and have to finish about the same number of drawings, and I will have caught up with part of the fannish year!

Brad Foster

{As always, it is good to hear from you. Good luck with your fannish catch-up efforts. In my experience, it’s the fanac equivalent of the White Queen: you never get anywhere fast.}

No fanzine is complete without a loc from this gentleman. Give it up for a recent Aurora Award winner, Monsieur Lloyd Penney (say that with an outrageous accent).

Lloyd Penney 1706-24 Eva Rd. Etobicoke, ON CANADA M9C 2B2

December 28, 2012

Many thanks for Askance 28, sorry it’s taken so long to get to it, congratulations on becoming Dr. John and Grandpa! And, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the growing family.

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We’ve had two big meals, and Yvonne’s mother over as a Christmas Day dinner guest, but there’s so much to do on a Christmas holiday; there was the Boxing Day get together in Oshawa up highway 401 so the family can gather and do some more eating. There’s no holiday for the cooks, and certainly none for Yvonne, and thank Ghod for the fact there’s only two work days on the 27th and 28th, and then maybe there will be some rest for her.

Hallowe’en was nearly non-existent for us. No one showed up, there was one party we heard about after the event, you’d think fandom would do better than that, but fandom around here is changing. I changed it, entering fandom in 1977, and Toronto fandom in 1979, and new people change it all the time. We continually fail to recognize that fact, and usually grouse about how fandom changes.

Sandy certainly was a big storm…it even affected us in the Toronto area, sending high winds and torrential rains through here. There’s a notification sign of future construction on the property here, and it is still leaning mostly forward because of Sandy.

Taral writes a fannish version of “The Monkey’s Paw” wonderfully well. Yes, there’s {sic} lot of absent friends we’d like to see come back, but time and fandom do march on. I would hope there’d be someone to mourn our passing once we’re done.

I think Nalini Haynes has changed her format for Dark Matter radically. I don’t think it’s really a fanzine any more but a regularly updated blog/website. I’ve stayed in touch with her, and she has urged me to check her website regularly…if I did that for everyone who urged me to check out their website, there wouldn’t be time left on the clock for food or sleep. {It has been a long time since I’ve seen her zine.}

I barely keep up with Chris Garcia’s publishing…remember, he also does a number of podcasts. Where’s the time for anything else, I wonder? I think all of fanzines are ephemeral, and it’s our job to try to make them vital for outsiders to come in and have a look, and I don’t think we do a very good job. I write what I can based on the comment hooks I see. If there aren’t many hooks, then I do a little personal journalism, express some opinions, and sign off.

As you’ve seen on Facebook, the job hunt starts again in the New Year. When you try to learn a job, but there is no hands-on training, it is difficult to know when you’re doing things right. I tried my best…I was let go the first day back from Christmas holidays. That’s okay, I got the feeling they would do it at some point, but I didn’t think they be Scroogish enough to let me go right after Christmas. At least I put some $$$ away, and I can start the hunt in January. {It has been eight months since you wrote this loc, so by now I hope the job hunt has been successful. Hoping the best for you, buddy.}

My loc…I’m going to stick with fanzines. I am still getting a lot out of them. We see what’s happening with the newer interests, and they appeal as well. You’ve got to have a variety of things to do, or they get stale real fast. Chris Garcia was at Loscon 39, but he was pretty well there by himself, the contingent of BArea fans I was looking for couldn’t make it. Kevin Roche and Andy Tremblay were there, running bid parties as always.

The next Tale From the Convention!… When it gets closer to publication time, let me know you want one, and I will see if I can send you that hasn’t seen publication yet. I also publish some in Warp, the fanzine of the SF club in Montréal.

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This isn’t the letter I wanted to send to you, but here it is, nonetheless. Yvonne and I hope your Christmas was wonderful, and Happy New Year to the whole Purcell clan as it expands.

Lloyd Penney

{As always, I thank you for the letter, and as I said in mid-stream, all of our best wishes to you on the job search and that things start improving for you and Yvonne. (*) I will happily take one of your Tales for the 30th issue; plenty of time to get it to me.}

And now a brief bit of commentary from this year’s TAFF delegate, it’s Jim Trash himself!

Jim Mowatt Jan 21, 2013

Taral despite being possibly the grumpiest fan on the planet can really write up a storm at times can’t he. “The Name Badge” left me reeling and reaching out for my comfort blanket. That’s quite a party that’s been set up there. “The Monkey’s Namebadge”, perhaps. How can it possibly go wrong?

I voted for Jacq when she stood for TAFF as I considered she possessed those fanwriter talents that can lift a report on Fanac from the ordinary to the extraordinary, and so she did with her report upon all those standing stones. I am sorely tempted to ring JNH and force my company upon him and ask him to tell me about Barrows and Stones. I’ve visited Stonehenge before but that was at the time of the free festivals and I can remember very little about it indeed.

Happy 29th Birthday

Jim Mowatt

{I have now been 29 twice over. Thank you for the birthday salutation; appreciated. (*) Taral’s “The Name Badge” was very effective; I think he did a splendid job of it, so I look forward to more attempts along this line from him in the future. (*) Indeed, Jacq wrote her report with a lot of energy and love. The enjoyment she got out of that trip shines through. I wonder if she’ll have the full TAFF trip report ready for sale at LoneStarCon 3? We will find out there, I suppose.}

WAHF Full:

Teddy Harvia, Arnie Katz, Mark Plummer, David Redd, David Thayer.

A good crew. Thank you, gentlemen.

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Okay. Here is what’s upcoming in the Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico regional for science fiction and related conventions. Lots of interests covered here, and the biggie is the 71st World Science Fiction Convetion over the Aug. 29th to Sept.2nd weekend of 2013 in San Antonio, Texas. Since I will be there, I am looking forward to meeting many of you folks there.

San Japan: Sinister 6

Japanese Anime and Culture Convention August 16-18, 2013 Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center & San Antonio Grand Hyatt Hotel 600 E. Market Place San Antonio, Texas 78205 downtown San Antonio, TX area Dealer's Room, Multiple Panel Rooms, Video/Table Gaming, Artist Alley, 24 Hour Video Room. 2 viewing rooms, gaming (both live action and computer) industry panels, Steampunk Attire Contest and more. Further, trying to emphasize as a cultural convention, we will be bringing you panels, performances, and demonstrations of Martial Arts, Tea Ceremonies, Kabuki, Traditional Japanese games, and more! Come see what it's really all about!

GeekFest 2013

August 16-18, 2013 Mayborn Planetarium & Space Theater Killeen, TX 76540 Geekfest activities for kids and adults will include video game tournaments, contests, movie screenings, interactive video game demonstrations, presentations and entertainment by local groups and companies, vendor booths and a silent auction. Yes, the Humans vs Zombies competition is back along with two showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show!

Shameless Plug #1: This fanzine supports Helsinki in 2015

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Bubonicon 45

Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention August 23-25, 2013 Albuquerque Marriott Uptown 2101 Louisiana Blvd NE (Louisiana & I-40) Albuquerque, NM 87110 Albuquerque, New Mexico area Co-GOH: Tim Powers Co-GOH: Brent Weeks Toastmistress: Diana Rowland Artist GOH: Alan F. Beck Panels, Art Show, Dealers Room, Gaming, Auctions, Film Screenings, Readings, Autographs, Filking, Science Talk, Costume Contest, Green Slime Awards, Fan Programming, and more! Presented by the NMSF Conference in association with various kind folks of the Albuquerque SF clubs. Benefiting ENMU's Williamson Library Collection & Roadrunner Food Bank.

Glitch Con 2013: A weekend of Villains and Vigilantes!

"A fandom oriented convention focusing on Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gaming, and Anime." August 23-25, 2013 Springdale Holiday Inn 1500 South 48th Street Springdale, Arkansas Now in our third year. Our goal is to bring the very best of what these cultures have to offer to Northwest Arkansas to bring the local fandom communities together and provide the very best in entertainment for our attendees while raising money for our charity of choice.

MechaCon 9

Anime con August 23-25, 2013 New Orleans-area "[O]ffers anime and mecha fans of Louisiana and neighboring states a chance to gather in a warm and friendly setting to learn more about the culture of Japan and to share in the experience that is the anime fan culture." Cosplay, Contests, Gaming, Video Rooms, Panels, Dealers Room, Artist Alley, formal/semi- formal dinner, and more!

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Lone Star Con 3, the 71st WorldCon

August 29-September 2, 2013 Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center San Antonio Marriott River Walk San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter Grand Hyatt San Antonio San Antonio, Texas GOH: Ellen Datlow, James Gunn, Willie Siros, Norman Spinrad, Darrell K. Sweet Toastmaster: Paul Cornell Special Guests: Leslie Fish and Joe R. Lansdale Five days of programming on hundreds of topics from books to media, from art to costuming, from movies to television to anime, from science fiction to science fact, as well as an art show, masquerades, the Hugo Awards ceremony, dealer's rooms, and much more!

AnimeFest

Convention and Association for fans of Anime, Music, Manga, and Japanese Pop Culture August 30 - September 2, 2013 Sheraton Dallas Downtown Hotel 400 N. Olive Street Dallas, Texas 75201 (downtown Dallas, Texas area) Japanese Guests, Voice Actors, Manga/Comic Artists, Dealer Room, 24hr Video Theaters, J-Pop, Gaming, Arcade, Art Show & Auction, Panel Discussions, Autograph Sessions, Film/Video Premiers, and much more!

ArmadilloCon 35

Literary Science Fiction Convention. (Presumably 2013) Austin, Texas area NOTE: Due to WorldCon being in San Antonio in 2013, ArmadilloCon will only be a relaxicon in 2013. Regular, full con to resume in 2014, presumably. Panels, Art Show, Gaming, Charity, Full Day Writer's Workshop, Dealer's Room, and more! ArmadilloCon is a literary science fiction convention held annually in Austin, with several hundred attendees. The primary focus of ArmadilloCon is literary science fiction, but that's not all we do -- we also pay attention to art, animation, science, media, and gaming. Every year,

33 dozens of professional writers, artists and editors attend the convention. Sometimes they come to make deals, but more often they come to have fun! Sponsored by the Fandom Association of Central Texas, a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization

Konsplosion

September 20-22, 2013 Science Fiction, Fantasy, Anime, Gaming, etc. con Fort Smith Convention Center 55 South Seventh Fort Smith AR 72901-2406

A Joining Of Forces! Anime, Comics, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Gaming, Larp, Pop Culture, and More! Guests, Activities, Vendors, Artists, Tabletop Gaming, Cosplay, Video Games, Nerf Wars, Live Performances, Dances, Stage Shows, Card Gaming, Prizes, Classes, Panels, and so much more!

FenCon X

A Fan-Operated Science Fiction and Fantasy Literary and Filk Convention October 4-6, 2013 Crowne Plaza® Dallas (Near the Galleria) 14315 Midway Road Addison, TX 75001 (Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex area) GOH: Cory Doctorow Music GOH: Heather Dale Fen GOH: Larry Niven Artist GOH: Charles Vess Science GOH: Geoffrey A. Landis YA Author Guest of Honor: Amber Benson Toastmaster: John A. Ringo Special GOH&Writers Workshop Leaders: Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden Art Show & Auction, Dealers Room, Panels, Concerts, Filking, Short Story Contest, Writers Workshop, Children's Programming, Masquerade, Readings, Gaming, Demos, and lots more! FenCon is a production of the Dallas Future Society, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of science, literature, and music for the future of all mankind.

Shameless Plug #2: This fanzine supports Houston for NASFiC in 2015

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Realms Con Anime and Video Gaming Convention

Anime and gaming October 4-6, 2013 American Bank Center 1901 N Shoreline Boulevard Corpus Christi, Texas, 78401 Holiday Inn Emerald Beach 1102 South Shoreline Dr Corpus Christi, Texas, 78401 Corpus Christi, TX Anime Dating Game, AMV (Anime Music Video), Anime Jeopardy, Cosplay, Dead or Alive Volleyball Tournament, The Katamari, Movie Rooms, Panels, Pool Party, Rave, Scavenger Hunt, Table Top Tournaments, Video Game Tournaments, Workshops, and SO MUCH MORE!!!

Texas Broadside!

Where wargaming and history meet Gaming con October 4-6, 2013 Battleship Texas State Historic Site 3523 Independence Parkway South LaPorte, TX 77571 Stay overnight one (or both) nights aboard the Battleship Texas! Featuring WWI and WWII wargames, on land, sea, and air, including some of the battles involving the USS TEXAS. In addition, attend lectures on military history and wargaming. ALL proceeds will benefit the ongoing preservation of the USS TEXAS. Texas Broadside! is a cooperative effort by the Battleship Texas Foundation and Houston Beer and Pretzel Wargaming.

CONtraflow III

Science fiction, fantasy, comics, & literary con. October 18-20, 2013 Double Tree Hotel Kenner, LA New Orleans, LA area Author GOH: Eric Flint Artist GOH: John Picacio Author/Toastmaster: Mark L. Van Name Musical GOH: Devo Spice

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Fan GOH: Jon "MechaJon" Russo Memorial GOH: George Alec Effinger NOLA Author/Screenwriter: Rob Cerio Focuses on science fiction, fantasy, comics, and related literary genres in any form, including but not limited to writing, visual arts, dramatic arts, and interactive fiction. Panels, Dealers Room, Gaming, Art Gallery, Fund Raising Auctions, Costume Contest, Dances, Room Parties, Artist Alley, Kids Con, Hearts Tournament, plus much more! In fulfillment of CONtraflow’s mission to promote all types of Science Fiction and Fantasy literature, the charity is still New Orleans Public Library. Corporate Sponsor: Bayou Images Screen Printing Club and Fan Group Sponsors: Area 504, Krewe of the Enterprise, USS Corsair (NCC 26556)

Oni-Con X 2013

October 25-27, 2013 Galveston Island Convention Center 5600 Seawall Blvd Galveston, TX 77551 "Best in Japanese pop culture, from J-Rock/J-Pop and anime to cosplay, maid cafes, cutting edge fashion and so much more!

OctopodiCon 2013: Steaming Up the Future

Oklahoma's Steampunk Event of the Year November 1-3, 2013 Embassy Suites Norman - Hotel & Conference Center 2501 Conference Drive Norman, Oklahoma, 73069, USA OcotopodiCon, presented by OctopodiCon, LLC, the Airship Othernauts, and friends, is a steampunk college. Members of the public, airships, steampunk enthusiasts, and other interested people can register to meet fellow enthusiasts, attend presentations and lectures, earn points towards a novelty Bachelor of Steampunk degree, meet authors and other steampunk community luminaries, shop for supplies, accessories, books and other goods, enjoy music and variety performances, play Whist in the Mysterium, have Tea in the lovely Tea Parlour, enjoy a Promenade and a visit to the Art Gallery, and so much more!

Shameless Plug #3: This fanzine supports Kansas City in 2016

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Izumicon

New Adventures in Anime & Manga November 1-3, 2013 Renaissance by Marriott OKC 10 North Broadway Avenue Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102 USA Oklahoma City, OK area "For three days we’ll come together to celebrate our love for eastern animation, Japanese culture and music." Cosplay, panels, screenings, dealer's room (including artist alley tables), guests, and more!

Millenniumcon 16

Gaming con November 8 - 10, 2013 Wingate Hotel and Conference Center 1209 North Interstate Highway 35 Round Rock, TX 78664 Round Rock / Central Texas area Our convention caters to many different gaming tastes and styles. Unlike other conventions that support multiple genres, we don't have one group trying to be all things to all people. The historical miniatures and board gaming events are hosted by Lone Star Historical Miniatures.

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Our RPGA events are hosted by the Austin RPGA. To participate in the RPGA games, you must first register for the convention and pay the registration fee and also register for the RPGA events. This is two separate registrations. You must do both. We're looking for all sorts: RPGs, Board Games, Card Games, and Miniatures. Millennium has a particular need for classical historical periods (ACW, Napoleonics, Ancients, etc). Last year, there was more demand for these types than we could meet, and the slots filled up quickly.

Wizard World Austin Comic Con

Comic Con November 22-24, 2013 Austin Convention Center 500 East Cesar Chavez Street Austin, TX 78701 Austin, TX area Comics, Celebrity Guests, Artist Alley,Panel discussions, Masquerade Ball (extra fee), Movies, Comics, Toys, Video Gaming, Games, TV, Horror, Wrestling, MMA, Original Art, Collectibles, Anime, Manga & More!

Ikkicon VIII

Japanese Animation & Pop Culture Convention December 27-29, 2013 The Hilton Austin 500 East 4th Street Austin, TX 78701 Austin, Texas area Anime Idol, Anime Music Video(AMV) Contest, Anime Poetry Slam, Dance Contest, Media Gallery (Artist Alley & Exhibitions), Dealers Room, Art Show, and more!

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Shameless Plug #4: this fanzine supports New Orleans in 2018.

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Like I have mentioned at various points in these pages, next issue will most like be published in late November, probably right around the American Thanksgiving Holiday. I already have a marvelous Steve Stiles cover on hand, and will run a consolidated LSC3 report – culled from my Facebook comments, I am sure – complete with incriminating photographs. After all, what more do you want from a WorldCon?

In the meantime, life throws all sorts of hammers and nails on the roadway of life, forcing me to swerve and drive erratically, like Graham Charnock weaving his way towards the bar at Corflu. (Yeah, I know; he’s going to call me a twat for that, but that’s his hobby.) These obstacles have taken the form of our first grandchild: Brian Charles James Blevins was born on Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 5:21 PM, to our daughter Josie and her husband Zach Blevins. Little Brian is not so little anymore: he has doubled his birth weight, and is becoming more interesting by the day. Here is a recent photo of the tyke with his mother, taken at the one-year remembrance of Constable Brian Bachmann’s death (he was Josie’s mentor when she was interning in Precinct One during the summer of 2012):

As you can see, he’s a healthy boy. As Graham Charnock – there’s that name again – said on Facebook, “All babies look like Winston Churchill.” I don’t know about that…

Anyway, this fellow takes up a fair amount of time, but I will still be producing Askance #30 in a few months.

See you folks then.

- John Purcell

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