BCSFAzine #346 Price: $3.00 The monthly newsletter of the British Columbia Science Fiction Association Something to interest everyone! Vol. 30 No. 3 * March 2001 IN THIS ISSUE: WHICH FANDOM ARE YOU IN? * MANSFIELD FOLDS Con-TRACT * DIDDY WAH DIDDY * MURRAY MOORE PUBLISHES HIS TRIP REPORT! * DIDDY WAH DIDDY * GARTH FINISHES OFF “CRANK THEORIES” (YAAAY!) * WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT ‘DIDDY WAH DIDDY’ MEANS? * MORE NEWS BCSFAzine Above prices includes subscription to Something to offend interest everyone! BCSFAzine. Make cheques payable to BCSFA (West Coast Science Fiction Association) c/o 86 BCSFAzine © March 2001 Volume #30, #3, Issue Warrick Street, Coquitlam, B.C. CANADA V3K #346 is the club newsletter published by the 5L4. B.C. Science Fiction Association, a social organi- BCSFAzine is also available by e-mail as an zation. Singe copies $3.00 each. For comments, Adobe Acrobat .PDF file. (Please e-mail subscriptions suggestions, and/or submissions, [email protected] if you wish to receive the write to: BCSFAzine c/o Box 15335, VMPO, magazine by e-mail.) Vancouver, B.C. CANADA V6B 5B1, or e-mail [email protected]. BCSFA’s Web page may be viewed at http:// www3.telus.net/dh2/bcsfa/. BCSFA Executive The V-Con Society’s Web page may be viewed at President............................. R. Graeme Cameron http://www3.telus.net/dh2/vconsociety/. Vice President ....................................... ? Treasurer ..................................... Doug Finnerty Webmaster ....David Hale Secretary ............................................ Alyx Shaw ([email protected] / [email protected]) Archivist .............................. R. Graeme Cameron Editor ........................................... Garth Spencer VCon 27’s Web page may be viewed at http:// Members at Large: ..................... Randy Barnhart www.v-con.ca. Webmistress: Lorna Appleby .................................................. Alan Ferguson ([email protected]) Keeper of FRED, V-Con Ambassador for Life ...... Steve Forty (S.40) BCSFA has an e-mail discussion list at Yahoo! BCSFAzine Layout, Acrobatics & Image Hyper Groups. Text Modem Retrieval Specialist ....David Hale To Subscribe: email BCSFA- ([email protected] / [email protected]) [email protected] To Post a message: [email protected] To contact the List owner: BCSFA Membership Rates: [email protected] To Unsubscribe: BCSFA- New ...................................... $26.00 [email protected] Renewal ................................ $25.00 The Shortcut URL to this page is: New Family (2 Votes)............. $32.00 http://www.yahoo.com/community/BCSFA Contents COAs Plain Speaking ........ 1 Don Bassie, [email protected] LoCs ......... 2 Clint Budd, [email protected] Dining Out (Delphine Kelly) ........ 6 Paul Carpentier, [email protected] Local Events & NW Conventions ........ 7 Garth Spencer, [email protected] Fanzines (Ted White) ........ 9 * that’s in addition to his previous emails, Our Trades (GS) ........ 10 not instead of * Media File (Ray Seredin) ........ 11 Paul Valcour’s new editorial @dress for the Ottawa News ........ 12 SF Statement is [email protected] Nils Helmer Frome (R.G. Cameron) ......... 14 Crank Theories (GS) ........ 17 ** Where are the Dezotells now? ** - their email Book Reviews (Donna McMahon) ........ 20 BCSFAzine bounced back VCON 27 AUCTION - LIST OF ITEMS ......... 22 This month’s cover artist: ........ Taral Wayne MEMBERSHIP EXPIRIES I simply could not add fillos to this issue, because the Only I had a membership expiry last month. No-one clipart from CD-ROMs overwhelms my computer’s else’s membership expires until April (Cindy memory. I am now soliciting line-art .TIFs from all you Turner). artists out there! Plain Speaking Several topics are on my mind this month, Concerning Canvention procedures, he also which are loosely linked. One of them is the way wrote: “If you have any questions, or any sugges- we still talk about “fandom”, when in fact there tions, or comments you can send me, it would seem to be several, quite separate fandoms. be appreciated.” I referred him to Graeme and to Another is what this means for BCSFA, and for Murray Moore right away. VCon, and for enterprises such as the upcoming Later in February, I had email correspond- Canadian SF & Fantasy Awards. One more topic, ence with Danita Maslankowski, Con-Version’s which ties into both of the preceding ones, is Aurora Awards co-ordinator. I offered what Dale Speirs’ recent review of Bowling Alone, a information I could to support the Aurora Award book on popular culture. balloting this year, and referred her again to Graeme and also to Paul Valcour. (Unfortunately Which Fandom Are You In? I have no name or contact information for the Consider: anyone who enters a fan group Aurora Awards co-ordinator for Canvention 20, these days probably enters an anime or fantasy/ Toronto Trek in 2000.) I kept emphasizing that role-playing gaming group. It’s still possible to other people would have more and better ad- enter a Star Trek, Star Wars, Tracker, Highlander, dress databases. Stargate SG-1 or other media fan group, or a Have I failed to advertise to you adequately comics club, or a costumers’ group, or (just the fact that there is an upcoming Canvention? possibly) to encounter fanzine fandom, or a (Does it represent your interests?) writers’ workshop. You may correct me if I’m wrong; but somewhere in the last twenty to Canzine Issues thirty years, we crossed a watershed, and any- Now consider the following: John Mansfield one who encounters fandom now will only enter is ceasing to publish Con-TRACT, the bimonthly a subfandom – they will not go on to participate newsletter listing conventions across Canada. in a whole range of other fanactivities. Con-TRACT has been running since 1988 on Sometimes I wonder if BCSFAns quite know a bimonthly basis, first via regular post and then where the most activity and interest lies in through the Internet. John’s major concerns fandom, these days, and whether we’re offering were to list SF, gaming and other conventions them anything? Which fandom are you in? I am across Canada, especially for hucksters and for interested in your response. convention committees, and to examine critically how they were run. He was in a position to do Canfandom and Its Enterprises this, not only because he played a leading role in Now consider the Canvention – the rotating the Winnipeg SF Society and the annual conven- honour of hosting the Canadian SF Awards tion, Keycon, and not only by chairing the Win- presentation. The next Canvention will be Con- nipeg Worldcon; in my research on Canadian Version 19, in Calgary (see www.con- fanhistory I found his name appearing at the version.org). Paul “Ogre” Bushell, chairing this founding of various Canadian SF clubs, ranging con, wrote to me in early February: as far apart as Fredericton and Calgary, starting in 1966. “Con-Version membership prices have dropped There have been a number of national fan so hopefully you will be able to attend this year. periodicals -- published or attempted or at least Memberships are $40 until July 31 (no incremen- talked about -- since at least the 1970s. Con- tal increases!), $50 at the door. Hotel prices are TRACT assumed some of the functions of a $99 per night at the Westin, but since we are national newszine after the demise of MLR, Xeno- downtown, if you stay anywhere else, it is easy to File and (apparently) Under the Ozone Hole in the get downtown. The hotel has given us one free early 1990s; they themselves had carried on night for an early bird raffle. For all those that after The Maple Leaf Rag and New Canadian book rooms at the Westin prior to the end of May Fandom folded in the late 1980s. (John’s wife (date to be confirmed) they will be a draw for one Linda Ross-Mansfield herself published such a night free. We will be getting our booking codes periodical, Northern Lights, up to the early up on the website very soon.” continued on page 18 2 Letters of Comment “Paul M Carpentier” <[email protected]>, business as they are?) Jan. 31, 2002 I haven’t reached my 80s as yet, at least on Garth, I’m not sure how you did it, but that paper. I was 79 on December 19th, and I didn’t was one of the best BCSFAzine’s I’ve seen you know until until I read this issue that I share do. This, despite the fact that it looked like a that birth date with Yvonne Penney. But I have frantic attempt to impose email forwards and this theory that I’ve flunked a number of years press releases as content. down through the decades, and was forced to Maybe it was the full cover art coming repeat them. That would account for the fact through in PDF. Maybe it was the page numbers that I feel so much older than I really am, ac- matching the pages. Maybe it was your keen cording to the records. sense of trying to be understood, leading to some (Editor responds: You’ve given me a couple of strange, and some triumphant, editorial ad- questions to ponder. denda. I don’t know, but I liked receiving the ish, (First, and everybody should at least read this just the same. Thank you. question – shall we revive the notice of club (Editor responds: Well, gosh! [shuffles his feet] members’ birthdays? Would you care to send I sure am happy to be appreciated.) me your birth dates? (Second … I’ve been saying for some years Harry Warner Jr., 423 Summit Ave., Hagerstown, that the speed of time seems to vary according to MD 21740, U.S.A., Jan. 30, 2002 how much attention we’re paying, or how much we’re trying to get done. And we’ve heard for The plump new issue of BCSFAzine is at some years that you’re as young as you feel.