April 2001 1

2 File 770:138

Phyllis Eide: (photo) 22

File 770‘s “White Album” Is it any wonder people suspect File 770 of being a hoax when I’m sending out the April issue in May? But I don’t want to waste Alan White’s tremendous “April Fool” cover. Another famous fannish White — 138 Ted — contributed an excerpt from File 770:138 is edited by Mike his Corflu report. Then, Alan White Glyer at 705 Valley View Ave., Art Credits comes back with an article Monrovia CA 91016. Alan White: Cover, 2,3, 7, 8, describing the way he produces the File 770 is available for news, 11, 15, 16, 19 computerize fan art published in File artwork, arranged trades, or by Kurt Erichsen: 770 . Each man also wrote a meaty subscription. Subscriptions cost $8 Joe Mayhew: 7, 15, 23 letters of comment, making this for 5 issues, $15 for 10 issues, Brad Foster : 9 truly the “White Album” issue of File mailed first class in North America or Ray Capella: 4 770. surface mail rates overseas. Bill Rotsler: 2, 24, 25, 26 Air printed matter rate is $2.50. Teddy Harvia : 4, 5 , 12 Freff : 14 (from Vanamonde 415) CONTACT FILE 770 Julia Morgan-Scott: 6 Telephone: (626) 305-1004. Grant Canfield: 21, Back Cover E-Mail: [email protected] Keith Stokes: (photo) 10 The People Speak: File 770, Not Frohvet, Is The Hoax! Editorial Notes by Mike Glyer

E. B. Frohvet is his own man, whoever he is. heard of, then they’re both right, he’s not And whoever he is, he’s not Moshe Feder. really a “hoax.” (Their letters lead off The My zealous effort last issue to unmask the Fanivore.) “Frohvet hoax” and “blame” him on Feder did By then, Feder’s copy of File 770 had not come across to everyone as the intended reached him: joke, though some got it: John Hertz called me Moshe Feder: When I got home later, I immediately after reading his copy to say that found that the issue had arrived and was the reference to Feder was hilarious, because he able to read the piece myself. In context, knew it was impossible. On the other hand, this I think the reference to me does come thunderbolt from Feder came whizzing through across as a joke, though perhaps not a e-mail after someone asked him about the very funny one. (On the other hand, I’m story: slightly pleased to be thought still in- Moshe Feder: Greg Benford happened to volved enough in fanac to have my name call Tor for David Hartwell, and since DH used this way.) is out sick, I answered the phone. We chat- I honestly thought the piece was funny ted a bit and he took the opportunity to tell when I wrote it, though once I saw it in print me that in the current issue of File 770 you it seemed to reek of neglected-newzine- claim to have discovered that I’ve been editor-with-big-ego -- therefore, probably too maintaining a hoax persona under the name much like the truth to be taken for a joke! Frohvet, and that apparently you base this Other readers pointed out my error in conclusion on his sharing an old opinion of identifying Joseph T. Mayhew as someone mine. That’s awfully flimsy evidence, far who met Frohvet at Chicon 2000. Yes, that beneath what I thought were your journalis- was a mistake – after all, I was calling tic standards. In fact, this claim is complete Frohvet a hoax, not a ghost. (Joseph T. Major nonsense… By Roscoe’s mighty tail -- first rifles as a research expense (so he always says.) met him at Chicon.) Martin Tudor libels me in his TAFF report, Frohvet’s own letter soon followed, denying So, in the grand tradition of File 770 , I and now this! that he’s a hoax at all. He’s simply a pen name. will spend the next several issues explaining While Feder was talking to Benford, he enlight- Ted White also sent an e-mail, suggesting the (and probably getting the correction wrong) ened Greg about what I do for a living. (Talk proper comparison is to David McDaniel, the that E. B. Frohvet is not a hoax and also is about libel!) I wonder if Benford was horrified pro pen-name of LASFSian Ted Johnstone. not Moshe Feder. I hope you won’t get so to learn that I work for the IRS – I realize it’s Applying the one-fan one-fanac principal confused you’ll have to check a photo ID not exactly the most libertarian entity in Amer- (which I just made up), I suppose if Frohvet is a before you shave yourself. Especially if ica.... But we did let Jerry Pournelle deduct his nom de plume of a fan we otherwise have never you’re a woman! April 2001 3

Corflu 2001 I have the power excerpts from a report by To rob adults of sleep For days on end…. Ted White What’s YOUR mutant power?

[[Ted kindly permitted File 770 to run the following excerpts of a full-length report that will appear in Sandra Bond’s fanzine QUA- SIQUOTE. Contact her via e-mail at san- [email protected]]]

If the omens were to be believed, this year’s Corflu was going to be a disaster. Ominous rumors were floating about: the hotel was terrifically overpriced, and had no amenities (no restaurant – not even a coffee shop). placed. I found I was on the first item when future.’” Yes, Daylight Savings Time went Publicity from Bob Webber, the con-chair, Bob asked me to be. Since it had to do with into effect during the Major Party of the con- was conspicuously absent – no Progress Re- the intersection of one’s fannish and profes- vention, suddenly depriving us of an hour of ports were ever published and the first on- sional interests, I felt well suited to be on it. I Prime Party Time. This has never before line information was not posted to the fan- shared the panel with Deb Geisler and occurred at a Corflu – and I can only hope it nish lists until late last fall, after some public Sharon Sbarksy, with Bob moderating and never will again. (It won’t next year, because grumbling had made itself heard. “Is anyone Deb and I did most of the talking, as it turned Corflu will be in February….) going?” was a common question. out. Perhaps for that reason, people turning up But Sheila Leightsey canvassed the area I missed the next item (spouses of faneds for the Sunday banquet at noon looked a bit around the hotel and reported on the many or somesuch) while Frank and I went out to bleary-eyed and seemed subdued. The Sun- restaurants within walking distance, aided explore the other main direction in which day banquet is the best of the Corflu tradi- and abetted by George Flynn, and she asked we’d heard there were restaurants. It had tions – established at the very first Corflu in me for suggestions on consuite munchies. stopped raining, but was cold and windy. 1984 – and is included in the membership And it was Sheila who arranged for the Sun- Back at the convention, it was soon time fee. This year we had the best of both worlds: day banquet to be catered by a local restau- for the fanzine auction. Dan Steffan had an in-hotel banquet catered by a local restau- rant at the hotel. As the convention grew given me a box of fanzines to take up to be rant – the Dixie Kitchen, a Cajun restaurant. closer it began to seem more solid, more real. auctioned for TAFF and they included some All credit to Sheila: the food was excellent, The MidTown Hotel turned out to be Real Gems, like QUANDRY #13 – the and well-catered by the Dixie Kitchen staff. more of a motel – only two stories high, with QUANNISH – and bidding was occasionally Then it was time for the GoH presenta- ample parking underneath. I drove up to spirited. tion. Boston with rich brown and ended up park- Following this was to be the rehearsal – Nic Farey had been careening around the ing almost directly opposite the lobby en- well, read-through – of Andy Hooper’s new convention all weekend in a state which con- trance, an ideal spot. The hotel was, in fact, a fannish play, “HOMICIDE: The Book of the vinced some people that his stint as GoH close cousin to the “Tudor Nightmare Vil- Fuggheads,” in which I had the part of “Ted would be a disaster. When queried, he’d roll lage” hotels of several past, and fondly re- White, a big-name science fiction fan.” his eyes and act convincingly like a bad acci- membered, Corflus – lacking only eating Andy Hooper is the Unsung Hero of mod- dent waiting to happen. But “crazy like a facilities. (It did have a “coffee shop” – but it ern Corflus. He has more than once single- fox” is a phrase coined to describe Nic. He served only breakfast and was open only handedly produced entire programs for sev- began by saluting everyone there by first until 11:00 AM.) eral Corflus and I believe his suggestions name, running down the list of 40-odd people It was at some point Friday night that Nic provided most if not all of this year’s pro- (no puns needed here; by this point we were Farey’s name was pulled from the hat as gram. The play was clearly the highlight this all a bit odd) and concluding, after a brief Corflu’s Guest of Honor. It’s uncanny how year – as his plays have been in past years. pause, with “and…Ian.” (Much laughter.) He these things work out. It’s been several years since the last new play finished with “a brief thought,” which he I had gotten almost no sleep the night Andy presented, and I think his take on kept to himself. before driving up, but I’ve learned the secret Homicide (the TV show – recently can- As usual, we had an election of the fwa of sleeping in con-hotels: ear-plugs. Thus celled), ranks among his best. past-president (for 2000). The fix was in. equipped, I got a decent night’s sleep – my The party that night was genuinely This year people had been coming up to me first in a couple of days. unique. As Bob Devney described it in the throughout the convention with the same The food laid out in the lower consuite one-shot, “Ian Sorenson filled me in on what name and I recognized the absolute rightness provided an adequate breakfast and I was happened after I left the party last night. The of that name. Indeed, I wondered in retro- ready to be on the first program item of the highlight? ‘You missed our Practical Time spect why he’d never been suggested before day. I wish I could find my copy of the Travel Workshop. At 2:00 AM we all joined – after all, he, like me, had been to every “program” sheet, but it seems to be mis- hands and shifted forward an hour into the Corflu to date. He was the oldest fanwriter in 4 File 770:138

Views and Reviews in PDF Ted White points out, “A few months ago I began doing fmz reviews specifically aimed at clubfans to pull them into fan- zines.” Currently these reviews (600 words an installment) are appearing in six clubzines in the US and Canada, including LASFS’ De Profundis and The WSFA Jour- nal. Bill Burns is posting them on his eFanzines site at: http://efanzines.com/ Fanzines/ Burns’ site is also home to downloadable Adobe PDF versions of eight fanzines edited by Arnie Katz ( Corflatch, Jackpot! ), Marty the room, once a Boston native, and he surely Bailes, Randy Byers, Andy Hooper, Carrie Cantor ( No Award ), Ron Clarke deserved the “honor.” I’m speaking of Art Root, Catherine Crockett, Colin Hinz, Victor (The Mentor ), Erika Maria Lacey Widner, of course. Two others were nomi- Gonzalez and Art Widner did. Jean Weber (Sardine Tin Gods ), Joyce Worley nated (before one of the plants in the audience and Eric Lindsay were there on what Katz ( Smokin’ Rockets ), Michael could move the nominations be closed), but amounted to the first leg of their GUFF trip J. Lowrey ( Vojo de Vivo ), and Bill Art was the overwhelming choice of the Cor- (but Eric has been to enough Corflus already Bowers ( Xenolith ). flu attendees, as the vote clearly indicated. that I almost think of him as a Corflu regular). Or eFanzines.com can link you Then, finally, the FAAN Awards. Once Dick & Leah Smith were back for their first to other sites containing Ansible again the indefatigable Andy Hooper con- Corflu in half a decade. And we had a (Langford) , Bento (Levine and ducted the Awards (which also meant that he smaller contingent of Brits this year, but it Yule) , Covert Communications counted no votes for himself – which I think was great to see Allison Freebairn and From Zeta Corvi (Andrew Mur- additionally skews the voting), and he made Yvonne Rowse and…whatsisname?…Ian doch) , Dynatron (Roy Tackett) , his announcement of the Awards from hastily again. And Linda Bushyager surprised every- scribbled vote tallies upon which he’d still one with her announcement that she and Ron eFNAC (John Foyster) , Fanthology been working that morning. Here are the re- are moving soon to Las Vegas – although that ’87 (Richard Brandt) , Gegen- sults, as reported in the one-shot: there were did not really make up for the absence of the schein (Eric Lindsay) , Gloss 45 ballots. Katzes or the Formans. I was handed copies (Lillian Edwards and Victor Gon- Best New Fanzine Fan : Sheila Leightsey of eleven different fanzines, which I fully zalez) , Groggy 2000 (Eric Mayer) , (who handed out copies of the second issue of intend to read Any Day Now. It Goes on the Shelf (Ned The Accidental Fanzine ; the first issue was Next year: Annapolis. Y’all come. Brooks) , Light in the Bushel distributed at last year’s Corflu). Best Letter- (Richard Brandt) , Mimosa (Nicki hack : Robert Lichtman. Best Fan Artist : ++ Ted White and Richard Lynch) , Plokta Steve Stiles. Best Fanwriter : Victor Gon- (Alison Scott, Steve Davies, Mike zalez (Nic Farey and I were tied for second Scott) , Squib (Victor Gonzalez) , place only a few points behind). Best Fan- and This Here (Nic Farey) . zine : Idea . The #1 Fan Face category awaits Andy’s tabulation of the total votes in all categories, but he believed it would be either Victor Gonzalez or Robert Lichtman. Actual certificates were handed out this year (and for the two previous years as well) with art by Stu Shiffman. I brought Steve Stiles’ back with me to give to him. So what’s left to be said about this Corflu? Although attendance was lower than that of all but the Panama City Corflu (and maybe El Paso’s), there was a good mix of fans. I was delighted to meet Murray Moore, for exam- ple, and it was good to see fans like Ron Salo- mon and Ed Meskys again after many years. Although some of my favorite west-coasters (like Lichtman) did not show up, Lenny April 2001 5

2001 Hugo Award Nominees

The Millennium Philcon© announced Best Dramatic there were 495 total nominating ballots. 178 of those ballots were Presentation submitted electronically. There were (279 nominating ballots, 151 an additional 29 paper ballots, and 15 nominees): electronic ballots that were received, that were marked ineligible for various Chicken Run reasons. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Frank Herbert’s Dune Frequency Best Novel X-men (381 nominating ballots, 205 nominees): Best Professional Editor A Storm of Swords by George R.R. (288 nominating ballots, 77 Martin, (Voyager; Bantam nominees): Spectra) Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer Ellen Datlow (Tor) Gardner Dozois Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire David G. Hartwell by J.K. Rowling (Bloomsbury; Stanley Schmidt Scholastic/Levine) Gordon Van Gelder Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson (Warner Aspect) Best Professional Artist The Sky Road by Ken MacLeod (246 nominating ballots, 145 Orbit 1999/Tor 2000) nominees): Best Short Story Best Novella (295 nominating ballots, 248 nominees): Jim Burns (229 nominating ballots, 50 nominees; Bob Eggleton six nominees due to a tie): “Different Kinds of Darkness” by David Frank Kelly Freas Langford ( F&SF Jan 2000) Donato Giancola “A Roll of the Dice” by Catherine Asaro “Kaddish for the Last Survivor” by Michael Michael Whelan ( Analog Jul/Aug 2000) A. Burstein ( Analog Nov 2000) Best Fan Writer “Oracle” by Greg Egan ( Asimov's Jul 2000) “Moon Dogs” by Michael Swanwick ( Moon (201 nominating ballots, 134 nominees): “Radiant Green Star” by Lucius Shepard Dogs, NESFA Press Feb 2000; Asimov’s ( Asimov's Aug 2000) Mar 2000) Bob Devney “Seventy-Two Letters” by Ted Chiang “The Elephants on Neptune” by Mike Mike Glyer ( Vanishing Acts: A Science Fiction Resnick ( Asimov's May 2000) Dave Langford Anthology, Tor Jul 2000) “The Gravity Mine” by Stephen Baxter Evelyn C. Leeper “The Retrieval Artist” by Kristine Kathryn ( Asimov's Apr 2000) Steven H Silver Rusch ( Analog Jun 2000) “The Ultimate Earth” by Jack Williamson Best Related Book Best Semiprozine ( Analog Dec 2000) (213 ballots, 86 nominees): (241 nominating ballots, 56 nominees):

Best Novellette Concordance to Cordwainer Smith: Third Interzone edited by David Pringle (237 nominating ballots, 131 nominees): Edition by Anthony R. Lewis (NESFA Locus edited by Charles N. Brown Press) New York Review of Science Fiction edited “Agape Among the Robots” by Allen Steele Greetings from Earth: The Art of Bob by Kathryn Cramer, David G. Hartwell, and ( Analog May 2000 ) Eggleton by Bob Eggleton, Nigel Kevin Maroney “Generation Gap” by Stanley Schmidt Suckling (Paper Tiger) Science Fiction Chronicle edited by Andrew ( Artemis Spring 2000) Putting It Together: Turning Sow's Ear I. Porter “Millennium Babies” by Kristine Kathryn Drafts Into Silk Purse Stories by Mike Speculations edited by Denise Lee and Rusch ( Asimov's Jan 2000) Resnick (Wildside Press) Susan Fry; published by Kent Brewster “On the Orion Line” by Stephen Baxter Robert A. Heinlein: A Reader's Companion ( Asimov's Oct/Nov 2000) by James Gifford (Nitrosyncretic Press) Best Fanzine “Redchapel” by Mike Resnick ( Asimov's Terry Pratchett: Guilty of Literature ed. by (194 nominating ballots, 90 nominees): Dec 2000) Andrew M. Butler, Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn (The Science Fiction Challenger edited by Guy Lillian III Foundation) File 770 edited by Mike Glyer

6 File 770:138

Mimosa ed. by Nicki and Richard Lynch 1950) Plokta edited by Alison Scott, Steve “The Last Enemy” by H Beam Piper Davies and Mike Scott ( Astounding SF Aug 1950) STET edited by Dick Smith and Leah “The Man Who Sold the Moon” by Zeldes Smith Robert Heinlein (Shasta Publishers) Best Fan Artist “To the Stars” by L. Ron Hubbard (127 nominating ballots, 81 nominees): ( Astounding SF Feb-Mar 1950)

Sheryl Birkhead Best Novelette Brad Foster (73 nominating ballots, 32 nominees): Teddy Harvia Sue Mason “Dear Devil” by Eric Frank Russell Taral Wayne ( Other Worlds May 1950) “Okie” by James Blish ( Astounding John W. Campbell Award Science Fiction Apr 1950) (201 nominating ballots, 100 nominees): “Scanners Live in Vain” by Cordwainer James L. Cambias (1st year of eligibility) Smith ( Fantasy Book #6 ) Thomas Harlan (2nd year of eligibility) “The Helping Hand” by Poul Douglas Smith (2nd year of eligibility) Anderson Kristine Smith (2nd year of eligibility) ( Astounding SF May 1950) Jo Walton (1st year of eligibility) “The Little Black Bag” by C.M. Kornbluth ( AstoundingSF Jul 1950) 1950 Retro Hugo Best Short Story Award Nominees (100 nominating ballots, 64 (Fantasy Press) nominees): There were 130 total nominating ballots. 48 Pebble in the Sky by Isaac Asimov ballots were submitted electronically. One (Doubleday) “A Subway Named Mobius” by A.J. Deutsch additional paper ballot was received that was The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by ( Astounding Science Fiction Dec 1950) marked invalid. C.S. Lewis (Geoffrey Bles) “Born of Man and Woman” by Richard Matheson ( F&SF Summer 1950) “Coming Attraction” by Fritz Leiber Best Novel Best Novella (111 nominating ballots, 31 nominees): ( Galaxy Nov 50) (73 nominating ballots, 18 nominees): “The Gnurrs Come from the Voodvork Out”

The Dying Earth by Jack Vance (Hillman) by Reginald Bretnor ( F&SF Winter- “And Now You Don't” by Isaac Asimov Spring 1950) Farmer in the Sky by Robert A. Heinlein ( Astounding SF Nov 1949 –Jan 1950) (Scribner’s) “To Serve Man” by Damon Knight “The Dreaming Jewels” by Theodore ( Galaxy Nov 1950) First Lensman by Edward E Smith, Ph.D. Sturgeon ( Fantastic Adventures Feb

2001 Hugo Award 1950 Retro Hugo Nominee Voting Summary Nominee Voting Summary

Category Ballots Votes Nominees Range Category Ballots Votes Nominees Range Novel 381 1189 205 56-28 Novel 111 324 30 54-28 Novella 229 615 50 45-33 Novella 73 141 19 44-9 Novelette 237 734 131 32-21 Novelette 73 299 32 67-18 Short Story 295 864 248 31-21 Short Story 100 327 64 54-22 Related Book 213 478 86 35-25 Related Book* 9 14 10 2-1 Dramatic Pres. 279 876 151 105-46 Dramatic Pres. 88 252 30 72-18 Professional Ed. 288 786 77 129-61 Professional Editor 64 193 21 55-11 Professional Art. 246 669 145 127-30 Professional Artist 49 151 31 29-11 Semiprozine 241 537 56 88-46 Fan Writer 38 133 29 27-7 Fanzine 194 481 90 54-30 Semiprozine* 4 8 8 1-1 Fan Writer 201 498 134 41-23 Fanzine 36 98 26 19-7 Fan Artist 127 316 81 42-16 Fan Artist 30 82 20 19-4 Campbell Award 201 449 100 29-19 *Category not on final ballot Counting software developed by Jeff Copeland. 130 total nominating ballots April 2001 7

Best Related Book Best Fanzine (9 nominating ballots, 10 nominees): (36 nominating ballots, 26 nominees): Category has been dropped due to insufficient response Quandry Skyhook Best Dramatic Presentation Spacewarp (88 nominating ballots, 30 nominees): Slant Science Fiction Cinderella Newsletter Destination Moon The Fanscient Harvey Rabbit of Seville Best Fan Artist Rocketship X-M (30 nominating ballots, 20 nominees): Best Professional Editor (64 nominating ballots, 21 nominees): Jack Gaughan Lee Hoffman turns out those numbers are not the same. Now I wonder if my electronic vote was Anthony Boucher Ray Nelson Bill Rotsler counted by Rick and Saul? John W. Campbell, Jr. Groff Conklin James White H.L. Gold ConJose Announces J. Francis McComas Notes from the Hugo Administrators: Ed Web Site Hugo Emshwiller received enough nominations to ConJosé, the 2002 Worldcon, will present a Best Professional Artist be on the ballot in the Best Professional special Hugo Award for Best Web Site. It Artist category. However, the Hugo will be open to any web site primarily related (49 nominating ballots, 31 nominees): Committee has determined that his first to the fields of science fiction, fantasy, or professional work was in 1951 and therefore fandom and will be given for material Hannes Bok he’s ineligible to appear on the ballot. Chesley Bonestell displayed on the World Wide Web during the Harlan Ellison received enough calendar year 2001. The Award is being Edd Cartier nominations to be on the ballot in the Best Virgil Finlay added under a WSFS rule that permits a Fan Writer category. However, the Hugo committee to include an experimental Hugo Frank Kelly Freas Committee has determined that he did not category. There will be a single category, have any fan writing published in 1950. eligibility will not be subdivided Best Fan Writer Both Bjo Trimble and Dave Kyle received (“professional,” “fan,” “semipro” etc.) (38 nominating ballots, 29 nominees): enough nominations to be on the ballot in the Answering the question of how to judge Best Fan Artist category. However, the web sites with changing contents – which, Lee Hoffman Hugo Committee has not found any work by hopefully, is most of them! -- Kevin Standlee Bob Silverberg either in 1950. explained, “Just as artists often produce a Robert "Bob" Wilson Tucker After discussion with Stanley Schmidt of continuous flow of artwork, web sites quite James White Analog, it was decided that conducting often change over time. Just as in the Best Walt Willis nominations for the Campbell Award would Artist category, our basic assumption is that be inappropriate. Hugo voters will be making their decisions Best Semiprozine The software used for counting the based on what they saw appear during the (4 nominating ballots, 8 nominees): nominations was developed by Jeff previous calendar year. (And just like the Copeland. Best Artist category, we won't quiz the voters Category was dropped due to insufficient on the specifics they're using.) Luckily, many response Inside the File 770 Voting Booth: web site sites provide archives or ‘issues’ so Electronic Hugo voting was handicapped that visitors can examine past content.” when the Millennium Philcon site went down ConJose Hugo Postscript : John Lorentz a several of days before the March 31 has agreed to administer the 2002 Hugo deadline. Votes cast online from March 28- Awards for ConJose. He previously co- 31 might have been lost, so Hugo administered the 1998 Hugo Awards at administrators Rick Katze and Saul Jaffe Bucconneer with his wife, Ruth Sachter. opened their mirror server and extended the Ruth, however, expects to be a little busy in deadline four days to allow people to re-enter 2002 as Vice Chair of ConJose.) votes. Just the other day I found the special PR from Millennium Philcon containing the Hugo nominating ballots. The one with a special mailing label containing my “unique identifying number.” Having been unable to find it before the deadline, I had resorted to using the number on the mailing label of an earlier MilPhil PR which I had located. It 8 File 770:138

GUFF Eric Lindsay dropped a line while he and Jean Weber were packing for their latest overseas adventures. “We leave on the GUFF trip in less than a week, so we are typically totally disorgan- ized. Our path takes us to the US East Coast for once, with a visit to Corflu in Boston, before flying to London and then the Eastercon. We do have plans to see lots of UK fans, so I hope we don't get too lost in making our way around the UK seeking them out. Jean has assisted this materially, by making me get rid of my old map, which ap- parently pre-dates the Norman con- quest.” They did get one thing started be- fore leaving, a new GUFF web site: http://psiphi.server101.com/guff/ News of Fandom index.htm Eric adds, “In a triumph of opti- mism over realism, Jean even arranged a ‘donations’ page there, so that, for the Wedding Countdown Begins was there at the time doing some consulting very first time (we think) in a fan fund, fans Guy Lillian III and Rose-Marie Donovan with Boeing. According to Mary Kay Kare, can donate to the fund over the internet in will be married in Cocoa, Florida, on June “He said it was pretty interesting, moder- any of several different ways.” 30th. Guy boasts, “An Atlas-Agena is ately strong and long lasting but not espe- For the record, here are the GUFF voting scheduled to be launched that very evening cially scary." statistics: from nearby Cape Canaveral. As Joe Major Bill Warren, who also is working at Aus UK Other Total says, a good wedding should have fire- Boeing, can be excused if he felt a little Lindsay/Weber 17 22 10 49 works.” differently. Although his home in Tacoma Warman/Woods 19 12 3 34 emerged essentially unscathed, his work- place in Renton did not. He told readers of Fandom Inc. Goes Bust Chronicles of the Dawn Patrol: CUFF Bid farewell to the company fans love to “My building was trashed… During the “I got a laugh out of your coverage on the hate. Debra Streicker-Fine, CEO of Fandom quake, our seismically-designed building -- Canadian Unity Fan Fund,” wrote fund Inc., announced on April 2 that the com- which I had just moved into a week earlier - administrator Garth Spencer. “Actually pany is shutting down its online operations. - proceeded to do what any good seismi- Murray Moore didn't unilaterally declare Creation Entertainment, acquired by Fan- cally-designed building should do: it rocked himself winner. I had been delegated the dom just four months ago, has already been back and forth and flexed and didn't fall balloting this year, and Murray was the only sold back to founders Gary Berman and down! That's the good news. Not-so-good: one to run as nominee -- getting more than Adam Malin. They paid a lower price to get the building proceeded to beat itself to enough nominations, in both eastern and their company back than Fandom Inc. paid death on the concrete supports for the western Canada. I declared he was the dele- for it in the first place. [flight] simulators. Part of that beating in- gate this year. In January 2001. Evidently I Though I don’t rule out the possibility cluded breaking the fire sprinkler system put everyone on my email release list ex- that they simply pulled it out of the dump- into a whole bunch of independently owned cept you. Strange.” ster behind Fandom’s officers. No question and operated fire sprinkler systems, each of Check out www.v-con.org for informa- that Fandom.com’s lawyers are still in it, which immediately went into competition tion on this year's VCon, doubling as this after Carol Burrell successfully fought their with each other to see which one could turn year's Canvention, where Murray should efforts to take away her Fandom.tv domain the largest collection of posters, books, appear. name. Carol, left with $1,500 of unpaid information handouts, files, etc. to papier- legal bills, hopes fans will help her out. mâché first. Since a lot of these things were DUFF [[Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Ansi- on the third floor (I was on the first) the DUFF got a financial boost from the Wild ble 165]] upstairs got very heavy very fast. As a re- Cards Consortium, which donated a com- sult, when we all filed out of the building in plete, 15-book set of the Wild Cards (US Bad Vibrations an orderly fashion (shh! I'm telling this!) we edition) to auction at Boskone. According Seattle was hit by a 6.8 magnitude earth- found out they wouldn't let us back in the to Janice Gelb, they were signed by most of quake on February 28, but the depth of the rest of the day, so they said ‘go home.’ the writers of the series -- including the late fault involved resulted in fewer seriously They say the 25-01 may be open to Boeing Roger Zelazny. damaged area than might otherwise have folk in maybe 3 months. We got it better Marc Ortlieb reported in Australian SF been the case. Bill and Joy Warren’s home than the Company HQ building near Boeing Bullsheet #166 that DUFF delegates Naomi in Tacoma was essentially untouched by the Field: our sprinkler system soaked our Fisher and Pat Molloy visited Melbourne in quake. building and contents. At Corp HQ it was April, “managing to get to the Nova Mob, Jordin Kare, from California’s Bay Area, the sewer system.” Friday Night Gathering and The MSFC, as April 2001 9 well as a visit to Healesville Wildlife Sanc- tuary, where they weren't bitten by a wom- bat.”

NAFF Lucy Zinkiewicz of New South Wales and Sean-Paul Smith of Victoria are the first winners of the National Australian Fan Fund (NAFF). They were scheduled to attend Swancon in Perth at Easter. NAFF, announced in February, is de- signed to assist fans to attend the Australian National SF Convention. Fans residing in all states and territories outside the one where the Natcon will be held are eligible to be nominated for NAFF. Preference is given to fans who have (a) not attended a Natcon and/or (b) have not attended a con- vention in the state/territory of the current Natcon. NAFF provides the cost of airfare (or traveling expenses) and convention membership. The first NAFF winners were selected by a committee consisting of Grant Watson somehow Martin failed to record his thanks tores Systems, a corporation formed by the (Western Australia) and Sue Ann Barber in the TAFF newsletter. So, belatedly, Mar- law firm that represented him during his (Victoria). Future NAFF races may involve tin would like to record his thanks to Skel civil trial against Ackerman, which then voting by the fan community. and Cas Skelton for sorting out Brian's licensed the trademark for $100 a month to The nominees had to provide a 200-word stuff, Tony Berry for transporting it, Andy another company called Gothix, whose description of what they could bring to Richards for agreeing to buy it without even president is Gene Reynolds -- Ferry's interstate fans and a brief description of viewing it and, of course, Brian Robinson trusted friend, companion and “cosmic their fannish history. The winner is ex- for kindly donating his collection to a good brother,” according to court documents and pected to produce a trip report and engage fannish cause. (Andy Richards’ Cold Ton- testimony. Reynolds is listed in Famous in fundraising to support NAFF. nage Books can be contacted on 01276 Monsters as the general manager, just be- Next year's NAFF will send a fan to 475388 or check http:// low Ferry's name on the masthead. ConVergence in Victoria – then, fans from www.coldtonnage.demon.co.uk). Ferry’s lawyers testified that they took Victoria will be ineligible to enter. the magazine's trademark as collateral for [[Source: Australian SF Bullsheet Mockery of a Sham Ferry's unpaid legal bills. #162,165]] Famous Monsters’ Ray Ferry survived an- other day in court and avoided a conviction Fans Want Acktion Figure TAFF for criminal contempt. On February 28 a It’s not all bad news. Fans of Forry Acker- Victor Gonzalez won the TAFF race, edg- Superior Court judge in Los Angeles said man have started a petition to get noted ing Tom Springer in a comparatively close Ferry’s business dealings “bear the hall- horror toy manufacturer SideShow to create race. But you’ll have to trust me on this, I marks of a contrived sham” designed to an action figure of Ackerman. Ackerman, lost the little piece of paper that fell out of help him avoid payment of a $500,000 the creator of Vampirella and former editor my copy of Ansible . Oh, wait, I found it: judgment, but declined to hold him in of the original Famous Monsters of Film- Victor Gonzalez, 56; Tom Springer, 40; No criminal contempt. land , is recognized as the world's foremost Preference, 5; Hold Over Funds, 3. Judge Stephen Petersen found Ray Ferry authority on horror and science-fiction The winner traveled to the British not guilty of willfully disobeying a court films. Fans can sign the petition online at: Eastercon. order to refrain from selling back issues of http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Forry4e/ Famous Monsters of Filmland . Ferry also Ackerman would like to see it happen. "I was ruled not guilty of willfully refusing to think I've got a good chance," he Ancient TAFF Stuff return certain items to Forry Ackerman. said. "Better than 50/50." Martin Tudor (European TAFF administra- Last year a jury awarded Ackerman As of December 8, the petition had tor 1996-98) has recently been made aware $724,500 in damages, which Petersen later gained 298 signatures. And a few horror of what he terms “an appalling oversight” reduced to $475,499, plus $30,000 in attor- luminaries have even made the scene. that occurred during his Administration. In ney fees. Ackerman has not yet collected a Noted comic artist and writer Dan Brereton 1997 Paul ‘Skel’ Skelton contacted TAFF penny of the judgment. (Nocturnals ) has signed the petition, as has to offer the donation of the book and maga- “This just goes on and on,” Ackerman Chaos! Comics and EternalToys head Brian zine collection of his recently deceased told the Los Angeles Times . “I never Pulido. friend and sometime co-editor Brian Robin- dreamed everything could be so compli- son. The sale of this collection raised cated, so many ways for the wrongdoer to £1,000 which went a long way towards Hilifter avoid paying what the jury awarded me.” Ben Overkamp, son of St. Louis fan Jenny paying off the TAFF debts generated after According to court records, Ferry as- Abigail Frost had stolen the TAFF fund; but Overkamp, earned a spot on the U.S. Junior signed his magazine's trademark to Eske- World Weightlifting team over the April 10 File 770:138

probably still online. One of the best known and most popular Judy Kindell says her an- science fiction fans, Bob is responsible for nouncement drew about 4,000 many of the traditions honored by thou- comments, an unusually large sands of science fiction fans and writers number. around the world. The Alliance for Justice is a “Along the way he published 60 science national association of envi- fiction, mystery and adventure short stories ronmental, civil rights, mental and novels. health, women's, and con- “Tucker received the 1970 Hugo Award sumer advocacy organizations. (presented by the World Science Fiction And the IRS is, well, you Society) for Best Fan Writer. His novel, know… Year of the Quiet Sun, won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, a nomination AntiFan Films for a Nebula Award, and a Hugo nomina- Mark Loney has arranged to tion. In 1985, First Fandom, an organiza- preserve the two AntiFan tion of science fiction fans that have been Retro Hugo nominee and triple-banquet-honoree movies made to promote the active since the 1930s, presented him with — Wilson “Bob” Tucker. Photo by Keith Stokes. Aussiecon (’75) and Sydney in their Hall of Fame Award. '83 Worldcon bids. Screen- “At a ceremony on the Queen Mary in Sound Australia will assimi- 1996, Tucker was the second person hon- 21-22 weekend at the national champion- late the AntiFan films into their collection, ored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy ships in Shreveport, LA. He is the first St. make digital tape master in betacam format Writers of America as Author Emeritus. Louis lifter to qualify for the team in more for their own purposes, and provide the “The Tucker Tribute is sponsored by the than 25 years. donors with video tape copies at cost. Lo- Dawn Patrol, an international organization The eight-man, seven-woman squad ney had been taking reservations for copies of science fiction, aviation and aeronautics will compete in the Junior World Weight- in betacam or VHS PAL format, with an enthusiasts. Attendance is open to the pub- lifting Championships in Greece in mid- April deadline. Whether further copies can lic, but will be limited to 175 people. Ban- June. The competition is Olympic-style, still be ordered is not known: he can be quet tickets will not be available at the which includes the snatch and clean and contacted at: [email protected] PO door. jerk disciplines. Box 181, Campbell ACT 2612, Australia. “The cost of the event is $25. There will Ben made the Jr. World Squad in [[Source: Australian SF Bullsheet]] be a hospitality suite on Friday and Satur- weightlifting last year and attended the day, but activities are currently planned for Olympic training center last summer. Ben Saturday only. Checks made payable to is presently ranked number one in his age Triple-Barreled Barbara Walley should be sent to Tucker and weight class. Tucker Tributes Tribute, c/o Barbara Walley, 10202 White Last issue reported that Bob Tucker Ave., Kansas City, MO 64134. The dead- Dragons Talk Back to IRS trimmed the list of conventions he travels line for registration is June 30, 2001. As File 770 reported last issue, when the to, so the ditto 14 and FanHistoriCon 11 “Rooms are available at the Ramada Inn IRS decided to make rules about the way were beating the odds by staging both cons (800) 385-0000 for $59/night. Tell them tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations use in Tucker’s home town --Bloomington, IL that you are with the Dawn Patrol's Tucker web sites, it asked for public comment. – next fall over the weekend of October 12- Tribute.” Because it’s a small world, who else could 14. For additional details, see the web site: be the principal author of the IRS’ an- Now it’s been announced that before http://www.kcsciencefiction.org/tt.htm nouncement than Judy Kindell, President October’s double-barreled conventions, of the Washington Science Fiction Asso- Tucker will be celebrated at an even bigger Access Denied ciation? Equally interesting, another tribute event in Bloomington. Keith Stokes explains: “I liked your Sincerely, Harlan Ellison WSFA lawyer, John Pomeranz of the Alli- Harlan Ellison has declared war on people ance for Justice, was assigned to look over comments about the Mountain going to Bloomington. But Bloomington will host who post his work on the Net without his the announcement for items requiring com- permission. His targets are part of an online ment by the Alliance. twin peaks this year. On August 4, 2001, science fiction readers from around the subculture who feel that “information Pomeranz saw the story and responded, should be free” and create sites to distrib- “Thanks for the mention of my employer, United States will be gathering in Bloom- ington, Illinois to honor Wilson and Fern ute copyrighted fiction over the Net. Peo- the Alliance for Justice, in your story on ple wanting to read stories by Ellison story the fannish involvement in the IRS Request Tucker. “Tucker Tribute, a semiformal banquet or other sf authors (it’s happening to many, for Comments on Internet Activities by including Larry Niven and Roger Zelazny) Nonprofits. (As a result, File 770 is now a at the Ramada Inn, 1219 Holiday Drive, will celebrate Wilson's literary contribu- simply download the entire text instead of part of our official press clipping files.)” buying the story or borrowing it from a The Alliance’s comments to the IRS tions in the science fiction and mystery fields and his contributions to Science Fic- library. included some unusual exhibits: web sites Ellison warned some other folks who for two fictitious organizations, the 501(c) tion Fandom. Fern is being celebrated for the love and support that allowed him to were bothering him a few years ago, in a (3) Dragon-Lovers Alliance for Research letter to File 770:112 : “As those who re- and Education (www.dragonlovers.org) accomplish the same. “Wilson Tucker, known to most science member will attest, I am more than capable and the 501(c)(4) Dragon-Lovers Action of traveling great distances to knock the Fund (www.dragonaction.org). The sites fiction fans as Bob, has been a science fiction reader and fan for over 70 years. block off evildoers… Is there anyone out contain lots of fantasy references. They are there who knows me at all, who doubts that April 2001 11

I would think no more about getting on a Academy in 1929 and a serving officer until work, and Eric and I spent the day connect- plane and going to Glasgow to do such a he was medically retired for tuberculosis in ing him up to his internal network…and I deed if I felt so moved, than I would about about 1936. learned more about wireless (and some squashing between thumb and forefinger a What fandom doesn’t know is who en- forms of wired) networking than I really roach that had gotten into my cornflakes? I dowed the chair, although free-lance jour- wanted to. But it is done now.” sweep the crap out of my Augean stables nalist Francis Hamit twice posed the ques- personally. I don't hire mercenaries.” Or if he tion to the Academy’s press relations offi- Robert Lichtman slipped in mud and suf- ever did, Harlan explained, even “the contu- cer. Hamit wonders if the Donor is Virginia fered a triple fracture of his right ankle on macious Norman Spinrad” would not be Heinlein: “In recent years, not only has February 25. [[Source: Ansible 165]] sufficiently explosive for the purpose. Heinlein continued to be one of the most SFWA’s attorney, Christine Valada, popular authors in the world, but there have In early March, Kymm Kimpel’s wife Joei apparently is. She’s been hired to handle been movie deals for works like Starship Kimpel suffered a stroke. She still has most Ellison’s litigation. But Stephen Robertson Troopers and The Puppet Masters which of the movement in her right side, but has didn't know that, or surely he would've been have brought in quite a bit of money.” trouble talking at times. [[Source: Chroni- more careful. Last April, Robertson, a 40- The Academy states that the person cles of the Dawn Patrol]] year-old motel manager in Red Bluff, hired to fill the inaugural Heinlein Chair Calif., was caught uploading several of “will provide vision and direction for the On April 11, Marty Cantor was hospital- Ellison's short stories to a newsgroup where USNA's astronautical engineering curricu- ized overnight after complaining of chest hundreds of free -- and unauthorized -- lum, its small satellite program, and its pains. X-rays revealed that his real problem digitized books and stories are posted for satellite ground station…. Applicants must was an intestinal blockage. He was treated the taking. Ellison promptly nailed him with have a strong background in designing, and released in the morning. Contact Mr. a lawsuit, which Robertson ended up set- building, testing, launching, and operating Cantor for a graphic description of what tling for some $3,600. spacecraft, along with demonstrated re- medical science proved he was full of. Ellison also targeted AOL and RemarQ, search ability, a strong commitment to un- a Usenet subscription service, for providing dergraduate teaching, and excellent commu- Lafferty Contact Point access to the pirated work. And Ellison nications skills. An earned doctorate is de- People interested in information about R. A. founded Kick Internet Piracy, a fund he sirable, but applicants with strong indus- Lafferty should check the Internet at: hopes will help defray the $40,000 he's trial/laboratory experience will be consid- www.mulle-kyberetik.de/Ral spent on legal fees so far. Mark ered.” It's based in Germany, and gives ad- Frauenfelder reported in The Industry Stan- dresses where Ray can get mail: dard , “Ellison… does have some support- Medical Updates R. A. Lafferty, c/o Franciscan Villa ers. One fan conducts online stings to iden- Larry Niven fell while attending Norwes- Health Care Center J-54, 17110 E. 51st tify infringers. The Science Fiction and con and had to have an operation on his Street, South Broken Arrow OK 74012. Fantasy Writers of America has allocated knee. Lafferty has had a couple of strokes and $5,000 to stop Net-based copyright in- Jerry Pournelle spent a day helping make is unable to respond properly, but is doing fringement.” the technical accommodations Niven needs better than some fans had feared. The De- Kick Internet Piracy has received $1,300 to keep writing. Jerry explained on his web votional page has a couple of postings from in contributions from Ben Bova, Frank M. page: “Due to his injury he can't climb the the husband of the nurse who cares for Ray. Robinson, and at least one local sf club. stairs at all and he's mostly in a wheelchair [[Source: Robert Whitaker Sirignano]] Robin Bailey told Chronicles of the Dawn for a while. I found a typing table that will Patrol that the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society pledged a The Road to Everywhere donation of $400. In addition, they held Bruce and Elayne Pelz went on a 65- a raffle of autographed books and KC day cruise up the coast of Africa and Wizards’ soccer paraphernalia, netting around the Mediterranean, to places $254. Bailey planned to personally most of us have only heard about in deliver the donations to Valada at the Hope and Crosby pictures. Luckily, we Nebula weekend in LA. didn’t have to wait for them to return to Anyone who wishes may also send read about the trip – Bruce has taken checks directly to Ms Valada. Those advantage of the proliferation of Inter- checks should be made out to -- Law net cafes around the world to e-mail Office of Christine M. Valada and news from their ports-of-call. All that’s mailed to: Kick Internet Piracy, P.O. been missing is the traditional, “having Box 55935, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413. a great time, wish you were here.” Hmm… March 12 - Cape Town, South Africa Heinlein Gets the Chair March 15 - Luderitz, Namibia All of fandom has read by now that the March 27 - Dakar, Senegal Aerospace Engineering Department at April 4 - Valletta, Malta the United States Naval Academy is April 9 - Kusidasi, Turkey taking applications for the Robert A. April 11 - Port Said, Egypt Heinlein Chair in Aerospace Engineer- April 17 - Barcelona, Spain ing. Heinlein, one of the most popular April 19 - Casablanca, Morocco science fiction writers in the world and Good eating and good shopping are the first to be designated a “Grand Mas- usually worth a headline in Bruce’s e- ter,” was also a graduate of the Naval mails, like this description of an early 12 File 770:138

stop in South Africa: Vancouver’s “We’ve been spending most of our port time shopping. And Unofficial SF Club eating. (As if there weren’t Garth Spencer, BCSFAzine’s enough to eat on the ship... .) One new editor, reports an interest- of the more interesting local ing legal fact that keeps the foods is called Bunny Chow (or Vancouver club from register- just ‘Bunnys’). They take a half a ing its name: “BCSFA is only loaf of bread, hollow out the informally organized; it does- center, and pour in some kind of n’t exist in law, because we curry dish -- I had a chicken can’t register a non-profit soci- Bunny in Durban. There are also ety with the province with the sort of mini-Bunnys which ap- name ‘British Columbia’ in the pear to be bread pockets (large) title. (We would have to adver- with the curry dish inserted. tise it to 70% of the fans in the Quite tasty.” province, and prove that we Though contrary to what you have done so, and how do you might think, Bruce admits, prove that?)” “We're not the most adventurous A difficult thing to prove, of eaters.” Pondering whether but impossible? Won’t one of there was anything worth eating the traditional solutions work? locally at the stop in Turkey, Nail an issue of BCSFAzine to Bruce wrote, “I suppose there's the door of the city cathedral? always Turkish Delight -- the real Drape a club banner over an stuff, not the Bonomo's junk. … elephant and lead it down Bur- We took a break in the Grand naby St. while someone bangs Bazaar and had drinks -- Diet a bass drum? Print up bumper Coke, of course – and a plate of stickers that say, “Honk if Baklava. That the stuff we get in you’re a British Columbia SF the states dares to use the same fan”?

name is really a crime!” ture editions for review and possible write Spring weather can be fierce, even in up in FactSheet Five written publication…” Opening The Time Capsule balmy southern Italy. Storms plagued the Uh, probably not. In 1990, Mike Rembert asked the members stop in Naples and interfered with “the of Harry SF, a northeastern Ohio club, to Pompeii trip, which would have been great The Buying Lantern Is Lit write down their predictions for life in the except it rained pitchforks and hammer- Copies of Lan’s Lantern , published by the new millennium. With Howard Hartzog’s handles all day, together with a wind strong late George "Lan" Laskowski, who passed help, these were assembled into a one-shot enough to turn the umbrellas inside out, and away about a year and a half ago, are still zine called the Time Capsule . Rather than a temperature far too low for comfort, even available for purchase from Kathleen Las- burying the Capsule , copies were distrib- in a jacket.” kowski. She’s also selling much of Lan’s sf uted to all the members. The turn of the Bruce ended one of his latest posts, book collection. millennium was the date set for “opening” “Elayne says I should assure everyone -- Special Author issues of Lan’s Lantern the Time Capsule. and maybe disappoint a few -- that we available for postage and production costs According to Doug and Mary Piero haven’t been turned off of cruising yet ($4 each): Poul Anderson, Clifford D. Si- Carey, “Old science fiction fans aren't bad (after 6 of our 9 weeks), but we have de- mak, Bob Tucker, Hal Clement, Theodore at crystal gazing.” Some of Harry's predic- cided that we need one of the larger ships -- Sturgeon, A. E. Van Vogt, Fritz Lieber, tions for 2001 included: • with a self-service laundry and several ja- Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Jack Wil- A new space station in orbit. cuzzis – for anything longer than a 7-day liamson, and Robert A. Heinlein. She also • Years of Hubble Telescope successes cruise.” has copies of “general” issues #31, #39, erase the stigma of early failure. They’re on the way to Barbados, using #40, #41, #42, #43, #45, and others. • Window-size satellite dishes challenge the days at sea to rest their legs from shop- Contact: Kathleen Laskowski, 2466 cable TV. ping in the bazaars of Turkey and Egypt. Valleyview Drive, Troy, MI 48098-5317. • Chrysler under foreign management. • Increases in home schooling. Five Sheets To The Wind Niekas • SF con attendance has dropped dra- J. Michael Straczynski told us what hap- Ed Meskys had Niekas 46 available at matically. pened to the first four Babylon vessels, but I Boskone. The issue includes articles and • Popular music is so nihilistic that no don’t think anyone ever revealed the fate of columns by Ray Nelson, John Boardman, adult can bear to hear it. the four zines that preceded FactSheet Five . Ben Indick, Diana Paxson, Pat Matthews, • Computer-controlled stage manage- Or why the number never changes although Anne Braude, and others. The usual, or ment (lights, mikes, etc) for theaters. the editor does. And it’s happening again. $4.95, or 4/$19. Contact: Ed Meskys, RR • VCRs that can skip recording com- “FactSheet is alive and well and will soon #2 HBox 63, 322 Whittier Hwy, Center mercials. be kicking under the scrutiny of Dwayne- Harbor NH 03226-9708 • Voice recognition for computer secu- Michael D. Alborn ,” says an e-mail from rity and computing in general. Mr. Alborn. “Please email me all the info • New metallic threads used in fiber and mail your most recent edition and fu- April 2001 13 arts. of the Melbourne SF Association. That “If someone asked me to describe my • Workfare replacing welfare. issue was handled by Terry Frost in the book in one sentence,” says the Florida fan, • More recycling. August 2000 issue of its clubzine, Ethel the applying a Proustian definition of sentence , • Electric vehicles on the roads. Aardvark . Terry wrote, “I don’t care if you “I'd say it’s about a pirate ship crewed • Disappearance of the middle class as come straight from working in a colliery to mainly by men who’ve been at sea with the gulf between rich and poor widens. the meetings. I don’t care if you tripped other men far too long, and their captain is • Computer jobs eliminate lower class over in the abattoir just before the end of a woman pretending to be a man who has a jobs. the shift. I don’t care if your flatmate bit of a swish to his walk and then one day • Little guys swallowed up by big cor- dumped the contents of a cat-litter tray into they capture her estranged husband, who porations. the pockets of your parka… three months she's been robbing blind, and things get ago. Buy some roll-on Norsca and rub it interesting.” Eve insists, “It's a romance. • Computer shopping for food, clothing, over your flabby torso before you lumber Trust me on this.” toiletries and toys. into the building. It’s not a sign of mascu- She started Pirate’s Price in 1993, set it • Electronic greeting cards. • linity to be able to make camels retch. It’s aside for six years, “Then finally planted Israel becomes more militant. not an effete bourgeois thing to run water my butt in the chair and finished it. And • Pacific Rim market domination col- over yourself in months that have the letter sold it, which is even better.” lapses. J in them…. If this little heartfelt plea does- Expect another one soon. The working Ending on a coy note, they say, “Of n’t work, I recommend that the committee title is Captain Sinister , also a pirate saga. course, like any Cassandra, we don't men- pass a special by-law to increase the smelly- tion the wrong predictions here!” bloke membership rate to around the same How Few Remainder price as a top of the range DVD player. Mike Walsh’s Old Earth Books has ob- Fans Find Wealth Membership cards for these special mem- tained reprint rights to the works of Edgar on the Internet – Their Own bers should be printed on car deodorizers.” Pangborn. Old Earth will bring out editions If the Internet isn’t making you rich, it may of West of the Sun, A Mirror for Observers, at least help you break even. All those TV KaCSFFS 30th Anniversary Wilderness of Spring, The Trial of Callista news stories about the state holding un- The Kansas City Science Fiction and Fan- Blake, Davy, The Judgment of Eve, The claimed money for you are a “sweeps tasy Society celebrated its 30 th Anniversary Company of Glory and a one- or two- week” cliché, but LASFSian Matthew Tep- with a banquet on March 24. Three honor- volume omnibus of shorter fiction. per took the advice and inched closer to his ees were recognized for service to the club, Walsh wrote online, “Each book will be next shopping spree at Tiffany’s. He looked one from each decade: Susan Satterfield, reset and published in hardcover with the up his name on the California state control- Becky Rickert, and Sally Osgood. The ban- usual good stuff: acid free paper and sewn ler’s web site and learned an insurance quet was followed with a dance. signatures.” He’s planning to release the company had a $55 check waiting for him. For more details check http:// first few at Millennium Philcon. After Joe Zeff heard Tepper announce the www.kcsciencefiction.org/30th.htm Two other Pangborn works are not part find at a club meeting, he visited the con- of the agreement: his first novel, A-100: A troller’s site, too, and found $160 being World Wide Party 8 Mystery Novel, and the announced but held for him. The check is on the way. It may be the middle of winter where you never published Atlantean Nights Entertain- The biggest such recovery has been made are, but midsummer night is on the way. ment , although Walsh says this may change from the state of Colorado by the Denver Dale Speirs reminds every fan that the 8 th in the future. Area Science Fiction Association. DASFAx Annual World Wide Party is coming again reports the club’s building fund was found on June 21. At 2100 local time, “Raise a Focal Point Book by the State Treasurer’s department in glass and toast your friends in the Papernet Mike Weasner has a chapter in a book much the same way that America was dis- around the world. Have a party if you will, scheduled for May titled Astronomy With covered. “What? It was lost?” commented do a one-shot zine, prepare and post a batch Small Telescopes, from Springer Verlag. Thea Hutcheson, who has been quietly tak- of mail art, or whatever else you may think The book has chapters devoted to several ing care of it for years. When the DASFA of.” types of small telescopes. Mike wrote the gets its $1,200 back, technically they won’t Benoit Girard of Quebec first suggested chapter on the Meade ETX. The book is be any richer than they were before, but the idea, and with a boost from Franz Mik- edited by Stephen F. Tonkin. Weasner is they feel like they are. lis of Austria it has been orbiting fandom not the only LASFSian who contributed to ever since. Speirs explains, “The idea be- the book -- Jay Freeman of the Bay Area Clean Up Your Act! hind a 2100 toast is to get a wave circling also wrote a chapter. Other contributors are The newly elected head of a well-known the planet celebrating zineish friends and Kevin Daley, Dwight Elvey, Robert Hatch, science fiction club ended his inaugural connecting everyone in the Papernet briefly Dave Mitsky, and Tim Tonkin. address with this complaint: “Lastly and by a common activity.” The book has been announced on Ama- most sorry I am to mention it. BATHE, zon.com. Orders through Mike's ETX site WASH YOUR CLOTHES! This is your Now On Sail (http://www.weasner.com/etx) will be cred- responsibility. You are adults. It is embar- Hurry online and buy dozens of copies of ited to Mike. rassing and annoying to mention this. Does Eve Ackerman’s novel, Pirate’s Price , the club have to do something to enforce written under her pen name of Darlene Mar- Short Waves cleanliness? This one is complained about shall. The humorous romance, set in 19th Marty Cantor will be delighted to know that by more than just me.” Indeed, the problem century Florida, is available in e-book for- The Leaky Establishment by David Lang- is more common in fandom than you might mat from Daylight Dreams, ford was the first release from Big Engine, think. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if it www.daylightdreams.com. There’s an ex- Britain’s new subscription book publisher. was written by the president of your club. cerpt from the novel on the website. Juliette Woods and Damien Warman , Hint: It wasn’t written by the President 14 File 770:138

runners-up in this year’s GUFF race, Changes of Address seem to have located a consolation Allan D. Burrows, prize – they’re moving to Texas. E-mail: [email protected] Woods told Australian SF Bullsheet Linda Bushyager, #163 , “I now have a firm idea of E-mail: [email protected] where we're going once I've finished Connor Freff Cochram, my thesis. From July we'll be in Aus- E-mail: [email protected] tin, Texas. I have a postdoctoral ap- Donald & Jill Eastlake, 155 Beaver pointment at the Texas Institute for St., Computational and Applied Mathe- Milford, MA 01757 matics at the University of Texas. Teddy Harvia, 12341 Band Box Place, Damien will be able to complete his Dallas, TX 75244-7001 PhD and do a bit of TA work there. Elspeth Kovar, E-mail: ek- We’ll be there for at least a year, de- [email protected] pending on whether I get an Australian Richard Labonte, Marlborough Farm, fellowship or not. We will try and 166 arrange to drop by and visit people in Stoughton SideRoad, RR2 Calabogie, Europe and the UK en route.” ON K0J 1H0, Canada Julie Zetterberg married Greg Cheryl Morgan, Sardo on January 20 in a ceremony E-mail: [email protected] held at the Museum of Flight in Seat- Bruce Pelz, E-mail: [email protected] tle. Many members of the costuming Elayne Pelz: E-mail: community participated. The brides- [email protected] . maids were Frances Simmons and Gene Stewart, E-mail: Kathy Sanders, and the Matron of [email protected] Honor was Susan Taubenek. Spinning Paul Treadway, 22 York Street, Cam- another tradition, the “Groomswomen” gathering. bridge, were Betty Bigelow and Dr. Lynn Kingsley. For June’s the definition was commodi- CB1 2PY, U.K. The wedding cake looked like a stack of ous. The three children of her body were Roger Wells, 8152 SW Hall Blvd. #405, three hat boxes, with a special topper made present, two of which, being married, Beaverton, OR 97008; by Betty Bigelow. [[Source: Michael brought their own families. But she has also E-mail: [email protected] Citrak, Westwind 1/2001 ]] taken an interest in younger fans as almost Karen Pender Gunn has changed her to adopt them, and some of these filially As soon as Roger Wells saw his COA in first name to KRin. She is organizing a attended. I myself owe more to June than I the last issue, he wrote, “Yes, my mailing Relay for Life team to walk the Whitehorse can easily recount. Deft and encouraging, address has changed yet again. I was laid venue in November to raises money for the crisp, discerning, and cheerful, the Mary off from my position at New Edge Net- Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria, Australia. Poppins of APA-L, she has figured in ad- works in Vancouver, just after really getting The cost is $10 per person and the idea is ventures from strange steak dinners at the moved to Vancouver; about 30% of the that the team takes it in turn to walk, with Pacific Dining Car, and hammering hazel- workforce was let go. Within a few weeks I the whole thing running for 48 hours. If you nuts, to editing the Rick Sneary memorial had four offers... I've accepted a position are interested, contact her at: fanzine, Button-Tack . Let us all rejoice in managing the productization department at [email protected] such friends, and revel in a fandom where the Beaverton, OR office of Wind River KRin is back working, at the Anti-Cancer they flourish. Systems, headquartered in Alameda, CA.” Council Library. [[Source: Australian SF As a present I found at the last moment a Richard Labonte says, “I’ve given up th Bullsheet #166]] 75 anniversary edition of K. Grahame, The gay bookselling after 20 years and plan to Wind in the Willows (1913), in hard covers spend the next couple of years living on a Moffatt House At 75 with illustrations by E. H. Shepard, who farm I’ve owned communally with several conferred with Grahame but alas finished other college friends for 25 years now. Next by John Hertz too late for him to see the whole. Making time I read File 770 I’ll be rocking on the [[Reprinted from Vanamonde 415 by per- this arrive in time (indeed, as it happened, front porch.” mission.]] on the very day) was a feat. It proved to Linda Bushyager says her new e-mail Len Moffatt having happily celebrated contain drawings no edition in June’s li- handle, Misscraps, “Comes from the casino th his 75 birthday, that June would go on to brary had, and with my urgent instructions game of craps. I played a lot of it for hers was a consummation devoutly to be followed it came, as promised, with a card awhile. Actually right now my game of wished, which last Friday (April 20) came HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA choice is video poker - if you know the to pass. These two diamonds of the first BTHUTHDY. In the vicissitudes of fate and correct strategy and on some machines you water, hospitable local fans, able fanwriters, fashion I was able to wear to Saturday din- can have a slight advantage over the ca- fine companions, Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund ner a necktie of about the age of our friend- sino.” Linda and Ron will soon move closer winners who published their trip report , ship, say 30 years, with no other remark to the action: they are building a house in Uplift hosts of mystery fandom, Friends of than Ed Green asking, “Is that tartan?” I Las Vegas. “We expect house to be com- the Great and Near Great (as Bill Rotsler hope not, I said; I’m not entitled to any that pleted and to move around August or Sep- put on a name badge for Larry Niven), I know of. tember, though we don't know exactly could either of them have for the occasion when. Our current house will be put up for been surrounded by fans of any number and sale in March.” celebrity. Each instead had a small family April 2001 15

“People will go anywhere came up later and said his talk was “The to get an award!” He found most wonderful evening I’ve ever spent!” by giving fannish losers an So Don didn’t have to languish in the award as well, he could hospital after his car accident, I spent a garner their complete week in his home dishing out drugs and allegiance, and thus always emptying his bed pans. have someone to lick the He relished appearing on The Tonight stamps, fold the flyers and Show and other interview programs both stuff the envelopes; I was on TV and radio. one of them. At some point, Don knew the Society Obituaries He lived in his grand- was decaying (if not why) and devised a parent’s house in South new, more glamorous organization that Pat Ellington Los Angeles forever yet was never aware would only include people in the movie of the changing surroundings. I called him industry. He called it “The Academy of Appreciation by Robert Lichtman during the Watts Riots, having seen a TV Horror Films, Science Fiction Films and helicopter shot of the liquor store on his Fantasy Films.” I opted for a shorter name, Pat Ellington, widow of the late Dick corner burning to the ground. He couldn’t but he wouldn’t have it. Finally, I offered Ellington and a long-time fan, passed understand why “People are carrying to donate money to put the club on the away on Thursday, April 12, 2001, at Alta television sets down the middle of the map, put on our first awards show and buy Bates Hospital in Berkeley, California. A street!” the first award if we could shorten the long-time smoker, she'd been diagnosed While he told people he was a history name to “The Academy of Science Fic- with cancer about a year ago, but it was instructor, he was actually the librarian at tion, Fantasy and Horror Films.” Imagine her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Woodbury College and a clerk in a law my surprise finding out the first award that was the immediate cause of her death. office specializing in draft law. On at least goes to Don Reed “Because I thought of Pat's main fan activity was in the `50s, three separate occasions he took the Bar it!” When Don discovered industry people when she had articles in a couple issues of exam, but never passed. While never didn’t share the same allegiance factor as “Joan W. Carr’s” Femizine . She assisted actually receiving a degree, he adopted his fans, he opened the ranks to anybody with Dick in the production of The Bosses’ lifelong moniker “Dr.” and enjoyed money for a membership. Songbook and had an illustration in it, and collecting honorary degrees and had stacks There were many at the time who in the `60s and early `70s was a member of bogus shingles on every possible thought Don an idiot and wanted to wrest of FAPA jointly with Dick. She’s survived subject. He also had a number of those the reins of power from him, but in the by their daughter Marie, her sister Mary mail order ministries and offered to marry end, none of the usurpers had the energy and her brother Fred. fans. or the wild self-aggrandizing attitude to It was the beginning of the end when actually do it. Dr. Donald Anthony Reed he fell in with these guys purporting to be Meeting Arnold Shapiro (multi-Emmy March 18, 2001 Monarchs and Royal emissaries. He began winner for productions such as Scared Appreciation by Alan White the “Royal Order of Count Dracula” and Straight ) was a thrill and his ability to insisted on “Knighting” everyone with this produce our television award shows was “I discovered at a young age I could never big Dracula Sword causing Robert Bloch assured. It was Arnold that commissioned become a God, so I decided to become a and others to drop out in disgust. and produced the actual Saturn Award judge.” — Donald Reed He was such a character; yes, I was much to the surprise of Don who wanted mesmerized by his ability of persuasion the trophy to be known as the “Dr. Donald How can one put into words the passing of and the potential for meeting just about A. Reed Award.” Under Shaprio’s guid- Dr. Donald A. Reed, a sad and spoiled anybody while in his company. Many club ance, the show boasted absolutely every- anti-fan who, since 1960 has provided members were called-on for a number of one from Charlton Heston, George Burns (one way or another) a much needed odd jobs. For example, I wrote the first to Mark Hammill. service to the genre fans of Hollywood? half of his book, The Films of It’s hard to provide epilogue for this elfish Robert Redford, and others wrote man-child, but knowing him 25 years, I the rest. He was also paid for am as qualified as anyone. teaching one-night adult classes I was smitten by the Count Dracula at USC, but convinced someone Society in 1963. Don and Manny Weltman else to actually teach the class created this odd assemblage of genre for free. I attended his class on movie and literature fans, pseudo- “Special Effects,” only to find I intellectuals, would-be authors and script- was actually the instructor! Don writers. The bi-monthly meetings were a had strange powers of recovery haven for fans in the ‘60s and actual as well. At a USC screening of celebs like Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, King Kong , the projector broke A.E. van Vogt, Christopher Lee and others before a single frame hit the attended regularly. Don was on to some- screen. While a rep was offering thing, having an annual banquet presenting to give everybody their money awards to everyone from Wolfman Jack to back, Don ran to the front of the Rock Hudson, Bob Clampett, Robert Wise theatre and gave an hour-long or Gene Roddenberry! I asked how he got dissertation on why “ King Kong all these people to show up and he replied is a great movie!” A woman 16 File 770:138

Shapiro presented Don with an offer that by restructuring the Academy like the Oscar Fantasies of The LASFS Academy, keeping books and actually having elections, he would ensure the Answer Man success and longevity of our organization. This was what I’d been waiting for -- the Not long ago the Lasfs.org website’s and cities would look very different. legitimizing of the Academy! Don’s reply “Answer Man” received a letter written in “As for whether magic is science fiction, was “I’d rather be a big fish in a little pond” pencil by a shaky 10-year-old hand: a very wise man named Arthur C. Clarke and “Poof!” it was essentially over. “Dear Science Fantasy Society: I would once said, ‘Any sufficiently advanced In 1989 I bowed out from sheer frustra- like to know how can a person have a technology is indistinguishable from tion and he never spoke to me again. While fantasy. Write down about that for me and magic.’ That means, to people long ago everybody has a Don Reed story, in the end, write down some steps about how I can who never had light bulks or cars or com- he will only be remembered for his quotes have a fantasy. Then, I would like to know puters, those things would be mysterious on the covers of bad videos. is magic science fiction. Here’s an example and magical. of what I mean. I mean like if somebody “Of course, if by ‘science fiction’ you In Passing could zap something and it would turn into mean ‘make believe,’ then that’s a much something or if somebody could do a magic harder question. Because, you see, we’re all Rosemary Hickey passed away on April spell. If magic spells are real, please send like those people long ago. When we don’t 26. She was in her 80s, and had been living me some. Love, Chris.” know much, everything, even a light bulb, in a nursing home in Houston for some LASFS member Bret Achorn , who is magic. Later, when we understand it, we time. During the 1950s-1970s, she was an worked on The Iron Giant with Warner say, ‘That’s not magic, that’s electricity.’ active member of the University of Chicago Bros. and now works for Disney, therefore And then, much later, if we’re lucky, we Science Fiction Club and a committee knows a bit more about the art of illusion realize that the world isn’t a simple place, member for ChiCon III. Earl Kemp wrote than the average fan, volunteered to answer and that there’s a lot we don’t understand. If online, “In her own right, she was quite a Chris’s letter. His thoughtful reply is worth you’ve ever stood outside when it was hostess for sf affairs, a sportswoman, and a repeating in these pages: snowing on a quiet day and listened to the formidable foe with a target rifle.” “Dear Chris: I’m writing to answer your sound of the snow and the way nothing Pierre Versins , writer, faneditor, critic, letter to the Los Angeles Science Fantasy sounds like it usually does, or watched and author of the Encyclopedie Des Voy- Society. They thought that I might be able lightning storms on a hot, dry summer day, ages Extraordinaires, De L'Utopie Et De La to answer your questions. As for what we you might know what I mean. Science Fiction (Worldcon special commit- do down here, we’re pretty much like “I’m sorry to say that I don’t have any tee award, 1973), died peacefully in his anywhere else, except we enjoy science magic spells to send you. At least as far as sleep in April at a hospital in Avignon, fiction and fantasy stories, usually in the I’ve seen, magic is something each person France, his home town. He’d returned there form of books, movies or TV. We hang out has to find on their own. I can remember after living long years in Switzerland, together, and talk about lots of things, and writing a letter very much like the one you where he founded the SF museum La go places together, just like any group of just did, and I know that isn’t the answer Maison d'Ailleurs. In 2000, he was GoH of friends. you wanted. All I can say is that if you keep the French SF Convention in neighbouring “As to how a person can have a fantasy, your eyes open and look at the little things L'isle-sur-la-Sorgue. He was 78. [[Source: it’s mostly a matter of taking the way the that most people never notice, you’ll find Joyce Scrivner]] world is, and imagining changing it any that there’s a very magical world out there. way you’d like. One way to do that is to ask Sincerely, Brett Achorn.” ‘What if?’ ‘What if people could fly?’ is a favorite of mine. There’d be no more cars, everyone would have doors on their roofs, 2000 Nebula AWARDS

These are the winners of the 2000 Nebula host/story editor; Yuri Rasovsky, producer/ tioned previously that I felt the signage in the Awards, given out at the Beverly Hilton Ho- director; Warren Dewey, sound Engineer. party room should say more than just Spon- tel in Beverly Hills, CA on April 28: These are the results of the 2001 SFWA sored by SCIFI, Inc. for fear of confusion Novel : Greg Bear, Darwin's Radio Officers Election: President: with the Sci-Fi Channel in the minds of the (Ballantine Del Rey) Norman Spinrad; Vice President: Sharon party's attendees. What I hadn't counted on is Novella : Linda Nagata, "Goddesses"(Sci Lee; Secretary: Madeleine Robins; Treasurer: that the folks who maintain the SFWA web- Fiction/Scifi.com) Chuck Rothman; Canadian Regional Direc- site and SFWA's e-mail announcement list Novelette : Walter Jon Williams, "Daddy's tor: Chris Atack. would get into the act. They both announced World"( Not of Woman Born , Roc) that the Dessert Party will be sponsored by Short Story : Terry Bisson, Just Desserts Scifi.com.” "macs"( F&SF , Oct/Nov 1999) SCIFI, Inc., the folks who brought you Miller and Christine Valada, who coordi- Script : David Howard & Robert Gordon, L.A.con III, tried to kiss up to the pros at- nated the Nebulas, both caught the mistake Galaxy Quest (Dream Works SKG) tending Nebula Weekend in Los Angeles by and prompted changes to the website and a Also honored at the ceremony were: sponsoring a Dessert Party. corrected e-mail message to be sent out. SFWA Grand Master: Philip José Farmer; Craig Miller said I-told-you-so when the SFWA Author Emeritus: Robert Sheckley; inevitable confusion occurred: “I'd men- Bradbury Award: 2000X -- Harlan Ellison, April 2001 17 18 File 770:138 April 2001 19 Residuals by Tadao Tomomatsu

[[Tadao Tomomatsu will be Fan great. However the Guest of Honor at DemiCon in Des odd news. I caught it. Moines, IA over he May 4-6 And it’s an outtake. weekend.]] It was two days of work in Oxnard, CA. I Residuals live around Burbank. by Tadao Tomomatsu Needless to say, a rather long drive. Greetings to one and all. Although it was just as My Name is Tadao Tomomatsu: the SAG/AFTRA Actor, Comedian and Jack of Most commercial strike was Trades. getting underway, A Japanese-American from doing this promo was Texas. Experiment # JA-355947- fine with SAG and TX AFTRA because the An experiment that went company signed the Horribly, Horribly Wrong…. interim agreement. I’ve never actually written up Much to the great what’s happened in my life, my financial relief of the misadventures are often told in actor. Yay. person with a myriad of voices to I waited for a script match the personalities. And I write on Monday, with the the way I speak, or in the Classic shooting scheduled on “Radio Script/V.O. (Voice Over) Tuesday. I got Format.” So I will apologize for my nothing, so I called in spelling and grammar, for those of and checked: you used to such things. apparently they were I should explain who I am first a still writing the script. bit and the silliness may ensue soon anyway. Such is the life in Hollywood. I do Talking about “while the ink was still afterwards. have a BA degree in Communications wet”isn’t even the half of it. ♥ Broadcasting: TV, Radio and Film, with a Don’t get me wrong. The Co/Director I’m the very odd one in the family. A minor in Theater Arts: Acting. What does and crew were all professionals. long line of Priests and a long Line of this mean? My back-up job is just as Instead of getting a copy of a script at Samurai before that. Dad broke away with difficult to get and find as my “career” is. around 6 p.m. I get it at 9 p.m. And it’s being a Scientist. Mom used to be a So. Relating stories about Hollywood. three pages -- only a paragraph or so each. Translator/Director at NHK: The Japanese I’ll be the first to admit; I’m rather biased. Now it’s a mad rush and a few hours of Version of Public TV. And I’m generally And I am telling stories out of sequence. sleep to get this down. considered the Isei/Nisei of the Family. I’m not starting with the very first “Acting” And being Japanese, and usually this is Mom and Dad were the first to live in the job I had or how I got started. That may be so, I go early to the location. U.S. There for Nisei. Isei because I’m the later, when I remember. There were also three ladies with first one born in the US. And oddly, as a The old phrase goes, “Actors are the speaking parts. Now the first thing they Texan. Yes, I had a Texas Accent. Took me greatest liars.” I admit that I am a were asked as a group was, “Are you afraid about four years to get rid of it. But comedian/storyteller and an actor. Most all of snakes, can you handle snakes?” Of don’cha’ll worry nun. Takes a whole hoot of the stories are true. The names are course, the answer is yes. You see, in to get me back to ride’n hard and scoot’a changed or unmentioned to protect the Hollywood if you are asked can you fence, boot. Yup. innocent. I will be the first to admit these can you ride a horse, etc. you say yes. If Ok. So an Actor. I have to admit I can’t are fun stories, and if most of what I someone asks if you are a god you say explain it myself. Oddly, I looked on it as a mention ever gets out the other phrase is YES. Well, all three ladies said yes. challenge of sorts. It was something that no “You’ll never do lunch in this town again” Then the pythons came out. one else in the family was doing. And as the comes to mind. So just look upon these as First thing was the tall skinny blond who only Asian in a Midwestern, somewhat “Stories.” At least I can keep my residuals. was trying to figure out what was so terrible redneck area I had to be creative. Not to Where to begin. The last thing about pythons. Well if they don’t like you mention being a…. mentioned in File 770 was a bunch of no problem. If they really like you and they Ok ok…that’s neither here nor there. “promos” for “Crocodile Hunter” on give you a hug….kiss your lower ribs I do have to mention that I am a Animal Planet . If you caught me, I was goodbye.. “Working Actor.” Oddly enough that means flubbering words out to a Green, Fuzzy, Oh, no problem. I don’t have any. that I’m not working most of the time Alligator puppet. People thought it was Blink…blink… 20 File 770:138

And it suddenly dawned on us guys. remember is it was parking near the food reading,” says the department’s Mike We’ve heard the legends but we never tables. And the handler is reading a paper in Western. A large part of the work involves thought we’d actually meet one. Legend has the truck. There is this books and manuscripts from the 20 th it that some women have their lower ribs tremendous….uh..well for lack of a better century – modern wood-based paper removed so they can fit into tighter dresses. term “Burp.” A Crocodile Burp…and the degrades faster than the rag paper used in It’s a Hollywood thing. truck shakes ever so slightly.. older, more expensive publishing. Cheap When they brought out the four foot Without missing a beat the Handler acid paper turns yellow in a few years. albino python, most of us were outside the drops the paper..and does the fist thumping Reversing or stabilizing the effect of the classroom watching the “replay” monitor, chest bit, says, “Excuse me.” acid is the main treatment needed by without no sound. After the shooting was And goes back to reading the paper. modern books and prints. “We have a 300 over, the blond came straight out, started on year backlog,” a doleful conservator told a cigarette and filled us in on what was said. ++ Tadao Tomomatsu Reynolds. On screen we saw the python on both And the conservators appeal to book shoulders. She was rather stiff. She was lovers – don’t use sticky tape to fix loose scared, and as soon as the python was on Long, Hot Summer pages! Treatment can remove the plastic her shoulders the python’s head was The Lord of the Rings movie premiere isn’t strip and adhesive, but the staining is moving and eventually was entirely on one until December, but Forrest DeLanger permanent. shoulder when this conversation finished. already got his name in the paper by being The Tolkien Society’s idea has inspired Director: Okay..get ready. first in line for tickets at the Rancho Santa Adopt-A-Book to appeal to other literary Blond: Wait, can we do something. Fe, CA theaters. The 46-year-old bachelor groups for funds to conserve “their” Director: What with no life declared, “Only one person can author’s early editions. Blond: Film me being scared.. be first in line, and it should be me.” Adopt-A-Book’s website, www.bl.uk/ Director: And then? Alan White clipped this article for File adoptabook , has been named as “most Blond: Film me being scared.. 770, and added a note warning, “This is a loved” in the UK by one publication. The Director: And then? hoax.” I guess, after Alan read what I had to Tolkien Society also draws visitors to its Blond (Shaky) Film me being say about Frohvet last issue, he wasn’t sure website at www.tolkiensociety.org scarrredd… I could tell the difference. Director: Okay. Then let’s do that and UK Census Undercounts we’ll add to that. Roll ‘em. ♥ Brush Up Your Tolkien Jedi Faithful As the film was rolling, the snake fell off While the world lines up to see the movie The British government nearly had a Jedi her left shoulder and she jumped. Those of version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the jihad on their hands. According to online us watching went, “Ouch, that must hurt the Ring s, Britain’s Tolkien Society is keeping news sources, Star Wars fans were taken in python. Wait, she looks its eye on the place where it all started – by an e-mail hoax suggesting that the scared…” (Lightbulb over our heads.) Tolkien’s books. Decades after publication, forthcoming U.K. Census would recognize Now there was a brunette there also. copies of early editions in the circulating “Jedi” as a religion if enough people wrote Not to put too fine a point…she was five collections of public libraries require it on the form. The Office of National foot..and exceedingly skinny. Yes she was conservation to stay in service. Statistics denies that they will count the scared. However, her python wanted to see Tolkien Society Trustee Trevor write-ins. Their representative told what size bra she was wearing. And “his” Reynolds said, “I saw a newspaper article reporters, “There won't be any coding for head started to nudge inside of her shirt. All about the British Library's Adopt-A-Book Jedi. So it won't be called a religion even if we see for a few seconds is her treating it scheme which explained how much of our 10,000 people do it.” If the official had like a guy. Looking down and slapping its literary heritage was at risk, so I contacted nothing further to say, I’m sure that was head, saying, “Hey, get out of there!” them to see whether any books by Tolkien only because he felt the grip of an invisible Just like it was a guy…hmm go figure. were in need of conservation. They told us hand closing on his throat. [[Source: Now Beth, the third lady, she’s from that three books needed work and that this Chronicles of the Dawn Patrol]] Michigan. Beth is a self-proclaimed farm would cost them £1300.” girl. African American…who is doing the The Society has paid to conserve all Coming This Summer “Hispanic” Rosie Perez Voice. She also three books: a rare UK first edition of The Area (19)51 SF Film Festival speaks eight languages. She’s outgunned Hobbit , an early Puffin paperback edition of The Hobbit , and a USA first edition Forrest J Ackerman will host the Area (19) me by at least five. And she surprised me. 51 SF Film Festival, part of Kansas City’s She speaks practically perfect Japanese. paperback of Tolkien’s elegiac fairy tale Smith of Wootton Major . A spontaneous “Halfway to Hollywood” cinema She starts off fine. “You..know, you’re a celebration in June. Area (19)51 is grumpy little snake.” However, by the fifth collection among members during the Society’s annual mini-conference sponsored by the Kansas City Science take, the python is now head level and Fiction and Fantasy Society, Inc. and staring at her. Every take her voice was Oxonmoot last September raised about one- third of the money. The rest came from the Photoplay Inc., in association with the Fine getting shakier and shakier, and still with Arts Theatre Group. the Accent. Society’s publications budget. The British Library invited the Tolkien Seven classic SF films from 1950-1951 Ahhh, the things you do in Hollywood. will be shown: Destination Moon, The Day ♥ Society to send four members to visit the the Earth Stood Still, The Thing From As I mentioned in an earlier File 770 , we Library’s conservation department and “meet” the adopted books. The places were Another World, When Worlds Collide, The had the “Lubriderm” Crocodile as well as Man From Planet X , Lost Continent, Flight the pythons. allocated by a draw among members who had contributed to original collection. to Mars. Five rare 35 mm episodes of the A huge Ford pickup with a truck cover early TV series Space Patrol will also be holds the Croc and the pythons. All I Conservation, not restoration, is the objective. “All our books are intended for screened. April 2001 21

The Area (19)51 festival boasts high- quality 35 mm prints from the collection of a noted Kansas City area theater owner. In the case of The Thing From Another World , the print is a pristine original vault find from Australia with deleted scenes not available since the film's original release in 1951. During the festival, there will also be the theatrical premiere of a new documentary on the making of The Day the Earth Stood Still . Original props, posters, and stills from these films, not seen for half a century, will be on display at the Englewood. These films launched the beginning of the modern science fiction film era and contain wonderfully entertaining insights into the Atomic Age. They represent the hopeful, innocent qualities of the era but also draw attention to the fears of atomic warfare, racial unrest, communism and possible life on other worlds. Visit the festival website (still under construction) for more information and schedules: www.halfway2hollywood.com

Spock Groks Observatory Leonard Nimoy is doing his part to ensure that Griffith Observatory lives long and prospers. The actor and his wife, Susan, have donated $1 million to refurbish the 66- year-old Los Angeles landmark. “I think it’s of cosmic consequence,” said Griffith Observatory Director Edwin C. Krupp. noteworthy that WB has ordered Pern as a “There’s something really appealing about series for the fall, an hour-long SF drama “I am the only member of the Melbourne Leonard Nimoy’s professional career and based on her Dragonriders of Pern stories. SF Club who has ever been officially being able to bring it into this space.” Ronald D. Moore, a veteran Star Trek and censured by the club for trying to set the The donation is the first contribution by Roswell writer, will produce the show, Club President on fire. I take a certain pride an individual to the renovation effort, which according to Variety . [[Source: ASFACTS , in this. It’s a marvelously gonzo non- has acquired about two-thirds of the $63 2/2001] recurring phenomenon. I wasn’t really million it needs from corporations, going to set ex-President Sasquatch on fire foundations and public money. The face lift Clipping Service with the lighter fluid and a Zippo. I figure is scheduled to begin next year and be “During the “People vs. James T. Kirk” trial that anyone who threatens to blow a loud completed by late 2004. panel, panelist David Levine remarked, whistle in a small room while I have a “By observing the sky and pondering our ‘While it is true that Kirk decimated several splitting headache deserves a sudden jolt of place in the universe, people gain a new planets, the way those people dressed shows mindless, involuntarily farting terror. What perspective on their daily lives,” Nimoy they were begging for someone to come I want to see if the kind of club where said in a statement. “Griffith Observatory along and do just that.’” – Craig threatening to set the President on fire is gives its visitors that opportunity. It is a Los Chrissinger, “Random Chicago Worldcon taken in the spirit in which it is intended. If Angeles icon, one which we need to ensure Notes,” Asfacts 9/2000 I threatened to set the new President on fire, will be here for generations to come.” he’d just look me in the eye and say, ‘If you About 2 million people visit the “Of course, the other big pain is that now do that, Sean-Paul becomes President,’ observatory a year to view the universe I’ll actually have to pay for printing This which of course would stop me dead in my through its 12-inch Zeiss refractor telescope Here , nichevo, SingSing and the rest instead tracks.” – Terry Frost, Ethel the Aardvark, and planetarium. Millions more have seen of sneaking into work at 6 a.m. and slapping 8/2000 its bronze Art Deco dome in films, out the copies on that nice machine that including the switchblade scene in James sorted and stapled ‘em for me. Pah! (Hey, Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause . [[Source: maybe that’s why they ‘discharged’ me…)” AP]] – Nic Farey, this here #8

Dragonriders Will Take To Air “I can read Shakespeare and the Bible, and I Having mentioned in last issue’s obituaries can shoot dice. That’s what I call a liberal how Bill Donaho helped Anne McCaffrey’s education.” Tallulah Bankhead, quoted in novelette tie for the 1968 Hugo, it’s this here #8 22 File 770:138

later. Address inquiries to Feghoot Con- convention expenses, but more importantly, test, ConJose, P.O. Box 61363, Sunny- to based their budgets on accurate member- Conventional vale, CA 94088-4128, or send e-mail to ship estimates. Capclave is giving fans an [email protected]. incentive to join immediately. They will be holding a drawing from the first 50 people ConJose Mailing Lists to register for the convention and reserve a ConJose, the 2002 Worldcon, has started room in the con hotel room. Grand prize: Reportage your room free for a night! Second prize: two publicity listserves. The first will distribute official information about the Membership reimbursement and a Capclave convention. The second will foster dis- T-shirt. Eight additional prizes will be given cussion of ConJose-related subjects, includ- out, meaning that 20% of the first 50 people Thanks For All The Fish ing travel and tourism in the BArea. Both will win something. How much does a party for 300 of your lists are open to anyone and can be joined friends in Hawaii cost? James and Kathryn by visiting the ConJose web site and sign- Charlotte Granted Exemption Daugherty turned in the final accounting ing up: Lance Oszko announced that on February for Conolulu, and the convention's net loss http://www.conjose.org/Contact/ 10 the IRS granted IRC 501(c)(3) status to (made up for by a donation from the maillists.html. the nonprofit corporation running the Char- Daughertys to the parent corporation, lotte in 2004 bid. Surprisingly, their appli- SFSFC) was $31,906. The 2000 Westercon A Lack of Conviction cation was approved within six weeks. took in $18,046 and spent $49,852. “Not that this was surprising,” wrote Kevin If you bet that Omaha fans would inaugu- Standlee, “We've known all along that Co- rate their new convention before a Bugs BucConeer Running nolulu would be almost certainly a money- Bunny cartoon would be nominated for the Out of Treasure? losing event, and the Daughertys did the bid Hugo – you lost. Comptroller Bob McIntosh reported to Buc- assuming that they would have to donate a Conviction, planned for the March 31 Coneer’s corporate meeting on December substantial amount of money to make it weekend, was cancelled for the second 16 that there is a grand total of $28,800 left work.” A tip of the hat from Westercon consecutive year. According to Selina in all accounts. ChiCon expenses were ex- members to James and Kathryn for their Rosen, fans trying to make hotel reserva- pected to use most of remaining convention generosity. tions were told none were available. The profits, with much of the rest going to fi- hotel reserved all its function space and nance Student SF Writing contests through rooms for other users, though the committee ConJose. Drawing Card claims it had a contract. Organizer Ginnie What does Ferdinand Feghoot look like? Fee will try again. In the mean- ConJose is looking for artists to answer this time, she is offering refunds. question. The 2002 Worldcon is running a [[Source: Chronicles of the contest for the best visual representation of Dawn Patrol]] Ferdinand Feghoot, the Imaginary Guest of Honor. Ferdinand Feghoot, created by the late On the Con Patrol Reginald Bretnor, was the hero of a series Czarkon will change its name to of shaggy-dog stories, each one ending with The Con Patrol in 2002. Organ- a pun strong enough to cause internal hem- izers are moving the con to orrhaging in the unwary reader. For exam- Kansas City, focusing on the ple, who can forget his famous culinary members of the online Dawn creation, the ground-glass-and-meat dish Patrol and adding programming known as silicon carne? to make it a much different con The press release explains, “Due to all of than it used to be. Guests will his roaming through time and space -- hav- include Web Hero GoH Keith ing adventures here, saving galaxies there -- Stokes, Dusk Petrol GoH's ConJose has no photograph, or drawing, or Carol and Dennis (The Un- anything , of Feghoot. But a representation known Pfan) Doms, Dawn Pa- of the Imaginary Guest of Honor must ap- trol and Technology GoH Ross pear in the convention publications and web Hathaway and Special Guests site somewhere . All knowledge is contained who are still making up their in fandom... including, presumably, what minds. Feghoot looks like. Hence this competi- For pictures of the last tion.” Czarkon: The rules are: (1) The artwork must http://www.sff.net/people/ prominently feature Ferdinand Feghoot. (2) sfreader/czarkon.htm The artwork must be capable of being dis- played at the convention and reproduced in Join Capclave Now! some manner in our publications. (3) The How do committees get fans to deadline for entries is April 2, 2002. (This join their conventions sooner? may change.) They’ve been trying to solve Kosh goes Hawaiian, at Conolulu 2000. Photo Prizes and declarations of fame and this problem for a long time, by Phyllis Eide. Additional photos on File 770 honor for the winner will be announced not only to pay the pre- web page. April 2001 23

The committee will be looking for dona- Americans and Canadians and a delegation tions to continue the contests, and may have from this bid attended Chicon last Septem- South Gate Again in 2010? found the first “contribution” in-house. ber where they created a great deal of inter- Michael Nelson's said there had been so few est and excitement. However, some people By Andrew Porter submissions for the BucConeer Memory believe the bid may founder before 2004. A Another worldcon for LA, downtown in- Book that they should simply put the photos shame if it does because a Worldcon in stead of at the airport or in Anaheim? The on the web page and give its budget to the Japan, though comparatively expensive, old battle cry of “South Gate Again in Student Contests. nonetheless would be extremely exciting 2010!” is growing more viable. The 1958 and interesting…. So this group of people worldcon was held at the Alexandria Hotel Power Play have decided to defer further planning of a in downtown LA, which was ceded to the bid to hold a Worldcon in Australia until City of South Gate by LA for the weekend, Natural gas, electricity, gasoline – the cost because Rick of every kind of energy has gone sky-high after Philcon (in August 2001).” Mitchell adds, “It was never ever the Sneary's successful bid for that suburb did- this year. Corporate price manipulation is n't have any hotels large enough to hold a suspected, and it seems convention hotel intention of the above group of people to hold this possible convention in Melbourne. worldcon. executives hated to see the bandwagon The passing years have not been kind to leaving without them. Doubletree employ- This is a misconception that keeps being perpetuated. There is also a bid for a World- parts of downtown LA, or to the Alexandria ees told fans reserving rooms for the Port- Hotel. In the intervening decades, the Alex- land Westercon there would be a $3/night con to be held in Australia in 2008 originat- ing out of Sydney. As I understand this bid, andria fell into disrepair, becoming a flop- “energy surcharge” added to the bill. house for down-and-out LA denizens. Now, When Westercon’s Patty Wells heard the intent is to stage the Worldcon in Syd- ney…. Melbourne has staged all of the with renovation sweeping the area, as de- this, she contacted their sales manager and scribed in “Swank Plans in Skid Row Los got the charge eliminated. She wrote online, Aussiecons because at the time of bidding, that city had (a) an appropriate venue to Angeles” in the 1/25 New York Times, the “It's the gambit where they try it out and Alexandria's revival as a commercial hotel then deal with the groups that really object. accommodate the numbers and (b) an active fandom and (c) was not as expensive as is growing more likely. As the Times noted, What it looks like they're finding is that any “The Alexandria Hotel, a flophouse on professional group (where the room costs Sydney! Just had to throw in some intercity rivalry. Spring and Fifth, may be the next candidate are being reimbursed) is fine with eating it, for developers, with its grand ballroom with the rest of us aren't. But you can't blame “All Australian cities now have (or will have within two years) purpose-built con- a Tiffany stained-glass ceiling.” them for trying.” Although Rick Sneary is dead, maybe vention centres and connecting international flights daily. Perth has recently broken his dream has some life in it. Aussie Worldcon Bidding ground for its convention centre, and it has Across Time and Space one of the most active fandoms in Australia Bubonicon Before Aussiecon Three ended, several fans today.” Bubonicon 33 will be held August 24-26, were already promoting another Worldcon Sydney’s Garry P Dalrymple replied in 2001 at the Howard Johnson East, 15 Hotel down under in 2007. Since then, Smofs #164. He researched the prospects of future Circle NE (I-40 and Eubank) in Albuquer- inside and outside Australia have discussed Australian Worldcon bids during Aussiecon que, NM. GoH: Sarah Zettel. TM: S. M. alternative venues and so many different Three. “There was generous support for a Stirling. Guest Artist: Lee Seed. Auction- years fans are confused whether we’re talk- future Australian Worldcon; none of the eer: Robert Vardeman. Rooms: $58 sgl- ing about the next Aussiecon or Ferdinand 200 people I approached rejected the idea as quad. Telephone: (800) 877-4852. Member- Feghoot! implausible. Non-Australian respondents ships: $22 til 5/28, $25 til 8/13, $28 at the “There are rumours that Australia may were supportive of a time frame of ‘more door. Dailies sold at the door. Make pay- move to 2009,” reports Bridget Wilkinson than five, less than ten,’ while Australian ments to “NMSF Conference.” Contact: in Fans Across the World #108 . Oh, that’s respondents were more pessimistic, sup- NMSF Conference, PO Box 37257, the old rumor, Bridget, part of last year’s porting a time frame of greater than nine Albquerque, NM 87176, E-mail: great smoffy scheme to keep non-North years. I think it is very significant that for [email protected]. Website: bubi- Americans from bidding for three consecu- ‘Next Australian Worldcon,’ Melbourne for con.home.att.net tive years (2005-2008). a fourth time was very much a minority Stephen Boucher left the jasmine-filled choice, rating not much higher than Perth rooms of the Hawaii Westercon with a brief which was an unknown city to most respon- to shift the Aussie bid to 2009, but it may dents. have been too early to assume there was “If the ‘Melbourne Worldcon Bid’ peo- any kind of monolithic bid able to make ple are serious about being seen as a ‘Not such a decision. Australia’s rival local fan- necessarily Melbourne’ bid, I have seen no doms all want their say – and some are evidence of it, and it seems they are deny- having it in the pages of Marc Ortlieb’s ing themselves a significant advantage by Australian SF Bullsheet. not making this point clear.” Rose Mitchell wrote in #163: “Most of On the other hand, said Dalrymple, “I the Aussie fannish community has heard of have no objection to the next Australian a group of people, some of whom live in Worldcon being in Melbourne in 2007 or Melbourne, who are working on a proposal 2008, provided the Smofs behind Mel- to bid for a Worldcon to be held somewhere bourne do not drop the ball again, but in- in Australia in either 2007 or 2009…. So stead announce a commitment to develop- far, there is a declared bid for Japan (no city ing the opportunities for all Aust & NZ yet) in 2007. It is strongly supported by fandom.” 24 File 770:138 The Fanivore

you make your case there. almost, but not “Tom Feller reported in SFPA, ‘E.B. quite, makes up for explained to us that 15-20 years ago he was the fact that you are very active in convention fandom under his wrong.” Life imi- real name… He used to write articles of tates art. Lan’s Lantern under his real name as Let’s take that a well.’” piece at a time: All true. “When Frohvet That brings us to my note in response to first appeared, the File 770:136 , in which I expressed the view grapevine promised that it would be gracious for someone like he was a hoax being yourself, who has had many fannish honors, carried on by several to step aside for awhile and let someone fans.” else have a chance. From this you conclude Although it’s true that I must be Moshe Feder. Uhh, no. I I was, and am, using would be pleased if I were anything re- a pen name, I dis- motely like a fan of Mr. Feder’s BNF avowed being a status, it just ain’t so. Among other prob- “hoax” from the lems, I believe Mr. Feder resides in the outset. And if any- New York area. Ellicott City, Maryland, is one concluded that I where I actually live. Anyone is welcome to was “several” fans, visit (a trifle of advance notice would be that was their con- preferred.) I am not into fannish politics, clusion, for which I indeed that was why I “burned out” of fan- accept no responsi- dom, as described to Tom Feller. I wince at bility. “late middle-aged,” depending on how one “…the deli- defines the term, but it’s true enough. ciously paranoid In short, I keep telling people over and evidence that over, that if they heard my “real” name, Frohvet, a ubiqui- 90% would go, “Who?” Not a BNF, not a tous letterhack, hoax, just someone who wants to do a mod- never tried to get a est fanzine. copy of File 770 , or As for my expressed views on the Fan sent his fanzine Hugos, they reflect accurately my own Twink in trade.” opinion as well as that of many others – The adjective Guy Lillian and Tom Sadler and Nic Farey “paranoid” is yours. among many have taken similar positions. However, had you (Nor did I at any point suggest you with- asked, you might draw “permanently.” If you really want to well have found that know, my position is that anyone who wins E. B. Frohvet I did not solicit trade with Fosfax, Plokta, three Fan Hugos in any one category should thereafter not be eligible in that category for Nova Express , or many other fanzines, all of which turned up unsolicited in my mail- two years. The present exclusionary nature My first reaction to File 770:137 (other box; only then did I send my own zine in of the Fan Hugos discourages fanac and than admiring both front and back covers) trade. initiative; and relying on individual restraint was that my slight influence in fanzine fan- “Authors of fannish hoaxes send their has patently failed.) dom must be growing, if even the illustrious material where the intended audience – Whoa. Deep breath. Have we covered File 770 is doing covers in Frohvet Pink. faanish fans – will see it. They simply don’t that? Thereupon I opened the zine and discovered have the time to raise a smokescreen by your editorial. To say that I was flabber- [[I can’t disagree that it’s a pleasure to writing to sercon fanzines.” gasted is an understatement. recognize good fanzines with an award, Ah, we’re back to “hoax” and now There’s a scene in an unpublished story I though the Hugos are not like the Winston “smokescreen.” In fact, as would be appar- wrote in which the students of a magic Cup in auto racing -- winning is not the ent to anyone who has read my zine, my academy (the piece is several years old and ultimate reward for participating. Being own interest has always been sercon, as predates “Harry Potter”) are offered a prob- nominated for a Hugo is like the cherry on evidence by, e.g., a regular book review lem. It is in fact a sneaky trick problem. But the sundae if it happens – good, but not the section. I fear that, having been blindsided one of the students argues intensely her main event. Then, of course, all that by this whole “hoax” preconception, you solution. The target of the exercise says “excludes” a fanzine from a Hugo nomina- are trying to read into my involvement a apologetically, “The enthusiasm with which tion is a lack of votes. This year, 30-54 whole cryptic subtext which simply is not votes was enough to qualify a Best Fanzine April 2001 25 nominee -- if there is a “problem” couldn’t them a loc in my Twink #4 , that an unwrit- me another copy,” he said. I told him I had it be “solved” by relatively small numbers ten Trek novel was one minor source (“that no other copies. “You didn’t copy it?” he of people nominating other good fanzines? old daydream”) which influenced Shards , asked, sounding dumbstruck by my revela- Greater participation is the real key to di- and from which she took chiefly the name tion. “No carbons? No xeroxes?” versifying the winners. People often com- of the central character “Cordelia,” her hair “Steve,” I said, “it was just a Letter of ment about the repeat winners without con- color, “…and the setting/idea (hardly new) Comment. I don’t make copies of my Let- sidering that between 1990 and 2000 five of two enemies forced to survive together… ters of Comment.” He was crestfallen. different fanzines won the Hugo. An even All the first media influences were jetti- “Oh,” he said. higher rate of change is possible if more soned by that time. I no longer wanted to So I never had a LoC published in people make a commitment to nominate. write imitation anybody; I wanted to write BSFAN and was not motivated to write any Whether the Hugo electorate is knowledge- original Bujold.” The loc was in response to more. I don’t react well when people toss able about fanzines, they can only vote for an article I had done in Twink #3 , psycho- my letters out with the trash, sublime in the what is on the final ballot. It isn’t enough to analyzing Sergeant Bothari. confidence that I can provide another copy. merely agree with Andrew Hooper’s highly P.S. Finally figured out what Grant Can- And perhaps it was Just As Well that letter insightful comment (from 1988), "The peo- field’s wonderful back cover reminded me was never published. Ghod knows what ple [that] nominate the Hugos are a small of: Sort of a cross between the Bu-javid , the David -- oops! Make that “E.B.” -- would group, and the people that are on the mail- citadel of the aiji in Shejidan in Cherryh’s have thought of it then. He might never ing lists for good fanzines are a small Foreigner , with Neuscwanstein Castle in have reincarnated as “Frohvet.” group, but they're not the same small Bavaria. Looks as if it would be a great [[I naturally rose to the bait – your hint group." We are dealing with such small place to live, as long as one’s legs were fit about his real first name, and his admission numbers that individual fans who take the for lots of stair-climbing. that he was on the 1983 Worldcon commit- trouble to nominate can make a big differ- tee. All I discovered is that nearly everyone ence.]] Ted White on the Constellation committee except the Always entertaining to see Worldcon chairman was named David.]] from another point of view; although it Did you have second thoughts about Alan He was at the 1998 Baltimore Worldcon. appears your path and mine did not coin- White’s cover? Or have to make a substitu- He seems like a decent enough chap. He has cide. Concerning Dr. Bob Passavoy’s, “Do tion? I ask because my copy is stapled no presence in fandom under his real name, you have what it takes to be a fan?” – If his twice, with a shred of pink paper under the however, and I now think of him as another examples are what it takes, then maybe not. first staple -- indicating that a cover was one of those fans -- like “Ted Johnstone” -- Glasgow Worldcon bid: I recall saying at torn off and a new one restapled. who has a separate name in fandom. No big the time that the 1998 Worldcon in early [[The copy shop did an awful job on whoop. No real “hoax” either -- I think you August in Baltimore was advantageous due, Alan White’s cover, so I had them run an- are vaguely recalling the attempt by Hooper among other reasons, that it fell during other version, and replaced them myself.]] and Gonzalez to hoax fandom into thinking school holidays. This observation was gen- Or maybe it was a rewrite of the inside- they’d created “Frohvet”...a kinda reverse erally ignored. Worldcon is held on Labor cover piece – your “Editorial Notes”? Had hoax of sorts. I don’t think anyone took Day weekend, because it’s always held on you said something far more scathing about them seriously, even then. Labor Day weekend. “I like Buicks because E. B. Frohvet? Or guessed a different iden- they are my favorite car.” Oh, well… tity for him? Alan White [[In the past, Worldcons were typically I’ve met the man. I also had tangential held on Labor Day weekend because it was dealings with him under his real name, back For all the noise fans make over science a dead time for hotels, so “bottom-feeders” in the ‘80s. Under his real name (look it up fiction and the future, they are probably, as like sf conventions could get cheaper rates. if you have a copy of the fanzine) he had an a group, the least qualified to live in it. There’s more competition for the weekend article in BSFAN , back when the Baltimore As Samet Nuhiu pointed out last issue, now, but the Worldcon stays around Labor clubzine was being edited by the Stileses. It the SF community is probably the last to Day for the same reasons many other an- was at once interesting and wrongheaded, take advantage of new technology in zine nual conventions stick with a fixed holiday revealing what I think of as “typical” neo- or date, because predictability it helps fannish paranoia about what he perceived to maintain its core of regular attendees. Run- be The Powers That Be in fandom. (My ning the con anywhere between mid-August memory of the piece has totally faded; I’m and Labor Day seems to work fine – and as left only with my none-too-perfect recollec- you said, an earlier date avoids a conflict tion of how the piece struck me then -- for parents with kids in school. A date as more than 15 years ago.) early in August as the U.K. bidders want to This article inspired me. I wrote (on my hold it should work fine for them, but using manual Underwood) a long (several pages) the same date in North America would put letter of comment on it. I was proud of that it in conflict with some smaller cons – letter; I thought it one of my best. I mailed which brings us back to another advantage it off to the Stileses with anticipatory pleas- of keeping the Worldcon on a predictable ure. I looked forward to seeing it published. weekend: fans aren’t forced to choose be- Steve had been after me for a LoC on tween two cons they want to attend.]] BSFAN for quite a while, and I was pleased Lloyd Penney repeats the common fic- that I’d finally written him a good one. I sat tion that Lois McMaster Bujold “reworked back and waited for it to appear in print. a Star Trek novel” to the form of her first It never did. Steve informed me that he’d novel, Shards of Honor . In fact, as Lois has accidentally thrown it out with the old said many times in many places, among newspapers and trash. “You’ll have to send 26 File 770:138

fantasy architecture work, and that’s a village-sized house I’d love to live in. Enjoyed the Chicon report, always fun to read these, and fill in the gaps of what happened that I didn’t get to see myself. On our own trip between hotels for the Hugo ceremony, Cindy lost a one-of-a-kind brooch that we had traded an artist for at a street fes- tival. I spent the quarter hour before having to go down to the ceremony running around seeing if anyone had found it. We didn’t hold much hope that it would be retrieved, but put a notice in the daily zine asking if anyone had found it, then discovered a lady had found it that very night and taken it over to lost and found. Talk about the honesty of fans! publishing and certainly the last to recog- much as he'd like us to believe. Interest- We let her have her choice of a piece of nize it. While they claim it’s the words that ingly, as I write this, I see Amazon.com has artwork, even though she didn’t expect any are important, in the end, it only refers to a a new edition of the Hichens novel for reward. (Have had other similar things hap- technological constipation and a circling the $48.00; meanwhile, there are two-first edi- pen at previous Worldcons that keep my wagons mentality. I'm hard pressed thinking tions on E-Bay that just sold for $2 each. faith in general humanity from going com- of another awards group that Go figure. pletely sour.) doesn't reward technical achievement and Was also fun to find out the day after the advancement of the beliefs they claim to Greg Benford Masquerade that my shiny bald pate had hold so dear. This is why so many talented been broadcast on the closed-circuit system fans become fringe fans, leave fandom alto- Good issue! I always like worldcon reports; into the hotel during the break before the gether or move on to Comics Fandom yours and Elspeth Kovar's brought it all award s were announced. I wonder if 20 where technology and innovation is ap- back quite well. Like you two, to me minutes of the back of my head has now plauded. I am at heartened to read there will Worldcons especially bring out my old fan used up my 15 minutes of TV fame? be a special Hugo for the Best Website of joys, sensawunda and all. I seldom see any 2001. flaws, and program glitches etc. matter little James M. Taylor If anyone doubts TruFandom is dying, compared with seeing some of my favorite you have only to read File 770 obits that people, and fresh friends. I’m afraid the only fannish news I have to strike closer to home with every is- I approve of the retro Hugos, but geez, it report is undoubtedly old by this time, but I sue. Fandom was a gift to the Baby Boom- is hard to assess through the haze of mem- will go ahead anyway just to waste your ers that has gone to seed. Of course, our ory, without doing major research work at time. The Formans are moving from Las founding fathers didn't have TV and the the UC Riverside Eaton collection to see if I Vegas. Just where isn’t clear, but some Internet to contend with and thus, Trufan- truly recall who was good back there 50 where in the San Bernardino/Riverside area, dom will only survive by changing its defi- years ago... For example, in the mid-1950s since Ken’s new job is in Colton. Now you nition, which means the SMOFs are going one of the major fmz was, in my opinion, lucky bastards will get to go to all their to get knocked down a peg and learn to love Cliff Gould's Oblique . Nobody recalls it parties. the word "Sci-Fi” or soon they won’t have now, but it was a legendary hot, focal point Will Las Vegas fandom survive being anything to be the master of, secret or other- fmz...for maybe 8 years, then gone. I met gutted? Probably more important (at least to wise. Unless you can show me groups of Gould at BayCon 1968 and he did not hit it me), will Snaffu live on? Will I (finally) teenage Trufen out there, busily cranking off with anyone there, seemed disappointed have to get active in fandom? Maybe if only their mimeos, I'm lost to see how we're that hardly anybody remembered his zine. to get away from all the other problems that repopulating our ranks. Marie Rengstorff Maybe it's no big loss (he had become a seem to have converged recently. But isn’t rejoices in being “isolated nerds” but today, lawyer) but it rings in my resonant memory. relief from the more oppressive parts of people are only isolated by choice and as reality an important part of fandom, even for being nerds, well, that's debatable. today? Gracious, what got into Dennis Lien Brad Foster [[Yes. And, apparently, once fandom lambasting me for not mentioning the Gar- becomes too oppressive, people turn to TV den of Allah hardback and then rambling on Got in File 770:137 this week. Nifty-cool robot cover. I can see why Alan had several wrestling for relief. Where rasslin’ fans go about those “squarish things” called books? for relief when that passion becomes too Frankly, while I remember them being more editors trying to get it. Hey, if he ever gets into making 3-D models, I’d love one of intense I haven’t figured out, though I read rectangular, I'd have been impressed if he that Army recruiting was exceptionally mentioned Sheila Graham’s Garden of Al- that guy for my toy bot collection! Oh, and killer back cover, too, [[by fruitful outside the XFL games at the LA lah which was about the property we were Coliseum...]] talking about, but I guess he doesn't read as Grant Canfield]] for a totally great wrap of art. I’ve always been a sucker for great April 2001 27

Joseph T. Major one in the audience asked us, “What was a nonfiction work would have escaped the the most unexpected thing you saw when notice of a number of your readers. Turnip Files Bankruptcy: That is an es- you got to heaven?” my answer was: I would like to mention that I had met L. tablished way of dodging a judgment. For “Charles Williams.”]] Sprague de Camp (and Catherine Crook de example, T. Cullen Davis, the Dallas oil David Bratman replies: that LOTR was Camp) a number of times. He was that rar- millionaire, skipped paying a wrongful always published as a three-volume novel, ity among SF writers – a real gentleman. death settlement to his ex-wife by declaring but I have two single-volume editions and a They will both be missed. bankruptcy. (He had been acquitted of kill- seven-volume edition. ing her daughter and her lover and shooting Connor Freff Cochran her, but the wrongful-death suit came out Eric Lindsay differently – shades of O.J.) Perhaps Ferry Thanks very much for the coverage in File can further emulate Texas gym magnate I did like your take on the fan behind the 770 . I really appreciate it, and hope some of Richard Minns, who is under a $60 million fan behind the fan behind E B Frohvet. your readers come check out the site. judgment for the attempted murder of his I also like the idea of ditto 14 moving to I also hope to give you lots more news in former mistress Janni Petrofsky, and ship Tucker. Sounds a great idea, and I hope lots the future. The “Creative Options” essays all his assets abroad. of fans attend. are only one of a long list of things I've [[Maybe Ferry is one of those disap- We also have done a bunch of flyers for been working on over the years. There pointed friends of Roger Clinton’s who our relaxa.con around 14-17 June 2002 in should eventually be some film and music waited in vain for their names to show up Airlie Beach, the week after Australian business action to announce, too, if things on the list of Presidential pardons.]] Natcon in Melbourne, and two weeks after continue to move at their current pace and Gordon Dickson: While I usually dis- the expected date of the New Zealand direction. like posthumous literary deals, not to men- NatCon. We have spent a feverish week BTW, I did make it into the Clown Col- tion overriding the author’s own judgment, distributing them, although not nearly as lege back in 1974. One more experience for I really would like to see the publication of widely as we hoped, the eclectic resume, along with being a Gordy’s unpublished historical novel in the but at least some are getting out there now. comic book writer/artist and a BBC-TV Childe Cycle, The Pikeman . He had – I had That also has its own web page (and even a science reporter and a few other things. It heard – actually written the book about Sir PDF of our flyer) at: has been quite the journey since back at John Hawkwood but had held it back for http://psiphi.server101.com/relaxa.con/ LACon (and yes, I'm still not getting much various reasons. If it were anything lile index.htm sleep). Dorsai it would be pretty good. Win Chris Barkley’s Money: Judge Teddy Harvia Dave Langford Roy Bean’s is “nearby” the Executive West for some rather large values of “nearby”; I love Alan White's impish computer- I like getting File 770 and hope you still about three miles in a straight line and rendered robot cover art. I can almost see it enjoy Ansible despite its recent overlays of somewhat longer if you actually drive in a moving. Very moving. gloom. Hazel and I both loved the current surface car instead of using your equilibri- ArmadilloCon has again invited me to a back cover by, gosh wow, Grant Canfield. motor or ingravity parachute. guest. If it a ploy to get me to draw them In your letter columns, I couldn't work The Fanivore: Harry Warner, Jr. : cartoons, it worked. I accepted and am cre- out whether Samet Nuhiu's aside about Since the zones have been abolished, South ating art for their flyer featuring a monster Ansible meant that it couldn't be found on Gate Again in 2010 is now perfectly accept- attacking Austin. the web, that the web site offers only a pa- able. They can even have Sneary as Fan Much of Hugo voting is based on cult of per issue, or that the site design fails to Ghost of Honor. personality. You must be a real person who “satisfy some standards.” If the first was Laurraine Tutihasi: Given that the is bigger than life to win. If E.B. Frohvet meant, the spelling “Anisble” in that letter Mythopoeic Society has roped in Dorothy continues to hide in the netherland of ano- may offer a clue to the problem. On the Sayers, for her marginal association with nymity, that's where his nomination, how- second point, I retort that every single issue the Inklings, and is well-known, but has ever well-deserved, will remain, too. since Ansible’s launch in 1979 is archived ignored E.R. Eddison, who was actually The cartoons of Bill Rotsler and Joe on the web. On point number three, I will invited to come, and is not well-known, I Mayhew continue to delight me. If only I join you in pleading lack of time to con- can see many good reasons not to be in the could tell them in person again. struct colossal graphics, RealAudio accom- Mythopoeic Society. Julia Morgan-Scott's scratchboard art is paniment and Flash animations -- though [[That’s a bizarre comment. Though amazing. How does one think in reversed actually I think the text is somewhat more J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles black and white. I hope she has come back important. Williams are the three Inklings at the center out of the woods after her robbery to create of the Society’s “bull’s-eye,” its publica- more. Sheryl Birkhead tions cover all kinds of fantasy writers, not only Inklings. Sayers’ background -- as a contemporary of the Inklings who had some Dennis Caswell As nifty as the front cover is, I was taken by contact with them, a Christian, and a popu- the back cover – then an, “Ah, yes” – when lar writer in her own right --, simply helps In the latest issue of File 770 , you had an I saw it was by Grant Canfield. I can hope make her simpatico to some fans of Lewis, obituary for Lyon Sprague de Camp. In this, fandom will be treated to more of his work, Tolkien and Williams. Everybody realizes you mentioned that you did not believe that so many fans today have never seen his she never attended any of the meetings – de Camp had won the Hugo Award. I would superb creations. though she was sighted at the Dead Ink- like to state that de Camp did in fact win the I’ve written “Philadelphia Pubs” several lings panel during the 1998 Mythcon…. I Hugo Award in 1997, for his nonfiction times asking for a Greg Bear bibliography. got to play Warren Lewis, and when some- book Time and Chance . The fact that it was No response. Does any File 770 reader 28 File 770:138

happen to have or know of one? The one Barkley’s Money!” was interesting. I’d I'm not sure I've ever met Cliff Samuels, site I found is linked to Amazon.com and is never heard of that SF trivia game at cons. and I've never been to a Calgary conven- only novels. And that was a long time ago. Congratulations on your win, Chris, btw! tion, but a Worldcon in Calgary might be an File 770 just keeps getting better. Just And I admire you for plugging away at excellent idea. (Like I said last time, does hope the fan news stays on the positive reading the Hugo contenders before you Calgary fandom know about this?) Should side! and Naomi voted. (I read a few online. I Dragon*Con take some fans away from much prefer doing my reading away from Worldcon on the Labor Day weekend, Henry Welch the computer.) smaller cities like Calgary should be able to host a smaller Worldcon, with no problems. The reports on Chicon were interesting and John Pomeranz It would be interesting to see what John I have two items I'd like to clarify. Mansfield has to say about this...I'm sure no First, I've always considered Kelly Well you invoked my name three times in a Western Canadian Worldcon bid would go Freas’s leather jacket as more Battlestar single issue, so I guess I'd better drop you a ahead without his blessing. Galactica than Buck Rogers . It reminds me line... I should also say this now: many thanks very much of the jackets the fighter jocks First, a correction: At the Chicon open- for all the Canadian-based articles and bits. wore in that TV show. ing ceremonies Kathi and I were engaged in Always appreciated, as we don't have a Second, my recollection of registration animated non-verbal communication not newszine of our own right now, not since from Chicon V (I worked the first night) with DC fan Bob MacIntosh but with Aus- MLR shut down. was that the precon material didn't arrive sie fan John Maizels. Unfortunately, his Greetings to Samet Nuhiu...who relays a until that Wednesday. It was also in an un- accent was so appalling that I'm not sure name I haven't seen in quite some time, expected electronic form and so all we had what we said either -- my best attempt at Krsto Mazuranic, the Mad Croat himself. to go by were a number of three-ring bind- translation is: “Meet us in the Vegemite jar Mad bidders never desist! I hope Krsto is in ers. I thought we processed people quite after the carpet escapes and we'll knit her- good health. Could you try to find him (last well all things considered, since any worker rings.” (I gotta get a new phrase book...) living in Samobor), and pass on our good could handle and member. The real annoy- I strongly recommend holding a surprise wishes? I think Samet (and many others) ance was that some of the badges (program wedding. We had a camera ready as we will find that for every fan who is progres- participants, dealers, staff, etc.) were moved announced the event to our assembled sive and forwards-looking, there is another to another place or places with no apparent guests at our New Years Eve party. The who is nostalgic, and wishes for things as rhyme or reason. It took me two days to photo of the looks on their faces is one that they are, or as they were. find my staff badge and I’m sure it was we will treasure forever. Update on my letter...Con*cept may be more than frustrating to attendees who considered dead, only one year past an en- waited in line only to be told that their joyable con we attended. I hope Montreal Lloyd Penney fandom will consider starting again where badge couldn't be found. Since there was no simple way to cross reference if another they first did, with a one-day convention, I can sympathize with E.B. Frohvet on and building up again to a strong and fun worker had handed one out or not it really spreading the wealth a little when it comes ground things to a halt. I’m glad to see that convention. Concinnity is rising again, with to Hugos, but then, the awards go to the another relaxicon with none other than some progress is being made in this area year's best, without consideration of who and I hope future worldcons learn by the Dave Kyle as GoH, in Ottawa in October. was last year's best. Both arguments have Gene Stewart can be assured that those example. merit, but until spreading the wealth be- pesky Canadians are indeed still alive. comes the overwhelming choice, we'll have We're just biding our time, smiling and Joy V. Smith Hugos for the best of the year, and that's a quietly watching the fannish melee south of better indication of SF's quality. the border. Every so often, we glance at one Lovely cover. What’s the medium? [[See An update to Alan White's cartoon on another and nod our heads knowingly. Alan White’s article in this issue for the page 3...fandom is like a box of chocolates! Worked for us in Chicago, so who knows answer.]] I really liked the back cover too. Sometimes, there’s fruits, and sometimes what else we'll do? Well, I have some ideas, (Exploring old houses and villages is fun.) nuts, but every so often, there's a cream... but I'm not saying anything...but, we will And I enjoyed the other artwork and car- (Beats the same old line about why Califor- have some programming in English. toons, including Robot Ballet: Rite of nia is like granola, hm.) To Joseph Major: Arnie Katz captured Springs. I would be happy to send fannish news one main fannish neurosis exactly with his Thanks for the Chicon 2000 Worldcon to Andrew Porter, but I haven't seen SFC in “five fuggheads” jape in Jackpot! Who's the report. Isn’t it wonderful to not stand in line some time. Canadian distribution was non- fugghead? Is it you? Is it me ? when you register! That’s a great start to a existent for some time; that may have AUUUGGGHH! If I recall, I simply re- con. Only dry munchies in the con suite. changed. I will double-check with Bakka sponded by saying that this fugghead will Not even any dip? (However, I don’t think Books if they have been able to obtain it. I'd happily take more issues. Maybe Arnie I ever met a dry munchie I didn’t like.) The be interested to see what SFC looks like thinks I didn't get (or see through) the joke? fan history video sounds great. I hope it gets since AP sold it to Warren Lapine. No matter, the fugghead-don't-wannabees passed around to other cons. Eggleton’s I checked out the Irwin Hirsh website, are still making a fuss, and I'm sure Arnie is live painting demo was another wonderful and besides DUFF, GUFF and FFANZ, smiling. opportunity for fans. The pie toss, on the there is now the National Australian Fan other hand, is too hostile for my taste. Great Fund, or NAFF (you Britfen, settle down), parties and programs. Thank you too for the which operates somewhat the same way Gene Stewart Masquerade winners list. They rarely get CUFF does...a fan a part of Australia where the appreciation they deserve. [[Kudos to the National Convention isn't gets to go to Alan White's cover makes a nice alternative John Hertz, for providing the list.]] where it is. Can a single country's fandom rendering of The Iron Giant . Chris Barkley’s column, “Win Chris support four or more fan funds? Stay tuned On the subject of Frohvet's disappointing April 2001 29 substantiality, if you're still craving an un- Loved the frrantic pace and present-tense Letterhacks’ Addresses seen fan, may I humbly offer my own irre- narrative. You wear me out, Chris. And Greg Benford, E-mail: [email protected] ality, if not unreality, as fandom's great way to go on that trivia: impressive. Sheryl Birkhead, 25509 Jonnie Court, invisible professor of gibberish and blather Elspeth's Chicon only deepens the im- Gaithersburg, MD 20882 extraordinaire, magus calibre deluxe? Ask pression Mike's report left on me; I'll work Dennis Caswell, Rt. 1, Box 459, Harpers yourself: Has anyone ever really seen Gene my way slowly up to worldcons, I think. Ferry, WV 25425-9320 Stewart? And what's all this OLD 815 non- Allan Burrows - Unlike Ted White, I Connor Freff Cochran, 712 Bancroft Road sense? never have strokes for the fun of it, thanks. #109, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 Sorry to hear 4E Ackerman is being Also have no clue what you’re on about, but Tom Feller, E-mail: [email protected] further screwed by the criminal Ray Ferry, if it helps, I’m sorry, okay? Please dear Brad Foster, P.O. Box 165246, and I hope his shenanigans land Ferry in jail ghods forgive a poor confused old loccer Irving TX 75016 for a good long time, perhaps sharing a cell his trespasses, and lead him not into E. B. Frohvet, 4716 Dorsey Hall Dr. #506, with Ed Kramer, who can perhaps teach Trufen... ad nauseum. Ellicott City, MD 21042 him a thing or two about BOHICA justice. Martin Morse Wooster, P.O. Box 8093, So boycotting Fandom, Inc. is yet an- John Mansfield Silver Spring, MD 20907 other way to shore up the ghetto wall? Teddy Harvia, 12341 Band Box Place, Hooray for ATom and alas for ATom So even though you confirmed by email Dallas, TX 75244-7001 and KenCH: R.I.P. Ken Cheslin was good that I truly was the chair of ’94 Robert Kennedy, 1779 Ciprian Ave., enough to send me quite a load of ATom art [[ConAdian]] , you still put it in the photo Camarillo, CA 93010-2451; just before he died, and I can only hope he caption as 93. :-( How soon the Americans E-mail: [email protected] got my thank-you letter in time. forget. So now am I not only the only per- David Langford, E-mail: [email protected] Glad to know Hour 25 stuck to its guns son whose real name was not used in Alter- Eric Lindsay, E-mail: and made the move to freedom, so we can nate Worldcons but also, the one that the [email protected] all continue to enjoy it. Americans changed Joseph T. Major, 1409 Christy Ave., The medical updates had me cringing the date of.… Louisville, KY 40204-2040 and nodding in sympathy. Heal quickly, [[It must be the exchange rate – your John Mansfield, E-mail: [email protected] everyone, and may heaps of bad karma Worldcon came 30% sooner…]] Lloyd Penney, 1706-24 Eva Rd., Etobicoke, crush the souls of the scurvy mundanes who BTW, the small detail left out of the ON M9C 2B2, Canada hurt any of you. Penneys’ trip report is the fact that the fund John Pomeranz, 5927 3rd St. North, Chicon 2000 strikes me, as veteran of paid for both Lloyd’s & Yvonne’s flights to Arlington, VA 22203; only one con, WillyCon III, with all of 25 Montreal. Mind you, I see they are com- Marie Rengstorff, E-mail: memberships, as overwhelming. Great re- plaining that there is not enough money in [email protected] port, Mike. And by the way, from what I DUFF to bring the two winners up from Oz Joy V. Smith, E-mail: [email protected] can see in the pictures, you and I look alike. this year. Gene Stewart, E-mail: [email protected] Might be fun to meet at a con one day and Fandom, got to love it... James M. Taylor, 446 Raindance Place, confound everyone with a Separated At Handerson, NV 89014 Birth? act. Well, a handshake'll do, though. Henry L. Welch, E-mail: [email protected] WillyCon III was held 26 - 27 March in Robert Kennedy Ted White, [email protected] the modern, light, and airy brick and glass student center on the campus of Wayne At the Chicon 2000 Fosfax dinner I sat State College in Wayne, Nebraska, a farm across from a person who identified himself community a couple hours north of Omaha. as E. B. Frohvet. Apparently it was the Writer GoH was Canadian sf writer Julie same person that Joseph T Major had met at Czerneda and Artist GoH was Frank Wu. I another con and wondered if the next time it attended as one of the pro writer guests and would be the same person. Frohvet freely made a splash at the story readings when I indicated that it is not his real name. I think went last and chose a 500 word short-short that Joseph T. Mayhew's description is ac- zinger. Relief! curate. So we are still left in the dark as to I also sat on a panel discussing elec- his real identity. There were two other peo- tronic publication along with fellow Omaha ple at our table and maybe they will have Neutragonist Terry Hickman and Artist something to add. Guy H. Lillian III did GoH Frank Wu. Attendance at the panel publish the photo of Frohvet in Challenger was greater than expected and the weekend, #13 (Fall 2000) even if it was only "the top which ended there for me, was a success. half of his face" with the lower half covered And Julie Czerneda proved to be a gracious, by a copy of Twink #18. Perhaps it will be generous GoH who made herself available enough for someone to identify Frohvet. almost constantly, taught an insightful writ- It is also my opinion that persons in the ing workshop, and attended many panels, Fan categories who have won more than often bringing along her entourage of ad- one Hugo should give someone else a mirers. chance. Frankly, I am tired of seeing the The WillyCon website is: names of Gardner Dozois and Dave Lang- http://www.wsc.edu/student/activities/ ford. Maybe Locus too. clubs/sfclub/willycon/willy03/ I forgot to mention that I really like the willycon3.htm back cover by Grant Canfield. Chris Barkley's money? Where's my cut?

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