Scratch Pad 79 December 2011
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Scratch Pad 79 December 2011 Jennifer Bryce Ditmar Bruce Gillespie John Litchen Gillian Polack Joy Window and many others Ditmar: ‘Paradise’ Scratch Pad No. 79 December 2011 Based on the non-mailing comments section of *brg*, December 2011 mailing of ANZAPA. Written and published by Bruce Gillespie, 5 Howard St., Greensborough VIC 3088. Phone: (03) 9435 7786. Email: [email protected]. Member fwa. 3 One ordinary editorial, with people — Bruce Gillespie 4 Fever dream from Langedoc: Gillian Polack’s British trip, July 2011 6 Five weeks in Europe — Jennifer Bryce 15 Joy’s ‘I survived America’s Deep South’ road trip — Joy Window 26 Dancing on sand, diving into life: My life and science fiction, part 4 — John Litchen 55 Letters of comment Mike Ward :: Robyn Whiteley :: Julian Warner :: Malcolm McHarg :: Lee Harding :: Tim Marion :: John Litchen :: John Bangsund :: Cy Chauvin :: George Zebrowski :: Steve Sneyd :: Tony Thomas :: Robert Elordieta :: Steve Jeffery :: Dora Levakis :: Jerry Kaufman :: Don Ashby :: Doug Barbour :: Ned Brooks :: Casey Wolf :: Andy Robson :: Tim Train :: Marty Cantor :: Robert Lichtman :: Wm Breiding :: Race Mathews :: Patrick McGuire :: & We Also Heard From Illustrations Front cover: ‘Paradise’, by Ditmar (Dick Jenssen). Back cover: ‘After Dark’ DJFractal by Elaine Cochrane. Photographs: pp 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14: Jennifer Bryce; p. 16: supplied by Joy Window, Alan Sandercock; pp. 19, 22, 24: Wikipedia; pp. 27, 30, 31, 34, 36, 37, 38, 47, 53: John Litchen (who also supplied photos of book covers); p. 66: Art Bebe Productions; pp. 71: Dora Levakis; p. 78: Helena Binns, Tim Train; p. 79: Marty Cantor. Thanks to Tim Marion for eagle-eyed proofreading assistance. 2 One ordinary editorial, with people This issue was meant to appear in April 2011. All the articles except Gillian ago, only for us to discover that Joy has also become a freelance book Polack’s had been sent to me during 2010, along with two other travel editor. She lives on the south coast of New South Wales with her partner articles that still don’t fit this issue. Life got in the way. All I have published Andrew. for the year have been various mailing comments-only issues of *brg*, and the final two parts of the Fortieth Anniversary Issue of SF Commen- Another active member of the 1970s South Australian group was Alan tary, Nos 81 and 82. I received a fair bit of paying work at the beginning Sandercock. He studied abroad, married Sue, an American, and settled of the year, then spent the payment for those jobs in publishing SFC in Georgia. Their daughter is Maria. Sue and Alan lived back in Australia (which cost over $3000 to print and post). I calculated that all my work for awhile, then returned to Georgia, split up, and Alan married Jane. sources had dried up for the rest of the year, but Elaine discovered a new And all the while Paul Anderson, Joy, and other friends from the really client for both of us. Hence no Steam Engine Time, none of the promised good old days kept in contact with Alan, hoping we would meet him again editions of Scratch Pad, and no more SF Commentarys, although I have one day. (He never has visited Melbourne on his trips back to Australia.) hundreds of pages of material waiting. Finally, in 2010, both Joy and Paul at different times visited Alan and Jane. I hope to fit Paul’s report into a future issue of Scratch Pad. In mid 2011 Gillian Polack, ace Canberra academic, fan (designer of the special historical dinners at Conflux conventions), novelist, critic, You will be familiar with John Litchen’s articles as he slowly writes an blogger, and much else beside, was invited to travel to Britain to meet impressive autobiography in episodes. Part 4 appears here. John, it critics and fans in a special gathering to discuss criticism. If only we could seems, has done everything, even while keeping his interest in science have such a thing in Australia! In the early 1970s, John Foyster fiction over the years. Formerly a stalwart of Melbourne fandom, he now suggested we should hold critics’ workshops with the same gusto as we lives with his wife Monica in Queensland, tries to maintain his interests were then holding fiction writers’ workshops. Since then, almost all trace on a retirement income, publishes books, and writes fiction. Does he still of interest in ferocious criticism has disappeared in Australia, but it still play the congas? boils away on the British SF stove. In the letter column, give special attention to the emails from Dora Jenny Bryce continues to work, coincidentally gathering around her a Levakis. Dora is teaching in a remote (to a Melburnian) corner of the group of SF enthusiasts who attend Nova Mob (although Jenny doesn’t). Top End of Australia. She enjoys teaching, and the contact with the Jenny has tried to cut her workload to three days a week so she can write livewire Aboriginal community, which includes quite a few artists, but fiction, but is still sent on expeditions to the educational hot spots of the tropical living can have its drawbacks. Dora is also a fine painter — if you world. In this issue she reports to us on her visit to Europe. have some cash available for buying exciting portraits, I can put you in touch with her. I just I had the money to buy some of her best works, Joy Window is best remembered by many of us as an energetic member and the wallspace to hang them. of renascent South Australian fandom in the early 1970s. She attended several conventions and helped organise others, then dropped from sight — Bruce Gillespie, November 2011 in the mid 70s. The Internet allowed us to find her again a few years 3 Fever dream from Languedoc Gillian Polack’s British trip, July 2011 I was in London the first week of July for a meeting of the British Science my fiction are going to improve from it. Fiction Association, for the British Science Fiction Foundation Criticism Masterclass, and for research. I want to write a dull report, for the I took notes, but they’re sketchy. I meant to take much more detailed challenge of it, but the week was so very exciting that dullness is hard notes, but the virtue of the Masterclass was that it was very interactive. to achieve. I need to say, however, that without the help of the University A half dozen of us spoke more than the others, but everyone spoke, and of Western Australia (where I’m currently doing a PhD) and the ACT there were some exceptionally insightful class members. I have a list of Government, I would have remained in Canberra, both cold and much names (starting with the teachers, but not limited to the teachers) of less educated. Also, I would have less cider inside me, have fewer friends people whose critical writing I must watch out for. I loved it that one US and colleagues, and not known just how very much fun the BSFA people participant spoke using the style and vocabulary of a teacher while every are or how extraordinarily good the BSFA Masterclass is. They are just utterance of a UK participant came out as perfect prose, almost poetic, two of the reasons why Britain has some of the best and most robust SF but always cutting and thoughtful. I loved it that Mark Bould — even off criticism anywhere. the cuff — speaks in essays, and that Claire Brialey throws a thousand questions out there and then sits back and watches what happens to The culture I encountered was one that was extremely positive — we them. were taught to criticise the writing and to understand it, not to make personal attacks on the writer. The culture I have encountered recently My notes are sketchy. My brain is also sketchy, as I was bitten by in Australia of many criticisms being read as personal, even when they something interesting in York. The doctor told me the name of the insect, are patently not, and of ad hominem attacks resulting is rarer. I discussed but my fever and the regional French accent defeated me — all I know this with Aliette de Bodard in Paris (sorry about name dropping, of person is that it’s a creepy-crawly and that it likes biting a great deal and that and of place; given my last three weeks, this is inevitable) and we agreed the bites often become infected — and that’s why I’m writing you this, that SF culture is stronger for this positive approach. now, in Montpellier, rather than leaving it until I get home and it’s all entered into my deeper brain and hard to recall. This report is a fever So this is the context. I didn’t know what to expect. What I found was a dream from Languedoc, in fact. What this means is that I’m writing in warm and welcoming and highly critical and intellectual environment. another world. At another time, 20 days later. Hopefully other partici- What I also found was an entirely brilliant Masterclass. It will take me a pants will read this and correct me and fill in the details and say ‘Gillian, long time to process all that I learned there, but both my criticism and no; it wasn’t like that!’ This is the wonder of fandom and of good critical 4 debate, that there is a dialogue and not a monologue. while Gibson calls it the SF toolkit. It’s used to convey mimesis, not world building.