Southern Fandom Confederation Update
Volume 1, Issue 29 August 2012 2
Editorial: Well, I know this is a bit late, but I had a great time at DSC 50, and promptly got back to letting Real Life get in the way of fanac. For those who couldn’t make it, the Rebel Award went to Shelby Vick, as well as to Robert, Becky, Bill, and Linda Zilke, the Phoenix Award went to John Ringo, and the Rubble went to Bob Jennings, the SFPA OE. Bruce Butler was this year’s Hearts Champion of the Known Universe, repeating a feat he’d performed at DSC 25 in Huntsville. DSC 52 was awarded to the Contrails bid for Bristol, Virginia – I’ll be passing along more details on that soon. The SFC got those nifty t-shirts made, and they look great. We’ll sell you one for$15, plus $5 for shipping (we won’t ask for shipping if you can get it from us at a con). Also, this is a big month for conventions, as it ends with both Worldcon and Dragon*Con – I hope most of y’all are going to one or the other (and I know at least a few people will be going to both). This year, we’ll have some cross-programming between the two, so keep an eye out for that, and catch a little bit of the con you didn’t make it to at the one you did! This issue has the usual stuff – convention calendar, letters of comment – and a con report from Joy Smith. The cover illustration is from Alan F. Beck. I depart from my usual colorful, whimsical title in deference to its subject.
Colophon: Editor & SFC President: Warren Buff [email protected] (919) 633-4993 8712 Wellsley Way Raleigh, NC 27613 USA All contents copyright their creators. This zine is free, either by direct email or www.efanzines.com. A letter of comment or other contribution will get you on my mailing list, as long as I remember to put you there. If I forget, bother me a second time, or however long it takes to add you. I haven’t been printing this one, which leaves me free to use as many pages as I wish, and do things like color. It also lets me use all the contributions I can muster, so fire away! 3
Calendar of Events:
August 16-19: Game Fest South (Chattanooga, TN. www.gamefestsouth.com) August 17-19: MizuCon (Miami, FL. www.mizucon.com) Konsplosion (Ft. Smith, AR. www.konsplosion.com)
August 23-26: Star Wars Celebration VI (Orlando, FL. www.starwarscelebration.com)
August 30th-September 3rd, 2012: Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicago, Illinois – Hyatt Regency Chicago. That’s right, it’s a single-facility Worldcon. Guests of Honor will be author Mike Resnick, fan Peggy Rae Sapienza, astronaut Story Musgrave, artist Rowena Morrill, agent Jane Frank, and toastmaster John Scalzi. All my usual bits about why you should go to Worldcon apply. This one is also on the edge of driving distance for much of the South, which should make it pretty appealing. After a string of Worldcons in smaller or more remote cities, it’ll be good to be back in a big city that Southerners can get to easily. Memberships are $230. A young adult rate of $100 is available. www.chicon.org) August 31-September 3: Dragon*Con (Atlanta, GA – Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Hilton and Towers, Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, Westin Peachtree Plaza. I couldn’t find the Guests of Honor on the website yet, but they’ve got a few hundred guests listed, and even more attending pros. You’re just going to have to look it up for yourself. What I am going to talk about, because I happen to think it’s cool enough to spend my time working on, is that we’re going to have cross- programming between Dragon*Con and Chicon this year, meaning that whether you’re in Atlanta or Chicago, you’ll be able to get a little taste of the other. We’re working on some very cool panels with some very cool people, as well as showing the D*C parade in Chicago and the Hugo Awards Ceremony in Atlanta. Expect more news on this in the coming weeks as we work out the details. Memberships are $120 through August 17th, then $140 until the convention. A limited number of Saturday only memberships are available until the 17th for $50.) August 31-September 2: Mephit Fur Meet (Memphis, TN. www.mephitfurmeet.org)
September 7-9: MechaCon (New Orleans, LA. www.mechacon.com) UmiCon (Daytona, FL. www.umicondaytona.com)
September 14-16: Aoi Uma Con (Louisville, KY. wwww.aoiumacon.com)
September 21-23: Intervention (Rockville, MD. www.intervention.com) 4
FenCon 9 (Addison, TX – Crowne Plaza North Dallas/Galleria. FenCon hosted a fine DSC last year, and this looks to be yet another good year for them. Guests of Honor will be John Aneallo, Teresa Patterson, Donato Giancola, Dr. David Hanson, Toastmaster Peter A. David, and Special Guest Karl Schroeder. Memberships are $40 before September 1st and $45 at the door.)
September 27-30: Hurricon (Orlando, FL. www.hmgs-south.com/hmgs/) September 28-30: Anime Weekend Atlanta (Atlanta, GA. www.awa-con.com) Klingon Feast (Daytona Beach, FL. www.klingonfeast.com/Klingon_Feast_Florida.html) GameCon Memphis VI (Memphis, TN. www.gameconmemphis.com) Shocka-Con (Charleston, WV. www.shockacon.com)
April 19-21: DeepSouthCon 51/JordanCon V (Roswell, GA. It’s good to see DSC getting around to different states on a regular basis again – we’ve held the last three in Tennesse, North Carolina, and Texas, and are about to go to Alabama and Georgia, with bids for the next couple of years featuring Virginia and Louisiana. Supposing those bids work out (and keeping in mind that other bidders could emerge), we’ll see seven states in seven years, which would be the most diverse run of DSC in our history. It’s a good time to be in Southern Fandom, so come enjoy it with us! Guests of Honor will be Seanan McGuire and Michael Whelan. Memberships are currently $45. www.jordancon.org)
August 29th-September 2nd, 2013: LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention (San Antonio, Texas – Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Marriott River Walk, Marriott Rivercenter. Guests of Honor will be Ellen Datlow, James Gunn, Willie Siros, Norman Spinrad, and Darrell K. Sweet, with Toastmaster Paul Cornell and Special Guests Leslie Fish and Joe R. Lansdale. All my usual bits about why you should go to Worldcon still apply. But even more importantly, it’s the first Southern Worldcon since 1997 (LoneStarCon 2). Let’s descend on this en masse and show our support for Texas. Memberships are $160 through June 30th. www.lonestarcon3.org) Rebel Yells: News and Notes From All Over
Ed Dravecky clarifies a few points from DSC 49:
FenCon's own Ruth Cruise won the Hearts tournament at FenCon VII / DSC 49.
All three issues of the FenCon ION are available at http://www.fencon.org/history-2011.html 5
The one with the results (on the bottom right of page 2) is http://www.fencon.org/docs/FenConION_v8-3_Sunday.pdf
Joy Smith checks in – check out her con report after the locs:
Warren,
In case you're interested, my reviews of Man-Kzin Wars XIII and Time Machine Troopers are on Amazon and my media blog (see sig); and my Man-Kzin Wars XIII review will be posted on The New Book Review June 21: www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com
Man-Kzin Wars in one of my favorite shared world anthologies and Time Machine Troopers is an outstanding sequel to H. G. Wells' The Time Machine.
Joy
Another wonderful Lloyd Penney LoC:
1706-24 Eva Rd. Etobicoke, ON CANADA M9C 2B2
June 22, 2012
Dear Warren:
I’ve got the newest SFC Update, Vol. 1, No. 28 with me here, and now I can finally get some writing done. It’s been a crazy time. Sounds like you’ve had your own crazy time, too. Comments to follow, right after I admire that art on the front.
Wonder what was in the bag you found at Balticon? Hope everyone enjoyed DSC 50, and hope it was the kind of major regional convention everyone wanted to see. Of course, life gets so busy, and money is so short, but we hope it was a heckuva good time.
Rich Dengrove is so right, the older generations of fans have to embrace the newer generations. For me, a number of local older fans have passed away, or moved on, and newer groups are here with their own clubs and activities. Fortunately for me, almost all of those groups are on Facebook, and can be easily found. I am not able to meet and know them all, but we have gotten involved with them to some extent, and now we have newer generations of friends. Of course, we are starting to feel our ages, and we have retired from more strenuous forms of fanac, but the new activities keep those feelings away for a while. 6
Hmmm, Yvonne needed a heavier coat in October…that’s around the time at our latitude when the fall arrives, and the temperatures start to drop a little. Yvonne loves the heat, and is a little sensitive to the cold. A DC summer being blistering? Not at all. As summer started a few days ago, we had a heat wave here, with temperatures hitting the mid-90s Fahrenheit here, and high humidity. If DC gets summers like that, we’d be right at home. The temperatures don’t drop 20 degrees as soon as you cross the border.
Tomorrow is a steampunk street fair, Steam on Queen, which is right in downtown Toronto. It’s on the ground of a historic building, Campbell House, and it starts early tomorrow, so we will be there as a vendor, and we’re hoping to make some good money. I’ve been learning how to make jewellery, so those who are looking for steampunk necklaces and earrings will be looking for us.
Not much of a letter, but there it is. Many thanks for it, and I’ll keep an eye out for more.
Yours, Lloyd Penney
Carlo De Shouten with a request for help:
Greetings, I'm running A concert-festival/gaming convention called SPACE ROCK CON which it will be held in Cullman Ala this coming Sept. 14-15 at the Cullman Civic center and I'm hoping to get connections to vendors hopefully they come to the show and sell their stuff and I was wondering if I can put my convention/concert on your calender and hopefully I'll get a lot of people come to the show.Also do I have to pay to get the convention adevertise? Hope to hear from you Carlo DeShouten orgnizer of the SPACE ROCK CON 2012 WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SPACEROCKCON
245-746-8778
A press release of fannish interest from Sasha Doppelt:
July 10, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Alison Gang, (858) 822-5060, [email protected]
UCTV PRIME YOUTUBE SERIES UNVEILS TREASURES INSIDE THE WORLD’S LARGEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY COLLECTION
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LA JOLLA, CA – As comic book and science fiction fans convene in San Diego for Comic-Con, a new series from UCTV Prime, the University of California’s YouTube original channel, takes viewers inside UC Riverside’s Eaton Collection, the world’s largest, publicly-accessible collection of science fiction, fantasy, horror and utopian fiction. “It Came from Riverside: Inside the World’s Largest Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy” reveals some of the archive’s most treasured possessions, illuminates the genre’s evolution in popular culture, and demonstrates its growing acceptance within literary and academic circles. Two episodes are now available at http://www.youtube.com/uctvprime, along with bonus blog content at http://www.uctv.tv/science-fiction. The third installment premieres July 13, with additional episodes later this summer. “It Came from Riverside,” an Original YouTube Series from UCTV Prime
“Ep. 1: Inside the World’s Largest Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy”Venture inside UC Riverside’s Eaton Collection for a peek at some of its science fiction and fantasy treasures – including fanzines, manuscripts, first editions, posters and more --and an assessment of the collection’s significance within popular culture and academia.
“Ep. 2: The Evolution of Science Fiction” The expansive Eaton Collection reflects the history and evolution of science fiction, with particular emphasis on its shift from hopeful, utopian themes that demonstrate society’s inherent faith in technology, to a bleaker, dystopian view in the wake of Word War II and the dawn of the Atomic Age.
“Ep. 3: Science Fiction Goes to School” (Coming July 13)It wasn’t very long ago that science fiction literature was dismissed as frivolous. This episode outlines the growing respectability of SF and fantasy, their emergence as literature worthy of preservation and study, and the many ways in which theEaton Collection services this growing scholarly demand.
The Eaton Collection is the largest publicly-accessible collection of science fiction and fantasy literature in the world, consisting of over 300,000 items. The collection begins with the 1517 edition of Thomas More's Utopia and includes first editions of many seminal works including Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897) and H.G. Wells' The Time Machine (1895). The collection also includes more than 50,000science fiction-themed comic books as well as the most expansive collection of scholarly studies on science fiction and fantasy in the United States.
UCTV Prime is the first university-run channel to be included among YouTube’s new production partnerships with recognizable brands like The Wall Street Journal, Deepak Chopra and TED. With documentary mini-series, interviews, commentaries and video shorts each week, UCTV Prime draws on the tremendous knowledge resources of the University of California’s ten campuses, five medical schools, three national labs and other affiliated institutions.
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UCTV is available worldwide via live stream, video archives and podcasting at www.uctv.tv, on YouTube at www.youtube.com/uctv and www.youtube.com/uctvprime, on iTunesU in the Beyond Campussection, and on cable in select cities throughout California. For a complete list of UCTV’s outlets, visit www.uctv.tv/wheretowatch.
WAHF: Regina Kirby, Toni Weisskopf, Tom Feller, Jeffrey Thompson,
Oasis 25 con report By Joy V. Smith
On May 25, Friday, we left Lakeland for Orlando around noon and arrived at the hotel--Sheraton Orlando Downtown--about 1 pm and registered, which took a while ‘cause of the people ahead of us (only two, but it was complicated, I guess). Then we unloaded our luggage and bags in our room before registering for Oasis and dropping off my freebies at the freebie table. I picked up some freebies, of course, and stashed them in my bag, which I always carry so I can add books and stuff. The hotel was beautifully upgraded, btw; I wanted to take the mattress home!
After lunch at Specatator’s Bar, which has a good Philly steak, we went to the Dealers Room and roamed around before going to the first panel: I Wrote the Book: Now What? There were earlier panels, and the one preceding--in this room--was on Forensics, complete with bones! The book panel--Timothy Robinson, Glenda Finkelstein, Gary Roen (m), and William Hatfield--covered editing, review copies, and more. Do your homework! Roen is a reviewer, editor, and consultant; and he keeps a list of editors for writers. Glenda told us about a devastating review she got, and Robinson shared how he worked on a cover for his book--Battle Chasers--for 15 years!
Then we took a room break before the opening ceremonies at 7. They started late (waiting for a guest). All the guests of honor were introduced: David Weber and L. E. Modesitt were the Author Guests of Honor; Janny Wurts was the Artist Guest of Honor; and Pat and Roger Sims were the Fan Guests of Honor.
Juan Sanmiguel was the con chairman and was always busy, as was Susan, who always took time to anser my questions. All the con staff were helpful and pleasant. We got to see the launch of Space X on a big screen; Juan was there and recorded it--with sound! Very impressive. Better than on the news. After that the guests shared intel with us. David Weber has had his Honor Harrington series optioned. He has zero control, but is a consultant. It’s always fun meeting the guests.
After which was the Cthulhu Chili Competition. There was so much chili, I couldn’t taste every one, so I gave up. (They tried to help us by numbering the 9 cups, but not all the cups got numbered, and I couldn’t eat them all anyway, so I didn’t vote. But I enjoyed the chili, as always.)
I always look forward to the Alien Artifacts panel (9 pm); this was the Road Show edition --with a slightly different format; it will be syndicated through a third of the galaxy. (The immortality panel--Never Say Die!--preceded it and ran over, as often happens. Full house, btw.) The artifacts panel consisted of: Craig Caldwell (m), Don Maitz, Paul Vincenti, Janny Wurts, and Mike Conrad who wasn’t on the program so I was happy to see him since he’s one of my favorite panelists. (He is hilarious!) But they’re all funny--even the first-timers. I’m always impressed.
Mike’s personna was Beauregard… from Roadkill, AL; they all had fun identities. The artifacts this time were taken from the audience--to go with the show’s theme. The mechanical dog was identified as a droid--“but not the droid you’re looking for.” Each panelist had a different opinion with lots of disagreements, puns, and patter. I contributed my Swiss army knife; Mike had fun with it. He pocketed it and said it had teleported. (He returned it, of course.) An audience member, as we left, said that it also had the ability to clone itself--and showed me his! We have fun there.
Filking was on at the same time so I missed it. We went to our room, and I made a schedule for Saturday. Let’s see--the art show, back to the dealer’s room, choose which panels to go to and see what’s on in the media room. We started out at the con suite, checked out the freebie table, and then went to the video room, where I saw Thor, which I hadn’t seen. Fun and impressive production values.
May 26, Saturday: I stopped by the trivia contest just to watch. I had decided not to participate after seeing the categories online that Juan had picked. However, he needed six players, so I volunteered. Fortunately my partner, Roger Clendening II, is very knowledgeable. (He’s helped me out in earlier trivia contests.) We ended up with a respectable number of points, and he bet it all and answered the final question so we won! We got ribbons and dealers bucks, which is always appreciated. (We split the pot.) Mark and Perry, two other contestants are also good--and trivia contest experts.
At the art show, I admired Jim Humble’s art: Klingon Battle Kitty, Steampunk Kitten, Kittyana Jones, and Socks Gets Some Milk and a Brownie… All cute and clever. And I voted for the best work of art. Hard choice, but I voted for Paul Vincenti’s impressive wire dragon sculpture. Then I went to the Dealers Room and spent my Dealers Bucks and got $3.00 in change. Jack McDevitt was signing books there, but there was such a long line, I decided to wait. Some of them had boxes of books apparently! I caught him later, and he signed a book I had just bought.
We had lunch at Spectators again, and afterwards I helped carry some things to the charity auction. It was on at 4 pm, but I went to a panel scheduled at the same time: Best Rejection Letters. Lots of useful advice. After that I caught the 10 end of the charity auction; there were lots of good buys as usual, including autographed books and some you could have autographed since the author was at the con.
After taking a room break and checking out the con suite, we went to the masquerade. The first contestant was Admiral Honor Harrington with a tree cat on her shoulder. How cool is that! #2 was The 11th Doctor (a woman); #3 was Knee Biter, The Highlander; #4 was Evil Queen Essex; and #5 was Dr. Satto (sp), the chief medical officer of the Yakamoto (sp). While waiting for the judges’ decisions, the chili contest winners were announced; Cthulhu’s Choice was #5 and Fan Favorite was #10. The trivia contest winners were also announced; Roger and Joy. (I always had to confess--It wasn’t me; it was Roger.)
The Masquerade winners: #1 in anime: Dr. Satto #4: Essex the Evil Queen #3: The 11th Doctor #2: Knee Biter And #1/Special Award: Admiral Harrington (Lynette Halter)
At 8, we returned to the video room for Hinman’s Greatest Hits. Michael Hinman had a collection of clips from YouTube, etc. It’s amazing what you can accomplish on a computer! That was followed by the anime music video hour and Summer Wars. (I should have asked Arthur Dykeman about Summer Wars, but never got around to it. He’s responsible for most of the goodies shown.) If I’d had time, I could have watched my favorite Dr.Who episodes; I did watch some of Tin Tin again. So much to see and do!
Sunday morning (May 27), we had breadfast in the con suite, checked out the freebie table again, etc., and I stopped at T. S. Robinson’s table, where I bought Into the Dragon’s Maw, which sounded intriguing. He autographed it very nicely for me too. Thanks, Timothy, I appreciated that--and the book.
At 10 am, I went to The Future of Short Fiction panel, which was interesting; it included advice on self-promotion, which is challenging. You can use blogs and blog swaps, and for a live illustration, Carol, who’s an art director, tweeted me and my ebook, Pretty Pink Planet!
Then we stopped by the con suite before checking out; we left our luggage at the desk (it was stored elsewhere). We took the time to stop at the video room and watch trailers, including Japanese anime and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Slayer. Then it was time to bid a fond farewell to fun and friends. Oh, we bought our memberships for next year’s Oasis earlier.
The End