PO Box 656, Washington, DC 20044 - (202) 232-3141 - Issue #161 - Aug. 2003 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: http://www.lambdasf.org/ Spectrum Award Nominees The finalists are: The LSF Book reported by Rob Gates Best Novel Discussion Dance for the Ivory Madonna, by Don Group Sakers (Speed-of-C) The Fall of the Kings, by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman (Bantam If you’re interested in lively Spectra) discussions of F&SF books (with an Fire Logic, by Laurie Marks (Tor) emphasis on elements of interest to the Hominids, by Robert Sawyer (Tor) LBGT community), we invite you to join Lorimal’s Chalice, by Jane Fletcher the LSF Book Discussion Group. Each (Fortitude Press) month, we conduct fascinating round- Nightmare: A Novel of the Silent table discussions of works by significant Empire, by Steven Harper (Roc) F&SF authors. Solitaire, by Kelley Eskridge (Harper The LSF Book Discussion The Gaylactic Spectrum Eos) Group generally meets on the 4th Thurs- Awards, science fiction fandom’s pre- (continued on page 3) day of every month, starting at 7:00 PM. miere award recognizing works of special The next meeting will be held on August and positive interest to gays, lesbians, 21st. bisexuals and transgendered people, are Next LSF Meeting While Peter & Rob’s house is pleased to announce the finalists for - August 10th - undergoing rennovations, the LSF Book their 2003 Awards. The Gaylactic Spec- Discussion Group will meet at a new trum Awards, originally created and The next Lambda Sci-Fi meeting venue: Brian & Sean’s condo: 1300 13th primarily sponsored by the Gaylactic will be held at James Crutchfield’s apart- St. NW #108 (Solo Piazza Building, on Network, are presented by the indepen- ment (1414 17th St., NW, #413) on Sun- the corner of 13th & “N” Streets). For dent Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foun- day, August 10th. The business meeting directions or more details, call 202-968- dation. The awards are juried and final- will begin at 1:30 PM; and the social meet- 8737). ists are selected by the juries from a pool ing will begin at 2:00 PM. Please bring Here’s the schedule for the next of recommendations received through some munchies or soft drinks, if you can. few months: an open recommendation process. The following proposal will be - Aug. 21st (date change: 3rd Thurs.) - Regular awards will be pre- voted on at this meeting: Hominids, by Robert J. Sawyer; modera- sented in four categories for works I propose that LSF donate $100 toward tor: Carl. originally released in 2002: Best Novel, the running of the GLBT Fandom Suite at - Sept. 25th (back to regular 4th Thurs.) - Best Short Fiction, Best genre Comic the Toronto Worldcon which begins in Swordspoint, by Ellen Kushner; modera- Book/Graphic Novel, and Best Other August. Any donated funds left over from tor: Mike P. Work. To honor works released prior to running the Suite will be donated toward - Oct. 23rd - Queer Fear II, anthology the creation of the award in 1998, the jury the running of the GLBT Fandom Suite at edited by Michael Rowe; moderator: will also announce new inductees into the Boston Worldcon next year. Rob. the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Hall of See you there! ΛΨΦ ΛΨΦ Fame. WHAT'S INSIDE? Minutes of the July LSF Meeting (pg. 2); Duck Soup Outing Report ( pg. 2); The Last Man (book review - pg. 3);The Hulk (movie review - pg. 4); Convention Addendum (pg. 4); Japanese Haiku Error Messages (pg. 5);Strider Pineo: Passing of a GSFS Member (obituary, pg. 5);Green Lantern Honored with GLAAD Award (pg. 5);About Lambda Sci-Fi: DC Area Gaylaxians & Con Calendar (pg. 6) 1 Minutes for the July LSF Meeting ΛΨΦΛΨΦ taken by Scott as good as the first two movies. The A beautiful day outside may producers of the “X-Men” movies are con- have contributed to the spare attendance sidering a “Fantastic Four” movie. (Will at today’s meeting. ; George Clooney be cast as Reed Richards, LSF Treasurer Rob Gates re- a.k.a., Mr. Fantastic ?) ported that the club’s current bank bal- Michael C., who lives near the ance is $2,080.40. recently refurbishedAmerican Film Insti- It was reported that there will be tute (AFI) Theater in Silver Spring, re- a GLBT fandom suite for four nights at the ported on the current Czech horror film upcoming WorldCon in Toronto festival being shown there. He also com- (TorCon). The Gaylactic Network is con- mented that the LSF Duck Soup outing tributing $200; and approximately $175 is faired well. being rolled over from last year’s TV Chatter: The new Tarzan TV WorldCon GLBT suite. Queer Continuum show is featured on one of the covers for Duck Soup Outing Report will be hosting an opening night party. the current TV guide. The guy who plays By Mike C. Rob made the following pro- Tarzan (Travis Fimmel) used to do under- posal: wear ads. (How’s that for a qualification?) On a hot Sunday afternoon, I propose that LSF donate $100 And it has been rumored that the daytime some LSFer’s converged on the AFI toward the running of the GLBT Fandom soap opera Port Charles, which includes Silver Theater (downtown Silver Spring) Suite at the Toronto Worldcon which vampire characters, may soon be canceled. for the surreal comedy classic Duck begins in August. Any donated funds left (Shades of Dark Shadows!) Soup, starring the immortal Marx over from running the Suite will be do- Rob passed around items received Brothers. nated toward the running of the GLBT in the mail at the LSF post office box. Shown in the theater’s outra- Fandom Suite at the Boston Worldcon Included were three issues of Sigma, the geously beautiful Art Deco main next year. Pittsburgh science fiction group newslet- auditorium, the film was a huge hit. Five [Ed. Note: This proposal will be ter. Rob also passed around fliers for LSFer’s attended; the showing was voted on at the August meeting.] TorCon and Interaction (the 2005 WorldCon well-attended but not packed. It was It was noted that Jack Frost still in Glasgow). nice to see parents bringing their has some unsold T-shirts from Gaylaxicon Mike P. read an entertaining Brit- children! The movie’s skewed view of 2000 that LSF could consider selling at ish commentary about 1970’s U.S. comic politics rang true as it told the story of a TorCon. book advertisements. We all had a great war between the fantasy countries of Cartoon chatter: On the Cartoon laugh! Freedonia and Sylvania; the “To War!” Network: A new Teen Titan cartoon (mi- Rob promoted theupcoming LSF scene was eerily reminiscent of recent nus Wonder Girl/Troia) and X-Men Evo- book discussions: Nightmare: A Novel of Congressional sessions. lution. On MTV, the new Spider-man the Silent Empire by Stephen Harris (July After seeing the film, we re- cartoon (with CG) receives a thumbs up. discussion); Hominids by Robert Sawyer treated to Mi Casa (a local Mexican Movie chatter: It was reported (Aug. discussion). restaurant) for a late lunch and con- that Finding Nemo is the highest gross- Rob is on the cover of a recent versation. ΛΨΦ ing movie for the summer. Many children issue of Metro Weekly – with a stack of foundThe Hulk movie boring. Great sword books in hand at Lambda Rising. (Whoo- fights in the Pirates of the Caribbean whoo! Can we get your autograph?) Rea- The thing I admire about movie (with Johnny Depp). Lots of bad son: Metro Weekly ran a story on GLBT leather queens is that, reviews from critics and fans for theLeague book discussion groups, including LSF’s next to Star Trek fans, of Extraordinary Gentlemen. (The char- group. (Thanks for the indirect promotion they are the most acter of Tom Sawyer did not add to the of the club, Rob!) prop-happy people in the plot. And how did Tom Sawyer automati- Rob reported that the Spectrum cally know how to drive the “car”?) While Award finalists have been announced mid- world, cheerfully lugging 28 Days Later has excellent characteriza- month. [Ed. Note: For a complete list of pounds of gear tion, American audiences have been un- the Spectrum Award finalists, see the wherever they go. sure how to react during the film. While article beginning on page 1 of this Bruce Villanch people who have seen Terminator 3 en- newsletter.] ΛΨΦ “Heathers in Leathers” joyed it, general consensus is that it is not (The Advocate, Aug. 19, 2003) 2 The Last Man Revelations. As with all by Jean-Baptiste François Xavier writers, he is a product of Cousin de Grainville his own time and experi- trans. by I.F. Clarke and M. Clarke ences. Grainville was an (Wesleyan University Press, 2002) ordained priest who left a review by Colleen R. Cahill that calling during the Terror of the French Revo- Many of us have read early raised with the birth of lution. The Last Man re- works of science fiction, even as old as Omegarus, the only child flects both his religious Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues born in Europe for over beliefs, which were in under the Sea or Mary Shelley’s twenty years. He is the opposition to the popular Frankenstein. What you might not last descendent of what philosophy of that day, know is that these classics have their Grainville considered the and his melancholy life, ancestors; and the Wesleyan University greatest French man ever which ended before this Press Early Classics of Science Fiction born, Napoleon. As a young man, Ome- book was published.