Scientifiction A publication of FIRST FANDOM, the Dinosaurs of Science Fiction New Series # 34, 3rd & 4th Quarters, 2012 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE First Fandom at Chicon 7 Earl Kemp and son Terry were guest The World Science Fiction Convention speakers at the San Diego October was amazing! It was great getting to Comic Fest (19-21). Topics included: spend time with so many of our friends freedom of speech, sleaze books, and during the weekend. A lot of fans visited science fiction/comic fan Ken Krueger. the First Fandom display in the exhibit area. Please see the convention reports Congratulations to Laura Freas, who and photographs throughout this issue. was married on June 17, 2012. Her First Fandom Awards, 2012 new full name is Laura Brodian Freas Beraha. (Visit www.kellyfreas.com.) This year’s inductees into the First Fandom Hall of Fame are: Ray Fred Prophet informed us that George Bradbury, Larry Farsace, Claude Henry Young died in August, 2009. Held, Rusty Hevelin (Posthumous) And, Robert C. Peterson reported the and Jack Robins. The Sam Moskowitz recent death of Conrad B. Peterzen. Archive Award for Excellence in Collecting is presented for 2012 to Recommended Reading Donn Albright. The recipients were John C. Tibbetts has authored “The given wooden plaques, each of which Gothic Imagination – Conversations on featured a new full-color adaptation of Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction in the classic Paul design for scientifiction. the Media.” This is a fascinating book, scholarly and entertaining, lovingly Rusty Hevelin’s award was sent to his woven together by a genuine enthusiast. son, Bruce, in Union City, CA. At the Excellent interviews are embellished request of the Bradbury family, Donn with fine illustrations and photographs. Albright has arranged for Ray’s award to Published by Palgrave Macmillan, it is be on display at the Bradbury Center. available in hardcover and paperback News Items editions. ISBN: 978-0-230-11816-4. Les and Es Cole have been very busy. Jerad Walters (Centipede Press) has "Spithead," an alternative universe, is issued “The Best Horror Stories of Karl Les’ fourth novel. "Baker's Dozenth" is Edward Wagner” in a hardcover trade a spy story set against the American edition (two volumes), and in a beautiful Civil War. "Neighborhood Watch" is a deluxe, single volume slip-cased edition murder mystery with a light touch, and it signed by many of the contributors. is Es’ first novel at age 88. Look for Edited by Stephen Jones, illustrated by their books, available at Amazon.com. J.K. Potter. ISBN: 978-1-933618-97-5. SCIENTIFICTION New Series, page 2 Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of FAPA Information Needed Several members of First Fandom Please help us get in contact with the contributed to the 300th mailing of the estates of Donald Wandrei, Neil R. Fantasy Amateur Press Association. Jones, Oliver Saari and Ray Cummings. David A. Kyle, Frederik Pohl and Jack Latest First Fandom Emblem Robins wrote letters of congratulation and reflected on the past seventy-five years. Robert A. Madle (one of the three original members) wrote an informative article that recalled events during the 1930s which led up to the formation of the FAPA. This milestone issue featured more than 400 pages of great material, and a highlight for me was “Sonnets for the Space Age,” written by the late A. Langley Searles. New Contact Information Edmund Meskys 322 Whittier Highway This is the design that we featured on Moultonborough, NH 03254-3627 the First Fandom Hall of Fame Awards. Tel: (603) 253-6207 1933 World’s Fair (Century of Progress) [email protected] Ben Miller P.O. Box 1165 Argyle, TX 76226-1165 Tel: (940) 262-3105 [email protected] Sam J. Lundwall Radhusallen 21 Bromma, SWEDEN S-167 54 Did you visit the Sinclair Dinosaur Exhibit? [email protected] First Fandom Photo Gallery Fred Prophet We have received some wonderful 2436 Dorchester Court pictures from the collections of Robert Apartment 118 C. Peterson, Ray Nelson and Jack Port Huron, MI 48060 Robins! Work continues on the book Tel: (810) 987-0845 project and we are asking our First Fandom members to please loan or Membership Dues donate photographs, slides and other Thanks to all of the First Fans who have images from the “good old days.” paid dues for their annual membership. Please send any material (labeled on And, if you haven’t done so yet, please the back) via the US Post Office mail a check to Keith W. Stokes, 14305 (INSURED) to John L. Coker, III – 3701 West 83rd Place, Lenexa, KS – 66215. Glen Garry Lane – Orlando, FL – 32803. SCIENTIFICTION New Series, page 3 FIRST FANDOM AWARDS, 2012 Ray Bradbury Jack Robins (Hall of Fame Award) (Hall of Fame Award) Larry Farsace Rusty Hevelin (Hall of Fame Award) (Posthumous Hall of Fame Award) Claude Held Donn Albright (Hall of Fame Award) (Sam Moskowitz Archive Award) SCIENTIFICTION New Series, page 4 CHICON 7 – THE WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION (A REPORT BY JOHN L. COKER III) I arrived in Chicago a day before the John Hertz, Doug Ellis, Alex Klevitsky, start of the convention, in order to set up Robin Johnson, “Filthy Pierre”, Beth the First Fandom display in the exhibit Gwinn, Joe Siclari, Pat and Roger Sims, area. We constructed a 6’ x 16’ wall to David G. Hartwell, Steve and Sue put up our material, and then we sat in Francis, Betsy Wollheim, Dr. Elizabeth chairs out front at two large tables Anne Hull, Maggie Thompson, George where we greeted friends and made R.R. Martin, Scott Edleman, Connie new acquaintances throughout the Willis, Mike Resnick and Gene Wolfe. weekend. Fans enjoyed free souvenirs On Thursday, I was moderator of a very from our table, including copies of the interesting panel “Origins of the Small newsletter. We were located next to the Press,” featuring David A. Kyle (Gnome dealer’s room and the table for Press) and Erle M. Korshak (Shasta Shasta/Phoenix Publishers, where Erle Press). It was scheduled at the same and Steve Korshak and Robert time as opening ceremonies, but we still Weinberg were on hand to discuss their had seventy-five people in the room. upcoming book about Margaret We brought out historical information Brundage. There were a few rare book that had not previously been discussed. sellers (David Aronovitz, Greg Ketter That evening, I walked to Billy Goat’s and Michael Walsh) with great material Tavern and had their “Cheezeburger, for sale, and several specialty press Cheezeburger dinner. And later, after publishers promoting their new books. looking in on a few room parties back at During the weekend, many of our the hotel I called it an early night. members stopped by the First Fandom On Friday, I was the moderator of a table, including: David A. Kyle (and panel “The 1939 World SF Convention daughter Kerry), Keith W. Stokes, and New York World’s Fair,” and it Joannie (and Jim) Knappenberger, Fred featured two men that were in Prophet, Ed Meskys, Peggy Rae attendance at that convention: David A. Sapienza, Robert Silverberg, Joe and Kyle and Erle M. Korshak. We had Gay Haldeman, and Andrew Porter prepared two dozen oversize B&W (who brought a beautiful selection of photographs relative to the topic, and several dozen vintage worldcon brought these for display on the tables membership cards to display). Among at the front of the room. There were the other enthusiasts we visited with more than seventy-five people in the during the weekend: Stephen Jones, SCIENTIFICTION New Series, page 5 audience. They asked lots of questions a well-deserved special Hugo Award to and enjoyed the conversation. The next Robert Weinberg for his decades of panel that I moderated was “Looking service to fandom. David A. Kyle Back Seventy Years on Chicago announced that Juanita Coulson was Fandom,” with David A. Kyle and Peggy the recipient of the Forrest J Ackerman Rae Sapienza (Fan Guest of Honor). A Big Heart Award for 2012. As the lot of the conversation had to do with the names of nominees for each category of Second World SF Convention, Chicon 1. the Hugo Awards were read, it was fairly David A. Kyle (who was part of a easy to predict winners, based on the carpool of fans who made that trip in prior applause of audience members. 1940 from New York) recalled some of Monday, Labor Day – A quote from the the highlights of that weekend. We had pocket program: “Eighty years ago a display of two dozen large B&W today, Ray Bradbury met Mr. Electrico photographs, courtesy of Robert A. who told him to live forever, causing Ray Madle. There were at least seventy-five to decide to become an author. Let us people in the audience, and they asked pay tribute to the Grand Master from interesting questions and shared Waukegan.” I joined panelists Gary K. personal anecdotes. We also discussed Wolfe and Kent Nebergall and a room Chicago Fandom during the 1950s and full of wonderful people and we talked 1960s, and origins of the Hugo Award. about how we first discovered Ray’s Throughout the weekend, excellent First stories, and what they meant to us. We Fandom-related programming included recalled the first time we met Ray or tributes to the living (such as legendary received letters from him or saw one of Frederik Pohl) and the recently his plays. It was fascinating that people deceased (Jay Kay Klein and Ray from so many different countries had Bradbury). For me, the best part of such similar experiences and points of these historic panels was having such view, and shared such a deep sense of good participation by such a diverse personal loss after Ray’s recent death.