Volume 1, Issue 23 July 2011 2 Editorial: This zine just keeps getting longer (and I’m definitely not complaining). I challenged folks on the SFC email list (want to join? I’ll point you in the right direction) to write about their memories of Waffle House, and got some good responses. I also got a solid nine pages of LoCs. Wow! I review two and a half more Hugo nominated novels this issue (sorry, the novellas just aren’t happening), and got a total of four con reports from Joy V. Smith and Allegra Torres. Great news for those of you who’ve asked for some of our contributors to return, as Allegra and Greg Rieves (see the cover) have. And that’s how we got to 36 pages. Seriously, that’s a lot. Thanks, everyone. Now, for next month, I’m hoping to expand even further – since Worldcon is next month (and I’ll most definitely be looking forward to seeing a lot of y’all at Renovation), I’d like folks to send in stories about either their first or their favorite Worldcons. Send it in a loc, send it by itself, it doesn’t matter, I’ll run it either way, probably in the same manner as the Waffle House Memories, which appear after the Rebel Yells. So here we go! Enjoy the biggest SFCU yet! Contents: Calendar of Events Warren Buff 3 Rebel Yells Y’all 10 Waffle House Memories Various 19 Hugo Novel Nominee Reviews Warren Buff 23 Con Report: PariahCon Joy V. Smith 27 Con Report: Outlantacon/Gaylaxacon Allegra Torres 28 Con Report: Fanaticon Allegra Torres 31 Con Report: ConCarolinas Allegra Torres 31 Art Credits: Cover: Greg Rieves Page 11: Brad Foster (who also did the Renovation logo) Page 27: Mike Moon 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: July 8-10: Shore Leave 33 (Baltimore, Maryland – Marriott’s Hunt Valley Inn. Featuring guests Christopher Judge, Tricia Helfer, Eddie McClintock, John de Lancie, John Grunsfeld, Emilie Ullerup, Gary Lockwood, Sally Kellerman, and Cliff Simon. Fan-run media-centric convention that also boasts a good slate of authors and artists. Registration is $85. www.shore-leave.com ) Anime Blues Con (Memphis, Tennessee – Hilton Memphis. Anime convention with a decent sense of where it is. Guests include Josh Elder, The Man Power, Maile Flanagan, Vic Mignogna, Martheus Wade, and Kyle Hebert. www.animeblues.com ) Anime Overload (Austin, Texas – North Austin Events Center. Anime convention featuring Brittney Karbowski, Carli Mosier, Christine Auten, and Jerry Jewell. Registration is $30 at the door. www.animeoverload.net ) July 8-9: Omnicon (McAllen, Texas – McAllen Convention Center. Billed as a convention for video games, comics, music, and anime, its guests include Johnny Yong Bosch, Jason David Frank, and Eyeshine. Membership passes are $35. www.omnicononline.com ) July 9-10: Ancient City Con 5 (Jacksonville, Florida – Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. Guests include Pika Belle Chu, Don Perlin, Kevin A. Ransom, Linda S. Cowden, T.S. Robinson, The Killer Robots, and Shawn Lightfood & the Brigade. Registration is $25. www.ancientcitycon.com ) July 13-17: LeakyCon (Orlando, Florida – Royal Pacific Hotel. Harry Potter convention thrown by the staff of website The Leaky Cauldron, who use it to generate charitable contributions. It looks like many events are separately priced, including the already sold-out lit day. They’ve also arranged a special deal with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park. In spite of that, their programming looks pretty fannish. You have to sign up for a website account to register for the con, so I leave it to the determined to find out what the price is. www.leakycon.com ) July 15-17: LibertyCon 24 (East Ridge, Tennessee – Comfort Inn & Suites. This year’s guests of honor are S.M. Stirling, Theresa Mather, Stephanie Osborn, Julie Cochrane, and Allen Steele. LibertyCon is consistently one of the best cons around for both its top-notch programming and relaxing and engaging conversations in the lobby. Fierce competition abounds in both Hearts and Spades, though Spades has the larger following there. Memberships are $50. www.libertycon.org ) PersaCon (Huntsville, Alabama – Radisson Suite Hotel. Anime-centric convention appealing to the young geeks of Huntsville. Pre-registration is currently $30, with no indication of the cut-off date. www.persacon.com ) 4 July 15-16: 24 Hours of Potter (St. Louis, Missouri – Crowne Plaza Clayton. This 24 hour event will take its structure from a wizarding school year, with feasts, club events, classes, and broomstick sports. Regular registration will be available at the door for $30. www.24hoursofpotter.com ) July 17-30: Shared Worlds (Spartanburg, South Carolina – Wofford College. Creative writing summer program, which looks geared towards high school students. Instructors include Jeremy L.C. Jones, Jeff Vandermeer, Christine Dinkins, Joseph Spivey, and Christopher Dinkins. Tuition is $2250, but financial aid is available. www.wofford.edu/sharedworlds/ ) July 22-24: Kamikazecon IV (Houston, Texas – JW Marriott Hotel Houston. Anime convention featuring Christopher Ayres. Weekend passes are $40. www.kamikazecon.com ) July 29-31: Otakon (Baltimore, Maryland – Baltimore Convention Center. Big darned anime convention. Guests include Chemistry, Tony Oliver, Lisa Ortiz, and Tom Wayland. Memberships are $65 through July 16 th . www.otakon.com ) Megaplex (Kissimmee, Florida – Radisson Worldgate Resort. Furry convention with a theme, this year, of arcade classics. This year’s Guest of Honor is Chad Krueger. Pre-registration is $40, at the door will be $45. www.megaplexcon.org ) July 29-August 1: Play On Con (Birmingham, Alabama – Birmingham Marriott. SF & gaming convention. Featured presenters include Voltaire, Anya Martin, Sean Patrick Fannon, IK the Troll, and Andrew Greenberg. Registration online is $40, and will be $45 at the door. www.playoncon.com ) August 5-7: Anime Festival Orlando 12 (Orlando, Florida – Wyndham Orlando Resort. Anime convention featuring Johnny Yong Bosch, Quinton Flynn, Jason David Frank, Reuben Langdon, Wendee Lee, Chris Patton, Dan Southworth, and John Swasey. Memberships $50 and can be purchased online through July 9 th , or at the door – cash only at the door. www.animefestivalorlando.com ) San Japan (San Antonio, Texas – Marriott Rivercenter Hotel. Anime convention featuring Guest of Honor Shinichi “Nabeshin” Watanabe as well as several American voice actors and all the usual anime con fun. Pre-registration is $40 through July 15 th , then $45 at the door. www.san-japan.org ) Whedon Fest (Scottsville, Kentucky – Barefoot Republic campground. Charity gathering including workshops, screenings, costume contest, paintball, and other activities. $100 for the weekend, which includes bunk space and five meals – adult members are asked to volunteer for two hours to help things run. www.whedonitesunited.com ) 5 August 12-14: Guns of August (Williamsburg, Virginia – Holiday Inn Patriot Center. Gaming convention focused primarily on miniatures, but also featuring board games and role-playing. Registration is $20 through August 1st , then $25 at the door. $5 discount for military, students, and gamemasters. www.odms- club.com/convention ) Sukoshicon (Birmingham, Alabama – Howard Johnson. This appears to be part of a series of events around the Mid-South featuring a cosplay contest, AMVs, anime karaoke, and rock band. Membership is $20. www.sukoshicon.com ) August 13-14: M:TG Open Cup (Poplar Bluff, Missouri – http://warhorn.net/semo-mtg- open-cup/ ) August 17-21: Renovation, the 69 th Worldcon (Reno, Nevada – Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Atlantis Hotel, Peppermill Hotel, Courtyard by Marriott. Hotel booking will open 8 AM PST, January 17 th . Guests of Honor: Ellen Asher, Charles N. Brown (in memoriam), Tim Powers, Boris Vallejo. If you’ve never been to a Worldcon, you should try one. This one has the added bonus of not conflicting with the major Labor Day events so many of us go to, reducing your excuses. This is five days of science fiction, but more importantly, it’s a chance to meet fans from all over the world. It’s not uncommon for a group of friends at one of these to span three continents (or more – I’ve met fans from five at Worldcons – South America and Antarctica, I’m looking at you). It’s also where fandom presents its annual Hugo Awards – members can nominate and vote, though you’d better hurry if you want to nominate. This will be my third Worldcon, and I’m already getting a bit excited about it. I hope to see all y’all there. Membership is $195 through July 17 th , though there is a discounted rate of $100 available for fans 17- 21. www.renovationsf.org ) August 18-21: Game Fest South (Chattanooga, Tennessee – Chattanooga Choo Choo. Tabletop gaming, mostly boardgames. Memberships are $40, with discounts for couples and families. www.gamefestsouth.com ) August 19-21: Mizu Con (Miami, Florida – Hyatt Regency Miami. Anime convention featuring Todd Haberkorn, Lisa Ortiz, Johnny Yong Bosch, and EyeShine. Passes are $30 through July 31 st , though staying at the hotel two nights gets you a free badge. www.mizucon.com ) Motaku (Kansas City, Missouri – Holiday Inn CoCo Key Water Resort.