Journey Planet Issue 2 Journey Planet 2- September 2008 Yes, you can email us at James Bacon - Editor (The Brawn) Chris Garcia - Layout Editor (The Begger) [email protected] Claire Brialey - Copy Editor (The Brain) Page 1: TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 2: BAD TIMING by Claire Brialey Page 33: WRITING THE FUTURE RED by Farah “So, let’s be clear: this issue was not my Mendlesohn idea...” “Where the books do reflect a Marxist sense of history, however, is in their Page 7: THE MALE GAZE TURNED INWARD grand canvasses...” Answers by Chris and James to Questions Page 39: ROBERT RANKIN, SPROUTLORE & ME By from Claire Stacey Whittle “...these words have been edited only for “...less of a fan club and more of a bunch of mistakes or syntax confusion...” people to go to the pub with...“ Page 8: PARTICLES OF PARTICIPATION Page 45: HOW TO WRITE AMERICAN: ZED’S An Introduction by James Bacon DEAD, BABY by Ulrika O’Brien “Can you see how easy it is to be a fan “That’s what toasters or toaster ovens writer?” Page 48: ACTON by ‘Tubewhore’ Other contributions to this series can be “Only once a year, the Acton Depot opens found on pages 13, 16, 25, 30, 36 and 40. its door to all and sundry.” Page 10: SORRY, NO, I REFUSE TO TAKE PART Page 50: THE LOC BOX featuring Lloyd Penney IN THIS by Max and comments from Chris Garcia “...on the strength of what shape my geni- “I think the last time I got drunk at a con, I tals are and whether I can pee standing up.” was the chairman, so I had the perfect Page 11: INTO THE HEART OF IT: SOME excuse.” THOUGHTS ON THE HUGO AND THE COMPANY THEY KEEP Artists This issue by Diana Glyer “Once upon a time in southern California, Mo Starkey - Cover and Back Cover in a desert land drenched in sunshine and Cover models - http://ailinstock.deviantart.com/ possibilities...” and http://mizzd-stock.deviantart.com/ Page 15: PERSEPHONE BOOKS by Flick Miko - Page 6 “As well as being wonderfully chosen Genevieve - Page 8 reprints of Just The Sort Of Books I Like, J. Cathryn Feinberg - Pages 9, 43 & 44 the books are also fabulous objects.” Payal Haegi - Page 13 Page 19: THE GENDER ISSUE by James Bacon Mo Starkey - Page 14 “There you go Mike – synchronicity or Zolo Harper - Page 18 what?” Anonymiss - Page 22 Page 23: GENDER AND SF by Maura McHugh Claire Garcia - Page 23 “In general the percentage of women Scarlett Andrews - Page 24 published matches the rate at which they Luis Cuellar - Page 25 submit.” Nic Castle - Page 27 Page 28: TOVE JANSSON by Yvla Spangberg Tove Jansson - Page 29 “But Tove Jansson was much more than Alicia ‘Kat’ Dillman - Page 37 the creator of Moomin.” Espana Sheriff - Pages 38 & 42 Carine Lasker - Page 46 Museum of Tranportation - Page 49 I really want to LoC or Zine in Trade and I really want to LoC or Zine in Trade I’m in the UK/Europe. Send to: Journey from North America. Send to: Journey Planet, 59 Shirley Road, Croydon, CR0 1 Planet, 962 West Weddell Dr., Apt. 15, 7ES, United Kingdom. Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA. BAD TIMING is no other subtext to my involvement. I am by Claire Brialey still co-editing Banana Wings which remains my top fannish priority; Mark and I are still a couple who are living happily in the same I feel rather a fraud. house; I will still from time to time but at No, this isn’t Impostor Syndrome, doubtless erratic intervals afflict perzines on although I still get that in a fannish context those people I suspect will like that sort of quite often. I’ve just put myself into a difficult thing. And – learning here from experience position about this very fanzine that you’d be – I am only going to say this bit once because holding in your hands right now if you were I expect never to need to repeat it: I am not an old-fashioned paper fanzine devotee like me shagging either James or Chris and it is none who still prefers to print off efanzines to read. of my business what they may or may not be James emailed me about Journey Planet doing with one another either or what they when he and Chris had decided they wanted choose to tell anyone about that except that to keep it going as a frequent genzine.1 Since it if they do so in this fanzine I am first going had started out as a fanzine-in-an-hour project to turn it into coherent English with relevant for the Eastercon as part of our fan programme punctuation and yet somehow contrive to stream, showcasing Chris on his TAFF trip, ensure it still reads in the authentic authorial James wanted to check that we, and Liz Batty voice. Because that’s why I’m here. Because as deputy head honcho for programme, were – allegedly like the Bishop of Southwark and content for them to let it fly away free into yet really not – this is what I do. uncharted realms of their joint imagination You see, I think Journey Planet could be where there may well be dragons but it seems a pretty good fanzine. It’s got the apparently more likely there are zombies and scantily-clad boundless creative energy of Chris and James women. behind it, for both issues so far that’s resulted And that was the only thing in James’s in a wide range of contributors (including email that bothered me: the bit where he people saying interesting things who you described JP #2 as ‘the girlie issue’. There were wouldn’t expect to see in fanzines usually), only two prospects conjured up by that phrase it’s clearly going to have a reasonably frequent and either seemed plausible with the Non-Stop schedule (if I don’t accidentally delay every Publishing brothers at the helm. Liz clearly issue as I have this one, in which case one had the same thought about as quickly as I or both of the co-editors will probably burst), did. and all that seems likely to lead to the high So what you’re reading now is actually engagement and response that I personally the less bad option. And although James was think a genzine needs to keep it vibrant. And propositioning both Liz and me to write for so here I am, trying to help it fulfil its potential, it, my main preoccupation at the time was despite the bad timing that means I start persuading James and Chris collectively to let properly with this issue.2 me retrospectively proof-read and ideally more I’m not expressing as principled and extensively copy-edit their first issue, which extensive a set of reservations here as you’ll had some great material but which I felt wasn’t see Max has. There are some circumstances entirely doing it justice as a result of the haste where I really do feel uncomfortable about with which it had been put together. or hostile towards gender (or any other) Since this is Chris and James it turned segregation but others where I think it can out that haste was only one of the challenges be justified. I was educated at a all-girls and so – despite some lingering anxieties that secondary school, for instance; I know some I was muscling my way into a fanzine project research suggests such segregation isn’t where the skills that I was offering were not particularly good either academically or merely considered unnecessary window- socially for boys, or indeed for some girls, but dressing but were actually antithetical to the I’m absolutely convinced that it was best for whole concept – I found that I had joined the me, and in that context I am selfishly grateful editorial team. And then I remembered that for the opportunity rather than feeling socially this was going to be the next issue. responsible. (In fact I think it’s helped me So, let’s be clear: this issue was not my idea and it is not a consequence of a become an adult who is generally socially responsible and in a position to try to woman now being involved with this act on my impulses. But that’s not really fanzine. In fact I don’t agree in principle important right now.) with this approach. 2 What concerns me about this is Oh, and while I think of it there perhaps better explained by the context. James fanzine?). Maybe some contributors will tell clarified that after this ‘girlie issue’ the next me that they genuinely liked the idea of an one will be about SF. And that was when I issue of a genzine being turned over to women, really started to feel excluded and patronised: redressing the balance or creating a specific my immediate reaction was that James and space, and that’s why they were moved to Chris must consider SF and women to be join in. Maybe some didn’t consciously think mutually exclusive. And of course I realise that about it being a women-only issue and were doesn’t automatically follow, and I happen to just interested in what they were being asked know it’s not what either of them thinks, but it to write about or even in the novelty of being was how I reacted instinctively. featured in a fanzine at all.