Lloyd's Locs Box - Fanzine letters of comment
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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in the "Lloyd Penney" journal:[<< Previous 20 entries]
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10:51 pm
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Loc on Home Kookin' 10 (Arnie Katz, ed.)
Dear Arnie and you Vegrants:
The tenth Home Kookin’ is here, just begging for some comments at my whim. Well, I’ll whim when I feel like it, and I feel like whimming right now. So there.
The Little Band of Vegrants’ own CD? Cut your own, see what can be sold via Craigslist and eBay, and the proceeds should be enough to at least finance a party, maybe two?
Being creative is fine and very fannish, but being the non-slans we are, we need social activities to build community and friendships. Once the community is formed, the projects will come naturally. We fail to remember that; if we did, various clubs wouldn’t be shutting down the way they are. There are various clubs on LiveJournal and FaceBook, but they are attempting to remotely create the community, and I’m not sure that’s working. Might just be me.
As long as the keyboard gets its share of the evening’s munchies and good food, it should behave and let your fingertips bang away. It must be fed, or it will not go… Jacq should know after all words to the contrary that that was Zen, and this is Tao. SNAFFU is nearly extinct? Guess its community unformed. Has Linda Bushyager had enough, or is there no one who can take over and run the show?
Good to hear you’re walking again. Given how many fans need mobies, electric scooters and assorted wheelchairs, I am surprised there are no fannish entrepreneurs out there who might haul their chair wares to Worldcon to make a fortune in sales, if not rentals beyond what the convention could provide. Greetings to Lori Forbes! I wish there wasn’t so much geography in the way…I’d like to return to Vegas, enjoy your hospitality and heckle the singers.
The future Lukas Hardin pledges to bring copies of The Incomplete Burbee, The Harp Stateside and other fannish texts to the stars? I’d be pleased if copies of those texts were released to those of us still here on earth. More of us would get the references, and learn a little more about the fandom around us. We have friends who pay good money if we can find jars of Vegemite. The supply has dried up…probably on the government’s dangerous substances list.
Just so I can say…finally found myself some decent employment for the daytime. I am now a Production Assistant, Editorial in the Professional Development & Competency Department at the Law Society of Upper Canada. It’s a six-month contract, I worked hard to get it, and the money is fabulous. Finally, a job to brag about. Any lawyers in the crowd, you know what I’m talking about here. The LSUC was established in 1797.
It’s getting late on a Saturday night…right there, proof I’m getting old, staying at home writing locs when I could be out partying. I wasn’t invited to any, so I guess I stay home. Take care, and I look forward to the 11th, loc-filled issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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09:05 am
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Loc on Gatehouse Gazette 1-9 (Nick Ottens, ed.)
Dear Nick:
Greetings from Toronto! I have been working for most of the week on reading the full run of The Gatehouse Gazette, your great Steampunk/dieselpunk magazine. I write letters of comment on many fanzines, and given my current interest in Steampunk, I thought I might create one for you, and all nine issues to date, so it will be long and extensive. I hope these comments may be of interest. I know it would be best to put them on your bulletin board, but…
1...It is always a pleasure to see a new publication see the light of day, even if it is electronic and not paper, and especially if it is a publication you create yourself. I admit I am fairly new to steampunk, which seems to be older than I thought, so I have some catching up to do on the issues you have produced.
I must also admit not having the heard the term 'dieselpunk' before reading this publication. I think I shall stick with steampunk, for while there is a grittiness also associated with steampunk, it is far in the background with the workers who create the steam-powered world, while we would prefer to associate ourselves with the fair Victorian or para-Victorian society we've resurrected or created. I think I would prefer the utopian aspects of steampunk rather than the dystopian aspect of dieselpunk. I think that the Indiana Jones style of wondrous adventure is also a part of steampunk; indeed, that was one of the attractions of the Indiana Jones franchise films, a sense of high adventure through exploring the unknown. As a species, I think we miss that.
The greatest attraction of steampunk for me is the costuming aspect. My wife Yvonne and I costumed at science fiction conventions for many years, but we left it behind because of the hyper-political nature of masquerades and those who participated in them. When we discovered what steampunk was about, it brought us back to costuming, not to compete, but to create our costumes, and enjoy ourselves. In the past, many costumes required a particular body build, and the faux pas of being short and chunky while trying to dress as an elf or similar tall, thin character was usually good for more than just a laugh. For steampunk costumes, build does not matter. Most of the basic parts of your costume are good clothes, so one need not be uncomfortable wearing perhaps poorly-constructed costumes when professionally-constructed clothes are the start of your ensemble.
(By the way, Nick...I also gave myself a complete tour of the Forgotten Trek section of your website. Comprehensive and educational, and there were a number of things I really did not know, such as the Titans movie treatment between the original series and the proposed Phase II. My wife and I were members of the Star Trek Welcommittee for more than 15 years, so you can tell that we were fans of the show right from its original broadcast.)
I had been fearing that steampunk novels might be long, dreary reads, such as many Victorian-era novels can be. With the sample of Robert Rodgers' novel, those fears can rest somewhat. I can say the same of Toby Frost's books; I look forward to written steampunk adventures if they are well written as these. (I check Girl Genius most mornings; there's a fun steamy romp three times a week.)
2...There's a phrase I have used myself, perhaps we are nostalgic for a time that never was. I have heard some criticisms of some costumes as not being steampunk but being merely neo-Victorian. Is the difference just the use of icons like goggles, gears and pocket watches? I haven't received an answer to that question yet.
The ideas of steampunk and dieselpunk do seem attractive, but they are gaining in popularity. Decades ago, being a science fiction fan was, as many say, a proud and lonely thing, but with the rise in public acceptance of SF, it has become mainstream, and its appeal to the fannish outcasts has waned. If this was to happen to the interests being discussed, would we still retain our interest in them, or would we move onwards to another interest that was mostly out of the public eye?
3…Yup, that’s probably my main reason for liking steampunk…playing roles and dressing up. The clothes are comfortable, and perhaps I’d prefer a return to a simpler, more genteel and more formal time. I think there’s a bit Brummell in most of us, and t-shirt and jeans just aren’t enough sometimes.
I’ve read such good reviews of Vernian Process, Abney Park, and other steampunk bands. I have never heard them live, though. I have to fix that.
4…A great vignette about Jules Verne. I have been told by several people that translations into English take away something from his writing. If you can, read it in the original French.
My wife Yvonne made her own aeronaut’s costume. A heavy tunic with lots of brass buttons, with a pilot’s leather cap, some Russian army surplus goggles, and some heavy gloves. She’s been sewing for a long time, and is now working on yet another costume. She’s also looking for fabric with which to make punkish clothing, perhaps vests and the like.
Our typical steampunk icons…goggles, gears and pocket watches. My own cap is a railway conductor’s cap, authentically made and begoggled as well. If you wear glasses, as I do, another steamy touch is to clip on a jeweller’s loupe, two magnifying lenses to make your specs a little more industrial.
5...one aspect of steampunk I like is that businesses have sprouted up to fill the niche of people wanting some Victorian bling to add the finishing touches to their costume. I know of at least three independent jewelry makers locally who make steampunk goods, and they all have online shops via Etsy. One of the Etsy craftsmen goes under the name Clockwork Zero, who was profiled in Wired Magazine some months ago, and whose business has skyrocketed.
I've seen a letter from you, Nick, in Chris Garcia's Exhibition Hall, so I hope you've seen how busy the Bay Area SF fandom scene is, and how steampunk-oriented it is. I am truly envious of how they have so many different events to go to; I think I'd be busy most evenings.
Those who enjoy Dracula and other vampyric fiction may have already heard of the authorized sequel to Bram Stoker's novel, written by Dacre Stoker, Canadian by birth. Any reviews of this newest book? Horror, or just horrific?
6...Indeed, we may be nostalgic for a time that never existed, but we also have some nostalgia for actual times of adventure, discovery and revelation. If only there were unexplored places to find, new civilizations to discover, new areas of science to reveal...this is a part of the human spirit that is now unfulfilled; we have pretty well discovered and found it all, and there is nothing to wonder about any more.
Quatermass...when Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered, and Patrick Stewart showed that his character was a man of intellect and consensus before being a man of action, I had to wonder how much of Quatermass was in Jean-Luc Picard. This discussion is perhaps best in the Trek part of your website, but I did think of Quatermass when ST:TNG premiered, hard to believe, more than 22 years ago.
Nick, has the Beeb every written anything up, or produced a feature, about steampunk? The BBC Magazine had something about furries recently, so I expect they are doing some exploratory articles about groups of people, I hope without the usual ridicule or poking of fun at interests they don't understand.
I would very much like to go to South Africa; I have friends there who belong to what might be the only science fiction club on the continent, Science Fiction South Africa. Most of the members are writers, so I must ask if there are any steampunk elements in the club; I have my doubts, but SFSA is always looking for foreign contacts. I have been a member of the club in the past, and I receive their clubzine, Probe, in exchange for letters of comment, much like the one I am writing to you now.
I completely agree with Ms. Heyvaert on steampunk costuming. My wife and I have done a lot of costuming in the past, especially trying our best to recreate costumes from televisions shows and movies, and there is always someone only too willing to point out that you're WRONG!, that part of the costume is brown now black, or the decal here should be there. In steampunk costuming, your creation is just that, and there is no one to tell you that you're wrong (although some have tried).
7...The first anniversary issue. I should send off a photo or two to show you what we've done as far as costuming goes.
The movie Metropolis is symbolic of how we should heed warnings of over-mechanization in our lives, for the more we look towards the mechanical and robotic, the less we look at how human and humane we are. In my opinion, though, while it retains its message, it had become dated, and may be a bit more of a symbol for ham acting than for any cautionary message it might have. I am not confident that the general public would pick up on its inherent messages.
Hilde Heyvaert's article on Ethnic Steam reminds me of another aspect of steampunk costuming I like, the western version. I would happily watch episodes of the original The Wild, Wild West. There is the original western steampunk drama. I did not see the movie remake, but given the appeal of the genre today, I think TWWW could stand a television remake.
Stephen Hunt has been advertising his books extensively on Facebook, but I have not read his works. I am amassing a list of steampunk books to read; is there a similar list somewhere on line? As for anime...after most of our friends saw our interest in steampunk, we had recommended to us that if we wanted to see a good steampunk video, we should get ourselves Steamboy. We hied ourselves off to our favourite video store, who did have it in stock, but it was in a place we would never have looked for it...in the anime section. It is a visual treat, in spite of the anime look that I am not fond of, and the familiar voice of Patrick Stewart adds some gravitas to the English sound track. (Stewart voices the character of Dr. Lloyd Steam, so what's not to like about that?) Thomas the Difference Engine? And he wanted to be a useful engine, too...
My greetings to Sir Arthur Weirdy-Beardy...he has been in personal touch with me via Facebook, about some writing projects, I believe. I will have to see what my meagre spare time allows for.
8...Ah, the Hallowe'en issue is the dark issue indeed. I've never really been a fan of horror or dark fantasy, so Messrs. Howard's and Lovecraft's books were largely left alone. I still think it a little odd that dressing up as a witch around Hallowe'en may have been something that could get you burned to death in Massachusetts not too much earlier. Our relatively enlightened age today makes us look back at our ignorances, and shake our heads. The veneer of civilization was very thin then; is it any thicker today?
I may not like horror, but some of the people involved in it have been people I would like to meet, or would have liked to have met; they are no longer with us. Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Vincent Price are names that come to mind. Price was a true Renaissance man, a man of the arts, and perhaps one of the nicest men you'd ever want to meet. I may not like Lovecraft's work, but I have a copy of Lovecraft biography by H. Sprague de Camp at home, and it made for excellent reading.
9...and up to the present month. Based on the perceived differences between steampunk and dieselpunk, steampunk merely uses what is produced by the new-at-the-time industrial revolution, while dieselpunk is in the heart of that revolution. Perhaps the steams are the elite of mere users, while the diesels are the bourgeoisie? The interest may determine where you see yourself in society. Such is something Allegra Hawksmoore says in SteamPunk Magazine, which is another publication I must catch up with. So much to read and learn and decide upon. Steampunk may depend upon the idea that the steam-powered machine is the ultimate in human creation at the time, forgetting that that kind of machine may break down, and will with catastrophic results. Our interest deals with steam-powered perfection; a fiction we will just have to accept and enjoy.
As said earlier, I have always loved trains, and my own current steampunk persona is a railway conductor. The trains have always had a romance to them, especially long routes like the Orient Express, or even the trans-Canada train from Toronto to Vancouver or the Perth-Sydney route in Australia. Nothing steamier than a steam locomotive. A little steam interest like this has gone into the Harry Potter series with the Hogwarts express; makes me wonder how many steamers enjoy these books?
And, I believe that I am caught up, and I look forward to your tenth issue. I know the real age of computers means that I could publish this on your bulletin board, but I admit that I am old-fashioned enough to write letters while a hasty e-mail seems to do from most. I wish your magazine had a letter column in the back so that a perhaps not-so-immediate conversation could take place.
My time is done, and I look forward to future issues. Take care, and many thanks for producing something so interesting to read. I’m certain future letters won’t be so long.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:47 am
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Loc on SFC Update Vol. 1 No. 11 (Warren Buff, ed.)
Dear Warren:
Another SFC Update has arrived, so let’s crack open Vol. 1, No. 11 to see what’s inside. How do you crack open a .pdf?
I have sent in our TAFF votes, and I’ve also purchased our conversions so we can attend the Reno Worldcon. Every year, we go to our local conventions…Ad Astra, Polaris, Anime North. Next year, a new one, SFContario, starts up. Most years, we go to Con*cept in Montreal, Astronomicon in Rochester, NY (that was a few weeks ago) and Eeriecon in Niagara Falls, NY. We are thinking, though, that in 2010, we may have to mightily cut back and perhaps just do local cons only. There’s so much to save for, including retirement.
I am extremely picky over the books I read, and I am tempted by so many of them. The Gail Carriger book sounds ever so good, and I read other reviews of it, too. I’ve gotten heavily into steampunk over the past year or so, but it will be a test of how much of a steampunk fan I am if I decide to spend the money on related books. Oooo, tough…
My loc…I am happy to announce that I have found daytime work. I am wrapping up my second week as a Editorial Production Assistant in the Professional Development & Competency Department of the Law Society of Upper Canada, established in 1797. It’s good work, a great office and the best pay I’ve ever gotten in my life, so I am a happy guy. Plus, I am keeping my evening job, so I am happy and busy. My bank account will thank me for this…
Yvonne and I are tempted by Dragoncon, and by the Steampunk World’s Faire, taking place in Parsnippany, New Jersey. I haven’t been to Atlanta since the 1986 Worldcon. Only problem would be in getting the costumes down there. There might be the chance of carpooling down there, and sharing a room sounds like the best way to afford all this…
(I am gonna age myself terribly when I say that I remember Gailard Sartain from HeeHaw. Two Canadians created that show, Frank Peppiatt and John Aylesworth with Yongestreet Productions, and two Canadians starred in it, Don Harron as Charlie Farquharson, and Gordie Tapp.)
Gotta fly, work’s coming. Take care, and see you with the next Update.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:44 am
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Loc on The Drink Tank 229 & 230 (Chris Garcia, ed.)
Dear Chris:
Hey, welcome back from Chicago, saw your LJ, sounds like Windycon was the best time ever. Hope you got my Exhibition Hall loc, and there’s an SF/SF waiting for me, but for right now, I have issues 229 and 230 of The Drink Tank.
229…I’ve always loved trains, too. When you grow up in a small town as I did, the train was the deluxe way to the big city, or at least out of the small town. One day, literally a few days after I graduated from high school, the family hopped the train, and off we went. We didn’t just go to the big city, we too the train to the west coast and a new life. After that, the train has meant freedom. When I returned to central Canada to go to university, I took the train again. Yvonne and I have gone to conventions on the train, to Ottawa, Montréal, Rochester and central Michigan. We’ve been able to compare between VIA Rail and Amtrak, and I think you may know who wins…
I’ve had the top bunk and the bottom, plus a roomette to myself. I’d had bad sandwiches in the dining car, and a prime steak. There’s nothing like travelling in a train, especially if it’s a long trip. One memory that will always stay with me was when the family was heading for the west coast, to Vancouver and eventually Victoria, and I had that top bunk. The gentle sway of the train, the white noise from the engine, they put me into probably the deepest and best sleep I ever had in my life. I awoke by myself around 5am local time, I rang for the poor night porter to bring me a ladder, I washed up and dressed, and strolled back to the observation car where I watched the sun rise over the Saskatchewan prairie.
There are a number of hobby and historical railways around southern Ontario, and one local fan, Chris Ellis, spends his weekend working the tracks at the South Simcoe Railway. The steampunk railway photos I sent to you were taken at the South Simcoe in the small town of Tottenham. Further west is the Halton Radial Railway Museum, based on a long-ago commuter train. They specialize mostly in streetcars, buses and subways. It is always strange to drive past there and see a Toronto subway car in a field in the Halton County countryside.
Wish I had more train stories to tell, but I am fresh out. So, off I go to…
230…An upcoming death issue? Just today, there’s so many cartoons in the local papers with The Grim Reaper in them. Is today a special day? Not sure, maybe just coincidence.
I doubt I’d ever even attempt to do what Taral’s tried, to write a huge article for a fanzine. It would have to be pretty good, given how even fannish attention spans are shortening, but I would look forward to it. He is right, few fanzines these days are about the fans, but then we don’t have the same continent-wide or world-wide community we once did. No one can afford that kind of travel any more, and because the average age of the average fan is much higher than it used to be, we aren’t willing to travel too far or too often.
Movies…the last movie I saw was The Time Traveller’s Wife with Eric Bana. Neat little film, one science fictional idea at the top, and relative logic after that. It was fun to see, and it must have been a real challenge to the continuity editor. I guess I can say I saw two Eric Bana films this year, the other being Star Trek, which came out on DVD today. I must get it, along with Up, which came out last week.
All done I am…check to see on io9.com where ILM snuck in an R2 unit into the Star Trek movie. Rest up from the big trip, and write it up even bigger. Looking forward to it.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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06:29 pm
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Loc on Exhibition Hall 3 (Chris Garcia, James Bacon & Ariane Wolfe, eds.)
Dear Chris, James and Ariane:
Hey, Chris, hope Windycon was a great time; you’re probably winging your way home right now. It’s been a busy week for me, so I finally have the time to catch up with a lot of new zines. Here’s some commentary to all of you about Exhibition Hall 3.
(Another Journey Planet about to come out? Haven’t seen it yet, but sounds like I should wait a day or two.)
Steampunk radio shows…hmm, given that, for me, the main aspect of Steampunk is the fact it’s so visual. Costumes, the Foglios’ strip, so much online… I had a chance to be a part of a group that would have done War of the Worlds live, if only the director hadn’t bailed at the last minute. Heard some good things about Steamcon; want to hear lots more. And I get notifications from Stephen Hunt about his Steampunk novels, too. I am thinking that I might buy one, and see if they are an exciting read, or a very long and dull Victorian read. I must be an educated consumer…
…and there is more about Steamcon. The hallmark of Steampunk conventions seems to be the interminable line-up to register, let alone do anything else. Steamcon, Dragoncon’s Steampunk programming…no one seems able to determine just how many people they are going to get; they always get more. That’s a win situation, so if people don’t mind the 2+-hour line-ups…
I believe the term for a man’s hat maker was a haberdasher, and for women, a milliner. Finding goods like that in a dealers’ room would be a good think, indeed. There have been a few shows in Toronto I’ve gone to with dealers that sell Goth and Steampunk goods, and we are going to try our best to get them to Ad Astra, and perhaps other cons in town. Tell me about the Canadians you saw there, Chris, might be friends I know.
Ah, there is the lovely Linda on page 17. I see the milliners’ table she went to, got her something fine to take home. I hope that with some lessons learned, the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition coming up in March with be able to avoid these line-ups. We all hate to wait.
I have been to Nick Ottens’ website, and I have downloaded all issues of Gatehouse Gazette, plus there’s also the SteamPunk Magazines, and I’ve got all of them, too. I thought I might bone up on what’s been going on the last few years and see if comments come to mind. I am not sure if they have a letter column; maybe this will be the chance to get one going.
(You’re right about World Fantasy not being costume-friendly. Many years ago, when it was held in Ottawa, local fans who arrived in costume found that out. They were not admitted to the convention until they had returned in everyday clothes.)
Astronomicon 11 took place in Rochester, New York November 6-8, and we were there in our usual steamy attire, and quite enjoyed ourselves. We had thought there might be more Steampunk within programming, but there was the single panel we were on with author John-Allen Price, and we did show off our railway conductor and airship pilot costumes. Right now, local fan Adam Smith is considering going to the Steampunk World’s Faire in Parsnippany, NJ next May, and it is tempting.
Yvonne suggests some reading for those of the mystery/detective genre…Maureen Jennings is a local author, and has a series of Victorian era detective novels concerning one William Murdoch. He plies his trade with the Toronto Police of the era, and while there is the scent of Sherlock Holmes around the stories, there’s also a bit of Steampunk…Murdoch fancies himself an inventor, and based on the stories, he seems to have invented the idea of fingerprints, CSI, even night vision. Many of these stories have been converted to a television programme called Murdoch Mysteries, a Canada-UK production, and shot in Toronto.
Dinner is done, and so is this loc. Many thanks for another fine, steamy zine. I must have a look at the other publications mentioned, and will soon. They can expect some comments from me as soon as is possible. Take care, all three, and God Save the Queen, long may she wave.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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05:04 pm
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Loc on NASFA Shuttle Vol. 29 No. 10 (Mike Kennedy, ed.)
Dear Mike and NASFAns:
Thanks for sending me a .pdf of the October Shuttle. Good to see it’s on the website now. In the meantime, I will get a quick loc together so you can stick it at the end of the November Shuttle, to be ready real soon now.
Now that my conventions are done for the year, too (we spent the first weekend of November in Rochester, New York for Astronomicon 11 – had a great time there), we must take care of other important fannish stuff like buying our Reno memberships, and voting for TAFF. Must get it done now, everyone! (CUFF nominations just opened for the 2010 CUFF trip from Eastern Canada to the CanVention, which will be in Winnipeg. Yvonne suggested that we run again…hmmmm…)
The Sunburst Awards committee does a fairly poor job of letting its readers know about the winners…I didn’t know about who won until I read it in another US fanzine. (I know three of the judges…don’t assume fandom doesn’t care, folks.) It’s still awards season, so keep notice of the hardware wars coming. (If you got the reference, you’re as old as I
The locol…Hi, Sheryl! Nope, didn’t win the Aurora in Montréal, but boy did we have a good time hobnobbing with the Canadian pro hoi polloi. Handing out a Hugo is a real highlight of my fannish career.
Anyway, must head off to dinner…time to go and freshen up for a meal with friends. Take care, send me that November Shuttle, and I’ll get on that, too.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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11:00 pm
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Loc on Royal Swiss Navy Gazette 19 (Garth Spencer, ed.)
Dear Garth:
Another Royal Swiss Navy Gazette graces my monitor with its presence, issue 19 already. I have some time for some letter writing, even after this hectic Remembrance Day. Below is why it was hectic…
I finally got the good job I wanted. This past Tuesday, I started as a production assistant for the Law Society of Upper Canada, and it’s been a great job so far. I’ve been subject to a lot of layoffs, so I hope I get to stay at this one. Pleasant atmosphere, no real pressure, training to come, free coffee, brand new lunch room…my fingers are crossed.
I’d make a list of all the things I want to do with the Royal Swiss Navy and other organizations. Never said I’d actually do them, but at least the list would be done. What better way to prepare for complete silliness? It’s not to be ready at all; at least you’ll have real results. Or lack thereof…
Not only am I working, but so is Yvonne, at a document shredding company. Looks like our own personal recession is over, and I am hoping that everyone else’s is, too…I keep hearing about lots of new jobs. I admit to feeling a little spooked…I wished Ben Indick good health, and he passed away just a couple of weeks ago. One never knows when it’s their time to go.
When I add up the various Canadian major conventions, I refer to the record of Canadian fandom. I believe that we redeemed ourselves to some degree with the Montreal Worldcon. I’ve heard about some true disorganization, but not until after the convention took place. I’d like to get some honest opinions from Montreal fans about having the Worldcon in town.
Toronto had its zombie walk, too. It was organized by a young lady named Thea Munster (uh huh), and some Ad Astra committee members participated in it, and helped to manage it. I could roll my eyes at it, but I’m into steampunk these days, so I shouldn’t talk. Perhaps it’s safest to say that like most eras in fandom, we’re coming up with more to do.
Remembrance Day came and passed…I will honour those who have gone before, but I wish we could go back to our peacekeeping past, and get out of a war we never asked for. Our glorious Afghan dead now total around 135 or so; I shudder to think how many thousands of American soldiers have died in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I’m going to go now; it’s the only break in the madness…take care, get some work, and get some peace.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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10:53 pm
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Loc on SF/SF 97 (Jean Martin & Chris Garcia, eds.)
Dear Jean and Chris and David and España and Tom:
Thank you all for yet another SF/SF, issue 97. It is Remembrance Day here, Veteran’s Day where you are, and as of today, I have finished my second day as a production assistant at the Law Society of Upper Canada, one of the oldest law societies in the world. Finally got myself another daytime job. So, writing locs like this are going to have to be done in the very spare time I will have left.
The end of the con season? That’s what it was for us, having been in Rochester, New York last weekend for Astronomicon 11. Good times for all, old friends, a treasure or two in the dealers’ room. Can’t ask for more on that one. Steamcon sounds great…I haven’t heard any more reports from it. Pictures? I will look for good stuff from Chris and España World Fantasy has been in Ottawa (1984), Montréal (2001) and Calgary (2008), so perhaps Toronto is due? And, no, I’m not running it. I’d like to see it, though.
I’ve had eye problems, too, Jean, remember my operation? It was to reattach the retina in my right eye. Hurray for good quality optometrists who can detect eye problems as they examine you. My optometrist saved the sight in my eye, in my opinion. In a couple of months, I have my annual check-up with my ophthalmologist, and he may determine if it’s time for an operation to have the cataract forming in my right eye removed. People need cons and zines and other fun activities more, but fewer have the desire, knowledge and money to stage those activities. I am trying my best to keep zines and cons as going concerns, at least in my little corner of fandom.
Thanks for the reminder on Yipe! I’ve just left a message for Kevin and Andy and Jason, that I’ll write letters for them as they produce issues.
Silicon sounded great…why was it small? Is money that tight for everyone? Or are more people going to the larger conventions, especially the anime cons? The Sweeney Todd event sounded very good indeed. How were the meat pies, Mrs. Lovett? Did they taste like chicken? Or perhaps long pig?
Ah, I am done, and another zine is a fond memory. Off it goes to you and to my LJ archive. Take care, folks, and many thanks. Could there possibly be early talk about a huge meeting of the lot of us in Reno? Someone has to look after that Garcia guy… See you all next issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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10:51 pm
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Loc on Opuntia 68.1B & 68.1C (Dale Speirs, ed.)
Dear Dale:
Today is Remembrance Day, and there’s been a lot of changes going on here. Today is my second day of employment as a production assistant at the Law Society of Upper Canada in downtown Toronto. That means lots of time to fill at the Globe and Mail in the evenings, and I will be taking advantage of that. Opuntia 68.1B and 68.1C have arrived, and here are comments on both…
68.1B...I might be interested in the alternate history anthology Other Worlds if I could know how much of it is military-oriented. I really don't like military AH, and it looks like most of the stories within fit in that category. I know many of history’s turning points centre on military events, but I’m picky, I want non-military AH stories.
A recent jump in the price of gold to about $1100 was caused by the government of India, for whatever reason, buying 200 metric tonnes of gold. With all the calculations, that comes to about $6 billion or so. Just that enormous transaction moved the price of gold up by $25 or $30 an ounce. The market has since calmed the waters.
Heath Row launched into his publishing career in a big way, with the N3F main publication, The National Fantasy Fan, plus a handful of apazines. I'm sure he'll put the word out, but Heath has just crossed the continent; he now lives in the Los Angeles area. That's a great list of zines; I might pursue some of the ones I don't get.
68.1C... The insanities of running our economic engines, no matter what the lubricants are. No wonder so many turn away from it as best as they can. The end of it all is in sight; once the oil goes below a set level of production and failing to meet demand, our society will grind to a halt and fail. I doubt I’ll be around to see it, and that thought is somehow comforting. I have trouble imagining what life will be like several generations from now.
I never thought I’d hear the name Crad Kilodney, either. Years ago, when we was indeed hawking his chapbooks on the street, he seemed to be a big name in being against the establishment. If he is selling stocks and trading tips now, his life must have taken quite the right turn.
Working at the LSUC may finally means some stability. I seem to have picked up how to do the work given to me on my second day, and I am getting things done, and the bosses are happy. And, the money is great. I can’t ask for more than that. I’ve already gotten my Christmas present.
And with that, I am done for the moment. Many thanks, please do keep the Opuntias coming.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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01:53 pm
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Loc on MidFanzine 4 (Anne KG Murphy, ed.)
Dear Anne:
Many thanks for MidFanzine 4…it’s good to see this zine rise again, especially with some Kurt Erichsen on the cover. We are still involved in con running after all these years, but we are out of the loop as far as senior positions go. Life has continued on for us, too.
Questions Yvonne and I ask ourselves, now that we are 30+-year veterans of running conventions…yes, we are experienced, but has that experience lost credibility? Does the experience we racked up in the 80s, 90s and 00s translate to running cons today? Have things changed so much that knowing how to do it back then means you don’t really know how to do it now? Do changes in corporate and consumer law mean running a part of the con has changed partially or entirely? It’s great to be thought of as experienced, but are we capable of doing it today, or are we just going to be the grandpa and grandma figures on the committee, asked for advice, but otherwise ignored?
In dealing with your hotel, I still think that touring the various hotels in the area you’d like to be in to see what space they have, especially in the layout you’d prefer, and the amount of space to allow for other activities and displays, and especially for special events like the bone marrow clinic described later in the zine. We have had great success with any hotel that has a large divisible ballroom, at least three rooms, more would be great. We have also dealt with organizations like the local convention and visitors bureaus, who can be helpful with giving out contacts for the kind of hotel you’re looking for. One book we’ve used, and it is still useful, is from MeetingsCanada.com, the annual Meetings & Incentive Travel Buyers’ Guide, which lists all meeting and conference facilities in every location across Canada, plus also lists all auxiliary services, like registration companies, translation bureaus, customs brokers and equipment rentals, and much more. We try to make sure that each Ad Astra chairman has a copy to help them with location decisions.
Communications with committee and hotel salesmen and catering staff should be easy in this wired age, but even with e-mails, dedicated forums, bulletin boards and chatrooms, you can’t make people respond when their responses are most needed. As always, the humans are the weak spot in the communications chain. When it comes to signage, we have found that while you can place huge, easy-to-read signs anywhere and everywhere, and people will still get lost. You can’t make them read the signs, or the pre-con or at-con literature; all you can do is have patient people man the information desks to answer questions.
A lot of my experience not only comes from working Ad Astra for nearly 30 years, but also from five years of working for a professional client support company called BBW International. This company supplies registration staff to trade shows all over the greater Toronto area. As one of those registration staffers, people usually walk past large signs rather than take a few seconds to read them. Signs like FILL OUT REGISTRATION FORMS HERE are usually ignored until registration sends them back to the table to fill out the form.
(We witnessed all of this this past weekend…we were at Astronomicon 11 in Rochester, NY. Had some fun, and made a few notes…)
It’s easy to be positive about some aspects of con running, and as easy to negative about others. We all have them, and I hope further issues will keep the conversation going. I’m looking forward to more.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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08:06 am
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Loc on BCSFAzine 438 (Felicity Walker, ed.)
Dear Felicity:
Thanks for another great issue of BCSFAzine, issue 438, and the usual great Brad Foster cover. Time to get busy here…
Anything about how this year’s VCon was would be appreciated. I do worry about current conventions, and how some fans seem to be abandoning the convention as an event, and simply going to the WWW for all their SF needs. The Bazaar of the Bizarre was an enjoyable outing, but I found nothing I’d buy myself. However, there was lots of neat things to buy, and we might see if some of them would be willing to sell their wares at Ad Astra. Anyone go to Steamcon? I believe that LeAmber Kensley is not only the CUFF administrator, but is also the chairman of Keycon.
This coming weekend is Astronomicon 2009; we leave tomorrow late morning. It’s in Rochester, New York, and it isn’t that far away. There hasn’t been a con in Rochester in a few years, so it’s good to see its return, and we plan to support it. It should also have some steampunk content to it, so we will see what the weekend is like.
I hope that Seattle gets the Westercon it wants…seeing what kind of luck it’s had with Worldcon bidding, some kind of major convention should be a consolation prize. I still wish we had an equivalent regional convention here. The Eastercon name is already taken…
The folks at BC Book World know, as do most of us, what kind of bloodbath the publishing industry is going through. I check the Quill & Quire website regularly… layoffs, fund cuts, outsourcing, firings, you name it, publishing is going through it. Time Magazine is laying off hundreds, the Globe and Mail is outsourcing work, as is the Toronto Star, and the Star is planning massive layoffs. I hope I can find something soon.
The chill sets in, the last scraps of Hallowe’en are disappearing, the stores are Christmassy already. We have to deal with Christmas cards and Christmas lists, and hope that the season is affordable. That’s all for now…take care, all, and my best to the membership.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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04:42 pm
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Loc on Visions of Paradise 146 (Robert Sabella, ed.)
Dear Robert:
Many thanks for Visions of Paradise 146. Congratulations of your impending retirement! May you have time to relax, but get to all the things you want to do. There’s a Silverberg book on the front cover I don’t have, and I have a lot of them. More once I get past the cover and this first paragraph…
There are pros and cons, as you say…just because you are retiring, doesn’t mean to say you can’t teach. If you registered with your local school board as a substitute teacher, you can teach, and your time would be your own. It will be difficult to leave your favourite students behind, but none of us is getting any younger, and there’s lots we all want to do, and too much we have to do.
Robert Silverberg is an author I’d like to meet, not sure what I’d say, but I’d like to see him at a convention as a main GoH. Unfortunately, I am certain there’s many SF readers out there who may not know who he is, and only a Worldcon would have him as a guest. I reread Nightwings recently…it’s never gotten old.
To Rich Dengrove…Facebook has gotten me in touch with lost relatives, lost friends, and even people I remember from high school. The games and other applications are pure time-wasters, but I ignore them, and use the parts of Facebook that give me what I want.
This coming weekend is a convention in Rochester, New York, Astronomicon. I expect we will have a good time, but in 2010, we’ve made a decision to cut back on convention attendance. They are great fun, but they are getting more expensive than ever.
Time is short, so is this zine, and so is this letter. I will send it posthaste, and look forward to more issues soon.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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02:11 pm
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Loc on The Fortnightly Fix 1 (Steve Green, ed.)
Dear Steve:
Great to see you’ve got another zine on the go. I can tell that’s Sue Mason creating your flying Gestetner. There’s a song in there…Flying Gestetners, flying Gestetners, won’t you come a-flying Gestetners with me… I’m sure we’d all like to produce something on a duper with twiltone, but finances and supplies being what they are, eFanzines.com has allowed us to produce the virtual zine, and keep the hobby going. I will now write a loc on The Fortnightly Fix 1.
To be honest, if it’s not out every two weeks, I wouldn’t flog myself over it. At least you don’t have ravening shareholders who might scream for your blood if you are a day or two behind schedule. I must print up a TAFF ballot and get a ballot and some cash in the mail. Same goes for DUFF, and I must send out some feelers to find out about CUFF, and what’s happening there.
This coming weekend, we will be hitting the road and crossing the border for a small convention in Rochester, New York. It’s at a hotel the con hasn’t used in more than a decade, so it looks like I create a mountain of paperwork just to go to a con. I have a convention flyer, a printout of our hotel reservation, any correspondence with the chairman, including panels we’re on, a map of the Rochester are, including how to get to the hotel from the nearest Interstate highway, courtesy of MapQuest. The border guards will see that My Papers Are In Order.
Off this goes to your LJ e-mail, and onto my LJ as an archived loc. I imagine the second issue will be a little larger. See you then.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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04:37 pm
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Loc on Ethel the Aardvark 144 (Murray MacLauchlan, ed.)
Dear MSFCers:
Greetings to editor Murray, and many thanks for issue 144 of Ethel. No gross jokes on my part…some comments are bound to follow after Ditmar’s great cover.
The letter column, and my loc…got through all seven Harry Potter books, and they were great fun. The final one wound up on a technicality, just about, but still fun reads all through. The seventh book might have been the toughest to get through because, so much of the book was spent staying away from Hogwarts, 400 pages of camping out as Yvonne said. Murray…my CUFF trip report was written after our trip to Montréal for Con*cept, that year’s CanVention. What CUFF is supposed to is bring a Western Canadian fan to an Easter Canadian CanVention, and vice-versa, just like NAFF does for Australia. However, that year, no Western fans stepped forward to run, so the race was open to anyone who wanted to go. We stepped in and got it by acclamation, which is, unfortunately, the usual result each year. Instead of flying to a distant side of the world, or even flying to the other side of the country, we did fly, but a short flight to Montréal. We got a trip out of it, wrote a trip report, and kept the fan fund going. And, we raised close to $2000 for it, too.
Great book reviews all through…I would like to get some of Stephen Hunt’s books, seeing I’ve become a devotee of Steampunk. I admit that I am more interested in the costuming aspect of Steampunk, but some of the books might also be a kick. I grew up with spaceships and time machines and BEMs, and I think I might like the books on the New Space Opera.
Any reports on your trip to Montréal for the Worldcon, members? I hope someone took some pictures. Still such good memories, and it’s three months past now.
So many movies and television shows reviewed…and I haven’t seen a single one of them. I guess I am a picky SF consumer, or there just hasn’t been anything that has interested me in some time. I like to think I’m both, but I suspect it’s more the latter. It’s got to really catch me if I’m going to devote precious time to watching it.
Guess I’m done, and I’m very early for a change. Take care, everyone, and It’s getting mighty close to Christmas already. I should ask how your Hallowe’en went…we were guests at a wedding. See you next issue!
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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02:46 pm
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Loc on Home Kookin' 9 (Arnie Katz, ed.)
Dear Arnie:
Many thanks for Home Kookin’ 9, and to all you miscreants and trouble-makers who contributed to it. While Bill Mills salves your ego with the front cover, I’ll have a look beyond and make some comments.
Hope you all had a great Hallowe’en last night…we were at a Hallowe’en wedding, in costume, no less, and great reception and dinner afterwards. No excuses for forgetting the anniversary, right, guys? I’ve seen lots of Heath Ledger-style Jokers, bunny and kitty girls and a few rockets and vampires on the streets of Toronto Friday and Saturday nights, but not much more. How about your place? What’s a Vegas-style Hallowe’en like?
JoHn, I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, so I didn’t grow up. That left lots of choices to me. Still not sure, still not grown up, works for me. Perhaps I wanted to be a journalist, but seeing how slimy the profession can be, I figured there were other things I could do, and I have. Joyce, as you said, my parents had little confidence in me…as I told them what I wanted to do, they asked “But what will you do or a living?” We are in the age where I wonder if a career is even possible any more; I’d be happy with a job. I have an interview tomorrow with a legal firm, so wish me luck.
Ringtones…I’ve never downloaded any, but the ringtones I have suit me fine. My main ringtone sounds like a telephone. Grew up with that ring, why change it now?
Thanks to you, Arnie and to Andy Porter for those photos. I hope it shows younger fans that fandom has been around for a long time, perhaps about 80 years now? Did we ever look that young? I noticed that everyone in the photo on page 16 is wearing glasses. (Same with page 19. I’ve never understood why there are no fannish opticians. If they set up shop at a convention, they’d clean up.) I prefer the more casual wear fans enjoy today, but still, it’s nice to have the opportunity to dress up from time to time. Worldcon provided that for us this year, and it was great.
Yvonne is at her sister’s place, creating Christmas cards, and I’m at home cleaning up and getting work done, and writing locs like this when there’s time. Take care, all, and see you next issue.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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04:11 pm
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Loc on SF/SF 96 (Jean Martin & Chris Garcia, eds.)
Dear Jean and Chris:
Just one more day until Hallowe’en, and I am sure there’s something to do that evening in the Bay Area. Yvonne and I are actually going to a wedding…in costume. Now that that’s out of the bag, I will now make some comments on issue 96 of SF/SF.
Good to hear that Silicon was a good time, and the Fanzine Lounge as the party area is no surprise to me. I am very interested to hear how Steamcon went. Lots of pictures, Chris, and I want to see lots of costumes. Another great list of fanzines; I just got my regular fanzine column off to John Purcell for the next Askance.
Hi, Jean…both of the fan funds sound great, and someone who is single with few financial commitments is probably the best person to run for either of them. I’ve got a job interview on Monday, and I hope to hear from the good interview I had about a week and a half ago. The newest issue of Midfanzine is now available from Anne Murphy’s midfan.org and eFanzines.com, and I’ve already had a close look at it. Letter to come!
Howeird’s got an interesting article here…comments on the launch of the Area 1-X rocket, first prototype rocket lifting from a NASA pad in 30 years or so. Seems to be a success, in spite of some damage to the mechanisms inside. Now to see if there is the money and will to make the new rocket work.
Congratulations to BASFA on 1000 meetings, and to Kevin Standlee for attending them. Or most of them, anyway. You going to buy out the Melbourne club? As long as they don’t mind, and you continue to issue Ethel the Aardvark, the club zine, no problem on my part. Do they know? Enjoy the World Fantasy Con (on now!), and Bouchercon when it arrives. And, please do say hello to one of my oldest friends, Michael Wallis, who helped get me into apas and fanzines more than 25 years ago. I liked what the Letterman show did…when the Earth slammed a couple of probes into the moon, the moon retaliated with a Death Star-style blast, and destroyed the Earth. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!
Hey, Kevin Roche, what’s Yipe #0, and can I see a copy? I write letters, one of them can be yours, hmmmmm? The Victorian Steampunk Ball…now, there’s an event I’d like to go to. I am working on a second steampunk costume, definitely nothing fancy, but should have the usual gears and goggles and such. I’m thinking Victorian labourer or coal miner.
Going to fold it up and fire it off. Have a great time this weekend, everybody!
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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09:54 am
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Loc on Vanamonde 793 - 797 (John Hertz, ed.)
Dear John:
Five more issues of Vanamonde, 793 to 797, have arrived at my address, and now it’s time for me to send some commentary to yours. Hope it’s an even trade. Let’s see…
793… Just today, the first new rocket launch in 30 years, the Ares 1-X, was scrubbed because of a low cloud layer. And we wax poetic about bars on Mars? I wish we were more successful about getting off the ground and going out there.
Both our countries have had lots of commemorative quarters lately…yours with states, and ours with Olympic sports. We’ve also had a few about remembering wars and our veterans.
794…I wish we’d been able to get to Denver. I’d heard it was fun, but was lacking in certain area. Surviving your first convention is always a staple of some Worldcons; Yvonne and I will be on such a panel at Astronomicon 2009 in a couple of weeks in Rochester, New York. I gather Chris Garcia ran a busy fanzine lounge, and he will be in charge of similar at Reno in 2011.
795…Only 99 fonts? There must be millions, each a tiny needle in the enormous haystack of the Web. We know about South Gate again in 2010, but one can’t expect the general fannish public to know about these things unless we tell them, and we don’t do a good job on that.
796…I enjoy some modern music, but a enjoy more music from my own teenaged years. Thus, I have always liked Joni Mitchell, the Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot and others from that era. The fact that all of the above are Canadian are an indication of how I learned to appreciate our national and local talent. They serve as reminders of past histories, sensitivities and emotions.
797…I always enjoy the comments from others here, because not only do some send you notes and locs, but you also get cards, and other mailable goodies. I admit that one of my favorite SF cartoons is to see a 2001 monolith sitting on an unmarked surface, and a look to the other side of the monolith reveals Han Solo in the carbonite block.
I have tried my best to go to a variety of conventions to see how others do it. Media cons, Doctor Who, filkers, etc. Toronto will have a new furry convention in the spring, and I may be to operate the Ad Astra table, and see how this group runs cons. There are always interesting ideas to, ah…borrow from others.
I have barely made the page, and I regret that, for I thought I could do more. Perhaps next time? I shall try yet again, then.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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10:58 pm
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Loc on The National Fantasy Fan Vol. 9 No. 3 (Heath Row, ed.)
Dear Heath:
Many thanks for Vol. 9, No. 3 of the National Fantasy Fan, the September issue. I am certain you're gathering up stuff for the next issue, so I thought I'd get a letter in to you as soon as I could.
The N3F needs to get out there to tell people they are there, you've been doing that for decades now, but social media makes it that much easier to contact new people and stay in touch with members. Maybe a Flickr page with members' pictures? You're scattered all over, so a rogues' gallery like this one would help you get in touch.
I'm glad Jon Swartz is giving club members a look at their own past history. That's what gives fandom an added dimension for me, a look at how far back fandom goes, and why we do what we do. Jack Robins shows how he got started; sounds like he was there at the beginning.
I'm sure there's a lot of controversy over the new Star Trek movie...I did see it, good to see another good Trek movie, but I'm not exactly pleased over the 're-imagining' of the franchise. I guess that's how Paramount was able to get fresh milk out of a 40+-year-old cash cow. I wish they had stayed with the original timeline, but then, Enterprise fiddled with it and even contradicted it without explanation.
Reviews...Tanya Huff is an old friend of mine, and we used to go to the same conventions in Toronto. I am so glad that she has been successful in her writing career, but as with many friends who have become published authors, the career and continuing self-marketing takes them away from fannish fun, and their old friends. Selfish on my part, perhaps, but she is missed. Jim Munroe is also an old friend...he lives or used to live in Toronto, and once produced a fanzine called Celtic Pamplemousse.
Our next convention is in a couple of weeks...Astronomicon 2009 in Rochester, New York. If you need all information to list Ad Astra 2010, our own local SF convention, or any other Toronto convention, for that matter, let me know, and I will send you the information.
Ah, made the page. I hope my letters are of some use and some information. I will dig up your new Los Angeles address, and send you the copy of WOOF 2009 you requested. It's the last one! Take care, and see you next issue, and possibly on Fmzfen and Trufen.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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01:09 pm
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Loc on eI 46 (Earl Kemp, ed.)
Dear Earl:
I’ve been waiting for the .pdfed version of eI 46, but have decided that while there is a relative dearth of fanzines lately, I’d better be proactive. I’ve downloaded the issue 46 page, and I’ll work on that until the .pdf shows up.
Robert Silverberg’s letter…I spoke with Dave Kyle as well. It was at the Hugos rehearsal, and Yvonne and I were standing, waiting our turn, and Dave was sitting, with a few extra chairs. He bade us sit with him, and Cantor-style smartass that I am, I asked if we were allowed. Dave rolled his eyes, and I said, “You know that will probably follow you the rest of your days.” “And probably longer,” he sagely replied. Yvonne says he told him he couldn’t sit down during the Hugos as well.
In my loc, I comment on seeing Fritz Leiber at a convention in London, Ontario, his last one, I believe. That same convention the year earlier, Robert Bloch was the guest. I’ve never been a horror reader, so what did we talk about? Fanzines. Our conversation only took about five minutes out of his busy day (the convention kept him hopping), but we had a cordial discussion. We also were in charge of a charity auction to raise funds for George Alec Effinger’s mountainous doctor’s bills, and got, as you might expect, a shower curtain signed by the superb Bloch.
It looks like soon, there will be some kind of John Carter of Mars project produced by Disney/Pixar or Paramount, depending on licensing and legalities. Would it be time for the ERB estate to re-issue the full works of a man the world is forgetting, forgetting that he was the creator of Tarzan and John Carter? I wish the world cared enough for this to happen.
Greetings to Dick Lupoff…a couple of weeks ago, I made my usual foray to a used book store to see what was SFnal and inexpensive, and I have, on occasion, found treasures. I picked up a copy of Sandworld, and enjoyed it, and it is an autographed copy, too. If you ever wonder how far afield your books go…
Is Ian Young the Canadian grand old man of American gay fiction? I have a number of connections with the local GLBT fannish community; I’m sure they might like to get in touch with Young, if indeed that’s him. So many names were mentioned in that article on gay fiction, I wasn’t sure it was he being referred to.
I remember the intimations of gay relations between characters like Holmes and Watson, and even after the great Lord of the Rings movies, of Frodo and Sam. I have never thought of any vague sexual relationship between these two literary pairs, but knew that the idea of a close male friend seems to be a British one, and I believe that many men secretly wish they had one, any kind of close friend they could spill their hearts to. Many women enjoy this, and I also believe that some men are a little jealous. Great articles on gay fiction and its gradual acceptance in SF and other genres. This has culminated in the annual Gaylaxicon, which this year was held a couple of weeks ago in Minneapolis. It’s been held in Toronto in the past, and will be held in Montréal in 2010 or 2011. Yvonne and I worked the Toronto Gaylaxicon.
Thank you, Earl, for more insights. It’s always interesting and fun to read. Keep them coming, please.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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04:21 pm
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Loc on No Sin But Ignorance 49 (Claire Brialey, ed.)
Dear Claire:
Thank you for sending me issue 49 of No Sin But Ignorance. It's always a good a good read, whenever it arrives. There is no need to flog yourself over when you send out the latest issue. You produce it when it's ready. If you have a certain schedule for NSBI, then as the editor-in-chief you set the schedule. Who's there to chastise you severely when you don't get it out on time? Only you; your readers are patient. I can imagine that when someone asks if you're still publishing your zine, they mean they miss it, and wonder if there are more coming.
Ah, a print-only fanzine. Has anyone asked you how you continue to produce something as archaic as a paper fanzine? (Certainly won't be me; I am happy to see a paper fanzine any day.)
I have won an Aurora award for fanwriting, but it is grouped in a category of Other, as in not Fanzines or Organizational activities. I've also won an Aurora for running a con. I wish there was a fanwriting Aurora, but there's no fanwriting tradition in Canadian fandom today the way there is in the US and Britain.
Yvonne and I are quite sure that if we ever went away for a weekend, and it wasn't a convention or some other event that we'd usually go to, I think we'd be wasting our time. We're not the types to go away to the Caribbean for a lie-about on the beach. If we ever won a trip somewhere, we'd have to figure out what we would do. I know the idea is to not have to do anything, but still, I suspect we'd feel a little guilty. We had some days in Las Vegas before Corflu as well. We toured some of the Strip, and walked around a few of the hotels. We also took a day-long trip to the Hoover Dam. We'd like to go back to Las Vegas, so when it comes time to go to Reno in 2011 for the Worldcon, we might spend the week before in Las Vegas, and then take a commuter flight to Reno, and retrace our steps when Worldcon is done.
There are few perzines around any more, not sure why. I suspect some people, including those who might read it, and those who might want to produce it, might say that a perzine these days might be a personal ego trip, who'd want to read it because of its personal nature...a few perzines I've received have been intense self-examinations that allow the readers to get to know the editors that much more...unless we really don't want to know each other all that intimately?
If some see a problem with paper zines, we may have to chalk that up to it being their problem. It's the original way we published, and also one of the natural ways we communicate, through reading what someone else has written. Now that there are ways to e-publish, I wouldn't drop paper publishing, but still produce some paper copies. I would want the largest audience possible for a zine, and while many would take the e-edition, others would take the paper edition only. I want them as readers, too; I'd have no intentions to exclude them. I would certainly do some costing to see how much the printing, stationery and postage of a single issue actually costs. That might determine how many paper copies I'd produce.
VHS tapes...we still have some, mostly because we still have a VHS recorder. We rarely use it. We do have a bottom-of-the-line DVD player, and now, it looks like that format may be forgotten for Blu-Ray. There are players that will play both original DVD and Blue-Ray, but they are still a little expensive. We'd probably go for one of those when Blu-Ray becomes the only format available; I have no intention of buying our collection all over again, and would want to play our DVD discs, in spite of what the electronics industry throws our way.
Sorry for not responding to your request for help on various shoe sizes. I am sure there's a chart somewhere on the web, but I will say that the shoe I have on is a size 8 (US), 71/2 (UK), 41.5 (Europe) and is a metric 26cm. Those numbers seem to be men's sizes. Yvonne's running shoes are size 8.5 (US), 5.5 (UK), 38.5 (Europe) and is a metric 25.5cm, women's sizes this time. Canadian and American sizes seem to be the same, but seeing how much the world is now a single market, the shoes we buy here, has all that information about assorted size numbers on a tag under the tongue of each shoe. (I am not sure if this is all the information you needed. If not, let me know under a separate e-mail, and I'll see what I can do. Odd bra sizes? I know different numbers are used on different sides of the Atlantic, and not much more than that. Any further would probably just get me in trouble.)
James Bacon needs something I think we all could use...a few USB ports in the backs of our heads to act as auxiliary memory. I think George Alec Effinger has this idea a long time ago. He wrote about moddies and daddies, simply plug in a module, and you could be an expert engineer, or fluent in Italian, or some other profession.
(An aside to Mark...I don't think I'd want either mushrooms or Scotch on my Special K, but I did have yogurt and a little maple syrup for my own breakfast this morning... Fanzines over babies...yes, you don't need to change your new issue's nappies regularly, and only the readers are supposed to make crying sounds.)
Our time in fandom allows us to look at what we do socially, not necessarily in society as a whole, but in our own little society called Fandom. We find out how we socialize with others, how we work in a project-oriented situation, how we deal with responsibilities and we discover our own characters through such interactions. We find our strengths and weaknesses, and because we are in a mini-society, I think we are able to recognize those strengths and weaknesses a little more easily. Our self-discovery allows us to play to those strengths, and avoid what displays our weaknesses. I think we're better off for it.
I think a good editor determines how you might be read in a fanzine, electronic or paper. Some faneds do edit, and I appreciate it. Others simply gather together what they can, and slap it down on paper or electrons. I don't expect everything I write to be published, but if an editor can polish up what I've provided, I'll look better, and so will the editor. To me, that's basic publication management. I shouldn't put pro editorial standards up again a publication that is meant to fulfil a personal want, and provide participation in a hobby, but...
I didn't think I'd get to a third page, but I have, and to me, that is a sign of a good zine, one that provides enough comment hooks (to use an apa phrase) to write a long letter. Many thanks; your zine is welcome whenever you choose to release one.
Yours, Lloyd Penney.
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