Recent Articles

These are recent items from PNN, with the newest item first.

Kittywompus Fanzine Reviews

Alison Scott sets up web-based fanzine log

Plokta Cabal member Alison Scott has set up a fanzine log on her new web site at http://www.kittywompus.com/fanzines/reviews/.

There are getting on for a dozen reviews already, covering ezines as well as paper fanzines.

-- Mike Scott

12 May 2000

ConJose Holds Membership Rates

ConJose, the 2002 Worldcon, has news on membership rates

CONJOSE, THE 60TH WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION
San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc.
A California Non-Profit Corporation
PO Box 61363
Sunnyvale CA 94088-1363 USA
info@sfsfc.org
http://www.sfsfc.org/

FOR RELEASE FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2000,
8:00 AM PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME
Contact: Mary Kay Kare or Kevin Standlee

CONJOSE EXTENDS $100 MEMBERSHIP TO JULY 15;
ANNOUNCES NEW MEMBERSHIP RATES

ConJose, the 2002 World Science Fiction Convention, has extended the current $100 Attending Membership rate through July 15, 2000. Effective after July 15, 2000, the Attending Membership rate increases to $120. The $120 rate is good through the end of 2000. ConJose will announce rates effective after December 31, 2000 later.

A Supporting Membership, which includes all voting rights and the right to receive convention publications, but not to actually attend the convention, remains $35.

Persons who both voted in the 2002 site selection and pre-supported the Bay Area in 2002 Worldcon bid received an extra discount off the cost of conversion to attending membership in the initial membership rate schedule. That extra discount is discontinued after July 15, 2000. After that date, those who voted in the 2002 site selection get a $30 discount off the cost of an attending membership, and those who pre-supported the Bay Area in 2002 bid committee get a $20 discount off the cost of an attending membership. These two discounts may be combined.

A full schedule of membership rates, including all applicable discounts for those who voted in the 2002 site selection at Aussiecon Three, and/or pre-supported the Bay Area in 2002 Worldcon bid, and also including rates in other currencies, is scheduled for publication in ConJose's Progress Report 1. PR 1 is currently in preparation, and is expected to mail to all ConJose members and Bay Area in 2002 pre-supporters by the end of July. Details will also be soon posted on the convention's web site, http://www.conjose.org/.

ConJose will be held Thursday, August 29 through Monday, September 2, 2002, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.

The $100 Attending Membership rate was initially announced as good through the end of May 2000.

ConJose is a committee of San Francisco
Science Fiction Conventions, Inc., a California
non-profit corporation recognized as tax exempt
under IRC 501(c)(3).

"Worldcon" and "World Science Fiction Convention"
are registered service marks of the World Science
Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.

-- Kevin Standlee

12 May 2000

Sue Mason Wins TAFF

Sue Mason has won the 2000 TAFF race from Europe to North America

Herewith the results of the TAFF 2000 Ballot

The figures were:

Europe North America

Tommy Ferguson 22 22

Sue Mason 88 52

Tobes Valois 30 4

Holdover Funds 1 2

No Preference 1 7

Total 142 87

This gives a total of:

Tommy Ferguson 44 votes

Sue Mason 140 votes

Tobes Valois 34 votes

Holdover Funds 3 votes

No preference 8 votes

Therefore, after the first round of counting, Sue Mason has more than 50% of votes cast on both sides of the Atlantic, so there is no need to proceed to a second round of counting.

On behalf of myself and Ulrika O'Brien, I hereby declare that Sue Mason has won TAFF and will be attending Chicon in Augus Congratulations to Sue, commiserations to Tommy and Tobes, and thank you to all three candidates for a lively and entertaining race.

-- Maureen Kincaid Speller

7 May 2000

FAAn Award Full Results

The full voting figures for the FAAn Awards have been released

2000 FAAN Award, total ballot results

Best Fan Artist
D. West - 56
Stu Shiffman - 36
Steve Stiles - 31
Craig Smith - 31
Sue Mason - 30
Teddy Harvia - 19
Ross Chamberlain - 17
Brad Foster - 15
Dan Steffan - 15
Joe Mayhew - 10
Bill Rotsler - 9
Dave Hicks - 8
Taral - 7
Charlie Williams - 6
Alexis Gilliland - 5
G.A.K. - 5
Steve Swartz - 5
Sheryl Birkhead - 4
Dave Carson - 3
Donna Nasser- 3
Brian Norris - 3
S. Sanders - 3
A. Mark - 1
Ian Gunn - 1
John Waible - 1
Curt Erichson - 1

Best Fan Writer
Christina Lake - 38
David Levine - 25
Ted White - 17
Dave Hicks - 15
Yvonne Rowse - 15
Claire Brialey - 13
Arnie Katz - 11
Lucy Huntzinger -11
Robert Lichtman - 11
Jo Walton - 11
Mike Glyer - 10
Debbi Kerr - 10
Joyce Katz - 10
Victor Gonzalez - 9
Arthur Hlavaty - 8
Maureen Kincaid-Speller - 7
Alison Scott - 7
Kate Yule - 7
Lloyd Penney - 6
Mark Plummer - 6
Dale Speirs - 6
C. M. Barkley - 5
Alan Bonney - 5
Evelyn Leeper - 5
Joseph T. Major - 5
Patrick Nielsen Hayden - 5
Vicki Rosenzweig - 5
Roger Tenner - 5
Toni Weiskopf - 5
Sheryl Birkhead - 3
Lloyd Daub - 3
Nick Givers - 3
Andrew Hooper - 3
Paul Kincaid - 3
Dave Langford - 3
Teresa Nielsen Hayden - 3
Ulrika O'Brien - 3
Curt Phillips - 3
Ian Sorensen - 3
Gene Stewart - 3
Lise Eisenberg - 2
Steve Becker - 1
Tony Berry - 1
Steve Davies - 1
William Brieding - 1
Aileen Forman - 1
Chuch Harris - 1
Charlotte Proctor - 1
Nigel Richardson - 1
Paul Williams - 1

Best Letterhack
Lloyd Penney - 29
Howard Waldrop - 28
Harry Warner Jr. - 28
Gery Deindorfer - 21
Robert Lichtman - 18
Mae Strelkov - 18
Joseph T. Major - 10
Vicki Rosenzweig - 10
Joseph Nicholas - 9
Gene Stewart - 9
D. West - 8
Steve Jeffery - 7
Lenny Bailes - 6
C.M. Barkley - 6
Ted White - 6
Bernard Earp - 5
Paul Kincaid - 5
Colin Greenland - 4
Jerry Kaufman - 4
Lloyd Daub - 3
Gordon Eklund - 3
Linda Krawecke - 3
Christina Lake - 3
Jeanne Mealy - 3
Murray Moore - 3
Martin Morse Wooster - 3
Bill Bowers - 1
Marty Cantor - 1
Tom Feller - 1
Richard Geis -1
Andrew Hooper - 1
Dave Langford - 1
Curt Phillips - 1
Dale Speirs - 1

Best Fanzine
Trap Door - 44
Bento - 41
Plokta - 40
Never Quite Arriving - 35
Banana Wings - 22
Mainstream - 17
Barmaid - 16
Challenger - 16
File 770 - 13
Did I say that out loud? - 11
Crifanac - 9
Quant Suff - 8
Twink - 7
Idiosyncracy - 6
Ethel the Aardvark - 5
Chronicles of the Dawn Patrol - 5
Fandom Guardian - 5
Nova Express - 5
Crawdaddy! - 4
Quipu - 4
The Knarley Knews - 3
MSFire - 3
Opuntia - 3
The Reluctant Famulus - 3
Squib - 3
Tangent - 3
Devniad - 1
Locus - 1
Mimosa - 1
Outworlds - 1

Best New Fanzine Fan
Yvonne Rowse - 65
Arthur Aldridge - 28
Curt Phillips - 21
Alison Freebairn - 13
Marianne Cain - 12
Debbi Kerr - 12
Tobes Valois - 12
Lise Eisenberg - 10
Karen Johnson - 7
Andrew Murdock - 6
Steve Jones - 6
Doug Bell - 5
Kestrel Bridges - 5
Randy Byers - 5
Nancy Hathaway - 5
Trinlay Khadro - 5
Chris Sheehan - 5
Stephen Dedman - 3
E.B. Frohvet - 3
Brin Marie Laughlin - 3
Anita Rowland - 3
Allison Scott - 3
Steve Becker - 1
Aileen Forman - 1
Hal Wagner - 1

-- Mike Scott

7 May 2000

2000 Hugo Nominations

The nominations for the 2000 Hugo awards have been announced

Nominations have been announced for the 2000 Hugo awards, which will be presented at Chicon V, this year's Worldcon.

Best Novel (334 nominations for 183 novels)

A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (Avon)
Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear (HarperCollins UK; Del Rey)
A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge (Tor)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (Bloomsbury; Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic Press)

Best Novella (191 nominations for 58 novellas)

"The Astronaut From Wyoming" by Adam-Troy Castro and Jerry Oltion (Analog 7-8/99)
"Forty, Counting Down" by Harry Turtledove (Asimov's 12/99)
"Hunting the Snark" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's 12/99)
"Son Observe the Time" by Kage Baker (Asimov's 5/99)
"The Winds of Marble Arch" by Connie Willis (Asimov's 10-11/99)

Best Novelette (168 nominations for 130 novelettes, six nominees due to a tie)

"Border Guards" by Greg Egan (Interzone 10/99)
"The Chop Girl" by Ian R. MacLeod (Asimov's 12/99)
"Fossil Games" by Tom Purdom (Asimov's 2/99)
"The Secret History of the Ornithopter" by Jan Lars Jensen (F&SF 6/99)
"Stellar Harvest" by Eleanor Arnason (Asimov's 4/99)
"1016 to 1" by James Patrick Kelly (Asimov's 6/99)

Best Short Story (189 nominations for 158 stories)

"Ancient Engines" by Michael Swanwick (Asimov's 2/99)
"Hothouse Flowers" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's 10-11/99)
"macs" by Terry Bisson (F&SF 10-11/99)
"Sarajevo" by Nick DiChario (F&SF 3/99)
"Scherzo with Tyrannosaur" by Michael Swanwick (Asimov's 7/99)

Best Related Book (167 nominations for 74 books)

Minicon 34 Restaurant Guide by Karen Cooper and Bruce Schneier (Rune Press)
The Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano (DC Comics/Vertigo)
Science Fiction of the 20th Century by Frank M. Robinson (Collectors Press)
The Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen (Ebury Press)
Spectrum 6: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art edited by Cathy and Arnie Fenner (Underwood)

Best Dramatic Presentation (304 nominations for 106 dramatic presentations)

Being John Malkovich (Single Cell Pictures/Gramercy Pictures/Propaganda Films) Directed by Spike Jonze; Written by Charlie Kaufman
Galaxy Quest (DreamWorks SKG) Directed by Dean Parisot; Story by David Howard; Screenplay by David Howard and Robert Gordon
The Iron Giant (Warner Bros. Animation) Directed by Brad Bird; Book by Ted Hughes; Screenplay by Brad Bird and Tim McCanlies
The Matrix (Village Roadshow Productions/Groucho II Film Partnership/Silver Pictures) Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski; Written by Andy and Larry Wachowski
The Sixth Sense (Spyglass Entertainment/Hollywood Pictures) Directed by M. Night Shyamalan; Written by M. Night Shyamalan

Best Professional Editor (203 nominations for 66 editors)

Gardner Dozois (Asimov's Science Fiction)
David G. Hartwell (Tor/Forge; Year's Best SF)
Patrick Nielsen Hayden (Tor Books; Starlight)
Stanley Schmidt (Analog Science Fiction and Fact)
Gordon Van Gelder (St. Martin's Press; Fantasy & Science Fiction)

Best Professional Artist (196 nominations for 103 artists)

Jim Burns
Bob Eggleton
Donato Giancola
Don Maitz
Michael Whelan

Best Semiprozine (168 nominations for 38 semiprozines)

Interzone edited by David Pringle
Locus edited by Charles N. Brown
The New York Review of Science Fiction edited by Kathryn Cramer, Ariel Hamion, David G. Hartwell, and Kevin Maroney
Science Fiction Chronicle edited by Andrew I. Porter
Speculations edited by Kent Brewster

Best Fanzine (195 nominations for 94 fanzines)

Ansible edited by Dave Langford
Challenger edited by Guy H. Lillian III
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer
Mimosa edited by Nicki and Richard Lynch
Plokta edited by Alison Scott, Steve Davies, and Mike Scott

Best Fan Writer (191 nominations for 147 fan writers)

Bob Devney
Mike Glyer
Dave Langford
Evelyn C. Leeper
Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist (164 nominations for 101 fan artists)

Freddie Baer
Brad Foster
Teddy Harvia
Joe Mayhew
Taral Wayne

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (110 nominations for 72 writers) Sponsored by Dell Magazines.

Cory Doctorow (2nd year of eligibility)
Thomas Harlan (1st year)
Ellen Klages (2nd year)
Kristine Smith (1st year)
Shane Tourtellotte (2nd year)

-- Mike Scott

3 May 2000

Eastercon News

Other Eastercon news

Much more Eastercon news can be found in Koka2, the 2kon newsletter, edited by Mike Scott and available on the Plokta web-site. It's currently only available in PDF format, for which free readers are available for most platforms.

-- Mike Scott

3 May 2000

Helicon 2 Wins Eastercon

The 2002 Eastercon will be Helicon 2, in Jersey

Helicon 2 won the bid for the 2002 Eastercon, opposed by three spoof bids -- Movacon, e.con and Conker.

Despite extremely high room rates (£55 per person per night for twin/double occupancy), and the extra cost of getting to Jersey, the bid was quite well received, and there were few votes for a hold-over decision.

The voting in full was:

Movacon 1

e.con 7

Conker 11

Helicon 2 Many

Hold-over 5

Abstention Not counted

-- Mike Scott

3 May 2000

Paragon Moves

Paragon, the 2001 Eastercon, has moved to Hinckley in Leicestershire

Paragon, the 2001 Eastercon, has relocated from Blackpool to Hinckley in Leicestershire.

The committee were unable to negotiate a satisfactory room rate with the planned venue of Norbreck Castle, necessitating the move.

Hinckley is quite near Leicester, where the Plokta Cabal's own <plokta.con> will be held at the end of this month, and it is likely that there will be a trip organised for interested parties to see the new site.

-- Mike Scott

3 May 2000

2001 GUFF Voting Opens

Voting is now open in the 2001 GUFF race from Australia to the UK

Voting has now opened in the 2001 GUFF race, from Australia to the UK. The winner will attend Paragon, the 2001 Eastercon. It will be the first time a GUFF winner has attended Eastercon since 1984.

The candidates are Eric Lindsay & Jean Weber and Damien Warman & Juliette Woods. Voting closes on 13 November 2000.

-- Mike Scott

21 Apr 2000

The Ray Gibberd Fund

Fund launched to pay for Ray Gibberd's medical treatment

Ray Gibberd has been an integral part of ANDROMEDA BOOKSHOP for over 20 years. He has been a director for over five years.

At the end of 1998 he was diagnosed with a brain tumour and was operated on immediately. The tumour returned at the end of 1999 and another operation was performed in January. He is now extremely weak and has lost his short term memory.

He now needs a course of chemotherapy that is only available from America, but the NHS will not fund it because of its high cost - 1,600 per month for 6-8 months. His immediate family have put up the money for the first three months.

We at ANDROMEDA are starting 'The Ray Gibberd Fund' and we're looking at ways of raising further funds through raffles, auctions, etc.

What we need are donations of cash, books, proofs, first editions, artwork, manuscripts, etc - even remainder books that we can raffle by the bagload - in fact, anything we can sell, auction or raffle. With your generous support we know we can raise the money so badly needed. All donations should be addressed to The Ray Gibberd Fund, c/o Andromeda Bookshop, 2-5 Suffolk Street, Birmingham, B1 1LT.

There will be a Ray Gibberd Day at ANDROMEDA sometime late May or early June when we will be auctioning and raffling rare books, artwork, etc. Please send an s.a.e. if you want to be notified of this event.

Rog Peyton
Managing Director
Andromeda Book Co Ltd

UPDATE

More information received from Martin Tudor on 20 April:

The fund raised £850 in the first week. The Ray Gibberd Day at Andromeda should be in June, but is awaiting confirmation. Ray is being treated in the UK, but the treatment has to be flown in from the USA.

-- Rog Peyton

21 Apr 2000

James White Award

James White Award to be launched at the Eastercon

MEDIA ALERT

There will be a reception to launch the James White Award in the Central Hotel, Glasgow, Scotland at 9pm on Friday, April 21 2000 as part of 2Kon, the British National SF Convention.

PRESS INFORMATION - IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Award to honour memory of Irish SF writer

Dublin, April 19, 2000. A literary competition in honour of the late science fiction writer James White has been announced. The James White Award will be given for the best science fiction short story selected by an international panel of judges which includes Morgan Llwellyn, Michael Scott, Michael Carroll, David Pringle and David Langford. The author of the winning story will receive a trophy and the winning story will be published in the Hugo award-winning magazine, Interzone. The closing date for entries will be August 23 2000 and the winner will be announced before the end of this year.

The competition is open to any non-professional writer anywhere in the world. Each writer may submit a maximum of three stories, none of which have been published before. Stories must be in English and between 2,000 and 4,000 words in length. There will be an administration fee of £3/$4 per story entered. Full rules and writers' guidelines are available from the Award administrator, James Bacon at 211 Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7, Ireland or from the Award's website at http://www.jameswhiteaward.com as of May 1 2000.

James White was Ireland's best known science fiction writer. His first published story, Assisted Passage, appeared in New Worlds in 1953. His novels include All Judgement Fled, The Watch Below and The Silent Stars Go By. However he is best remembered for his series of stories and novels set on the giant space hospital Sector General. He died from a stroke in August 1999.

For further information contact:

Editorial & reader enquiries
James Bacon
c/o 211 Blackhorse Avenue
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel: 8384032 (evenings)
e-mail: info@jameswhiteaward.com

-- David Stewart

20 Apr 2000

More Boston in 04 Information

The Boston Worldcon bid for 2004 has released more information

Boston opens bid to host 2004 Worldcon

BOSTON, MA - Massachusetts Convention Fandom, Inc./The Galactic Patrol is delighted to announce a bid to host the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, on the traditional Labor Day weekend in 2004.

The facilities include the Sheraton Boston Hotel and Towers, the Copley Marriott, and the Hynes Convention Center, a more compact version of the very successful site used by Noreascon 3 in 1989. The Sheraton and Hynes are directly connected to one another; the Marriott is joined to the Sheraton by an indoor walkway through the Prudential Center Mall and Food Court.

The city of Boston offers fandom diversions such as its historic Freedom Trail and the U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), harbor and coastal trips and tours, breathtaking scenery and architecture, world-class shopping, major league baseball and soccer, hundreds of restaurants, eateries and brew pubs, and a convenient domestic and international destination.

And best of all, Boston really wants fandom!

Facilities directors have been extremely enthusiastic about the potential of a Worldcon in Boston and have offered excellent room blocks, meeting space arrangements, and the full Hynes Convention Center.

This bid for Boston in 2004 is offered by the same group which ran Noreascons 2 and 3 and which has recently hosted fans in such diverse conventions as Smofcon 15 (1997), Ditto 11 (1998), and the 25th World Fantasy Convention (1999).

MCFI/The Galactic Patrol opened the Boston in 2004 bid with gala parties at Arisia (Boston) and Chattacon (Chattanooga) on January 15, 2000. Fans interested in finding out about upcoming convention parties may feel free to write Boston in 2004, P.O. Box 1010, Framingham, MA 01701, email info@mcfi.org , or visit us at our Web pages at http://www.mcfi.org.

Presupporting memberships in the Galactic Patrol are available for $12; Intergalactic Friends memberships are $75.

With fandom's support, the Galactic Patrol can protect the galaxy from zwilniks.

-- Boston in 04

3 Feb 2000

Mae Strelkov Dies

Argentinean fan Mae Strelkov has died

We are sad to report the death of Mae Strelkov, a long-time SF fan and indefatigable loccer of Plokta, on January 27.

Mae was perhaps best known for her incredible hectography artwork, for which she boiled down cow bones to make her own gelatine. Richard Brandt has made a selection of this available on the web -- folow the link to the left.

-- Mike Scott

3 Feb 2000

A E van Vogt Dies

A E van Vogt died on January 26

A E van Vogt, one of the key authors of the first "golden age" of SF, died last week. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's for some time. A full obituary from the Guardian is available.

-- Mike Scott

3 Feb 2000

Boston Bids for 2004 Worldcon

Boston has launched the third bid for the 2004 Worldcon

According to the web-page of MCFI, they are bidding for the 2004 Worldcon to be held in Boston, following their unsuccessful 2001 bid, which moved from Boston to Orlando, and the 1998 Boston bid which was not organised by MCFI.

It appears that the high hotel occupancy in Boston, and the consequent lack of incentive for sites to agree to acceptable room rates, is now easing.

There are already declared bids for 2004 from Charlotte (North Carolina) and "Nieuw Amsterdam" (New York).

-- Mike Scott

16 Jan 2000

1999 Nova Awards

Nova Awards for Sue Mason, Yvonne Rowse and Barmaid

The 1999 Nova awards were as follows:

Fan Artist - Sue Mason
Fan Writer - Yvonne Rowse
Fanzine - Barmaid,edited by Yvonne Rowse

Second and third places, subject to confirmation, were Dave Hicks and Steve Jeffery for Fan Artist, a tie between the inseparable Mark Plummer and Claire Brialey for Fan Writer and Plokta (by one point, mutter, mutter, mutter) (ed. Alison Scott, Steve Davies and Mike Scott) and Banana Wings (ed. Mark Plummer and Claire Brialey) for Fanzine.

-- Mike Scott

7 Nov 1999

Walt Willis Dies

Walt Willis died on October 20

We were saddened, but not surprised, to hear of the death of legendary Irish fan Walt Willis of a heart attack, following his stroke last year.

Walt was one of the giants of fandom, publisher of the fanzines Slant and Hyphen, co-author with Bob Shaw of the classic The Enchanted Duplicator and an indefatigable loccer until he suffered his stroke. Following the recent deaths of Vince Clarke, Chuch Harris and James White, it seems that an entire fannish generation has been destroyed, virtually overnight.

He will be greatly missed.

-- Mike Scott

7 Nov 1999

ReConnaissance (BEC 2000) Are Having Problems

The ReConnaissance membership secretary has been killed

This message comes from Bjørn Tore Sund, chairman of next year's Big European Con, Reconnaissance in Bergen:

On October 4 Ingrid Jonsson was killed. Her father shot first her and then her mother, before committing suicide. Everything in their home is now with the district court of Bergen until the division of the estate is over. As Ingrid Jonsson was the Membership and Administrative Secretary of ReConnaissance, this means:

Our database of members.

All enclosed files pertaining to the memberhip database.

All contributions to our short story contest.

As of today we do not know when we can get these papers and the database back. We hope to reach an agreement with the district court of Bergen so that we don't have to wait until the division is over, which could take a year. But we do not know.
More information will follow when we have any.
Bjørn, ReConnaissance chairman

-- Johan Anglemark

29 Oct 1999

Joy Hilbert Dies

British fan Joy Hilbert has died at 40

I was shocked to hear of the death two days ago of Joy Hilbert, from complications of Crohn's disease, at the age of 40. Further details can be found in the linked obituary by her husband, Anothony Hilbert.

Joy entered British fandom shortly before I did, and was a continual, often controversial, presence over the past twenty years.

-- Mike Scott

29 Oct 1999