Table of Contents
Meeting Announcements
The June meeting will be held at Carolyn O'Neal's house (Map of 114 Beverly ). The Video Party will be held at ApolloCon on June 27.
June Birthdays
- Anita Haddock June 4
Club News
Prez Mez June 2008 - Dee Beetem
What’s new?
Boy, it’s really getting hot! This will be a great summer for Several special events, because if I don’t have a specific schedule I’ll just wilt under the air conditioner.
Already Scheduled:
Summer Chills play: The Unexpected Visitor
"The Unexpected Guest" is playing at the Alley Theatre from Thursday, July 10 through Sunday, August 3. There is 1 performance each Tuesday through Friday and 2 performances each Saturday and Sunday. Ticket prices are $21, $25, $29, and $39.
Contact Steve Dial immediately if you want to go with us.
Apollocon 2008
Will anybody have a room at the con this year? Our Video Party will be held informally at Apollocon this year. If nobody has a room, let’s all meet up at the Apollocon video room. Any further announcements will be sent through the Several Yahoo group.
The (Long Expected) Several Summer Party and Book Swap!!!
The Summer Party will be on July 26, from 11am to 2pm, at Pappas Restaurant, Southwest Freeway just south of Hillcroft. Our intrepid Veep Margaret McNickle has reserved the upper room at Pappas Restaurant!
What’s planned should be easy and fun: Consuming barbecue, talking to friends, and swapping books. (Just trading, not flea market.) If you have any ideas for enhancements, bring them up ASAP.
We’ll put out Summer Party/Several Unlimited flyers at Apollocon and send emails through the Several group, Hou-SF group, ILSBook, and the Revelcon group. Who else?
Not Yet Planned…
Movies and Museums
This should be a great summer for popcorn movies and there are some good exhibits at the museums, including a comic book exhibit at the Museum of Printing History.
Reading, Writing, and Video
As a change of pace, how about a meeting devoted to book reviews, a songvid how-to, or even a writer’s workshop?Don’t forget the Yahoo Group for Several Unlimited!
If you find something interesting to do or talk about, you don’t have to wait for the newsletter or a meeting. Post it on the Several Unlimited Yahoo Group athttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/severalunlimited/
If you’re not a member of the group, it’s free to join, and you get to select how you want the messages delivered to you!
Comic Books: a Visual Journey , until Aug 16, 2008
Museum of Printing History, Houston
Comic Book Fun Fest, Friday, June 20, 2008 from 6-8pm
Gallery Tour with Richard Evans at 6:30pm
Comic Books: a Visual Journey presents an illustrated excursion through the development of a uniquely American art form. From their inception during the Great Depression, comic books have been a source of entertainment, wonder, derision, and controversy. What started out as a low cost experiment has grown into a huge, multi-media cultural mainstay. See the transformation of comic books, from their humble beginnings, World War II patriotism, '50s horror and violence, and the return of the superhero, through today's wonders of art and packaging.
Comic books in the show represent seminal works in the medium. Examples include early appearances of Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Iron Man, and X-Men. This show has been organized by Richard Evans of Bedrock City Comic Company.
ApolloCon 2008, June 27-29, 2008
Houston's Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Conference
DoubleTree Hotel Houston Intercontinental Airport, 5747 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Houston, TX 77032
- GOH: Allan Steele
- Editor GOH: Lou Anders
- Artist GOH: Brad Foster
- Filk GOH: Margaret Middleton
- Fan GOH: Anne K.G. Murphy
Additional guests: David Lee Anderson, Jayme Blaschke, Steven Brust, Rosemary Clement-Moore, Bill Crider, Scott Cupp, Gail Dayton, Bradley Denton, Linda Donahue, Marianne Dyson, Rhonda Eudaly, Melanie Miller Fletcher, Larry Friesen, Bennie Grezlik, Beverly Hale, K. Hutson Price, Kandy Jarvis, Rocky Kelley, Alexis Glynn Latner, Julia S. Mandala, A. Lee Martinez, Maureen McHugh, C. J. Mills, John Moore, Cat Osborne, Lawrence Person, John Picacio, Derly Ramirez, II & Kathy Thornton, Jessica Reisman, Chris Roberson, Selina Rosen, Caroline Spector, Rie Sheridan, Shanna Swendson, Mikal Trimm, Victory, Martha Wells, Mel. White
A single event for fans of speculative and imaginative fiction of all kinds, including literary, media, and interactive.
Lazy Dragon Con, July 18-20, 2008
A Science Fiction / Fantasy Themed Party Con
Quality Inn, 1300 N. Central Expressway, McKinney, TX 75070
(Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Area)
- Author GOH: Lee Martindale
- Artist/Author: James O'Barr
- Singer/Songwriter: Sarah Gillmore
- Author: John Moore
- Artist: Gwynn "Starrydance" Farrith
There will be Guests, Merchants, Artists, Gaming, Parties, Socializing, Contests, Women's Fun Jell Wrestling, a Video Room and Much More!
Babelcon 2008, July 19-20, 2008
General science fiction, fantasy, & horror con
Holiday Inn Select, 4728 Constitution Ave., Baton Rouge, LA
- Media Guests: Suzie Plakson, John Herztler, Bob May, (original Lost in Space Robot)
- Author Guests: T.A. Chafin, Polly Luttrell, Randy Richards, Deborah LeBlanc, M.B. Weston, Randy Richards, Bob Greenberger, and Robin Mayhall
- Science guests: Dr. Robert Hynes (LSU Dept of Theoretical Physics), Dr. Charles Gramlich ( Xavier University's Dept of Biological Psychology), & Bill Lee, paleontology expert
Panels, gaming, live rocket demonstrations, belly dancing, SCA demos, a costume contest, Pirates of the Caribbean interactive show, a medieval Knighting Ceremony, and LARP games. Evening events: Costume Ball featuring music by the Star Wars Cantina band, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show as performed by the Transylvanian Electric Company, and more!
Conestoga 12, July 25-27, 2008
Oklahoma's largest literary science fiction & fantasy con
Radisson Tulsa, 10918 E. 41st Street, Tulsa, OK 74146
- GOH: Diana Gabaldon
- Artist GOH: Stephen Hickman
- Fan GOH: Tim Miller
- Toastmaster: Gordon Van Gelder
Featuring: Art Show, Panel Discussions, Writers Conference, Dealers Room, Short Film Contest, Gaming, Fangs Fur & Fey Mini-Con, Friday night concert, Gala Dinner with Diana Gabaldon, Filksinging, Author Readings, Masquerade, Charity Auction, Panels, Podcasts, and the inexplicably popular Penguin Playhouse Theatre! Of course, this is only some of the many activities and events we have planned.
Denvention 3, August 6-10, 2008
66th World Science Fiction Convention, Denver CO
- GOH: Lois McMaster Bujold
- Artist GOH: Rick Sternbach
- Toastmaster: Wil McCarthy
- Fan GOH: Tom Whitmore
- Ghost of Honor: Robert A. Heinlein
Five days of programming on hundreds of topics from books to media, from art to costuming, from movies to television to anime, from science fiction to science fact, as well as an art show, masquerades, the Hugo Awards ceremony, dealer's rooms, and much more!
News and Reviews
Media West 2008
Media West is always a fun trip; I don’t even want to remember how many times I’ve gone! This year a lot of Houston fans had to give it a miss, but Erika and I did run into Jamie, Jan Meek, Carol Schorn, Bonita Crider, and Sue Wells.
The big fandoms were definitely Supernatural and Torchwood, although there was finally an upswing of LOTR zines. (My new LOTR novel Misfit in Middle-earth debuted at Mysti’s table and is now available from agent with style, thanks for asking.)
Some of the panels:
- Time Travel Shows: Have They Jumped the Shark ? I was on this panel. Personally I think Journeyman was too dark and too confusing to be successful. Maybe we should have a time travel show where the hero goes back to the Titanic—and saves it!
- The Matchless Miss Marple: I volunteered for this panel too. Agatha Christie’s elderly sleuth has appeared in two series in Mystery! (my favorite’s the recent one, with Geraldine McEwan), and she’s been portrayed in earlier movies by Margaret Rutherford and even Helen Hayes! But Miss Marple was an old lady, not a hunk so we only had about five attendees.
- Storyteller or Writer? Is there a Difference? Half the time was spent on semantics and the other half arguing with a fan who didn’t know what she was talking about and who garbled up all the stories she was using as examples. Afterwards, the rest of us asked each other, “What just happened there?”
- (from Erika) I was on two Doctor Who panels. Nea Dodson (longtime Doctor Who fan) celebrated her 20 th year in DW fanfic and her first professional DW story (Doctor Who Short Trips: Qualities of Leadership). We also came up with some really interesting theories on theTime War, ranging from the universe trying to unsuccessfully purge the Doctor to the Time Lords bringing it on themselves.
Afterwards a group went out on Monday afternoon to see Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. It was a sweet (if implausible) farewell to a nostalgic fave, and tied up some threads the way we always wanted them tied. It made me feel a little old to discover that the girl selling tickets had never seen the first three movies—in fact, had probably not even been born when they were released.
Websites of the Month
MediaWest*Con 28
From the manager of Hummingbird’s:
(Richard) I put this together as a way to thank you all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aUm7f-0Z0w
MediaWest*Con 2008 Art Auction
What happens when artists get silly....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KujAK-tnhBQ
Fan History Wiki
Fan History is fan run project established by fans for fans dedicated to preserving, documenting and writing fandom history. Fan History is includes also a directory of people in fandom. With all the changes going on and the continued fragmentation in fandom, the time to do this is now. Please contribute your knowledge, experience and time to helping with this project.
Fan History has pictures from MediaWest*Con:
http://www.fanhistory.com/index.php/Category:MediaWest_2008_pictures
Coco Wang: China 5.12 Earthquake
Coco Wang is a manga artist from China. He has been collecting stories that are coming out of the earthquake-hit regions, and creating manga strips from them. These strips are absolutely heart-rending and powerful.
Warning: not safe for work if you have the slightest inclination to tears.
http://www.paulgravett.com/articles/133_china/133_china.htm
