THE AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE FICTION BULLSHEET #128 – October 15 1999
An insipient newszine produced for the Australian National Science
Fiction Association by Marc Ortlieb, P.O. Box 215, Forest Hill, Vict,
3131, AUSTRALIA
(e-mail: mortlieb@vicnet.net.au).
Postal subscriptions $6-00 for ten.(Cheques made out to Marc Ortlieb
please. Stamps accepted). Available for items of gossip. E-mailed
direct, a once off $10 fee. Free copy from aus.sf on Internet or at
http://www.vicnet.net.au/~sfoz/bullsheet.htm
GEORGE TURNER PRIZE
Bantam Books have sent out entry forms for the third George Turner
Prize Competition. It is for unpublished fantasy or science fiction
manuscripts by Australian residents. Works should be between 60,000
and 150,000 words. There is an entry fee of $30. The prize is $10,000,
which is an advance against royalties. The deadline is 5:00pm, January
28 2000. The judging panel will be chaired by Fiona Henderson. Entry
forms are available from The George Turner Prize, Transworld Division,
Random House Australia Pty Ltd, 20 Alfred St, Milson's Point, NSW
2061.
DAMIEN BRODERICK IN NEW ZEALAND
Damien Broderick notes "I had the great good fortune and pleasure to
be invited to Auckland at the end of September to be a keynote speaker
(with Dr Jack Cohen, who has designed some of the best aliens in sf
and written fascinating theoretical work with mathematician Dr Ian
Stewart) at BioLive '99, a conference of NZ biology teachers. More
recently, I gave an invited public address at the Victoria University
of Technology on matters Spikish and Last Mortal, briefly exploring
the prospects of humanity in an epoch of accelerating technology.
Meanwhile, my study of recent science fiction, Transrealist Fiction:
Writing in the Slipstream of Science is being edited at Greenwood
Press, USA, for July 2000 release, and a new YA sf novel by Rory
Barnes and me, Hell's Teeth, is under submission."
BIG HEART AWARD
One of the Big Heart Awards, given by Forrest J. Ackerman, and
announced at Aussiecon Three, was to go to Chris Collier of
Australia. In reply to the question of who Chris is, Forry replied "A
loner who's been extremely kind to me over many years." Apart from a
Brisbane address, that's all the information Forry offered.
IN PRINT
The special Aussiecon Three Edition of Interzone, #146, August 1999,
is now generally available here. It includes new fiction by
Australians Sean McMullen, Catherine McMullen, Terry Dowling, Kate
Orman, Anthony Morris, Robert N Stephenson and S. Ivan Jurisevic, plus
a piece by the token New Zealander Peter Friend. The issue also
features artwork by Nick Stathopoulos and reviews of Australian
fiction. Locus 465 reviews Strange Constellations: A History of
Australian Science Fiction by Russell Blackford, Van Ikin & Sean
McMullen. I must have missed this one. I can't remember seeing any
reference to it elsewhere else.
IN ELECTRONS
Video creator and Masquerade MC extraordinaire Danny Heap has started
A Reel Life, a regular feature for the Festivale Online Magazine
http://www.festivale.webcentral.com.au/index.htm
Want to help to write a novel?The following is offered: "Help write
TransMat2. The first novel, TransMat, left the world in an unholy mess
and everyone, including hordes from the future, wants Elijah to fix
it. You can share in the authorship of "TransMat2" This will be a
www-built project and will remain published on the web, free for all
to read. (Each successful submitter retains her/his own copyright but
gives me permission to publish it on this web site for as long as I
like.) Submissions are invited for the next instalment of TransMat2
http://ching.apana.org.au/~oliri/trans2.html "
BULLSHEET MEDIA WATCH
Fiona Capp reviews Women of Other Worlds (Merrick & Williams) in The
Saturday Age 2/10/99. In the same issue, Graeme Base's The Worst Band
in the Universe is listed as #7 in the Best Seller's List. John
Marsden's The Other Side of Dawn made it to#1 on the same list on
October 9. Michael O'Brien comes close to admitting that he's seen a
few R-Rated movies in a letter to The Herald-Sun 29/9/99. The letter
deals with the dubious merits of Sex and the City. (Thanks to David
Russell for a copy of the letter. He even suggested a headline
"Michael O'Brien no longer interested in sex!".) Chuck McKenzie is
interviewed in Writing Australia Vol 2 Issue 2. Damien Broderick
reviews Lynn Margulis's The Symbiotic Planet in The Weekend Australian
9/10/99. Tom Collins reported that, on October 2nd Wookie Radio, on
Melbourne's SRA (94.9FM) presented an interview with the director and
deputy-director of "Starwalking" The Australian Star Wars Fan Club and
an interview with Robert Jordan. They have live streaming audio at
http://www.sra.org.au. Sara Douglass' Crusader, Greg Egan's Diaspora
and Dann & Webb's Dreaming Down Under are on the latest Doubleday F&SF
Book Club flier, a copy of which fell out of my New Scientist this
week. Sarah Endacott had a letter criticising the Australian Skeptics,
in The Age 5/10/99.
WHAT DOES SFA STAND FOR?
Ali Kayn notes that, following Aussiecon Three, there has been further
discussion regarding the formation of a professional body for
Australian science fiction, fantasy & horror writers. Much of this has
been on the Internet. There is a discussion group that can be
contacted via sfa@sf.org.au Further to this, Australian SF Online
notes that "*SF Australia*, an organisation dedicated to the support
and promotion of speculative fiction in Australia" was discussed at
Aussiecon Three and that it is "a revisal of the once-proposed
creation of ASSWF (Australian Society of Speculative Fiction
Writers)." which "now encompasses anyone within the genre in
Australia, including playwrights, artists, writers and filmmakers."
The Web Page is at http://www.sf.org.au/sfa/
FOYSTER'S ORIGINS UNMASKED
Leigh Edmonds posted this to the Australian fanhistory mailing list.
"A little footnote to fannish history.
Last weekend Valma and I were at a conference about the history of
local newspapers in Chiltern. Not a bad event in its way, but if
you've published a newszine none of the problems of publishing local
newspapers are new to you.
I happened to mention this to one of the other speakers during lunch
and to my amazement he used the term fanzine as though everyone knew
it well.
"You'd know Max Foyster then,"he said. I looked blank for a second
and then recalled that the fine fellow we know as John Foyster is aka
Max Foyster to many family and friends.
"Indeed," I replied, "We've published the occasional fanzine."
"Well, I'm responsible for him... for him being involved in science
fiction."
The story unfolds that in 1955 when John Foyster was sick in bed he
wanted something to read and my informant supplied him with the hard
stuff, some copies of stf magazines. And the rest if history, as they
say.
I have the informant's card. He's Dr Thomas Darragh, Senior Curator
in Invertebrate Palaeontology at the Museum of Victoria." [Why am I
not surprised that someone with details of John Foyster's pre-history
would have something to do with palaeontology?]
FAN FUNDS
Further to her note on Linnette Horne, Yvonne Rousseau adds "Although
Linnette is recuperating at home (with Sophie the Cat), she is by no
means well, and must undergo many more tests. Apparently she was
admitted to hospital not because of a heart attack but because of
arhythmic fibrillation: her heart beating 200 times a minute (whereas
the human norm is between 80 and 100 times a minute). Her heartbeat is
now nearer normal, but not ideal."
IAN GUNN MEMORIAL FUND
Karen Pender-Gunn reports "The Ian Gunn Memorial Fund has donated $500
to the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria. I also got a letter from Gail
Plumstead (Sponsorship office at the Zoo). The pink pig money box I
took along the Tuesday after the worldcon netted $135.45 for the
Fijian Banded Iguana. Not bad for small change!"
UPCOMING CONVENTIONS
PHANCON 99
November 28 Phantasia Bookshop 443 High St Penrith NSW 2750. Guests
Ian Irvine, Caiseal Mor, Richard Harland, Kate Forsyth, Maxine
McArthur, Traci Harding & Alison Goodman. $25. Contact P.O. Box 1255
Penrith NSW.
WHOVENTION 2000
Australian National Doctor Who Convention. February 4 - 6 2000 GsoH:
Sylvester McCoy (7th Dr) and Nicola Bryant (Peri). Fan Guest: Karen
Herkes Rydges North Sydney $105 to October 31st, then $120 to January
15th. At door rate is $140 and day rate of $80. Children's under 16,
$10 less than adult rates. Make all cheques payable to Whovention (not
Whovention 2000) P.O. Box 4 Epping NSW 2121 Australia
whovention@eagles.com.au http://www.eagles.com.au/~whovention
HIGHLANDER DOWN UNDER
3 April 14-16 2000 Mercure Hotel Brisbane GsoH Peter Wingfield,
Valentine Pelka & Anthony De Longis $165 P.O. Box 198 Brisbane Albert
St Qld 4002 ph (07) 3282 4220. sonjav@powerup.com.au
http://www.powerup.com.au/~sonjav/
SWANCON 25
39th National Australian Science Fiction Convention April 20th-24th,
2000. Ascot Inn, Belmont, WA. GsoH Connie Willis and Ian Nichols.
Gratuitous interstate guest "Mitch" Other guests include Stephen
Dedman, Sue Isle, Jack Dann, Janeen Webb, Sean Williams and Tess
Williams swancon25@megabyte.murdoch.edu.au
http://www.swancon.iinet.net.au Swancon 25 GPO Box G429 Perth W.A.
6892 $70 Aus until January 1st 2000 $20
FRIENDS OF SCIENCE FICTION
Mini-Con May 7 2000 10:00am to 6:00pm Guest (commitments pending) :
Nicole deBoer. $50 FSF members and $60 nonmembers (02) 9523 8385
fsf@nlc.net.auP.O Box 797, Fairfield, NSW, 1860.
CON D'OR
The 2000 New Zealand National SF Convention June 3 to 5 2000 West
Plaza Hotel Wellington enquiries@condor.sf.org.nz
CHICON 2000
The 58th World Science Fiction Convention August 31 to September 4,
2000 - Hyatt Regency Chicago IL GsoH Ben Bova, Bob Eggleton, Jim Baen,
Bob and Anne Passovoy, Toastmaster: Harry Turtledove $US135.00 for
residents of North America $US150.00 rate for bona fide residents of
other continents P. O. Box 642057, Chicago IL 60664, fax: 312-946-3779
http://www.chicon.org/
SWANCON 2001
the Masquerade, 40th Australian National Science Fiction Convention
April 13-16 2001. GsoH tba The Rydges Hotel Perth. P.O. Box 162
Nedlands W.A. 6909. swancon2001committee@egroups.com
http://www.sf.org.au/swancon2001
ODYSSEY CON
The 2001 New Zealand National SF Convention Auckland.
enquiries@odyssey-con.sf.org.nz
THE MILLENNIUM PHILCON
The 59th World Science Fiction Convention August 30 to September 3,
2001 The Pennsylvania Convention Center & Philadelphia Marriott Hotel
GsoH Greg Bear, Stephen Youll, Gardner Dozois, George Scithers
Toastmaster: Esther Friesner. Supporting $US 40 Millennium Philcon
Post Office Box 310 Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006-0310 U.S.A.
phil2001@unix3.netaxs.com http://www.netaxs.com/~phil2001
COSTUME CON 20
February 15-18 2002 Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre
$A50Daily Admission $100 until Dec 31st 2000; $A130 Jan 1st 2001 - Dec
31st 2001 $160 Jan 1st 2002 - Feb 15th 2002 The Australian Costumers'
Guild PO Box 322 Bentleigh Vic 3204 stilskin@netspace.net.au
http://www.vicnet.net.au/~costume/
CON JOSE
The 60th World Science Fiction Convention August 29 to September 2,
2002 San Jos McEnery Convention Centre GsoH Vernor Vinge, David
Cherry, Bjo & John Trimble, Ferdinand Feghoot Toastmaster Tad
Williams. P.O. Box 61363 Sunnyvale CA 94088-1363 U.S.A.
ConJose@sfsfc.org http://www.sfsfc.org/worldcon/ Attending $A150.
Supporting $A50.
GoH = Guest of Honour
O.C.P. = Other Commitments Permitting
tba= to be announced.
CLUB NEWS
Force#35 notes the winners of the 1999 Obie Awards, presented at The
Force 3 Convention. Richard Day Award Tracey Payne & Greg Smythe,
Obies (Amateur) Writing Christian Appleton; Costume Kerri Valkova; Art
Darren Reid; Hard/Soft Craft Karen Fletcher; Audio Visual H.
Gibbens.Obies (Professional) Art Hugh Fleming; Hard/Soft Craft Don
Bies. In the Fan Film Festival, prizes went to Bounty Trails,
Sacrifices and The Dark Redemption.
EVENTS
Note that there is an annual calendar available on the Vicnet SF web
site at http://www.vicnet.net.au/~sfoz/1999cal.htm
N.S.W.
SYDNEY FUTURIANS October 15 7:00 for 7:30 Room 1615 UTS Tower
http://linus.socs.uts.edu.au/~iwoolf/writings.html
BOBW7 October 23/24 1999 Sydney University Richard Biggs, Bruce
Boxleitner.Marjean Holden and Sandy Bruckner Contact (02) 9453 0290
SOUTHERN SCIENCE FICTION GROUP November 13 2pm 15 Shade Place
Lugarno. You must read this. Discussion of books exchanged in
September. Why did you give this book to this person? What did you
think of the one you got? Postal Address 15 Shade Place Lugarno (02)
9534-3595. elvey@mcme.com.au
FRIENDS OF SCIENCE FICTION November 14 Lidcombe Catholic Club, 24
John St Lidcombe fsf@nlc.net.au P.O Box 797 Fairfield NSW 1860 Phone/
Fax (02)9523 8385
SKYFORCE SYDNEY December 12 Christmas Party Lidcombe Catholic Club, 24
John St Lidcombe
QUEENSLAND
VORTEX November 7 Red Cross Centre 409 Adelaide St Brisbane GPO Box
2004 Brisbane Qld 4001
HIGHLANDER DOWN UNDER November 21 Red Cross Centre 409 Adelaide St
Brisbane PO Box 198 Brisbane Albert St Qld 4002 sonjav@powerup.com.au
NEW ALLIANCE December 5 PO Box 12083 Elizabeth St/BC Brisbane Qld
4002
CONQUEST December 5 Red Cross Centre 409 Adelaide St Brisbane GPO Box
1376 Brisbane Qld 4001
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
CRITICAL MASS November 3 Jacq Felis tba Writers Centre Adelaide PO
Box 3355, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, SA 5000 dmw@pobox.com
VICTORIA
MSFC October 15 Should Voyager get home?October 22 Author Night,
October 29 Trivia Quiz 8:00 pm St. David's Uniting Church Hall, 74
Melville Road, West Brunswick P.O. Box 212 World Trade Centre
Melbourne 3005
FRIDAY NIGHT MOB October 15 ANZAPA distributed October 22, October 29
6-7.30pm. Informal eating and nattering. Myers Cafeteria Melbourne
AUST BABYLON 5 FAN CLUB October 15 8:30 pm S.G.M. to either elect a
committee or to disband the club. St. David's Uniting Church Hall, 74
Melville Road, West Brunswick
ENTERPRISE .October 23 Bad Taste Trek Day Postal Address P.O. Box 466
World Trade Centre Melbourne 3005 enterprise@minerals.csiro.au
http://www.vicnet.net.au/~enterprise/(03) 9515 3226 (7pm to 10pm only)
THE MELBOURNE ANIME SOCIETY October 23 5:00pm R2 Theatre in the
Rotunda at Monash University Clayton Campus charley@alphalink.com.au
http://www.anime.com.au/mas/index.html 1470 North Rd Clayton Vic 3168
SKYFORCE November 2 Annual Cup Day Picnic November 27 Christmas Party
St Mark's Church Hall Camberwell. (Note change of date.) P.O. Box 427
Northcote 3070 kryten@werple.net.au
http://www.imageworks.com.au/starwalking.htm
NOVA MOB November 3 Andrew Macrae on Cyberpunk 13 Frederick St
Brunswick.
TIME TREKKERS November 5 St Luke's Sternberg St Support Centre, 46
Sternberg St Bendigo P.O. Box 934 Bendigo Vic
AUSTREK November 6 2:00pm All club's day St Mark's Church Hall Cnr
Canterbury & Burke Rds, Camberwell GPO Box 5206AA Melbourne 3001 03
9489 8743 http://www.vicnet.net.au/~austrek/ austrek@vicnet.net.au
DANDENONG VALLEY SCIENCE FICTION GROUP November 10 Relationships and
gender roles in science fiction Meeting Room Dandenong Library Stuart
St Dandenong Ann McGann P.O. Box 706 Frankston Vic 3199 Phone Daniel
9544 9775 e-mail luddite@hotmail.com 3552
COSTUMERS GUILD October 31 Ross House, Flinders' Lane Melbourne
November 21 11:00 am A Victorian Safari The Annual Victorian Picnic
Melbourne Zoo. PO Box 322 Bentleigh Vic 3204. stilskin@netspace.net.au
http://www.vicnet.net.au/~costume/
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
THE WEST LODGE November 6 Collins Street Centre, Collins Street South
Perth P.O. Box 190 Mt Lawley WA 6050
http://www.iinet.net.asu/~fizzgig/
WEB PAGES
New
Dreamstone
http://www.dreamstone.com.au
New Zealand SF Index
http://www.sf.org.nz/
SF Australiahttp://www.sf.org.au/sfa/
TransMat2
http://ching.apana.org.au/~oliri/trans2.html
FANZINE NEWS
Karen Johnson is looking for material for Out of the Kaje.
"Did you come all the way to Australia to go to Aussiecon III? Was it
your first (or forty-first) convention? Did you have a great time, or
perhaps wish you hadn't wasted your money (hope no-one thinks this
though) Either way,
I want to know about it. Out of the Kaje #6 is going to be the
post-Aussiecon Round-up issue, so I can tell the world all about it,
but I've got a slight problem. Aussiecon III passed as a blur for me!
I was so busy working on the Con that I'm having a great deal of
difficulty writing about it! So, I'd like your reports instead (as
well...) please, pretty please :-) Length: somewhere between 100 and
500 words (if you need a different amount that's fine) E-mail them to
me at karenji@labyrinth.net.au and if you include your snail address
I'll send you a copy of the finished zine shortly before Christmas."
Locus 465 reports on Aussiecon Three, with particular attention paid
to the Hugo Awards. It has a good selection of photographs too. As a
fellow newszine editor, I cannot help but gloat that even a
Hugo-winning newszine like Locus gets it wrong sometimes. Janice Gelb
is referred to as the TAFF winner. (Given that Maureen Kincaid
Speller, the real TAFF winner, was at the con, I guess it was an
honest confusion) Locus also got the date of Ian Gunn's death wrong,
noting it as "earlier this year."
FANZINES
THE FORCE 35 Jan Wilson for Star Walking P.O. Box 427 Northcote Vic
3070
LOCUS 465 Charles N. Brown P.O. Box 13305 Oakland CA 94661 USA
VANAMONDE 318-322 John Hertz 236 S. Coronadfo St No 409 Los Angeles CA
90057 USA
ELECTRONIC ZINES
THE PAPER SNARL Issue #4 PaperSnarl@aol.com
http://www.papertiger.co.uk.
ANSIBLE 147 Dave Langford, 94 London Road, Reading, Berkshire, RG1
5AU, UK. Fax 0118 966 9914. ISSN 0265-9816. E-mail ansible@cix.co.uk.
Available for SAE, bentlam, condamine, D, hellflower or porgee.
EMERALD CITY 49 Cheryl Morgan cmorgan@ceres.wallis.com or
http://www.emcit.com
FANS ACROSS THE WORLD NEWSLETTER 91 B. Wilkinson, Ground Floor Flat, 8
West Avenue Road, Walthamstow, E17 9SE, Great Britain bjw@cix.co.uk
fax: 0181-925-7126
AUSTRALIAN SF ONLINE Erika Lacey righ@uq.net.au
http://tatooine.fortunecity.com/sagan/74/
DEADLINES
Bullsheet #129 October 26 1999.
ANZAPA 192 December 10 1999
George Turner Prize January 28 2000
This Fanzine Supports The Minneapolis in '73 WorldCon Bid and The
Toronto in 2003 WorldCon bid. It May Well Support a bid for Australia
in 2007 if it gets any further information.
NOTED
TAFF
Ulrika O'Brien (uaobrien@earthlink.net ) notes that nominations for
the next TAFF race open soon. "The upcoming race being a
Europe-to-North America race, candidates will need nominations from
three European and two North American fans."