Writer Guest of Honor: Emma Bull

by Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet

The favors Emma Bull has done me range from hemming my wedding dress to telling me things I really did not want to hear about the structure of my novel. She produces a mean Grasmere gingerbread and an even better sentence. After twenty years she can still make me cry by singing 'November Song.' She is joyous and sardonic; wit, gaiety, and intellect fly from her like sparks in everything she does, from talking about cats to teaching writing to making music. She is the author of War for the Oaks (recently reissued), Falcon, Bone Dance, Finder, short stories, poems, and screenplays. Ask her about the latter, or about almost anything seemly.

 

Writer Guest of Honor: Will Shetterly

by Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet

Will Shetterly is kindness itself, but if you find him looking particularly earnest, he is probably considering whether there is a goat to be got anywhere in the neighborhood. Arguing with him might make me mad on a daily basis, except for the humorous and self-deprecatory gleam with which he makes all his more outrageous statements. He was always helpful, but after a few years' recent experience teaching writing workshops, he can now hold you out a platter of possible solutions, small jeweled appetizers of possibility for the despairing writer. He is the author of Cats Have No Lord, Witchblood, The Tangled Lands, Elsewhere, Never-Never, Chimera, short stories, screenplays, and especially of Dogland, a perfect blend of the homely and the fantastical.

 

Artist Guest of Honor: Rick Berry

by Corwin Brust

Rick Berry, famous for his innovation of digital cover art, as for example, the 1984 William Gibson novel Neuromancer, will be our guest this Minicon, over Easter. In Just A Few Short Weeks.

He's done illustration for several prominent authors, including Harlan Ellison and Stephen King. He designed Computer Generated Imagery for a major motion picture, has several collaborative works in print at this moment, and, oh yeah, his paintings cover three of my Dad's TOR titles.

For more on what he does, try www.braid.com.

I met Rick at a Fourth Street Fantasy Convention in 1996. He has a sense and wit that makes me envious of those who are able to participate in the creativity workshops and classes he leads.

I spent that year hanging with some friends, a group that would not have minded being branded 'The Rick Berry Fan Club.' Or maybe the 'Rick Berry Fan Appreciation Team.' We followed him around non-stop, for days, until they made us take him back to the airport.

Right. So. Eight or ten weeks? Contact me about your obsessed fanboyish Rick Berry related concepts at corwin@dreamcafe.com.

Fan Guest of Honor: Arthur Hlavaty

by Carol Kennedy

If you have been reading fan writing for more than 15 minutes or so and haven't read anything by Arthur Hlavaty, you haven't been trying. Fanzines (his own and others', print and online), prozines, apas, newsgroups — Arthur is omnipresent in fan writing. More important, he's damn good at it. (He's second only to Molly Ivins on my list of People I Wish I Could Write Like.)

Arthur Hlavaty was born in New York City in 1942, and he lives in nearby Yonkers today, with Bernadette Bosky and Kevin Maroney, who are accompanying him to Minicon. In between, he spent most of his years in New Rochelle (home of Rob and Laura Petrie), with a sojourn in Durham, N.C.

Arthur found SF in the 1950s, but didn't get into fandom until the 1970s. His first con was Philcon in 1977, and he published his first zine the same year (receiving it was how I, also a neofan at the time, 'met' Arthur). It started as Diagonal Relationship (1977-1982), became The Dillinger Relic (1982-1990), and has been Derogatory Reference ever since. The run is closing in on 100.

Arthur has other accomplishments, of course. He's founder of the ILLUMINATUS! Nut Cult, founder of United Perverts, and founder and original OE of Golden APA (1979-1996). My favorite is that he is Founder and Pope of the Church of the SuperGenius. He has been nominated for the Best Fan Writer Hugo many times (which he considers his greatest fannish achievement) and has been Fan GoH at many cons. When I told Arthur that this bio was supposed to tell people who didn't know him why they should be eager to meet him, he replied, 'The best I can come up with is that while I don't talk as well as I write, you can tell it's the same person.' Believe me, that's more than enough reason.

 

In Memoriam: Scott Imes

by Susan B. Levy Haskell

Long-time fan and active Minn-Stf member Scott Imes died unexpectedly on December 11th, 2001. Scott was a veteran Minn-Stf board member and Minicon committee member. In his 26 years at Uncle Hugo's Science Fiction Bookstore, Scott introduced generations of new SF readers to the genre. Scott had a passion and a gift for pointing everyone to new books they'd enjoy-and identifying old ones from snippets of description. He'll be sorely missed.

A memorial edition of Rune is planned.

Registration

by Larry Sanderson

We understand procrastination and the temptation to put off registering until February 14th, but it's much easier for us to put together a great convention if you register now. (Again, a huge 'Thank You!' to those of you who have already registered!) It's also more economical to register now (Adult = $45) rather than to wait and pay the at-the-door rate (Adult = $70). Registering now also gives us a better idea of how many people to expect, so we can plan how much blog we'll need to make, and how many bags of pretzels to order. Tight funds? Buy a supporting membership for $15, and then pay $30 at the door. That way, we'll print up a badge for you and everything!

Already Registered?
If you are registered, there will be letters on the mailing label in the top right corner. What do those letters means?

ATND = Attending Membership
SUPP = Supporting Membership
CHLD = Child Membership

If more than one membership is associated with your name and address, the main notation will be followed by a plus sign, a number, and the letter 'A' or 'S' to indicate whether the additional memberships are Attending or Supporting.

Child rates are for those 12 and under who use con services; babes in arms (staying with their parents) are free.

To avoid extra charges and difficulties with currency exchange or international money orders, members living in countries other than the United States may register before February 14th without enclosing payment, and then pay $45 in US funds at the door. (If you are

not preregistered, you will be required to pay the standard $70 at-the-door fee, regardless of country of residence.)Still have questions? Email registration@minicon.mnstf.org, or write us at the Minicon postal address (with Attn: Registration on the envelope).

Badges
A fannish use-name is OK so long as it only contains ASCII characters. Yes, your badge name can be Galadriel, but no, it can't be Galadriel in Elvish.

Registration will be located in the Coat Room on the Third Floor of the Hilton. Hours are Friday: 10am - 10pm; Saturday: 10am - 2pm. If you have to register after hours, please go to the Bridge.

Memberships are transferable but not refundable. Buy early; buy often!

Special Note for Profound Procrastinators
If, in spite of our repeated blandishments, you find yourself without a membership on February 15, there is still hope. Minicon plans to host parties at some upcoming conventions (Capricon - OK, so Capricon is before the cutoff, we're still going to party — Marscon, and possibly others), and will offer memberships at the special party rate of $45. So, you can party, buy a membership, and party some more with more funds at Minicon.

Hotel

by Scott Raun

Minicon will again be at the Hilton Minneapolis & Towers, 1001 Marquette Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN  55403-2440.

Room rates are:
$79 for a Standard Room
        — single/double/triple/quad, double-double, or king;
$140 for a Junior Suite;
$285 for a Parlor Suite.

Call the hotel at (612) 376-1000 or (800) 774-1500 to make a reservation. Be sure to mention you're with Minicon or the Minnesota Science Fiction Society, or mention our group code (MSF) to get the right rate. If you want a quiet room, ask for a room below the 16th floor. If you don't mind noise, or want to be close to the parties, ask for a room on a higher floor. You can also register online at www.hilton.com if you type in the city (Minneapolis) and the state (Minnesota) or the country (United States), pluck Hilton Minneapolis from the list, click Book A Room, type in the registration information, group code (MSF), and a valid credit card number — there, who said the Web wasn't easy? Reserve early, reserve often.

We will try to locate most, if not all, room parties on one or two floors (probably somewhere near the ConSuite). There are a limited number of suites available on those party floors (but you don't need a suite to hold a room party!). We think having parties closer together adds to the fun (and shortens the transit time from one party to the next).

If you're interested in hosting a room party, or finding out more information about suites, email the hotel department at hotel@minicon.mnstf.org or send mail to the Minicon postal address (with Attn: Hotel on the envelope).

Parking
If you drive, parking at the Hilton Minneapolis is $11.75 for 24 hours. If you have a room at the Hilton, you can go in and out of the 1,200 stall garage located underneath the hotel with no additional charges during your stay. In addition, a parking ramp south of the hotel is attached by a skyway to the hotel, and there are numerous lots available in the area. Some on-street parking may be available if they've not decided to tear up the streets by the hotel for that week. (Minneapolis is building a light-rail line, and so far, the most obvious result is torn-up and blocked-off streets. But this should not affect the Hilton Minneapolis because the light-rail line is several blocks north of the hotel.)

Directions
The hotel is located downtown at the corner of 10th Street and Marquette Avenue. For directions, please use your favorite map web site, or call the hotel at (612) 376-1000 or (800) 774-1500.

Programming

by Michael von Maltzan

Uncle Mike Wants You(r) Ideas for Programming 37!

With Guests like Will Shetterly, Emma Bull, Rick Berry, and Arthur Hlavaty, the possibilities for programming are staggering. Why, we have a writer whose father sails boats to strange and far off places; we have writers who teach; teachers who write; we have writers who sing; singers who write; painters who rock; and fans who write, that I'm sure rock too. We also have a number of past Guests and programming favorites returning this year — too many to even try to list here; why, the possibilities are just endless.

Beyond that, we're bringing a new twist to some old programming standards:

On Saturday night, a Grand Masquerade Ball — a combination of the Saturday night dance and masquerade, so bring a costume (costumes to be presented and judged by special 'celebrity' guest judges) followed by a night of great music and dancing. Or just bring a flashy outfit, and be prepared to dance!

Due to all the legal hassles involving copyright legislation, we won't be able to provide a filmeo room this year, but we have volunteers to provide private screenings of some of our favorite movies and shows at room parties (please contact programming if you can volunteer additional time and media to this effort).

And, we're continuing and expanding the Author's Round Table presentations that have become a popular favorite at Minicon. Sign up early to take part in a small-group discussion with your favorite author. Life just doesn't get any better than that!

All of this, and the fantastic ideas that you've already sent us, make this an exciting year for programming. With such an amazing line up, we have something for everyone. To that end, we'd like to ask each of you to tell us what you need from your convention. What programming items have you missed seeing in the past? Send us every idea you come up with, no matter how strange or how funny… chances are, someone else wants to see that panel, too. Most importantly, tell us who you want to see discussing your favorite books, movies, and issues. We've received a lot of wonderful ideas for panels that we need volunteers to sit on, so please include your panelist nominations, and don't be shy about volunteering yourself!

The convention is fast approaching, but there's still time to help us make sure programming has what you want to see at Minicon 37. So ask not what programming can do for you, but what you can do for programming. Call Uncle Mike at (651) 690-3503, or send him e-mail at programming@minicon.mnstf.org. Your Convention needs you! Also, keep an eye on the Minicon Web page, www.mnstf.org/minicon/minicon37/, for a programming submission and brainstorming forum.

Children's Programming

Last year children's programming, combined with childcare, was a great success. We invited the same teachers back, Lynae Fulie and Kirstin Juul, and they look forward to seeing all of the children they had the pleasure of getting to know last year as well as meeting new friends.

This year's theme for children's programming is The Science of Pirates. Once again, we will be building a fabulous cardboard creation for the kids to decorate and play in. If your child has any appropriate costume or would like to be creative and make something to bring with, please encourage them to do so. We will be discussing science related topics such as navigation, wind, and cannons. There will even be a taste-test of some of the foods that pirates commonly ate. In addition, we will talk about famous female pirates and the different types of pirates. Kids will have an opportunity to make their very own treasure map, eye patch, and hat.

Childcare hours will be very similar to last year: Friday 5-10pm, Saturday 11am-5pm and 6:30-10pm, and Sunday 11am-4pm. Please remember that children can only spend a total of twelve hours in childcare without an adult but are welcome to continue to join us for programming activities with an adult. We welcome and encourage you to join your child at programming throughout the weekend. For more information, email childcare@minicon.mnstf.org or send mail to the Minicon postal address (with Attn: Childcare on the envelope).

 

Huckster Room

by Lisa Freitag

Since last year's membership leaned toward serious readers, Greg Ketter (who is assisting me with the Huckster's room) and I would like to encourage more book dealers this year.

We sent letters to Minicon dealers from the past three years and, of course, all the booksellers that we could think of. Our lists may not be complete. If we missed you and you would like to receive Dealer's Room information and an application, please send mail to:

Lisa Freitag
3096 S Coon Creek Drive NW
Andover, MN 55304

We hope to see you there.

 

Art Show

by Laura Borchert

For the Minicon 37 Art Show, we are excited to have Rick Berry as the Artist Guest of Honor and plan an exhibit of his work, in addition to all the other wonderful works of SF/fantasy artwork. We've a letter for art show participants going out later this month, including Art Show information, rules, forms, and hanging fees. If you would like to participate, either showing art or volunteering at the art show, please email us at artshow@minicon.mnstf.org or send mail to the Minicon postal address (with Attn: Art Show on the envelope).

 

Bozo Bus Tribune

by Jeff Schalles

Back by popular demand! An unprecedented 8-year run continues!

Minicon's internationally-acclaimed convention newsletter The Bozo Bus Tribune will be better than ever this year, with more stories, more art, more news, and tons more silliness, all edited by Sharon Kahn. Contributions from con attendees are always welcome and encouraged throughout the weekend.

There will be a drop-off box for submissions on the Bridge and we can generally provide a spare Macintosh for someone to type into. Just ask on the Bridge for directions to the BBT office. Please note: we can not and will not print unsigned material, and reserve the right to edit submissions. Thanks!

 

Publications

by David Schroth

If you're interested in writing an article for the Program Book, or supplying artwork, or placing an ad, our drop-dead deadline is February 15, 2002. The ad rates are:

	DIMENSIONS	FAN RATE	PRO RATE
Full page	7.5 x 10.25 in.	$120	$200
Half page	7.5 x 5 in.	$60	$100
Business card	2 x 3.5 in.	$15	$30

The fan rate applies to non-commercial fan-run or non-profit organizations.

No halftones on business card ads, please. Ads may be submitted in most commonly recognized computer formats; for almost no additional fee, heck, we'll even do paper.

To contact us, please email us at publications@minicon.mnstf.org or send mail to the Minicon postal address (with Attn: Publications on the envelope).

Parties

by Michael Burgess

Now is the time for all good fen to come to the aid of their convention. The tradition of hospitality at Minicon continues.

The Parties head would like to extend thanks to everyone who has offered to help with this year's convention and make known to all that the time has come to step forward. To facilitate an enjoyable atmosphere, hosts will be scheduled for most convention spaces at all times. So, if you are interested in hosting a party but don't want to make your room feel like an extension of the ConSuite, or if you just figured you'd be hanging around the Smoking Zone Saturday night and want a cool badge, Act Now!

Limited Time Offer! Supplies are Limited! Nine out of ten doctors have never heard of it, but if they had they would recommend volunteering for Parties at Minicon 37 as soon as possible. Send your name and contact info along with availability and anything else you deem relevant to: Call Mike Burgess at 612-521-3130, email him at parties@minicon.mnstf.org or send mail to the Minicon postal address (with Attn: Parties on the envelope).

Volunteering

Want to meet people? Want to learn new skills?Want to help make Minicon rock? Volunteer!

Volunteering is the only way Minicon happens at all, and help is always needed and appreciated. To volunteer and help before Minicon, come to Minicon meetings (they're listed on the Web site at www.mnstf.org/minicon37). You can also volunteer for working at the convention — just check the appropriate boxes on the registration form, or email us at volunteers@minicon.mnstf.org — or you can volunteer at the convention. When in doubt where to volunteer, head for the Bridge, and ask where to volunteer.

Minicon, brought to you by Minn-Stf

The Minnesota Science Fiction Society, Inc., is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the appreciation of science fiction and fantasy literature. Minn-Stf was founded in 1966 and we've been active in the worldwide community of science fiction fandom ever since.

Minn-Stf meets (usually) on the first and third Saturdays of each month. Meetings are actually casual social gatherings (a.k.a. parties) usually located at the home of a member of the group. They start at 2pm, though most people don't show up until after 4pm because we believe in being fashionably late.

There's a five-minute business meeting at 5pm that consists of announcements of the location of upcoming meetings and other events of interest. Some snacks and drinks are provided, and contributions of food and drink are encouraged but not required. Fans tend to wander off in dinner expeditions in the evening, usually returning to party afterwards, sometimes moving on together to a movie or other activity.

Most MNSTF gatherings run until at least 10pm, many until midnight, some even later than that. What can you expect? Groups of people talking (of course). It's a good casual place to hang out and meet with friends. Some people stay for an hour, or for several hours. Sometimes people will play games, other times there'll be music parties, and sometimes all sorts of silliness will abound. If you have fun at Minicon, then you may very well have fun at a Minn-stf gathering.

Who is welcome? You are, of course.

Minn-Stf's avowed purpose is to promote science fiction in all forms of speculative, literary or artistic expression, which lead to the enhancement of either science fiction or related fields; and to plan, design, arrange, or sponsor the development of social and physical environments for the advocates of science fiction and its related speculative literatures. Said environments include provisions for meetings, conventions, publications, and lectures, as well as facilities for the storage and operation of equipment for the organization, reproduction, and distribution of any media of artistic expression used for promoting science fiction or its related speculative literatures.

MNSTF publishes Tales of the Unanticipated (TOTU), Rune, Einblatt! and more. We're always looking for editors, writers, and contributors.

To find our about upcoming Minn-stf meetings and other events, call the Minn-Stf hotline, (612) 824-5559 or visit www.mnstf.org and www.mnstf.org/minicon37. You can also sign-up for the Minn-stf events announcement online mailing list (by sending email to events-subscribe@mnstf.org). If you lack net access, write to us and ask to be put on the Einblatt! mailing list or send mail to :

P.O. Box 8583
Lake Street Station
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(with Attn: Einblatt! on the envelope).

Minstf's clubzine Rune, thought by many to have fallen down a rabbit hole, is looking to revive and re-invent itself this year, beginning with a new issue — Number 86 — which we hope to have done in time for Minicon. We're still looking for material, in fact, and, specifically, we are looking for peoples' remembrances of the late Scott Imes, long-time pillar of local fandom and manager of Uncle Hugo's bookstore. Art, prose, poetry, anything that can be mimeographed, can be emailed to us at rune@mnstf.org or snailmailed to us at:

P.O. Box 8583
Lake St. Station
Minneapolis, MN 55408

 

Web site: www.mnstf.org

We'll be updating the Web site with information about upcoming meetings, parties, and other events. We'll also link to interesting (and useful) information about Minicon's past (and future). We have a PDF of the Minicon 37 registration form available online for you to download if you'd prefer it. We'll also have an online discussion about programming in some format. Expect more on the website than we can fit in this PR.

 

Minicon 37 Department Contacts

Erik Baker, co-chair
Laura Jean Fish, co-chair
Corwin Brust, vice chair — request@minicon.mnstf.org
Charmaine Burgess, treasury@minicon.mnstf.org
Larry Sanderson, registration@minicon.mnstf.org
Scott Raun, hotel@minicon.mnstf.org
Lisa Freitag, hucksters@minicon.mnstf.org
Laura Borchert, artshow@minicon.mnstf.org
Michael Burgess, parties@minicon.mnstf.org
Michael von Maltzan, programming@minicon.mnstf.org
David Schroth, publications@minicon.mnstf.org
Andrew Bertke, design - publications@minicon.mnstf.org
Sharon Kahn, Bozo Bus Tribune - publications@minicon.mnstf.org
Laurel Krahn, webmaster@minicon.mnstf.org

Thanks to everyone who was at Minicon 36 for helping to make it such an amazing convention. You all rock! We hope to see you again at Minicon 37. And thanks to everyone who visited the Minn-stf/Minicon Parties at Marscon, Wiscon, CONvergence, Diversicon, and Worldcon — We're coming soon to a convention near you!

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Special Notes:

Emma Bull photo by David Dyer-Bennet
Will Shetterly photo by David Dyer-Bennet
Scott Imes photo by Greg Cotton

Minicon logo was created using the font Wizardry by John Cosgriff.

All artwork is available from Havana Street.

The print publication of Minicon 37 Progrss Report 2 was completed on January 11, 2002.