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Hello to all, and welcome to Procrastinations #12, which I’m frantically putting together at work the day before I’m due to leave for Novacon. This month’s contributions are great, as always, but I’ve been a lot less organised with this issue than usual – apologies that I didn’t put out a call for articles, or anything similar.
Why have I been less organised? Well, two things. Firstly, a project being undertaken with some of the other postgraduates at my university which will aim to publicise some of the research going on. This has proven to be enormously challenging and enjoyable, and I’m looking forward to finally having the first issue ready for printing.
The other major extra drain on my resources has been taking on the responsibility of Deputy Division Head for Loncon 3, which is now the 72nd seated Worldcon and will be coming to our shores in August 2014. You can find out more about it at loncon3.org (as I’m sure everyone’s already aware) and I’m hugely excited to be able to put something into the next bloody British bloody Worldcon; I already edited and put out Progress Report Minus One, so I am looking forward to continuing in the same vein!
However, all this has meant that I’ve had perhaps less time than I’d like for my regular diet of fanzines and whatnot. I did manage to stir some controversy with my last fanzine, and I got an excellent letter of comment from Mark Plummer in response, so that’s pretty ace.
This weekend is, as I mentioned, Novacon. However, it’s not just any old Novacon; it’s the 42nd Novacon, and as such ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha are putting out a 42-themed magazine at the convention. I have a short piece in there, so look out for that! I wrote about TAFF, because the next TAFF race is going to be starting up at the convention. At least, it’s going to be open to nominations at the convention. I have heard mutterings about a few people who might run, but if you’re considering doing so please do get some people together to nominate you and drop me a line!
This Novacon will also be the first one that I’ve attended the entire weekend of, thanks to Jaine Fenn’s GOH status. I haven’t read all her novels (yet!) but what I have read I love, and I’m really looking forward to the chapbook and book launch at the convention. Should be a real laugh, and I’m sure I’ll have a fantastic weekend.
My letters of comment have been sublime this time around. Taral Wayne has contributed a lot on the minutiae of cowboys; Mark Plummer eloquently takes me to task for my wrongheadedness on the Hugo Award and its voter packet; Murray Moore aspires to be the next Mike Glyer; Lloyd Penney remains my most loyal loccer. I’ve also got Mark Plummer’s issue alongside the first article I’ve published from Ulrika O’Brien. Hopefully I get time to put a TAFF newsletter inside this issue, too, so that you’ll all get a better idea of what’s going on there.
Until Novacon, then. See you in the bar!