Spawn of Prophecy #1
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Spawn of Prophecy
Spawn of Prophecy #1 is published by Jerry Kaufman, 4325 Winslow Place H., Seattle, WA £8103, ano Clifford R. Hind, #205, 303 Summit E., Seattle, WA 98102, as the official newsletter of Spawncon, the 1985 Australian National Convention. Issues are available to Spawncon members and upon request by nonmeubers. Feb 84.
Hello. We are Jerry Kaufman, winner of the 1983 Down Under Fan Fund, and Clifford R. Hind, co-founder of Western Australian fandom and occasional visitor to Australia. At Syncon, the 1983 Australian National Convention we won, with a last minute bid, the right to hold the 1985 Australian NatCon. In Seattle. For more details on that story see the various Australian and American fan and pro newszines. Some of them got it almost right.
You are, unless this paper has fallen into the Wrong Hands, someone we would like to have know about Spawncon (the '85 NatCon's nickname), perhaps even attend.
Spawncon will be held in conjunction with Norwescon, the annual Seattle regional convention. This means that the NatCon will be held the same weekend and at the same hotel as Norwescon. Norwescon will mention the NatCon in its publicity , and we will mention Norwescon in ours. However, membership in one will not get you the privileges or benefits of belonging to the other. Spawncon membership will cost $3 American or $4 Australian, and will get you exciting benefits (just keep reading). Send cash, money orders, or cheques, the latter made out to Clifford R. Hind (proud holder of an Australian bank account).
We'd like to tell you what Norwescon membership will cost in '85, but we can't. The con committee is still working on the '84 convention. We can, however tell you what that will cost, and thus help you to plan your attendance. The con is currently charging $20 until March 1, and will charge $25 from then until the convention itself, March 22-25. (Hext year's convention will be approximately the same weekend.) The rates are generally lower for those who purchase memberships early. Please write the Northwest Science Fiction Society, PO Box 24207, Seattle, WA 98124 for details, or wait for the next Spawn of Prophecy in about six months.
Norwescon is held at the Airport Hyatt Hotel, about fifteen miles from heart of Seattle. This hotel has given the convention a rate of $49 a room (regardless of the number of inhabitants, which, in the hotel's opinion, means either one or two people,), and this rate has held for several years. There are cheaper motels across a fairly busy highway, and we will publish details in a later issue.
Membership in Norwescon will get you all of its publications and entry to all official Norwescon events. Since this convention has about 1500 members, 100 attending professionals, three-track programming, a Fan Room, Art Show, Dealers Room, and all sorts of things (even an Ice Cream Social), you get a lot for your money. Membership in Spawncon will get you all its publications, a nifty membership button, and entry into its two or three programming items. Members of both Spawncon and Norwescon will get into a wonderful party that will be co-sponsored.
Hhat sort of programming are we planning? At the moment we have some ideas, very vague, about discussions of the Australian pro publishing scene, the Australian fan scene, and the place of Ayers Rock and sheep in science fiction. Of course, we'll hold a Down Under Fan Fund auction, but that will be (we hope) part of the Norwescon program as well. In fact, we're looking for more ideas, and hope tnat our Australian members will flood us with them.
We hope, fervently, that our Australian members will flood us with themselves. Usually, ten to twenty Australians make it to the U.S. for the Worldcon; since you only have to go to Melbourne in 1985, we hope you'll make Spawncon the first, or last, stop instead. You'll also help to convince more people in the Pacific Northwest to travel to Australia for Worldcon by exposing then to real Oz charm. Please note that early spring is also a cheaper time of the year to travel. We're sure that Pan-Am or Qantas will have good deals, as would many US domestic airlines. Check with your local agent for now. We hope to have sone sample plans and fares in a later issue.
Meanwhile, what is happening with Advention? We expect to hear from Jeff Harris sooner or later on this score. Our intention was to hold the best party and the main programming, while Advention was to administer the Ditmars and hold the business meeting and site selection (and whatever else they like). If we hold the business meeting the '87 NatCon could end up in Birmingham, Alabama, or Bingley, West Yorkshire.
Now for a few plugs. U.S. fans, if you want to get more news of Australia, subscribe to Thyme, published by Roger Heddell (for fannish news) or Australian SF News, published by Merv Binns (for pro and general news). Aussie fans can get news of the U.S. scene from File 770, (fannish), or Locus, or SFChronicle (pro).
Thyme: $9 U.S. to American agent Jerry Kaufman, 4325 Hinslow Place H, Seattle, HA 98103.
Australian SF News: $5.95 (surface) or $11.55 (airmail) U.S. to American agent Locus, Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94551.
Locus: $35.50 for 12 issues (air), $22.90 (sea), Australian funds, c/o Mervyn R. Binns, 305/307 Swanston St., Melbourne, 3000, Victoria.
SFChronicle: $32.50 for one year, Australian funds, c/o Mervyn R. Binns (address above).
File 770: $3 (U.S.) for 5 issues, or $1 (U.S) each for air printed matter rate, Mike Glyer, 5823 Woodman Ave. #2, Van Wuys, CA 91401.
Spawn of Prophecy
J. Kaufman, C.R. Hind
c/o NWSFS
Box 24207
Seattle, WA 98124