It goes like this: because I spent a couple of weeks in North America around Worldcon I got hopelessly in a hole with paid work and have had to spend much of the past two weeks getting that done to meet end-of-August deadlines. But because I did that I got hopelessly in a hole with all of the post-Worldcon stuff. Now it is September, August deadlines are done with, and I can start digging my way out of hole #2.
I just hope that doesn’t involve the creation of hole #3.
Today is actually quite busy. There’s a new Clarkesworld due out, I have Open Alliance Pride Day to do (more on that later) and month end invoicing and backups. However, Damien Walter has saved me one panic because he has postponed Support Our Zines Day until October. Thank you, Damien, and good luck with the event.
Damien Walter: “What are ‘zines?
The short answer is that ‘zines are where we go to find good, new short fiction.”
Er, well, no.
Better to refer to “fiction zines,” and not confuse everyone who has ever done a “zine” or comics zine or music zine or rock zine or punk zine, or anarchist zine or political zine or dadaist zine or DIY zine or environmental zine, let alone the long history of fanzines of various sorts, let along the long history of science fiction fanzines.
Anything but, with all due respect, attempt to claim that “‘zines” mean “where we got to find good, new short fiction,” which leaves out what the rest of the world variously think “zines” refers to. This is a seriously confusing usage, and highly idiosyncratic and ahistoric. And within the science fiction and fantasy community, it’s assuredly not what “zines” means. Fiction zines are merely a single subcategory of zine.
Respectfully, and meant only with kindness in my heart, this is not an obscure matter.
Hey, don’t forget postal Diplomacy!