Lloyd Penney on DMF9

All posts, Guest blog

Dear Nalini:

 Finally have the time to devote to this bumper 245-pager…many thanks for Dark Matter 9. Once again, I will try my best to comment on the contents. No promises, here I go.

 I am not sure if Iron Sky has come to Toronto yet… on page 121, there’s a picture of a young boy in full Nazi dress uniform. The caption says he is cosplaying Iron Sky, but not everyone would have made that assumption. As I type, the big annual anime con is going on, Amine North, and I wonder if anyone is there in Nazi uniform. I am hoping that the newest Progress Report from Chicon will arrive soon so we can send in our Hugo and site selection ballots. Site selection for London in 2014, and we are still hoping that we can go.

 Wil Wheaton will be coming to Toronto in July as one of the GoHs of Polaris 26. We’ll be there on the Saturday only. I’d like to meet him, but if not, Yvonne and I will be guesting at Loscon 39 in Los Angeles this coming November, so maybe we’ll meet him then.

 Brandon Sanderson is so right…”Where’s the time?” So much to see, read and watch, and so little time. And, not a lot of money, either. Yes, there’s libraries and downloads and PVRs, but still, not much time. So much is available, and so much will have to wait until another day.

My loc…the only update I have is that the job at the advertising agency ended early, and I am once again hunting for some daytime work. The evening work is still there, but I must find something soon. I get the feeling I might have offended you about asking about fanzine to semi-prozine, and that was not my intention. Looks like what you want to do with Dark Matter goes beyond the labels and categories I’m most familiar with. Go on with what you have in mind; create your own category, and be unique.

 I think I am done, and have done what I can, wish it was more. Thank you for the work you’ve done here, and I look forward to issue 10.

 

                                                                        Yours, Lloyd Penney.

 

Hi Lloyd,

No you didn’t offend me asking about fanzine to prozine.  By raising the question in a courteous manner, you gave me the opportunity to explore the topic, including airing some of my frustrations with issues around categories.  I appreciated the opportunity to discuss my thoughts on the subject without being said to be having an ‘internet meltdown’.

thanks, Nalini

Hi, Nalini, a suggestion…leave the letters in the fanzine. For many, seeing their name in print can be a kick, and may be an incentive to start writing a letter. Print the letters in your zine with a note saying that if you’d like to carry on a conversation with the letter writers, go to the website to do so. Keeping the conversation going is fine, but you will need new people to add on occasion. The idea of seeing their words in print will bring them in, and carry on and increase the conversation on the website.
I don’t mind the wait to converse in the letter column between issues…been doing that with fanzines for a long time. Social media means that people usually don’t like to wait that long, but I’ve been in fanzine letter columns for about 30 years now. Also, say your comments on Klout. In the age of social media, it sounds quite anti-social.
Lloyd