The Fandom Association of Central TexasJuly, 2010

The FACT Sheet

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Support Recycled Reads SciFi Event August 21-22!

Recycled Reads is planning an SF event for the weekend before ArmadilloCon (August 21-22). They will also be publicizing ArmadilloCon 32!

Please be sure to visit Recycled Reads the weekend before ARmadilloCon 32 to support the Austin Public Library and to take advantage of some great deals on SF. Their prices are $2 for hard-cover, $1 for soft-cover, with some special items priced as marked. The SF section in the store is about half ex-library and half donations with a mix of vintage and new, sci-fi and fantasy. They will also be offering a number of signed copies.

Recycled Reads is run primarily by volunteers with materials withdrawn from the Library’s collection and donations. The store gives books a second chance and is an active participant in the City’s Zero Waste Plan by ensuring obsolete materials are kept out of landfills. Items Recycled Reads is unable to sell go to Books Beyond Borders, which through Project School House provides books and funding to third-world schools and libraries.

2010 John W. Campbell Award Finalists Include ArmadilloCon 32

Special Guest Nancy Kress!The finalists for the 2010 John W. Campbell

Memorial Award for best SF novel have been announced. The award will be presented during the Campbell Conference Awards Banquet, to be held July 16-18, at the University of Kansas.

The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood (Talese)The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade)Transition, Iain M. Banks (Orbit)Makers, Cory Doctorow (Tor)Steal Across the Sky, Nancy Kress (Tor)Gardens of the Sun, Paul McAuley (Pyr)The City & The City, China Miéville (Del Rey)Yellow Blue Tibia, Adam Roberts (Gollancz)Galileo’s Dream, Kim Stanley Robinson (Ballantine

Spectra)WWW: Wake, Robert J. Sawyer (Ace; Gollancz)The Caryatids, Bruce Sterling (Del Rey)Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America,

Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)

2009 Nebula Awards The 2009 Nebula Awards were announced in June:Short Story: Spar, Kij JohnsonNovelette: Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red

Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast, Eugie FosterNovella: The Women of Nell Gwynne’s, Kage BakerNovel: The Windup Girl, Paolo BacigalupiBradbury Award, Best Dramatic Production:

District 9, Neill Blomkamp and Terri TatchellAndre Norton Award: The Girl Who

Circumnavigated Fairyland In A Ship Of Her Own Making, Catherynne M. Valente

ArmadilloCon 32 Almost Here!If you have not already done so, please register for

ArmadilloCon 32. Go to www.ArmadilloCon.org.

A Few Notes About AC32 Special Guest Michael Bishop

Michael Bishop had a story on the ballot for the 2009 Nebula Awards. If you have not done so, find a

UPUPCOMING FACT EVENTS

Saturday, July 10, 1-3 PM: FACT Board Meeting (Manchaca Branch, Austin Public Library, 5500 Manchaca Rd). The monthly meeting of the FACT board of directors is open to all FACT members and other individuals who have business to discuss.

Saturday, July 10, 3:30 - 5 PM: ArmadilloCon 32 Meeting. ConComm meets at Buffet Palace, West Gate Blvd.

Tuesday, July 20, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading Group (Austin Public Library, Milwood Branch, 12500 Amherst). Anathem by Neal Stephenson.

Tuesday, August 2, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading Group (Austin Public Library, North Village Branch, 2505 Steck). Bitter Angels by C.L. Anderson.

Saturday, August 14, 1-3 PM: FACT Board Meeting (Manchaca Branch, Austin Public Library, 5500 Manchaca Rd). The monthly meeting of the FACT board of directors is open to all FACT members and other individuals who have business to discuss.

Friday, August 27 - Sunday, 29: ArmadilloCon 32. Renaissance Hotel Austin. Don’t miss it!

Sunday, August 29, Time TBA: Reading Group @ ArmadilloCon. The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle.

Saturday, Sept. 11, 6PM. Gaming (FACT member home, 4209 Dauphine Dr.)

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copy of “Vinegar Peace, or the Wrong-Way Used-Adult Orphanage” (Asimov’s, July 2008), or look for it at the convention!

Mr. Bishop was the first week instructor at this year’s Clarion West Writers’ Workshop in Seattle. He will be teaching at the Shared Worlds conference at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, July 18-31.

You can read another recent work of his, “The Library of Babble,” online at Subterranean Press’s website: http://tinyurl.com/librarybabble

2010 Locus Awards AnnouncedThe 2010 Locus Awards winners were announced

at the annual Science Fiction Awards Weekend, held June 25-27, 2010, in Seattle. For an entertaining account of the proceedings, see the June 27 entry on Nancy Kress’s blog at http://www.sff.net/people/nankress/.

Best SF Novel: Boneshaker, Cherie Priest (Tor)Best Fantasy Novel: The City & The City, China

Miéville (Del Rey; Macmillan UK)Best First Novel: The Windup Girl, Paolo Bacigalupi

(Night Shade)Best Young Adult Book: Leviathan, Scott

Westerfeld (Simon Pulse; Simon & Schuster UK)

Best Novella: The Women of Nell Gwynne’s, Kage Baker (Subterranean)

Best Novelette: ‘‘By Moonlight’’, Peter S. Beagle (We Never Talk About My Brother)

Best Short Story: ‘“An Invocation of Incuriosity,” Neil Gaiman (Songs of the Dying Earth)

Best Anthology: The New Space Opera 2, Gardner Dozois & Jonathan Strahan, eds. (Eos; HarperCollins Australia)

Best Collection: The Best of Gene Wolfe, Gene Wolfe (Tor); as The Very Best of Gene Wolfe (PS)

Best Non-Fiction Book/Art Book: Cheek by Jowl, Ursula K. Le Guin (Aqueduct)

ARMADILLOCON 32

go towww.armadillocon.orgto buy your ticket

today!

RachelCaineGuest of HonorAuthor of The Weather Warden Series

NancyKressToastmistressAuthor of Beggars in Spain

IlonaAndrewsUrban Fantasy Special GuestAuthor of Magic Bites series

MichaelBishopSteampunk Special GuestAward -winning author ofNo Enemy But Time

ElspethBloodgoodFan GuestConestoga

CatConradArtist Guestwww.ArtistsInResidence.com/Cat

AnneSowardsEditor GuestEditor for Ace Books & Roc

Austin�s Literary FSF ConventionRenaissance Hotel Austin

August 27-29, 2010

www.ArmadilloCon.org

Connect with FACT online:- Group List: groups.google.com/group/factlist- Website: www.fact.org- Facebook: ArmadilloCon Convention- Twitter: armadillocon32

Best Artist: Michael WhelanBest Editor: Ellen DatlowBest Magazine: The Magazine of Fantasy & Science

FictionBest Book Publisher: Tor

Summer Film ReleasesWe are half way through the summer fi lm season.

The following may interest SF fans:Despicable Me (July 9) Animated, from Universal.

Stars Steve Carell.The Girl Who Played with Fire (July 9) Limited

release, looks interesting.Predators (July 9)[Rec] 2 (July 9)Inception (July 16) Cast includes Michael Caine and

Leonardo DiCaprio.The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (July 16) Stars Nicolas

Cage.Salt (July 23). Thriller starring Angelina Jolie.Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (July 30)Tales from Earthsea (August 13). Based on LeGuin,

directed by Miyazaki.Piranha 3-D (August 20) Starring Elizabeth Shue

and Richard Dreyfuss.The Last Exorcism (August 27)

2010 David Gemmell Legend Awards

The 2009 David Gemmell Legend Awards winners have been announced:

Best Fantasy Novel:Empire: The Legend of Sigmar, Graham McNeill

(Black Library)Best Served Cold, Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz, Orbit)The Gathering Storm, Robert Jordan & Brandon

Sanderson (Tor)The Cardinal’s Blades, Pierre Pevel (Gollancz)Warbreaker, Brandon Sanderson (Tor)The Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy

Newcomer:The Cardinal’s Blades, Pierre Pevel (Gollancz)The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart, Jesse

Bullington (Orbit)The Adamantine Palace, Stephen Deas (Gollancz)The Drowning City, Amanda Downum (Orbit)Lamentation, Ken Scholes (Tor)The Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Cover

Art:Didier Graffet & Dave Senior (Illustration) and

Laura Brett (Art Direction) for the cover of Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie (Gollancz)

Jackie Morris (Illustration) and Dominic Forbes (Art Direction) for the cover of The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb (Voyager)

Larry Rostant (Illustration) and Loulou Clarke (Art Direction) for the cover of Fire by Kristin Cashore (Gollancz)

Jon Sullivan (Illustration) for the cover of Empire by Graham McNeill (Black Library)

Jon Sullivan (Illustration) and Sue Michniewitz (Art Direction) for the cover of The Cardinal’s Blades by Pierre Pevel (Gollancz)

Shortlist for 2010 Sunburst Awards

Finalists for the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic have been announced. Winners will be announced this fall.

Adult:The Mystery of Grace, Charles de Lint (Tor)Indigo Springs, A.M. Dellamonica (Tor)Makers, Cory Doctorow (Tor)The Sunless Countries, Karl Schroeder (Tor)Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America,

Robert Charles Wilson (Tor)Young Adult:Give Up the Ghost, Megan Crewe (Henry Holt)Amy By Any Other Name, Maureen Garvie (Key

Porter)Half World, Hiromi Goto (Penguin)Wondrous Strange, Lesley Livingston (HarperTeen)The Hunchback Assignment, Arthur Slade (Lamb)

FACToids and FriendsNeal Barrett, Jr.’s “At the Store” is available

online at the Subterranean Press website: http://tinyurl.com/nealstorestory

AC 32 Special Guest Michael Bishop’s story “The Library of Babble,” is available online at Subterranean Press’s website: http://tinyurl.com/librarybabble

You might enjoy a recent article by Ben Bova on the topic of science fi ction conventions. http://tinyurl.com/bovaonconsRachel Caine’s Total Eclipse (Weather Warden

series #9) will be released in paperback on August

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The De Dion and Bouton Road Motor, Scientifi c American Supple-ment. Vol. XLII., No. 1082, September 26, 1896

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3 -- just in time to pick up a copy at ArmadilloCon. Caine is busy these days. Kiss of Death (Morganville Vampires Book 8) was released April 27, and Ghost Town, book 9 in the Morganville Vampires series, is due out in hardback on October 26.

A good crowd gathered at the home of Eric Hollas and Jennifer Juday to play games and talk about SF on July 3. Attendees included Elze Hamilton, Jonathan Miles, Brian Price, Charles Siros, Nina Siros, and Willie Siros. The next Game Night will be on September 11 (skipping August due at ArmadilloCon, and moving a week later in September to avoid competing with Labor Day plans).

The fourth season of Eureka kicked off on July 9, 2010.

Lawrence Person has posted pictures from ApolloCon 2010. See the June 27 entry on his blog http://www.lawrenceperson.com/.

Lawrence Person also posted pictures from the party celebrating Neal Barrett, Jr.’s receipt of the SFWA Author Emeritus Award. The hosts of the party were Charles Siros and Willie Siros. Other attendees included Ruth Barrett, A.T. Campbell, III, Scott Cupp, Eric Hollas, Joe R. Lansdale, Karen Meschke, Ed Scarbrough, William Browning Spencer, Susan Wade, and Don Webb. See the May 30 entry on his blog http://www.lawrenceperson.com/.

John Picacio (AC 2003 Artist GoH) was interviewed by The Functional Nerds (Episode 15, posted June 25). Your editor found the discussion accessible and interesting, well worth the time. Listen to the podcast at http://functionalnerds.com/2010/06/episode-15/.

“Judge Sn Goes Golfing,” a story by AC 30 GoH John Scalzi, is available as a podcast at the Subterranean website: http://tinyurl.com/judgesn

Last month we reported that Charles Siros was to be Fan GOH at Conestoga 15. That is now up in the air, as Conestoga 15 has been postponed. A new date has yet to be determined. http://sftulsa.org/

Howard Waldrop and Lawrence Person posted a review of Jonah Hex at Locus Online. Read it to see why they described this movie as a “bagged microwave cheeseburger.” As is delightfully usual, their review is a pleasure to read. http://tinyurl.com/lphwjonahhex

Convention ListingAug. 27-29: ArmadilloCon 32, Austin, TX. GoH

Rachel Caine; Artist Cat Conrad; Editor Anne Sowards; Fan Elspeth Bloodgood; Toastmaster Nancy Kress; Urban Fantasy Special Guest Ilona Andrews; Steampunk Special Guest Michael Bishop.

Adult memberships $35 until March 29. http://www.armadillocon.org

Aug. 27-29: Bubonicon 42, Albuquerque Grand (Sheraton) Airport Hotel, Albuquerque, NM. GoH Peter David; Toastmaster Mario Acevedo; Artist Guest Sarah Clemens. http://www.bubonicon.com

Sept. 2-6: Aussiecon, the 68th Worldcon, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. http://www.aussiecon4.org

Sept. 17-19: FenCon VII, Crowne Plaza North Dallas, Addison, TX. GoH Spider Robinson, Music GoHs Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff, Fen GoHs Kevin Roche & Andrew Trembley, Artist GoH John Picacio, Scientist GoH John Randall, Toastmaster Joe R. Lansdale, Special Guest Jessica Wade, Special Guest Robert J. Sawyer. http://www.fencon.org/

Sept. 17-19: Con*Stellation XXIX: Leo, Holiday Inn Express, Huntsville, AL. GoH Wen Spencer, Master of Ceremonies Steve Jackson, Artist GoH Vincent Di Fate, Fan GoH Warren Buff. http://www.con-stellation.org/

Oct. 28-31: World Fantasy Convention 36, Columbus, OH. http://www.worldfantasy2010.com

Dec. 3-5: SMOFcon 28. Sainte Claire, San Jose, CA. http://www.smofcon28.org

Dec. 31-Jan. 2: Ikkicon, Hilton Austin, Austin, TX. http://ikkicon.com

Feb. 18-20, 2011: ConDFW, Crowne Plaza Suites, Dallas, TX. GoHs Jack McDevitt, Tim Powers, Brandon Sanderson.

Mar. 25-27, 2011: MidSouthCon 29, Artist GoH Nene Thomas, Costuming GoH Kelldar, Editor GoH Jackie Gamber, Toastmaster James P. Hogan.

Apr. 28 - May 1, 2011. World Horror Convention, Austin TX. GOHs Joe Hill and Sarah Langan, Media Guest Steve Niles, Toastmaster Joe R. Lansdale, Artists GOH Vincent Chong, Special Guest Brian Keene. http://whc2011.org/

June 3-5, 2011: SoonerCon 20, Featured Guests Selina Rosen, Tim Powers, Darrell K. Sweet. http://www.soonercon.com/

© 1987, Jeff Doten

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Book GroupsWednesday, July 17, 7 PM: Dark Forces Reading

Group, Flightpath Coffee House, The City and the City by China Miéville.

Tuesday, July 20, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading Group (Austin Public Library, Milwood Branch, 12500 Amherst). Anathem by Neal Stephenson.

Thursday, July 29, 7-8:30 PM, Barnes & Noble Arboretum Café, Science and Religion in Fiction Book Club (Center for Inquiry). Blindsight by Peter Watts. Coordinated by FACT member Elze Hamilton.

Tuesday, August 2, 7-8PM: North Austin Reading Group (Austin Public Library, North Village Branch, 2505 Steck). Bitter Angels by C.L. Anderson.

Writing2nd & 4th Tuesdays, 7-10 PM: Slug Tribe, Hancock

Rec Center (41st and Red River).Alternate Wednesdays, 7-9 PM, Austin Creative

Writers (Feb. 3, 17). Borders Bookstore at Great Hills. Critique group (novels & short stories). For more information, go to groups.yahoo.com/group/austincreativewriting.

Reading Group Reports

June 21: Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress

The North Reading Group met on June 21, 2010, to discuss Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress, published in 2009. The meeting was held at the Milwood branch of the Austin Public Library. Eight people attended, and comments were received by three others who were unable to attend. Of these, nine had read Kress before, eleven started the book, and eight finished it.

Everyone who was familiar with Kress’ writing was complimentary of her earlier works, especially the novellas and short stories. She has won four Nebula awards and two Hugos, among others. Reaction to this book, though, was mixed. One reader commented that the core concept was implausible. Aliens arrived (“The Atoners of Neu”), and although not revealing themselves, took out ads on the internet asking for applicants to be “Witnesses” concerning an unspecified ancient wrong done by them to humans for which they wished to atone in an unspecified manner. From a worldwide competition, 21 volunteers were selected. Other than that most of them were Americans, there was no discernible

Faures Machine for Decorticating Sugar Cane, Scientific American Supplement, No. 441, June 14, 1884.

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pattern. The most common objection mentioned by readers was that none of the principal characters were especially likeable and it was hard to identify with or care about them.

Most of the readers were willing to accept the premise that aliens might not act in ways that seem logical to us, and alien concepts of remorse and atonement could be whatever the author wanted. So nearly everyone liked the first part of the story. The twenty-one winners were split into seven teams of three, each sent to a binary pair of planets that the aliens had set up as an experiment but not since visited. The story followed one group, Cam O’Kane (beautiful blonde of moderate intellect), Lucca Madero (cynic from a wealthy family), and Soledad Arellano (carefully non-stereotypical Latina) to visit the planets Kular A and B. Cam landed on Kular A, Lucca crash-landed on Kular B, and Soledad stayed in the ship to handle communications and provide assistance if needed. The Witnesses were not told what to look for, being told that they would know it when they saw it. Cam became friendly with an interpreter named Aveo, who attempted to teach her about Kulith, a philosophical game used on Kular A to guide personal behavior. Cam did discover a remarkable trait the inhabitants possessed. The inhabitants of Kular B did not exhibit this ability. When Cam was transported to Kular B along with Aveo to rescue Lucca, Lucca observed the phenomenon, but placed an entirely different interpretation on it.

The witnesses all returned to earth and reported their observations. The aliens explained that they had made a genetic modification to humans 10,000 years earlier, removing an ability from those on earth. The aliens had set up the seven pairs of planets with unmodified humans on one and modified ones on the other. Never explained were reasons the aliens felt remorseful about this, what they meant by atonement, or any details about why they had done it to begin with, but the Witnesses were encouraged to tell everybody on earth what they had discovered. Because some of the public reacted negatively to the revelation, the government offered a Witness protection program. Some of the witnesses attempted to resume their normal lives, with varying success. Cam became a video celebrity telling her story, Lucca holed up in Canada, and Soledad’s role was increased--along with a stereotypical religious witness named Frank Olenik and a gay friend named Fengamo. The last section of the book involved an attempt to learn more about the aliens and an explanation of the form “atonement” was taking.

Several of the readers lost interest in the story after the Witnesses’ return to earth. One comment was that it became “too anthropological.” Another said the story “died on the vine” because none of the issues raised in the story were wound up in a logical or satisfactory way. One comment was that “it was

self-contained” and was “an interesting place even lacking interesting characters.” Another was “good writer, interesting even with a slender foundation.” The general consensus was that Kress is a very good writer but this was not her best work.

After the meeting, the group enjoyed dinner at Rudy’s.

-- Tom Sciance

FACT Board Meeting: April 2010 (Outgoing Board)

The monthly meeting of the board of directors for the Fandom Association of Central Texas was called to order on Saturday, 10 April 2010, by Board Chair Jonathan Miles at the Manchaca Branch of the Austin Public Library, 4400 Manchaca Rd., Austin, Texas, at 1:08 p.m.

Present in addition to the chair were Directors Marianne Moul, Elizabeth Burton, C. Dan Tolliver, Charles Siros and William Siros, Director and FACT President Brian Price, FACT Vice-President Matthew Duarte, FACT Officers Jennifer Juday and Eric Hollas, FACT members Karen Meschke Renee Babcock and Joyanne Moul and guest Stephen Moul.

The secretary presented the minutes of the March meeting. There being no additions or corrections, it was moved by Mr. Price, seconded by Ms. Moul they be accepted as submitted. In the absence of objection, the chair declared the motion passed by acclamation.

CORRESPONDENCE: Mailed ballots for the annual election of the board of directors were acknowledged.

OFFICER REPORTSCHAIRMr. Miles cited having attended gaming and

Comicpalooza.

PRESIDENTMr. Price advised he had also attended gaming.

VICE-PRESIDENTMr. Duarte noted he had not participated in any

FACT-related events.

TREASURERMs. Moul advised the balance as of 3/31/2010 was

$21817.12.The documents regarding nonprofit status required

by Paypal have been submitted by email. Mr. Miles again noted he felt it important they also be sent by regular mail.

SECRETARY

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Ms. Burton advised she was mostly involved with preparations for the annual meeting.

REGISTRARVital Statistics Change49 Active Memberships -240 Expired Memberships ( < 1 Year) +3

Changes since 03/13/2010 ReportNew MembershipsTim KeatingRenewed MembershipsBurton ElizabethCarillo KimmCarillo PaulCook ShaneDavidson TomHaynie Becky MatthewsSantana SoniaSiros Charles (Chuck)Expired MembershipsBabcock ReneeMiles Jonathan WMoore John F.Dennis CarolRiggs JimOther Changes:Kelley Rocky Removed old emailMoul Marianne Updated email

SOCIAL EVENTS MANAGERMr. Tolliver reported on behalf of Ms. Snyder that

the trip to Sherwood Faire had taken place. Ms. Burton asked if Ms. Snyder had been able to attend the nonprofit workshop as she had hoped, but Mr. Tolliver advised he wasn’t sure.

HISTORIANMr. Tolliver noted he had attended gaming and

GeezerCon, has distributed ArmadilloCon flyers at various conventions and events and attended a meeting of the Policies and Procedures Committee

MISNo report

PUBLICATIONSMs. Juday was able to distribute the pre-annual

meeting edition of the FACT Sheet and worked on the gaming party.

QUARTERMASTERMr. C. Siros advised he will be requesting funds to

renew the storage locker.

COMMITTEE REPORTSARMADILLOCONMs. Burton noted the committee met in March and

that plans are proceeding. There were 66 members as of 8 April, and FACT members were advised of the discount on membership rate.

HOTEL COMMITTEENo report

BYLAWS COMMITTEEThe Policies and Procedures Committee met and

offered a policy regarding reporting parameters for officers and committee chairs. The policy calls for all committee meetings to be recorded in the form of minutes and kept on file, and that a monthly report must be submitted to the board. Ms. Burton recommended this information be provided on the website

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEENo report

READING GROUPSMr. W. Siros advised the group has met twice and

that both sessions were well attended.

OLD BUSINESS1. Flats for World Horror Convention Mr. C. Siros

advised he has contacted them but to date has not received a response.

2. Reporting Procedures As reported, the Policies and Procedures Committee established minimum reporting and record-keeping requirements.

3. Changing Banks Ms. Moul advised she now has information needed, but has not yet arranged a meeting with a Frost Bank representative to determine whether they are willing to match the better offers from their competitors

4. Austin ComicCon Ms. Burton distributed copies of emails from Peter Kurtz with co-op suggestions. Mr. Miles said the suggested table exchange is fine, since it would be good PR for FACT. The link trade is also considered reasonable, and offer of discounted tickets would be an excellent member perk. It was requested Ms. Burton seek additional information to determine how the discount would be handled, whether by our prepurchasing a block of tickets or by having members use a coupon code when registering? Directors also wondered what benefit a local volunteer or volunteers for their table at ArmadilloCon receive? It was decided that we would notify other groups to determine if they have any interested in assisting, and that we would also ask if ComicCon is interested in being included in the mass

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mailing. It was suggested a flat fee of $500 might be a reasonable fee if FACT takes care of printing as well as mailing.

NEW BUSINESS1. Neal Barrett Jr. Recognition Party Mr. Barrett

having been named the 2010 SFWA Author Emeritus, Mr. C. Siros suggested FACT sponsor a celebration for him, with the Memorial Day weekend the likely time assuming Mr. Barrett is available. The board authorized him to proceed with planning the event.

There being no other business before the board, the meeting was adjourned at 1:40 p.m.

FACT Board Meeting: April 2010 (First Meeting of 2010 Board)

The first meeting of the newly elected board of directors for the Fandom Association of Central Texas was called to order on Saturday, 10 April 2010, by outgoing FACT President Brian Price at the Manchaca Branch of the Austin Public Library, 5500 Manchaca Rd., Austin, Texas, at 2:19 p.m. Present were Directors Elizabeth Burton, C. Dan Tolliver, Jonathan Miles and Charles Siros, FACT Officers

Jennifer Juday and Eric Hollas, FACT members Karen Meschke, William Siros,, Matthew Duarte, Renee Babcock and Joyanne Moul and guest Stephen Moul.

Mr. Price called for a nomination for a chairperson for the board. Mr. Tolliver nominated Mr. Miles, who accepted the nomination. There being no objection, Mr. Miles was declared elected by acclamation. Mr. Price then turned the meeting over to Mr. Miles after thanking the previous board for their hard work on behalf of the organization.

There being no minutes to be presented or correspondence to review, the board moved on to set the time and place of subsequent board meetings. It was moved by Mr. Siros that the meetings be held on the second Saturday of each month at the Manchaca Branch of the library, seconded by Ms. Burton. There being no objection, the motion was approved by acclamation.

The board then proceeded to the election and/or nomination of officers. Mr. William Siros agreed to fulfill the office of president until a replacement could be found. The secretary, Ms. Burton, and the treasurer, Ms. Moul, agreed to continue in their respective offices, as did the registrar, Mr. Hollas. Mr.

Experiment on Telephonic Transmission without Receiving Apparatus, Scientific American Supplement, No. 441, June 14, 1884

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Tolliver advised he believed Wendy Snyder would be willing to continue as social events manager.

All officers were elected by unanimous vote.The board then approved the nominations of

Jennifer Juday as publications manager and Joyanne Moul as MIS manager.

The board ordered that all existing committees continue as previously, with one change. Mr. Tolliver was selected to chair the Policies and Procedures Committee.

The board authorized Ms. Burton and Ms. Moul to prepare the signature card resolution and make the necessary changes as soon as a permanent president has been named.

Ms. Burton was authorized to put out a call for bids for ArmadilloCon 33 as soon as possible.

Mr. Miles took possession of the mailbox key.There being no other business before the board, the

meeting was adjourned at 2:32 p.m.

FACT Board Meeting: May 2010 The monthly meeting of the board of directors for

the Fandom Association of Central Texas was called to order on Saturday, 8 May 2010, by Board Chair Jonathan Miles at the Manchaca Library, 5500 Manchaca Rd., Austin, Texas, at 1:50 p.m. Present in addition to the chair were Directors Elizabeth Burton and Charles Siros, FACT President William Siros, and FACT Officers Jennifer Juday and Eric Hollas.

The secretary presented the minutes of the April meetings. It was noted the names of those in attendance was incomplete, which Ms. Burton advised will be corrected when she locates the sign-in sheet. Mr. Miles requested a portion of the minutes for the second board meeting be reworded, following which it was moved by Mr. C. Siros, seconded by Mr. Miles they be accepted as amended. In the absence of objection, the chair declared the motion passed by acclamation.

CORRESPONDENCE: None

OFFICER REPORTSCHAIRMr. Miles advised he had engaged in no FACT-

related activities.

PRESIDENTMr. Siros noted he had attended gaming.

VICE-PRESIDENTNo report

TREASURERThe Treasurer was unable to attend, and reported

via email that, as she had not received bank statements yet this month, the report is identical to

last month’s, as she had written no new checks nor received any new funds.

SECRETARYMs. Burton posted a request to the membership

seeking candidates for the office of president, and will post the call for proposals for ArmadilloCon 33 in the coming week.

She will also contact the MIS manager regarding establishing new lists for board and officers for the new year. Finally, Ms. Burton requested feedback regarding location of board meetings for 2011 so she can contact the locations suggested early.

REGISTRARMr. Hollas advised one new member joined during

the previous month, and the expiration date for Tom Davidson’s membership has been corrected. He added that memberships renewed at the annual meeting have not yet been recorded.

SOCIAL EVENTS MANAGERMs. Snyder has submitted her resignation by email,

as she is now a member of the board.

HISTORIANMr. Tolliver advised by email he has begun working

on the historical display for ArmadilloCon

MISNothing to report.

PUBLICATIONSMs. Juday advised she is waiting to hear from

artists for the next FACT Sheet, and that she and Ms. Burton have worked out a process for her obtaining usable copies of the board minutes.

QUARTERMASTERNo report

COMMITTEE REPORTSARMADILLOCONThe convention committee met April 24, and a good

deal of ground was covered. Because of an oversight, for which Ms. Burton takes

full responsibility, an ad that was supposed to run in the Conestoga program book wasn’t completed on time. Steps have been taken to prevent this from happening in future. The mass mailing is scheduled for May 22 at the Siros residence; various potential participants have been contacted. Bios and photos of major guests are on the website as is a list of confirmed program participants. Membership as of this date stands at 69. (Send dealer’s room info to Chuck)

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HOTEL COMMITTEEHas not met

BYLAWS COMMITTEEHas not met

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES COMMITTEEMr. Tolliver advised by email that a meeting to

be held May 1 was cancelled for lack of a quorum and information regarding status of banking.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEEMs. Burton plans to poll FACT members to

determine what they might consider useful perks.

READING GROUPSThe group discussed Magic Bites, the first in the

Kate Daniels urban fantasy series by ArmadilloCon Special Guests Ilona and Gordon Andrews. Most attending said they enjoyed the book and several had read all the books in the series. The consensus was that these are books most likely to appeal to women, and that they are excellent entertainment. Several people liked the juxtaposition of the real world with “waves” of magic during which no technology worked, but some felt it was too often used as a deus ex machina. Others felt the heroine was a bit too “peaceful.”

OLD BUSINESS1. Signature Cards As the president is one of the

signatories, this is awaiting election of a permanent holder for that office and determination of bank services

2. World Horror Convention Request No response3. President Vacancy A request was posted by Ms.

Burton, but no volunteers responded4. Storage Locker Renewal has been completed.

NEW BUSINESS1. Social Events Manager Resignation Mr. Miles

suggested the position remain vacant until such time as we have a volunteer. Ms. Burton noted she had been planned to suggest the same thing.

2. Paypal Issue Ms. Burton informed the board she received notice from Paypal the account has been frozen pending submission of documents supporting nonprofit status.

The email was forwarded to the treasurer for investigation, as there is an apparent phishing campaign with this tactic ongoing. However, she also noted this one came to ArmadilloCon rather than FACT, and knowing the general density of bureaucratic thinking, she considered the possibility

Paypal is not aware the convention is a function of FACT.

3. Reporting: Ms. Burton moved the Policies and Procedures Committee be authorized to proceed with the policy as it was presented, seconded by C. Siros. All were in favor.

There being no other business before the board, the meeting was adjourned at 2:18 p.m.

About The FACT Sheet

Editor: Jennifer Juday

Contact: The F.A.C.T. Sheet, PO Box 26442, Austin, TX 78755, publications@fact.org

Artwork: DilloTex logo ©1988 by Brad W. Foster. Cover: An English Steam Fire Engine, Scientific American Supple-ment. Vol. XLV., No. 1157, March 5, 1898. Page 2 “Latest News” from Scientific American magazine, Vol. 2 Issue 1 Sept 26,1846. Page 4 The De Dion and Bouton Road Motor, Scientific American Supplement. Vol. XLII., No. 1082, Sep-tember 26, 1896. Page 6: Faures Machine for Decorticating Sugar Cane, Scientific American Supplement, No. 441, June 14, 1884. Page 9: Experiment on Telephonic Transmission without Receiving Apparatus, Scientific American Supple-ment, No. 441, June 14, 1884. Page 11: New Photographic Apparatus Scientific American Supplement, No. 530, Feb-ruary 27, 1886

Copyrights: All contents copyright © 2010 by the Fandom Association of Central Texas, Inc., except where otherwise noted.

Trademarks: “World Science Fiction Convention,” “WorldCon,” and “Hugo” are registered service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated non-profit literary society. Nebula Awards is a registered trademark of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

New Photographic Apparatus Scientific American Supple-ment, No. 530, February 27, 1886

FIRST CLASS

The FACT SheetThe Fandom Association of Central TexasP.O. Box 26442Austin, TX 78755-0422

In This IssueRecycled Reads SciFi Event August 21-22! 2AC32 Special Guest Kress Finalist for Campbell 22009 Nebula Awards 2ArmadilloCon 32 Almost Here! 2Notes About AC32 Special Guest Michael Bishop 22010 Locus Awards Announced 3Summer Film Releases 42010 David Gemmel Legend Awards 4Shortlist for 2010 Sunburst Awards 4FACToids and Friends 4Convention Listing 5Book Groups 6Writing 6Reading Group Reports 6June 21: Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress 6Board Meeting: April 2010 (Outgoing) 7Board Meeting: April 2010 (New) 9Board Meeting: May 2010 10

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