Today we’ve got two related zines, both of which share a close relationship with this years TAFF (Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund) winner, Jim Mowatt.
TAFF is a fan-run organization that has kept fans shuttling across the ‘big pond’ since 1953; when Worldcon hits US shores, influential and mighty European fans are nominated for the trip; when Worldcon itself travels across the pond, North American fans are nominated.
Winners of the fund take a (mostly all expenses paid) trip to Worldcon that is often happily preceded and followed by a walk-about tour (DUFF, the Down Under Fan Fund which performs the same function for our friends in Oz, is apparently creeping in here a bit) where the fan is hosted and feted by other fans, all of whom are apparently eager to share their culture and VERY eager to party.
Each nominee is expected to produce a “platform” (presumably justifications for receiving the TAFF boon) and to produce a ‘trip report’ following the event (delayed and incomplete trip reports are legendary); the winner also becomes a representative for TAFF, helping to raise money for subsequent years.
In reading Jim’s “platform”, it’s easy to see why he won, though perhaps his true fannish heart is not as easily discernible –
“Jim Mowatt came of age in the fiery fannishness of Leeds and burst upon the scene as Jim Trash at the Sou’wester Eastercon in 1994. Few noticed. He retreated into the shadows like a bewildered ninja. Since then he has made a number of friends, produced fanzines (e.g. Pips and Beam) and decided that fandom is a wonderful place to be(eblebear). He has produced a prodigious number of podcasts, and has a great face for radio. Jim followed a woman to Cambridge in 2002. She didn’t call the police so he moved in. San Antonio needs to know why.”
Jim attended LoneStarCon3 this past August and was very popular while traveling the fan circuit (which one could follow on his Facebook page).
To learn more about TAFF, visit the website (details of every single TAFF trip included); learn a little bit more about Jim on his website, or
just take a gander at these two zines. The first is Jim’s own Pips; the second (reviewed in the Club House today) is the official organ of TAFF, TAFFtastic.
(As always, these and many other fine fanzines can be found on www.eFanzines.com and the Canadian Science Fiction Fanzine Archive. And as always we apologize if our PDF viewer does not always present fanzines in exactly the same quality as they were originally produced. You can view the original posting by clicking on the link below the zine.)
