The Bulletin
of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Quarterly, 3.95 per issue or $15 for 1 year from
SFWA Bulletin
404 Oceanside Street
Islip Terace, NY 11752-1203

The SFWA Bulletin is both "mity" and "cool." Let me explain. In the early 1980's, I worked at KUOR-FM radio, which was in name a public radio station, but functioned as a commercial soul/R & B station. The characters at KUOR made the casts of "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "Talk Radio" shrink in comparison.

KUOR was blessed with The Mity O.T., who cast a giant shadow, both literally and figuratively, over the local music world. At better than 500 pounds, Mity O.T. lived up to his name, with a smooth Berry Gordy voice and popular musical tastes. "Cool" was personified by Al "Cool" Gator, young and eager, with eight pounds of Jheri Curl in his hair. Al "Cool" singlehandedly forced the station to institute the "bring your own headphones" rule.

I asked Al one day, when I arrived to relieve him, just what was Jheri Curl and why did he wear it? "It's greasy kid stuff, isn't it?" Al was indignant. "It is NOT," he said, smoothing the marcelled curls on his forehead, coming away with a handful of grease. "It is COOL. Jheri Curl is so COOL it's HOT." Within the world of Soul/R & B at that time, these guys were the "mitiest," the "coolest."

OK, Al. Alligator baggies were good head protectors, until I got my own headphones.

You don't need an alligator baggie to read the SFWA Bulletin, but it is filled with "mity" wisdom and "cool" information.

Each issue generally contains one or more articles by masterful writers, such as the Spring, 1996 feature by Gene Wolfe, "Nor the Summers as Golden: Writing Multivolume Works." Wolfe discusses the difference between a novel series, where the component works become progressively weaker, until, he says, "your editor warns you Not To Do That Any More," and authentic trilogies or longer multivolume works, wherein the story is too large to be contained in one volume. Wolfe suggests that at the end of a successful multivolume series, the reader should have the feeling that he has gone through the defining circumstances of the Main Character's life. Using examples from The Lord of the Rings, The Iliad, and Wolfe's own The Book of The New Sun, and The Book of The Long Sun, he provides a powerful argument for the validity of multivolume works which have the strength to carry their length and differentiates these works from series novels merely set in the same universe.

A regular feature is "Why I Live In . . ." wherever selected SFWA members live. The Spring "Why I Live" is a charming article by Susan Schwartz about her life as a transplanted New Yorker. So who wants to make something of it? Not me! Susan makes The Big Apple seem real and human. "Why I Live" articles are illustrated by A.L. Sirois, a talented illustrator, who also has an article in the Spring issue, "Why Bother? (Or More Properly, Why Do I Bother?)" Sirois discusses "The Rest of Us," SFWA members with writing careers spanning the bell curve from one sale, never to sell again, to people who occasionally sell stories, to those who sell often, to those who are truly famous and successful. Sirois discusses his on-again, off-again career, efforts to write to The Formula, and writing fiction his way, all important issues.

The Bulletin usually contains an article about the business or practical aspects of writing, and the Spring issue contains two such articles: "Quit Your Day Job, Maybe," by Bruce Holland Rogers, and "Taking the Plunge (Ready Or Not)," by A.J. Austin. Both offer excellent practical advice and plenty of good humor about the business and human aspects of earning a living as a professional writer of science fiction and/or fantasy. Rogers includes a great quote attributed to Timothy Zahn aimed at writers desiring to go full-time: "Cultivate a taste for peanut butter."

Sometimes there are interesting personal observations in The Bulletin, and none more fascinating than Sheila Finch's "Being Alien in Beijing," reflections on her participation in the US/China Joint Conference on Women's Issues. I have heard Sheila Finch speak about feeling truly alien, a "stranger on a strange planet," an experience into which she gained insight as a result of her experiences on this trip.

Sheila writes so well that reading the article was almost like being in Beijing with her, on this wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime conference.

Also in the Spring issue, Terry McGarry gives good advice on the basics of copy editing, "Other Worlds: Freelance Copyediting." Edo Van Belkom compiles the quarterly Market Report, and Sam Moskowitz does book reviews of publications of interest to the field. The inside back cover is one of my favorite features: portraits and brief character sketches of the "mity" and "cool," by Christine Valada, a marvelous portrait photographer. The Spring issue pictures David Gerrold, and a previous issue featured a fine picture of Roger Zelazny, and a brief, touching story. Membership changes and updates are also regularly featured, as well as a letters column.

The SFWA Bulletin is automatically mailed to members, but is available to anyone who wishes to subscribe. As a picture of the field, and a resource document, it is close to invaluable. Better market reports are available here through The Market List and other places, but this is a function of the Bulletin's quarterly publication schedule and long lead times. The Bulletin generally contains information of relevance to those who write SF and Fantasy: it should be a must on any writer's list. "Mity" Mark McGarry, the editor, does an outstanding job.

- Amy Sterling Casil

Copyright © 1996 by Amy Sterling Casil. All Rights Reserved.