Tag Archives: M. Lee Rogers

ABC DeepSouthCon 2016 Changes Venue

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The 2016 Deep South Con will be held May 13-15 at the Doubletree Hotel in Roswell, GA.

Roswell was also host to the 2013 Deep South Con/JordanCon.

The contract has been signed and initial deposit paid reports M. Lee Rogers, who adds that the guest list will be announced once all guests have been finalized. The current membership fee is $50 adult, $25 for under 12, a price that will be good through the end of 2014.

Until a PayPal account is set up, payments may be sent to: ABC DSC 2016 331 Celestial Lane Hixson, TN 37343-5810 The con has a Facebook page at “ABC DSC.”

They are actively recruiting committee members and anyone with interest is invited to contact them through the Facebook page.

Tender Words For Nerds

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Two op-ed pieces by Mike Rogers about the nature of nerds and the romantic myths that surround them have appeared in The Chattanoogan in recent weeks. I took note of them because Rogers often writes letters of comment to File 770.

In “If You Are A Nerd, Say It Loud And Be Proud” Rogers explains that he uses nerd in preference to “geek,” which he still reserves for a circus performer who bites the head off a chicken.

Today, nerds are more popular than ever, or so it seems. Some parts of popular culture celebrate the nerd. At a science fiction convention that I attended a few years ago, one young lady carried a purse with the words, “I only date nerds,” on the side. I wish I had asked her to expound on this subject, but did not wish to offend.

Actually, the celebration is premature. Most people still misunderstand and fear nerds. Some people still hate them.

In “Nerds And Romance” he argues that what nerds need is help, not disdain.

Now let’s look at some myths and misconceptions about nerds and romance….

Nerds are popular now. Women love them. Please do not be fooled by the popularity of television shows like “The Big Bang Theory.” These shows are not real at all. The guys on that show are a bunch of Central Casting nerds. In other words, they are a bunch of everyday actors playing nerds. Real male nerds do not have large numbers of beautiful babes hanging all over them. To some of us, the whole show feels like a major insult.

[Thanks to Andrew Porter for the story.]

Rogers: ConFederation Reunion a Success

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[Some of the folks who ran the 1986 Worldcon in Atlanta gathered together on June 18 to celebrate the con’s 25th anniversary.]

By M. Lee Rogers: How did the reunion go? As well as could be expected.

A total of 18 people attended, all from the Atlanta area. We had booked two connecting suites at an Embassy Suites hotel on the north side of the metro area. It turned out the two suites were just big enough to hold the throng.

Co-Chairman Ron Zukowski and I went out Friday night for the major supply run. After breakfast Saturday, we went out again for the ice to fill the bathtub with soft drinks. The first person showed up while we were loading the bathtub.

(One oddball fact for running a party: if you can’t find an icepick, an oyster knife works very well as a substitute.)

We had some talk about ConFederation, but most of it was people catching up with each other about almost everything. I managed to put up some posters from the progress reports and bid zines (South on Peachtree).

At supper time, the group headed to a next-door buffet restaurant for supper before breaking up around 9:30 p.m. to head back home. Ron and I stayed at the hotel Saturday night before checking out Sunday morning to head to his church.

We should thank Alice Spivey for making some posters and buttons for the reunion.

All in all, it was a good room party. I wish it could have been bigger, but it was unrealistic to expect people to come from out of town for a small get-together.

One of our Executive Committee members, Avery Davis, expressed some desire to have a party at Renovation. If he wants to throw one, nobody here will object.

Also, Ron Z. wrote a very moving tribute to a fan who died a year ago. Her name was Robin Sanders. He delivered the address at a memorial service recently.

ConFederation Reunion Is On!

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[From the press release] 

M. Lee Rogers and Ron Zukowski proudly prevent, uh, present the ConFederation 25th Anniversary Celebration!

Who:

1. You were an attending or supporting member of ConFederation.
2. You are known to the organizers.
3. Someone known to the organizers can vouch for you.

(The criteria are similar to a fan fund.)

What: A party to celebrate one of Southern SF fandom’s shining moments: the 1986 World Science Fiction Convention held in downtown Atlanta.

When: Saturday June 18, 2011, 12:00 noon to whenever.

Where: Embassy Suites Alpharetta, off Exit 9 of Georgia 400 (Haynes Bridge Road) near North Point Mall.

Why: Why not?!?

How Much: $20 per person. Free for members of ConFederation Executive Committee, SFWA, or ASFA. If cost is a problem, talk to Ron or Mike. Any material surplus will be donated to fan funds–this is a not-for-profit venture.

We realize it’s fairly short notice, but we are trying to work around Dragon*Con and other regional conventions. North Fulton is equally inconvenient to everyone. The area is also accessible via MARTA by train and bus.

The adult beverage situation is BYOB. We will provide as many munchies and soft drinks as we can.

Suites should be available at the hotel. The current rates are around $100 per night. For reservations, call 1-800-EMBASSY.

Please feel free to publicize this event in fandom, but do not publicize it in the local media. It is not open to the general public.

We hope you’ll come celebrate ConFederation with us that Saturday. It should be a fun evening.

It would help if you let us know if you are coming so we can know how many people to plan for. Please RSVP with payment to:

M. L. Rogers
331 Celestial Lane
Hixson, TN 37343-5810

Be there. Aloha.

Rogers: Peanuts! T-Shirts! Pre-Supporting Memberships!

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By M. Lee Rogers: Ron Zukowski and M. Lee Rogers hope y’all will mark the date of Saturday June 18 on your calendars for an evening to remember a very special event.

Things are still tentative, but June 18 is the planned date for the ConFederation 25th Anniversary Celebration. The facility and other plans will be announced later, but this will give you as much notice as possible.

The Celebration will be a one-day party for Southern SF fandom and its friends to remember that weekend when we brought the science fiction community to our part of the world. It is not a convention itself. It will be open to members of ConFederation and to those other fans who are known to the organizers. The Celebration is not open to the general public, primarily because it is not trying to be Dragon*Con.

The Celebration will request a small donation but will not turn anyone away for financial hardship. Any material surplus will be donated to fan funds.

Obviously, the organizers will need some help in pulling this shindig together. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at mleerog (at) bellsouth (dot) net.

NOTE: ConFederation was the 44th World Science Fiction Convention held in Atlanta, GA on August 28-September 1, 1986 at the Atlanta Hilton, Hyatt Regency, and Marriott Marquis Hotels. Ray Bradbury was Guest of Honor, Terry Carr was Fan Guest of Honor, and Bob Shaw was Toastmaster.

1986 Worldcon Memorial?

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M. Lee Rogers and Ron Zukowski may hold an event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the last Atlanta Worldcon, ConFederation, in 2011.

Rogers says, “if there is enough interest from enough people, a 25th Anniversary ConFed meeting would be a proper memorial for such an important event in the history of Southern science fiction fandom.”

It might take the form of a one-day meeting, a weekend convention, or a hospitality event at next year’s Worldcon, Renovation. Fans have til the end of this year to make their wishes known — send e-mail to mleerog (at) bellsouth (dot) net. Then Rogers and Zukowski will decide what to do. 

I say: Any excuse to throw a party. (Although I shiver to hear “Worldcon” and “memorial” in the same breath!)

I can’t recall another example of fans creating an event to celebrate the anniversary of a past Worldcon. Ordinarily, when a veteran fan group gets feeling wistful about their last Worldcon they simply bid for another one. That’s not an option for Atlanta fans as long as Dragon*Con is held there every Labor Day Weekend. I can see why they would have to think of another idea.

Of course, Rogers and Zukowski are still testing the waters to see if fans respond with enough enthusiasm for the project to make it worthwhile.

They’ve already had this success – I’ve realized that more than one Southern Worldcon will reach a special anniversary in 2011 – next year will be the 50th anniversary of NoLaCon, where fans held the famous party in Room 770. Call me biased, but I’m going to celebrate!