Tag Archives: Earl Kemp

In Zed We Trust

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Corflu Zed logo

Randy Byers sends along even more reasons to attend Corflu Zed in Seattle, March 13-15:

The Eaton Collection, in the form of Rob Latham, will be attending Corflu as part of the outreach to fandom that has been written about recently in Earl Kemp’s eI and Chris Garcia’s Drink Tank. Chris and Rob will be on a panel at the convention to explain the Eaton Collection’s mission vis-a-vis science fiction, fanzines, and fandom. The Eaton Collection is also hosting a pizza party in the consuite on Saturday at 6 p.m.

We are organizing a couple of different tours for Friday. Jack William Bell is leading a tour of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, which is pretty much a no-brainer attraction to any hardcore science fiction fan. For those who have already seen the museum we are also talking to the Seattle Architectural Foundation about arranging a guided walking tour of the University District (where the Hotel Deca is located) with a special focus on the imprint left by the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition of 1909, which exactly a century ago played a key part in Seattle’s development. Anybody who is interested in either of these tours should contact us at [email protected] so we can get an idea of the headcount.

Byers also promises there are going to be some interesting characters at this year’s Corflu, including the rare and legendary Tobes Valois.

Meanwhile, you have until March 5 to e-mail in your FAAn Awards votes to [email protected].  

Delivering Milk

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Milk is on the way, and longtime fan Earl Kemp says be sure to notice — “I’m part of the wallpaper in many scenes. Please applaud loudly when you see the guy in the very loud, 1979 three piece plaid suit.”

Kemp also points fans to the Chicago Reader’s article publicizing the movie — it focuses on sf writer Frank Robinson and is subtitled “How local sci-fi writer Frank Robinson went from The Towering Inferno to the ‘hope speech’.”

Robinson, a Chicago native, was Milk’s speechwriter and one of his closest advisers. A writing job took him to San Francisco in 1973, just as Milk, a New York transplant with a Castro Street camera shop, was gearing up for his second bid for city supervisor. “I used to walk down to the Castro every morning for breakfast and pass the camera store,” Robinson recalls. “One day I fell into conversation with Harvey, and it came up that I was a writer. He said, ‘Hey, why don’t you be my speechwriter?'”

[Thanks to Andrew Porter for the story.]