Forty Years of Memphen

Veteran Memphis fan Greg Bridges is calling for fanwriters and artists to help the Tennessee sf club celebrate an important anniversary:

I’m working on the 40th Annish of Memphen (#284 or something) and wanted some Memphis SF memories of people, most esp. from those who grew up or lived in Memphis. I have a fair amount of my own memories, experiences, etc.  but want a comprehensive input. 

I have approached Jerry Pournelle who has been gracious enough to take the time to give me a few of his memories of growing up Science Fiction in Memphis (a not so well kept secret, I think) as well as a number of local fans or those that have traveled here (Guy LIllian III is possibly going to do something on Memphis FemmeFan P.L. Caruthers who he dated for awhile in the early ’70’s and so traveled here for to see P.L. (I know as I saw him off at the bus station several times) (if it won’t offend her widower). What I’m asking is any SF fan’s memories or experiences in Memphis, growing up reading, buying, writing SF, doing fanzines here, etc. So with that lead in, you ask “What can I do?”, well, as THE SF fan newsletter, perhaps a brief news note about it. I know I read your online File 770 regularly and often post info of interest from there on the Midsouthcon Forums.  I doubt you’ll want to run this whole logorrhetic note but, as I call it, a Call for Science Fiction Memories of Memphis for Memphen. I want it to be a history of SF fans in Memphis as much as possible.  If I get no response, not a big deal but yah never know.  As I plan to have it out by the end of May, I’d say the middle of May at the latest for any short memories for me to work into the stream of memories I plan in the ish. Longer is welcome but might end up in the next ish (or only in the online version). Fanzine deadlines are SOO elastic, aren’t they?!  Submissions can go to memphen at midsouthcon dot org. If they want to mail in a submission, they can write me at that address, especially be nice to have an illos – perhaps of a very young fan (Pournelle?) getting on a trolley in 1930’s Memphis carrying an ish of Astounding, perhaps. Well, you’d have to live here to know how incongruous that is. Asking too much, am I?