Author: downunderfanfund

Jim Mowatt and Curt Phillips have published the ballot for the 2016 race. Voting details at http://tafftrip.com/. Support the fan funds!

In May of this year I took over as Acting Administrator for Juanita Coulson. Marty Cantor (DUFF 1985) had been handling the fan fund banking since 2010 at the request of the administrators and was ready to pass on the responsibility. When I agreed to take the position he closed out the DUFF bank account in Los Angeles and sent me a check of $4,717.84. I deposited it into a savings account in Palo Alto, donating the $5 minimum to open the account, and set about enhancing DUFF’s online presence. I also took over organizing the fundraising, focusing on Sasquan, the 2015 Worldcon.

Tom Becker made contact with the family of the late Art Widner (DUFF 1991) and arranged to select and transport some of his science fiction collection as auction material for the fan fund. Tom has really good taste. The items that went to auction did very well for us. Special thanks to Toni Weisskopf of Baen Books and Naomi Fisher (DUFF 2001) for their donated items. I apologize if I have left out anyone’s name who donated items directly at the con; your names have not made their way back to me. The total raised at the Fan Funds Auction at Sasquan was $1,111.00.

Norman Cates generously raised $398.65 at GenCon for DUFF on his own initiative, bless him and his excellent auctioneering skills. In addition, Cynthia Gonsalves bought a book from the Art Widner collection for $30.00.

Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention, donated $2,000.00 to DUFF, an unexpected and much appreciated boost. Thanks to Glenn Glazer, Bruce Farr and the chairs of Sasquan for thinking of us!

I spent $15.22 posting a box of books to Randy Byers who was in charge of the Fan Funds Auction materials. There were no other expenses.

The current fund stands at $8,247.27. Fundraising will continue in 2016.

Thank you to everyone who donated time, energy and money to DUFF NA. I am deeply grateful to be stewarding a healthy fund thanks to our generous supporters, and personally gratified that so many find sending delegates between international fandoms a worthwhile endeavor.

Lucy Huntzinger (DUFF 1987)

The list below is what remains from the items donated from the Art Widner estate that were not sent to the Worldcon auction. I am collecting more donations and will run an online auction if there is interest in any of this. Good stuff, people! If you see something you like and you want to make an offer, please contact me at downunderfanfunds@gmail.com!

Cecelia Holland, Floating Worlds (Knopf, 1976). HC, 1st, Good. Slight wear on dust jacket, discoloration from dust.

Kim Stanley Robinson, Red Mars (Bantam, 1993). HC, 1st, Very Good. Slight wear on dust jacket. Nebula/BSFA winner.

Kim Stanley Robinson, Green Mars (Bantam, 1994). HC, 1st, Very Good. Slight wear on dust jacket. Hugo winner.

Kim Stanley Robinson, Blue Mars (Bantam, 1996). HC, 1st, Very Good. Slight wear on dust jacket. Hugo winner.

Kim Stanley Robinson, The Martians (Bantam, 1999). HC, Very Good. Bend edges on dust jacket, slight creasing on pages.

Kim Stanley Robinson, The Years of Rice and Salt (Bantam, 2002). HC, 1st, Fine. Locus Award winner.

Robert Sheckley, Dimensions of Sheckley: Selected Novels (NESFA Press, 2002). HC, Fine. Cover by Bob Eggleton.

A. Bertram Chandler, Kelly Country (Penguin Australia, 1983). PB, 1st, Very Good. Faded on spine.

Frank Clune, Ned Kelly (Angus & Robertson, 1980). PB, Very Good. First published as Ned Kelly’s Last Stand, 1962.

Theodora Kroeber, Ishi, Last of His Tribe (Bantam, 1978). PB, Good. Cover folded and slightly worn.

David Langford, The Space Eater (Timescape, 1983). PB, 1st, Good. Cover folded and worn. His first novel.

Vonda N. McIntyre, The Exile Waiting (Fawcett, 1976). PB, 1st, Very Good. Slight wear. Nebula/Locus winner.

Vonda N. McIntyre, Starfarers (Ace, 1989). PB, 1st, Very Good. Slight wear, pen mark on 1 page. Signed to Art Widner, 1991.

Vonda N. McIntyre, Transition (Ace, 1991). PB, 1st, Fine. 2 of 4 in a series. Signed to Art Widner, 1991.

Joanna Russ, And Chaos Died (Ace, 1970). PB, 1st, Very Good.

Joanna Russ, The Female Man (Bantam, 1973). PB, 1st, Very Good. James Tiptree, Jr. award winner (retrospective).

Joanna Russ, We Who Are About To… (Dell, 1977). PB, 1st, Very Good.

Ulrika O’Brien, who worked the auction, wrote up an excellent account of the proceedings. Here it is in full:

SASQUAN FAN FUNDS AFTER-AUCTION REPORT

I confess when I first sat down at the cashiers’ table, I felt a degree of trepidation. As I surveyed the crowd across the dim and smoky haze in Guinan’s, it seemed to me that most fans present were there to drink and weren’t terribly interested in our little proceedings. But from the moment Andy Hooper took the mic, the auction rolled along at a spanking pace with brisk and lively bidding and much jollity. It was a good time, and made good money.

Final auction sales came to $1870.00, divided thus:

Super supremo thanks to Norman Cates for his fundraising contributions and efforts outside of Worldcon. He raised almost $400 for the fund while at Gen Con this year, chiefly by bringing really cool stuff from WETA and sundry New Zealand curiosities to auction. What an excellent friend he is to the fan funds.

Thanks to a donation by Toni Weisskopf of Baen Books we have the following uncorrected page proofs:

1. Dragon in Exile, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. The 18th book in the Liaden Universe, published in June 2015.

2. A Call to Arms, David Weber, Timothy Zahn with Thomas Pope. Book 2 of Manticore Ascendant, an Honorverse novel.

3. The Sword of the South, David Weber. Not yet published! First in a new epic fantasy series.

In addition, Toni generously sent DUFF a draft of the new Lois McMaster Bujold novel, Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen. Publication date is February 2016. Want to read it now, even before the uncorrected proofs and advanced reading copy? Here’s your chance. Can’t make it to the convention? Find a friend who can bid for you. Support DUFF and your Vorkosigan collection at the same time!

The following were donated from Art Widner’s estate by his family. Tom Becker transported them to the Bay Area and I am sending most of these to the Worldcon for auction. If you’ll be there, please bid!

Hardcovers

Paperbacks

Fanzines

Welcome!

This is the official website of DUFF, the Down Under Fan Fund. DUFF was founded in 1972 to strengthen links between North American and Australasian fandom by an exchange of elected delegates. Fancy, eh? It’s not that fancy. The fund helps to send a fan from North America to a National Convention or Worldcon in Australasia and, in alternate years, a fan from Australasia to a Worldcon or NASFiC in North America. It’s administered entirely by volunteers, specifically the delegates who take their trip and then come home to raise money during their tenure as administrator, and it works as the bridge it was designed to be. Even with all the social media you can shake a stick at, there’s nothing that can replace a face to face meeting with someone from another country who partakes of your subculture. It has a positive effect on both sides of the exchange, promoting understanding of our different cultures and creating friendships.

This year, 2015, the race between Australasia and North America has been suspended. Both sides are in a period of rebuilding the fund. The North American administrator is Lucy Huntzinger (acting administrator for Juanita Coulson). Email address: downunderfanfund at gmail dot com. The Australian administrators are Julian Warner and Justin Ackroyd (acting administrators for Bill Wright). Email address: julian.warner@people.net.au

Soon: A gallery of photos and getting ready for the TAFF/DUFF Auction at Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, WA.