Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2005 15:43:38 -0500 (EST)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Dead list?  Philcon?
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

ecfield at comcast.net wrote:

> Looks like this list is dying.

Of the 45 full calendar months this list has existed (i.e. excluding
its first month and the current month) 11 had fewer messages than last
month.  All but four had fewer messages than the month before last.

There are currently 45 subscribers, including eight of the ten
officers, and including two people who have been involved with WSFA
since the 1950s, both of whom have posted within the past three weeks.

Rumors of the death of this list are greatly exaggerated.

Things are quiet all over the net this time of year.  Volume on the
rec.arts.sf.fandom newsgroup is also way down.

> I'm starting to think this has been the 'Great Schism' of Washington
> SciFi.

It has had at least three, in 1963, 1975, and 1985:

The first one was amicable, and resulted in the formation of the
Baltimore Science Fiction Society, which is still thriving.

The second one resulted in the formation of the Potomac River Science
Fiction Society, which is also still thriving.  I cannot tell if it
was amicable or not, since, not coincidentally, few records of that
time exist.

The third one ("Dunegate") resulted in the formation of the Washington
Alternative SF Association, which didn't last long.

The current events are not a schism; those who are leaving are not
founding a new club.

I think WSFA will survive.  It may survive as the democracy it has
always been, minus two long-time members, or it may survive as
effectively a monarchy ruled by the whims of those two members.
It's up to the members of the club.

> Anybody know of any other SciFi/Fantasy/Writing groups active around
> the beltway?

See http://www.wsfa.org/otherfen.htm for a list of local fan groups.

If anyone is aware of any that aren't listed there, please inform
WSFA's new webmasters, so they can update that page.  Thanks.