Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 21:52:27 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Slander
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

At Balticon last Friday, I went to the "Brave New Worldcon" party.
Bill Lawhorn immediately told me that I was not welcome, and demanded
that I leave.  He didn't ask me to step out into the hallway and tell
me privately, but said it in front of everyone in the room.  Bill
refused to give me any reason.  I promptly left, and did not return.
To their credit, several people also immediately left.

I double-checked the party board.  Sure enough, his party was listed.
At the top, the board, maintained by former WSFAn Erwin "Filthy
Pierre" Strauss, said, "Unless otherwise noted, all parties listed
are open to all convention members -- your badge is your invitation!"
Nothing in the "Brave New Worldcon" party listing indicated that it
was anything except an open party to which every Balticon member was
invited.

This is the first time in 28 years of going to cons that I've ever
been asked to leave an open party.  I've also hosted several parties,
at home and at cons, and never asked anyone to leave them.

The next day I heard from several people that WSFA Trustee Elizabeth
Twitchell, aka Elizabeth Celeste, was going around telling people that
I had showed up uninvited at a party at her condo, and refused to
leave.  When I asked Elizabeth about this, she refused to explain, or
to say when this party was, and threatened at the top of her voice to
call hotel security.  I of course immediately left her vicinity, and
stayed away from her for the remainder of the con.

Presumably, this party at her condo happened since Ravencon, five
weeks earlier, since there was an identical "Brave New Worldcon" party
at Ravencon, at which Bill and Elizabeth were present, and nobody said
or did anything to make me feel unwelcome there.

When I got home, I checked my records.  I have been to Elizabeth's
condo three times:

Friday, January 31, 2003, for a WSFA Fifth Friday
Friday, July 30, 2004, for a WSFA Fifth Friday
Saturday, November 13, 2004, for a party

At the third one I was bored, so I left early.

And I know I've been invited back since then, though I can't easily
figure out exactly when, since I only log events I go to, not events
I'm invited to but don't go to.

Needless to say, I was invited to all three events, was not asked to
leave any of them, and did not attempt to stay after she told people
the events were closing.

I think nearly everyone on this list knows me well enough to know that
I would never go anywhere I'm not invited, or anywhere where there's
even a hint that I might not be fully welcome.  Neither would I stay
in a place once I'm asked to leave.

If any of you have more detailed information about this slander,
please email it to me privately, not to the list.  What exactly did
Elizabeth, or whoever you heard say something like this, say?  When
did the event happen?  Were you at the event?  Was I?  Was anyone
asked to leave?  Did they refuse?  I promise not to reveal your email
to anyone.  I will summarize:  "Three people emailed me that ..."
or whatever.

I have no idea what I did to offend either Elizabeth or Bill.  I've
had almost no contact with either of them since leaving WSFA two years
ago.  The few contacts I've had, most recently at Ravencon, were
friendly.  Whatever I may have inadvertently done to offend them,
it doesn't justify spreading malicious lies.

I am a friendly, helpful, and honest person, and that most of you
realize this.

After helping Mike move his books, I spent about five hours on
Balticon teardown.  (Balticon's stuff now fills *two* large trucks.)

Just before I left for Balticon on Friday morning, I got a phone call
from Rebecca, who had discovered that her copy of _Lucifer's Hammer_
had been signed by only one of Niven and Pournelle, and asked if she
could bring it over for me to take to Balticon to get signed by the
other of the two authors.  She wasn't attending Balticon, and wasn't
willing to drive me anywhere useful.  (It's harder to get to Balticon
from her home than mine.)  Instead of saying the logistics wouldn't
work, I offered to take *my* copy of the same novel, get it signed to
her by both authors, and then swap it for hers.  She agreed, and I did
so (except for the swapping, which hasn't happened yet).

Before that, I publicized the Reiter's event on rec.arts.sf.fandom and
rec.arts.sf.written, and attended it myself.

Before that, I created Wikipedia pages for WSFA, Capclave, Disclave,
The WSFA Journal, Philcon, PSFS, and the Philosophical Society of
Washington.  Increasingly many people look first to Wikipedia when
looking something up.

I've also informed dozens of people about Capclave.  And made sure
that the chairs of Capclave '08 and Gaylaxicon '08 were aware of each
other's convention, so that they didn't end up on the same weekend.

All of this, and much more, I've done since leaving WSFA.  I won't
even mention all the work I did for WSFA and fandom while still in
the club.

I've also engaged in plenty of friendly fannish conversation about
nearly every imaginable topic, which is one of my favorite activities.

I've never initiated any fannish feud, nor have I participated in any
except to succinctly defend myself and others from malicious falsehoods.
Feuding is one of my least favorite activities.

Neither have I spread unconfirmed negative rumors or gossip about
fans, or about anyone else.

Ted tells me there are rumors about my soon returning to WSFA.  These
rumors are completely false.  In fact, I'm almost certain to skip Bill
Lawhorn's Capclave ('09), breaking a 30-year record of never missing
any Disclave or Capclave.  (Well, okay, I didn't actually attend 1983,
due to an ill-timed business trip, but I did have a full membership.)
I may stop attending Capclave at all.

Perhaps Elizabeth thinks that malicious slander is good clean fun.
Someone she trusts should advise her to discuss this theory with a
lawyer, unless she'd just as soon trade that condo for a cardboard
box on the street.

Despite Elizabeth and Bill's inexplicable best efforst to ruin my
Balticon, I very much enjoyed about 97% of it.  I plan to return next
year.  I'll also be at Conterpoint and Philcon.  Capclave, I'm not so
sure I'll attend.

Many thanks to the several people who were informative and supportive
at Balticon.  You know who you are.  I won't name you here, so that
you won't land on Elizabeth or Bill's enemies list.