Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 07:24:37 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>
From: Candy Madigan <candymadigan at mindspring.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Slander
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

At 09:52 PM 5/30/2007, you wrote:
>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.

No, that is not what you were told.  You were told that Elizabeth had to
kick you out of a party when it was time to go and that you argued with her
about it.  You were not an uninvited guest, you were simply a guest who
didn't leave when told to do so.

>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.

No, this was not since Ravencon, and I told you that at the time.

>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.

Candy
(301)345-6635