April 19, 2010
It's not too late!!
Always wonder what it was like to help make a conference come together? It's not too late!! We are still looking for a few good people... Five positions are open! Come join a fun team of people and see what it's really like to make ICFA happen. May 1st is the deadline and it's just around the corner!
Two board positions are open and applicants can forward a cover letter and CV to President Jim Casey at jcasey@highpoint.edu for review at the annual Board meeting.
* Registration and Membership Coordinator
* Tech Gnome
Three division head positions are open and applicants can forward a cover letter and CV to Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com).
* International Fantastic
* Horror
* Science Fiction Lit
Apply this week!!
Posted by Crystal Black at 09:20 PM | Comments (0)
April 07, 2010
Head of International Fantastic Division
After six years of much-appreciated service as IF Division Head, Dale Knickerbocker is stepping aside to allow someone else the opportunity. The IAFA board, on behalf of the entire IAFA community, thanks Dale for the hard work that he has done establishing the IF Division as a vibrant part of the ICFA.
The IAFA is now accepting applications for the position of Head of the International Fantastic Division, effective immediately.
The Division Head is the person who sends out paper calls for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels, and passes the work s/he's done on to the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all aspects of the fantastic arts originally produced in a language other than English, in any medium.
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA (at least a couple of years' experience with the organization so you have some understanding of how things work at the conference), easy and dependable internet access and comfort level with computers, organizational skills, the ability to work as part of a group working together on the 'big picture', a willingness to work through the transition with the previous Head beginning this fall, the ability to attend March conferences while you hold the position and to attend the Division Heads' meeting run by the 1st VP at the conference, plus, of course, the time to do the work involved. Knowledge of the field of fantastic literature in a language other than English is required. Division Heads hold office for a term of 3 years (with a probationary first year) with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term.
If you're interested in taking on the work of IF Division Head, please contact both Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com), and Dale Knickerbocker, outgoing IF Division Head (knickerbockerd@ecu.edu), with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2010; a decision will be made by June 2010.
Posted by Crystal Black at 08:43 PM | Comments (0)
Head of Horror Lit Division
After five years of much-appreciated service as Horror Division Head, Stephanie Moss is stepping down. The IAFA board, on behalf of the entire IAFA community, thanks Stephanie for her dedicated work supporting horror scholarship at ICFA.
Based on data available last year, the IAFA board had decided to discontinue the Horror Division at the conclusion of Stephanie’s term. Given new information, the board will reconsider this decision at the June meeting. The board now expects to re-institute the Horror Division on a trial basis and, should this occur, the new Division Head will serve for the trial period.
The IAFA is now accepting applications for the position of Head of the Horror Literature Division.
The Division Head creates and publicizes the CFP for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels and coordinates all Division programming with the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all papers and panels on horror literature in English (the International division handles non-English works; works in media other than print are handled by the relevant media division).
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA, knowledge of the field of horror literature (primary texts and criticism), frequent and dependable internet access, comfort working with computers, organizational skills and the ability to work as part of a group. It is preferable that candidates have some history with the conference and thus are familiar with its structure. Candidates must be willing to begin transition work immediately and must attend the annual conference in March during the years of tenure as Division Head. Responsibilities also include attending the Division Heads meeting at the conference and responding to any problems at the conference, such as filling in as moderator if need be and the like.
If you're interested in taking on the work of SF Division Head, please contact Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com), with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2010; a decision will be made by June 2010.
Posted by Crystal Black at 08:41 PM | Comments (0)
Head of Science Fiction Lit Division
The IAFA is now accepting applications for the position of Head of the Science Fiction Literature Division, effective immediately.
The Division Head creates and publicizes the CFP for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels, selects and runs the SF Theory roundtable reading and coordinates all Division programming with the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all papers and panels on science fiction literature in English (the International division handles non-English works; works in media other than print are handled by the relevant media division).
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA, knowledge of the field of sf literature (primary texts and criticism), frequent and dependable internet access, comfort working with computers, organizational skills and the ability to work as part of a group. It is preferable that candidates have some history with the conference and thus are familiar with its structure. Candidates must be willing to begin transition work with the current Division Head, Sherryl Vint, immediately, and must attend the annual conference in March during the years of tenure as Division Head. Responsibilities also include attending the Division Heads meeting at the conference and responding to any problems at the conference, such as filling in as moderator if need be and the like. Division Heads hold office for a term of 3 years (with a probationary first year) with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term.
If you're interested in taking on the work of SF Division Head, please contact Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com), with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2010; a decision will be made by June 2010.
Posted by Crystal Black at 08:38 PM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2010
IAFA Chief Technology Officer (a.k.a. Tech Gnome)
Call for Candidates: IAFA Chief Technology Officer (a.k.a. Tech Gnome)
Board Position: Chief Technology Officer
Effective: post-conference 2010, transition to start immediately
Term: 3 year appointment, renewable at the President's discretion
Following the recent IAFA elections and the transition of Jim Casey to the role of President, there is now a need for a new Chief Technology Officer (Tech Gnome), who will be appointed by the President, after formal discussion and majority vote of the other elected officers.
The Chief Technology Officer works with the Conference Chair to manage conference AV needs on-site and will provide primary support and maintenance for the IAFA's online resources, such as the registered domain name (IAFA.ORG), the websites (IAFA, JFA, etc.), and the organization's email discussion lists (IAFA-L, DIV-HEADS, IAFA-BOARD, JFA-STAFF, etc.). The Chief Technology Officer is responsible for technology acquisitions and advises the President and Executive Board on policy matters relating to information technology.
The time required for the position is hard to quantify as the duties vary depending on the time of year. Obviously there's a fair bit of work before, during, and after the conference and the candidate must be available before the annual conference for technology set-up and immediately after the conference for technology take-down.
In addition, the Chief Technology Officer is a voting member of the Board and must be available to attend IAFA meetings. During the conference, the IAFA Board meets on Wednesday evening, and holds a business meeting, usually on Thursday just before dinner. The other commitment is the annual meeting, which takes place over a weekend, usually in late-may/early June, in Florida; the expenses for this meeting are covered by the IAFA Board.
Interested candidates should forward their application package (a cover letter and CV) by May 1st, 2010 to incoming President Jim Casey at jcasey@highpoint.edu for review at the annual Board meeting.
Graham J. Murphy
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)
Registration and Membership Coordinator
Call for Candidates:
Registration and Membership Coordinator
Board Position: Registration and Membership Coordinator
Effective: post-conference 2010, transition to start immediately
Term: 3 year appointment, renewable at the President's discretion
The conclusion of ICFA-31 will also mark the completion of Stacie Hanes’s tenure as Registration/Membership Coordinator, a position appointed by the President, after formal discussion and majority vote of the other elected officers.
This officer oversees the operation of the IAFA membership and the ICFA registrations, corresponding with members regarding their membership dues and payments, taking in membership and registration fees, collecting and verifying accurate membership and registration statistics and accounts of tickets, and distributing registration packets and badges as well as tickets for luncheon and banquet programs at the conference. Fee structures and forms for membership, established by the Executive Board, are administered by the Registration/Membership Coordinator. This officer also oversees the maintenance of membership mailing lists, and preparation of copy for the annual Directory. The Registration Coordinator is appointed by the President after formal discussion and majority vote of the Board.
In addition, the Registration and Membership Coordinator is a voting member of the Board and must be available to attend IAFA meetings. During the conference, the IAFA Board meets on Wednesday evening, and holds a business meeting, usually on Thursday just before dinner. The other commitment is the annual meeting, which takes place over a weekend, usually in late-may/early June, in Florida; the expenses for this meeting are covered by the IAFA Board.
Interested candidates should forward their application package (a cover letter and CV) by May 1st, 2010 to incoming President Jim Casey at jcasey@highpoint.edu for review at the annual Board meeting.
Graham J. Murphy
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 29, 2009
IAFA Elections
Slate of Candidates for Election to IAFA Office
For President:
Jim Casey
As AV Monkey, I reorganized ICFA’s entire AV system by standardizing procedures, updating equipment, and developing a plan for the future. If elected, I would continue the improvements begun through my Monkey Business and Tech Gnomery, upgrading our technological infrastructure, regularizing administrative procedures, improving communication, and implementing training programs so people can participate more easily. Rather than relying on the institutional memory of a few enlightened bureaucrati, IAFA needs to involve all our wonderful members, increasing both membership and involvement without alienating long-time members. If elected, I promise to take the conference and organization seriously without taking myself too seriously.
For First Vice President:
Judith Collins McCormick
I have skirted the edges of the ICFA for about thirty years now, enjoying both its personal and its professional benefits. It’s time I paid something back.
According to several reliable sources, the office of 1st Vice President is best filled by a person with at least one of the particular neuroses I already possess, namely O.C.D. Thus, I humbly submit my name for said office, hoping the membership will see fit to allow me to fixate on scheduling, coordinating, and the correct spelling of every name.
Sherryl Vint
The IAFA and its annual conference has been an important part of my academic life since I attended my first conference in 2000. The opportunity to receive feedback on my presentations from some of the leading scholars in the field has enhanced my thinking and made me a better scholar. I have also made some of my dearest friends through the conference and its promotion of a collegial and collaborative atmosphere regarding research in the fantastic. I am interested in serving as 1st VP in order to ensure that these opportunities remain available for future generations of scholars. I have served for a number of years as the Division Head for the SF Literature and Theory section, and have enjoyed the opportunities I have had to get to know more of the association’s members and to organise events such as panel discussions and theory roundtable readings to foster intellectual exchange. Were I to be elected, my priorities would be to ensure that the conference remains a lively site of exchange that continues to promote the best scholarship in the fantastic, to foster collaborative projects and collegial exchange, and to nurture the next generation of scholars through support for graduate students.
For Public Information Coordinator:
Crystal Black
I’ve been an active member of IAFA for eight years, the last two as your Head of Registration. While I’m no longer an academic, my professional experience as a marketing and communications manager in the high tech industry should help IAFA forge into new communication technologies possibly including podcasting and social media like Facebook and LinkedIn. Other organizations I’ve supported in various communication activities include Virginia Tech San Francisco Alumni Association, Bus Barn Stage Company, SCSI Trade Association, and Fibre Channel Industry Association. I’m eager to continue my support of IAFA and believe this is the best way I can give back.
Aidan-Paul Canavan
The ICFA has supported me during my Ph.D. by providing a forum to discuss my research, to meet like-minded academics and to have their scathing criticism hone my arguments.
The organisation has been the unacknowledged partner in my research and I want to serve on the board to redress part of the balance of what I owe. I need to stop being a bystander and to start taking responsibility for the conference I love.
I can promise hard work, dedication, and the best of my considerable organisational abilities. I will also consider dressing as a leprechaun for some formal dinners
Valorie Ebert
I am new to both IAFA and ICFA, but my first experience with them, at ICFA 30, made a strong impression on me. Because ICFA 30 was my first conference as a graduate student, I was understandably nervous. However, within the first few hours, I was warmly received by several veteran attendees. Not only did they encourage me and offer advice; they also showed up at my reading to give me the added benefit of familiar faces to calm my nerves.
This experience inspired me to become more involved with IAFA and ICFA, to get more familiar with the process, and to encourage others to attend and present papers. Because the duties of the Public Information Coordinator require the use of my strange obsession with organization and my need to meet deadlines, I feel that this position will be a valuable experience that I will undertake with enthusiasm.
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)
June 02, 2009
New Division Head
On behalf of the Executive Board of IAFA, I would like to announce that we have decided upon a replacement for Susan George, who recently stepped down as Film and Television Division Head at the end of her term. The new Division Head will be Jeffrey Weinstock of Central Michigan University.
Jeffrey has been a member of IAFA since 1996, presenting papers on a wide variety of topics. He has edited several collections including books on South Park, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Blair Witch Project, and has an upcoming book on the films of M. Night Shyamalan, in addition to working in nineteenth and twentieth century American Literature. In service to IAFA, Jeffrey has served on the Graduate Student Paper Award committee, and is Reviews Editor for JFA. He brings to the position of division head a great deal of experience in conference planning and organizing.
The board was pleased with the response to the call for candidates for the position; three people expressed interest in the job, all of them well qualified. We thank all of the candidates and hope that all will find other ways in which to continue to contribute to the success of the conference and of the association.
Chrissie Mains
1VP, IAFA
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 08:53 AM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2009
IAFA Election Results
The IAFA Board is pleased to announce the results of our most recent
elections:
2nd Vice-President: Sydney Duncan (unanimous)
Treasurer: William Clemente (re-elected; unanimous)
Our thanks to all those of you who participated in the election process
as candidates and/or voters. We wish all the best to our new/returning
members of the Board and look forward to seeing everyone at ICFA-30.
Graham J. Murphy
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)
February 02, 2009
Call for Volunteer: FM Division Head
After five years of much-appreciated service as FM Division Head, Susan George is stepping aside to allow someone else the opportunity. The IAFA board, on behalf of the entire IAFA community, thanks Susan for the hard work that she has done in this position. Beginning after the conference in March 2009, we will need a new division head for Film & Television.
This is an open call for volunteers interested in being considered for the position. The Division Head is the person who sends out paper calls for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels, and passes the work s/he's done on to the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all aspects of fantasy, science fiction, and horror in film and television. In past conferences, the FM Division has sponsored papers on television series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica, and films from every decade, from Hammer horror and Ed Wood science fiction to Gattaca, Grindhouse, and The Day After Tomorrow.
General qualifications include current membership with IAFA (at least a couple of years of experience with the organization and conference attendance so you have some understanding of how things work at the conference), comfort with computers, easy and dependable internet access, organizational skills, the ability to work as part of a group working together on the 'big picture,' a willingness to work through the transition with Susan beginning immediately, the ability to attend March conferences while you hold the position and to attend the Division Heads' meeting run by the 1st VP at the conference, plus, of course, the time required to do the work involved. The most successful division heads also make a point throughout the year of watching for new ways to advertise their divisions and for emerging scholars to approach with calls for papers.
Specific qualifications for the FM Division Head include a comprehensive knowledge of the field, both of primary texts (films and television series focused on science fiction, fantasy, and horror) and of secondary texts (scholarship on these films and series as well as film and television more generally).
Division Heads hold office for a term of 3 years (with a probationary first year) with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term.
If you have questions about the position, you can either email Susan or speak with her at the conference in March. To apply for the position, please email both Chrissie Mains, 1st Vice President (cemains AT shaw.ca) and Susan George, outgoing FM Division Head (sageorge13 AT sbcglobal.net) with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2009.
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2008
CYA Division Head
On behalf of the Executive Board of IAFA, I would like to announce that we have decided upon a replacement for Joe Sutliff Sanders, who has just stepped down as CYA Division Head at the end of his three-year term. The new Division Head for The Fantastic in Children's and Young Adult Literature and Art will be Amie Rose Rotruck of Hollins University.
Amie is a longstanding member of IAFA, who has been presenting papers and participating on panels in the CYA Division since its inception. She has an MA in Children's Literature from Hollins University and is currently completing an MFA at Hollins. She also has a BS in Writing for Children and the Certificate of Children's Literature from the University of Pittsburgh. Her first book, Bronze Dragon Codex, a middle grade fantasy novel in the "Practical Guide to Dragons Adventure" series, will be out in June.
Joe will be staying on board through the end of the conference in 2009 to serve as a mentor, so we expect that the transition will go very smoothly.
The board was pleased with the response to the call for candidates for the position; four people expressed interest in the job, all of them well qualified. We thank all of the candidates and hope that all will find other ways in which to continue to contribute to the success of the conference and of the association.
Chrissie Mains
1VP, IAFA
Posted by ChrissieMains at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)
April 21, 2008
Call for Volunteer: CYA Division Head
Having more than ably served out his three-year term as CYA Division Head, Joe Sutliff Sanders has decided not to stand for another three-year term but instead to step down in order to devote his time to other research interests. We're very sorry to accept Joe's resignation, and we thank him profusely for the wonderful job that he has done over the past three years. Of course, Joe's departure means that we are in immediate need of a new CYA Division Head.
This is an open call for volunteers interested in being considered for the position.
The Division Head is the person who sends out paper calls for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels, and passes the work s/he's done on to the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all aspects of fantasy, science fiction, and horror in literature and art that is marketed primarily to children and young adults. In past conferences, the CYA Division has sponsored papers on the work of J.K. Rowling, Alan Garner, Edward Eager, Lewis Carroll, Lois Lowry, C. S. Lewis, L. Frank Baum, Kenneth Grahame, Philip Pullman, Robin McKinley, David Almond, Megan Whalen Turner, Maurice Sendak, and many more authors and illlustrators.
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA (at least a couple of years of experience with the organization and conference attendance so you have some understanding of how things work at the conference), comfort with computers, easy and dependable internet access, organizational skills, the ability to work as part of a group working together on the 'big picture,' a willingness to work through the transition with Joe beginning immediately, the ability to attend March conferences while you hold the position and to attend the Division Heads' meeting run by the 1st VP at the conference, plus, of course, the time required to do the work involved. The most successful division heads also make a point throughout the year of watching for new ways to advertise their divisions and for emerging scholars to approach with calls for papers. Division Heads hold office for a term of 3 years (with a probationary first year) with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term.
If you're interested in taking on the work of CYA Division Head, please contact both Chrissie Mains, 1st Vice President (cemains AT shaw.ca) and Joe Sutliff Sanders, outgoing CYA Division Head (dr.joess AT gmail.com) with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is May 12, 2008.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2007
FE Division Head
On behalf of the Executive Board of IAFA, I would like to announce that we have decided upon a replacement for Chuck Nelson, who will be stepping down as FE Division Head following the conference in March 2008. The new Division Head for Fantastic Literatures in English will be Stefan Ekman of Lund University, Sweden.
Stefan is a longstanding member of IAFA, who has been attending the conference for many years. In addition to presenting papers on Tolkien, de Lint, Gaiman, Vess, and others, he has ably chaired sessions and moderated panels. He has also contributed to the association in other ways, formerly as the Student Caucus Representative and most recently as the web designer for IAFA's new website. He has worked closely with Chuck over the years, and we expect that the transition will go very smoothly.
The board was extremely pleased with the response to the call for candidates for the position; eight people expressed interest in the job, and the board had a very difficult time making a decision from amongst so many qualified candidates. We thank all of the candidates and hope that all will find other ways in which to continue to contribute to the success of the conference and of the association.
Chrissie Mains
1VP, IAFA
Posted by ChrissieMains at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)
September 26, 2007
New Website Launched
If you've accessed this blog through the IAFA website (is there really another way to access it?) then you've obviously seen the new website. We are thrilled to have launched the new site and encourage you to take a look at the information that has been posted. Updates will continue as need, notably the Registration form for ICFA2008 which will be posted shortly.
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)
September 25, 2007
Call for Candidates: FE Division Head
Chuck Nelson, after many years of able and much-appreciated service as Division Head for Fantastic Literature in English, has decided to step down effective March 2008 (immediately following the conference).
The Division Head is the person who sends out paper calls for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels, and passes the work s/he's done on to the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all aspects of the fantastic in British, American, and Commonwealth Literature that are not covered by divisions such as Horror and Children's/Young Adult. In past conferences, the FE Division has sponsored papers on the work of Shakespeare, Tolkien, Gaiman, McKillip, Holdstock, Twain, Mieville, Aldiss, Lewis, MacDonald, and many other authors, as well as papers on theories of the fantastic and fantasy literature.
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA (at least a couple of years' experience with the organization so you have some understanding of how things work at the conference), easy and dependable internet access and comfort level with computers, organizational skills, the ability to work as part of a group working together on the 'big picture', a willingness to work through the transition with Chuck beginning this fall, the ability to attend March conferences while you hold the position and to attend the Division Heads' meeting run by the 1st VP at the conference, plus, of course, the time to do the work involved. Division Heads hold office for a term of 3 years (with a probationary first year) with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term.
If you're interested in taking on the work of FE Division Head, please contact both Chrissie Mains, 1st Vice President (cemains@shaw.ca) and Chuck Nelson, outgoing FE Division Head cwnelson@mtu.edu) with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is October 15, 2007.
Chrissie Mains
Posted by ChrissieMains at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2007
IAFA Election Results
Here are the results of the IAFA election, as submitted by Mike Levy to the listserv. Congratulations to Farah Mendlesohn and Christine Mains as they take over their respective duties.
Original Posting:
The results are in in the IAFA election.
Farah Mendlesohn was elected president.
Mendlesohn 51 votes
No Choice or Abstention 14
Joe Sanders 1 (write in)
Christine Mains was elected vice president
Mains 53 votes
Palumbo 13 votes
I hope you will join me in congratulating Farah Mendlesohn and Christine Mains and in thanking Donald Palumbo for running.
Mike Levy
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2007
Your New PIC Sends His Greetings
Hello everyone,
As the new IAFA PIC I thought it best to introduce myself. Before I do that, however, I'd like to thank Chrissie Mains for her fantastic service over these past years. She has had an undeniable impact on the IAFA and I can only hope to fill her PIC shoes, not replace her. Chrissie has graciously offered to help walk me through this transition period to prevent any unnecessary fumblings on my part; so, I want to publically thank her and I look forward to officially taking up the reins as your new PIC.
For those of you who don't know me: I'm another Canadian (the "C" of PIC must stand for Canuck) in the position. I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Alberta in 2002 and have been ensconced as a part-time faculty member of the Cultural Studies Program and the Department of English at Trent University (Peterborough). But, this site isn't about me; rather, it's about you and what it is you want announced to the broader IAFA community. On that front, please don't hesitate to e-mail your announcements and I'll get them posted ASAP. My contact e-mail is GrahamMurphy@trentu.ca.
I look forward to seeing some/most of you at ICFA-28. Feel free to introduce yourself and say "hello." I'll be the bewildered one trailing after Chrissie, frantically taking notes.
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 06:44 AM | Comments (0)
January 21, 2007
IAFA 2007 Election
Members in good standing of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts are automatically subscribed to a members-only list (iafa-members). This list is used to conduct IAFA business that affects only the current members of the association, including the election of officers to the Executive Board.
The current President and First Vice President of IAFA complete their terms of service immediately following this year's conference in March, to be replaced by a new President and First Vice President. Recently, statements by the candidates for these positions were circulated on the members-only list and posted to the Newsletter blog.
Within the next day or so, all members in good standing should receive a ballot, sent to the iafa-members list. This ballot provides instructions for returning your ballot with your vote for these positions. The candidates are
for President: Farah Mendlesohn
ror 1VP: Donald Palumbo and Christine Mains
IAFA members have the option of choosing from among the candidates listed, or writing in the name of another IAFA member who meets the eligibility for the position, or of indicating their refusal to vote for the candidates offered.
The deadline for submitting the ballot is February 15, 2007.
Questions regarding the technical issues of participating in the election, including not receiving the ballot through the members-only list, should be directed to Len Hatfield at Len.Hatfield AT vt.edu. More general concerns about the elections process should be directed to the Immediate Past President as chair of the Elections Committee, who is Bill Senior at wsenior AT broward.edu.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2006
New Division Head - Visual & Performing Arts
The IAFA Executive Board would like to announce the appointment of our newest Division Head, effective immediately following ICFA28 in March 2007. Stefan Hall will become the Division Head for the Visual & Performing Arts Division, replacing Stacie Hanes, who will be replacing Katy Hatfield as Membership & Registration Co-ordinator.
Please help us to welcome Stefan into his new role, whether by email congratulations or by the buying of drinks at the conference in March.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 03:16 PM | Comments (0)
December 06, 2006
Call for Candidates: VPA Division Head
Stacie Hanes having been translated into a board member, we need someone to replace her as Division Head for the Visual & Performing Arts, to take office after the March conference.
This is an open call for volunteers to fill that role.
If you're interested, please feel free to contact Stacie esmeraldus AT earthlink.net or Farah Mendlesohn, the outgoing 1st Vice President farah.sf AT gmail.com , or Mike Levy, levym AT uwstout.edu for further information. The IAFA board of directors will study all applications for the position, with the president making the final choice.
The Divsion Head is the person who sends out paper calls for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions with them, has a say in creating panels, and passes the work s/he's done on to the 1st Vice President for editing and revision (as necessary) and scheduling.
Qualifications include organizational membership, at least a couple of years' experience with the organization so you have some understanding of how things work, basic internet access, organizational skills, the ability to work as part of a group, a willingness to work through the transition with Stacie (beginning before the March conference), the ability to attend March conferences while you hold the position and to attend the Division Heads' meeting run by the 1st VP at the conference, plus, of course, the time to do the work involved.
Here's a working description of the Divison, which is new this year.
Division Head: Visual & Performing Arts
This division might feature titles that begin with the words "Art in the Novels of . . ." or "Music in . . ." but will be especially appropriate for papers about "The Art (or Design) of...." Appropriate subjects include graphic novels, art and illustrations, theater and dance, graphic design, music, and other performances, as well as special effects from the perspective of technique.
The V&PA division is for discussion of visuals, translation of images, and artistry, rather than contextual, thematic, or political elements of the text.
Again, please contact Stacie, Farah, or Mike for information, or to apply for the position.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)
December 04, 2006
IAFA Elections
The following announcement has been posted to the iafa-members listserv, which posts only to members in good standing of the association. In the near future, ballots will also be sent to the members list, so it's important for all members to make sure that they're receiving messages from that listserv. If the following did not arrive in your email inbox and you are a current IAFA member, please contact Len Hatfield right away.
Dear IAFA Member:
You are receiving this missive as a part of the election process for the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. This election addresses the selection of a new President and a new First Vice
President for the organization, due to the very able completion of their terms by the current incumbents, Mike Levy and Farah Mendlesohn, respectively.
After completing the Calls for Nominations, the Executive Board has received a single nomination for the Presidency, and two nominations for the First Vice Presidency.
In order to complete the election process mandated by the IAFA Constitution and Bylaws, the Board offers their Candidate Statements below.
Note: these statements are solely for information purposes; we will conduct the election in the early weeks of the new year using the email system worked out in previous years for all but those few IAFA members who lack email access, and paper ballots for the latter. PLEASE WATCH FOR THE IAFA ELECTRONIC ELECTION BALLOT coming your way soon.
Please do not reply to this message; if you have any questions, please contact
Michael Levy, IAFA President (LevyM@uwstout.edu),
Len Hatfield, IAFA Chief Tech Gnome (len.hatfield@gmail.com), or
Chip Sullivan, IAFA Election Committee (sullivanc@mail.ecu.edu).
Len Hatfield
Chip Sullivan
for the IAFA Elections Committee
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IAFA CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
Farah Mendlesohn, Candidate for President
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What I hope I offer to the IAFA, is a great deal of organisational experience and a passion for the work of others. The opportunity to work with IAFA is for me the opportunity to nurture a space which has been so supportive of new and younger scholars, of independent scholars and of the many authors who attend. As we continue to grow, and as a new generation comes onto the Board and into the various less visible roles of the conference, it is important that change preserves the best of the old, while remaining open to the excitement of the new.
At the time of writing I will have served the IAFA for five years, first as a Division Head (YA literature)and second as 1st Vice-President (the person who takes the papers recruited by the Division Heads and puts the schedule together). What strikes me most about this period is the amount I have learned and the degree to which both experiences have increased my knowledge of science fiction and the fantastic, and my understanding of the sheer scope of work and scholarship now being done in the field.
I’m keen to see new avenues of scholarship welcomed into the ICFA, and keen also to see new authors welcomed. It is the interaction of authors and scholars (academic and independent), many of them bringing both labels, which makes the conference so distinctive.
I was Chair of the Science Fiction Foundation for six years, and Editor of Foundation for another six (I’m standing down from this position in the summer of 2007). I’ve co-organised more than ten conferences — my co-organisers were various configurations of Andrew M. Butler, Andy Sawyer, Edward James and Nickianne Moody — on behalf of my university, the Science Fiction Foundation, and the SFRA. And of course I will have worked on six ICFAs in differing capacities.
I’ve edited and co-edited several essay collections: on Joanna Russ; on Ken MacLeod and on Terry Pratchett with Andrew M. Butler and Edward James, and Bablyon 5 with Edward James. In 2005, The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction which I edited with Edward James was awarded a Hugo by the World Science Fiction Convention. What I’m most proud of is the way all of these books, and the journal issues I’ve edited, have showcased the work of our field, and in particular in the pages of the journal have provided a space for new entrants to draw our attention to new subjects and new questions.
My own work is rather varied and I sometimes find it hard to say just what I’m interested in. In 2005 I published a monograph on Diana Wynne Jones. In 2007 I will publish Rhetorics of Fantasy, the basics of which were first published by Bill Senior in the JFA. In addition, I hope to publish The Inter-Galactic Playground with McFarland, a book about children’s and juvenile sf in the late twentieth century. The book came out of an article which Michael Levy and Jan Bogstad accepted in a special issue of The Lion and the Unicorn, but it has expanded far beyond that into a study of the sf community’s reading habits (as I write this I am taking time out from processing 900 responses to a questionnaire) and into ideas about science education, information density and attitudes to the child. When this is done, I hope to return to my first love and work on the development of ideology and language in the early science fiction magazines. I’m fascinated by the period Isiah Berlin — a historian of colonization — would term the “creolization” of the field, as ideas bed down in the 1930s and 1940s, and the first generation of “indigenous” writers appears, those “born and bred” reading science fiction.
Christine Mains, Candidate for First Vice President
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I'm stepping down after two terms on IAFA's Executive Board as Public Information Co-ordinator to run for the position of First Vice President. I've been attending ICFA for seven years, and working hard behind the scenes for six of those years to make sure the conference is a productive and enjoyable experience. In addition to handling conference PR, including editing the Newsletter blog and distributing the Call for Papers, I've been responsible for the program book and have helped out in the bookroom and behind the registration desk. Outside of IAFA, I'm the Editor for the SFRA Review, and in recent years have chaired several committees and worked on the organizing committee for SFRA 2003 in Guelph, a job that included programming and scheduling of paper sessions and panels. I'm very much looking forward to working with
the division heads to co-ordinate the conference programming schedule and to continue working with the rest of the board in guiding IAFA through the challenges of the coming years. As I've said on other
occasions, I am very appreciative of the wonderful opportunities that I've enjoyed as a member of IAFA, and grateful for the support I've always received from IAFA's diverse membership. I'm committed to doing whatever work needs to be done to ensure that the association and the conference continue for many more years, and I hope that you will allow me to continue to serve.
Donald Palumbo, Candidate for First Vice President
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Don Palumbo is Professor of English at East Carolina University, where he teaches courses in science fiction, science fiction films, the short story, and the novel. He has participated in every ICFA meeting for the past 27 years, since ICFA #1 in 1980, is a recipient of the IAFA Robert A Collins Distinguished Service Award (1996), and has served the organization as a member of the original Board of Governors (1982-83), as IAFA Treasurer (1983-89), and as IAFA President (1989-92) and Immediate Past-President (1992-95). Don is co-advisor to McFarland Publisher's "Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy" series and a previous co-advisor to Greenwood Press' "Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy" series. He is also Film Area Chair for the Popular Culture Association, a former PCA Comic Art & Comics Area Chair, a member of the Popular Culture Association's Board of Governors, and a member of the Editorial Advisory Boards of both The Journal of Popular Culture and the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. He has published four books and over seventy articles on science fiction literature and film, comic books, and existential literature and philosophy. He is interested in the VP position because he enjoys the puzzle of assembling the best possible conference program (having done it in 1989-92), is good at it, and also would like to return (after a reasonable hiatus of 12 years) to fuller participation in the organization as an officer.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2006
New Board Appointees (2007)
The IAFA Executive Board would like to announce the appointment of two new members, who will take up their positions immediately following the conference in March 2007.
Graham Murphy of Trent University will be taking over as Public Information Co-ordinator, replacing Chrissie Mains, and Stacie Hanes of Kent State will become the new Membership/Registration Co-ordinator, replacing Katy Hatfield.
Please help us welcome Graham and Stacie to their new roles, whether to congratulate them on their success or to commiserate with them on the work they've just undertaken.
Any organization is only as strong as those willing to do the necessary work to keep it going. The Board would especially like to thank everybody who submitted their names for consideration.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 02:00 PM | Comments (0)
October 12, 2006
Call for Candidates: Membership/Registration Co-ordinator
October 12, 2006
Call for Candidates: Membership Coordinator/ICFA Registrar
To provide more opportunities for members to take a more active role in ICFA, and because I’ve had all the fun for long enough, I will be leaving my position as IAFA Membership Coordinator/ICFA Registrar. I will continue my duties until the conclusion of ICFA-28, but would like to find someone who would be willing to begin their training in January 2007 and be responsible for onsite registration management during the upcoming conference.
The following provides an overview of the position; if you're interested, please send an email to me, Katy Hatfield, at katy.hatfield AT gmail.com. Please tell me a little about yourself and why you think you'll be a good fit for the position. I will forward a list of interested parties to the IAFA Executive Board for further consideration. Anyone who is a member in good standing of IAFA is eligible to apply, including grad students. However, it is essential that the Co-ordinator reside in the US; there are some aspects of the job that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to handle from outside the country.
Board Position: IAFA Membership Coordinator/ICFA Registrar
Effective: post-conference 2007, with onsite responsibilities for 2007 (a transition period begins in January 2007)
Term: 3 year appointment, renewable at the President's discretion
Duties: The IAFA Membership Coordinator/ICFA Registrar is responsible for receiving membership requests and ICFA registrations, sending payment receipts, depositing funds, processing credit card charges, and entering and managing the data. Correspondence with members and prospective attendees is also necessary. A key element of this position is providing up-to-date numbers to the Conference Manager, presently Donald Morse, so that hotel charges are on target with the actual number of attendees. This is essential to the financial health of the organization—and it helps Donald breathe easier during the three months prior to the meeting.
Time Required: As with the Information Officer's position, it's hard to set a definite number of hours per week or month, as the duties vary depending on the time of year. Some weeks may require 4-5 hours or more and other weeks may just need an hour or less. The work load is fairly constant from November through March with the heaviest work load occurring during February and March. The two weeks preceding the conference are usually very hectic with last minute registrations, cancellations or other problems. This is also when name tags and meal tickets are produced and everyone’s materials are coordinated for pick up at registration.
Skills: Good organization is very helpful—especially during the weeks leading up to the meeting. You must like to work with data—a knowledge of specific software is less important than being willing and ready to learn! IAFA will supply you a copy of the software used to do work required.
I have greatly enjoyed serving IAFA in this capacity. This is a terrific group of creative people. I have found the IAFA leadership to be supportive and appreciative. This is a great job for someone who would like to get to know the membership, invited guests, and other attendees.
If you have any questions, drop me an email.
Katy
Posted by ChrissieMains at 09:06 PM | Comments (0)
September 24, 2006
Call for Candidates: Public Information Co-ordinator
Hello, fellow IAFA members, particularly those of you who have an interest in becoming more involved with the association and working behind the scenes. After two terms as IAFA's Public Information Co-ordinator, I'm stepping down in order to run in the next board election (coming soon; stay tuned for more).
That means that there will be a need for a new Public Information Co-ordinator, who will be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the board, in accordance with IAFA bylaws.
The following is some information about the position; if you're interested in the position, please send an email to me, Chrissie Mains, at cemains AT shaw.ca, telling us a little about yourself and why you think you'll be a good fit for the position. I will be forwarding a list of interested parties to the board for further consideration. Anyone who is a member in good standing is eligible to apply, and that includes grad students (obviously, or else I wouldn't be doing the job).
Board Position: Public Information Co-ordinator
Effective: post-conference 2007 (transition period beginning, well, now-ish)
Term: 3 year appointment, renewable at the President's discretion
Duties: The Public Information Co-ordinator, shockingly enough, co-ordinates information. The job basically covers two functions: Public Relations and Secretary.
Public Relations:
* preparing and distributing the call for Papers in different venues
* updating the website (with conference information, award winners, etc.)
* posting announcements to the listserv and the Newsblog
* preparing flyers for the conference registration packets
* other PR tasks that might arise (like distributing a flyer via mailing list)
Secretary:
* taking minutes at meetings (which means attending meetings)
* participating in and archiving mailing list discussions
* serving as the Board's memory and, sometimes, nag
Time Required:
It's hard to set a definite number of hours per week or month for the position, as the duties vary depending on the time of year. Obviously there's a fair bit of work before, during, and after the conference. But I've had no trouble getting the work done while still juggling teaching, research, and other service commitments, so I don't think it's unreasonable, especially if you're a fairly well organized person.
One essential requirement, however, is the attendance at meetings. During the conference, the board meets on Wednesday evening, and holds a business meeting, usually on Thursday just before dinner. This does cut into the conference fun with friends, naturally. The other big commitment is the annual board meeting, which takes place over a weekend, usually in early June, in Florida; the expenses for this meeting are covered by the board, but it is a bit of an inconvenience.
I've taken on other tasks over the years, including preparing the program book, but those tasks aren't part of the PIC's responsibilities; however, if the new PIC is interested in helping out in that area, maybe in taking it over in the future, that's certainly a possibility. It just isn't a requirement.
Other Skills:
Aside from being organized and acting as the board memory, there are a few software skills that are required, basically a certain comfort level with updating websites and blogging, and some familiarity with InDesign is good (especially if you're interested in getting involved with the program book). And of course you should be able to mess around with MSWord.
If you have further questions, drop me an email. I've enjoyed my two terms as Public Information Co-ordinator, and I'm sorry to step aside. But I think I can continue to serve the association in other ways, and it's time for someone else to have some of the fun.
Chrissie
Posted by ChrissieMains at 02:44 PM | Comments (0)
April 27, 2006
Visual & Performing Arts in the Fantastic
The brand-new Visual & Performing Arts division of the IAFA is all about the site where the visual meets the verbal, where the dynamic and physical intersect the purely textual.
If that doesn't help, then perhaps it's about seeing and acting science fiction, or maybe even being fantasy.
This category includes such topics as:
Illustrations
Graphic novels
Anime
Music
Dance
Sculpture
Theater
Photography
Body Art
Some write science fiction and fantasy, while others show it and do it. The Visual & Performing Arts Division is where we try to determine exactly what that means.
Stacie Hanes is the head of the Visual & Performing Arts section. Her MA focused on 19th Century British Literature. She has published several chapters and articles about Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, the most recent in The Sandman Papers from Fantagraphics, due out in May 2006. Her most recent research has been into 19th century sf (or precursors to the genre) as subversive literature.
She publishes book reviews, micro-essays, photographs, and truly random thoughts in EnglishSpace, and can be reached at shanes1 AT kent.edu.
(Stacie and Barb will be selling tickets to the smackdown over the topics of fan art and cosplay, to be held the Tuesday before the conference in the hotel lobby.)
Posted by ChrissieMains at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)
April 26, 2006
Introducing Communities & Culture in the Fantastic
Community and Culture in the Fantastic is a new division of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. Its focus will be on ways in which audiences participate in the construction of or engage in active interaction with fantastical texts and ideas. It will look at the communities, both virtual and face-to-face, and the ways in which they create and construct culture and cultural artifacts.
Possible areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
Fan culture
Fan fiction (all forms and genres)
Fan art/vidding
Filking
Conventions
Virtual and face-to-face communities and cultures
Cosplay
Roleplaying communities (LARPs, MUSHes, etc)
Video gaming (online, console, PC)
Trading card gaming
Memorabilia and collecting
Viral Marketing
Hypertexts
Folklore/myth/urban legend
The Division Head for the Community and Culture Division is Barbara Lucas. Although her MA concentrated on British Renaissance Literature, her recent scholarship has focused on popular culture, more specifically fan fiction and culture. "Cunning Linguists: The Bisexual Erotics of Words/Silence/Flesh," an article co-authored with Eden Lackner and Robin Anne Reid, will be published
this fall in Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet (McFarland). Her online journal is barbedwriting.livejournal.com. She can be reached at barbedwriting AT yahoo.com.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 11:28 PM | Comments (0)
Introducing the New Divisions
Because of growing interest in the areas of research covered by the PCVA Division (Popular Culture & Visual Arts), a decision was made to split the PCVA into two new divisions: Communities & Culture in the Fantastic (CCF) and Visual & Performing Arts in the Fantastic (VPA). PCVA division head Bryan Dietrich stepped down as of this year's conference (and the association thanks Bryan for his service as division head), so two new division heads were appointed.
Barbara Lucas will head up Communities & Culture, and Stacie Hanes is the division head for Visual & Performing Arts. More information about the new divisions will follow in the next couple of posts.
We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Robin Reid, the incoming 2VP, for her service as SF division head; Sherryl Vint, who assisted Robin last year, is the new division head for SF.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)