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Fan, whole no. 4, September 1945

Page 8

THE FANTASY AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION by James Kepner

The Fantasy Amateur Press Association (abbreviated as F.A.P.A, and usually called "fa-pah") is an organization of sixty-five amateur journalists who share an interest in science fiction and fantasy. Members include eight of the Lost Angeles fans, several from New York, Battle Creek, Boston, San Francisco, and other scattered parts of the country, as well as three English fans, one Canadian, and several american servicemen abroad, who us our claim to being an international organization. 

The F.A.P.A was organized in 1937 by two fans in New York, and it has now become the oldest, and by far the most stable, of non-local fan groups. It is similar to some of the other more widely known amateur journalist groups, such as the National, United, and American Amateur groups. It was organized as a central mailing bureau for the publishers of amateur magazines devoted to science fiction and fantasy. The organization has a simple constitution and a minimum of red tape. Officers are elected annually. The dues are a nominal fee. 

Members publish their magazines at their own discretion, whenever convenient to them, they at their own expense, and send at least sixty-five copies to a designated officer, who sends out the "mailings" quarterly to each member. A mailing consists of an envelope containing one copy of each magazine published within that quarterly period. There have recently been from thirty to sixty separate items per mailing. On the average, this would include two or three poetry pamphlets, a large percentage of book reviews, literary criticism, articles of well of little known fantasy authors, a sheet or two proposing or discussing further constitutional amendments, a bit of artwork, a few fantasy stories, and occasional satires, as well as a large amount of chain discussion. This last item fills the major part of them mailing. It has become a custom for publishing members to devote the bulk of their magazines to comments on the items in the last mailing. These have developed into chain discussions on any subject imaginable which runs on for long periods of time. Topics include sociology, the physical sciences, politics, religions, and, occasionally, even fantasy. A large amount of space is also devoted to semi-humorous accounts of fan doings, such as gatherings, and the trivial incidents connected with book and magazine collecting. 

Recently, for instance, such discussions have come up as the plausibility of a fan-colony located in one of the major cities, the defining of a fan's code of ethics, the racial question in the United states, and the desirability of improvement in our educational system. 

Magazines are generally mimeographed, (although hectography and printing have been used occasionally) and may run from one to thirty of more pages. A few contain art work reproduced by lithography, air brush or the silk screen process. However, most of the artowork is mimeographed. 

Members range from college graduates to high school students. The membership, formerly limited to fifty persons, has recently been raised to sixty-five, and there are now over a dozen applicants on the waiting list, biding their time until other members are dropped for inactivity or non-payment of dues. 

On the whole, the Fantasy Amateur Press Association is the most active and the most interesting of all fan organizations, and, I should say, the most likely to continue in that line.

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THE FANTASY AMATEUR PRESS ASSOCIATION by James Kepner The Fantasy Amateur Press Association (abbreviated as F.A.P.A, and usually called "fa-pah") is an organization of sixty-five amateur journalists who share an interest in science fiction and fantasy. Members include eight of the Lost Angeles fans, several from New York, Battle Creek, Boston, San Francisco, and other scattered parts of the country, as well as three English fans, one Canadian, and several american servicemen abroad, who us our claim to being an international organization. The F.A.P.A was organized in 1937 by two fans in New York, and it has now become the oldest, and by far the most stable, of non-local fan groups. It is similar to some of the other more widely known amateur journalist groups, such as the National, United, and American Amateur groups. It was organized as a central mailing bureau for the publishers of amateur magazines devoted to science fiction and fantasy. The organization has a simple constitution and a minimum of red tape. Officers are elected annually. The dues are a nominal fee. Members publish their magazines at their own discretion, whenever convenient to them, they at their own expense, and send at least sixty-five copies to a designated officer, who sends out the "mailings" quarterly to each member. A mailing consists of an envelope containing one copy of each magazine published within that quarterly period. There have recently been from thirty to sixty separate items per mailing. On the average, this would include two or three poetry pamphlets, a large percentage of book reviews, literary criticism, articles of well of little known fantasy authors, a sheet or two proposing or discussing further constitutional amendments, a bit of artwork, a few fantasy stories, and occasional satires, as well as a large amount of chain discussion. This last item fills the major part of them mailing. It has become a custom for publishing members to devote the bulk of their magazines to comments on the items in the last mailing. These have developed into chain discussions on any subject imaginable which runs on for long periods of time. Topics include sociology, the physical sciences, politics, religions, and, occasionally, even fantasy. A large amount of space is also devoted to semi-humorous accounts of fan doings, such as gatherings, and the trivial incidents connected with book and magazine collecting. Recently, for instance, such discussions have come up as the plausibility of a fan-colony located in one of the major cities, the defining of a fan's code of ethics, the racial question in the United states, and the desirability of improvement in our educational system. Magazines are generally mimeographed, (although hectography and printing have been used occasionally) and may run from one to thirty of more pages. A few contain art work reproduced by lithography, air brush or the silk screen process. However, most of the artowork is mimeographed. Members range from college graduates to high school students. The membership, formerly limited to fifty persons, has recently been raised to sixty-five, and there are now over a dozen applicants on the waiting list, biding their time until other members are dropped for inactivity or non-payment of dues. On the whole, the Fantasy Amateur Press Association is the most active and the most interesting of all fan organizations, and, I should say, the most likely to continue in that line.