Wanna be a MEMBER?




It's hard to go through life without joining anything.  That even applies to loners and misfits.  Damn few of us stay isolated -- and that's a good thing.  Still, sifting through my memories, I find I've joined some odd groups.  For example:


That's a typical picture of a science fiction convention, above.  Science Fiction "fandom" is an old, old thing.  It may have been the first true fandom.  Back in the day, it was a lot smaller.  My first World Science Fiction Convention was in New York in 1967.  As I recall, there were considerably fewer than 3,000 people in attendance.  This was a GOOD thing.  It meant you could walk into a room and find yourself hobnobbing with Isaac Asimov, Harlan Ellison, Frank Herbert...well, everybody!  Snobbery wasn't a thing.  We were Nerds Together, professionals and fans alike!

These days, you're lucky if you can get through the crowds to stand in line to get an autograph.

But joining fandom led, in the long run, to joining another group.  When I sold my first short story and joined (fanfare, please) SFWA, the Science Fiction Writers of America!


Mind you, I dropped out after fairly few years, when I realized most of my work wasn't going to be fiction, let alone science fiction.  I dropped so many years ago, they hadn't even added "fantasy" to the name yet.

Still, my next join was another professional group:  The American Society of Business Press Editors.  But that had some crossover.  I knew several SFWA members who also turned out to be ASBPE ("azbippy") members.  Guys like Gene Wolfe (who autographed a book to me with the inscription "To a fellow trade-press racketeer").

And then my father nudged and nudged and nudged, and the next thing I knew, I was a Freemason!  Cool, eh?  Well, no.  The most boring group in the world.  Snoozerific.  I last about a year.



And now here I am, old and grey and I join groups on Facebook. Like "I Was Online Before You Were Born," replete with old farts who pioneered this digital wasteland.


Tell us what groups you've joined over the years!

alexthekay is taking notes!








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