Prometheus
Newsletter of the LFS
Meeting opened by Asst. Director Amy Rule.
Board members present to begin: Amy Rule, Michael Grossberg, Lynn Maners, Bill Stoddard, Fred Moulton, Chris Hibbert. Entering later: Bruce Sommer.
Carol Low sitting in as Secretary.
Absent: Tod Casasent and Victoria Varga send regrets.
Lynn Maners asked for volunteer to chair the Special Awards Committee, Michael Grossberg recapped previous board meetings by internet.
Bill Stoddard asked for volunteers as Prometheus contributing editors—need to make more than one submission per year. Newsletter is averaging 8 pages per issue, can go to 10-12 pages. The usual print run is 200, of which 2/3 are mailed; 250 for LFScon. The newsletter is one of LFS's primary outreach instruments.
Grossberg for LFS Webmaster Casasent on website: Pictures from con and articles will be posted. One-third of LEScon conference registration was via PayPal, an idea courtesy of Amy and Tod. Contest on Freemarket.net was successful outreach to enhance membership. Website main source of new faces.
Chair Amy Rule on membership: Laissez Faire list was a successful mailing with 20 PayPal and 10-20 checks for dues—3-4% return on mailing. Announced Special membership offer in which current LFS members may sign up friends and acquaintances to join for a discounted trial year for either $15 Basic or $35 Full membership.
Grossberg requested that all LFS members take packets of the newly printed LFS intro brochures to distribute at sf and lib cons in their regions of the country. (More than 2,400 of the 3,000 copies were taken by LFS members, with another 300 distributed at LFScon.)
Maners, Hall of Fame: Membership can recommend books, need for committee members and year-round communication, has expanded to other media than novels
Maners (acting chair): This committee needs chair and volunteers. This committee is not as active as it is not a yearly award
Grossberg: Prometheus best novel committee is very popular and has waiting list, so the best place for new volunteers is the Hall of Fame finalist judging committee. The Best Novel committee is restricted to 10 for publishers to send books, must be sponsor level or above, there is a waiting list to join, committee narrows nominees to 5 choices for members to vote.
Fred Moulton: Goals for worldcon ceremonies to improve: Get documentation from ceremony: pictures, video, audio; we need roster of volunteers as presenters, MC, gophers, write ups for worldcon newsletter, announcements, and program book. Extra bodies needed to compensate for inevitable absences, need to expose general con members to LFS members, authors.
Rule thanked Michael Grossberg for organizing LEScon. Applause.
Grossberg discussed initial plans for LFS Best Novel award to be presented at 2001 Worldcon in Philly over Labor Day. The Worldcon committee has promised us a time slot for our award. most Worldcons attract 5,000- 10,000 attendees.
Pros and cons of future LFS meeting cons.
Call for volunteers who plan to attend 2001 Worldcon, with show of hands: Kent and Fran Van Cleave, Amy Rule, Victoria Varga, Jorge Cordina, Melinda Pillsbury-Foster, Ed Nash, Adam Tuchman.
LFS members who plan to attend 2002 San Jose and are willing to help with awards ceremony: Fred Moulton, Bruce Sommer, Bill Stoddard, Lynn Maners, Chris Hibbert, Jorge Cordina, Melinda Pillsbury Foster, Rick Triplett.
Discussion of future LFScons: Something that a lot of LES members expressed interest in over the LFScon weekend. Almost 80 LFS members and guests ended up attending LFScon.
Grossberg suggests the possibility of another LFScon every five years or so, at most, since it's not practical to do it annually because of enormous planning time and cost. Other LFS members suggest as often as every 3-5 years. Discussion of setting up an LFScon bid procedure, so that different groups of LFS members can offer to organize an event in their part of the country at least 2-3 years in advance.
One exciting possibility is to plan another LFScon as part of a future Worldcon. Another possibility discussed in recent years: Ed Kramer offered to have LFS at DragonCon in Atlanta, which attracts 20,000 attendees, but they wanted the Prometheus Award for Best Novel, which the LFS traditionally has presented at the Worldcons.
Even without an official LFScon, Grossberg encourages members to create LFS panels at other regional sf cons and libertarian conventions. The newsletter and the website are good places to run announcements of such LFS-related programming LFS member Ed Nash suggested the idea of having a future LFScon at I-con on Long island.
Amy Rule explained that the formal establishment of LFS nonprofit status requires annual business meeting. Motion carried unanimously to hold next meeting at 2002 Worldcon in San Jose.
Rule led discussion of Prometheus Award gift. Tradition of gold coin and plaque, difficulty of having a nongovernment coin minted - cost of plate at least $750 plus minimum order of 10 coins. Suggestion from floor to look for coin from defunct gov't. Original intent was to offer something of real value to aid as well as encourage libertarian science fiction writers. Question for L. Neil Smith and our other Prometheus Award winners as to whether award should be more symbolic or financially meaningful. Stoddard voices approval for gold coin concept.
Floor: LFS member who is a numismatist says there are firms that offer gold bars which are tradable and could be engraved.
Grossberg plans to poll past winners about award preferences.
Floor: LFS member suggests to have fundraiser for die for minting our own coin.
Grossberg invites any LFS members staying over Sunday night to attend a Sunday night "relaxacon" party at his home. Guests of honor Brad Linaweaver and Victor Milan will be there.
Rule: motion to adjourn for special reading by Karen Anderson. Unanimously approved.
Meeting minutes submitted by Carol B. Low, Psy.D., acting secretary
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