taffnews

Before we heave the mass of former TAFF trip reports through the Post to our lovely new TAFF delegate, we thought we should try to offload some of them and raise some money for TAFF in the process. So do we have a deal for you!

Spread the word.

With many congratulations to Jacq Monahan, the new TAFF delegate, TAFFline #3, with the full voting statistics for the 2012 race, is now online at http://efanzines.com/TAFF/index.htm and on http://taff.org.uk

The 2012 TAFF race has ended, the deadline has passed, and the votes are in. Who will be the winner? Stay tuned, the announcement is coming soon!

I should probably also mention that All Jacq'd Up, a 'Jacqueline Monahan for TAFF' fanzine, is available online at http://efanzines.com/AJU/index.htm .

Check out Hats For TAFF, a joint fanzine by the TAFF 2012 candidates: http://efanzines.com/TAFF/index.htm

Please send your votes in! The deadline is End of Day December 9! The 'zine includes the ballot and full details on voting by mail or paypal.

Jim Mowatt has provided a wonderful way to get to know this year's TAFF Candidates: interviews!

The 2012 TAFF race is on! The candidates are Warren Buff, Kim Kofmel and Jacq Monahan; each has posted a bond and confirmed his/her willingness to attend Olympus over the Easter weekend in 2012. Each candidate has three nominations from North America and two from Europe, and they have all written platforms explaining precisely why fans should vote for them.

The race will run through to 11:59 pm on Friday December 9th. This should allow the final stretch of the race, along with any last minute votes and donations, to occur at SMOFcon 29 (being held in Amsterdam over the first weekend in December). As soon as the result is announced, the winning candidate will have approximately four months to organise their trip to Olympus, the 63rd British National Science Fiction Convention. This Eastercon is to be held between Friday April 6th and Monday April 9th, 2012 in Heathrow, London.

TAFF is also on Facebook (http://facebook.com/TAFFnews) and Twitter (@TAFFnews), so information about the race will be cropping up there in future, too!

Warren Buff is nominated by Christopher J. Garcia, Tim Illingworth and Lloyd Penney (in North America), as well as James Bacon and Paul Cornell (in Europe). He says, "I came to fandom from an odd angle, but since I got here, I've been exploring its varieties. I got into conrunning enough to chair the 2010 NASFiC, I edit a clubzine for the Southern Fandom Confederation and write the occasional LoC or article for others, and generally expanded my knowledge of SF by asking older fans for reading suggestions. All of this is a blast, but so far, I've only done it in North America. I plan to come to Olympus, win or lose, but winning would fund a further week traveling around the UK visiting even more fans."

Kim Kofmel is nominated by Brad Foster, Jeanne Gomoll and Pat Virzi/Mueller (in North America), as well as Alice Lawson and Flick (in Europe). She says, "I discovered fandom in Ottawa, Canada in the 1970s. I've pubbed perzines, worked on conventions, costumed, written short stories & poetry, and learned smooothing from Tucker himself. I live now in Houston, Texas but still have strong ties to Ottawa, Toronto, & Detroit fandom. I'm overly active in the Houston Science Fiction Association (ApolloCon! Great con! Come see!!). Since I'm working the North American side of the London in 2014 Worldcon bid I'm excited about this opportunity to experience UK & European fandom at Eastercon. I promise to bring the hat -- AND I PROMISE TO PUBLISH A TRIP REPORT."

Jacqueline Monahan is nominated by Nic Farey, Curt Phillips and John Purcell (in North America), as well as Sandra Bond and Steve Green (in Europe). She says, "This flagrant Vegrant (Chicago native) is intrigued by fanhistory and its documentation. I am rarely at a loss for words, either verbally or in print. I am the co-OE for SNAPS (60th issue just out, 17 JM contributions to date) with articles in Beam, Further Ado, and Small & Far Away, among others. Named Best New Fanzine Fan (2010 FAAN Awards); Editor of Alan White's new e-book, The Zombie Effect. I promise NOT to try to make a Buckingham Palace guard laugh; I WILL produce a fantastic TAFF report, naming names and exposing social gaffes at my own expense. Just wait."

Ballots are available at http://www.taff.org.uk/

(x-posted everywhere; please pass on)

The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund is looking for candidates for the 2012 Eastbound TAFF trip. Candidates must be nominated by 5 SF fans known to the current TAFF administrators, John Coxon, Anne Gray, and Brian Gray. Three of those nominators must be resident in North America and two resident in Europe. In addition to their nominations, prospective candidates have to submit a written platform (not exceeding 101 words), a deposit of $20, and a pledge to take the TAFF trip in 2012 if they win. TAFF will send the winning delegate(s) to attend the 2012 Eastercon, Olympus, in London April 6 to April 9 (http://olympus2012.org/). TAFF delegates are also expected to write a trip report and administer TAFF for two years. The fan fund will pay for the trip and related expenses, as well as the publication of the completed trip report. Candidates will be voted on by interested fans from all over the world.

For more information, see www.taff.org.uk. The North American TAFF administrators are Anne and Brian Gray; send nominations and other materials to them at 5006 Royene Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110, USA or akg.netmouse@gmail.com. European nominators should send materials to John Coxon, either on john.coxon@gmail.com or by mail to 14 Chapel Lane, Peterborough, PE4 6RS, United Kingdom.

If you would like to take us up on this fantastic opportunity please find people to nominate you and let us know, since the deadline for nominations is September 30th! If you have any questions about what's required of you or how to acquire nominations, please feel free to get in touch with any of us and ask. We hope to see you running for TAFF soon!