Washington Science Fiction Association
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The Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) is the oldest science fiction club in the Washington, D.C. area. It is also one of the older science fiction clubs, founded in 1947 by seven fans who met at that year's Worldcon in Philadelphia, the fifth Worldcon held. [1]
Since 1960 it has met on the evenings of the first and third Fridays of each month in the homes of members. All meetings are open (and along the way have included a Polish student and a Cuban author). There are often informal meetings on fifth Fridays.
It hosted the annual Disclave science fiction convention in or near Washington, D.C. from 1950 through 1997. After a four year hiatus WSFA began a new convention, Capclave. WSFA has also hosted Worldcons, SMOFcons, World Fantasy Conventions[citation needed], and many other events both casual and otherwise.
Since 1965 WSFA has published the monthly WSFA Journal. WSFA Press has published five books: The Father of Stones by Lucius Shepard in 1989, Through Darkest Resnick With Gun and Camera by Mike Resnick in 1990, The Edges of Things by Lewis Shiner in 1991, Home By The Sea by Pat Cadigan in 1992, and Future Washington, an anthology edited by Ernest Lilley, in 2005[citation needed].
WSFA is incorporated as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.
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[edit] Disclave
Disclave was a science fiction convention run by the WSFA in or near Washington D.C. in the springtime of nearly every year from 1950 [2] through 1997. By most counts it was the fourth-oldest science fiction convention. The Washington Post had an article about that first Disclave, which began "The Washington Science Fiction Association held its first disclave at the Hotel Wardman Park yesterday, with visitors from as far away as Pennsylvania and New York, and rocket expert, Willy Ley, among the speakers."
In 1997, after the final Disclave, WSFA took time off to discuss and plan the structure and focus of their next convention. The first Capclave was held in 2001.
[edit] Capclave
| Capclave | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Location | Washington DC |
| Country |  United States |
| Organizer | Washington Science Fiction Association |
| Official website | |
Capclave is a science fiction convention that has been run by the Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) near Washington, D.C., in the autumn of every year starting in 2001.
[edit] Table of Capclaves
| Year-Mo-Days | Site | State | Featured Guests | Chair | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 9 28-30 | Sheraton College Park | MD | Gardner Dozois | Bob MacIntosh | 296 |
| 2002 10 18-20 | Hilton Silver Spring | MD | Stanley Schmidt/Alexis Gilliland | Michael Nelson | 285 |
| 2003 11 21-23 | Hilton Silver Spring | MD | William Tenn | Sam Lubell | 234 |
| 2004 10 15-17 | Tysons Marriott | VA | Nick Pollotta/Butch Honeck/Dennis McCunney | Lee Gilliland | 129 |
| 2005 10 14-16 | Hilton Silver Spring | MD | Howard Waldrop/Patrick Nielsen Hayden//Teresa Nielsen Hayden | Michael J. Walsh | 388 |
| 2006 10 20-22 | Hilton Silver Spring | MD | Kim Stanley Robinson/Tom Whitmore | Elspeth Kovar | 378 |
| 2007 10 12-14 | Rockville Hilton | MD | Jeffrey Ford/Ellen Datlow | Colleen Cahill | 332 |
| 2008 10 17-19 | Rockville Hilton | MD | James Morrow/Michael Dirda | Sam Scheiner | |
| 2009 TBA | Rockville Hilton | MD | Harry Turtledove/Sheila Williams | Bill Lawhorn |
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ [1] All Our Yesterdays, An Informal History of Science Fiction Fandom in the Forties by Harry Warner Warner (Advent Publishers, ISBN 0-911682-11-2, pg 229)
- ^ [2] A Wealth of Fable, The history of science fiction fandom in the Fifties by Harry Warner (SCIFI Press, ISBN 0-9633099-0-0 (2nd edition), pg 13-315
