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The Utah Speculative Fiction Council (UtahSF) is a non-profit organization designed to allow all the different speculative fiction related organizations in Utah to have a common forum which fosters discussion and inter-group cooperation—a guild of sorts. UtahSF does not determine policy for or interfere with the internal affairs of its member groups, but instead acts as an advisory and support organization for any interested Utah speculative fiction group. UtahSF is completely independent of any particular club, group, or organization.
Each member group has equal representation, allowing members of UtahSF an equal and better opportunity for finding and sharing new ideas, as well as opportunities for finding new members. UtahSF also allows member groups to better negotiate with local companies, hotels, etc., in order to coordinate better deals for running events such as festivals, conventions, etc. UtahSF exists to assist all Utah speculative fiction organizations grow and prosper, and to help create a spirit of unity among Utah fans.
All Utah speculative fiction groups of any type are invited to join, including fan clubs (such as Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Stargate, Star Trek, anime, etc.), writing groups, costuming groups, local conventions, gaming clubs, artist/art groups, etc. Any Utah group that wishes to join is encouraged to do so, and UtahSF actively seeks out new groups and ways to assist all of Utah fandom.
The Utah Speculative Fiction Council was created because a need was seen for a central location for finding information about all the various Utah speculative fiction groups. Discussions among the founders of UtahSF began around 2002 during some planning meetings for a Utah science fiction convention. A first attempt to form something like UtahSF was made by changing the corporate name of the convention and setting it up so that other groups could be sponsored. After two years, it was apparent that this method wasn't working as the founders had intended. It was then determined that the best course of action would be to form a completely new group, independent of any one group, that could accomplish the goals of better inter-group communication and cooperation.
On April 6, 2005, UtahSF was officially registered with the state of Utah as a non-profit organization after the selection of three trustees for the new organization. During the next few months, the final structure of the main organization was hammered out, and the first official meeting of the council was held on August 20, 2005. At this meeting, the officers were selected, and the founding member organizations of UtahSF joined the council.
The following groups are members of UtahSF: