News from Bree

News from Bree 3/31/99

Greetings.

1. This is the first of several planned periodic updates on developing plans for Bree Moot 4/Mythcon XXX. (A fantasy literature conference emphasizing J.R.R. Tolkien studies July 30-August 2, 1999, in Milwaukee). If you don’t want to receive e-mailings like this one, please let me know that I should definitely remove your name from the list. This is a long memo, and I’d guess that future memos will be shorter. I’d originally planned monthly updates, but as we get closer to Mythcon, I might issue one every couple of weeks. There may also be an almost immediate follow-up to this one, within a week, as this memo may bring forth some additional information and/or possible corrections. If you have not joined the conference, you may also wish to confirm by return e-mail that you’d like to continue receiving these e-mailings. (d-lena@tc.umn.edu)

2. If you’d like even more discussion of “Mythmoot” (the committee employs this shorthand expression, why not here?), you might be able to engage in some online discussion in the Mythopoeic Society’s new electronic mailing list. There’s no requirement for joining beyond interest in the subject. For complete information, contact Joan Verba, the list administrator, at verba001@tc.umn.edu

If you’d like just the most important announcements from Mythmoot (along with–possibly–some other Mythopoeic Society announcements) you could elect to join the Mythopoeic Society announcements list, which has little traffic, and would probably be shorter postings than these News from Bree postings. Joan Verba also administers that.

3. Hopefully, by now, the Bree Moot 4/Mythcon XXX Progress Report 1 should have reached everyone concerned, including at least all U.S. members of the conference. Thanks to editor Matt Fisher and production editor Anne Osborn for sending these. I can e-mail or print out the information for anyone who hasn’t received her/his copy. There is also our web-site, where all of the pertinent information should be available, and where I’ve posted the text for PR#1 as received via e-mail from Matt. I will also try to at least excerpt information from this posting for placement on the web-site, as well. I’m not sure what exactly will be in Progress Report 2, but that will go to far fewer people, the members of the conference, plus, I suppose, people who’ve not yet joined but have indicated interest in attending. If you have questions you’d like answered, let us know what they are and we’ll try to include them in PR#2 (hopefully we can respond to your question more immediately, as well). I noticed two apparent errors in PR1. Jo Ann Johnson is the Registrar, not me (David Lenander), and so far as my records, the web-site and some publicity indicate, the conference membership rate goes up to $55 after April 4, not $50. I’m asking the committee to reconsider this situation, as out publicity in PR #1 has gone out a couple of months later than originally planned, due to confusion about the board & room rates at the conference center. Ask if you’re not sure what to send-and on behalf of the registrar, we will accept later payments at the $45 rate at least until April 15 from anyone who contacts us and explains that they’ve only just received word about the conference. Matt Fisher will be editing PR2 as well, and can be contacted at fisher@acad1.stvincent.edu

4. Deadlines. The most immediate deadline is April 1, the deadline for paper proposals to Papers Chair Jan Bogstad. As we understand that our program is not full, I expect that additional proposals will be considered after that date, probably at least through the end of April, but that will be dependant upon space available in the program. So, even if you’re only thinking vaguely about a possible paper, you might want to write to Jan and let her know your ideas, immediately, so that she may have an opportunity to advise you as to whether the proposal could fit well into the developing program, or possibly give you some advice on shaping your proposal for Mythcon/Bree Moot.

As mentioned above, the next deadline for membership rate is April 4, after which the membership rate rises from the current $45 to $55. Note the two cautions in point 3, particularly that we’ll be accepting the $45 rate through April 15.

The board and room package deadline is June 1. Again, this might be available after that date, or a somewhat more expensive package might be available, but we have plenty of available space until that date.

July 15 is the firm deadline for advance registration for the conference, after that date membership will be $60. We may still process registrations received after that date (allowing pre-printing of badges for instance) which might save you some time at the door, but we will consider late registrations at-the-door, and collect any difference between the enclosed amount and $60.

5. Members of the conference committee & e-mail contacts:

Richard West is the chairperson, rcw@wendt.engr.wisc.edu

Greg Rihn is the co-chair and Milwaukee coordinator, ggrihn@execpc.com

Jan Bogstad is the papers chair, contact her at bogstajm@uwec.edu

Jo Ann Johnson is registrar, contact via David Lenander at d-lena@tc.umn.edu

David Emerson is programs co-chair, david.emerson@co.hennepin.mn.us

Matt Fisher is editing the Progress Reports: fisher@acad1.stvincent.edu

Phil Kaveny is Dealers Tables coordinator, phkaveny@macc.wisc.edu

Charles Elston, curator of the Tolkien collection, Charles.Elston@marquette.edu

Joan Verba is acting Secretary for Mythopoeic Conferences, verba001@tc.umn.edu

Other members of the committee include: Douglas A. Anderson, Eleanor Arnason, David Bratman, Sue Dawe, Michael Du Charme (film program), Michael Foster, David Hoose, John Houghton, S. Gary Hunnewell, Sylvia Hunnewell, Jan Long (Secretary), Jeff Long (Treasurer), Nancy Martsch (Beyond Bree editor), Georgie L.Schnobrich, Marion Van Loo, Mike Zielinski

6. David Emerson would like to hear about any non-paper program proposals at

david.emerson@co.hennepin.mn.us

He particularly invites inquiries from any conference members who play musical instruments for some ideas he has. We’re wide open on different program items. Past conferences have included panel discussions, group book discussions (sometimes hosted by members of the various Mythopoeic Society discussion groups), dramatic presentations, including everything from full-dress musicals to dramatic readings to puppet shows (even if Tolkien didn’t believe in bringing fantasy to the stage!), costume and writing workshops, other kinds of performances, filk-singing, slide presentations, videos, living chess games, etc. The bulk of the program is usually a combination of formal papers and panel-style discussions, but we don’t rule out anything in advance!

For instance, I’d like to have a panel presentation of papers or discussion of upper-Midwest fantasy writers, for example, such writers as P.C. Hodgell, Eleanor Arnason, Caroline Stevermer, Patricia C. Wrede, Phyllis Karr, or Peg Kerr. I’d like to have a demonstration/discussion of fantasy/mythopoeic content in WorldWideWeb sites. I’d like to have a panel discussion of animal fantasy/beast fable, including children’s books but not so limited. Send your ideas to David E, and I’ll try to report more next month.

Richard West notes that 1999 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Farmer Giles of Ham and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Nevill Coghill (one of the Inklings). We hope to do something in honor of both anniversaries at the MythMoot. Obviously, any paper or program proposals on either topic would be especially welcome.

7. Registrar notes. We’ve been gradually receiving questions for the registrar, about accommodations, directions to the convention site (the Archbishop Cousins Conference Center in Milwaukee). We hope to include much of this sort of information, including directions to the site and probably a map in future Progress Reports. But we’ll probably overlook the most important question you have if you don’t send it to us now. Send these queries to me for forwarding to Jo Ann Johnson (d-lena@tc.umn.edu)

8. Several of the Mythmoot committee members will be attending SF conventions in the upper midwest over the next couple of months. If you’ll be at one of these conventions, you could certainly talk to one of us in person about Mythmoot developments. I know that there will be members at Minicon (April 2-4) and CONvergence in the twin cities, Minnesota, hopefully (?) X-Con in Milwaukee, and Wiscon in Madison. WE may even hold committee meetings there. Let me know if you’ll be at any of these!

9. Can you help us publicize Bree Moot 4/Mythcon XXX? Especially with our proposal coming together so late last year, and with our committee scattered over three metro areas (we’ve referred to it as 3M: Madison, Milwaukee and Minneapolis (or Minnesota, as some of us Minnesotans live in St. Paul!) our publicity has been scattershot. If you’d be willing to put out flyers at a conference or convention, or in a local bookstore, or post a flyer on a bulletin board, or send a press release to your local paper, particularly in the upper midwest, please let me know. You could also forward addresses of bookstores that might put out our literature (as opposed to tossing out our flyers with the junk mail) or newspapers or other publications that might run our conference information as a public service announcement. If you know someone who might be interested, send me an address for mailing one of our flyers. (Or better yet, tell your friend about Mythmoot!)

10. As yet, we’ve heard of no firm bid for Mythcon or Bree Moot in the year 2000. If you’re interested, or might, possibly, be persuaded to work on one of these conferences, contact Joan Verba, Acting Secretary for Mythopoeic Conferences, or Nancy Martsch, editor of Beyond Bree.

11. Official announcements are being prepared, but there will be several openings on the Mythopoeic Society Council of Stewards as several Stewards have either already stepped down or do not plan to run for re-election. If you might be interested in working on keeping the Society going, start thinking about what you’d like to do or see happen. Areas to focus on: Publicity, discussion and special interest groups, membership services, Mythlore, and future Mythopoeic conferences and the Fantasy and Scholarship Awards. With such a large turnover, the opportunities are wide-open.

News from Bree #2 5/27/99 REVISED June 10.

Greetings.

1. This is the second of several planned periodic updates on developing plans for Bree Moot 4/Mythcon XXX. (A fantasy literature conference emphasizing J.R.R.Tolkien studies July 30-August 2, 1999, in Milwaukee). If you don’t want to receive e-mailings like this one, please let me know so I can remove your name from the list. This memo is mostly going to people we’re expecting to attend theconference. If you have not joined the conference, you may also wish to confirm by return e-mail that you’d like to continue receiving these e-mailings. (d-lena@tc.umn.edu) And visit our web-site if you have a chance, at http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m391/d-lena/BreeMoot.html

2. Please let us know what other questions you have, which we can address in another memo like this one, or in Progress Report #2, or in a personal response.Matt Fisher expects to mail Progress Report #2 after June 15. And let us know ifyou did NOT receive Progress Report #1 or News from Bree #1.

3. Changes in pricing and board and room packages. We have resolved the confusion over the price of membership of the conference, which had been

advertised at two different rates after April 4. As of May 1st and after, our rate for membership is $50 until July 15. If received after July 15 or at the door, the rate rises to $60. There will be single-day rates, as well, which together will total no less than $60. If you sent in membership at the $55 rate, we will refund $5 at the door.

Unlike many past Mythcons, the board and room packages are separable, as follows: The entire board package (meals only) can be had for $115–once again,this covers meals from Friday evening (supper/dinner) through Monday morning (breakfast), and includes the Sunday evening banquet. We are investigating the possibility of separate days meals being available: Saturday-only meals, for example. (If available, it would only be whole days per the site manager–individual meals CANNOT be purchased separately). EXCEPTION: we are planning a separately available Sunday banquet. You may purchase the Sunday banquet–only–for $30.

We do have some room-only additional evenings available: For $20 per night you may stay in the “dorm” rooms the Thursday before and/or the Monday after the conference (IF you have a room-mate for these evenings, you can plan on $15 per person, maximum of two persons per room). Meals will not be available during these evenings. We will be providing a list of nearby meal sources. Please contact us with specifics, and allow time for us to pursue further inquiries.

4. Deadlines. The board and room package deadline was announced as June 1. We think that the deadline will be extended, and we have plenty of available space as of now. We should know more after Memorial Day. July 15 is the firm deadline for advance registration for the conference, after that date membership will be $60. We may still process registrations received after that date (allowing pre-printing of badges for instance) which might save you some time at the door, but we will consider late registrations at-the-door, and collect any difference between the enclosed amount and $60.

Deadline for papers is June 10. Deadline for program proposals may be a bit later in June, but it must be fast approaching. Contact David E or Jan B if you have a paper or panel to propose!