Cheerfully copied from the blog post at www.thehugoawards.org:

Presented at: Aussiecon 4, Melbourne, Australia, September 2-6, 2010

The folks at Orbit Books have gone over Fantasy art covers and made a series of fantastic charts out of them.

1. Trends in Fantasy Cover Art shows the differences between art between 2008 and 2009.
2. Changing Fashion in Urban Fantasy Heroines shows how the female protagonists are dressed and posed this year, again in comparison to last year.

It’s time for the August picnic, this year at Progress Park in Littleton. There should be a map elsewhere in this month’s DASFAx, but the address is 5100 S. Hickory St. There apparently is a grill available, so check around and bring charcoal and tongs, etc., if you want to cook. I’m likely to bring pre-made food, but then I’m lazy efficient … and I’ll probably also haul along a couple of Frisbees for low-key physicality.

Received from the web:

Hi, there.

When I was about 12 years old, I bought a hardbound book with my own money for the first time. That book was Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes, a dark fantasy about youth and coming of age, about yearning for the impossible, and about good versus evil and how the latter could seize and destroy you if you yearned for too much. After finishing that book 47 years ago, I was hooked on reading (and dark fantasy) for the rest of my life.

Don’t miss our July program—double the authors, double the fun with Mario Acevedo and Jeanne Stein. Jeanne’s series about Anna Strong, the vampire bounty hunter, is now six books long with the upcoming release of Chosen. Mario’s vampire detective, Felix Gomez, has starred in 5 books and now is appearing in a graphic novel series. Expect a program with some bite to it as these two vampire-loving novelists speak.

Quite Astonishing to see:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/06/20/the-green-fire...

Our June program will be a fun and interactive reprise of Name that Sci-Fi Tune with host Tim Simpson. Come compete or simply watch and be amazed and amused! What with one thing and another, I am almost certainly not going to be able to attend the meeting, but director of vice Paul will stand in for me.

Coming up:

One Week Only! Newly Restored!
The Most Complete Version Ever!
Starts Friday, June 11 at the Chez Artiste Theatre

Hello!

Would whoever is leaving the "Problem with Activation" comments give me more information, such as who you are? I'm happy to work with you to set up your account, if you give me your email and which account you're trying to activate.

A number of you were at the last DASFA meeting and met/heard J Erwine, imminent groom. He recently posted on his blog that due to various financial reverses the family had had (doctor visits for the girls, etc.), he and Rebecca were cancelling their honeymoon in Taos.

Then he posted that his publisher, Sam's Dot, was trying to help them raise the money for them to go on their honeymoon.

If you're interested in donating a few bucks, you can visit the website (which takes Paypal) at http://samsdotpublishing.com/honeymoon.htm

Cheers!
Rose