This month, Rhonda will run the meeting as I will be out of town and unable to attend.

This month, DASFA will host the dynamic writing duo of Steve Rasnic Tem and Melanie Tem. The inimitable Ed Bryant will show up to perform toastmaster introductory duties (which may or may not involve newspaper clippings).

Steve’s short fiction has been compared to the work of Franz Kafka, Dino Buzzati, Ray Bradbury and Raymond Carver. His 200 plus published pieces have garnered him a British Fantasy Award, and nominations for the World Fantasy and Bram Stoker Awards. Solaris Books will be bringing out his latest novel, DEADFALL HOTEL, in paperback in May 2012.

Melanie’s chronicles of the terrors that haunt families and the amazing resilience of the human spirit have collected a Bram Stoker award, a British Fantasy Award and praise both here and abroad. Wormhole Books recently released Melanie's chapbook TELLS. Her play, “Comfort Me With Peaches,” had its world premiere last year at the Academy Theatre in Meadville, Penn.

The June program is not yet confirmed, but in July, don’t miss Dr. Steve Lee’s Mars update.

Actual business

In addition to the program, there are a couple of items of business that need to be addressed, one way or the other. I will also be sending this out on the Yahoogroup.

First and simplest, a site for the August picnic. If everyone is okay with last year’s location, we just need to line up an appropriate resident for the reservation. Thea will probably be willing to do it for us again.

Next. A little over a year ago, I signed DASFA up as a Meetup in hopes of recruiting some new members. If it seems worthwhile, I would like to request two things from the club. One: that DASFAns join the group and RSVP for meetings. It may be that one reason more of the approximately 70 DASFA Meetup members don’t attend is that it usually looks like almost no one will be here. Secondly, since I initially just started it on my own hook, I paid the annual fee as a donation to the club and have also paid the first renewal. Going forward, if the club thinks it worthwhile to continue, I would like the fee ($60/year) to be reimbursed by the club. Chad or John can talk a bit more about Meetup.

We also need to decide if we want to either have a fan table at MileHiCon (and if so who could commit to setting at it for a couple of hours) or sponsor the con suite (and if so, when and who can show up to be sociable and try to recruit new members).

Another option for publicity is the old standard of sending meeting announcements to some of the local papers and posting to online calendars. If anyone would be able to do this I can help put together a contact list and make sure to send meeting information as I have it. However, it is not something I can do at the moment. Maybe next year, when I won’t be Director…

The Dead Dog will be at the Broadway Book Mall this month. Gail and Sourdough are hosting the June Alternate, but Rhonda will be looking to get a couple of party volunteers lined up for subsequent dates.

Yours in fandom,
Rose