SF Fan News for June 2026
From "Across the Fandomension" website, last updated May 25, 2026
NOTE: I am always looking for corrections, additions and updates; if you spot errors and omissions below, please contact me at [email protected] so that I can update this page. G.S.
A New Scam Aimed at Authors
"The other day, I got an email from someone purporting to be an executive editor at Penguin Random House who said she had read a novella of mine and was interested in taking it. After words of praise, she asked if I was represented. I replied in the affirmative and cc'd my agent.
"It struck me as highly unusual that an editor would approach an author, even one as widely published as I am. I looked up the name on the publisher's site, and there she was, and the email address looked real, although I know they can be spoofed.
"My agent emailed her and we waited for a response. Today it came: an email from the alleged editor telling me she didn't think my agent was 'a good fit' for my work and she wanted to recommend another one.
"So there it was. I wonder what kind of fees the new 'agent' would require.
"These AI-powered scams I get several a day from 'book clubs' and 'book promoters' are becoming more and more sophisticated. Now they have segued into the old fake agent fraud.
"Beware."
Matt Hughes, Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy page, Facebook, May 21, 2026
Ted White, 1938-2026
Theodore Edwin White, aka TEW, passed away on May 24, 2026. He was a Hugo Award-winning fan, con-runner, fan historian, fan writer, and Worldcon chairman (NyCon3), who was also known as a pro sf writer and editor, as well as a music critic. He was also arrested in 1986 for selling pot and served three months in jail. He is survived by his ex-wife, Robin Postal White.
Ted White's fanzine review column in Amazing Stories, "The Clubhouse," drew a great deal of SF readers' attention to fanzines and fandom. His editorials and book reviews for Amazing Stories, while he was editor from 1969 to 1979, is collected in the ebook The Amazing Editorials, sales of which go to the TransAtlantic Fan Fund.
Gary Farber wrote,
"Ted was one of the most important and influential science fiction fans of the 20th century, and thus of English-speaking fandom in general, most particularly fanzine fandom, but Ted will be remembered by even more people as the one-time editor of Amazing Stories and Fantastic Stories, and later of Heavy Metal magazine, among other editing credentials, as well as author of a variety of novels and stories.
"Ted could be brilliant, and could be a real ass. But he was one of the clearest and most articulate writers who has ever passed through fandom.
"He'll be missed by his friends and had the satisfaction of outliving most of his enemies.
"He was also indirectly responsible for my first professional science fiction publishing work, without his initial knowledge, when Lou Stathis, one of the official Assistant Editors, i.e., slush reader, who was then reading the manuscripts mistakenly sent to Sol Cohen's Queens office, following Sol having initially hired Moshe Feder, who eventually couldn't keep up, and after Lou couldn't keep up, either, Lou turned over to *me* a couple of shopping bags of manuscripts every week for the better part of a year for me to read, evaluate, and send back the rejection checklist form in the SASE, after pocketing the Sticky Quarter that was my pay."
Fancyclopedia.org; Gary Farber and Catherine Crockett, Facebook, May 25, 2026
Russell Lister, 1948-2026
"We are terribly saddened by news of the sudden, unexpected passing of Russell Lister, husband of long-time club member and former MonSFFA president Cathy Palmer-Lister. Russell passed away on April 11 at age 77. He and Cathy had been married for 54 years.
"'He was a wonderfully amiable sort,' recalls current club president Keith Braithwaite, who had occasion to visit from time to time, 'always warm, welcoming, helpful, quick with a smile or a laugh, and only intermittently the curmudgeon Cathy affectionately ascribed him to be, but always in the most charming of ways.'
"We are pained that the vagaries of fate have left Cathy shocked, staggered, and in this life abruptly and ever parted without opportunity to have said goodbye. We can only imagine the sorrow she must feel as we offer sincere condolences to our friend and her family at this most difficult time.
"In accordance with Russell's wishes, no funeral will be held. He was a wholehearted supporter of the SPCA Montιrιgie, and donations may be made to that organization in his memory."
Impulse May 2026
2026 Aurora Awards Voters' Package
"This year's Aurora Voters' Package is now available for CSFFA members to download!! It is the beefiest one we've ever assembled, since several of the finalists are sequels, some authors opted to include their earlier entries, so you can start from the beginning! Lots to read. Voting begins on June 6 and will close on July 18th. You can still become a member anytime up until Sunday July 12, which is when the Voter Package goes offline as well it won't be available for the final week of voting. So if the beefy Voters Package tempts you, it's only $10 to join, don't wait 'til the last minute.
"For a complete list of what is in all download files we have created a special PDF: https://www.csffa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-Complete-Aurora-Voters-Package-Lists-and-Links.pdf"
Kalin Stacey, CSFFA, May 12, 2026
Hugo Packets
"
what used to be called a 'Supporting Membership' and is now called 'WSFS Membership' (listed as 'WSFS Membership Only') costs $50 and will get you the Hugo Voter Packet. The packet is expected to become available around May 6, when voting opens.
"For those who are not planning to join the 2026 Worldcon, Nicholas Whyte has posted an article at https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/where-to-get-the-2026-hugo-finalists/. The novel, novella, series, graphic story, Lodestar, and some related works links are to Amazon (or in one case, the publisher's website), where you can purchase them. The rest of the links are to the works themselves."
MT Void, May 1, 2026
Fanfundery
TransAtlantic Fan Fund: the winner of the 2026 TAFF race from North America to the Berlin Eurocon (MetropolCon, 2-5 July) was announced on 12 April as Katrina 'Kat' Templeton with 44 votes. (Lisa Hertel 29; No Preference 3.) See taff.org.uk for official release. Kat will be in Europe, including the UK and perhaps Finland, from 23 June to 16 July.
European Fan Fund: voting in the 5-candidate race to MetropolCon (as above) closed on 30 April. Result awaited at effund.github.io.
Ansible, May 2026
No Children Will Be Harmed In the Making of ConFuzzled
"ConFuzzled (Birmingham, UK, May 22-26), a convention for anthropomorphic fans, has been the target of rumors and harassment over two program items which some have taken to be a risk to children.
"The convention issued a statement on May 2 discussing the events in detail. One is a session for doing crayon art, and the other is a meetup for people with young fursonas.
"ConFuzzled wants to emphasize that:
These are not new events.
The events are not intended to be NSFW.
Children are not allowed at ConFuzzled in any case. And:
'The convention would never allow a platform to sexualise minors and would never allow an event to go on that would endanger our core beliefs of supporting community members in a safe space.'
"An addition dated May 3 announces that 'a number of bans' have been issued to people who were harassing staff, attendees, or vendors."
SMOFNews, May 6, 2026
WasabiCon NOLA Crowded Out of Memorial Day
"WasabiCon NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) which was to have been held later this month, has been postponed to March 26-28, 2027. Several reasons are given, but they mostly resolve to one:
"Dates. Our first two years were held on the same weekend (Mother's Day). When we began discussions to renew with the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, that weekend was no longer available. ... In the months following our agreement, more than seventeen (17) anime and pop culture conventions were announced for Memorial Day weekend across the United States.
"Exhibitors. While Artist Alley registrations increased compared to last year, vendor sales declined significantly.
This appears to be driven by the current economic climate, combined with the saturation of events taking place on the same weekend.
"Guests. WasabiCon strives to offer a unique guest lineup in each market. However, since announcing the NOLA event in 2023, several other conventions have entered the area. Combined with the crowded Memorial Day weekend schedule, many of our preferred guests were unavailable for 2026.
"Memorial Day in the US falls on the last Monday in May. The weekend leading up to it has been notoriously overscheduled with conventions for many years. SMOF News currently lists 23 in-person events in the US and two online events originating from the US this coming Memorial Day weekend.
"The tendency of conventions to cluster on major holiday weekends is not just due to conrunners wanting to take advantage of attendees having an extra day off available. Business travel and events fall off around those times, and venues which would normally be chasing that market are more available and cheaper.
"Fan conventions, except for a few marquee events, do not bring anywhere near the money that business events full of people with expense accounts do. On the other hand, a local convention can bring reliable business year after year, unaffected by the whims of the business market.
"Fan conventions are thus part of a market segment (known in the US as SMERFs, for 'Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal') which venues see as less desirable than the business events overall, but key for filling in off-peak times. And so conventions will wind up clustering in those off-peak times."
SMOFNews, May 13, 2026
Upcoming Conventions
June 5-7: LethFURidge Mini-Con 2026 (anthropomorphic), Lethbridge, Alberta.
June 5-7: Island FanCon (media), Langford (Greater Victoria), British Columbia.
June 19-21: Game Con Canada, Edmonton, Alberta.
June 20: Symposium 2026 (sponsored by OSFCI), GoH Steve Perry, at the Beaverton Masonic Lodge in Beaverton, Oregon, USA.
SMOFNews, May 6 & 20, 2026
NOTE: I am always looking for corrections, additions and updates; if you spot errors and omissions below, please contact me at [email protected] so that I can update this page. G.S.
Return to "Across the Fandomension" welcome page