The N3F is a nation-wide SF/Fantasy fan club. It was started by the storied SF writer Damon Knight .who died recently (April 2002), in 1941. The club prides itself on being a gateway for new fans to organized SF fandom and conventions. From it's core of long-term members, new fans come to learn the joys of conventions, fanzines, publication, APAs, round robins and so on. As in most fandom it is always looking for new members, articles and artwork for it's publications. I have a link to it's site elsewhere. I wholehearted recommend the club to those who want a non-threatening SF fandom experience.

There were two publications for the club. The decades old Tightbeam which was their fanzine and TNFF (The National Fantasy Fan) which was their newsletter. The newsletter was basically the mouthpiece of the various bureaus that made up N3F. The constitution of the club used to required that the zines rotate on a monthly basis so that you get 12 zines a year, six of each. The reason I tell you this is because at some point in the 70's I began to have quite a hand in the publication of the two zines and developed my skills while still putting out No Sex Magazine. Now there is only one 'zine The National Fantasy Fan (The Fan), and it comes out quarterly.

I was introduced to the club by Owen Laurian who, besides being a comics fan, was very active with N3F and SF fandom. Above is one of the infamous membership cards with a signature by Lola Andrews. When I met Owen  through TBG (The Buyers Guide to Comics a whole 'nother story) he was about to become the president of the club. He believed that comics where an essential part of SF/Fantasy (which most SF fans do not believe) and that comics fans should become involved in SF fandom to increase the ranks and to bring in better artwork. (remember, comics are about art as much as anything) SF fandom was notorious for having bad to poor art in most of its fanzines. He thought comics could change this, especially in N3F. As I joined and started to participate, much of my SF fan activity began to be influenced by Don Franson who died recently. I just want to take a moment to express my love and appreciation for his friendship associated with N3F. He got me to me very active in N3F and various conventions leading up to the 1984 WorldCon in Los Angeles.

Around the time when SF fandom was just feeling the effects of Star Wars, Owen met me hawking No Sex Magazine in TBG and introduced me to APA Centurii and N3F. He then got me to work my way into the Artist Workshop, one of the bureaus of N3F. This was in the late 70's and I had lots of art that I did not want to use in No Sex Magazine (mine and others) and was glad to get into another forum. In the AW I printed a list of artists who would do art for fanzines and printed samples of their art, that immediately souped up the look of TNFF, and the editor of Tightbeam immediately started crying that he should get art from AW too. I am proud of my list of covers for the N3F publications, that I laid out and did the art for..

N3F is a club of constantly shifting membership and the times were hard monetarily. The budget became hung up and so did the publications. At some point in the late 70's I became the editor of TNFF. I relished this challenge because I wanted to use my Apple II computer to do art and text editing to publish a zine. I remember that the first issue of TNFF I edited featured a cover by Jerry Collins since I was worshiping him at the time. That began over 5 years of me editing the zine. This to me gave me a steady deadline of forums for my art and those of my friends. In this I met Robert Miller, Cat Mintz, Don Franson, Stan Woolson (went to his house!), Bill Center, Jeff Swycaffer and others and used art by George Lane III, Jerry Collins, Joan Hankes, Willie Peppers and others. I would modestly say that the TNFF began to become very spectacular for it's art and much looked forward to by the members and  membership began to grow.

As my popularity grew I became the art director of Tightbeam. this meant I got the text added to that the art and pasted the paged together and mailed them to the publisher. In some point in a 10 year span I was in charge of the layout for all the publications for the club. At one point some of our funds that where being held up came back to us. This was in the form of about $2000. Since the constitution of the club mandated that the funds be spent on publications, I had to up page counts to 30-44 pages outrageous for a SF fan club, but some kind of heaven for me. By the early 80's I had almost no interest or need to publish my own zine and with my army duties weighing in, I farmed the publishing of No Sex out to Steve Streeter and later Jerry Foley.

In the meantime I was elected director of the club and by 1983 was the president. I was the president and represented the club at LA Con II, the 1984 World SF convention. I reappeared as president in 1993. I happened to be home in LA at the time because my last duty station in the army was in Los Alamitos, California. I received the respected Kaymar Award for my efforts with the club in the 80's in 1987. By 1994 I learned I had adult unset diabetes. That hit me pretty hard and I have little fan activity from 1994 to 1999.

N3F still exists. It's membership suffers from the onset of the internet, but I am sure that it will continue on for years. I am sad to hear that the two publications have been combined into one quarterly issue called The Fan. I am also sad to hear that the numbering system that I held so dear to myself is also restarted to align the new publication. I have renewed my membership and my art can still be seen in the publications.

N3F art

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