The board meeting is underway! This is breaking news from the heart of the board meeting…
Congratulations Brigid Shannon, the new Registration/Membership Coordinator and to Mike Smith and Curtis Potterveld, the new co-Chief Technology Officers!!
We’re excited to have these new members to the board.
More news coming soon…
You know you’ve been curious about the inner workings of ICFA! It’s not late to find out… apply before end of day tomorrow and satisfy that healthy curiosity!!
Two board positions are open and applicants can forward a cover letter and CV to President Jim Casey at jcasey@highpoint.edu for review at the annual Board meeting.
* Registration and Membership Coordinator
* Tech Gnome
Three division head positions are open and applicants can forward a cover letter and CV to Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com).
* International Fantastic
* Horror
* Science Fiction Lit
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2010; a decision will be made by June 2010.
Always wonder what it was like to help make a conference come together? It’s not too late!! We are still looking for a few good people… Five positions are open! Come join a fun team of people and see what it’s really like to make ICFA happen. May 1st is the deadline and it’s just around the corner!
Two board positions are open and applicants can forward a cover letter and CV to President Jim Casey at jcasey@highpoint.edu for review at the annual Board meeting.
* Registration and Membership Coordinator
* Tech Gnome
Three division head positions are open and applicants can forward a cover letter and CV to Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com).
* International Fantastic
* Horror
* Science Fiction Lit
Apply this week!!
After five years of much-appreciated service as Horror Division Head, Stephanie Moss is stepping down. The IAFA board, on behalf of the entire IAFA community, thanks Stephanie for her dedicated work supporting horror scholarship at ICFA.
Based on data available last year, the IAFA board had decided to discontinue the Horror Division at the conclusion of Stephanie’s term. Given new information, the board will reconsider this decision at the June meeting. The board now expects to re-institute the Horror Division on a trial basis and, should this occur, the new Division Head will serve for the trial period.
The IAFA is now accepting applications for the position of Head of the Horror Literature Division.
The Division Head creates and publicizes the CFP for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels and coordinates all Division programming with the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all papers and panels on horror literature in English (the International division handles non-English works; works in media other than print are handled by the relevant media division).
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA, knowledge of the field of horror literature (primary texts and criticism), frequent and dependable internet access, comfort working with computers, organizational skills and the ability to work as part of a group. It is preferable that candidates have some history with the conference and thus are familiar with its structure. Candidates must be willing to begin transition work immediately and must attend the annual conference in March during the years of tenure as Division Head. Responsibilities also include attending the Division Heads meeting at the conference and responding to any problems at the conference, such as filling in as moderator if need be and the like.
If you’re interested in taking on the work of SF Division Head, please contact Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com), with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2010; a decision will be made by June 2010.
The IAFA is now accepting applications for the position of Head of the Science Fiction Literature Division, effective immediately.
The Division Head creates and publicizes the CFP for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels, selects and runs the SF Theory roundtable reading and coordinates all Division programming with the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all papers and panels on science fiction literature in English (the International division handles non-English works; works in media other than print are handled by the relevant media division).
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA, knowledge of the field of sf literature (primary texts and criticism), frequent and dependable internet access, comfort working with computers, organizational skills and the ability to work as part of a group. It is preferable that candidates have some history with the conference and thus are familiar with its structure. Candidates must be willing to begin transition work with the current Division Head, Sherryl Vint, immediately, and must attend the annual conference in March during the years of tenure as Division Head. Responsibilities also include attending the Division Heads meeting at the conference and responding to any problems at the conference, such as filling in as moderator if need be and the like. Division Heads hold office for a term of 3 years (with a probationary first year) with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term.
If you’re interested in taking on the work of SF Division Head, please contact Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com), with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2010; a decision will be made by June 2010.
After six years of much-appreciated service as IF Division Head, Dale Knickerbocker is stepping aside to allow someone else the opportunity. The IAFA board, on behalf of the entire IAFA community, thanks Dale for the hard work that he has done establishing the IF Division as a vibrant part of the ICFA.
The IAFA is now accepting applications for the position of Head of the International Fantastic Division, effective immediately.
The Division Head is the person who sends out paper calls for his/her Division, collects and accepts paper proposals, creates paper sessions, helps to create panels, and passes the work s/he’s done on to the 1st Vice President for scheduling. This Division is responsible for all aspects of the fantastic arts originally produced in a language other than English, in any medium.
Qualifications include current membership with IAFA (at least a couple of years’ experience with the organization so you have some understanding of how things work at the conference), easy and dependable internet access and comfort level with computers, organizational skills, the ability to work as part of a group working together on the ‘big picture’, a willingness to work through the transition with the previous Head beginning this fall, the ability to attend March conferences while you hold the position and to attend the Division Heads’ meeting run by the 1st VP at the conference, plus, of course, the time to do the work involved. Knowledge of the field of fantastic literature in a language other than English is required. Division Heads hold office for a term of 3 years (with a probationary first year) with the possibility of renewal for a second 3-year term.
If you’re interested in taking on the work of IF Division Head, please contact both Sherryl Vint, 1st Vice President (sherryl.vint@gmail.com), and Dale Knickerbocker, outgoing IF Division Head (knickerbockerd@ecu.edu), with a brief statement about your interest in and qualifications for the job. The IAFA board of directors will consider all applications for the position.
The deadline for applications is May 1, 2010; a decision will be made by June 2010.
Call for Candidates: IAFA Chief Technology Officer (a.k.a. Tech Gnome)
Board Position: Chief Technology Officer
Effective: post-conference 2010, transition to start immediately
Term: 3 year appointment, renewable at the President’s discretion
Following the recent IAFA elections and the transition of Jim Casey to the role of President, there is now a need for a new Chief Technology Officer (Tech Gnome), who will be appointed by the President, after formal discussion and majority vote of the other elected officers.
The Chief Technology Officer works with the Conference Chair to manage conference AV needs on-site and will provide primary support and maintenance for the IAFA’s online resources, such as the registered domain name (IAFA.ORG), the websites (IAFA, JFA, etc.), and the organization’s email discussion lists (IAFA-L, DIV-HEADS, IAFA-BOARD, JFA-STAFF, etc.). The Chief Technology Officer is responsible for technology acquisitions and advises the President and Executive Board on policy matters relating to information technology.
The time required for the position is hard to quantify as the duties vary depending on the time of year. Obviously there’s a fair bit of work before, during, and after the conference and the candidate must be available before the annual conference for technology set-up and immediately after the conference for technology take-down.
In addition, the Chief Technology Officer is a voting member of the Board and must be available to attend IAFA meetings. During the conference, the IAFA Board meets on Wednesday evening, and holds a business meeting, usually on Thursday just before dinner. The other commitment is the annual meeting, which takes place over a weekend, usually in late-may/early June, in Florida; the expenses for this meeting are covered by the IAFA Board.
Interested candidates should forward their application package (a cover letter and CV) by May 1st, 2010 to incoming President Jim Casey at jcasey@highpoint.edu for review at the annual Board meeting.
Graham J. Murphy
Call for Candidates:
Registration and Membership Coordinator
Board Position: Registration and Membership Coordinator
Effective: post-conference 2010, transition to start immediately
Term: 3 year appointment, renewable at the President’s discretion
The conclusion of ICFA-31 will also mark the completion of Stacie Hanes’s tenure as Registration/Membership Coordinator, a position appointed by the President, after formal discussion and majority vote of the other elected officers.
This officer oversees the operation of the IAFA membership and the ICFA registrations, corresponding with members regarding their membership dues and payments, taking in membership and registration fees, collecting and verifying accurate membership and registration statistics and accounts of tickets, and distributing registration packets and badges as well as tickets for luncheon and banquet programs at the conference. Fee structures and forms for membership, established by the Executive Board, are administered by the Registration/Membership Coordinator. This officer also oversees the maintenance of membership mailing lists, and preparation of copy for the annual Directory. The Registration Coordinator is appointed by the President after formal discussion and majority vote of the Board.
In addition, the Registration and Membership Coordinator is a voting member of the Board and must be available to attend IAFA meetings. During the conference, the IAFA Board meets on Wednesday evening, and holds a business meeting, usually on Thursday just before dinner. The other commitment is the annual meeting, which takes place over a weekend, usually in late-may/early June, in Florida; the expenses for this meeting are covered by the IAFA Board.
Interested candidates should forward their application package (a cover letter and CV) by May 1st, 2010 to incoming President Jim Casey at jcasey@highpoint.edu for review at the annual Board meeting.
Graham J. Murphy
Thank you to those candidates who participated in the most recent IAFA elections. As reported on the listserv by Mike Levy, Immediate Past President, the votes cast were the following:
For President
Jim Casey 34
P. Andrew Miller 1
Susan George 1
Elvis 1
For First Vice President
Sherryl Vint 19
Judy Collins McCormick 18
For Public Information Coordinator
Crystal Black 25
Aidan-Paul Canavan 9
Valorie Ebert 3
Congratulations to those members who will be the new faces to the IAFA Board when ICFA-31 concludes.
Graham J. Murphy
Slate of Candidates for Election to IAFA Office
For President:
Jim Casey
As AV Monkey, I reorganized ICFA’s entire AV system by standardizing procedures, updating equipment, and developing a plan for the future. If elected, I would continue the improvements begun through my Monkey Business and Tech Gnomery, upgrading our technological infrastructure, regularizing administrative procedures, improving communication, and implementing training programs so people can participate more easily. Rather than relying on the institutional memory of a few enlightened bureaucrati, IAFA needs to involve all our wonderful members, increasing both membership and involvement without alienating long-time members. If elected, I promise to take the conference and organization seriously without taking myself too seriously.
For First Vice President:
Judith Collins McCormick
I have skirted the edges of the ICFA for about thirty years now, enjoying both its personal and its professional benefits. It’s time I paid something back.
According to several reliable sources, the office of 1st Vice President is best filled by a person with at least one of the particular neuroses I already possess, namely O.C.D. Thus, I humbly submit my name for said office, hoping the membership will see fit to allow me to fixate on scheduling, coordinating, and the correct spelling of every name.
Sherryl Vint
The IAFA and its annual conference has been an important part of my academic life since I attended my first conference in 2000. The opportunity to receive feedback on my presentations from some of the leading scholars in the field has enhanced my thinking and made me a better scholar. I have also made some of my dearest friends through the conference and its promotion of a collegial and collaborative atmosphere regarding research in the fantastic. I am interested in serving as 1st VP in order to ensure that these opportunities remain available for future generations of scholars. I have served for a number of years as the Division Head for the SF Literature and Theory section, and have enjoyed the opportunities I have had to get to know more of the association’s members and to organise events such as panel discussions and theory roundtable readings to foster intellectual exchange. Were I to be elected, my priorities would be to ensure that the conference remains a lively site of exchange that continues to promote the best scholarship in the fantastic, to foster collaborative projects and collegial exchange, and to nurture the next generation of scholars through support for graduate students.
For Public Information Coordinator:
Crystal Black
I’ve been an active member of IAFA for eight years, the last two as your Head of Registration. While I’m no longer an academic, my professional experience as a marketing and communications manager in the high tech industry should help IAFA forge into new communication technologies possibly including podcasting and social media like Facebook and LinkedIn. Other organizations I’ve supported in various communication activities include Virginia Tech San Francisco Alumni Association, Bus Barn Stage Company, SCSI Trade Association, and Fibre Channel Industry Association. I’m eager to continue my support of IAFA and believe this is the best way I can give back.
Aidan-Paul Canavan
The ICFA has supported me during my Ph.D. by providing a forum to discuss my research, to meet like-minded academics and to have their scathing criticism hone my arguments.
The organisation has been the unacknowledged partner in my research and I want to serve on the board to redress part of the balance of what I owe. I need to stop being a bystander and to start taking responsibility for the conference I love.
I can promise hard work, dedication, and the best of my considerable organisational abilities. I will also consider dressing as a leprechaun for some formal dinners
Valorie Ebert
I am new to both IAFA and ICFA, but my first experience with them, at ICFA 30, made a strong impression on me. Because ICFA 30 was my first conference as a graduate student, I was understandably nervous. However, within the first few hours, I was warmly received by several veteran attendees. Not only did they encourage me and offer advice; they also showed up at my reading to give me the added benefit of familiar faces to calm my nerves.
This experience inspired me to become more involved with IAFA and ICFA, to get more familiar with the process, and to encourage others to attend and present papers. Because the duties of the Public Information Coordinator require the use of my strange obsession with organization and my need to meet deadlines, I feel that this position will be a valuable experience that I will undertake with enthusiasm.