Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The new editor of Mythprint

At the outset of its fortieth year (and nearly my own), I am very pleased to announce that I have been appointed the new editor of Mythprint, the monthly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society. Incredibly, Mythprint has been in continuous publication since 1970 (the year I was born) — preceded only briefly by the Mythopoeic Bulletin (1968–69). Considering its lineage, it is with uncharacteristic humility that I assume the post; however, I hope to put my own distinctive stamp on the bulletin in short order. And fortunately, this is no longer a postage stamp!

That is to say, my appointment coincides with the newsletter’s move to an electronic-only format (excepting libraries, which will still receive it on paper). With the change in format will come other exciting changes. Now that the newsletter is no longer constrained to such austere limits on its length, format, size, and so on, many things become possible. For one thing, I hope to introduce more color into Mythprint. Also, while continuing our long and respected tradition of publishing book reviews, I hope to introduce (or in some cases revive) many other kinds of publications as well — news items and announcements, short notes and queries, interviews, calls for papers, and more.

So let me encourage anyone reading this post to consider contributing to Mythprint. Please drop me a line if you’d like to contribute artwork, book reviews, short essays, or news and announcements. If you are a publisher, an author, or know one, we accept copies of new books for review — providing they are fantasy, science-fiction, or scholarly treatments of the same. Contact me if you have any questions or need a mailing address.

And finally, let me encourage you to join the Mythopoeic Society, if you are not already a member. You can do this from anywhere in the world. And now that Mythprint is an electronic publication, it is more affordable than ever to join the Society, and thereby, to aid its mission of the promotion and appreciation of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and their milieu — as well as fantasy and science-fiction literature more generally. You can become a member, with a subscription to Mythprint delivered right to your email inbox, for only $12 USD per year. That, my friends, is hard to beat!

21 comments:

  1. I am incredibly proud of you. I know you will bring all your greatest strengths with you as editor. Mythprint can only benefit with you at its helm. Your loving, FishWife

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  2. Thank you so much for the vote of confidence and unwavering support, my darling. :)

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  3. Great news! Congratulations!!! I hope you'll enjoy this interesting but difficult task.

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  4. Congratulations on the new role. I hope you find it rewarding and interesting.

    Sally Kennett
    Tolkien Society

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  5. Thank you very much, Sally. And thank you, too, Richard. Nice to hear from you both. I am looking forward to the challenge!

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  6. Congratulations, Jason. Mythprint deserves an editor like you and I am sure it would be better for it.

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  7. Very nice! You are just the kind of "roving commission" talent for a monthly bulletin like that. I am considering a subscription!

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  8. Jason, congrats on this -- it's very well-deserved!

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  9. Thanks, everyone! And squire, do get one, and/or join the Society. Every little bit helps the organization, and I would love to be responsible for a bump in membership. :)

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  10. And finally, let me encourage you to join the Mythopoeic Society, if you are not already a member.

    Done. As of about 30 seconds ago.

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  11. Congratulations! I've owed Marion VanLoo a piece on my current stay as a Scholar-in-Residence at the Kilns for a couple months now. I meant to get it to her for the next Mythprint a month ago, but it's been a hectic Oxford term for me. Term will be up in a couple weeks, so I hope to actually get it done and sent to you guys by the middle of March.

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  12. Definitely send that to me when you get a chance to put it down in ink, Cole. Such a piece is very welcome! And thanks so much. :)

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  13. This is marvellous news. Congratulations, Jason! :)

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  14. Congratulations, Jason...I think. Editing is equal parts reward and frustration, though the former in my experience has outweighed the latter. Good luck!

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  15. Thanks so much, everyone! Larry, I spent six years editing and writing for trade publications in the software development industry not so very long ago, and I definitely agree with your equation.

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  16. Harm J. Schelhaas3/13/2010 11:08 PM

    Congrats, Jason!

    I’ve been thinking about becoming a MythSoc member for over a year - won’t be long now, I think.

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  17. Thanks, Harm. Do become a member! :)

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  18. I was delighted to hear that you are taking over as editor of Mythprint and also extremely pleased about the move to an all electronic format. The new format will allow more color, as you mentioned, and the ability to add or subtract pages as needed. Both your appointment and the new format are very wise and appropriate decisions for the Mythopoeic Society.

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  19. Thank you so much for the kind words, Leslie. I look forward to taking on a more visible role (in more ways than one) in the Society. And it goes without saying I would welcome the occasional book review or short article from you. :)

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