Chicago Clubs

Chicago is another of those cities which has abounded with short-lived clubs over the years, many with confusingly similar names. Here are the clubs we know of grouped by type and then arranged (roughly) in order of the date they were founded. The Floreat dates (fl.) cover the range of dates for which we have evidence the club was active. (The ranges are doubtless narrower than actual due to lack of information.)

Corrections are very welcome!

See also: Chicago, 6 in 60.

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

Chicago Despite its two conventions the Windy City has always been fairly quiet as far as fan activity goes. Of old the Windy City Wampires existed there, but this was an informal group; the ChiCon I was put on by a special con-promoting organization. Later a Chicago SFS came into existence; Earl Kemp was its most famous member. It produced the gigantic ChiCon II.

The Early Clubs

International Scientific Association

fl. 1928-38

The ISA was a science club which resulted from the merger of a Chicago club and an Alabama club. It is unclear that in its earliest years it was an SF club, though it later morphed into something like one. It was certainly one of the very earliest sf-club-like-things.

See International Scientific Association for much more.

Chicago Science Fiction League

Chicago Science Fiction Club

fl. 1935-38

The CSFL (also known as TCSFL) was founded in 1935 as chapter #14 of the SFL with Edward E. Chappelow as director. The club attracted members including founders Walter Dennis and Paul McDermott, Jack Darrow, Allen Kline, Arthur Hermann, Otto Binder, Earl Binder, Jack Binder, and William Dellenback. Sam Moskowitz called it "the outstanding chapter of the time." It had the highest membership of all SFL chapters.

Three of the members, Darrow, Binder, and Dellenback, planned to visit New York that summer to meet members of the New York chapter of the SFL. Charles D. Hornig planned a chapter meeting to take place at the offices of Wonder Stories, but the Chicago delegates arrived a day late and missed the meeting, instead visiting with Hornig, Mort Weisinger, and Julius Schwartz. Arguably, had this meeting happened, this would have been the first science fiction convention.

The club published the clubzine The Fourteen Leaflet from November 1935 through Spring 1937. In 1937, it severed its ties with the SFL and renamed itself the Chicago Science Fiction Club, but by the time the final issue was published, many club members had left Chicago and the club soon went dormant.

See Early Chicago Fandom in Pictures for members’ photos.

The Chicago: 1959 worldcon bid was sponsored by the "Chicago Science Fiction League", but it's unclear just what this organization was.

In 1990, Las Vegas fans claimed control of the CSFL and this claim was not disputed. What they did with it is unknown.

The Chicago Science Fiction League (II) (below) was an entirely separate group.

Chicago Science Fictioneers

fl. 1930s

The Fictioneers was an early SF club in Chicago, formed by fan W. Lawrence Hamling, apparently as part of an effort to run Chicon I -- though this did not happen and the Chicon was run by the Illini Fantasy Fictioneers instead. Jack Darrow was also a member.

Windy City Wampires

fl. early 40s

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

Informal name for the gang in Chicago; apparently they have no organizational setup.

School & College Clubs

University of Chicago Science Fiction Club

University of Chicago Science Fiction Society

1950–1963.

The University of Chicago Science Fiction Club (or Society) was founded in 1950 by Tom Seidman, George D'Asaro, and John Boardman. It published The Journal of Science Fiction. Along with the (second) Chicago Science Fiction League, it was part of CHIAC.

In 1963, the club split into two groups. (See George W. Price and Chicago SF League).

See University of Chicago Science Fiction Club for more.

University of Chicago SF Society

fl. 1969-73

Not related to the earlier University of Chicago Science Fiction Society, the University of Chicago SF Society was a new UofC club founded in April 1968 with Jerry Lapidus, Michael Jensen, Linda Kravinski and Charles Fuhrer as officers. By 1969, it was meeting Tuesday nights in Ida Noyes Hall on campus. This club made a short-lived and unsuccessful bid for the 1973 Worldcon. Other members included Mike Bradley.

See Chicago in '73.

Armchair Speculators of DePaul University

fl. 1970s

Founded in the early 1970s, an active club which was one of the predecessors of General Technics.

See Armchair Speculators of DePaul University for a much longer article.

University of Illinois at Chicago Science Fiction Society

fl. 1970s–mid-90s

(See University of Illinois SF Society for the Champaign-Urbana club.)

The University of Illinois at Chicago Science Fiction Society, a club at the University of Illinois Chicago Circle campus, published a clubzine, Tesseract, and fed heavily into later Chicago fandom and Thursday.

In the 1970s, members included Robin Beal, E. Michael Blake, John Donat, Cory Glaberson, Kathy Hoover, Joy King, Jim Kobrinetz, Doug Price and Doug Rice. Later members in the 1980s and ’90s included conrunners such as Douglas B. Killings, chair of Capricon 43; Chris Krolczyk; and D'Andre Williams, chair of Capricon 39. (Each of the three has also run the anime department at Capricon at separate times.)

The on-campus SFS has been inactive since the mid-90s and is presumed defunct.

Lane Tech Science Fiction Society

fl. 1973–77

A club at Lane Technical High School with some 30 members in the mid-1970s, a number of whom became active in general fandom. It had a book collection and members attended conventions and movies as a group. Among them were Marcy Lyn, Alice Insley and Mike Bentley.

Oak Park and River Forest High School Science-Fiction Fantasy Club

fl. 1989–present

A club at the high school in Oak Park, IL, which holds the annual, one-day OPCon.

The Middle Years

CHIAC

fl. 1950s and ’60s

Not properly a club at all, CHIAC was Chicago fandom in the 1950s and ’60s, consisting of the (second) Chicago Science Fiction League and the University of Chicago SF Club. They put on the fannish plays, The Purple Pastures by Carl Brandon and Requiem for a Fake Fan by James O'Meara, jointly with LASFS at Pittcon in 1960.

Chicago Science Fiction League (II)

Chicago SF League

fl. 1962–??

When the University of Chicago Science Fiction Club fell apart, it broke into two entirely new clubs, one called itself the Chicago Science Fiction League (unrelated to the old Chicago SFL which was long gone). It was formed around 1962 by Rosemary Hickey and held monthly meetings on the first Saturday night of each month (except in months when a convention took place) at her home, 2020 North Mohawk Street, and later at the home of George W. Price.

At Chicon III in 1962, they sponsored an exhibition of the art of Richard M. Powers on the Saturday of the convention. The league compiled the exhibit separately from the con and paid rent on the room themselves, asking con attendees for voluntary donations to offset the cost.

Along with the University of Chicago SF Club, it was part of CHIAC.

George W. Price

fl. 1965-1985

As attendance and activity at the University of Chicago Science Fiction Club dropped off, beginning in 1965, George W. Price began hosting parties at his home at 1439 W. North Shore Avenue on the third Saturday of each month, which continued for 20 years. Many Chicago fen found fandom at George’s.

Eventually, the attendance changed from members of the University of Chicago club to members of the University of Illinois at Chicago Science Fiction Society and Armchair Speculators of DePaul University.

Clubs of Latter Days

Thursday

fl. 1970s and ’80s

Thursday was an informal social gathering of Chicago fans which met weekly on Thursday nights during the 1970s and '80s. It constituted most of Chicago fandom’s social activity in its time.

See Thursday for much more.

SFFNCS

Sphinx

fl. 1970s and ’80s

SFFNCS, initialese for Science Fiction Fans of the Northwest Chicago Suburbs, an informal club, began in the early 1970s, when Betty Hull and George Fergus, who had been regulars at George Price’s parties in the city, each moved out to the Northwest ’burbs.

The name was George’s idea, according to Betty: “I said, ‘That’s unpronounceable.’ He said, ‘We’ll pronounce it “Sphinx.”’” So they did.

Regulars included Hull, Fergus, Gene Wolfe, Phyllis and Alex Eisenstein, among others. The group was still going in the mid-’80s, when Hull married Fred Pohl. Leah Zeldes and Dick Smith attended meetings about then, too.

West Suburban Science Fiction Society

fl. 1979-82

A club located in the western suburbs of Chicago. It was founded by Ken Mason. {Could this be related to the West Suburban Group?}

DuPage Science Fiction and Fantasy

DPSFFS

fl. 1980s–2000

A social club in DuPage County that held monthly parties in members homes. Founders included Larry Cole, Lindalee Stuckey and Phil Kotula. It became the core group behind Super-Con-Duck-Tivity and DucKon.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum

fl. 1989

An apparently short-lived Chicago club.

The Nite Group

fl. 1989

An apparently short-lived Chicago club.

West Suburban Group

fl. 1989-present

A club that seems to be centered around FermiLab.

{Could this be related to the West Suburban Science Fiction Society?}

Chicago-SF

fl. 2006-present

A club founded in 2006. It hosts monthly book discussions, a monthly social gathering, and organizes movie outings, bowling, trips to Great America, museums, picnics and parties at local cons. Members include Neil Rest.

• Chicago Public Library notice.
• Facebook.

Strictly Conventions

Chicago Science Fiction Society

Chicon II Society

fl. 1950-53

The Chicago Science Fiction Society AKA Chicon II Society was the organization that ran Chicon II, which see for more

ISFiC

fl. 1973-present

ISFiC is probably the most durable of all the extant Chicago clubs. It is not a social club, but is the group that runs Windycon and sponsored Chicon IV, Chicon V and Chicon 6.

See ISFiC for a long article on the organization.

Skylarks From Space

fl. 1980–mid-90s

Skylarks From Space was the original non-profit corporation that ran Capricon. It was replaced by Phandemonium in the mid-90s.

Phandemonium

fl. mid-90s–present

Phandemonium is the organization that runs Capricon. See Capricon and Phandemonium for more.

49th Ward Regular Science Fiction Organization, Inc.

fl. late ’80s

An Illinois 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation created by Neil Rest to sponsor the Bermuda Triangle Bid for the 1988 Worldcon. Rest was President, Alexia Hebel was VP, and Hillarie Riley was Secretary. The group’s name was a joking reference to the Chicago Democratic Party machine.

Super-Con-Duck-Tivity

fl. 1993–2014

The organization that sponsored and ran DucKon and presented the Golden Duck Awards, which see for more. It was centered in DuPage County (some of Chicago's western suburbs).

Chicago Worldcon Bid

fl. 2005–2013

The 501(c)(3) organization that sponsored the Chicago in 2008 and Chicago in 2012 Worldcon bids and Chicon 7. See Chicago Worldcon Bid for more.

Chicago in 2022 Worldcon

fl. 2019–2023

The 501(c)(3) organization that sponsored the Chicago in 2022 Worldcon bid and Chicon 8.

Reading & Writing Groups

Twilight Tales

fl. 1993–2008

A weekly reading series created by Tina Jens following Halloween in 1993. Generally held at the Red Lion Pub on Lincoln Avenue, across from the Biograph Theatre where John Dillinger was shot, the series hosted more than 500 authors, both established and unpublished before it was forced to close when the pub underwent "renovation" in 2008 from which it never re-opened. Attempts to move the reading series elsewhere met with limited success.

Some of the authors who read at Twilight Tales included Max Allan Collins, Brian Lumley, Yvonne Navarro, Melanie Tem, Gahan Wilson, Robert Weinberg, Gene Wolfe, Algis Budrys, and Jay Bonansinga.

The group that ran Twilight Tales, which also included Andrea Dubnick, published several volumes of the stories ranging from chap books to trade paperbacks that were read at the events.

Dubnick and Jens received a 2000 Bram Stoker nomination for their work on the series.

Speculative Literature Foundation

Chicago Deep Dish Readings

fl. 2004–present

Founded in 2004 and based in Chicago, this national group promotes speculative literature in various ways, including bestowing writers’ grants. It has a Chicago chapter, which, since 2017, has sponsored the Chicago Deep Dish Reading Series.

Readings have taken place quarterly at Volumes Book Cafe in Chicago, although the last scheduled reading on March 14, 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19 and the series remains on hiatus pending the end of the COVID pandemic. Chris Bauer is also one of the event's organizers. Readers have included Mary Anne Mohanraj, Mary Robinette Kowal, Richard Chwedyk, Sue Burke, Steven H Silver, David D. Levine, Cory Doctorow, Yudhanjaya Wijeratne, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

See Speculative Literature Foundation for more.

Tuesday Funk

fl. 2008–present

Tuesday Funk is a monthly reading series founded in 2008 by Connor Coyne (coincidentally arriving on the scene as Twilight Tales was dying). Each month features five authors and a poetry reading in the Hopleaf Bar, located on N. Clark Street. Over the years, the series had various hosts. In 2010, sf author William Shunn took over the series, bringing on Andrew Huff as co-host in April 2013. Despite moving to New York City in June 2013, Shunn continued to host the series until that December, when sf writer Eden Robins joined Huff as co-host.

Readers at Tuesday Funk include both genre and non-genre readers. Some of the genre readers have included Richard Chwedyk, Bradley Beaulieu, John Klima, Rae Carson, Maurice Broaddus, Wesley Chu, Brenda Cooper, Steven H Silver, Mary Robinette Kowal, Daniel Kraus, James Kennedy, and more.

Suburban Fantasy Book Club

fl. ????–2015

An SF readers’ group. Website.

Western Suburban Science-Fiction Book Club

fl. ????–present

An SF readers’ group that meets monthly at restaurants in the near western suburbs of Chicago. Meeting attendance is capped at 16.

• Website.
• Facebook.

Lords of Lore

fl. 2007–2016

An SF readers’ group. Website.

Evanston Fantasy and Sci Fi Book Club

fl. present

An SF readers’ group. Website.

Northwest Suburban Fantasy Book Club

fl. 2014–present

An SF readers’ group. Website.

Miscellaneous

Moebius Theatre

fl. 1976-2021

Moebius Theatre is a Chicago SF drama troupe, founded in 1976, who put on stfnal and fannish plays at conventions and elsewhere, including Stage Wars at Minicon 13 and a live audio theater performance of The Island of Doctor Moreau at Chicon 7.

Members have included Alice Bentley, E. Michael Blake, Phil Foglio, Paul Gadzikowski, Lisa Golladay, Gretchen Roper, Martha Soukup, Michael Walsh and Alan Ziebarth.

Website.

American Hobbit Association

Minas Aeron

fl 1977-89

The American Hobbit Association was a national Tolkien club that grew out of a Chicago club, Minas Aeron, and remained centered there.

See American Hobbit Association for more.

Queen to Queen's Three

QQ3

fl. 1975-2016

A media SF club formed as a Star Trek club by Rosary College students in October 1975. Michael Jencevice was its Captain (president) from 1979 until his death in 2016. The current status of the club is unclear.

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Club

1928—

This is a club page. Please extend it by adding information about when and where the club met, when and by whom it was founded, how long it was active, notable accomplishments, well-known members, clubzines, any conventions it ran, external links to the club's website, other club pages, etc. When there's a floreat (Fl.), this indicates the time or times for which we have found evidence that the club existed. This is probably not going to represent the club's full lifetime, so please update it if you can!