Difference between revisions of "Chicago Clubs"

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Chicago is another of those cities which has abounded with clubs over the years, many with confusingly similar names.
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[[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.)
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 +
''Corrections are very welcome!''
 +
 
 +
See also: [[Chicago]], ''[[6 in 60]]''.
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 +
{{fancy2|text=
 +
'''Chicago''' Despite its [[Chicago Worldcons|two conventions]] the Windy City has always been fairly quiet as far as [[fanac|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]].
 +
}}
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 +
 
 +
=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 League==
−
AKA
+
====Chicago Science Fiction Club====
−
==Chicago Science Fiction Club==
 
 
''fl. 1935-38''
 
''fl. 1935-38''
  
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The '''CSFL''' (also known as '''TCSFL''') was founded in 1935 as chapter #14 of the [[SFL]], the club attracted members including founder [[Walter Dennis]], [[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."
+
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.
  
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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 Weissinger]], and [[Julius Schwartz]].  Arguably, had this meeting happened, this would have been the [[first science fiction convention]].
+
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.
 
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.
  
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in the 1990, [[Las Vegas]] fans claimed control of the CSFL and this claim was not disputed. What ''they'' did with it is unknown.
+
See [https://firstfandomexperience.org/2021/08/09/early-chicago-fandom-in-pictures/ 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 Clubs#Chicago Science Fiction League (II)|Chicago Science Fiction League (II)]] (below) is an entirely separate group.
+
The [[#Chicago Science Fiction League (II)|Chicago Science Fiction League (II)]] (below) was an entirely separate group.
  
 
==Chicago Science Fictioneers==
 
==Chicago Science Fictioneers==
 
''fl. 1930s''
 
''fl. 1930s''
  
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An early SF club in [[Chicago]], formed by fan [[W. Lawrence Hamling]], apparently to run [[Chicon I]] -- though this did not happen and it was run by the [[Illini Fantasy Fictioneers]] instead. [[Jack Darrow]] was also a member.
+
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.
  
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==University of Chicago Science Fiction Club==
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==Windy City Wampires==
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AKA
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''fl. early 40s''
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==University of Chicago Science Fiction Society==
 
−
''fl. 1950-1960s
 
  
−
A [[club]] at the University of [[Chicago]] founded in 1950 by [[Tom Seidman]], [[George D'Asaro]], and [[John Boardman]].  It published ''[[The Journal of Science Fiction]]'' and was part of [[CHIAC]].  
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{{fancy1|text=
 +
Informal name for the gang in [[Chicago]]; apparently they have no [[organization]]al setup.  
 +
}}
  
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In its early years, club meetings were so informal as to be pretty chaotic -- though they weren't dull.  Its 1952 Halloween party included an imitation black mass, which gained it unwelcome notice by the university's President. [[Earl Kemp]] became club [[President]] in 1953.  Its faculty adviser was Nobel-Prize-winning chemist Harold Urey!
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=School & College Clubs=
  
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In 1963, the club split into two groups.  By this time, none of the members were students at the University of Chicago, and many felt that the club had become stale. [[George Price]], who had been doing the club's program and sending out meeting notices wanted a more sf-oriented group and began hosting a monthly meeting.  [[Rosemary Hickey]] helped set up a monthly social group (including drinking) called the [[Chicago Clubs#Chicago SF League|Chicago SF League]].  {{Hyde Park group??}}
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==University of Chicago Science Fiction Club==
 +
====University of Chicago Science Fiction Society====
 +
''1950–1963.''
  
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==Chicago Science Fiction Society==
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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 [[#Chicago Science Fiction League (II)|the (second) Chicago Science Fiction League]], it was part of [[CHIAC]].
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AKA
 
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==Chicon II Society==
 
−
''fl. 1950-53''
 
  
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Chicago Science Fiction Society AKA Chicon II Society is the organization which ran [[Chicon II]], which see.
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In 1963, the club split into two groups.  (See [[#George W. Price|George W. Price]] and [[#Chicago SF League|Chicago SF League]]).
  
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==Chicago Science Fiction League (II)==
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See [[University of Chicago Science Fiction Club]] for more.  
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AKA
 
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==Chicago SF League==
 
−
''fl. 1962-??''
 
  
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When the [[Chicago Clubs#University of Chicago Science Fiction Club|University of Chicago Science Fiction Club]] fell apart, it broke into two entirely new clubs, one named the Chical SFL. 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 the home of [[Rosemary Hickey]] at 2020 North Mohawk Street and later at the home of [[George Price]].
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==University of Chicago SF Society==
 +
''fl. 1969-73''
  
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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.
+
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]].  
  
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==University of Chicago SF Society==
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See [[Chicago in '73]].
−
''fl. 1969-73 ''
 
−
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 in Ida Noyes Hall on campus. This club made a short-lived and unsuccessful [[bid]] for the 1973 [[Worldcon]].  See [[Chicago in '73]].
 
  
 
==Armchair Speculators of DePaul University==
 
==Armchair Speculators of DePaul University==
 
''fl. 1970s''
 
''fl. 1970s''
  
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Founded in the early 70s, an active club which seems to have been a predecessor of [[General technics]].  See [[Armchair Speculators of DePaul University]] for a much longer article.
+
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==
 
==University of Illinois at Chicago Science Fiction Society==
−
''fl. 1970s''
+
''fl. 1970s–mid-90s''
  
 
(See [[University of Illinois SF Society]] for the [[Champaign-Urbana]] club.)
 
(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 (Chicago)]]'', and fed heavily into [[Chicago]] [[fandom]] and [[Chicago Clubs#Thursday|Thursday]].  
+
The University of Illinois at Chicago Science Fiction Society, a [[club]] at the University of Illinois Chicago Circle campus, published a [[clubzine]], ''[[Tesseract (Chicago)]]'', and fed heavily into later [[Chicago]] [[fandom]] and [[#Thursday|Thursday]].
 +
 
 +
In the 1970s, members included [[Robin Beal]], [[E. Michael Blake]], [[John Donat]], [[Cory Glaberson]], [[Kathy Horning|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 [[#Chicago Science Fiction League (II)|(second) Chicago Science Fiction League]] and the [[#University of Chicago SF Club|University of Chicago SF Club]]. They put on the [[fannish play]]s, ''[[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|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|George W. Price]].
  
−
In the 1970s, members included [[Robin Beal]], [[E. Michael Blake]], [[John Donat]], [[Cory Glaberson]], [[Kathy Horning|Kathy Hoover]], [[Joy King]], [[Jim Kobrinetz]], [[Doug Price]] and [[Doug Rice]].
+
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|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| 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|University of Illinois at Chicago Science Fiction Society]] and [[#Armchair Speculators of DePaul University|Armchair Speculators of DePaul University]].  
 +
 
 +
=Clubs of Latter Days=
  
 
==Thursday==
 
==Thursday==
−
''fl. 1970s and 80s''
+
''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.
  
−
'''Thursday''' was an informal social gathering of Chicago [[fans]] which met weekly on Thursday nights during the 1970s and '80s.  See [[Thursday]] for much more.
+
See [[Thursday]] for much more.
  
−
==ISFiC==
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==SFFNCS==
−
''fl 1973-present''
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====Science Fiction Fans of the Northwest Chicago Suburbs====
 +
====Sphinx====
 +
''fl. 1970s and ’80s''
  
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ISFiC is probably the most durable of all the Chicago clubs. It is not a social club, but is the group that runs [[Windycon]].  See [[ISFiC]] for a long article on the organization.
+
'''SFFNCS''', [[initialese]] for '''S'''cience '''F'''iction '''F'''ans of the '''N'''orthwest [[Chicago|'''C'''hicago]] '''S'''uburbs, an informal [[club]], began in the early 1970s, when [[Betty Hull]] and [[George Fergus]], who had been regulars at [[#George W. Price|George Price’s parties]] in the city, each moved out to the Northwest ’burbs.  
  
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==Queen to Queen's Three==
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The name was George’s idea, according to Betty:  “I said, ‘That’s unpronounceable.’ He said, ‘We’ll pronounce it “Sphinx.”’” So they did.  
−
''fl. 1979-present''
 
  
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A media SF club. [[Michael Jencevice]] has been its president since 1979.
+
Regulars included Hull, Fergus, [[Gene Wolfe]], [[Phyllis Eisenstein|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==
 
==West Suburban Science Fiction Society==
 
''fl. 1979-82''
 
''fl. 1979-82''
  
−
A club located in the western suburbs of [[Chicago]].  It was founded by [[Ken Mason]]. {Could this be related to the [[Chicago Clubs#West Suburban Group|West Suburban Group]]?}
+
A club located in the western suburbs of [[Chicago]].  It was founded by [[Ken Mason]]. {Could this be related to the [[#West Suburban Group|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|Super-Con-Duck-Tivity]] and [[DucKon]].
  
 
==Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum==
 
==Science Fiction and Fantasy Forum==
Line 97: Line 161:
  
 
==West Suburban Group==
 
==West Suburban Group==
−
''fl. 1989''
+
''fl. 1989-present''
 +
 
 +
A club that seems to be centered around FermiLab.
 +
 
 +
{Could this be related to the [[#West Suburban Science Fiction Society|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]].
 +
 
 +
* [https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/list/share/268684968_annetg/1169855908_chicago-sf_book_discussions_2014-present Chicago Public Library notice.]
 +
*[https://facebook.com/groups/5661070204 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 Oxman|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 Awards|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|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.  [https://www.meetup.com/Suburban-Fantasy-Book-Club/ 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.
 +
*[https://www.meetup.com/Western-Suburban-Sci-Fi-Book-Club/ Website.]
 +
*[https://facebook.com/scifibookclub Facebook.]
 +
 
 +
==Lords of Lore==
 +
''fl. 2007–2016''
 +
 
 +
An SF readers’ group.  [https://lordsoflore.org/ Website.]
 +
 
 +
==Evanston Fantasy and Sci Fi Book Club==
 +
''fl. present''
 +
 
 +
An SF readers’ group.  [https://www.meetup.com/Evanston-Fantasy-And-Sci-Fi-Book-Club/ Website.]
 +
 
 +
==Northwest Suburban Fantasy Book Club==
 +
''fl. 2014–present''
 +
 
 +
An SF readers’ group.  [https://www.meetup.com/Northwest-Suburban-Fantasy-Book-Club/ 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 (Chicago)]] and [[Alan Ziebarth]].
 +
 
 +
[https://moebiustheatre.net/ 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.
 +
 
  
−
An apparently short-lived Chicago club.
+
{{club|locale=Chicago, IL|start=1928}}
 +
[[Category:list]]
 +
[[Category:US]]

Latest revision as of 07:36, 30 May 2024

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.


Contents

The Early Clubs[edit]

International Scientific Association[edit]

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[edit]

Chicago Science Fiction Club[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

fl. early 40s

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944
Informal name for the gang in Chicago; apparently they have no organizational setup.

School & College Clubs[edit]

University of Chicago Science Fiction Club[edit]

University of Chicago Science Fiction Society[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

fl. 1989–present

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

The Middle Years[edit]

CHIAC[edit]

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)[edit]

Chicago SF League[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

Thursday[edit]

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[edit]

Science Fiction Fans of the Northwest Chicago Suburbs[edit]

Sphinx[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

DPSFFS[edit]

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[edit]

fl. 1989

An apparently short-lived Chicago club.

The Nite Group[edit]

fl. 1989

An apparently short-lived Chicago club.

West Suburban Group[edit]

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[edit]

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.

Strictly Conventions[edit]

Chicago Science Fiction Society[edit]

Chicon II Society[edit]

fl. 1950-53

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

ISFiC[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

fl. mid-90s–present

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

49th Ward Regular Science Fiction Organization, Inc.[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

fl. 2019–2023

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


Reading & Writing Groups[edit]

Twilight Tales[edit]

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[edit]

Chicago Deep Dish Readings[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

fl. ????–2015

An SF readers’ group. Website.

Western Suburban Science-Fiction Book Club[edit]

fl. ????–present

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

Lords of Lore[edit]

fl. 2007–2016

An SF readers’ group. Website.

Evanston Fantasy and Sci Fi Book Club[edit]

fl. present

An SF readers’ group. Website.

Northwest Suburban Fantasy Book Club[edit]

fl. 2014–present

An SF readers’ group. Website.

Miscellaneous[edit]

Moebius Theatre[edit]

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[edit]

Minas Aeron[edit]

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[edit]

QQ3[edit]

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.


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!

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