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New England Science Fiction Association




The New England Science Fiction Association, or '''NESFA''', is a Science Fiction club centered in the New England area. It was founded in 1967 , "by Fans who wanted to ''do'' things in addition to socializing". NESFA is Currently registered as a Non-profit literary organization under IRS section 501(c)3 .

The organization holds regular meetings of and for members and other interested parties. A weekly meeting is held most Wednesday evenings, for socializing, projects, and miscellaneous business. Two weekend meetings are held every month: a Business Meeting (for administration), and the Other Meeting. The club also publishes a regular newsletter, ''Instant Message''.


Boskone


The club runs an annual Science Fiction Convention , Boskone. In the words of the convention organizers, "Boskone is a regional Science Fiction convention focusing on literature, art, music, and gaming (with just a dash of whimsy)". It is held over a weekend every February, in the city of Boston, Massachusetts . The name is a reference to the classic Lensman series by E. E. Smith , in which "Boskone" is a planet inhabited by villians. The obvious name for a Con in Boston would, of course, be "Boscon"; the similarity was noticed and embraced. Continuing the trend, when a new Boston-area convention was formed, the organizers of that event choose Arisia .

Boskone I was held in 1941 under the auspices of The Stranger Club , an earlier Boston-based SF club. Four more were held annually until Boskone V in 1945 . The Present series of Boskone's started in 1965 with Boskone 1 and has been uninterrupted since. Boskone 1, 2, and 4 were run by BosSFS, the now-defunct Boston Science Fiction Society. The then-newly-formed NESFA took over with Boskone 5. The tradition of holding Boskone in February started in 1976 , and has continued since.


NESFA Press


NESFA has a small publishing arm, NESFA Press , which specializes in classic and neglected works of science fiction, as well as SF/fandom reference and historical material. Works published by NESFA press include:



Awards



Skylark Award


The Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction (the Skylark) is presented annually by NESFA to some person, who, in the opinion of the membership, has contributed significantly to Science Fiction , both through work in the field and by exemplifying the personal qualities which made the late "Doc" Smith well-loved by those who knew him.


Jack Gaughan Award


The Jack Gaughan Award is presented annually to an emerging Artist chosen by a panel of judges (which have included Vincent Di Fate , Kelly Freas , Michael Whelan , David Cherry , Bob Eggleton , and Ron Walotsky ).


MCFI


NESFA also hosts meetings of MCFI -- ''' Massachusetts Convention Fandom, Inc '''. MCFI, a non-profit like NESFA, is responsible for various "special" conventions in the New England area. Most notable of these is '''Noreascon''', MCFI's occasional Worldcon bid. The most recent of these was Noreascon Four, the 62nd World Science Fiction Convention , in September of 2004 .
MCFI has also hosted Smofcon , Ditto , and the World Fantasy Convention . MCFI is a separate Legal Entity from NESFA, though there is a large overlap in membership.


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