Introducing TRIAPA

Official TRIAPA seal by Sage

Amateur Press Associations (APAs) are not-for-profit unions of fan writers who are interested in document design, publishing, criticism, and creative activity (creative writing, drawing, gaming). APA members produce their own "zines" and send these "zines" to an OVEREDITOR, who collates the associations’ publications into a unified document and assures that they are distributed to members. APAs have a long history in fandom and today provide a useful alternative to the other forms of fan communication.

TRIAPA is an APA organized by Spiral Tower Press to give fan writers the opportunity of participating in this venerable tradition of fandom and print history. The focuses of TRIPA are three sets of three: the pulp genres of sword and sorcery, cosmic horror, and space opera; the past, present, and future of science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror; and chronopolitanism, compassion, and hope.

If you are interested in participating, simply contact Spiral Tower Press at spiraltowerpress@gmail.com

You can download the tenth mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #10

You can download the ninth mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #9

You can download the eighth mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #8

You can download the seventh mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #7

You can download the sixth mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #6

2023

You can download the fifth mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #5

You can download the fourth mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #4

You can download the third mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #3

You can download the second mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #2

You can download the first mailing here: TRIAPA Mailing #1

By-Laws of TRIAPA

Article I: Name and Purpose

Section 1: TRIAPA

a) The name of this association shall be TRIAPA, a reference to the mysterious "Black Trigon," a mystical and eldritch artifact of fell power as well as an unfathomable symbol, the bane of cryptolectualists.

Section 2: Purpose

a) The purpose of TRIAPA shall be to promote the collegial exchange of ideas, creative work, amateur art, information, and publications among fans, fostering a sense of community and collaboration, and upholding the document design tradition zines and APAs.

Article II: Membership

Section 1: Eligibility

a) Membership in TRIAPA shall be open to any individuals of goodwill who have an interest in writing, reading, and analyzing our chosen genres–sword and sorcery, cosmic horror, space opera–and other associated topics. 

b) Membership is also open to doodlers, comic artists, poets, and hobo-bards. 

Section 2: Application and Admission

a) Prospective members shall submit a completed application to the APA that provides all requested information. Membership shall be granted upon approval of the application by the APA's Board of Directors, also called the "Conclave of the Trigon."

Section 3: Membership Categories

a) Regular Members

b) Honorary Members: Individuals who have made significant contributions to the genres of sword and sorcery, cosmic horror, or space opera. Honorary members shall be referred to with the honorific “Dark Lord.”

c) Student Members: Individuals who are enrolled as full-time students and have an interest in the history of the amateur press.

d) SUPREME OVEREDITOR (SOE): The individual responsible for collating individual zine submissions and distributing them appropriately.

Section 4: Rights, Privileges, and Responsibilities

a) All members of TRIAPA shall have the right to:

i) Submit a (maximum) 2 page A4 or 8.5 by 11 inch zine as a PDF monthly to the SOE.

ii) Receive publications and communications from the APA via the Spiral Tower website.

iii) Vote on matters put forth for membership approval.

iv) Serve on committees and hold elected positions, subject to eligibility criteria and term limits as specified in these by-laws.

Section 5: Termination of Membership

a) Membership in the APA may be terminated for such reasons such as violation of the by-laws, or conduct deemed detrimental to the association, as determined by the Board of Directors ("Conclave of the Trigon").

Section 6: Roster and Anonymity

a) The roster will not be made public; members are permitted to use pseudonyms or aliases to maintain their comfort level of anonymity.

Article III: Governance

Section 1: Board of Directors, also known as the “Conclave of the Trigon”

a) The APA shall be governed by the Supreme Overeditor (SOE) and Conclave of the Trigon (CT), consisting of elected members.

b) The CT shall have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the association, enforce the by-laws, and manage the affairs of the APA.

c) The CT may hold regular meetings, open to all members, to discuss association matters.

d) The SOE is a dynastic-style position; upon desiring to abdicate, the SOE  determines who their successor is, proposes the successor to the CT, and the CT shall vote to accept or refuse succession. If the CT and the SOE cannot agree on succession, TRIAPA shall be terminated forever. If the SOE dies before determining a successor, the CT must organize a gladiatorial-style battle that will give those who desire to become the SOE the opportunity to fight for their claim. The fights shall not be to the death.

Section 2: Officers

a) The officers of the APA shall include a SOE, Chancellor, Chamberlain, and Sergeant-at-Arms, strategically ambiguous titles that designate no specific responsibilities.

b) The officers shall not have specific responsibilities as defined by the by-laws; they shall serve a term of 1 solar year.

Section 3: Elections

a) Elections for the CT and shall be held annually and organized by the SOE, unless a quorum condition of membership--10 active members--is satisfied; if the the quorum condition is not satisfied, the SOE is authorized to appoint members to CT positions.

b) The election process shall be conducted in a fair and transparent manner, allowing all members to cast their votes.

Section 4: Committees

a) The CT may establish committees as needed to carry out specific functions and projects of the APA.

b) Committee chairs shall be appointed by the CT and shall report on their activities during regular meetings.

Article IV: Meetings and Activities

Section 1: Annual Meeting

a) The APA may hold an annual meeting, providing members with an opportunity to gather, exchange publications, and discuss amateur press-related topics.

Section 2: Regular Meetings 

a) Regular meetings of the APA may be held allowing members to network, share updates, and engage in fandom-related activities.

Section 3: Special Meetings

a) Special meetings may be called by the Board of Directors or upon the written request of 50% of the members. Notice of such meetings shall be given to all members in a timely manner.

Section 4: SpiralCon

a) The APA may hold a special meeting or social at SpiralCon, currently held in July at Christopher Newport University

Article V: Finances and Availability

a) Section 1: Dues and costs

i) TRIAPA will be free to all forever.

Section 2: Availability

a) TRIAPA will be published as free PDF and be readily available for the public to access and read.

Article VI: Official Slogan: TBD

Example 2-page zine

Example page 1 of 2-page zine

Example page 2 of 2-page zine

Some Thoughts and Observations from Spiral Con 2

By David J. Lynch

First, thanks again to everyone involved. It was a small convention which was very nice for someone with social anxiety. Glad to get a chance to put some faces to names and be able to talk with some of the people in the sword and sorcery community. It was a little weird slowly realizing that I had seen or heard almost everyone around me speak or talk on a podcast or a video from Howard Days or something like that but I felt less stalkerish by the time the first panel started. I’m a big fan of The Cromcast, but I didn’t realize exactly who Luke E. Dodd was (a host of The Cromcast) until we were talking in the little foyer outside the main room, which means 

The panels themselves were more than I was expecting. I had been excited to see Rusty Burke speak about REH and the first panel did not disappoint. It was just great to learn a bit more about the Howard and the efforts taken to preserve his work. 

The second panel was interesting, especially seeing the waves of feminism broken down within the context of genre fiction. I notice The Poppy War gets talked about a lot online. it sounds really heavy but is supposed to be quite good. 

The third panel was a great history lesson on the pulps. I’ve not learned too much about the pulps and how they worked and operated beyond my interest in the fiction contained within them. The details like how newsstands rented space for the publications rather than purchasing them outright and the way advertisements were done in a less directed, more feed-like style was interesting to learn about.

The fourth panel about zine culture and its history was really something special. I had heard before about the fanzine Mimosa and Richard and Nicki Lynch and had always been curious about that era and style of fandom. I’ve only recently gotten into some of the older zines, picking up an old copy of Fantasy Newsletter and finding some stuff as .pdfs, but I’ve also been involved in the punk scene for most of my life which has its own vibrant zine culture. I couldn’t help but also draw parallels between the spirit of what they were doing and the early BBS (Bulletin Board Systems) communities of the late 80’s and early 90’s, which I was tangentially a part of as a kid. To be honest, this panel left me stunned. I feel very lucky to have witnessed Rusty, Nicki, and Rich talk about this important aspect and era of fandom. Thanks to the archivists, preservers, and people who just simply love stuff so much they can’t help but contribute in their own interesting ways. It’s truly inspiring. 

The final panel was accidentally mis-labeled by Jason, the program organizer: it was supposed to be about Space Opera but was more about Military Science-Fiction (somewhat related, but still different), the subgenre of speculative fiction I know the least about. It was interesting hearing the panelists discuss the problems with getting a clear definition of almost anything also pertaining to this sub-genre. Sword and sorcery, roguelike, and the term "species" all came to mind during this panel, three different concepts that also have countless definitions depending on the eyes and needs of the beholder.

I personally tend to be a fan of science fiction that makes me feel like I should not join the military and from what I have read in the subgenre, David Drake is my favorite. The moral quandaries I felt reading Hammer's Slammers often come to mind when I think about war in fiction. 

Overall, I won or was given several cool books, saw some knowledgeable people talk about things that I love, and got to meet some of the people from here in the community. So thanks again to all who came and were involved, I hope there is a Spiral Con 3!

Trigon Awards 2023

 

Artist: Jake Kelly. Click to enlarge.

Spiral Tower Press has established the Trigon Awards to show appreciation for those who champion the past, present, and future of the pulp genres of science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror. Trigon awardees demonstrate artistic, intellectual, and passionate commitment to the values celebrated by the sorcerer's mysterious trigon: chronopolitanism, compassion, and hope.

The Trigon Awards will consist of three categories: literary achievement, scholarly achievement, and special achievement.

Trigon Awards are determined by a rotating and anonymous standing committee, "The Trigon Committee," who nominate and select the awardees with the optional voting and nominating aid of previous awardees. Although there will be no formal nominating process, advice and suggestions are welcomed by the committee. Nominees will be secret and will not be announced or discussed by the Trigon Committee in public or outside of official internal award-focused discussions. The award carries no financial remunerations. Awardees will receive a certificate.

The second Trigon Awards were awarded on Saturday, July 15th, at SpiralCon 2, held at Christopher Newport University. Congrats to the awardees!

Scholarly Achievement:  Rusty Burke is the President of the Robert E. Howard Foundation, an organization that fosters a better understanding of the life and works of Robert E. Howard. Burke has edited several editions of Howard's work for publishers such as Del Rey, Wandering Star, and the Robert E. Howard Press. Burke has published countless articles on Robert E. Howard for academic and fan published. Burke tounded The Dark Man: Journal of Robert E. Howard and Pulp Studies, is a member of the Robert E. Howard United Press Association, and a co-organizer of Howard Days, an annual celebration of the life and art of Robert E. Howard, the creator of sword and sorcery.

Literary Achievement: Old Moon Quarterly describes itself as "an independent magazine devoted to publishing weird sword-and-sorcery fiction set in a historical paranormal setting or a secondary-world, with a focus on well-rounded characters driving strange action." OMQ's editorial staff has published new sword and sorcery and dark fantasy work that holds in artful tension (1) pulp genre tradition and (2) the modern, artful, and poignant. This delicate and admirable balancing of editorial priorities is laudable. Also notable and commendable is OMQ's fair pay rate of 8 cents-per-word.

Special Achievement: Toni Weisskopf is editor and publisher of Baen Books, a venerable press in the realms of fantasy and science fiction. Weisskopf has been nominated four times for a Hugo Award, is an awardee of the Phoenix Award, the Rebel Award, and the Neffy Award for best editor. Apropos the Trigon Awards, Weisskopf is an unparalleled steward and champion of the pulp genres of sword and sorcery, military science fiction, and epic fantasy.