The Manhattan Phone Book (Abridged)

John Varley

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Library - Science Fiction and Fantasy _isfdb shortfiction

Publisher: Westercon 37

Published: Jan 2, 1984

Magazine: Westercon 37 (37th Annual Science Fantasy Conference 1984 Program Book)

Description:

An area of small press activity impossible to keep tabs of is the convention "program book." Every fantasy and science fiction convention (and there are dozens of them annually) produces a program book, occasionally with short stories included, often by the convention's Guest of Honor, So it sometimes happens that a story by someone exceedingly well known has been read by nobody except some convention's attendees.
One particularly interesting program book was imaginatively designed for WesterCon 37 (it was in Portland, Oregon, that year). It looked exactly like an issue o/The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, with a spectacular cover painted by Alex Schomburg. Featured among other good things were articles by Elinor Busby and Harlan Ellison, stories by Edward Bryant and F. M. Busby, a fable by Vonda N. Mclntyre, and John Varley's half-essay satiric horror story reprinted here.