In the 2010 movie, Clash of the Titans, Perseus’s human step-father, Spyros, utters this line in response to the gods abandoning humanity:
“One day, somebody’s gonna have to make a stand. One day, somebody’s gonna have to say enough.”
So here we are in 2018 and I find myself thinking the same thing when it comes to the state of science fiction and fantasy and those who have claimed the title of gatekeepers and leaders. For some time now they have led the two genres along a dark path. Science fiction/fantasy used to be about escaping the real world and enjoying well-produced stories of great adventure on the written page as well as the big and small screens and game boards.
Over the past decade or so a certain mind set has insinuated itself into the leadership of science fiction/fantasy – the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and World Science Fiction Society along with a few other institutions – have steered their organizations toward a more political/social activism bent.
These organizations were originally formed to help promote science fiction/fantasy and the talented artists who create a wide variety of worlds that we enjoy exploring. Today’s leadership seems to have forgotten that – to the point of blackballing authors for the sole reason that these writers don’t share the same political or social viewpoints as they do.
They are no longer promoting science fiction/fantasy.
I have recently begun to believe that, one day, somebody was going to have to make a stand. One day, somebody was going to have to say enough.
Today is that day. I am standing up and saying: Enough is enough.
Today is the day, the very first day, that we creators take back science fiction and fantasy. We do this for ourselves and for all of the fans. Today is the day we create a new home for all science fiction/fantasy creators – writers, editors, artists, indie film producers, indie publishers, comic book artists and publishers, game creators and bloggers – to gather, network and create. There will be no political purity tests, no one will care what color your skin is, what gender you are or any of the other ridiculous filters these so-called gatekeepers have installed to keep out those terrible “wrong thinkers.”
Here there is only one requirement: Are you a creator of science fiction/fantasy? If you are, welcome home. Welcome to the Science Fiction & Fantasy Creators Guild. Here you will find no outrageous requirements to join. We are not an exclusive club, but an organization formed to cultivate the genres we love with new ideas and creations.
Do you have a professional science fiction/fantasy credit to your name – a book, a short story, a game, a magazine article, a comic book? Then congratulations, you qualify for a pro membership. It’s just that easy.
Do you lack a professional credit but are working your way there? You are welcome as an associate, a membership that enables you to be mentored to reach your goals.
Are you a writer who has retired, or a legal representative of the estate of a creator, but still wants to encourage the genre? The emeritus membership is open to you. SFFCGuild is about inclusion, not exclusion.
SFFCGuild is also a guild, not a club. That means all of us are here to help each other succeed. If one succeeds, the genre succeeds. We want more readers, more viewers, more SFF fans!
To achieve this end, we have some tools for you to use. We have an online forum to enable fellowship, networking and collaboration between our members. We hope this will be an area where creators seeking advice on a variety of subjects – publishing, legal issues, workshops, etc. – can find information, support and possibly even inspiration.
In the future, we are planning a regular online newsletter, an annual conference, an annual adjudicated award and even a Hall of Fame to honor some of the great creators of the past. We hope to have online workshops, online conferences and critique groups. We hope to regularly promote new release of our creators via social media and mailing lists.
The focus of this group will always be the genres of science fiction and fantasy. Because we will soon be a 501(c) (3) nonprofit, we will abide by those rules set by the IRS, staying out of politics or petty squabbles. This organization is about science fiction and fantasy and promoting the work of those who create it.
That is the promise I make to you, as the founder of this new Guild, that we will never become a place where creators are excluded for what they think or believe. Nor will we become a haven for those that attempt to destroy another creators’ ability to make a living. Here we promote, and encourage. Here, we build up rather than tear down.
So, I invite you to come join us and help make science fiction and fantasy a place of wonder and joy it was meant to be. Be a part of SFFCGuild today.
Richard Paolinelli
Founder, SFFCGuild
Please be patient while our site is under construction.
Email contact@sffcguild.com for more information.