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Twilight Zone Magazine Remembered: Then & Now @ WFC 2012

Last Thursday I returned to the Twilight Zone.

But I didn’t go alone.

Also along for the journey were Scott Edelman, Nancy Baker, Darrell Schweitzer, and Elizabeth Hand – fellow contributors to Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Magazine, the legendary publication that dominated the fantasy landscape in the 1980s

Christopher Roden of Ash-Tree Press introduced our panel at World Fantasy 2012 (November 1 @ 9:00 p.m.), treating the audience to a PowerPoint presentation that featured a string of youthful photos of the panelists, all taken from the pages of the magazine. It was great seeing those kids again, looking back from the high ground of 2012.

After the introductions, Chris let the PowerPoint run on its own, displaying a string of vintage Twilight Zone covers. Thus, while the panelists reminisced, the screen became a window to the past: a simple but effective touch.

Afterward, we got together for a couple of photo ops, one in which we all lined up with issues containing our stories, and a second that featured each of us standing beside photographs from the magazine’s contributor pages — making for some interesting then-and-now comparisons.

For me, that second op made for a real Twilight Zone moment, standing beside the image of a kid who at the time had sold barely a half-dozen stories. It’s nice to be still in the game.

The same can certainly be said for Elizabeth Hand, this year’s WFC author guest of honor, who has gone on to win three World Fantasy Awards, two Nebula Awards, two International Horror Guild Awards, and others. Recently, Publishers Weekly named her novel Available Dark one of the Top 10 Mystery/Thrillers of the season.

Nancy Baker’s first sale to the magazine was “The Party Over There,” which appeared in the June 1988 issue. (In my previous post, “Remembering The Twilight Zone @ World Fantasy 2012,” I erroneously identified that story as “Exodus 22:18,” which was her second TZ story, appearing in June 1989.) Nancy has gone on to write three well-receive vampire novels: The Night InsideBlood and Chrysanthemums, and A Terrible Beauty.  She is currently working on a fourth book, which she tells us has nothing to do with vampires.

Scott Edelman was already active in fantasy publishing by the time he made his first TZ sale in 1983. In the 70s he wrote for both Marvel and DC Comics, creating The Scarecrow (a.k.a. Straw Man) for the Marvel universe. He has edited Science Fiction Weekly (the online magazine of the Sci Fi Channel) since 2000.

During our panel, Scott reminisced about the lobby of the Twilight Zone offices, which TZ shared with Gallery (a magazine that catered to a decidedly different kind of fantasy).

One side of the lobby displayed Gallery covers featuring scantily-clad women, while the other side was dominated by the much more sublime and surreal covers of Twilight Zone. Teasy vs. TZ? Ah, gotta love the 80s!

Our fifth panelist was writer, editor, and critic Derrell Schweitzer, who spoke insightfully about the role that Publishers Clearing House played in the magazine’s demise. According to Derrell, PCH oversold underpriced subscriptions, resulting in cash-flow problems.

And so today we are left with fond memories, not to mention careers that began with Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone Magazine.

What do you think? Do you remember the magazine? Thoughts, comments, and corrections are always welcome. Use the comment box below or the Facebook tab at the top of the page.

Rock on!


6 responses to “Twilight Zone Magazine Remembered: Then & Now @ WFC 2012”

  1. Chris Roden Avatar
    Chris Roden

    What a lovely write-up, Larry. So glad you enjoyed what came from a sudden inspiration to set up that panel. You all did great.

  2. Lawrence C. Connolly Avatar
    Lawrence C. Connolly

    Thanks for those kind words, Chris. It was a terrific audience as well, with Michael Dirda and Barbara Roden (who told that wonderful story about how discovering the magazine helped her realize that she wasn’t alone in her love of ghost stories and fantastic fiction), and Bob Knowlton (who talked about his work compiling some of those terrific reading lists that were published in the magazine). So much memory in that room!

  3. TheMadBlonde Avatar
    TheMadBlonde

    GREAT post! I am sorry I missed this panel, but it was one of my few chances to get out & see the city. I have quite fallen in love w/ Toronto & hope to get back there someday. Meanwhile, this gives me a better perspective on what I missed. I DID get to see the PP presentation–didn’t the Rodens do a GREAT job with all that? It really was fun to have the visual references up for a number of panels & events.

  4. Lawrence C. Connolly Avatar
    Lawrence C. Connolly

    Indeed, the Rodens did an outstanding job with the programming, proving how essential it is to carefully plan and orchestrate a convention schedule.

    I’m glad you were able to make it into downtown Toronto. I didn’t get that chance, alas, and the distance from Richmond Hill (where the convention was held) and the city was one of the few (perhaps the only) disappointing aspects of the convention.

    In a recent post about the convention’s location, blogger Frederic S. Durbin wrote: “the World Fantasy Convention [was] held this year in Toronto. Well . . . near Toronto. Well . . . not too far away from Toronto. I was told by a local attendee that, from the top of the convention hotel, you could in fact see the lights of Toronto in the distance.”

    Mr. Durbin goes on to write about his two-hour commute from the downtown hotel (where he was staying) to the convention site. His full report is posted here:

    http://www.fredericsdurbin.com/?p=2030

    But since I seldom do much exploring beyond the site of a convention, the location wasn’t much of a concern for me . . . and the programming, as you pointed out, was excellent. Can’t wait to do it all again in Brighton next year . . . and in Washington DC in 2014 – when Christopher and Barbara will again be in charge of putting together an amazing program.

  5. […] For more information, check the article on Lawrence’s site. […]

  6. Chris Roden Avatar
    Chris Roden

    Just a modest correction, and a commnet:
    We’re not actually going to be in charge of programming for Washington, but we shall be assisting . . . and trying to make sure that, once again, there is something for everyone.

    As far as distance of hotel from Con is concerned, I agree that it is a factor for some people, but it’s never been a thing that’s bothered me. I go to WFC to GO TO WFC. If I want to do some shopping or sightseeing, I’ll an extra day at the beginning to accommodate that. I understand that Austin is a lovely city: never saw it, the hotel was about 8 or 10 miles out. Same with other places. Unless you are fortunate enough to be in a city where downtown hotel prices are affordable, you’re generally SOL for sightseeing unless you’re in the mood to make the effort. I’d personally enjoy the Con at a reasonable price than be paying $235-$250/night for a hotel room in a downtown hotel. But that’s just me.

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