Feminist Ca

84 / The Secret Feminist Cabal
to the British magazine Authentic Science Fiction (ASF). A letter from
Irene Boothroyd in 1955 comments that, while she corresponded with
a couple of other fans and had written material for Femizine, she was
isolated by her geographical position in Huddersfield (Boothroyd 1955:
138). A few issues later, Patricia Baddock asked, “Am I the only female
science fiction fan in this country?” and received an editorial response
inviting her to the sf meetings held in a London pub, where she would
meet other “girl fans.” Baddock also expressed the hope that her letter
would be published to “show the other would-be science fiction fans
(female) that they are not alone in their madness!” (Baddock 1955:
125). A few issues later, Catherine Smith wrote in reply:
In issue no. 57, a girl wrote to “Projectiles” [the ASF letters
column] thinking that she was the only female SF fan.
Obviously she was wrong, but I, personally, know of no
other reader who is of my own sex. There must be some in
Birmingham, somewhere. But where? If there are any girl
readers of science fiction, or any science fiction clubs here,
would they contact me? (C. Smith 1956: 159)
Despite the increasing numbers of women involved in well-known
core fandom groups, many readers of sf magazines were limited by their
geographical location, and, without attending meetings or conventions,
they would have had little chance of joining the network of fanzines
and APAs through which they could have corresponded with other female
fans. These letters also indicate that while fan publishing was an
important part of community building, face-to-face meetings were also
crucial. Women, particularly, may well have desired the opportunity to
talk to others who shared the madness of this “perverse” interest.
An important development in the 1950s was the appearance of a
number of femme-fan zines: fanzines that marked themselves as written
for and by women. Arising seemingly independently within a few
years of each other, such femme-fan zines were produced in the US,
Britain, and even Australia. These fanzines mark an important phase
in the history of women’s involvement in sf fandom. Although previously
other women had edited their own fanzines, these were among
the first to create a women-only space, with women providing all of
the contributions. Like the American female fans of the 1940s, these
women used the label femme-fan as a positive sign under which they
could consolidate some kind of collective identity and presence. One