Boskones, Publishing &Teaching Teachers: The many facets of NESFA
A Bit about Boskones
We number this convention as Boskone 36, but that really depends on how you number your Boskones. During the years of World War II, five gatherings were held in the Boston area and called "Boskone": Boskones I - V (the first in late February 1941, and the fifth in September 1945) under the auspices of the Stranger Club.
The "modern series" of Boskones began 20 years after Boskone V, with Boskones 1, 2 and 4 being sponsored by the Boston Science Fiction Society (BoSFS) and Boskone 3 sponsored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Science Fiction Society (MITSFS).
The New England Science Fiction Association
The New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA), which has run Boskones 5-36, is a Massachusetts science fiction fan group which mixes work with socializing; the amounts of each are an individual choice.
Projects include running SF conventions, publishing (books, indexes to short science fiction, a fanzine), and continuing to work on our clubhouse.
NESFA Press publishes many critically acclaimed books in and out of the genre. The NESFA’s Choice series bring back into print the works of deserving classic SF writers like Cordwainer Smith, James Schmitz, C.M. Kornbluth and Zenna Henderson.
Our most recent endeavor, the Monty Wells Project, focuses on using science fiction literature to enhance primary and secondary educational experiences in science, literacy, and critical thinking. The project is named in memory of D. Montgomery ("Monty") Wells, a long-time NESFA member, high-school science teacher, amateur race car driver, and mastermind behind our clubhouse renovations.
In addition to running Boskone 36 this weekend, we have run "When Words Collide," a teacher-training seminar for Massachusetts teachers, which is part of the Monty Wells Project. We hope to expand the Monty Wells Project offerings in the coming years to help excite and educate young readers and to share with them the sense of wonder that has brought us all to love SF.