AutoClave 1
AutoClave 1, the first convention aimed at fanzine fans, was held Memorial Day weekend, May 28–31, 1976, at the Howard Johnson's New Center Motor Lodge in Detroit.
It featured a full weekend of fanzine-related programming, as well as an art show and hucksters room (and a large skinny-dipping event). The film program featured The Golden Voyage of Sinbad borrowed from a local public library.
Memberships were $6–7, and hotel rooms $20–36.
GoHs were Title faned Donn Brazier, in a very rare convention appearance, and letterhack Gene Wolfe. Mike Glicksohn served as toastmaster, a post he accepted by return telegram after the invitation was telegraphed to him at Aussiecon the year before.
The chairmen were Gary Mattingly, Joe Wesson and a teenaged Leah Zeldes. Big-Hearted Howard DeVore ran the hucksters room. The concom were largely drawn from the W3F.
The convention drew about 125 people and made a small profit, more by accident than design. Gruesome hotel problems inspired Larry Tucker's video Faans.
- Transcript of Gene Wolfe’s very funny goh speech in Energumen 16 (September 1981), p.29.
- Photos.
| first | AutoClave | AutoClave 2 |
| 1976 |
| This is a convention page. Please extend it by adding information about the convention, including dates, GoHs, convention chairman, locale, sponsoring organization, external links to convention pages, awards given, the program, notable events, anecdotes, pictures, scans of publications, pictures of T-shirts, con reports, etc. |
