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| + | #REDIRECT [[Sandy Sanderson#Joan W. Carr]] [[Category:redirect]] |
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| − | Joan Carr was a popular [[UK]] [[femmefan]] in the early 1950s, who turned out to be a [[hoax]] created by a male UK fan, [[H. P. "Sandy" Sanderson]], and [[Frances Evans]]. A sergeant in the British Army stationed in North Africa, [[Sanderson]] reported meeting a WRAC (British WAC) who‘d expressed an interest in [[fandom]]. This was at a time when there were not a lot of females in [[fandom]]. "She" was soon writing to various [[fans]] back in England, and was eventually asked (and agreed) to edit ''[[Femizine]]'', which became a very popular focal point for female unity in the [[UK]]. At the height of its popularity under Joan's editorship, it had a respectable circulation over 200 and generated reader response of roughly 50% – which was unheard of, before or since. When the [[hoax]] was finally revealed early in 1956, it shook up many of the [[fans]], and particularly the [[femmefans]] who had responded so positively.
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| − | But it was not as if this sort of gender bending had not taken place before. In the US, when [[Lee Hoffman]] first started publishing ''[[Quandry]]'', the fact that there were two other fans named Lee who were prominent [[BNFs]] in [[fandom]] – [[(Charles) Lee Riddle]] and [[Lee Jacobs]] – led everyone to simply assume that [[LeeH]] was a he rather than a she. But the distinction, perhaps, is that [[Shirley Hoffman]] had not intended to [[hoax]] anyone when she used her childhood nickname on her [[fanzine]]. When her attempts to hint otherwise – e.g., writing about sitting cross-legged on the bed while typing or sending columnist [[Walt Willis]] a Valentine's Day card – failed to alert anyone, she became amused and continued it, just telling it to a few friends, until she could unmask at the [[Nolacon]], the 1951 [[Worldcon]].
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| − | One of the more popular [[hoaxes]] in [[fannish history]], which boasts a good many. She was a [[femmefan]], first born in the mind of [[H. P. Sanderson|HP (Sandy) Sanderson]] back in October 1952. When he was posted to the Middle East, [[H. P. Sanderson|Sandy]] [a sergeant in the British army] concocted with [[Frances Evans]] a plot against the male members of the [[Northwest Science Fantasy Club]] (of Manchester, his home town). Soon after arriving in North Africa he told them of meeting a WRAC [British WAC] who took an interest in [[fandom]]. Later "she" wrote letters to various Manchester fans, using a [[typer]] ([[H. P. Sanderson|Sandy]] never did) and signing "her" signature in green with a special pen. Later, she came into contact with [[fans]] outside of the original Northern group, and by May 1954 was well-known in [[Anglofandom]]. It was generally assumed that she and [[H. P. Sanderson|Sandy]] would be married at the end of their overseas tour. (One British [[femmefan]] worried a bit about their future, remarking that Joan sounded like one of those ultra-masculine sergeants the WRACs develop and would probably not make anybody a good wife.)
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| − | Meanwhile, back in England, [[Frances Evans|Frances]] (who had been studying the reaction among [[Anglofen]] while [[H. P. Sanderson|Sandy]] animated his creation in Egypt) had been in touch with [[Ethel Lindsay]], and had put forward the idea of uniting all the female [[fans]] thru a magazine of their own. Joan "volunteered" to edit it, and so [[FEMIZINE]] came into being. It was more popular than expected. Suddenly [[femmefandom]] turned up plenty of talent that had previously been hidden. In short order [[FEZ]] had a circulation of 200, with up to 50% letter returns -- an amazing reader response. By March 1955 [[Ethel Lindsay]] had been brought into the plot, Joan was known thruout [[fandom]], and time was running short. [[JoCa]] had grown out of all consideration of the original idea, and began to go [[gafia]]. [[FEZ]] was turned over to [[Pamela Bulmer]] (who produced issues 8&9) in July 1955, and presently Joan had reduced her activity to [[OMPA]] only and was slowing down there.
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| − | When the hoax was revealed it dealt British female fandom a jolt from which it has yet to recover (1959). The fear of this had led [[Frances Evans|Frances]] and [[Ethel Lindsay|Ethel]] to decide that Joan should go gafia; [[H. P. Sanderson|Sandy]] started to take over Joan's activities in his own name, spreading talk of a quarrel between himself and Joan. Unfortunately, in May '56 somebody blew the gaff; [[Ron Bennett]] was intending to create a mythical wife, also named "Joan", and someone in the secret told him it had already been done. Hints and suggestions were flying around the [['56 Kettering]] [[convention]], and it was decided to break the story in [[FEZ]] 9.
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| − | Joan's name in the first place was taken from a box of Carr's biscuits and from Carrs Mills, where a non-fan cousin of [[H. P. Sanderson|Sandy]]'s (who later posed for photos of "Joan") lived. It was chosen without any thought of the various meanings that could be read into it and its contractions [[JoCa]] and [[JWC]]. It says something for the differences between Yanks and Britons that many of [[H. P. Sanderson|Sandy]]'s Army acquaintances knew of his hoax yet didn't think there was anything odd about it, even picking up "her" mail and holding it while [[H. P. Sanderson|Sandy]] was on leave.
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| | + | {{fanhistory | start=1954|end=1956}} |
| | {{person}} | | {{person}} |
| | [[Category:fan]] | | [[Category:fan]] |
