(Did you mean The Michifan fanzine?)
Michigan is never a dull place to conduct your fan activity.
—Bob Tucker, Science Fiction News Letter (March 1952).
Michifen (Michigan fandom) have hosted Michicon, Detroit Triple Fan Fair, ConFusion, AutoClave, ConClave and Penguicon, plus a Worldcon, Detention, and a NASFiC, Detcon 1.
Detroit, Ann Arbor and Houghton have been its principal fan centers, with some activity, especially more media-centered groups, in Kalamazoo and Lansing. Battle Creek and Jackson, MI, were important in the 1940s, and Saginaw, home to Art Rapp, in the ’50s.
BEMs were first named in Michigan. Michifen coined “Fanspeak” and “Real Soon Now.” The propeller beanie was invented there, and the original Slan Shack was located there. The 1940s and ’50s were especially active, with the Misfits as a major force. Nydahl's Disease originated in the U.P.
See also: Midwest Fandom, Blowup.
| From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959
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| Fans in Michigan, nacherly. Most of them live in or near Detroit, if you can call that living, tho formerly the MSFS blanketed the state. Their chief recent organization, the Detroit SFL, is a notorious example of how not to run a local fanclub.
The Detroit fans were visitors at the old Slan Shack in Battle Creek, but didn't form the Detroit Science Fictioneers till 1943. In 1945 they became the Hyperboreans, who discussed small amounts of stf and played a lot of chess. Ben Singer broke up the club by leaving atheistic pamphlets lying about the meeting-place (a public library) and by some atheistic tirades in public. When Art Rapp and Bill Groover met the remnants of the Hyperboreans 30 January 1948 the Michigan Science Fiction Society was formed, Singer doing most of the organization work. (George Young promptly formed the name "Misfits" for the group.)
The uniqueness of the MSFS among Michifan groups lay in attempting to provide fan activities for everybody in the state, not just the Detroit area. During its two years of life MSFS members coined expressions (Fanspeak, Real Soon Now), pioneered in fannish publishing and philosophy (Spacewarp, Sexocracy), set fashions for the Microcosm ("Home of the Original Helicopter Beanie") and were involved in such antics as Singer's attempt to cross the Canadian border during a Red hunt carrying a prominently displayed copy of Banish Gods From the Skies and Capitalists from the Earth. After the Blowup and Rapp's resignation local Detroiters formed the DSFL, which existed in a fashion for several years, giving off splinter groups like the Morgan Botts Foundation. Return of some members from service after the Korean War led to a renascence in which the 1959 convention was held in the Motor City. What will come after your scholiast knows not.
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| From Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement, ca. 1960
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| The actual title of the book Singer carried thru customs during that witch-hunt was The War Between Christianity and Communism. It was, however, decorated with a livid red jacket, and the outstanding blurb on this was the quoted "Banish Gods from the Skies and Capitalists from the Earth".
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| A Michifen Timeline
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| Year |
Events
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| 1941 |
First Michiconference held in Jackson, MI.
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The Galactic Roamers, a southern Michigan Doc Smith club formed by fans from Jackson, MI, and Battle Creek
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Bridges and Richard Kuhn begin pubbing Eclipse
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| 1943 |
Slan Shack formed in Battle Creek
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Walt Liebscher pubbed first ish of Chanticleer from Battle Creek
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Detroit Science Fictioneers formed
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| 1944 |
SI/ASFA founded in Detroit
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Detroit Hyperborean Society club formed
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| 1946 |
Ray Nelson invents the Propeller Beanie in Cadillac, MI
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|
Andy Porter born
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| 1947 |
Carl Lundgren born
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| 1948 |
Michigan Science Fiction Society (Misfits) formed
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Detroit Hyperborean Society club ends
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|
DeCon held
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Larry Tucker born
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| 1949 |
The Blowup in Saginaw, MI
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DSFL formed
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Roger Sims discovers fandom
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| 1950 |
Martin Alger coins “Real Soon Now”
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Randy Bathurst born
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| 1952 |
Detroit in '53 Worldcon bid fizzles
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| 1953 |
Joel Nydahl gafiates
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| 1954 |
Detroit in 1955 Worldcon bid fails
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| mid-50s |
Beerfandom founded by Art Rapp
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| 1957 |
Octocon founded as a collaboration among fans in Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland and Cincinnati
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| 1958 |
Detroit in '59 Worldcon bid wins at Solacon beating Big 'D' in '59 and Chicago: 1959
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| 1959 |
Detention (Worldcon) held
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|
TAFF winner John Berry visits
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| late 50s |
Misfits has become a bowling league
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| 1960-65 |
The Fanzine Foundation operated by Alan J. Lewis and stored in Detroit by Howard DeVore
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| 1963 |
MSU Fantasy & Science Fiction Society formed
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| mid-60s |
Wayne Third Foundation founded
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| 1964 |
Cleveland in '66 bid begins as an inchoate thing including Detroit
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| 1965 |
Detroit Triple Fan Fair held
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| 1966 |
Tricon (Worldcon) held in Cleveland with Detroit as co-host
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| 1968 |
fl Neo-Numenor |
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Hal Shapiro pubs Harlan Ellison: The Man, The Writer
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| 1970 |
Dum-Dum Banquet held in Detroit in conjunction with Detroit Triple Fan Fair
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| 1970s |
Oak Park High School Science Fiction Club active, Permanent Floating Riot Club formed.
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| 1973 |
Stilyagi Air Corps founded in Ann Arbor
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Leah Zeldes finds fandom
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|
Novacon launched
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| 1974 |
A2 Relax Icon held in Ann Arbor
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KWEST*Con held in Kalamazoo, MI
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| mid-70s |
Sid Altus becomes active
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| 1975 |
ConFusion 13, the first annual, held
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Larry Tucker finds fandom and starts videotaping it
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MiSHAP founded
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| 1976 |
Detroit in '79 hoax Westercon bid
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EMUSFS formed
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Martin Alger dies
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AutoClave 1, the first fanzine convention, held
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ConClave I held
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| 1977 |
Final Detroit Triple Fan Fair held
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Contagion II held
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Great Combined Milford and Clarion Decennial Jubilee, Colloquium and Beer Bash held in East Lansing
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| 1978 |
Phantasia Press founded
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| late 70s |
Wayne Third Foundation ends as a formal club
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Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association created by Nancy Tucker, Jean Barnard, Larry Tucker and Leah Zeldes
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| 1980 |
Detroit in '82 Worldcon bid loses to Chicago in 1982
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FilkCon II (in Toledo) organized by Ann Arbor fans
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| 1983 |
Larry Tucker premieres Faans at ConFusion 101
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Detroit in '85 NASFiC bid loses to Austin in '85 at Constellation
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AASFA War
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| 1984 |
Genuine ConFusion, the 10th annual and last under the original AASFA auspices, held
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| 1985 |
Leah Zeldes Smith moves to Chicago
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ConClave X held
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| 1989 |
Phantasia Press shuts down
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| 1994 |
ConFusion XX held
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Ditto 7 held in Ann Arbor
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| 1995 |
ConClave XX held
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| 2000 |
Nancy Tucker Shaw dies
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ConClave XXX held
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| 2003 |
Penguicon launched
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Midwest Construction held in Ann Arbor
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| 2004 |
ConFusion XXX held
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Mythcon XXXV held in Ann Arbor
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| 2005 |
Howard DeVore dies
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| 2009 |
Randy Bathurst dies
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| 2012 |
Ben Singer dies
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SFRA Conference held in Detroit
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| 2013 |
Detroit in 2014 NASFiC bid wins at LSC3 beating Phoenix in 2014
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Larry Tucker dies
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| 2014 |
Detcon1 (NASFiC) held
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Legendary ConFusion, 40th annual, held
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| 2016 |
Fred Prophet dies
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ConClave 40 held
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| 2017 |
The Continuum held
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| 2020 |
Tom Barber dies of Covid-19
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