Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, June 1977 edited by Ben Bova

[james_davis_nicoll]

Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact, June 1977 edited by Ben Bova

This is the 4th anniversary of my first because my tears are delicious to you review, more or less.

Comments

[neowolf2]

Alison Tellure may be a pseudonym for Alison Tompkins, although searching on that name reveals little.

http://www.midamericon.org/photoarchive/t.htm

What does the Biolog in the May 1984 Analog say about her?

[dormouse1953]

Didn't spot this question earlier. My complete collection of Analog going back to 1970 is in the bookcases next to this computer.

Says she was born in Chicago, grew up in Kansas City, majored in history (doesn't say where) thumbed around the West Coast for a number of years doing a number of jobs including artist's model and taxi dancer (I had to look that up). Seems to have been working as a secretary at the time of the article. The accompanying photograph shows a dark-haired woman with a toothy grin.

[(Anonymous)]

Did it say when she was born?

[dormouse1953]

'Fraid not.

It says she spent two years thumbing around the West Coast. Presumably that was after college. The wandering ended when her first story was accepted, for the Jan. 1977 Analog. I'm not sure what age one tends to finish college in the US, but I presume someone can work out a minimum age for her.

[(Anonymous)]

If she graduated in 1975, that would make her about 65 today.

There's an Alison J. Tomkins who lives in Kansas City who is 65. Perhaps that is her.

[ba_munronoe]

Do you recall the name of the sequel to "Lord of All?"

[james_davis_nicoll]

Skysinger, I think.

[mikeda]

As I note in the comments to the linked review, there are actually three sequels: Skysinger; Green-Eyed Lady, Laughing Lady; and Low Midnight.

[jamoche]

First Google hit I got for Aulisio was GRRMartin looking for her in 2012, and that got this Black Gate blog post with new (2011) art!

https://www.blackgate.com/2011/07/27/art-evolution-2011-janet-aulisio/

[coth]

I have passed your comment about Tellure over to the SF Encyclopedia team.

Thanks for review. Interested.

[dormouse1953]

Although I recall that the SFE has a criterion that an author has to have published something of book length before they include them.

[coth]

Quite possibly, but the possibilities inherent in a pseudonym are always intriguing.

[heron61]

Wow, I'd completely forgotten Alison Tellure, but instantly remembered most of her stories upon reading her name. I also wish she'd written more. Delving deep into google (aka looking on page 3) got me Mindamerica Fan Photo Archive, where you have alleged photo links to Alison Tellure (the link includes no such photo) and later on the page "Alison Tompkins see Alison Tellure", which suggests a pseudonym, but sadly Alison Tompkins is far too common a name to find anything useful.

[neowolf2]

There are two women in the photos on that page; I'm wondering if one of them is/was Alison Tellure/Tompkins (those both being pseudonyms in this scenario).

Old fans from that area likely know. Tellure was a guest at ConQuesT 15 in Kansas City in 1984, but I cannot find the conbook for that online anywhere.

Alison Tellure

[(Anonymous)]

That Mindamerica link was to a picture supposedly taken by Alison Tellure at that convention. Seems reasonable that she did in fact take the picture since Rob Chilson is one of the subjects. If we are to believe Wikipedia, either she is still or at least was married to him. Best way to get to the bottom of this would be to reach out to Rob Chilson or maybe Bill Wu.

[(Anonymous)]

Allison Tellure came up in the comments in one of your Tor columns a few weeks ago (https://www.tor.com/2018/01/22/fighting-erasure-women-sf-writers-of-the-1970s-a-through-f/)

[filkerdave]

I remember that cover!

[neowolf2]

There is a Walker Allison Tompkins who mostly wrote westerns and died in 1988. Perhaps Alison Tellure was his pseudonym?

http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/tompkins_walker_a

I'll note that Tellure is an extremely uncommon surname in the US, occurring few than 100 times in the 2010 census.

[chrysostom]

Tellure is Latin ablative for Earth, I think?

[neowolf2]

Yes, although I don't know how to fit that in with the rest of this story.

I am still wondering what the 1984 Biolog says.