Quark – A SFWA Public Digest 

A quark (/kwɔːrk, kwɑːrk/) is a type of elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter.

In an effort to maintain transparency and foster communications with all members of the SFF community and the public, SFWA would like to introduce Quark, a monthly digest which will give quick updates on what’s been happening within the organization. 

SFWA Seeking Controller and Bookkeeper

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA, Inc.) is hiring a part-time Controller and Bookkeeper. 

Founded in 1965 and now a 501(c)3 non-profit since 2013, SFWA’s ongoing mission is to support science fiction, fantasy, and related genre creators around the world.

The application period for these positions will close on September 30th, 2024. 

Job postings can be found here: SFWA Job Opportunities – SFWA

Resignation of Jeffe Kennedy

On August 1st, 2024, Jeffe Kennedy announced her resignation as president of SFWA. 

Kennedy writes: I’m writing today to announce my resignation as President of SFWA. I’ve served in this role for over three years and on the Board of Directors for more than seven years. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve this organization.

However, the last several months have been particularly demanding in my personal life, and I have come to the realization that I can no longer provide the focused attention SFWA needs from its President. Without going into too much detail, I continue to be the sole caregiver and financial support for my disabled husband, whose progressive condition is worsening. In addition, my stepfather of twenty years passed away suddenly, widowing my elderly mother for the third time, and I am in the process of taking over all of her finances and care. These family obligations will require far more attention than I could have anticipated when I accepted the nomination to serve a second term as SFWA President.

Kennedy also thanked for the opportunity to serve and reinforced that she still believes in the mission of the organization and hoped that those in positions within the organization continue to serve towards SFWA’s goals of supporting creators around the world. 

Response from the SFWA Board of Directors

Acknowledging the issues that SFWA is currently facing, on August 2nd, 2024, the Board of Directors sent a letter to the membership hoping to address ongoing concerns with communications and transparency and gave a timeline for upcoming board meetings:

The Board acknowledges there are several other issues, both ongoing and recent, that have been brought to our attention. Please know that we are listening and we will address your concerns and your suggestions as we move forward. At the center of many of these issues is the need for greater transparency. We cannot comment on legal matters or confidential matters such as Griefcom and the Emergency Medical Fund (EMF). Still, there are many aspects of this organization where we need to improve communications with our membership. There are many good suggestions on how to do this, but most will take time to implement.

The board went on to provide the dates of all their future board meetings and invited members to a town hall which will be taking place on September 10th, 2024 via Zoom and invited feedback. 

Resignation of Chelsea Mueller 

On August 15th, Interim President, Chelsea Mueller, also resigned, noting her ongoing family and health issues. 

Dear SFWA Members and the SFF Community,

It is with a heavy heart that I must resign my role on SFWA’s Board of Directors effective immediately. I love this organization, its mission, and most of all, its volunteers and members. My life has changed dramatically since I ran for the Vice President position earlier this year.

Many of you may already know, but my husband was in a major motor vehicle accident a couple of months ago. The journey after that, as well as caring for our small child, has severely limited my bandwidth. I had intended to forge on and make as much time for this organization as I could.

However, I am out of spoons and must use those I have to care for myself and my family.

With the immense change happening in our organization right now and the need to respond swiftly, thoughtfully, and with full attention, I’d be doing a disservice to SFWA by remaining in a key role that could cause lag in acting quickly and appropriately.

Mueller went on to say that one of her original goals was to overhaul the website and had started a request for proposal and even after stepping down would still serve as an advisor on that project if needed. She went on to express her thanks for allowing her to serve on the board, and acknowledged the challenges the board would have to face as she resigned, pleading for respect, kindness, and fairness. 

Letter from Interim President Anthony Eichenlaub

Before Chelsea Mueller’s departure as interim president, there was a vote to appoint SFWA Secretary, Anthony Eichenlaub to interim-VP. Anthony Eichenlaub assumed the role of interim-president upon Chelsea Mueller’s resignation and addressed the membership on August 15th, 2024. 

Dear SFWA Membership,

In the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams wrote “A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.” The towel is there to protect from panic and ease anxiety during an adventure. I realize that this is a challenging time. We have our towels and are preparing.

Our president and vice president have both stepped down. Most of our employees have resigned.

SFWA is at a critical moment.

I hope you’ll take a pause to go through all of the emotions you are feeling because you’re right. Whatever you are feeling right now is appropriate because something you deeply care about is threatened. And many of us do love this organization. When it is functioning well, SFWA is truly a force for good, and it is unique in this industry.

Now let’s take a deep breath, in fact several breaths.

I ask that you think of one thing that you can do to help SFWA move forward. Not one hundred things that someone else can do, but one thing that you can do. Maybe you can think of a way to improve communication on a committee that you are on. Maybe you can lend your unique expertise when the next volunteer call comes out for a targeted task force. Maybe the only thing you can do is vote in the upcoming special election. On that note, we will be sending more information on this election in the coming weeks, and we ask that you please vote.

Don’t get me wrong, though. I still want that list of a hundred things that we can do. I’ve seen dozens of great suggestions in the past few weeks, and I do not want that to stop.

Because I have stepped into the interim President role and was not elected on a platform, I feel like it might be good if I share a little bit about my philosophy for the Board. I believe that the Board’s duty is to provide direction, both ethical and strategic. I believe that the Board should rely heavily on the expertise and efforts of employees and volunteers to accomplish the organization’s mission. In its current state, Board members take on too much. This leads to Board member burnout and it leads to reduced involvement in member volunteers. It also takes autonomy away from the volunteers still involved, which I believe is one of several causes for volunteer burnout. This is a vicious cycle that we need to break.

That said, I am treating this short-term position as my primary job. I currently have the privilege of financial security and a lack of hard deadlines. I do not expect your next elected President to follow suit, but I do believe that at this critical point the extra attention will benefit SFWA.

I believe in transparency. There are limits, of course, but I believe that when we hit a limit to what can be ethically, legally, or safely disclosed, I at least owe you a reason. Please hold me to that.

The Board will be sticking to the agenda topics that were previously scheduled, and I am looking forward to the upcoming Town Hall on September 10th. I’m also planning to write more letters to the membership with updates on what SFWA is currently doing.

Still processing all of this? Me too.

The only way that I know of to move forward in a constructive and productive way is to find that one thing that might make things better. My one thing is accepting this position as interim President. It’s a big one, but yours doesn’t have to be. I’m going to need all the help I can get.

Update on SFWA Progress – Interim President Anthony Eichenlaub

It’s only been a week and a half since I stepped into the Interim President position, but I wanted to send out a quick update.

On the top floor of the Science Museum of Minnesota, near a huge window overlooking the mighty Mississippi, there is a Barge Simulator. It’s one of the hardest video games I’ve ever played, and all it does is simulate the very straightforward and realistic task of navigating a barge down the Mississippi River. Fail to anticipate a curve, and you have a crisis. Turn too hard in response, and you swing toward the opposite shore. The difficulty isn’t knowing which direction to steer. It’s the lag.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot as the Board steers SFWA toward safer waters. Here are a few things we’ve been working on recently.

    • The Board made significant progress on a new and limited confidentiality agreement to replace the current NDAs in last week’s meeting. This is the cornerstone of our push toward transparency, and we’re pleased with how it’s turning out. We spent the weekend wordsmithing and will be sending it to the lawyer at the beginning of this week. Our goal is to get it out as soon as possible.
    • A Website Content Audit Taskforce has been formed to locate and fix errors and omissions on the sfwa.org website. This is a limited duration taskforce and its goal is to fix inaccuracies and omissions on the current website as we put together plans for a full website overhaul. Please look in the next issue of the Singularity for volunteer opportunities to help with this taskforce.
    • The Board discussed our statement regarding writers in crisis around the world. This statement has been stalled too long, and now it’s on my desk. It needs some work, but I’m putting it as a top priority next week.
    • The Board has decided to leverage the Airtable volunteer database to facilitate communication between committees.
    • The Board has been working on strategies for replacing staff. The first job listings are almost ready to go out.
    • Michael Capobianco has been appointed as my Past President Advisor. This is a painfully underutilized position in our Bylaws, and I think it’s a critical piece to maintaining institutional knowledge on the Board. He was a fantastic help at our meeting.
    • Normal business continued. Board liaisons to committees were selected. Decisions were made over the upcoming special elections. We voted in a new committee chair for the Giver’s Grant Search Committee.

There is certainly more to do, but these initial moves allow us to look a little bit farther downstream and anticipate the next bend in the river.

Thousands of barges navigate the Mississippi safely every year. Some people even manage to survive that Barge Simulator. None of this is easy. There’s always more lag than we want.

But we’re getting there.

Special Elections Called 

On August 26th, special elections were announced in the search to find a new permanent president and secretary of the organization. For more information on this process, please visit: https://www.sfwa.org/2024-sfwa-special-election/