Fanzines in Focus

Well, here’s something. When I was much younger I was a massive Doctor Who fan. (Still am a bit of a fan.) But I was in the Doctor Who Appreciation Society [DWAS] from something like Spring 1979 until maybe some time in 1984-5. DWAS produced a monthly newsletter, Celestial Toyroom, which I devoured each month. Through it you could order fanzines (of variable quality). And at some point, Celestial Toyroom started printing a review column where members could write in with their reviews of the latest fanzines. And in September 1983, I got published. Is this my first ‘publication’? Not sure. I had run a fanzine at school (Vortex) and I am pretty sure I’d started selling a fanzine through DWAS (Demnos). But this was probably the first time someone else published anything of mine.

And I spotted the issue on eBay recently and bought it. And this is what I wrote. It’s a bit incomprehensible to me, but, to my surprise, it’s not embarrassing.