Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Questions About the Alternate History Fandom

Last month I posted a timeline of important events of the alternate history fandom on Amazing Stories. The article was well received and inspired to write a more detailed synopsis of alternate history fans for the Sideways in Time Conference in Liverpool, UK next year. As I have reported in my Weekly Updates, there has been a lot of progress and I may even write a longer work depending on how well the paper is received. Nevertheless, I could use a helping hand on overcoming a few roadblocks that have popped up...
  • Can anyone provided me more detailed information about Other Timelines? I am looking for either one the brains behind the site or someone with detailed knowledge of its history. The AlternateHistory.com Wiki does have a page on it, but I would like to hear from a less biased source.
  • I remember GeoCities having dozens of personal alternate history sites, but most of these have disappeared after Yahoo shut it down. Is there anyone out there who can better explain this era?
  • Counterfactual.net is a smaller forum, but that doesn't mean it is any less important. Can anyone one point me to the person(s) behind the forum who can better explain their history?
  • At one point the Tarrantry Saga had its own Wikipedia page, but the collaborative timeline is far from what it used to be. I found a lot of archived information, including a list of stories, but not sure where to begin with its history. Can anyone provide me some information or get me in contact with the creator, Rick Robinson?
  • I mined 1632.org and related sites for information regarding this collaborative fan project, but I still feel like an outsider looking in. Who is the best person to talk to about this project? Yeah I know Eric Flint is the original author, but the paper is focusing more on the fans and not the professional creators.
  • If your name happens to be Robert B. Schmunk, I would really like to talk to you! Or if you know him, can you help with an introduction?
If you can help me, please email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. I am also looking for any suggestions for avenues of research, such as major collaborative timelines I might have missed or other communities of alternate historians who have impacted the genre. Thanks!

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. Check out his short fiction. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

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