BeNiF

Zine
Title:	BeNiF
Publisher:	Banana Press
Editor(s):	Joyce Thompson and KathE Donnelly
Type:
Date(s):	1982
Medium:	print
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
External Links:
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BeNiF is a fandom directory, listing information about 100-200 fans who lived in the United States. There were no "nobility requirement," meaning anyone who sent in information could be in it, making the title of the zine, "BeNiF" a cheeky play on words.

cover by Stephen Clark

Boldly Writing gives some background on the directory's origins:

Forum editors Joyce Thompson and KathE Donnelly followed up on Jeff Johnston's 1977 Who's Who in Star Trek Fandom by putting out a listing of fans called BeNiF. The booklet ran 25 pages, reduced, and was digest-sized. Joyce explained, "BeNiF is a name KathE and I thought up that is our version of how the initials BNF would be written if they were an actual word.... Our motto is 'maybe not everyone can be a BNF, but every fan can be a BeNiF.'" As with Jeff's Who's Who, any fan sending in the questionnaire was listed. The result was a comprehensive profile of 100-200 fans.

Ads

From an ad in Datazine #15: "Gesundheit!!! No, it's not a new virus; it's a new publication coming late this year from the Midnight Ex-Press. THis will be zine-sized publication for listing fans' names, address, phone numbers, and other important (and not so important) data. Despite the somewhat tongue-in-cheek title, this is a factual listing publication for fans -- a cross between a phone book and a current biography -- that is open to everyone with fannish interests no matter how specific or varied."

From an ad in Datazine #21: "Hot off the presses and ready to tell you all those little things you've always wanted to know about other fans!!! Got a curious streak in you??? Then this is the publication for you!!! Find out which fan owns 9 crabs as pets. Ever wonder which fan wants to be a Supreme Court Justice? And what about the fan that is the mother of red-haired twins?"

From the Editorial

What can I say as a project like this is finally ready for publication and sale?!?!? A comprehensive listing of fans like this has been something I've wanted to do for the last three or four years, and now that it's becoming a reality, it's just hard for me to believe, yet it is a wonderful feeling.

The listings that are included in this volume reflect the information that was sent to me. by various fans. I did my best to compile the information and use as much of what I was given as possible. I'm sorry that I was not able to print every little bit of data that was sent in; if I had, this publication would be twice as long as it is! So far as I know, all the information included in these listings is accurate as it goes to press. No doubt someone has moved or changed a phone number since the information was first submitted, but everyone has been good about sending up-dates in their personal data, so I'm hopeful that things are as correct as is humanly possible.

It may appear that some listings are more complete than others, and in most cases that can be attributed to the amount of information that I received. I did my best to respect the wishes of some fans that their phone number or perhaps their year of birth not be printed. When I first started this project I decided that above all I wanted to respect the privacy of fans and still make this interesting to read, and I hope I have been successful. In most cases I chose not to reveal pen names, although several people were kind enough to reveal them to me. Likewise, I have omitted the information that was on the original form in regard to the ownership of TVs, video recorders, cameras, etc. I had intended it only to allow fans who were interested in such subjects as photography or video recording to know which other fans had similar interests, but as several fans pointed out to me, a list of such possessions would also provide a wonderful "shopping list” for burglars.

Organization and Conent

The zine groups fans' by region in the United States: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific. There is also a very short section for APO/Overseas.

Some listed the names of their cats, where they worked, what zines they published, and the fandoms they enjoyed. Many included their postal addresses and phone numbers. Almost all fans listed their height, weight, and eye color.

Some Selected Statements

Included below are some selective statements from fans. Each line is a different fan. Almost all fans were female.

One interesting note is the emphasis on stating one's weight and statements of attractiveness, something that fans today would likely steer away from.

• I'm "5'7, dark brown hair, blue eyes, 135 lbs (on a good day) and "Okay looking, I guess."
• "My current occupation is switchboard operator."
• "I have brown hair, blue eyes, a vest, fuzzy boots, and a vague expression."
• "I'd like to be independently wealthy and have my own starship..."
• "I am 5'3, "undertall", with dark brown hair, hazel eyes and "non-descript facial characteristics" and is "determinedly single."
• "I have a Ph.D. from Yale University... am married to one of the most reasonable mundanes I've have ever met."
• "332-5674 (But I don't like phone calls from folks I don't know.)"
• "My goals include getting a better job and getting married someday."
• "...hopes to complete a masters or doctorate in physics, and would love to work for NASA."
• "I am less than 5' high, overweight, white-haired, with a harried expression... I am a purist about Star Trek and don't approve of alternate characters and worlds."
• I'm short but sturdy, own three cats, and my goal in life is to rest on my laurels."
• "I worked for several years with Marshak & Culbreath on various publications, including Price of the Phoenix and New Voyages."
• "I stand 5'3, 165 pounds, shaped roughly like a well-used sack of Maine russets!... My goal is to become more involved in fandom and make a positive contribution."
• "I am interested in anything not written by Harlan Ellison...I'm 5'5" tall with curly dark hair and lots of extra padding. I'm cuddly... My highest goal in life is to chair a World Con."
• "My goal is to support fans' rights to express their own beliefs, ideas, and fantasies via fan fiction & other fan media; to publish mature, thought provoking fan fiction in a zine format of the highest possible production quality I can."
• "I am attempting to write Star Trek related stories about non-humanoid Trek aliens and their worlds and cultures in general...He would like to acquire a microcomputer/word processing system (home built) and hopes to make at least one trip into Earth orbit."
• "Inside, I'm 5'6, 136 pages and luscious. Outside, I'm 5'3, overweight, and luscious! My hobbies include need point, knitting, reading, loving my cats, collecting K/S artwork, and she is a charter member of the Leonard Nimoy Information Network, which is dedicated to NOT spreading rumors about Leonard. My goal in life -- SURVIVAL!"
• "I am simply a writer of Trek stories. I have publish one novel of my own, but I doubt that I'll ever handle the work of other writers... My goal is to establish a reputation as as writer and a good storyteller.... [I am] short, dumpy and essentially colorless."
• I want fandom to continue so that I can still be having fun when I'm 80. I'm a lousy correspondent, but it's not because I don't care. It's because I'm lazy. I'd rather read than do anything else in the world -- that includes eating, sex, sleeping, or anything else I can think of. Including answering letters.... I'm open-minded and I like other people who are also. I detest the Moral Majority or anyone else who tries to tell me what I should read, write, or watch."
• "Fandom colors the drab edges of when I need it most."
• "She declined to give her marital status by stating, "I'm not into status symbols." Her future goal is "to become the Scrod of the Jundland waste."
• "I would like other fans to know I do not support any organization or corporation which supports bigotry, censorship, or plain out authoritative dogma against groups or individuals expressing "Free Ideas" in a "Free Society."
• "Her goal in fandom is to finish at least one of her [eight Battlestar Galactica (1978)] stories and have it published, and in life she hopes to lose weight and get a good job."
• "I'm trying to gather together and unite as many Monkees fans as possible and make people aware of Monkeemania!!!"
• "I am fairly short, a grey-haired grandmother type...I try not to take myself too seriously, I do not believe in feuds or hurting other fans, life is much too short."
• "I'm a McCoy/DeForest Kelley fan... and proud of it!"
• "I'm 5'2, fairly heavy, dark hair with some gray, usually worn short and messy, wear glasses, loud voice... My major goal is to get something published pro and sit and write stories all day instead of battling the world at the Paterson Public Library. I like mixed media, filksongs, costumes, unicorns, and Clint Eastwood westerns. I dislike K/S and other 'character rape' stories, sword and sorcery, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
• "I have very conservative views about romance, marriage and sex (in that order) and very liberal views about everything else in the cosmos, including politics. I NEVER talk politics with my fellow fen... it's the fastest way to lose a friend."
• "I am bipedal, pinkish-grey skin, wart on left foot, no feathers anywhere... My goal, I dare to say it, "to rule the world."
• "I would like to continue to uphold the standards Trek set up in the '60s as well as promote peace & ecology/"
• "My goal is to... letterhack still more, go to a few thousand more cons, read a few thousand more zines."
• "I am a S/H activist...[one of my goals] is to have a story of mine illoed by Connie Faddis."
• "I am single but is searching for a Leonard Nimoy look-alike."
• "Is there anybody who doesn't know that I'm a cheerfully bisexual pagan Anarchist? Or that I love a good literary fight? Or that I'm a nut on such subjects as freedom?"
• "My only fannish interest is Star Trek and I've written stories, poems, and LoCs and done artwork which has been published in about 50 zines... My goal is to not starve to death while I'm doing my thing, and to enjoy doing it as much as possible, to become fandom's greatest artist and writer (Hah!!!), and to avoid being hassled by SWars fen."
• "I want to have the same reputation as a pro writer that I have as a fan writer, anything by Jean Lorrah is a good read. I love fandom and intend to remain active and keep Epilogue and the NTM series in print as long as fans are interested. I try to keep in touch with everyone through the letterzines and the news sheet that goes to anyone who sends a SASE or orders something from Empire Books. Unfortunately, thought I'd love to, I just can't be pen pals. I teach and write full-time - both! Please understand!"
• "My fandom goals: write some more, return to England, and receive Jimmy Doohan as a birthday present."
• "Currently employed as the mother of four...I am 5'2, shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, Scottish ancestry, weak chin, 115 pounds. Been married for 16 years to my original husband... My goal in life is to survive without becoming 'the little woman,' and in fandom, I want to be a good editor."
• "My main interest is Star Trek and I'm active in a local club. I write reviews and am occasionally pressed into service as coolie labor for friends who edit, publish, etc. - proofreading or collating....I'd like to continue to be as involved as I can be by bouncing ideas around and giving feedback whenever possible."
• "My fannish goals are to search for tomorrow on every shore, as well as to live forever and visit the Enterprise, to be given the grand tour by JTK."
• "I'm a big girl, 5'6, and give Dolly Parton a run for her money, need I say more?"
• "In fandom, I want to write stories, publish zines, and enjoy all of the new friends I've found."
• "I'm 5'1 tall, dark shoulder length hair, naturally curly, green brown eyes and a little (ahem) on the chunky side... I want my children both in school all day so I can really devote myself to my fan artwork. I really want to make a video movie as soon as I get a video camera."
• "I hope to continue as a professional zookeeper and want to bring out the BEST Imperial-oriented zine in SWars fandom!"
• "I am certifiably insane, approach with extreme caution if you dislike hearing sexually based pus and jokes, or hearing a gal drool over Harrison Ford's body. I have at-shirt that says "I started Harrison's Ford." I also head the 'Coalition to Molest Harrison Ford's Body'."
• "My goal in fandom is for my name to sell zines, to serve fandom as well as it has served me, and to help new writers learn their craft. My personal goal is to learn courage and boldness from Kirk, deeper honesty and tolerant insight from Spock, and humility and reaching from McCoy - to be more open without thought of reprisal and more giving without thought of repayment."
• "I am short, have curly black hair, am too heavy, and am mean."
• "I am single and own 13 cats, all of Siamese ancestry. I hope to become a computer programmer. I am a Klingon fan as well as having an interest in vampires and Dracula. I enjoy X-Men comics and her favorite character is Magento."
• "I would like to be accepted in fandom as one of the Big Kids."
• "My appearance: Imagine a female Spock with a Prince Valiant hairdo... I'm single and determined to stay that way."
• "My interests include Star Wars as well as Star Trek if it's Trek that recognizes the SF origins of ST."
• "I'm very chunky (but strong)."
• "I am a reasonably muscular, not unattractive male Caucasian. Since my cat disappeared, my only pets are stuffed unicorns... I like intelligent, happy people who have dreams and aren't intimidated by the success of others."
• "I would like to be president of the United States in the year 2020."
• "My goal is to get Battlestar Galactica back."
• "My goals are to be as fully active as I can in ST fandom, to win the lottery, to be happy and healthy, and perhaps find out what it is I seek."

Reactions and Reviews

BeNif is definitely an interesting item, a collection of fans' addresses and phone numbers and personal descriptions of themselves. Nicely done, with my copy having only one problem: the old mixed-up page routine. Highly recommended for those who are seeking other fen to contact. Quality scale: 95-96 (minus 5 points for the switched pages).

By the editor's own admission, this publication is designed to make it easier for fans to find addresses, phone numbers, and other pertinent bits of information that they might need about other fans. It is somewhere between a phonebook, and ‘Who’s Who’ type of publication. For fans who do a good deal of correspondence or telephoning, the advantages of such a publication are obvious. For those who do not maintain a large correspondence, the book can still be very interesting because it provides something of an overview of the people who make up fandom. The listings are done alphabetically to make them easy to find, and the idea of having the listings arranged according to time-zones is very well thought-out. The editors’ explanation for this approach is that perhaps it will make fans award of the time differences in the various parts of the country because no one appreciates a phone call that awakens them long after midnight or gets them up at 5:00 on a Saturday morning. Such calls are something almost every fan has experienced at least once. In addition to listing address and phone numbers, BeNiF probes a bit deeper and provides such information as birthdates, zodiac signs, marital status, children, pets, educational background, occupation, and fandoms of interest to the listed person. Perhaps one of the most unique parts of each listing is that each individual is given a chance to describe themselves in their own words. These descriptions are possibly the most amusing and enlightening part of the publication… Any fan who submitted a listing form was included in BeNiF so there was no elitism involved in the assembly of names it contains, and I think that that speaks well for fandom. The printing is clear and there are a minimum of typos in this handy little booklet which contains over 100 names. The layout is uncluttered and easily readable. There is no artwork except for the cover by Stephen Clark, which is interesting, if not original in concept. I have found my copy of BeNiF to be a great deal of help to me in my correspondence, and I keep it right next to my typewriter.