Lori Chapek-Carleton
| Fan | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Lori Chapek-Carleton, Lori Chapek |
| Alias(es): | |
| Type: | fan writer, fanzine publisher, fan artist con organizer |
| Fandoms: | Star Trek |
| Communities: | |
| Other: | |
| URL: | |
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Lori Chapek-Carleton is a very influential Star Trek: TOS fan. She is a writer, zine publisher and con organizer. She, along with her husband Gordon Carleton, founded MediaWest*Con. Her fanzines and fan art have won her both FanQ and Huggy Awards.
Her publishing company is T'Kuhtian Press.
She founded Michigan State University Star Trek Club.
Lori has chaired Ourcon '75, SeKWesterCon, T'Con, and MediaWest*Con.
Zines
She has published, edited, written for or otherwise had a hand in:
- The Compleat Dirtie Nellie
- The Compleat Faulwell/Landing Party 6
- Dracula
- Warped Space
- The Fanzine Review 'Zine
- The Fan's Little Golden Guide to Throwing Your Own Con
- Obsc'zine
- Syndizine
A 1976 Fannish Autobiography
In 1976, Chapek-Carleton (along with her brand-new husband, Gordon Carleton) were "Featured Fen" in Menagerie #11.
I was a Star Trek fan from the time the series was first televised. But although I'd read David Gerrold's books and the Blish books, I never really understood that Star Trek fandom existed--until my second year at Michigan State University.
During my first year at college (1973-1974) I received very little mail. Maybe it was desperation at the sight of my chronically empty mailbox that prompted me to discover Star Trek fandom, but as Gordon says, now I expect mail every day!
Michigan State had been my last choice college. I'd rather wanted to go to Washington State and look for Bigfoot, but my Dad said that MSU was closer, and had a good football team, too. Since he was footing the bill, I came to MSU, to study pre-veterinary medicine. Since then I've switched to anthropology, and plan to apply to grad school after next year. During my first year, I met Candee Hale, and we decided to room together the following year and start a Star Trek club on campus. That summer I went to England on an overseas study experience and met Pat McCormack, who was participating from Scranton.
We sat up late one night before a big exam, looking over my collection of film-clips and trying to identify the different episodes. She had never heard much about fandom either, but we figured we'd learn.
Somehow Candee, Pat and I found about KWest*Con, wrote to Sharon and Paula, offered to gofer, did, stayed at Sharon's apartment and became Harlan Ellison freaks. Candee and I had started up a club on campus. We had a small ad in the campus newspaper, saying that we'd be showing filmclips, and about 200 people showed up. Among them was Gordon Carleton -- the man of mystery who'd livened up various ads in the paper by inserting Mr. Spock browsing through the books at the International Center, or the Enterprise high in the skies over Beaumont Tower -- and who soon volunteered to do artwork for WARPED SPACE.
I've only been involved in Star Trek fandom for about three years. During those three years, my life has been permanently and drastically altered. Most of my closest friends are involved in fandom, and I've met people from all over the country (and from overseas) who I never would have met otherwise. I'm the Editor of the fanzine WARPED SPACE, THE FANZINE REVIEW 'ZINE and THE OBSC'ZINE, I've chaired a Star Trek convention (Ourcon), and become a member of the STWelcommittee. My parents no longer ridicule me for my interest in Star Trek. I've married Gordon Carleton; our pets currently number two cats (Kit'N T'Kaht and T'Wiht), a 20-gallon aquarium full of assorted fish, and a varying rat population. And best of all, my mailbox is no longer empty!