Relays (German Darkover newsletter)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Relays |
| Publisher: | Freunde von Darkover |
| Editor(s): | Petra Dombek, then Stephan Werner and Britta Rutkowski |
| Type: | |
| Date(s): | 1986-2006? |
| Frequency: | |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Darkover |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Relays was the newsletter for the German Darkover fan club, Freunde von Darkover.
The first three newsletters were very thin; they didn't have more than 6 pages, and were published over a time of three years. Because of time constraints and professional reasons, the founder transferred the club to Stephan Werner and Britta Rutkowski; their first issue of the newsletter, "Relays" #4, had 20 pages, and they published two to three issues a year. MZB supported the fan club and gave permission to translate her "Letter from MZB" (also published in Friends of Darkover) to keep her German readers up to date on her latest projects.[1]
After a while, it was up to Britta to publish the newsletters when a lack of time forced Stephan to leave. By then, the newsletters had a size of 30 to 40 pages, and they didn't just include letters but also book reviews, non-fiction, information about other authors, puzzles, and introductions of club members, etc. Music, which is very important on Darkover, also had a place in the zines, even though the filk corner only appeared sporadically. [2]
The newsletter has a sister zine called "Sternenkristall" which was for Darkover stories by club members. In 1992, the year of the "Contraband" incident, the Darkover fiction was discontinued. [3]