Washington Science Fiction Association

The Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) is the oldest science fiction club in the Washington, D.C. area. It is also one of the oldest science fiction clubs, founded in 1947 by seven fans who met at that year's Worldcon in Philadelphia, the fifth Worldcon held.[1][2]

Since 1960 it has met on the evenings of the first and third Fridays of each month in the homes of members. All meetings are open (and along the way have included a Polish student, a Cuban author, and a Chilean physician writer[3]). There are often informal meetings on fifth Fridays. Because there was a 5th Friday in February 1980—a 5th Friday in February occurs only every 28 years—it was decided to hold a relaxacon called DatClave. The second DatClave was held in 2008.[4]

On January 5, 1963, club members from Baltimore were trapped on a Trailways bus when returning to Baltimore after a WSFA meeting. The Baltimore Science Fiction Society was formed on the backseat of the bus.[2]

It hosted the annual Disclave science fiction convention in or near Washington, D.C., from 1950 through 1997. After a four-year hiatus WSFA began a new convention, Capclave. WSFA has also hosted Worldcons, SMOFcons, World Fantasy Conventions,[5] and many other events both casual and otherwise.

Since 1965 WSFA has published the monthly WSFA Journal. WSFA Press has published the books: The Father of Stones by Lucius Shepard in 1989, Through Darkest Resnick With Gun and Camera by Mike Resnick in 1990, The Edges of Things by Lewis Shiner in 1991, Home By The Sea by Pat Cadigan in 1992, and Future Washington, an anthology edited by Ernest Lilley, in 2005,[6] Reincarnations by Harry Turtledove in 2009. In 2010 WSFA Press published two books in conjunction with Capclave, The Three Quests of the Wizard Sarnod, by Jeff VanderMeer, and Fire Watch by Connie Willis. In 2013 WSFA Press published George R. R. Martin's award-winning novella The Skin Trade as a stand-alone 1st Edition hardcover in conjunction with Martin being Capclave's Guest of Honor that year.

Not issued as a WSFA Press book, but published by WSFA, was a promotional giveaway to the membership of the 2005 Capclave, and issued without an isbn, was a chapbook by Guest of Honor Howard Waldrop. The chapbook was published in the format of an Ace Double cover art by Carol Emshwiller, wife of the late artist Ed Emshwiller who did many covers for the Ace science fiction books (signing his art as Emsh. The two stories were "The Horse of a Different Color (That You Rode in On)" and "The King of Where-I-Go". "The King of Where-I-Go" was a finalist for the Hugo Award and the Locus Award.

In 2007, the WSFA inaugurated the WSFA Small Press Award.

WSFA is incorporated as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization.