Frienz/Supplements
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Frienz is a gen and non-explicit slash Starsky & Hutch letterzine.
They contain letters, want ads, con reports, clippings, flyers, and occasional fiction.
There were two 1993 supplements, plus two that were proposed but did not make it off the ground.
It appears there may have been another supplement. In issue #27, the new editor wrote: "If you want to read the letters Pat received for the cancelled Winter Supplement/Slash Discussion please send me a SASE & I will mail you copies of the letters."
The reason for these supplements was conflict.
From the second 1993 supplement:
Hence the Supplements? — as an outlet for the questions and grievances which had been accumulating on the L/Z desk—re-routed into a Supplement and keeping the L/Z for its SH purposes. There's sort of a contract which says that an editor should pick up those problems; this editor didn't walk away. It cannot have been an easy exercise but, judging by gratified references in recent correspondence, SH fandom now has a multitude of Happy Readers, engrossed in long-awaited zines. And if they should all stand up for counting—having counted on the L/Z and on Pat — it should mean quite a bunch of grateful letters.
Special Supplement: Winter 1993
This mini-issue was made up of a very long open letter by the editor, plus some short notices. It contains six pages (most of which is undated) and a part that appears to have been written later and is dated February 22, 1993.
Some dating confusion, some of it contradicts itself:
- In it, the editor says she is committed to publishing issue #21 and #22, and that she would decide what to do after that.
- She says that issue #22 "will be out in March" and issue #23 will have a deadline of May"
- She mentions "21 issues of Frienz" as having been published.
- She also mentions a fan asking about profit "in issue #22."
- Best bet: it was published between #22 and #23 and dated as per written not published. Or something like that...
Special Supplement: Winter 1993: Sample Fan Comments
I'm late. Your expectations of Letterzine #22 are given over to this pregnant pause and the birth of voice. I speak as myself. There is no editorial "we" here. And, yet in this delivery, I feel I may very well express some of your own emotions.[personal problems redacted]
I go to fandom for escape from these mundane issues, as do many of you. I told myself years ago that I would remain in fandom as long as it was fun. Well, lately it hasn't been much fun. And, I'm tired.
I'm NOT tired of Starsky and Hutch. I love those two guys. They rescued me from despair and brought me into a circle of creativity and belonging.
I'm NOT tired of fandom. S&H is my only fandom. And, over the years it has given me an outlet to express myself in poetry that often transcended fannishness, and a place to be foolish as Uncle Ima. It's given me some dear friends who I can be myself with.
I'm NOT tired of you. Hey, I love you. I understand what it means to be a writer, and a reader. I understand what it means to find comfort in a TV show. I understand how wonderful it can be to connect with other fans. I know how energizing and fun ALL this can be. But lately, fan activities have become exhausting, more of a job than an elective fun hobby.
I AM tired of Amapola Press. I am tired of hearing about checks being cashed and zines NOT being sent. I am tired of the misconception that one person single-handedly keeps fandom alive. (What do you call 21 issues of FRIENZ?...) Chopped liver? A burrito? Kelp?
I AM tired of hearing about fans waiting years for fanzines ordered from Amapola Press. I AM tired of hearing about fan requests regarding information related to their order being routinely ignored.
QUESTION: If a fan orders a zine in 1991 and sends 5 letters asking about the status of that order and receives no answer to her five letters, or, her zine, who does she turn to?
When I called the editor of Amapola Press on February 13, 1993, about this fan's problem, as well as the other mail order zine delays, she informed me that these back orders had been sent out that very day. She also wanted to know why I was involved in this "back order" problem. Hmmm... Because I'm a part of fandom, too. Because you don't answer your mail? Because this is not a single-person's fandom, but OUR fandom?
And, while I am aware that the editor of Amapola Press is going thru a tough time just now, I am also aware that these mail order delays are of long standing. Literally, going back YEARS.
THEREFORE it is my recommendation that fans no longer purchase zines from AMAPOLA PRESS via mail order. Buyers Beware.
I AM tired of the sanctity of slash. I feel I am allowed to NOT enjoy it and I am allowed to express my preference for the original Starsky and Hutch. I guess I prefer my moaning, groaning, thrashing, and sighing (not to mention thigh-grabbing) within the context of H/C.
Do you know what I first noticed about Starsky and Hutch? What turned me on? It wasn't rear ends, rectums, erections, or leanly muscled tushes caressed by faded denim...tightly. It was their acts of intercourse... the way they talked to each other. It was the way they took the time to let the other guy express his feelings. It was the way they helped each other and went that extra mile. It was the way they cared, not only about each other, but about BEING COPS. In my opinion, the ultimate act of caring for another is to lay down your life for them, not to lay ON them! And, frankly, I am tired of fiction that reads like a visit to the proctologist. And, it's okay for me to say that, because I am a part of fandom, too. I am not challenging anyone's delight in "/". I am merely stating MY preference...also valid and worth sharing.
So, yes, I AM tired. And, it is not much fun anymore.
DID YOU KNOW that there is a difference between fandom and the business of fandom? A fan wrote into #22 asking about the "profit" I make on FRIENZ.
I am happy to say that I operate OUR letterzine with a credit balance. I started it with my own money and with the generous support of two fans who subscribed for 6 issues simply based on the fact that they knew me. I ran it at a personal loss for six issues. We started breaking even with issue seven. The sale of back issues has really helped us out. Our credit balance is now: $173.00 (one hundred and seventy-three dollars.)
This balance remains in a separate account. I can use this balance as a way to: handle postage increases, printing increases, changes in the number of subscribers, special cover art (ie. the cover of #6, which was pencil, and expensive to reproduce. But, who can refuse a Lovett?), postage related to LZ business, larger per page print runs, and a litre of Diet Coke on paste-up night.
When I close down FRIENZ, the credit balance can either be split among subscribers as a rebate or given to charity. YOU tell me. YOU decide. It's the club's kitty at the end of my involvement in our letterzine.
Most recently, I have rolled-back the per issue price to UK readers. It has been their loyal support that has given me the bulk of per issue operating costs. I can only say that without their generous support and trust FRIENZ would not still be in existence.
So, now that I've done my routine from PARTNERS. I hereby do tender my resignation...my patient(?) submission (Webster's New World Dictionary, definition #2.) to continue the production of the letterzine, even though I felt like quitting two hours ago.
So, why continue? So, that I can get another Huggy Award? Well, when you produce the only LZ in this fandom, how can you NOT get an award? To add funds to my Swiss Bank Account? To wade through an Everest of mail related to Amapola Press? To spend eight hours on the phone, long distance... on fan business and related Amapola Press problems? To spend a long two weeks assimilating the information related to fannish problems, and deciding how best to proceed? To write three drafts of a letter like this one, and still realize I have probably not said everything I needed to say, and that you needed to hear in the best or most impersonal way.
But, I'm tired. And, I can't ever be anything but personal. I'd like to just MAKE NICE on the pages of letterzine and never make waves, so that it is a safe harbor for you frienz to dock in. But, what happens when serious issues threaten fandom? When our good and loyal frienz leave because they are being ignored or abused? Who will champion them?
That's why I will continue. Because of YOU. Because of letters like our friend Christine sent for #22...coming soon. Because of [L L], who wasn't too timid to speak up. Because of the notes and cards you send outside of any deadline. Because of Starsky and Hutch, who saved my life at a time when HOPE was gone. Who rode into my life on a siren song. Who cheered me up, when I was blue. Who gave me...YOU.
THEREFORE I will continue producing the letterzine because I CARE. But, I need your help. I need a break....
I really need help with TOTM suggestions. Please. Ideas welcome.
I really need help making FRIENZ fun again. What do you like to talk about? What do you like to share?
Also, for those of you who aren't able to TYPE a letter, send a legible handwritten one, and we'll see you become a part of the voice.
REMEMBER: This is YOUR letterzine. Not mine. You make it happen. Your input is valuable. Your voice is valid. Your comments appreciated.
Now on to the final part of this missive, ISSUES AND ANSWERS.
So, how do we take care of fan problems? Who does a fan write to, if she has been ignored? How do we keep the tone of FRIENZ friendly, when fans are upset?
Perhaps a SUPPLEMENT like this one offers an answer. I, least of all, want to make the letterzine a bitchy-problem-oriented unhappy place where we air dirty linen, and argue and disagree. Yet, it is my belief that SILENCE IS A DANGEROUS THING...
THEREFORE I submit to you that the goals of LZ and fandom should be for us: To Have Fun. To Share. To Care. To Make and Keep Friends.
We must also: COMMUNICATE. Producers have a responsibility to RESPOND in a timely manner. And, to deal HONESTLY with the consumers.
Above all, even though it is difficult to do, we must have the COURAGE to deal with those issues that violate any of the above.
Does this make any sense to YOU? Can you add more? Define it? It all adds up to a COMMITMENT and CONTRACT we can make with each other.
ON SINGLE-HANDED FANDOMS:
Real exclusion can occur whenever there is a single-minded approach to a fandom's needs, (ie. the sanctity of slash). Short-sightedness can occur when four fans in the USA, who talk on the phone every other day, begin to think they ARE fandom.
I have chosen to break the silence on these personal feelings of mine here with you because I feel an attitude of single-handededly saving fandom implies ownership of a fandom by one person, or by one press. And, fandom belongs to all of us.
Without fanzines a fandom flounders. Without stories a fanzine isn't made. Without art new interpretations of the characters aren't created. Without letterzines fan networks aren't laid. Without ad zines fan needs for products aren't sated.
Without readers writers create in a void. Without writers readers don't have the words. Without producers fandoms don't thrive. Without consumers fandoms don't survive.
Without the flame of your interest, involvement and enthusiasm, this fandom would burn less brightly. Each and everyone one of us creates and recreates fandom. Each individual contribution, a letter, a card, a story, a zine, a poem, a renewal, a cloning, a good wish, a prayer, connects us in a web of wonder.
Without Starsky and Hutch, we'd have no partnership to enjoy and participate in.
Without DS and PMG, we would have no characterization at all to wander in, write on, and wonder about. In my opinion, it's the integrity of their interpretation of two men who love each other that double-handedly makes this fandom. Without that Truth, we would have no fandom at all. Their single-minded vision of what relationship means continues to affect us all almost twenty years later.
Their contribution is Golden.
The rest of us...ALL OF US...readers, writers, producers, consumers...come up to sterling quality, no more.
Proposed Special Fiction Supplement: Summer 1993
This is a flyer for a proposed summer fiction supplement, one that was never published. This supplement was supposed to have been called "Sun, Sea, Sand, and Ants."
In it, the editor refers the fannish fighting that had been occurring: "We've had enough bad news, let's have some FUN....This will be OUR Zine. For FUN. Write on."
spring 1993 flyer
We've had enough bad news, let's have some FUN. Summer themed stories. Vignettes, humor, poems, episode fill-ins. Starsky baseball stories: this guy loves baseball, coached Little League, has a card collection. He's a fan (Hey, no wonder we like him.) Or, Hutch, and a sunburn. How 'bout midnight, moonlite swim and crab? Or, that first post-SF summer. Or, something HOT... LA and a record heat wave? Or a picnic where ALL goes wrong. I'd like it to be a copy ready zine made available to all interested S&H fen. I will gladly help with story ideas, or typing for those who cannot. This will be OUR zine. For FUN. Write on... No graphic sex please.
Special Supplement: Summer 1993
The summer 1993 non-fiction supplement, however, was published. It was 23 pages long.
- a very short con report for MediaWest*Con
- a reprint of an article about practicing Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty
Special Supplement: Summer 1993: Sample Fan Comments
The editor writes:
I decided that it was in the best interests of fandom to send this out to you in this format. There are good letters to read, honest LOC's that deal with certain issues we have been discussing as a fandom.
I did feel that since I am hearing from new fans (thanks in large part to the ad [Leah S] has been running), I didn't want to offer this "clearing the air" issue for sale. Therefore:
1. This is NOT Issue 23 and is sent to you at no charge. 2. Issue 23 will be aregular issue. DEADLINE: SEPT 3 TOM: RESPONSES TO #22. ALSO, "BABE" ... WHO SAID IT? WHEN? WHERE? PLUS, "PAIN" ... WHO WRITHES BETTER, S OR H? INJURY UPDATE: COUNT THOSE SCARS.
3. If you have any responses to LOC's in this supplement, write to the letter writer directly. I am closing the book on these topics as of this supplement. But:
A. Abusive letters will not be tolerated.
B. If I hear that anyone has written an abusive letter, I will cancel the letter writer's subscription.
4. PSEUDONYMS: The need for an artificial identity to hid behind may relate to a need for "safety". And, even though, it would be nice to think we are all friends here, there are fen out there who feel unsafe. I will be writing more on this later.
5.OF DUCKS AND CLIQUES: If it has feathers, swims in the water, and quacks, it is a duck. If it is a small, exclusive circle of people who think they own this fandom, and, think that snubbing me in halls at cons hurts me, it is a clique; if it has feathers, swims in water and quacks, it is a flock.
From a fan's letter:
Pseudonyms and anonymity featured more in those first SH publications whose producers felt vulnerable, faced with hostile disapproval - and the threats - from some of those who didn't agree with what they were writing and publishing. I recall issue 27 of that first 'S&H L/Z' (November, 1981) in which Terri made a special announcement of her intention to publish S/H slash fiction in her 'Red Light universe'—and how, at that time, there were people who wished they might share the same freedom to follow that course, but for whom job-security and other practicalities were real obstacles. Those threats weren't make-believe. But, happily, those old S&H vs. S/H confrontations are hardly relevant now. Many readers enjoy both genres; good zines are never short of readers.
From a fan:
FRIENZ 22 had a lot of good things. Theresa Kyle's "missing scene" fiction, Christine"s (and others) "memorable moments from fanzines", the letters from [Iris S] and [Leah S] addressing the more contentious issues. The two supplements told their own story,and you were right, Pat, to air your personal views and feelings on the issues that were causing you so much concern. I'll admit to being among those who wrote to you 'off the record', thus adding to your frustration. I did say, in that letter, we should "communicate", be honest with ourselves and each other, which perhaps has not always been the case. Some of us tend to steer clear of topics which may give rise to arguments, or offend in some way. Perhaps there are times when we should be a little more forthright. On the subject of Amapola Press, (a perpetual thorn in your side), I've had no personal experience of the problems, but am aware that others have. It is worrying because of the effect it is having on fandom, and the goodwill of fans In general. If, as Leah's letter seems to suggest, fandom is being damaged in a wider sense, and, as a result, old and new members are being turned off , then we all should share your concern, Pat. You have done, and are doing more than your share to keep this fandom afloat and on an even keel. Please believe we are grateful for that. Your view of S&H is very close to my own, and I'm glad you stated it, while acknowledging that other views and preferences exist and are perfectly acceptable. I've always preferred h/c to '/', but I can happily co-exist with fans who take the opposite view. Why should any of us wish to deny freedom of choice in how the characters are perceived?
A fan writes:
Though I suppose since things have become so stirred up recently, this "Clearing the Air" TOTM is necessary now. Still I wish with all my heart things had never reached this stage.Yes, there have been problems with [April Valentine] and Amapola Press. Yes, changes need to be made. What I think should not have happened were all the hurt feelings and disjointed noses which came about as the end result. I felt especially sympathetic toward Iris whose problems with Amapola Press seem to be the worst I've heard of so far. I can find no acceptable explanation or excuse for rudeness, and being laughed at by anyone constitutes just that to me. I know there are two sides to every story, but it certainly sounds as though her intentions to help were good. I'm sorry, Iris, that you no longer have time for the S&H fandom, but if your circumstances change, remember — some of us will always have places in our hearts for other S&H fans too.
Some of my comments here will be direct quotes from a letter I wrote to Pat following her Spring Supplement though most are not. I personally feel very badly so much has happened to pull this fandom apart. I completely agree with [Leah S's] letter that the fandom needs new blood. If some of the originators need a break or even choose to withdraw from the S&H fandom family completely, perhaps it's time. But that does not mean we want to see an end to it. On the contrary — I've been involved less than two years. Just now am I beginning to get my proverbial feet wet writing S&H stories; I certainly don't want to have to quit so soon. I hope, Leah, you continue to get lots of responses to your ad offering to provide info for interested new members.
A "welcoming party" per se is just what S&H needs. I wish there were some way to make older members more interested, but fandom is too personal for that. I myself have already strayed over into a second fandom (Man From U.N.C.L.E.) but no way will I abandon S&H as long as the fandom is alive. There should be room in all our lives for multiple fandoms, and old doesn't necessarily need to equate to "tiresome." Perhaps some of your newcomers will soon see fit to start producing zines.
I've heard it rumored that [April Valentine] and [MRK] plan not to participate in FRIENZ any longer and that Amapola Press may go on "hiatus" indefinitely. I sincerely hope that isn't true. Both ladies have provided wonderfully thought-provoking letters and delightful responses to the various TOTM's. I can well understand why [April] may have some deeply hurt feelings and she has my sympathy in that I also know what it's like to be on the receiving of waiting what seems like forever for a zine from her — courtesy has to work both ways.
No one person holds any fandom together "single-handedly" as has been so incorrectly suggested about [April Valentine] in the past though she unquestionably is one of the best S/H writers and zine producers the fandom has.
Unfortunately her behavior has been to the detriment of the fandom by her inconsideration toward others. It hardly seems fair an entire fandom should be threatened with demise due to just one person, though I personally will hate to see the demise of her fine zines (like THE FIX) and novels like Distant Shores.
A fan writes:
Compounding the problem is the slash controversy, which seems to have existed since the lz's began. I've been reading many of the old lz's and everywhere it's the same—why can't people be broad minded enough to accept others reading preferences as just that, preferences, and let them be? Personally, I love slash stories, but I also feel one has every right to prefer the "original S&H," and to freely, without condemnation, express their opinion as such. To each their own, and it should be just that simple — unfortunately it's not and that does detract from the "fun" of fandom. Alison expressed the same thought equally well or better in #22 and she's not a slash fan so apparently both "sides" feel the same.Granted, I wasn't around to know anything about the Star Trek or other fandoms, and the U.N.C.L.E. realm seems very small. Yet not once have I encountered anyone in that fandom who has chastised me for writing slash. The longest wait I've had for a zine I've ordered is slightly over two months, no comparison to the lengths of time previously noted here.
Perhaps [April Valentine] might consider letting someone like Peg Kennedy act as marketing agent for her zines, allowing her to concentrate on writing and other endeavors. That might solve a multitude of problems for everyone.
From a fan:
Yes, I'd like the fun, the sharing and caring to be the mainstream of this fandom. I would love us to get back to basics and discuss the show, S&H, the other characters, the contrasts in the series' four seasons. I'd like to talk about Hutch's moods and vulnerability, Starsky's effervescent nature which can sometimes take a dive into the depths of despair. The complexities of the partnership, the friendship constantly tested, constantly affirmed. All that went far beyond the often bland, predictable scripts and kept us riveted to the end, and almost twenty years on. So, maybe we've been into it all before, but in discussion, new things emerge, we can suddenly see a scene, or a dialogue exchange differently through someone else's eyes. Be nice if we could forget about hierarchies, slash versus straight, whether or not Pat makes a profit on FRIENZ (that one HAS to be a joke, no?), and all the other things that are not what fandom is, or should be, about. Let's be happy again.
A fan writes:
Is slash still an issue after all these years? Maybe, but why? It shouldn't be—we shouldn't want to fight over this, and there s no need. Just because slash is no longer underground and maybe even the majority opinion doesn't mean it exists in a state of sanctity. Individuals shouldn't be penalized for daring to question the concept of slash. Whatever our views on the issue of slash, we shouldn't have to be defensive about it.
A fan writes:
In my mind S&H are lovers. I felt this way long before I ever discovered fandom. In the past, I have felt that those who shared this view were discriminated against by a minority. But this was all over, a very long time ago, or so I thought. I have good friends who don't believe in the "/" premise, but we've been friends for more than ten years—so I just can't see what all the fuss is about. I don't really see the need for pseudonyms in FRIENZ. I think full names and addresses should be printed with all letters, why do we need to hide from each other? This is not even a publication in which one should feel a need to hide from 'outsiders'. I think it's okay to use pseudonyms in stories if that's what a particular writer prefers.
From a fan:
Once upon a time, when I was new to fandom, I thought it was possibly the nicest place to be—perfect escapism, and frienz, and sharing. Thirteen years on, I find I still feel the same way. Most of the time. But there are things that bug me, and as Pat says, Silence Is Dangerous. Resentments fester. The freshness, the warmth, the caring, are soured and not so much fun anymore, and it becomes as hard to deal with the problems encountered in fandom as it is with those in the real world. However, they have to be dealt with. And what we have been experiencing recently is, I am sure, a hiccup purely down to a failure to communicate.I know I'm not alone in feeling this way. Let's get to basics. Let me say right now that my own problems with Amapola Press are minor. Two zines did not arrive as expected. Letters went unanswered. Then both zines (or duplicates thereof) arrived. End of story. It isn't the first time that things have gotten lost in transit, after all, or been delayed by the Forces of Mischance or H.M. Customs and Excise. It was only when I started hearing about zines that had been ordered and paid for in full and had not arrived even after eighteen months and repeated letters that I suspected a problem. Anyone who has ever produced a zine knows that it isn't easy. It is time-consuming, and irritating, and it needs more organisational skill than almost anything I've tackled yet.
Amapola Press brings out FIX an a more or less regular basis, and other zines. I couldn't cope with that workload. I freely admit it. But I am wondering if Amapola Press isn't trying too hard, and bitten off more than it can comfortably chew, thereby blocking the essential lines of communication. No one minds a zine being late. Fans are incredibly patient people. Even more so if they know what's going on. For what it's worth, therefore, I offer the following advice—no one is single-handedly responsible for the continuation of fandom, so don't try to be. If you are having problems with your zine, then let people know. A postcard would be enough. At the very least, it would avert the fannish paranoia that the Unauthorised have gotten hold of it! (Don't laugh—this did happen to STROKES!)
From a fan:
As for your comments on single-handed fandoms, I just want to say that I once told [April Valentine] that another fan told me that without [April] there would be no S&H fandom. This fan has since pretty much left S&H for The Pros and never contributed to FRIENZ or the APA. To her fandom meant reading zines, so in her view the person who put out the most zines made the greatest contribution to fandom. [April] was not at all pleased when I told her that. I know she mentioned you and FRIENZ as an example to disprove it.
A fan from the UK writes:
I don't consider (U.S.-) fandom's quarrels any of my business. Its seemingly never-ending self-doubt is totally beyond me, too, and I'm not overly interested in discussing things like the possible existence of a hierarchy or a "secret-fandom" within the fandom, or the probability that there's a person thinking that she held, or will hold - could hold r fandom alive single-handedly... [snipped]Re. The Use of Pseudonyms - on Stories: Re-reading certain favorite stories of mine - some of them slash - I never fail to feel a little sadness on account of the fact, that the author's name is in all probability a pseudonym. There's a woman whose birth-place is thousands of miles far from here, and I find her (for instance) describing to the last detail some sweet sexual fantasy of mine - how could I not wonder about her identity? But then, I understand the necessity to be careful, too - especially in regard of slash - so I don't think that there should be a change in policy.
Re. The Use of Pseudonyms - on Letters to FRIENZ: I agree with you in this, Pat - the feasibility to use a pseudonym might help shy fans to write in. So I would, if I were you, welcome and publish all letters, those with and those without (real) name and address. There's an important hitch to it, though. I would expect those fans to never forget, that this permission isn't a matter-of-course, but a concession that's being granted to them. I want them to be aware, at all time, that knowing our identity while withholding their own automatically puts them in a stronger position during our discourse, and that - between friends, at least - obliges them to a demonstration of particular tact and restraint. Maybe we, the others, find it a little easier to "stand the heat", but that doesn't mean that we wouldn't know - from our own experience - what it means to be shy, or insecure, or afraid of being hurt.
I would expect everyone, who writes an anonymous letter to FRIENZ, that she's more than anyone else careful in her choice of words, especially then, when the topic is of a sensitive kind. L. Leigh has repeatedly been congratulated on the courage it took to speak up against the "sanctity of slash", but for me her/his letters were primarily an example of how easily a difficult discussion can get nipped in the bud, when the person who tries to bring it up hits a completely wrong note.
From a fan:
Ever since [MRK's] fateful remark in FRIENZ #17, people have spared no effort in order to emphasize, that [April] has by no means kept SH-fandom going single-handedly. But would you contradict as well, if I said that there is hardly anyone else, whose attendance has influenced SH-fandom's development as much as hers did? Anyone else, whose work has enriched this fandom as much as her work has? The question of responsibility towards new fans has been raised - okay, so, what about this responsibility? [April's] stories in "It's Love, Cap'n" - if there are any - could easily become her last SH pieces. How will we explain that to new fans, in, say, two or three years? They won't give, which is utterly understandable, a shit about thirteen open zine-orders back in 1993. Instead, they will be as enchanted as we are - or were - by [April's] incredible talent as a writer, by her loving, tender, her totally unique stories. If our present action cuts down the number of those stories, it's this very fact that will forever be remembered, and not the reasons that made us turn on her in the first place. - However justified those reasons may have been!
From a fan, April Valentine:
[I want to thank everyone who wrote to me upon receipt of their zine to say that they understood how my current life situation had caused the delay. Your kind words of understanding were very much appreciated. For me, fandom has always been an oasis and fan publishing, a hobby. Earlier in the year, I thought about whether I should make the publishing a business for me, as so many are doing in fandom these days. But I have always believed that we shouldn't make our living out of the characters created by other people and put on screen for us. Fan publications should be done out of love, not for profit. Still, even if I was not to be making profits from doing zines, I knew that to continue on a large scale I would have to find some way to handle things in a more business-like manner. Several alternatives were considered. However, due to the fact that I have much less time and energy to devote to publishing, I have decided instead that it is time to stop. I wish everyone well and hope that Starsky and Hutch fanzines will continue to keep alive the story of two men who love each other, but just happen to be cops.
Proposed Slash Commentary Supplement: Winter 1994
It was never published.
In issue #27, the new editor wrote: "If you want to read the letters Pat received for the cancelled Winter Supplement/Slash Discussion please send me a SASE & I will mail you copies of the letters."