Shirley Maiewski

Shirley Maiewski was an influential Star Trek writer and fanzine editor in the 1970s and 1980s. She was sometimes referred to as "Grandma Trek" and "The Grandmother of Trek". She first joined the Trekkie fandom in 1968 to support Bjo Trimble's letter campaign and remained active in until her death in 2004 at the age of 83.
In addition to writing and publishing the Alternate Universe 4 series of fanzines, she created the Lightfleet saga with Daphne Hamilton, Anna Mary Hall and Virginia Tilley. 
One of her stories, "Mind-Sifter" was reprinted, in a radically altered form, in the commercially published Star Trek fan fiction book The New Voyages. 
She was the chair of the Star Trek Welcommittee, connecting fans in the days prior to the Internet. Volunteers took on the job of gathering information, answering questions, and producing a directory. 
Nancy Kippax, a fan wrote in 2008: 
==As a Convention Guest of Honor==
Maiewski was a very frequent con attendee as a regular guest as well as a panelist.
She was also a guest of honor and speaker, some of which are listed below.
*a mini-con at Mt. Holyoke (January 1975)
*New York Star Trek '76 (January 1976)
*Equicon/1976 (April 1976)
*Space-Con (August 1976)
*Phoenix Fan Convention (August 1977)
*Pioneer One (October 1978)
*Augustrek (August 1980)
*Pringe Con (July 1980)
*BASH (1982?)
*NotJustAnotherCon (1986)
*Albacon (October 1996)
== Her First Fic==
Maiewski's first published fanfic may have been in 1973. See I Know What I'm Going to Be.
==About "Mind Sifter"==
Many fans who read the original version of "Mind-Sifter" when it appeared earlier in Showcase claimed the fanzine version was better. from Boldly Writing 
Ten years after Mind-Sifter was published, Shirley Maiewski commented on this story and explained why she didn't write else anything after it: 
The original Mind-Sifter was released as an episode of Star Trek: Phase II on December 1, 2014, and is available on Youtube for free. Mind-Sifter at the Star Trek Phase II website, with two previews.
== About the First Star Trek Con==
From a 2000 letter to the Canadian zine Trexperts: 
==A 1978 Comment by Shirley About What Star Trek Meant to Her==
==A 1978 Comment by Shirley Regarding Tolerance and a Respect for Diversity==
 
In 1978, Interstat, always a hotbed of strong opinions and controversy, was embroiled in an especially heated debate regarding several topics. While Shirley did not comment specifically on any of these subjects, she did write a letter reminding fans of the beauty of an open mind and of appreciation: 
==A 1983 Comment on How Progress in Technology -- And the Enjoyment It Has Brought==
Shirley offered some perspective:
==More Fannish Reactions==
==Tributes ==
After Shirley's death, she received many tributes from her fellow fans. Some of these tributes below contain photographs.
* by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
* by Joel Davis
* by Judy Segal
* by Joan Marie Verba
 
* by Howard Weinstein
* by Douglas Mayo
* by Ellen Kozak
* by Dr. David A. Williams
* by Sharon Emily and by Myra Emily Lowe
* by Carl Slaughter (September 20, 2017)
==References==
Category:Deceased
Category:2004 Deaths
Category:Fanwriters
Category:Zine Editors
Category:Community Moderators