Darkover Newsletter

Darkover Newsletter focused on Darkover and other fiction by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Bradley herself was very active in this newsletter and contributed much commentary, many essays, answers to fans' questions, and personal (some very) information. 
The first issue was edited by Bradley, #2 by Walter Breen, #3-#8 by Ted Bryan, #9/10 by Bradley, #11-#12 by Ted Bryan, #13/14 by Bradley, #15 by Janet Malin, then the rest onwards by Ann Sharp (with much input from Elisabeth Waters).
Issues ranged from 6-46 pages, with most around 20 pages long. They were photocopied on colored paper: white, pink, green, tan, orange, medium blue, yellow, light blue, including two on glaring green, and red. A fan in 1989 wrote: "One comment about legibility... Using different colors of paper is great, but please, no more orange." from issue #47 
As one can tell from the first three issues, the newsletter was, at least in the beginning, very casual regarding its official title. 
Early issues provided fans' name, address, and phone numbers, as this was a primary way for fans to find each other. Later issues had only fans' names and general location, something that was a common change for publications of this sort, and most likely due to privacy and increased visibility due to computer networks. It may also have been a cost-saving measure.
The first three issues of "Darkover Newsletter" were retyped and reissued due to fan demand. In #9/10, Bradley wrote: "The first [three] issues when I was doing it all myself with these fumbly fingers and no business brains, are more complicated [to reprint] — either we have to retype them all, or else take apart our file copies and have them printed from second generation xerox copies. Which is a fussy and time-consuming process. However, we will do it — ONCE." Despite Bradley's comment in issue #9/10 that she did the first three issues "all myself," she only edited the first one in that set.
The last newsletter was numbered #70, but there were actually only 68 of them (including six double issues). The staff took a hiatus in 1983, and when it returned, began the count at #31 (which means #29 and #30 were never published).
Most issues were collated at MZB's home in Berkeley by fan volunteers. In 1986, the editor told a fan that the newsletter was "issued by the joint efforts of a small staff living within five blocks of each other in Berkeley." from issue #33. This "small staff" was Friends of Darkover, Thendara Council, and other members of MZB's entrourage.
One of that entourage was Jacqueline Lichtenberg. She was a very constant presence as writer, cheerleader, and organizer in the zine until December 1983, the last issue in the first run before the zine took a 3-year hiatus. When the zine returned in 1987, Lichtenberg is only mentioned once in a comment by Bradley regarding meeting her and Claire Gabriel for a meal. 
==The Addresses==
Correspondence and contact info for this newsletter was P.O. Box 472 in Berkeley for the first two issues. This was Tracy Blackstone of the "Blackstone Literary Agency" business address. The address was changed when the amount of mail became too much for that box to handle.
As of issue #3, the address changed to P.O. Box 72 in Berkeley. This kept Walter Breen busy cutting off the "4" in the address labels for reuse.
The back page of issue #9/10 mistakenly printed P.O. Box 352 as the newsletter's address. This was Bradley's personal P.O. Box; instead of correcting this error in the next newsletter by citing the mistake and giving the correct number, she repeated her personal address, which was either an act of poor self-preservation, or a disingenuous slip.
Bradley also sporadically included her personal P.O. Box number in later issues but did not specify it as such.
==See More About Specific Issues==
==Notable Issues==
* Issues #1 and #2 (March, August 1976) have comments by Bradley and Breen about the proposed fanworks zine that was to become Starstone; other issues discuss the progress of this zine series.
* Issue #11 (March 1978) foreshadows the Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy, with the essay Darkovans Invade Boskone!. Later issues also touch on this topic.
* Issue #17/18 (Spring 1979) contains her first comments about the novel, "Mistress of Magic," which was to become The Mists of Avalon.
* Issue #28 (June 1983) is the last issue in the first run.
* Issues #29 and #30 are the "lost issues," ignored by Bradley; it is very possible they don't exist
* Issues #31 and #32 (March, June 1986) have Bradley's opinions of RPGs, filks, and... cats.
* Issue #45 (June 1989) contains several statements by Elisabeth Waters addressed to fans that touch upon the subject of Bradley making a concentrated effort to not read fan stories, or other things, that may influence Bradley's work on a current novel: in this case, the novel was "Heir of Hammerfell." 
* Issue #48 (March 1990) is the issue where Bradley first mentions the novel Contraband. It is also the first, and only, issue where a fan includes an electronic mail address.
* Issues #51 and #55 (December 1990, December 1991) have comments about Walter Breen and his legal troubles.
* Issue #56 (March 1992) has a comment from Bradley about her fiction collaborators.
* Issue #57 (June 1992) has a letter from Jean Lamb that mentions Masks.
* Issue #58 (September 1992) has the letter by Bradley that first explains the Lamb/Contraband conflict.
* Issue #69 (June 1995) has a letter by Bradley that announces that this issue of the newsletter is the second-to-the-last issue.
==Descriptions==
From #9/10 (January 1978) of the newsletter:
Sometime before June 1978:
==The Editors and Other Creators==
There were varying editors, but Ann Sharp was the editor from issue #23 onwards. Elisabeth Waters also had many editorial comments in later issues.
==Publishers/Copyrights==
The newsletter was first published by Friends of Darkover. 
Starting in 1986 with issue #31, the newsletter was published by "MZB Enterprises." Then, issue #48 (March 1990) by Marion Zimmer Bradley. #49-#52 by "MZB Enterprises." #53 by "Marion Zimmer Bradley." #54 and onward, the issues were copyrighted by "Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ltd." 
The change from "MZB Enterprise" to "Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ltd." was made after Bradley's health took more turns for the worse; the change was explained in the December 1989 newsletter.
=="Letter from MZB"==
Letter from MZB was a regular feature in the Darkover Newsletters. 
The letters were an opportunity for Bradley to address her fans. They were usually lengthy, chatty essays that were a combination of personal goings-on and promotions of her books and fandom. They functioned then as today's blog posts by professional writers. 
Bradley addressed fans and had frequent comments in nearly everyone of the 68 newsletters, but "A Letter from MZB" was a formal feature.
==Number of Subscribers==
At the height of its popularity, the newsletter had about 1000 subscribers. In the later years, that number dropped to 100 or less.
During the summer of 1988, most of the "staff" of the newsletter became involved in MZB's new project, Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine. This distraction may have had much to do with the decline in readership.
Another reason for the decline of subscribers was likely due to MZB's declining health, her increasing dependence on ghost writers, her husband's legal troubles, and finally the Marion Zimmer Bradley Fanfiction Controversy.
==Its Complicated Run==
In mid-1983, the newsletter had an estimated 800-1000 subscribers when it suspended publication, citing lack of funds. The reason for suspension may have been for lack of funds, but it was much more likely because Bradley's career had really taken off on the bigger stage with the publication and attention to the publication of The Mists of Avalon. In the newsletter, Bradley herself also mentions her poor health and lack of energy: "I do not think I would have the strength to close this chapter in my life, whatever the toll it is taking on my failing health, the increasing age of which the only symptom is a chronic lowering of energy." Darkover Newsletter #27 
In 1986, MZB started the newsletter again, ignoring those two "lost" issues entirely when she wrote: "We are starting this second series with number 31 simply for the sake of convenience; we know we put out 28 newsletters, but this makes a nice round number." It sounds quite likely that these two lost issues never existed.
The last newsletter was numbered #70, but there were actually only 68 of them (including six double issues). 
==Which Letters Get Printed==
An editor in #11 wrote about how the printed letters were selected: 
== References ==
 
Category:Darkover Zines
Category:1976 Zines
Category:1970s Zines
Category:1980s Zines
Category:1990s Zines