Rallying Call

Those who've been around awhile may have heard of Rallying Call, a Blakes 7 APA. After a recent change in management (Sue Clerc retired from the collating position, although thankfully not from the ranks) we have ended up with openings, so if the idea of joining (or rejoining) Rallying Call appeals to you, please email me at: sandstar@technologist.com for details.

Some questions you may ask:

Q -- What is an APA?

A -- An old term harkening back to the beginning of the century, it stands for Amateur Press Association. APAs initially were literally *press* owners, who would use their typographic skills to prepare pieces to share with other members of their APA. APAs have sprung up over the years around a variety of interests; they were very big back in the beginning of the sci-fi world.

Members of an APA still prepare their contributions (tribs) for each issue of the APA, sending a specified number of copies to the editor, who then collates and returns an issue to each member.

Q -- So what exactly is Rallying Call?

A -- Rallying Call is a quarterly Blakes 7 APA, where the discussion is "Blake Friendly". Bluntly that means No Blake Bashing Allowed. That doesn't mean you can't drool over Avon or analyze Blake's finer and not-so-finer moments if you wish, just that you can be assured that you don't have to defend Blake in each and every discussion because Rallying Call members like alot of Blake in our Blakes 7. Consider Rallying Call a Blake-Without-Guilt-Group. (with apologies to the Avon-Without-Guilt-Gang)

Q -- What exactly would I have to do if I joined?

A -- Well, the requirements are minimal:

You agree to contribute to 3 out of 4 issues. What you send is up to you... previous issues have contained zine reviews, con reports, bits and pieces of fanfic, bookmarks, artwork, episode analyses. 1 page or 10. Just send 20 copies to the editor. You can even email them if you like. (See the next section)

You send upfront enough money to cover postage for several issues. $10 or so is fine for US residents. Send more money if you want me to print out and copy your trib for you and deduct the cost from your initial funds. (Copy costs run about 5cents a page.)

That's about it... issues are now scheduled for November, February, May and August, with tribs due by the 1st of the month.

Q -- What about the 'S' word? (You know what I mean.)

A -- In the beginning, there were 2 versions of RC, one 'Gen' and one 'Slash'. Due to the declining interest in the APA and B7 in general, Rallying Call ended up with one version, with members of both groups staying on. Since this is the way it was when I inherited it, that is the way I think it should stay.

But - since I am _not_ a slash fan, I do feel safe in saying that Rallying Call is a friendly place for either type of fan, with all the current participants tolerant of the opposite p.o.v. and that at the moment it is a non-issue and I'd like it to remain that way.

FYI, the discussions rarely get past the pg-13 stage. Joining Rallying Call doesn't mean you have to approve of slash, just that you can ignore without comment what doesn't interest you. Remember, we also have lots of Gareth Thomas talk, Blake focus and general Blakes 7 stuff.

Well, that's about it. There's a real pleasure in getting an issue of Rallying Call in the mail - and it's fun being able to read and savor the B7 discussion in a way that we've tended to get away from since the online forums have come to dominate most fandoms. (And in some cases, it's our first taste of what fandom was like before the Internet.)

November is coming up quickly! Think about Rallying Call soon.

Terry Owen

sandstar@technologist.com

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Last updated on 18th of February 1999.