Dogpatch Press

Grubbs Grizzly of “Ask Papabear” has quite an established presence with many followers. Now he’s emerged from his cave to announce an award for other furries who demonstrate Outstanding Community Spirit.

Good furries are everywhere. But sometimes when fandom takes a look at itself and how it can be better, bad furries get attention. From circa-2000 Burned Furs, to Nazi Furs who have ruined furry conventions, troublemakers get more attention than they deserve. (None might be a fair amount.)

The Good Furry Award is coming to reward a fandom member each year for their community spirit. On top of benefit to one, the process of looking at nominees and their work is meant to promote much more conversation about good things that the vast majority of furries do for each other and outsiders alike.

The “Ask Papabear” website is now taking nominations for Good Furries: https://www.askpapabear.com/good-furry-award.html

This isn’t an idea out of nowhere. There’s already a Furry Ambassador program, and the awards will be presented in coordination with it. The winner of the prize will be announced in June 2019. He or she will receive a certificate of achievement and a $1,000 check to be spent at the winner’s discretion.

Who is eligible? Any furry in any country who is active in the fandom is eligible. Someone must nominate them, and background stories will be checked and confirmed. Those submitting nominations are encouraged to also submit photos or other documents.

This isn’t about who is the best artist or writer or fursuiter. You don’t have to own a fursuit. What matters:

• Do you use your time and skills (whatever they may be) to help your fellow furries?
• Do you project a positive image of fun and friendship to the outside, nonfurry world?

Then you can take part! For more information or an interview, contact: Kevin Hile, kevinhile@gmail.com, 760-619-8882, or visit www.askpapabear.com.

Cover art by Charleston Rat

The Furry Book: Grubbs Grizzly’s other project!

Grubbs is one of a few ambitious writers who have worked to get fandom happenings into publication for more than inside readers. Others include Joe Strike’s Furry Nation and Fred Patten’s Furry Convention History books. Those were published in 2017 by mainstream publishers. Grubbs posted personal news:

Hi. An update on The Furry Book. I’m about 50,000 words into it and still have a long way to go. I am hunkering down on it this summer and hope to have the bulk of the writing done end of September. Then I have to prepare the index and appendices, get the photos, typeset it, and so on. It may or may not get finished end of the year, but it will be around that time, I pray.

Thank you,
Grubbs Grizzly

Joe Strike’s Furry Nation and Anthrocon news, July 2018

Grubbs isn’t the only one with an update on projects and happenings. Joe Strike has been a frequent friend of the site and anything he shares is guaranteed to perk up some ears here. Joe continues:

Just returned from the greatest Anthrocon EVER! (and keep reading for exciting news about a special Furry Nation offer!)

This past weekend Pittsburgh PA hosted Anthrocon for the 13th time. Until it was recently (and slightly) eclipsed by Chicago’s Midwest FurFest, Anthrocon was the world’s largest furry convention; even in second place, 8,000+ furs were on hand for this year’s iteration. (Not bad for a convention that began in 1997 in Albany NY with all of 500 attendees!)

Pittsburgh embraced Anthrocon and the furry community like never before and nowhere else on Earth; a huge banner on the convention center’s facade merged Anthrocon and Pittsburgh as one, with the city’s landmark bridge behind a pair of smiling furries. (The previous banner was simply the convention’s logo.) Similar banners graced the surrounding streets’ light posts.

My scaly alter-ego, the anthropomorphic Komodo dragon “Komos” appeared in all his reptilian glory, making “friends” with the locals –

… and marched in the fursuit parade with a shout-out to Rob Rogers. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s long-time editorial cartoonist was fired by the publisher for daring to draw numerous anti-Trump cartoons. As you might imagine, my sign elicited no small number of cheers from onlookers who miss Rogers’ scathing depictions of the current occupant of the Oval Office. (You can learn more about Rob Rogers here.)

I placed an ad in the Anthrocon souvenir book featuring some of the nice things people have had to say about Furry Nation:

By the way, if you want to read the Huck article about furry fandom and yours truly, click here to visit the magazine’s website. If you’d like to purchase a hard copy for your furry archives, visit this page. And here’s an article from something called VVROOM incorporating material from Huck along with a few comments of their own. And finally, some really big news:

BRAND NEW FURRY NATION + COMIC BOOK OFFER!

The revised furrynation.com website now features a shopping page where you can (in addition to purchasing Furry Nation from various online vendors) buy a personally autographed copy directly from me – and when you do, you’ll receive a free collector’s edition copy of the very first issue of Komos & Goldie. (I’m probably the only fur whose scaly alter-ego stars in his very own adventure comic!) Sorry, but thanks to Goldie’s preference to go au naturale and her predilection for double entendres, this offer is only for readers 18+.

The book plus the free comic costs $21.50 postpaid. I’ll be glad to autograph either or both to you, someone else if you’re buying it as a gift (or if you’d prefer, not at all). All you have to do is click here to get started!

Thanx much!
-Joe

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