Here’s something for you to report in the Dogpatch Press. Kinda time-critical, though.
There’s a company called Saban Brands, which is running a competition for animated shorts. The judging is by public voting, but there’s only a day-and-a-bit left (I only just happened upon it.)
It’s an honor to host articles by Fred Patten, “Furry’s favorite reviewer and historian.” There’s minimal management, supporting him to post what he wants. Many are reviews and some are in depth writing from his experienced perspective. Those are the ones I want to select for a new feature.
I’ll pick the best to highlight and link. It’s inspired by the great quality of Fred’s article that posts tomorrow:
A History of Furry Publishing (Part One – Beginnings, and Part Two- Current Publishers.)
While I shake my sore paws after many hours of tedious book cover image layout for Fred’s pieces… I wanted to announce it, and toss a little “outtake”.
I don’t often see outside companies actively reaching out to the small but thriving Furry subculture. Not directly. If I had to guess where it would happen, I’d guess for Second Life users. But there are signs that Furries count as modest but valued audience, for some game media like Furvilla aimed right at them.
“IMVU is the world’s leading 3D social network with over 130 million registrants… IMVU’s users seek and create new connections, lives, and lifestyles in a completely user-generated world that combines custom avatars, chat, community, content creation, commerce, and anonymity.”
It was cool of them to search my blog to talk about their plan for Further Confusion:
“I’m writing to connect with Dogpatch Press and let you know that Mountain View-based IMVU will be at the show to embrace the furry community, many of whom are a part of IMVU’s 3D, avatar-based social network. As a company, we meet “furries” every day on IMVU but look forward to meeting them in real-life at FurCon 2015.
If you plan to be at the show, stop by and see us at FurCon – we expect out “fan table” to be in an area outside the Dealer Marketplace – 2nd floor of the San Jose Convention Center in a walkway/hallway leading to the adjoining Marriott hotel.”
The 2014 Recommended Anthropomorphics Reading List has just been closed out. It contains all of the works first published or released during the January–December 2014 calendar year that have been recommended by furry fans, in eleven categories:
Motion Picture
Dramatic Short Works or Series
Novels
Short Fiction
Other Literary Works
Graphic Novels
Comic Strips
Magazines
Websites
Published Illustrations
Games
Recommendations for 2015 are now being taken, although the first compilation of 2015 recommendations will not be published for several weeks.
The 2014 Ursa Major Awards nominations open on January 15, 2015, and are open through the end of February. Go to the UMA website to nominate your choices for the Best Anthropomorphics of 2014 in the above eleven categories. Voting for the Awards is open from March 15 through April 15, 2015 on the UMA website. Nominations and voting are open to all. Instructions are on the UMA website.
Voting for the 2014 Ursa Major Awards will open on March 15, 2015 and close on April 15. Go to the UMA website to nominate and to vote. The presentations of the 2014 Ursa Major Awards will be made at Morphicon 2015, in Columbus, Ohio on April 30-May 3, 2015.
Mark Merlino and his friend Rod O’Riley might be called “first wave” furries from original geek culture, when that meant underground comics, fanzines and pen-pals. They held the first parties that turned into conventions, and WikiFur calls them “founding members of organized furry fandom.” Mark owns The Prancing Skiltaire.
AVANTGARDEN is proud to present “Women Desperately Seeking Escape…a Series” photographically captured on film and digitally by ELLEN SEEFELDT. We also welcome JAY RIGGIO‘S hand cut pasted collage work, SHARLYNORA WILKINSON‘s paintings, and The Art of Furry Fandom, curated by RODNEY STANSFIELD. This exhibit runs June 1–29, opening reception June 1, 7–10pm.
What’s your Fursona? Thats [sic] the million dollar question asked in this fast paced black comedy web series about the adventures of Virginia Blake – a successful investigative journalist – who is writing an expose on the FURRY underworld to save her tarnished career!
