SWIL: an introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- August 31, 1989. Greetings to prospective SWILpeople! This collection of information was originally written for the SWIL bulletin board located in Parrish near one of the mail rooms, but it does a pretty good job as a semi-comprehensive introduction to what this organization is and what it does. Bruce Hahne Information Dipersal and Public Relationsperson for SWIL. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- SWIL stands for Swarthmore Warders of Imaginative Literature. A rather deceptive title, since the campus organization known as SWIL does and is involved in a lot more things than you would at first suspect. Meetings occur every Saturday at noon in the largest reserved room in Sharples. The content of a typical meeting ranges from the straightforward to the bizarre, but in general it's a great way to find out what's going on. Attend three consecutive meetings and you become a member. Well, sort of; it depends on whose dictionary you're using and to get exact details you should consult the SWIL participant nearest you. Or attend a meeting and start asking questions; we love new faces... Once you attend three consecutive meetings, you can receive the weekly SWILnews, featuring information, names, dates, places, gossip, and humor, dedicated to keeping you in touch with what's going on even if you slept through the Saturday morning meeting. It arrives regularly in your very own campus mailbox or, if you're into electronic mail networks, you can have it sent to you on Swarthmore's very own VAC 8810. Rumor has it that you can receive the SWILnews even if you haven't attended three consecutive meetings; just call or talk to or otherwise communicate with one of the people listed below if you're at all interested. You also get to vote, whenever you want but in particular when there's something to vote about during a SWIL meeting. Which actually is not too often, since votes are usually reserved for T-shirt and movie selection (see below...). Well, all that stock information is fine and good, but what does SWIL do? The following list is an attempt, perhaps futil, to list and describe all activities and areas of interest in which SWIL claims to have influence. Literature: SWIL does have "imaginative literature" as the last half of its name, and indeed you will discover that many participants read science fiction and fantasy literature voraciously; certainly much faster than one could ever hope to read, say, 1000 pages of seminar material for Tuesday morning and have a 15-page double-spaced summary prepared for class presentation, or else. This means that SWIL is a good place to turn to for review of, discussions on, or loaned copies of the most recent (or the most ancient) scifi and fantasy novels. Fans of Piers Anthony are warned that not everyone may love his writing as much as you do. Cordwainer Bird: In addition to its enormous collection of rather boring books on quantum mechanics and the numerical solution of non-linear differential equations, Cornell science library also contains the oasis known as Cordwainer Bird, the SWIL science fiction library. Anyone in the whole world is free to check out books here (instructions are located somewhere on the shelves), read them, enjoy them, and return them. We have multiple shelves full of books here, and the sofas are pretty comfortable too. Story Reading: Occasionally, particularly around Friday the 13th or whenever the mood strikes, SWIL will hold an open story reading during which people can relax, read, listen, eat, drink, laugh at the funny parts, and generally have a great time being scared out of their wits by the more frightening horror stories which some choose to read. Halloween Pary: For some reason this occurs only around October 31st. This is your big chance to get a costume together (or just come as yourself) mingle with other strangely-dressed beings, play some standard and not-so-standard party games, marvel at the cotumes of others, and read Halloween stories in the early hours of the morning. SWIL Halloween parties in past years have featured costumes and events such as the infamous "remove-your-own-spleen" costume, a human photocopy, a Kate Bush album cover, and the destruction of large pieces of useless computer equipment with a sledgehammer. Philcon: Every fall, the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society holds its annual convention, usually at the Adam's Mark hotel in, of course, Philadelphia. This convention features plenty of wild and interesting events, as do most such conventions: guest authors and artists, a masquerade, lots of movies, a gaming room, filksinging (singing science-fictionish songs), and a dealers' room filled with books, posters, buttons, framed art, and many more miscellaneous goodies for sale. Many SWIL people attend, with transportation supplied via the low-cost rental of the Student Council van. Comics: Disparaged by some but staunchly defended by others, comic books are beginning to enjoy more recognition now than they did, say, 5 years ago. Your mother may laugh (mine does), but more and more, some comics are on the standard of what English majors among us would feel comfortable calling "quality literature." If you have an interest in translations of Japanese "Manga," graphics novels froma variety of publishers, or if you just want to buy you own copy of the X-men every month, SWIL is a good place to drop by, since "comic runs" to the nearby Comic Universe tend to occur roughly every other week. Pterodactyl Hunt: Each year, sometimes twice a year, SWIL sponsors a night of inspired lunacy known affectionately as the Pterodactyl Hunt, an event which tends to evade accurate description. The event is vaguely considerable as a live-action version of any popular hack-and-slash role-playing game, with most of the college campus as the playing field. Imagine two people running around with luminous necklaces, squirting you with water bottles, defended by swarms of newspaper-sword-wielding Swilpeople disguised as Orcs and Hobgoblins, associated with other entities such as a Black Knight, Trolls, a Vampire, and assorted other monsters. You get your own armor (disguised as a garbage bag) and sword; kill the Pterodactyl to win a pizza. BEM: This stands for "Bug-Eyed Magazine," SWIL's yearly spring publication of scifi/fantasy-related short stories, poetry, and other such creations by anyone on campus who feels creative. Live Chess: Each Parent's Weekend and occasionally during orientation week, SWIL organizes a game of live chess on Parrish lawn, often featuring SWIL people dropping their Orc and Hobgoblin disguises and taking on the roles of chess pieces instead. Active audience participation is most certainly solicited and enjoyed by all. Movies: SWIL has a movie budget and sponsors or co-sponsors one or two movies per semester. Lists of potential films are created through a highly complex process know as the "everybody shout out the name of your favorite movie and I'll write it down on this list" technique, and voted upon in a slightly more orderly fashion. Recent SWIL-sponsored or co-sponsored films have included _Dr. Strangelove_ and _Brazil_. SWIL also takes over at the end of the spring semester when everyone is so busy studying for final exams that Movie Committee usually stops showing films. We know that people still want their weekly exposure to culture at the movies, and so at this time SWIL sponsors the schlock film festival, featuring the best in worst films on a very low budget. Features last May included titles such as _Ducky_, _Billy the Kid Vs. Dracula_, and _Destroy All Monsters_. T-shirts: SWIL also selects a T-shirt design at least once a year and commits it to cloth so that anyone can purchase one for a negligible sum of money and wear it on the upper torso, thus prompting everyone in their immediate vicinity to stare and make funny faces at them. SWAPA: This stands for "SWIL Amateur Publishing Association," and is a monthly publication akin roughly to a group letter, only containing much more. It includes contributions from many pepe who have long since graduated, but who are still completely normal, or at least claim to be. You can receive each month's rather thick issue by contributing once every three months and paying for the photocopying of your contributions. Role-playing and strategy games: SWIL tends to be a good place to congregate for players of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, other role-playing games, and several of the strategy games which you're more likely to find at a hobbyist or strategy store and less likely to find at your local shopping mall. if you have a particular fondness for some game which approximately fits the above descriptions, show up at a SWIL meeting, ask for some players, and you'll probably discover that people are interested. Television, radio, and movies: Many SWIL people have some small affection for British comedy TV shows, Star Trek reruns, science fiction films, the Hitchhiker's Guide radio series, or other mass-media sorts of things. SWIL people are as likely as not to be found viewing Monty Python films, showing multiple hours of Muppet Show reruns for a Friday night party, waching Star Trek: The Next Generation, collectively going to see The Princess Bride, or listening Off the Cuff, Swarthmore's student-written, produced and performed comedy radio show. If you like these sorts of things as well, you'd be welcomed most heartily. Contacts: That's a lot of stuff up above, and lots of different people tend to do it. But in general, if you want information on something listed up there, if you want to volunteer (!) to organize something, or if you just feel like offering somebody large sums of cash, feel free to contact any of the below-mentioned people with official-sounding titles at rational times of the day or night: Chris Codd and Laura Almasy, or Laura Almasy and Chris Cobb: Also known as "Chris and Laura and Laura and Chris," these four (sorry, two) people currently hold the title(s) of SWIL President(s). The uncertainty as to whether there are actually two or four or more of them is some sort of running joke which they made up and which I have yet to understand. Laura Almasy: "The Banana House," 621 Elm, 544-9398 Chris Cobb: Also a resident of the oddly-named Banana House Josh "no-longer not-Mackay" Smith currently holds the title of somewhat-recently-took-over-as-treasurer. Contact him for financial affairs, monetary affairs, or other sorts of affairs. Josh Smith: Mary Lyons 4220, x8016 Jed Hartman: Former SWIL President Jed currently holds the title of "loremaster of SWIL," and is a great person to talk to about SWIL's history, Palo Alto California, or comic books. Jed Hartman: Greylocke apartments, 543-4882 Michael Bernstein: In addition to living in the very same apartment with the amazing above-noted Jed, Michael is also the librarian for Cordwainer Bird. If you have suggestions for new titles in the library (we have the money, sometimes...) or if you'd like to donate or loan some books so everyone can read them, he'd love a call. Michael Bernstein: Greylocke apartments, 543-4882 Bruce Hahne: Currently holding the title of "Minister of Information Dispersal," Bruce is in charge of typing up signs packed with informatio of the sort often found on bulletin boards and distributed to freshpeople. Rumor has it that that inclues this one, although he would probably deny all associations with its creation unless bribed with sufficiently large quantities of chocolate. If you want to know the time and date of a SWIL-sponsored event, or if you want to TELL him the time and date of such an event, give him a call or send electronic mail to BMH90 on Swarthmore's very own mind-bogglingly complex VAX 8810. Bruce Hahne: Mary Lyons 4205, 328-8021 (VAX mail to BMH90). (Bitnet address: bmh90 @ campus.swarthmore.edu)