Further Confusion 2006 - June Newsletter

Hear ye, hear ye, one and all! From the tallest eyrie to the deepest
lair, let the call sound: creatures of fur, feather and scale abound,
and soon all creatures shall gather 'round to revel in the honored
tradition reaching all the way back to ancient times (well, the late
'90s) -- our humble convention, the one and only FURTHER CONFUSION!

1. Convention Dates
2. Our Theme for 2006
3. Our First Guest of Honor
4. 2006 Charity Auction
5. Picnic & Campout Information
6. Staff Needed
7. Writing Workshop
8. Conbook Submissions Needed
9. Membership Badge Art Needed
10. Furry Marketplace
11. Art Show Announcements
12. Hotel FAQ for Booking Rooms
13. Furry Night Live! returns
14. Next Public Meeting
1. Convention Dates

Further Confusion shall be held January 19th - 23rd, 2006 at its longtime
home, the San Jose Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, California.

2. Our Theme for 2006

FC2006's theme will be "RenFur: A Knight's Tail." From the Middle Ages
to the Renaissance, storybook characters like Reynard the Fox and
Chanticleer the Rooster will be coming to life and marching proudly
through the halls of the Doubletree this coming January.

3. Our First Guest of Honor

Our first honored guest is none other than the esteemed Eric Elliott.
Eric is an intensely creative veteran of the animation industry and the
fandom. His involvement with our community goes back to the early 80's,
where his skill and style influenced many of the artists who have
followed. Professionally, Eric has worked extensively in video game
development, having worked at industry-leading companies like Atari,
Sierra and Eidos. Eric is also a long-time member of the Society for
Creative Anachronism, going back to its earliest years. As Eric
Foxworthy he is among its leading citizens, feared on the battlefield
and respected by the highest echelons of Society royalty. Having earned
a knighthood and uncountable other awards and titles within the Society,
his skill in medieval combat and his deep historical knowledge have
significantly advanced the Society's stature. During his tenure as Earl
Marshall of the Kingdom of the West, Eric helped develop the rules of
combat in the Society (the Earl Marshall is the "chief referee" within
the Society). What is best in life? "Hit things with sticks!"

In addition to all these accomplishments, Eric also has had a variety of
other occupations... he's a busy fellow! Eric is a veteran of the U.S.
Army, has been a Merchant Marine, a Hollywood stuntman (where he
specialized in falling off of horses; he has appeared in a Clint
Eastwood film and has also poked the Pillsbury Dough-Boy in the tummy),
a cowboy, and was an Animal Control Officer. He currently lives in the
Gold Country of the Sierra Nevada, working as a consulting animator,
animation instructor, and independent filmmaker. He lives with Carol, a
very talented playwright, and Tay, a border collie who earns his keep in
Search-and-Rescue and keeping Eric on his toes.

4. 2006 Charity Auction

Our chosen charities for 2006 will be the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund,
and Wildlife Companions. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund is an
advocacy group that has worked to defend the First Amendment rights of
comic book artists for almost twenty years. More information on the
CBLDF can be found at www.cbldf.org. Wildlife Companions is a nonprofit
organization that operates a sanctuary and endangered species outreach
program; their animals have been featured at FC's life drawing sessions
in the past, and we are proud to have them back as one of our featured
charities.

5. Picnic & Campout Information

Further Confusion will once again be holding its annual Picnic & Campout
this August, and we will be returning to our picturesque site at Lake
Chabot.

The picnic will take place on Saturday August 20th, starting at 11am, at
the Willow picnic site. The Picnic is free to all; no RSVP required.

The Campout will take place over the night before the picnic (19th and
20th of August). There will be a charge of $5 a head to cover costs of
booking the site. If you wish to join us for the Campout, you must RSVP
by sending email to camping@futherconfusion.org.

More information is on our website at
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2006/camping_picnic.php

6. Staff Needed

We still have many many staff positions available! If you've had prior
experience organizing and running conventions, or even if you just want
to lend a friendly paw, WE NEED YOU! E-mail info@futherconfusion.org
for details, or come to one of our staff meetings. If you're interested
in working under a particular department, individual department e-mail
addresses can be found at
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2006/contactinfo.php

7. Writing Workshop

If you want to learn how to spin tales with the wit of the Bard, join us
at the Further Confusion 2006 Writer's Workshop! Be prepared to write a
short story on this year's theme: Renfur, a Knight's Tail. You can
write your story in advance, if you wish. Stories will be short. We
suggest 3-4 pages, or 2,000 words or less.

We will meet Saturday afternoon to discuss the rules and what makes a
great short story. On Sunday, writers from Saturday's workshop will
present their short stories to the group for a brief critique. At the
end of the session, we will vote on the best short story.

The best short story will be announced in the convention newsletter and
published on our website. Last year's winning story is at:
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2005/writersworkshop.php

8. Conbook Submissions Needed

This year's conbook deadline is November 1st, 2005. Further Confusion
will be accepting full-color (and black-and-white) artwork, stories,
photographs, and any other material pertinent to the Conbook. We can
accept material in TIFF, EPS and PDF format. If you have a JPEG file,
please try to send it to us at the highest resolution possible. Artwork
can either be full-page format (8.5in x 11in), half-page format (8.5in x
5.5in), or quarter-page format (5.5in x 4.25in) in
size. All raster images should be at the very least 300 dpi (600 dpi
preferred). PDF files should be created at the High Quality setting.

Stories can be in .RTF or .DOC format. If you are submitting a story,
please include your name in the story so we know who wrote it. Also,
please name your files something logical so that we know who they are
from. For example, a piece done by Joe Public could be named
jpublic_image01.tiff.

We also have an upload site for those of you that might have images
larger than 5MB. Please send an e-mail to
conbook@futherconfusion.org if you want the upload information.

We also have our Conbook guidelines for those of you who might need help
in creating content for our Conbook. Go to
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2006/conbook_guidelines.php

9. Membership Badge Art Needed

Further Confusion is currently seeking artwork submissions for the 2006
membership badge inserts. Both color and black & white artwork will be
accepted, and all artwork will be considered on overall 'look and feel',
plus these additional points:
- Size: Art must scale to be printed at 4" x 2".
- Theme: Art must accurately reflect the theme of the con.
- Age appropriateness: The art must be suitable for viewing by children.

Artists submitting images should be aware that there is no payment for
badge art chosen, and the artist gives Further Confusion the right to
reproduce the image as badge art for FC2006. The artist will be
credited on the insert and in the con program book. The artist retains
all other copyrights and reproduction rights beyond the above.

Submission deadline is October 1st, 2005. All qualifying submissions
will be seriously considered and we will choose 6 designs. All artists
will be notified by November 1st as to whether or not their submissions
have been chosen.

Submission technical specs: We prefer JPG format at best possible
quality compression, at 300 DPI. An 8" by 4" original scanned at 300DPI
gives us a good file to work with. Badge art Submissions should be sent
to badgeartsubmissions@futherconfusion.org. In the email specify how
you wish to be credited should your art be chosen.

10. Furry Marketplace

Furry Marketplace slots go on sale August 1st, 2005. We will be making
4' table spaces available for $45 for the whole weekend. Reserve your
space ahead of time and avoid the rush! If you have any questions,
e-mail dealers@futherconfusion.org.

11. Art Show Announcements

Art show panels will go on sale around the beginning of August. Watch
the web site for details! Questions? Contact artshow@futherconfusion.org.

12. Hotel FAQ for Booking Rooms

If you want to get your room reservation in time for the con, it's very
important that you read the Hotel FAQ, located online at
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2006/hotel.php . If you have any
additional questions, please contact hotel@futherconfusion.org.

If you need a specific type of room, you should book your room and make
your request in plenty of time! If you want to be placed on the party
floor, fursuit floor, next to your friends, or have any other special
request, you should first book the room, and then send your request to
hotel@futherconfusion.org along with your full (real) name and hotel
confirmation code.

13. Furry Night Live! returns

Furry Night Live! (formally the Furry Variety Show) returns Sunday night
at 8:00 PM as the number one place to see furry variety acts performed
live ... but with a few big changes! This year a new host will MC the
show, while performers will have the choice of their acts being judged
on performance by a panel. In addition, a special "Audience Choice
Award" will allow the audience to choose their favorite act which will
receive a cash award!

So dust off those Renaissance fair costumes, get your fursuits ready,
grab your friends and form performance troupes, and develop an act or
skit worthy of the theme "Renfur: A Knight's Tail". Unsure what you can
do? Not able to come up a script for yourself? Able to perform but
have no act? Not a problem. We will have scripts, acts, and skits for
you to participate in!

For more information contact Furry Night Live! Lead Scruff E. Coyote at
fvs@futherconfusion.org. To subscribe to the official Furry Night Live
discussion E-mail list go to
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/fc2006/fvs_signup.php

14. Next Public Meeting

The next Further Confusion public staff meeting will be at noon on
Saturday July 16th, 2005, at the San Jose Doubletree.

--
Further Confusion
info@futherconfusion.org
http://www.furtherconfusion.org/