Science fiction, culturally speaking, is having its moment in the sun. Fandoms span the infinite ocean, from “Dune” to the new burgeoning DC Universe to a reboot of “The Chronicles of Narnia” and three seasons of “The Wheel of Time,” with so much lore that when anthropologists in the distant future study the husk of lost civilization, they might well consider this cacophony of different groups a pantheon of religion. If that happens, then the New England Science Fiction Association, or NESFA, are the high priests and priestesses, and their clubhouse in Magoun Square is their cathedral. It is an organization that runs its own publishing house and convention, because what NESFA does speaks to a greater purpose in the community.
NESFA was founded in 1967 and organizes Boskone, New England’s oldest science fiction convention. Past guests of honor include Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Tanith Lee and George R.R. Martin. Their clubhouse in Magoun Square, though, is their pride and joy. Outside are distinct murals and curtains that add layers of magic and mystery. Dragons, castles, and space ships float around the entrance, which is draped in a poster that lists the coming attractions of the club. Inside, the space is larger than street appearances, and contains a glut of books that easily number into the thousands. Bookshelves everywhere elicit a marrow-deep love for the written word. Couches and tables give people a space to sit, chat, game, read and work.
Work they do, as NESFA is also home to NESFA Press, a volunteer-run publishing house that publishes out-of-print or oft-forgotten pieces of speculative fiction. Dedicated members spend their spare time collecting, reading and editing the works of these authors and artists whose work might otherwise have been lost. As long time NEFSA member Chip Hitchcock puts it, it’s a labor of love, a purposeful passion, where people take their time to indulge and grow the stories they care about. “[Our Library] if full of books where someone said, ‘so-and-so is out of print, and nobody who is trying to make money for themselves is willing to [print the book]’ a volunteer organization doesn’t have that economic necessity… and so [the question] becomes, ‘are you willing?” Currently NESFA offers hundreds of niche titles that might have otherwise been inaccessible to science fiction fans were it not for their volunteer archival efforts.
Never to be a one trick pony though, the club hosts game nights, movie watches, anime, blues playing, pot lucks, and Scottish folk dancing. Sharon Sbarsky, the current president of NESFA, states that one of the best parts about the clubhouse is the way the community has embraced them, “We have been getting a lot more [membership] in the Somerville area by people coming to our events, or just walking by.”
It’s easy to see why. Sometimes the space curates the community, and sometimes the community curates the space. Here, the latter occurred as NESFA has weaved a piece of their soul into Magoun Square. To pass by their curtains, dragons, stars and space ships serves as a reminder that passions don’t die when we grow up – we either feed them or we don’t. The members of NESFA are having a feast.
If you, or someone you know, has a club space that you would like featured, please reach out to Matt Iglesias at greenhome22182@gmail.com.
