Erwin S. Strauss is an American author,

science fiction fan Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...

, noted member of the MITSFS, and

filk Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s. The genre has a ni ...

musician, born in Washington, D.C. He frequently is known by the nickname "Filthy Pierre". He was injured descending a stairway at

SMOFcon SMOFcon is an annual convention that focuses on the organisation of science fiction conventions. The first SMOFcon took place in 1984, and most have taken place in the United States. SMOFcon typically attracts 100-150 attendees, and usually occur ...

41in December 2023, and in January 2024 announced his retirement.

Science fiction and writing

Strauss has been chairman of a number of

science fiction convention Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction subgenre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of ex ...

s, such as

Boskone Boskone is an annual science fiction convention ("con") run by the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. In the words of the convention organizers, "Boskone is a regional Science Fiction co ...

3 in 1966 and RailCon in 1975; and a member of the committee for at least one Worldcon, Noreascon 3, in 1989. He was an early (1964) vice president of the

MIT Science Fiction Society The MIT Science Fiction Society (or MITSFS) of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a student organization which maintains and administers a large publicly accessible library of science fiction, fantasy, and science fantasy books and maga ...

. In addition, he was the author of the monthly "SF Convention Calendar" in '' Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction'' magazine until the March 2024 issue, and his flyer racks ("Filthy boards") were seen at conventions all over the East Coast. He is the author and/or editor of a number of books, articles, and

fanzines A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

. He is a frequent Guest of Honor at SF conventions, including

Arisia Arisia is a Boston-area, volunteer-run science fiction convention, named for a planet in the Lensman novels by E. E. "Doc" Smith. The name was chosen in response to an older Boston-area con, Boskone, which took the typical ending for a conv ...

, and

Albacon Albacon is the Albany science fiction convention, held each year in the Albany, New York area, also called the Capital District. Albacon is the largest "Con" in upstate New York, United States. It is hosted by LASTSFA, or Latham-Albany-Sche ...

. Strauss is the creator of the Voodoo board message board system once used at conventions such as

Worldcon Worldcon, officially the World Science Fiction Convention, the annual convention of the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), is a science fiction convention. It has been held each year since 1939 (except for the years 1942 to 1945, during Wor ...

s, WisCon, and

Libertarian publishing

Strauss is most well known in

libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

circles for his longstanding publication of ''The Connection'', an

amateur press association An amateur press association (APA) is a group of people who produce individual pages or zines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group. They began in the late 19th century. History The first A ...

(APA). The APA was started under the name ''The Libertarian Connection'' by

Durk Pearson Durk Pearson (August 19, 1943 – October 26, 2024) was a research scientist best known for coauthoring a series of books on longevity, beginning with '' Life Extension: A Practical Scientific Approach''. Early life While a student at the Mass ...

and Sandy Shaw (using pseudonyms) in 1968. Strauss wrote for it as "Filthy Pierre" almost from the beginning, and in 1979 he took over as publisher. Although Strauss dropped the word "libertarian" from the title (to indicate that it was open to all participants), the strong libertarian perspective of the contributors remained. Strauss continued to publish it until 2023.

Honors

*Magic Carpet Con, 1996 – Co-Filk Guest of Honor *ConChord 2002 – Interfilk guest * Noreascon 4 (2004) – Special Committee Award *

Filk Hall of Fame Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s. The genre has a nic ...

(inducted 1998) *

Big Heart Award Edward Everett Evans (November 30, 1893 – December 2, 1958) was an American science fiction writer and fan. He married science-fiction author Thelma D. Hamm in 1953. His works include the novels '' Man of Many Minds'' (1953), ''The Planet Ma ...

, 2004., Locus Magazine *

2012 – Fan Guest of Honor *

Balticon Balticon is the Maryland Regional science fiction convention, sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS). It has been held annually since 1966. The name "Balticon" is trademarked by BSFS. Overview Balticon brings together over 18 ...

2018 — Fan Guest of Honor
Asimov Centennial Meetup
2020 — Panelist

Publications

Books

*''Filthy Pierre's Songs of MIT'' *''Filthy Pierre's Songs of Significance'' * ''How to Start Your Own Country''.

Loompanics Loompanics Unlimited was an American book seller and publisher specializing in nonfiction on generally unconventional or controversial topics. The topics in their title list included drugs, weapons, survivalism, anarchism, sex, conspiracy theorie ...

, 1979. *''Basement Nukes: The Consequences of Cheap Weapons of Mass Destruction'' *''Complete Guide to Science Fiction Conventions'' *''The Case Against a Libertarian Political Party''.

, 1980. *''MIT Science Fiction Society's Index to the S-F Magazines, 1951–1965'', 1966

APAs (amateur press association publications)

*''The Connection'' (OE, 1979 – 2023)

Fanzines

*''SF Convention Register (1974–96)'' *''Filthy Pierre's Microfilk (1975–83)''

References

External links

Biography

* ttps://boskoneblog.com/2020/01/17/b57-mini-interviews-with-martha-wells-erwin-s-filthy-pierre-strauss-and-laurence-raphael-brothers/ Brief interview with Strauss at the 2020

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strauss, Erwin Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American libertarians American non-fiction writers Asimov's Science Fiction people Filkers