Joan Winston: Recollections and Tributes

I saw Joan Winston before I ever met her, bustling around in her role as one of the organizers at the first of the legendary Febcon New York Star Trek conventions in 1972. In 1976, at the final Febcon, when I was brought into the fold as a guest writer (following the production of my animated STAR TREK script), I got to see Joanie in action from a figurative ringside seat -- a fitting descriptive, since Joannie was something of a ringmaster at these seemingly chaotic yet scrupulously organized extravaganzas.

Our paths crossed many times over the next 30-odd years, and I can safely say that Joan Winston was and is a wry, witty, hilarious story-teller -- and a talented writer. Her book The Making of the Trek Conventions is a gem (in which I'm honored to be mentioned briefly), and it's a crime that it's been out of print for far too long.

For anyone who hasn't read it, beg, borrow, steal or find a copy from a used bookseller, at a con or on eBay. You'll be glad you did. Nobody captures what it was like to be at those ground-breaking conventions better than the inimitable Joan Winston.

Here's to ya, Joanie. From all STAR TREK fans, thanks for the honor of your company...and long may you regale us!