Журнал «Spin»

Founded in 1976, the Turku Science Fiction Society is the oldest of the Finnish sf/f clubs and therefore forms the starting point for the history of the Finnish fandom. TSFS’s Spin is also the oldest of the Finnish sf/f zines. It has been published since 1977 and has had its ups and downs over the years.

As noted earlier, there’s always been a very clear distinction between fandom “generations” in Turku. This can be seen clearly in the history of TSFS. During late 1990s it went through a more or less complete blood transfusion as the old guard stepped aside and the new generation of fans took over.

For a decade or so, TSFS was probably the most active and energetic sf/f society in Finland. One proof of this were the Finncons of 1999 and 2003 in Turku. This was also a turning point for Spin, and there was a dramatic rise in its profile and quality. Spin took on the look it still has today: professional-looking, printed on glossy paper, about 40-60 pages, with colour covers.

Everything has an end, and by 2004, it was evident that the wind had gone out of the society’s sails, and the ”new generation” had in turn become ”the old guard”. During the last few years, however, it seems that history has repeated itself, with a new generation of fans starting to emerge.

Because of its long history, TSFS is also in many ways one of the cornerstones of the Finnish fandom. It presents the Atorox award, organises sf/f coverage at the Turku Book Fair and is the co-organiser of the Nova and Novice short story writing competitions. Worth mentioning is also its extensive sf/f library with over a thousand books.

At the moment there is a very clear division of labour in the Turku fandom between the two biggest sf societies: TSFS and its younger counterpart Tutka. For a number of years now, Tutka has taken care of the audiovisual entertainment and smaller projects, and TSFS handles the bigger, literary endeavours.

Women have traditionally had a big role in the Finnish fandom. One proof of that is the fact that Spin had only female editors-in-chief for over a decade.

http://www.tsfs.fi/?spin.html