Alan Boakes is an systems engineer by qualification working in the UK telecommunications industry. If you have made a phone call from British public phone box in the 1990s and 2000s, then you will have gone through his system. He is a friend of the NW Kent SF Society (Phoenicians), to which a number of the Concat' team belong, and has an active interest in NW Kent community activities being: a school governor; active in community representation to the local Council; and restoring a local industrial heritage site. Though interested in SF films, his first convention was the Romanian 2001 Eurocon when he met Joe Haldeman: this prompted him to read his first SF novel Forever War, closely followed by his second, Forever Free. In addition to looking after his local real-ale society's website, in 2001 Alan took over from Matt as the Concatenation webmaster. If you ever e-mail us then he will be the guy forwarding your enquiry as appropriate.
Tony Chester is a writer by inclination and in the past a lighting and marketing consultant by necessity. He produced a number of fanzines during the eighties, as well as being active on the convention scene, often bridging the gap between SF and media (SF TV) conventions, and, infamously the 1980s Rocky Horror convention 'Denton'. Some years ago, after a stint designing and implementing new systems for financial institutions, he turned his attention to his main love, writing. He has written two novels, Best Friend and Heart, with the former being published in a Romanian edition; he has also written a graphic novel, The Well of Souls, a film script, Batsclaw, and numerous short stories. These last are awaiting an eagle-eyed publisher. Meanwhile he co-compiled with Jonathan (above) Essential SF: A Concise Guide which was published in 2005 by Porcupine Press of Porcupine Books, London. Aside from SF books, comics, graphic novels, and SF films, Tony's other main love is music. His knowledge of 20th century rock is virtually encylopaedic.
Graham Connor is a physicist by qualification and a builder of onboard spacecraft communications systems by profession. The chances are that you will have seen a picture or made an intercontinental phone call though on of his systems. His SF activities principally began as editor of Warwick University's SF Society's zine Fusion (1977), before being involved with the early Hatfield Shoestringcons (1978-81). During this time he was also active in Hatfield's PSIFA (and on its campus radio show Radio Free Entropy), as well as with Keele U. SF that started the Unicons and indeed was a finalist in their first two short story competitions. Through the '80s Graham could be found at a number of conventions manning the film projector, while between 1987 and 1997 he showed himself to be a whiz with scissors and paper in laying out the early print editions of Concatenation. He also was the issue editor of the 1988 paper edition. These days, though still an avid SF and fantasy reader, he still to the occasional convention provided in the main it is called the Festival of Fantastic Films. In-between all of this he engages in the more serious business of enjoying Irish stout.
Jonathan Cowie is an environmental scientist by qualification and a science communicator (science writer, event organiser and consultant) by profession both with UK learned science societies and on a freelance basis. In the main during the 1980s he was a publication manager, and 1990-2006 he compiled scientists' views for Governmental and Parliamentarian consultations. The greatest part of his career was some 15 years with the Institute of Biology, for the latter half of which as Head of Science Policy & Books up to 2003. He has an interest in Earth systems science and human ecology. As a result he is the author of the non-SF text on the greenhouse effect (Climate & Human Change from Parthenon Publishing (1998)) as well as Climate Change: Biological and Human Aspects (2007 from Cambridge University Press). With regard to SF he: founded Hatfield college's SF group PSIFA in 1978; was on the committee of the BECCON series of London region SF conventions (1981-87); has assisted with most international UK-venued SF conventions of the 80s and 90s by providing science contacts and press liaison services. He regularly gave exotic science talks at UK conventions from the late 1970s to early 1990s and many Eurocons thereafter. His most recent SF activities have included helping to co-ordinate the Anglo-Romanian Science & SF Cultural Exchange and fan fund (up to 2003) as well as co-authoring with Tony Chester (below) Essential SF: A Concise Guide (2005). He can usually be found at most Eurocons in-between the more serious business of enjoying English bitter and Romanian wine.
Dan Heidel is an Information Technology expert who specialises in work stations within an office network environment for amajor financial businesses in the City of London. He has worked for a number of learned scientific charitable bodies as well as other organizations. From 2001 he has been advising the rest of the Concat' team on IT matters and helped out with The 2nd International Week of SF in 2003 that Concatenation supported. If you register for the seasonal Concatenation site update alert you'll be in Dan's hands.
Roberto Quaglia is an Italian SF writer who is very well known in Romania as he spends his time divided between Italy and Bucharest. Roberto can often be found at the annual Eurocon and so frequently rubs shoulders with a number of the Concat' team and has worked with Concatenation on a number of Anglo-Romanian Exchange projects. A couple of his convention reports are on this site and he occasionally provides Concatenation with news of continental European goings on.
Tony Bailey is a photo-print technician and editor of The Contact newszine primarily for the The Contact and LOTNA London-based SF media groups. As a friend of Concatenation Tony has provided typesetting and print for the Anglo-Romanian SF Exchange as well as the pre-production for Porcupine Books for the first edition (2005) of the Concat' guide to best SF. He also helps Concat with its stationery needs.
Boris Sidyuk is best known among the Ukrainian SF community as its unofficial Minister of Foreign Affairs in that he liaises with many people and SF groups outside the Ukraine. He founded at the age of 14 (1979) an SF group - Antares - for his school friends. He has worked on a number of Ukrainian national conventions and was on the committee of his country's first Eurocon in 2006. He is currently the foreign editor of 'SF Reality' the only SF magazine in Ukrainian. In real life he is the marketing director of a computer publishing house. His contribution to Concatenation is in providing its webspace (from 2006).
Pete Tyers a computer operator by trade, Pete was a member of the BECCON convention organising team (1982 - '87). In UK SF circles Pete was the convention photographer for all the major UK (national and international) conventions of the 1980s and early 1990s. He continues to provide this service for UK venued international conventions. He also contributed photographs for many of Concatenation's paper editions and has even submitted convention reports for the site. These days he still provides the odd pic and has assisted with the audio-visuals for some of the mini-international European and other events with which Concatenatiion and its team members have been associated. Away from Concatenation and SF, Pete enjoys real ale and travelling to the US.
Matt Freestone is a qualified mathematician who has turned to the dark side of commercial applications programming for a living. His SF activity began at Cambridge University, where he contributed regularly to TTBA, the multi-titled zine of the SF society. Many of his current interests are reflected in the contents of the early versions (1998-2001) of this website which he created. Try www.furthermore.org.uk if you want to find out more. 2001 saw him return from London to Cambridge and start a family and hand over the webmaster reigns to Alan (above). Nonetheless he is still in occasional contact with the rest of the team.
Antuza Genescu is the Romanian co-ordinator of the Anglo-Romanian Science & SF Exchange and a former English teacher, currently working as a copy translator. Of the many works she has translated into Romanian, perhaps the one that tested her skill the most was Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. In her spare time she has helped out with Romanian conventions and translated material for the 1994 EuRocon.
Silviu Genescu is an SF writer by night, and news reporter by day. Silviu's D is for End was nominated for the Romanian equivalent of the Booker prize: the only SF novel ever to be so favoured. He has helped translating for the Anglo-Romanian Science & SF Cultural Exchange and on the Romanian end of joint Anglo-Romanian projects.
Paul Brazier is a typesetter and layout editor by profession. In SF circles he is known for his mid-1990s semi-prozine SF Nexus and his on-going work on the literary zine Interzone. With regards to Concatenation he not only worked on the 1993 paper edition but excelled himself on the 1995 tri-lingual edition for which he created a special font to address eastern European characters (as then none were available from downloading from the then barely existent internet). His final issue was the 1997 final paper edition which was produced both in English and Romanian versions.
Harry Nadler was a cinema manager before becoming a print manager and then a computer games design manager, who grew up and worked for much of his life with Charles Partington. With Charles he organised three UK national Eastercons before (with others) moving on to run a series of 13 hugely successful Festival of Fantastic Films. These were small but attracted attention from many countries including the US and Japan. With Charles, he provided rough-and-ready printing of the first edition (1987) of Concatenation free of charge. Also, as Fantastic Film Fest organiser, he welcomed Romanian SF personalities Antuza Genescu and Cristian Lazarescu to a Festival (see reports elsewhere on this site). He was a tremendous friend of Concatenation. Unfortunately he suddenly died in March 2002 having started work on the 13th Fest. Harry was a true 'Secret Master of Fandom'. 'Secret' because, not only was he a quiet soul, you had to be at the heart of British SF to realise exactly how much he contributed to so many projects to do with SF in both its written and cinematic forms. 'Master' because he did so much. One of that extremely rare breed, a true SMOF. He is hugely missed. See 'In memoriam Harry Nadler'. Charles Partington worked alongside Harry (above). With Harry he was involved in running Eastercons of yore. His fanzine, irregularly produced in the 1970s and 1980s was literally Something Else. With Harry, he roughly printed, free of charge, the first edition (1987) of Concatenation and so played a pivotal role in getting us going. (Any blame attached to Concat goes to Charles.) Charles also worked with a couple of team members on publications for the 1980s series of BECCON British SF conventions. These days Charles is better known as a writer of fantasy who has had numerous short stories published and is currently (2002) breaking in to novels.
Nick Rowsell is a psychologist by qualification but has worked in selling advertising. Nick sold advertising space for Concatenation in 1988 and 1989 which paid for their printing.
Richard Edwards is a computer scientist by qualification and created the 1985 award-winning computer game Advent. He is currently a computer consultant. He is known in UK SF circles for being part of the BECCON London region convention-organising team (1982 - '87) and provided the typesetting for Concatenation between 1988 and 1992.
Simon Geikie and Elaine Sparkes have contributed to a number of Concat ventures since 1990. Simon has even done a few reviews and both have made major contributions to a number of Concat'-sponsored Anglo-Romanian Science and SF Cultural Exchange ventures. Simon is a conservation biologist while Elaine works in industrial relations for British physiotherapists. In addition these days both are busy raising their son but occasionally host gatherings for a number of the Concat' team.
Brian Ameringen was, like Jonathan C, Richard E, and Pete T., was a member of the BECCON team that provided biennial London region SF conventions and a UK Nat Con in the 1980s. He is an SF antiquarian book dealer running Porcupine Books that has since 1999 joined up with Concat promoting both ventures to a number of UK conventions. Porcupine Books, as Porcupine Press, published the 2005 edition of the Concat' guide to best SF. Nicu Gecse is a chemist by qualification, and has been active within the Romanian SF community for many years; for instance he was on the organising committee of the 1994 Eurocon. When he was not purportedly producing the 1997 Spanish Concat' edition, Nicu makes glass sculptures.
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