|
We've moved our scant coverage of the Ed Kramer/SP Somtow situation to this new area because, although we've lost interest, no one else has. The Mail! The Debate! The Accusations! We include our comments below, the initial announcements, responses and more letters, with an official "statement" to follow. This IS exciting. FROM 10.21.00 GET A LIFE FILES: Sometimes we feel a little outside of the loop: like everyone gets invited to better parties, gets better tables; they're eating filet, we're eating chicken. But other times we are included in ways we never expected...or desired. A horror fan was arrested in Georgia last week after an anonymous phone call. The caller made accusations; the police decided to make an arrest. That's all anyone really knows. Why speculate? We were ready to move on to the next news item until we opened the mailbox...where we were forwarded an OPEN letter from writer NANCY COLLINS (Sunglasses After Dark, Swamp Thing), a writer we admire and have published in the past. In the letter (here) she suggests some pretty horrible things about genre fan, editor and part-time filmmaker Ed Kramer, as well as S.P. Somtow (Dark River). The suggestions made by Collins, from all evidence we have gathered so far from the people involved, are based primarily on hearsay. (We've also heard Collins is flogging a book on the subject: but that's hearsay as well.) One thing we know: whatever happened is probably none of our business. Or anyone else's. But as you are no doubt aware, this sort of mudslinging and melodramatics are all too common in any organization, even one as unorganized as the HWA (Horror Writers Association). Infighting and the micromanaging of every petty complaint seems to have driven away most of the professional writers in their midst, leaving the semi-professionals and the unprofessionals: the ones that write (or forward, as Nancy insists) open letters making unsubstantiated accusations full of vague innuendo and inviting members to TATTLE to the detective investigating the case. We're POSITIVE the police would rather gather evidence in their own way (a little more difficult now that everyone remotely connected to the case has been alerted and had ample time to clean out their closets). After S.P. Somtow became aware of the letter, he and his lawyer determined the accusations to be offensive AND actionable— a phone call prompted Collins to issue a retraction: (here) Meanwhile, Ed Kramer remains in custody on the basis of an anonymous phonecall and collaborating evidence from his former assistant: Nancy A. Collins. MEANWHILE we got a letter from Nancy which read: letter 2. So we answered: Hey Nancy: I only meant to be obliquely amusing, and if you like, I'll be happy to post your letter to me to accompany our comments on the web site. I'm entirely neutral on the matter of who did what to whom, and I want to remain your friend, and a friend to the many others involved in this bitter debate. As I said: I can only speculate, and I have better things to do. But allow me to say this to you; I still haven't heard from anyone on either side of this case who is particularly qualified or in possession of all the relevant facts required to accept their judgment without question. You are trying to shape opinions by selective wording and innuendo. What DO you know about Somtow, except what you've heard or what you suspect? How do you undo the damage which has been done? If you read what I said, it's clear that I don't have an opinion about what Ed did or didn't do, I only have an opinion about the way you have handled what you obviously feel is your righteous cause. You are evidently close enough to the situation to be of some use to the state as they prosecute the case. You know what you know. But haven't you wondered why no one else is stepping forward to provide evidence in this case, except you, as you stated? Do you think it's a lack of courage--or a lack of facts? Isn't the mother of these boys involved, and their father?Isn't it much more complicated than some videos in a closet? I've made it abundantly clear that I don't know, nor am I making it my business to know. You are outraged on some level, and I certainly respect and appreciate that, but it is not your job to prosecute anyone in the public arena. We have courts for that. Jessie@midnightgraffiti and she wrote back: letter 3 So, ther3.html">letter 3 So, there you have it, for now. Check back for the statement.
|