Oz News

(I will update this page when there is news to tell. Any news older than a year is dropped at the next update. If you have news to report, please e-mail me.)

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(For more Oz news, check out The Daily Ozmopolitan. For the latest Oz not-quite-news, see the Rumor Control section of this page.)

August 7, 2021: The 2021 Oz Club Awards

This evening, during its second annual To Oz? To Oz! virtual convention, the International Wizard of Oz Club announced the winners of its annual awards.

• The Fred Otto Prize for Fiction went to J. L. Bell for "Button-Bright and the Professor", with the runner-up prize going to Scott Blanke for "The Royal Joust of Oz".
• The Warren C. Hollister Prize for Non-Fiction was not awarded, as there were no entries.
• The Rob Roy MacVeigh Prize for Art went to "Polychrome" by David Valentin, with Sofia Vazquez coming in second with "Langwidere".
• And the Club's highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, presented to those who have made contributions above and beyond to Oz, the Club, or its goals. The winner for 2021 is Lynn Beltz, former Club vice-president and a general ambassador for Oz and the Club at Oz events all over the country.

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July 17, 2021: The Winkie Award

OzCon International presented its annual award, the Winkie Award, to Marc Lewis, recognizing his many contributions to the convention in the 1980s and '90s. He performed in and coordinated many shows, presented many panels and other events, and acted as auctioneer. But perhaps his biggest contribution is also the most appropriate for this year: He and the Oz Club's Executive Secretary, Fred Meyer, in 1992 conspired to create a new award for the then-named Winkie Convention, the only one of the three major conventions of the day that didn't have one. They gave that first award to Peter Hanff. So it's appropriate that the thirtieth Winkie Award goes to one of its creators. Congratulations, Marc, this is long overdue!

(Photo courtesy Peter Hanff.)

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May 17, 2021: Oziana 2021: The Fiftieth Anniversary Issue

The fiftieth issue of Oziana, the annual literary journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, is being mailed out today. Editor Marcus Mébès offered the issue free to anyone who asked for it online, and these are the issues going out now. But never fear, if you never heard about the free issue offer, it is also for sale at this link.

In this issue:

• The front cover, "Strolling Down Memory Lane" by Alejandro Garcia, depicts a number of characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the styles of several different iconic Oz illustrators.
• The inside front cover reproduces the letter from Harvey Plotnick, then-President of the Henry Regnery Company, successors to Oz publishers Reilly and Lee, from the first issue of Oziana in 1971 that gave permission for the Club to use characters and locations from the Oz books.
• Carrying on from the previous issue, "The Wizards of Silver and Gold in Oz: Part 2" by Nathan M. DeHoff and Joe Bongiorno resolves the cliffhanger ending from part 1 and wraps the whole tale up.
• "The Butter Lamb of Oz" by Nathan M. DeHoff, illustrated by David Valentin, shows the results of what happens when Jinjur must paint a portrait.
• "A Week with Mr. Baum" by Laura DeNooyer, illustrated by Spinner Martin, tells the story of a lonely girl who makes a special friend at the Macatawa resort on Lake Michigan in the early days of the twentieth century.
• "Heartless" by Templeton Moss, illustrated by Darrell Colt Spradlyn, looks at the romance between Nick Chopper and Nimmee Amee.
• Christmas, Toys, and Oz" by Nathan M. DeHoff, illustrated by Mitchell Mayle, sees several Ozian and Thompsonian sea captains embark on a Christmas adventure.
• In a tribute to the late Chris Dulabone, "Buckethead in Oz" by Nathan M. DeHoff sees the title character come to Oz for good.
• In a departure for Oziana, Dulabone is also remembered by friends and family in the magazine's first non-fiction feature.
• Robert A. Baum remembers the trunk kept by his Grandmother Edna in "The Trunk in the Attic".
• The back cover, by David Valentin, depicts a scene, in color, from this issue's story "The Butter Lamb of Oz".

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March 24, 2021: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"/"What a Wonderful World" Added to National Recording Registry

The Library of Congress announced the 2020 class for the National Recording Registry today, and one of the additions is the medley of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"/"What a Wonderful World" by Hawai'ian singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, released as a single in 1993. The National Recording Registry was set up to showcase and preserve significant American recordings, and was started in 2002 under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000. Kamakawiwo’ole's recording joins Judy Garland's original 1939 single of "Over the Rainbow", enlisted in 2014, on the registry.

The full press release, including all twenty-five recordings in the class or 2020, is available at https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-21-015/national-recording-registry-adds-rhythm-nation-among-25-new-selections/2021-03-24/. The complete registry, which also includes the original Broadway cast album of The Wiz, is at https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/complete-national-recording-registry-listing/.

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February 28, 2021: The Baum Bugle Winter 2020

The Winter 2020 issue of The Baum Bugle, the International Wizard of Oz Club's triannual journal, is now back from the printers and making its way to all Oz Club members for 2020. This issue commemorates the one hundredth anniversary of the publication of Glinda of Oz, the final Oz book by L. Frank Baum.

In this issue:

• The front cover reproduces an original Dick Martin watercolor from 1988.
• The inside front cover is an unused jacket illustration Martin did in 1961.
• In "Letters", Oz Club President Jane Albright talks about how Oz fans have weathered the coronavirus pandemic and found new ways to gather and express themselves, while Bugle editor Sarah K. Crotzer previews what's in the issue at hand.
• In "The Bugle Bulletin":
  • Stephen Daldrey exits as director of the Wicked movie.
  • The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of podcast devotes an episode to the Ruby Slippers.
  • Even though it was cancelled, Boomerang had a third season of Dorothy and the Wizard ofOz up its sleeve, shown in 2020.
  • Movie star Richard Gere bought a New York City condo previously owned by Margaret Hamilton.
  • The new comic book The O. Z. was successfully funded via Kickstarter.
  • Popmatters.com has an interview with Broadway's original Wiz, André de Shields.
  • "Beyond the Shifting Sands" remembers these recently deceased Ozites:
    • Chris Dulabone, prolific Oz author and publisher.
    • David L. Greene, one of the charter members of the International Wizard of Oz Club and an important Oz researcher and writer for over fifty years.
    • Alison Lurie, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist whose work often invoked her love of Oz.
    • Harry Naught, whose long illustrating career included Little Golden Books adaptations of The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, and The Tin Woodman of Oz.
    • Joel Schumacher, the prolific Hollywood director who also had an early screenwriting credit with the film adaptation of The Wiz.
    • Myrna Swensen, wife of Movie Munchkin soldier Clarence Swensen who frequently appeared with him at Oz events.
  • "Through the Tube" presents these treasures from YouTube:
    • The twenty-fifth anniversary of The Wizard of Oz on Ice.
    • The 2017 Fire and Ice Festival in Somerset, Pennsylvania took on an Ozzy theme for the festivities.
    • Behind the scenes at The Wonderful Winter of Oz, a 2019 pantomime in Pasadena.
• "Awards and Honors" recognizes the 2020 winner of the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, Gina Wickwar.
• Michael Patrick Hearn examines Glinda of Oz, the final volume of the Founding Fourteen, in "L. Frank Baum's Farewell to Oz".
• Robert B. Luehrs examines the relationship between Glinda and Oz in "The Sorceress, the Goddess, and the Matriarchate".
• Scott Cummings presents several contemporary reviews of Glinda of Oz in the latest installment of "Oz Under Scrutiny".
• Peter E. Hanff delves into the Oz Club's archives to examine how John R. Neill created the color plate of Glinda reading her records in The Marvelous Land of Oz. (The original line drawing, before it is colored, is reproduced on the inside back cover, while the back cover is the picture in color, based in part from an original photo proof.)
• Dina Schiff Massachi looks at the career of the actress who played Glinda in the film version of The Wiz in "Lena Horne: Learning to Believe".
• "Labor of Love: An Interview with Gili Bar-Hillel Semo" talks to the woman who translates, publishes, and sells Oz books in Israel, how she came to also record the audio books, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected what she does.
• Angelica Shirley Carpenter tries to fill in some of the blanks of the life of L. Frank Baum's wife in "Finding Maud".
• In "Oz in the Arts", Rosemary Jones reviews a virtual Oz play, "OZ.ORG", presented during the 2020 Philadelphia Fringe Festival. (You can watch an interview with the director and preview of the show right here.)
• New Oz books reviewed, or at least mentioned, in "The Bugle Review":
  • Bedtime Classics: The Wizard of Oz board book, illustrated by Carly Gledhill, reviewed by Garrett Kilgore.
  • Sky Island: A Trot & Cap'n Bill Adventure graphic novel by Amy Chu and Janet K. Lee, reviewed by J. L. Bell.
  • Adrian: A Lifetime of Movie Glamour, Art and High Fashion by Leonard Stanley, reviewed by Paul Miles Schneider.
  • Abby in Oz (Whatever After: Special Edition0 by Sarah Mlynowski.
  • Flying Monkeys Cookbook by Aunt Deb.
  • The Good Witch of the South by T. C. Bartlett.
  • The Inventor of Oz by Kaitlyn Hawker.
  • The Kingdom of Fairytales Wizard of Oz series by Emma Savant and J. A. Armitage: Volume 1: King of Traitors, Volume 2: Heir of Fugitives, Volume 3: Throne of Emeralds, and Volume 4: God of Storms.
  • A Nightmare in Oz by David M. Keyes.
  • No Place Like Home by Susan Wackerbarth.
  • Orphans of Oz: A Mother's Adventure by Marie Micaela.
  • The Poetry Book of Oz by L. Frank Baum and Tynker Smith.
  • The Shaman of Oz by Larry Springfield, Jr..
  • The Silver Spurs of Oz by Erica Schultz, illustrated by Omar Lozano.
  • Stolen to Oz: Toto and Miss Jennie in Oz (Without Dorothy0,, by Alan Lindsay.
  • A Taste of Oz by Robin Blasberg.
  • The Teachers of Oz: Leading with Wisdom, Heart, Courage, and Spirit by Herbie Raad and Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad.
  • The Twin Witches of Oz by Amanda D. Wallace.
  • The Wizard of Menopoz by Deborah Monk.
  • The Wizard of Oz Puzzle Book by Fabiana Attanasio.
• And Peter E. Hanff writes about the man who, among other things, invigorated and modernized the Oz Club's journal in "Building a Better Bugle: A Legacy of David L. Greene" as a tribute and obituary.

Also included with this issue:

• The ninth issue of The Oz Gazette, the Oz publication for younger Oz fans, which includes:
  • Editor Scarecrow's attempts to create a self-writing, self-publishing newspaper (with less-than-satisfactory results).
  • A look at the earliest existing Oz movie.
  • "Ask Glinda" continues the adventures of Katie Jones on her visit to Oz.
  • "What Did the Woggle-Bug Say?" poses another ponderable problem.
  • And an interview with The Oz Gazette and The Baum Bugle illustrator Mark Manley.
• A craft project to create Glinda's skeropythrope, a magical device she used in Glinda of Oz.

All Oz Club members who receive this issue are advised that this is the last issue for the 2020 membership year, and anyone wishing to continue to receive the Bugle should send in their membership dues (which can now be done online).

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December 10, 2020: Chris Dulabone, 1964-2020

Chris Dulabone, the prolific Oz author and publisher who blazed the trail for extracanonical Oz pastiches, died today after a long illness. He wrote and published his first Oz book, Toto of Oz, in 1986 at a time when copyrights and technology made publishing new Oz books difficult. This proved to be the first of dozens of books Dulabone wrote or co-wrote, and in some cases even illustrated. He published his works, and those of others, under the imprint of Buckethead Enterprises of Oz, and opened the doors wide for who could write an Oz book, and just what an Oz book is anyway. He continued to write, illustrate, and publish books for decades as he reorganized his company as Tails of the Cowardly Lion and Friends, until he recently had his books printed on demand via Lulu.com.

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November 23, 2020: Myrna Swensen, 1926-2020

Myrna Swensen, the "Munchkin by marriage" who never got to go to Oz but was a big part of its legacy anyway has passed away. She was all set to play a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, but illness prevented her from taking the job. She did marry a Munchkin, however, soldier Clarence Swensen, in 1945, and they raised three daughters. When the Munchkin actors were discovered by fans and began appearing at Oz events around the world, Myrna came along to support her husband, and was welcomed by Ozians everywhere. Even after Clarence passed away, Myrna kept going to Oz events for as long as she was able. She is survived by her three daughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

(Family information courtesy the Austin American-Statesman.)

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November 20, 2020: David L. Greene, 1944-2020

Dr. David L. Greene, Oz scholar and founding member of the International Wizard of Oz Club, passed away today. He was seventy-six years old and had been in declining health for some time. He and his twin brother, Douglas G. Greene, were two of the sixteen initial members of the International Wizard of Oz Club when it was started in 1957, and two of the youngest (only founder Justin Schiller was younger), but both quickly contributed much to the Club. David served as editor of the Club's journal, The Baum Bugle, for many years, did extensive research in Oz bibliography, and founded the Club's Special Publications division. He also co-authored the popular book The Oz Scrapbook with Dick Martin, which came out in 1977. The Greene brothers were jointly awarded the International Wizard of Oz Club's highest honor, the L. Frank Baum Memorial Award, in 1965. Outside of Oz, Greene taught English at Piedmont College in Georgia for thirty-seven years and retired as a Professor Emeritus. He was also interested in genealogy, wrote several books on the subject, was a Fellow and past President of the American Society of Genealogists, and edited The American Genealogist for twenty-five years. He is survived by his twin brother, Douglas; his non-twin brother, Paul; his wife, Jane; a son, a daughter, two stepdaughters, and five grandchildren.

(Information courtesy the Whitfield Funeral Homes tribute page. Photo courtesy The American Genealogist.)

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