How to become a Guest

Who’s Eligible to be a Guest?

Members of the filk community who have something to offer (performers, songwriters, lyricists, organizers, producers, recording engineers, publishers, etc.) who will add to the program of a filk convention; and who can return from a filk convention with new ideas and material to share with their local filk community.

In becoming an Interfilk guest for a filk convention, the guest will be a representative of their home region, their areas of contribution, Interfilk, and the filk convention itself. Guests must ready themselves for all facets of this role.

Who Decides on Guests?

The Interfilk Directors select guests in closed meetings. Given the trust of your money, and the expectations of a guest, sometimes it’s simple, and sometimes very difficult. We take seriously the responsibility of choosing wisely. In this way, Interfilk differs significantly from other fan funds who chose guests by vote of fandom. Becoming an Interfilk guest is not a popularity contest, as that would defeat the entire purpose of spotlighting those who have not been recognized outside the region where they live.

We work with convention committees to find a good match between the Interfilk guest and the needs and the atmosphere of the convention itself. We also try to rotate which areas send guests and which receive guests.

The directors are always on the lookout for the filkers who’ve gone unrecognized as guests, or up-and-comers whose talents deserve notice. Performers, songwriters, convention organizers, and listeners are all Interfilk candidates. The only requirement is that the nominees be participants of note in their local filk community, otherwise, why would we guest them?

However, there are a few members of the filk community who are not eligible to be Interfilk Guests: those who have been Guests of Honor at a North American Filk convention, those who’ve already been Interfilk Guests, and the Interfilk Directors and their immediate families.

Being an Interfilk Guest: Roles and Expectations

 

• Interfilk pays for the guest’s travel expenses, accommodation, and banquet or brunch ticket if applicable. This can vary depending on mode of travel and distance from con. Crossing multiple time zones is taken into account with regard to dates of travel.
• The convention provides the Guest’s membership and programming items. Occasionally, they will also offer other amenities (e.g. memberships for a partner/family member, etc), but it is not required or expected. The convention also adds the name of the Guest to their publicity, and in general treats them the same as their other Guests (bio in the program book, etc.).
• The Guest participates in programming as the con asks (“singing for their supper” so to speak), as well as participating in the Interfilk Auction. Interfilk guests act as ambassadors for their home filk community, and are encouraged to bring songs to sing, or stories to tell. On their return home, the Interfilk guest shares their experiences about the community they visited.
• Other expenses, such as lodging a significant time before and after the convention (if the guest elects to stay longer), meals, souvenirs, etc. are the responsibility of the guest. Members of the host convention often offer to be local hosts, but this is not guaranteed or expected.

Once featured as an Interfilk guest, we hope that the guest continues as a friend of Interfilk, assisting in auctions or other fundraising, suggesting future candidates, and generally promoting the cause.