The Executive Board of The Norman Mailer Society convened at the Doubletree Hotel in Austin Texas on November 12, 2011. Present were President Mark Olshaker, Vice President Barry Leeds, Treasurer David Light, Secretary Marc Triplett, Mailer Review Editor Phillip Sipiora, Michael Lennon, Lawrence Schiller, John Buffalo Mailer, Bonnie Culver, Denise Pappas, Barbara Wasserman, and Robert Begiebing.
The first agenda item of the meeting, at which Mark Olshaker presided, was the subject of venue for the 2012 and future conferences of The Norman Mailer Society. Mark Olshaker stated his preference that the Board make a recommendation for the 2012 conference venue, to be transmitted by the Secretary to the membership. Larry Schiller suggested that future conferences be timed to coincide with the fundraising gala for the Norman Mailer Center, and that they be held where the gala is held. Schiller said that the annual fund-raising event would be held in different cities in the future, such as Los Angeles, New York, Boston and Chicago. Olshaker noted the attendance history at recent conferences of NMS. For the last three conferences there were 48 attendees in Austin, 62 in Sarasota, and 56 in Washington. ʻ
Bonnie Culver moved that the 2012 conference be held in Provincetown, MA, and that a committee be formed for planning of future conferences in 2013 and beyond. The Board reached a consensus that, for 2012, the Secretary would poll the membership, advising members that the Board recommended Provincetown for 2012 and polling them regarding whether they would be more likely to attend the conference if it were in Provincetown, or Las Vegas. President Mark Olshaker said that he would appoint a committee to look into planning of venues for the next three years, starting wiith 2013. Bonnie Culver will chair the committee, and other mambers of the committee will be John Buffalo Mailer and Deborah Martinson.
The Boardʼs next agenda item was The Mailer Review (“TMR”). President Olshaker began by commending Phil Sipiora on the outstanding work he and his staff have done on TMR. Editor Sipiora reviewed the finances of the publication. TMR received approximately $4,000 in donations in 2011. Although 2011 is the last year for the current contract with Random House for advertising on the back cover, Phil Sipiora expressed optimism that an increase of $1,000 per year could be negotiated for the next three years. TMR will have a balance of $11,075 on hand at the end of 2011. The operating deficit for 2012 is projected to be $3,500. Sipiora stressed the importance of TMRʼs remaining a diverse and eclectic journal, despite its need to maintain academic value because of the imprimatur of the University of South Florida, which contributes approximately $12,000 annually. USF also pays for the shipping costs of The Mailer Review. Member donations to the Review were $460 in 2011. Costs have been reduced as the result of TMRʼs ability to do more of its production in-house. Phil Sipiora expressed the need to do something in the way of compensation for Mike Schuman and Gerald Lucas, who have contributed significant talent to the publication.
Lawrence Schiller made a presentation to the Board regarding the progress and success of the Norman Mailer Center. The Center has raised approximately $870,000 to date. The Gala in New York netted $200,000 after expenses. Schiller expressed the need for the Norman Mailer Center to have an “imprint” in order to help in getting things published. His proposal is that The Norman Mailer Society become a division of the Norman Mailer Center, in the way the the Norman Mailer Writerʼs Colony is now a division of the Center. The benefit to the Society would be in its receipt of money from sales and other revenue. The Society would have a member serving on the twelvemember Board of the Norman Mailer Center. A discussion followed of the potential benefits and ramifications of the proposed new relationship between The Norman Mailer Society and the Norman Mailer Center. President Mark Olshaker appointed a committee for study, discussion and draft of a detailed working document for such an affiliation. The committee named consists of Robert Begiebing, John Buffalo Mailer, Marc Triplett, and Phillip Sipiora, to work on the project with Lawrence Schiller.
The Board determined that the organization of the program for the 2012 conference of the Norman Mailer Society would be handled by Michael Lennon and Barry Leeds.
There being no other business to come before the Executive Board of The Norman Mailer Society, the meeting was adjourned.