WKF n.

someone who is moderately prominent within a particular fandom; cf. BNF n.

[< Well-Known Fan]

Fancyclopedia


SF Fandom

  • 1953 C. Sutton Get the Point! in SF (#7) June 16 page image

    A system of Egoboo Points would then be set up. [...] 1–250 points would make a neofan. 250–500 points would raise him to the status of a ‘fan’. 500–1000 would produce a ‘well-known fan’, 1000–1250 a ‘popular fan’, and above 1250 would result in that most hallowed of souls, the Big Name Fan. [...] And just think of the innumerable possibilities, such as a fan’s being able to sign his name (as: ‘John Q. Youngfan, wkf’), and by adding the proper initials to the end identifying his status.

  • 1954 B. Venable Fansoc in Science Fiction Adventures Feb. 63/2 page image Bill Venable

    From bottom to top, the classifications are neofan, LNF (Little Name Fan), WKF (Well-Known Fan), and BNF (Big Name Fan). With the exception of neofan, most of these terms refer to a status more usually permanent than temporal.

  • 1968 S. A. Johnson Letter in Cry (#176) Sept. 37 page image Seth A. Johnson

    Congratulations on acquiring Vera Heminger. Looks like she is already a WKF if not a BNF. Certainly her contrib on Funcon was equal to most such essays in fanzines over the past few years.

  • 1973 P. Roberts & G. Boak Fannish As She Is Spoken... in Zimri (#4) Jan. 12 page image Peter Roberts Gray Boak

    BNF—Big Name Fan. One of importance and influence in fandom; well-known and with a solid reputation. Eg; Ian Williams or Harry Warner even; note also WKF—Well-Known Fan.

  • 1975 B. E. Pelz in Profanity (#10) June (letters section) 3 (editorial reply to letter) page image Bruce Pelz

    Of course Niven is still speaking to me. He has to, according to this Document that the local WKF’s and BNF’s forced him to sign when we got together some time ago at a place called Runnymede.

  • 1985 W. A. Brenner Letter in Outworlds (#45) 1533 page image Wayne Alan Brenner

    As I watch the hideous scene, afraid to move, almost afraid to breathe, there comes a voice from on high. ‘Write,’ it says. ‘To Bill Bowers. Send him illos.’ ‘Huh?’ I say. ‘I don’t even know Bill Bowers.’ ‘He pubs an ish,’ the voice tells me. ‘He’s quite the WKF.’

  • 1999 M. Cantor Letter in Mimosa (#23) Jan. 47/1 page image Marty Cantor

    Any good faned knows that BNFs and WKFs are often WAHFed even though they have written good LoCs because other LoCcers have produced just the right word you need to express a certain thought and your space constraints force you to place the remaining LoCcers in the WAHF listing.


Research requirements

antedating 1953

Research History
Suggested, and most cites submitted, by Ben Ostrowsky.

We would like to find a recent example.

Last modified 2022-02-14 16:03:47
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.