We will discuss chosen families in real and fictional life. Tell us about yours!

Line Marriage: Multi-Generational Group Marriage, triads and other unusual alternatives are described in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. While some of the choices made in this example are influenced by the lack of females compared with males on Luna, some excellent examples “different kind of family” are offered here. Time Enough for Love’s Tersius colony Family features a large group marriage consisting of many of our favorite characters from Heinlein’s other stories. Their only absolute for being part of this marriage is that all adults pledge to support and to bring up with love all children produced by the Ladies in the marriage already born or in the womb— whoever put those babies in their wombs, co spice or not! This is happening on a planet where the government wouldn’t think of interfering in one’s marital choices and only your very advanced geneticist gets a vote on whom you make babies with. The water sharing ceremony in Stranger In a Strange Land is the best example of Family by choice and has effected families in reality probably more than any other of his books. Church of All Worlds and many other less formal groups including my own intimate friendship network have used this as a model for permanent committed relationships which may shift from lovers to friendship and back again multiple times during an ongoing relationship. Members of a Nest may live together or be “semi residential”. They may live nowhere near each other, but maintain their bonds through phone calls and visits (weekly, monthly, or perhaps a few times a year). The patterns are endless. The common denominator is long term loving commitment.

Which science fiction writings most affected the choices YOU have made regarding family and relationship structure?

Did you discover it’s possible to love more than one significant other by identifying with Michael and Jill and their NEST of water brothers from Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land? Did Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Forbidden Tower make you wonder if group marriage could work for you? Did Spider Robinson’s Star Dancers make you yearn to go beyond even that into the kind of group relationship possible for those connected in heart, mind and spirit? Many of us either built a lifestyle using a science fiction book as a model and/or got valuable ideas about working rules for human relationships by reading stories not limited by the present time line’s social prejudices and limitations. This event is for those already in multiply committed relationships and those who want to learn more about them. Some of us whose fantasies became realities will share how we did that…

LTD ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY follows at 6 pm