FAQ

Our most frequently asked questions include the following:

1) What do I get when join the International Wizard of Oz Club?

Every member has access to all the content on our website and begins receiving The Baum Bugle, the Club’s triannual publication. The Bugle contains popular and scholarly articles about Oz and its creators; biographical, historical, and critical studies; commentary on the people and places of Oz; and collectors’ checklists and other Ozzy items. Contributing-level members receive the Bugle via first-class mail; sustaining-level members receive that service, plus the Oz calendar and Oziana, an annual compilation of original Oz stories; patron-level members receive all those items, plus an exclusive premium; and the Wizard’s Circle-level members get all that along with a deluxe premium. Your access to exclusive content on our website includes social media features such as personal profiles, special interest groups, and the Oz Trading Post. You receive a 20% discount on Club publications in our store. You’ll also be invited to Club gatherings, both online and in-person so you can meet other members.

2) Can I sell my books and other Oz collectibles through the Oz Club? Can I have my books/collection evaluated by the Oz Club?

The Club itself won’t be directly involved, but you are welcome to use our free online classified section, “The Oz Trading Post,” to offer your material for sale or trade to others. Members who post are often willing to help with identifying particular things you have and giving you their opinions or leads to help you establish values.

At Club conventions, members can pay a nominal fee to set up a vendor table where they can display and sell new and vintage Oz material to other attendees. These selling periods are usually fairly limited—perhaps a single late afternoon—so that no one coming for the fun of the event winds up tied to a sales table all weekend.

We do accept both consignments and donations to our fundraising auctions; those options can help you find good homes for your material if your primary concern is not getting the full monetary value of your item.

3) Does the Oz Club have meetings?

Yes! For many years, the International Wizard of Oz Club has encouraged three annual weekend conventions that have been held at different locations across the country: East Coast, West Coast, and Midwest. In 2000 we all met instead in one larger, longer gathering to celebrate the publication centennial of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In 2007 we followed a similar plan, holding only one convention—the Winkie Convention in Pacific Grove, California—to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Club’s founding. Members receive flyers about all Club events. Event and registration information also is available online.

Smaller, regional groups have always gotten together to meet for an afternoon or evening in someone’s home, a restaurant, or another venue. These events are very much encouraged by the Club. (Our larger regional gatherings started out as small home-based meetings hosted by members.) The “Oogaboos,” those Oz fans living in the Pacific Northwest, for example, meet annually for a day in one of their member’s homes; in the recent past, a group of Quadlings met in Dallas for a fun-filled, Ozzy Saturday afternoon and evening.

Large public Oz festivals also attract Club members who tend to communicate personally and online about hotels, restaurants, and social times they’d like to share with other members. If you’re attending a public Oz festival and haven’t yet met other IWOC members, we urge you to find the Oz Club booth sponsored at these events and introduce yourself. No booth? Check the names of speakers and other VIP guests; you’ll often find one of our high-profile members who’d be pleased to help introduce you to other members in the crowd.