The International Wizard of Oz Club was created in 1957 by teenager Justin Schiller as a way to bring together fans of the Oz stories. He patterned it on the famous Sherlock Holmes societies that still run in England and the United States, and his initial members’ list was just sixteen people. The Baum Bugle was a four-page newsletter developed by Schiller to share news and views with the various members; it was and remains a major incentive to buy a yearly membership.
Over time, the Club grew, boasting close to 2,000 worldwide members in the 1990s. At the present time, membership stands at around 500, with members as far-flung as Spain, Germany, Israel and Australia.
Today, The Baum Bugle is still going strong and celebrating its 60th year of publication. It is now standard at 48 pages per issue, three issues a year, with color covers and black-and-white insides. It is entirely created on a volunteer basis by members of the Oz Club. It has been recognized as a scholarly journal by the Modern Language Association, but in reality, it contains a wide variety of content. Along with academic and historical articles examining Oz books, Oz adaptations, and Oz authors and illustrators, the Bugle routinely includes book, film, and stage reviews, reports on the Club’s yearly conventions, and interviews with writers, artists, actors and other creatives. More recently, it has begun to feature more personal, member-led articles on topics such as cosplay.
That’s not the Club’s only publication, however. In the 1990s, The Oz Gazette was created specifically for kids who joined the Club. Just a few pages long, it was provided as an “insert” in The Baum Bugle, with news from the Emerald City, jokes, games, and reader participation through stories, art, and book reviews. Although The Oz Gazette was retired for a few years, it is set to return with a fresh, online presence in 2018.
Finally, Oziana is the Club’s yearly anthology of brand new Oz stories. Printed on demand through lulu.com, Oziana is 100% written and illustrated by members of the Oz Club.
Oz Student Art Contest 