Who's afraid of Jacques Lacan? The San Francisco Society for Lacanian Studies (SFSLS) aims to lift the veil associated with Lacan's provocative, enigmatic and allusive texts to promote a more general interest in clinical and applied psychoanalysis in the Bay Area.

The links of SFSLS to the psychoanalytic community go as deep as our founders, whose names will likely be familiar to IMPULSE readers. The society began as a study group in 1979, organized by Martine Aniel, Jeanne Wolff Bernstein and Andrea Walt. Within a few years it had expanded, challenged by Lacan's teachings and the influence of Andre Patsalides, who, in 1988, offered an Introduction to Lacan class at SFPI. That outreach attracted many, and from the late 1990s until today the society has maintained a fairly stable nucleus of 30 members and a mailing list of about 100. Along the way, it has partnered with the Lacan School in the publication of the journalAnamorphosis; sponsored an annual symposium, now in its 16th year, open to all who wish to present clinical and applied papers; offered courses, seminars and study groups at New College and elsewhere; presented talks by speakers such as Slavoj Zizek; and organized an annual film and psychoanalysis program, a Second Look. Our web site, shared with the Lacan School, provides an online forum, the Other, for all who wish to submit articles.

Now in our third decade, we decry imaginary factionalism and look forward to contributing to an ongoing dialogue and collaboration with the psychoanalytic community while maintaining our dedication to the study of Lacan's rich and inspiring work.

Eric Essman, M.A.
President
The San Francisco Society for Lacanian Studies