Genevieve Valentine’s debut novel Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti has been announced as the winner of the William L. Crawford Award. The Crawford Award is presented annually for a new fantasy author whose first book appeared during the previous year. It is presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, which will be held this year from March 21-25 in Orlando, Florida.
The judges for this year’s World Fantasy Awards have been announced. The World Fantasy Awards are presented at World Fantasy Con on November 4 in Toronto, Canada. This year’s judges include John Berlyne, James P. Blaylock, Stephen Gallagher, Mary Kay Kare, and Jacques Post.
Richard Alf (b.1952) died on January 4. Alf began dealing comic books as a teenager and was able to provide a large portion of the capital needed to start the first San Diego Comic-Con. He was active in the con’s early years, chairing at least one event, before stepping away.
The 2013 World Fantasy Convention, to be held in Brighton, England from October 31-November 3, 2013, has announced its first two guests, father and son authors Richard Matheson and Richard Christian Matheson. The elder Matheson is known for his novels I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, and Bid Time Return. The younger Matheson has written numerous short stories and the novel Created By. The Toastmaster at WFC 2013 will be China Miéville.
OdysseyCon has announced the fifth annual OddContest, looking for 500 words or less of speculative prose poetry or flash fiction. Stories are due by January 15, 2012. There is a $10 entry fee for adults older than 18. Youths younger than 18 on January 1, 2012 may submit one story without the entry fee. The 2012 final judge will be Terry Garey. Winning poems/stories will be read at OddCon, published in the program, and posted on the OdysseyCon site and the top three finishers will receive a collection of books.
Fan James “Rusty” Hevelin (b.1922) died on December 27. Hevelin became active in fandom in the 1930s, publishing the apazine H-1661. He attended Denvention 1 before joining the army and serving in the South Pacific during World War II. Returning to fandom, Hevelin became a huckster and frequent con attendee, serving as a guest of honor at numerous cons, including Denvention 2, the 1981 Worldcon. He received the First Fandom Sam Mosckowitz Archive Award for collections and the Big Heart Award. Hevelin was a founder of Pulpcon.
The Board of Directors for ConClave, Inc. and the ConClave concom have announced that the convention will not be held in 2012 due to a less than successful hotel search. The organization is still undergoing a comprehensive hotel search and expect to hold the convention again in 2013. The committee will also take the extra time to determine the direction future ConClaves will take given the changing demographics and technologies of fandom and science fiction. ConClave has been held annually in the Detroit area for thirty-six years.
Chicon 7 has announced a 7 Days of Chicon sale to run from December 20 to 26 inclusive. During this time, full adult attending memberships will be discounted $15 to $180 and Young Adult Memberships will be discounted $10 to $90. Family memberships will also be discounted during this time. Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, will be held in Chicago from August 30 – September 3, 2012.
Chicon 7 has announced a one-day sale on memberships for Cyber Monday, November 28. On that day, adult attending memberships purchased on line will be on sale for $15 off the current membership price. Family memberships will be on sale for $30 off the current membership price. The deal only applies to new memberships and is only good on November 28.
The Nova Award winners were announced the weekend of November 11 at Novacon. The Nova Awards are presented to recognize excellence in British fanzine publishing and writing.