CanSMOF Inc. has announced two recipients of scholarships to help con-runners attend SMOFCon 29 in Amsterdam this December. Catherine Crockett of Toronto, Ontario and Megan Totusek of Maryville, Missouri will each receive scholarships of $1000 to help them attend.
CanSMOF Inc., the parent organization for Anticipation, has announced it will offer two scholarships to convention runners to help them attend this year’s SMOFCon in Amsterdam. One of the $1,000 scholarships is reserved for a Canadian conrunner with the other available to any applicant. This year’s SMOFCon is scheduled to run from December 2–4.
The World SF Travel Fund is being established to help a member of the SF community to travel to a major genre event. The fund is currently trying to raise $6,000 in an effort to fund its first two years of operation. Unlike traditional fan funds which vote on the recipients of the funds, the World SF Travel Fund has a board which will decide who the fund recipient will be. The board is comprised of Lauren Beukes, Aliette de Bodard, Ekaterina Sedia, Cheryl Morgan, and Lavie Tidhar. The fund hopes to raise enough to bring Philippines fan and editor Charles Tan to the World Fantasy Con in San Diego in October of 2011.
Phoenix Pick, an imprint of Arc Manor, is planning on producing a series of six books which pair an established science fiction/fantasy writer with a new writer. Each book will consist of two stories which may be set in the same universe or complement the other in some other manner. The project is being edited by Mike Resnick. Kevin J. Anderson and Mercedes Lackey have both signed on to participate.
The case against Joel Rosenberg for felony dangerous weapon at a courthouse and misdemeanor contempt of court stemming from a November 2010 incident has been dropped following Rosenberg’s May 2011 death. A Memorial for Rosenberg and benefit for his family is scheduled to take place in Minneapolis on June 26.
Author Leslie Esdaile, who writes as L. A. Banks, went into the hospital in May for treatment and is gravely ill. A fund has been established to help cover her mounting medical costs. Donations may be made to:
Leslie Esdaile Fund
Account #81538801
Police and Fire Federal Credit Union
Operations Center
901 Arch Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107-2404
215-931-0300
The Larry Ashmead Award, named for the late editor, has been created to honor Ashmead by helping to nurture the career of a promising young editor in the field of book publishing. Nominees should be working in publishing for a few years and show great promise. The winner of the award will receive tuition to the Yale Publishing Course, to be held July 24-29 in New Haven. Ashmead worked for several publishers and his authors included Isaac Asimov, Susan Isaacs, Tony Hillerman, and Simon Winchester.
Following the sale of the Griffith University facilities Clarion South used up until 2009, the writers workshop has had difficulty finding a suitable venue at a reasonable cost to hold the intensive writers program. The organizers had hoped to hold it again in 2012, but have determined that they won’t be able to and have placed the program on hold indefinitely, with the hope that it will continue at some point.
The Con or Bust Auction to provide assistance for Fans of Color to attend Wiscon has opened. Bids are being taken on donated items through March 6, 2011. Items include original works of art, autographed books, and more. Originally founded in 2009, the auction was taken over by the Carl Brandon Society in 2010 when it raised more than $6,000. This year, Con or Bust hope to raise at least $7,000.
The South Western Fan Fund has been introduced to help send a representative from the Southern US to Westercon and a Western representative to DeepSouthCon on alternating years. The SWFF is based on existing fan funds and will exist through the donations of fans. This year’s fund will allow a Southern fan to travel to the 2011 Westercon. Candidates should declare by March 1. The current fan fund administrators are Christopher J. Garcia and Warren Buff.