SF Site News

DUFF Race Underway

Steven H Silver — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:51:02 +0000

John Hertz and David Cake, the DUFF administrators, have announced that this year’s Down Under Fan Fund (DUFF) race is now open for voting. The winner (may) travel to Continuum in Melbourne, Australia from June 8-11. Due to the late announcement of the race, there is only a fifteen day voting window and many past DUFF administrators are advocating that people vote for Hold Over Funds, stating that a winner announced in early June would not have time to properly plan a trip or buy tickets at a reasonable rate. One of the candidates, Murray Moore, has stated his intention of not traveling to Australia if he wins.

The candidates are:

Juanita Coulson
Murray Moore

A DUFF ballot may be downloaded from TAFF. (pdf)

Obituary: Jay Kay Klein

Steven H Silver — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:34:36 +0000

Fan and photographer Jay Kay Klein (b.1931) died on May 13 from esophageal cancer. Klein joined fandom in Philadelphia in 1945. He published a series of Worldcon Memory Books filled with his photographs in the early 1960s and provided the photos for Analog‘s “Biolog” feature from 1977 through 2005. In 1974, Klein was the Fan Guest of Honor at Discon II, that year’s Worldcon.

Aurealis Awards

Steven H Silver — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:33:20 +0000

The winners of the Aurealis Award, presented North Sydney’s Independent Theatre were announced on Saturday, May 13.

Fantasy Novel: Ember and Ash, by Pamela Freeman
Fantasy Short Story: “Fruit of the Pipal Tree,” by Thoraiya Dyer
Science Fiction Novel: The Courier’s New Bicycle, by Kim Westwood
Science Fiction Short Story: “Rains of la Strange,” by Robert N Stephenson
Horror Novel: No award was presented in this category.
Horror Short Story (tie): “The Past is a Bridge Best Left Burnt,” by Paul Haines and “The Short Go: a Future in Eight Seconds,” by Lisa L. Hannett
Young Adult Novel: Only Ever Always, by Penni Russon
Young Adult Short Story: “Nation of the Night,” by Sue Isle
Children’s Fiction (told primarily through words): City of Lies, by Lian Tanner
Children’s Fiction (told primarily through pictures): Sounds Spooky, by Christopher Cheng (author) and Sarah Davis (illustrator)
Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel (tie): Hidden, by Mirranda Burton (author and illustrator) and The Deep: Here be Dragons, by Tom Taylor (author) and James Brouwer (illustrator)
Anthology: Ghosts by Gaslight, edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers
Collection: Bluegrass Symphony, by Lisa Hannett
Peter NcNamara Convenors Award: Galactic Suburbia podcast – Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Andrew Finch (producer)
Kris Hembury Encouragement Award: Emily Craven of Adelaide

For more information…

Obituary: Tony DeZuniga

Steven H Silver — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:15:35 +0000

Artist Tony DeZuniga (b.1933) died on May 11 after suffering a stroke in mid-April. DeZuniga was a comic book artist born in the Philippines. He began working in the comics industry there in 1957, and eventually began working for DC in 1970. He introduced other Filipino artists to the US comics world as well as created the characters if Johan Hex and Black Orchid.

John W. Campbell Award Nominees

Steven H Silver — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:06:20 +0000

The nominees for the John W. Campbell Awards have been announced. The award will be presented at the Campbell Conference and Awards Ceremony in Lawrence, KS on the weekend of July 5-8. The award is selected by a jury consisting of Gregory Benford, Paul Di Filippo, Sheila Finch, James Gunn, Elizabeth Anne Hull, Paul Kincaid, Christopher McKitterick, Pamela Sargent, and T.A. Shippey.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
This Shared Dream, by Kathleen Ann Goonan
Soft Apocalypse, by Will McIntosh
Embassytown, by China Miéville
The Islanders, by Christopher Priest
The Highest Frontier, by Joan Slonczewski
Dancing with Bears, by Michael Swanwick
Osama, by Lavie Tidhar
Robopocalypse, by Daniel H. Wilson
Home Fires, by Gene Wolfe
Seed, by Rob Ziegler

For more information…

Obituary: Maurice Sendak

Steven H Silver — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:27:40 +0000

Artist and author Maurice Sendak (b.1928) died on May 8 from complications from a stroke. Sendak is best known for his children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. He also provided the illustrations for Isaac Bashevis Singer’s children’s book Zlateh the Goat. He was involved in the early development of Sesame Street. He received the first Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and also received the Caldecott Medal, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.

BFA Special Awards Nominations Announced

Steven H Silver — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:48:37 +0000

The British Fantasy Society has appointed three special juries to give out awards for artist, non-fiction, and the PS Publishing Independent Press Awards at FantasyCon in Brighton on 30 September 2012. Tee jurors and nominees are listed below.

The PS Publishing Independent Press Award:

Jurors: Sandy Auden, Peter Crowther, Nicholas Royle, Peter Tennant, Darren Turpin

Chomu Press, publisher Quentin S Crisp
Gray Friar Press, publisher Gary Fry
NewCon Press, publisher Ian Whates
Spectral Press, publisher Simon Marshall-Jones

The Artist Award:

Jurors: Guy Adams, Anne Sudworth, Christopher Teague

Ben Baldwin
Vincent Chong
Les Edwards
Daniel Serra

The Non-Fiction Award

Jurors: Djibril al-Ayad, Roz Kaveney, Adam Roberts

Lest You Should Suffer Nightmares: A Biography of Herbert Van Thal, by Johnny Mains
Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero, by Grant Morrison
Nightmare Movies: Horror on Screen since the 1960s, by Kim Newman
Studies in Terror: Landmarks of Horror Cinema, by Jonathan Rigby
Case Notes, by Peter Tennant

For more information…

British Fantasy Award Nominations

Steven H Silver — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:40:06 +0000

The nominations for the British Fantasy Awards have been announced. The nominations are based on 952 recommendations from BFS members and FantasyCon attendees. There will be two awards in the best Novel category: The August Derleth Award for best horror novel and The Robert Holdstock Award for best fantasy novel. The BFAward Judges this year include James Barclay, Hal Duncan, Maura McHugh, Esther Sherman, and Damien G. Walter. The winners will be announced at FantasyCon in Brighton on 30 September 2012.

Novel

The Heroes, by Joe Abercrombie
11.22.63, by Stephen King
Cyber Circus, by Kim Lakin-Smith
A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin
The Ritual, by Adam Nevill
Among Others, by Jo Walton

Novella

Terra Damnata, by James Cooper
“Ghosts with Teeth,” by Peter Crowther
King Death, by Paul Finch
“Near Zennor,” by Elizabeth Hand
“The Music of Bengt Karlsson, Murderer,” by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Gorel and the Pot Bellied God, by Lavie Tidhar

Short Fiction

“Dermot,” by Simon Bestwick
“Sad, Dark Thing,” by Michael Marshall Smith
“Florrie,” by Adam Nevill
“Alice Through the Plastic Sheet,” by Robert Shearman
“The Coffin-Maker’s Daughter,” by Angela Slatter

Anthology

A Book of Horrors, edited by Stephen Jones
House of Fear, edited by Jonathan Oliver
The Weird, edited by Jeff and Ann Vandermeer
Gutshot, edited by Conrad Williams

Collection

Rumours of the Marvellous, by Peter Atkins
Mrs Midnight, by Reggie Oliver
Everyone’s Just So So Special, by Robert Shearman
A Glass of Shadow, by Liz Williams

Screenplay

Midnight in Paris, by Woody Allen
Attack the Block, by Joe Cornish
The Awakening, by Stephen Volk and Nick Murphy
Melancholia, by Lars Von Trier
Kill List, by Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump

Magazine/Periodical

Black Static, edited by Andy Cox
Interzone, edited by Andy Cox
SFX, edited by Dave Bradley
The Horror Zine, edited by Jeani Rector

Comic/Graphic Novel

Animal Man, by Jeff Lemire and Travel Foreman
Batwoman, by J. H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
Locke and Key, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
The Unwritten, by Mike Carey and Peter Gross
The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard

For more information…

Obituary: George Lindsey

Steven H Silver — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:23:04 +0000

Actor George Lindsey (b.1935) died on May 6. Although best known for his role as Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show he also provided voice work for several animated films, including Disney’s Robin Hood and The Aristocats as well as the Starzinger films. He also appeared in episodes of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and The Twilight Zone.

Obituary: Richard Simak

Steven H Silver — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:14:21 +0000

Richard Simak (b.1947) died on January 24. Simak was the son of sf author Clifford D. Simak and collaborated with his father on the short story “Unsilent Spring,” which was published in 1976. He worked as a chemical engineer at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Grounds for more than 30 years.

Clarke Award Winner

Steven H Silver — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:52:28 +0000

The winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award was announced during the opening ceremonies of Sci-Fi-London 8: The Eighth Annual International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film. This year, the award included a prize of £2012. The winner is Jane Rogers for the novel The Testament of Jessie Lamb.

For more information…

Heinlein Award Winner

Steven H Silver — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:13:49 +0000

Stanley Schmidt, editor of Analog has been named the winner of the 2012 Robert A. Heinlein Award. The Heinlein Award was established to recognize outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space. The award will be presented on Friday, May 25, 2012 at opening ceremonies during Balticon 46.

For more information…

Seiun Translation Nominations

Steven H Silver — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:10:34 +0000

The nominations for the Seiun Awards have been announced. The translation categories are presented below. The Seiun Awards are the Japanese fan-voted awards and winners will be announced at Varicon, the Japanese National Convention. The translation awards will be presented at Chicon 7, this year’s Worldcon.

TRANSLATED LONG STORY

The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi, translated by Kazue Tanaka & Hiroshi Kaneko
The City & the City, by China Tom Mieville, translated by Masamichi Higurashi
The Chronoliths, by Robert Charles Wilson, translated by Takeshi Mogi
Dhalgren, by Samuel Delany, translated by Yuzuru Okubo
Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, translated by Hiroshi Kaneko
Millennium People, by J. G. Ballard, translated by Mamoru Masuda

TRANSLATED SHORT STORY

“The Pelican Bar,” by Karen Joy Fowler, translated by Wataru Ishigame
“The Lifecycle of Software Objects,” by Ted Chiang, translated by Nozomi Ohmori
“The Gambler,” by Paolo Bacigalupi, translated by Yoshimichi Furusawa
“The People of Sand and Slag,” by Paolo Bacigalupi, translated by Naoya Nakahara
“Troika,” by Alastair Reynolds, translated by Naoya Nakahara
“The Little Goddess,” by Ian McDonald, translated by Hitomi Nakamura

Now We Are Ten: Old News

Steven H Silver — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:00:58 +0000

Ten years ago today, on May 2, 2002, SF Site news began publishing. The news from that first day:

3SF
British SF publisher Big Engine has announced that it will begin publishing a new bimonthly science fiction magazine, 3SF, in October of 2002. The editor will be Liz Holliday, former editor of Odyssey. Regular features will include book reviews by Gwyneth Jones and SF Site’s own Rich Horton, Media coverage by Alex Stewart, a writing column by Christy Hardin Smith, and a series of reader’s guide to various sub-genres. An annual subscription will run either £20 (Britain) or $42 (Overseas). They will be offering discounts to members of the Glasgow Worldcon. 3SF’s website can be found at http://www.3sfmag.co.uk/.

Bookstore Reopens
In February, the Andromeda Bookstore in Birmingham (UK) closed its doors after 30 years in business. Ownership of the store has changed, and a change of address is likely in the near future. Andromeda Bookstore has an on-line presence at http://www.andromedabook.co.uk/acatalog/index.html.

SFWA Bulletin Editor Resigns
David Truesdale, the Hugo Award-nominated editor of Tangent, announced that he would be stepping down as the editor of the SFWA Bulletin effective immediately. Mr. Truesdale served as the editor from 1999-2002 and oversaw the publication of sixteen issues. Prior to serving as editor, he spent a year as associate editor. Although no successor has been named, Mr. Truesdale will work with his eventual successor to ensure the continuation of the Bulletin.

SFWA Elections
The results of the SFWA officer elections were announced on April 27 at the SFWA Business Meeting in Kansas City, MO. Sharon Lee defeated incumbent Norman Spinrad for the Presidency. Two other authors received write-in votes. Catherine Asaro defeated Lee Martindale for the Vice-Presidency, again with two other (different) authors receiving write-in votes. Chuck Rothman (treasurer) and ElizaBeth Gilligan (Secretary) both ran unopposed. Because of the closeness of the race for Eastern Regional Director, the election committee has decided re-balloting will take place in that race.

Nebula Awards
Only hours after being named Vice President of SFWA, Catherine Asaro was honored with a Nebula for her novel The Quantum Rose (Tor). Jack Williamson’s novella “The Ultimate Earth,” (Analog, 12/00) won a Nebula to go along with the Hugo it was awarded last year. Kelly Link received a Nebula for her novelette “Louise’s Ghost” (Stranger Things Happen, Small Beer Press). Severna Park’s “The Cure For Everything” (Sci Fiction, 6/22/00) received the short story Nebula. The script award (which goes for actual script, not what appears on the screen) was given to James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai and Hui-Ling Wang for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which also won a Hugo Award last year for Best Dramatic Presentation. A President’s Award was given to Betty Ballantine.

April Obituaries

Henry Slesar, April 2
Jon Gustafson, April 13
Damon Knight, April 14
Joan Harrison, April 21
George Alec Effinger, April 27
Richard Cowper, April 29

Henry Slesar (b1927) had a writing career which spanned six decades. Several of his short stories were written in collaboration with Harlan Ellison, and he also published solo novels. Slesar, who also used the pseudonym O.H. Leslie, also wrote mysteries and won an Edgar Award for the novel The Grey Flannel Shroud. He was a writer for the soap opera “The Edge of Night” and also contributed scripts to “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.”

Jon Gustafson was an art historian who wrote columns about SF art for a variety of publications, including Pulphouse, Figment, and Science Fiction Review. He published several biographies in the first edition of the Science Fiction Encyclopedia (1979) and the biography Chroma: The Art of Alex Schomberg (1986). A member of the so-called Moscow Moffia, he had several short stories published.

Damon Knight (b1922) was an author, reviewer, editor and historian of science fiction, whose contributions not only included his fiction, but his early history of fandom, The Futurians (1977) and the foundation of both the Clarion Writer’s Workshop (1968) and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, 1965). Prior to Clarion, Knight founded the Milford Writer’s Workshop (1956), which continues to thrive in England. Knight began working as a reviewer with a deconstruction of A.E. van Vogt’s serialized version of The World of Â, which appeared in Destiny’s Child. His early reviews were collected in In Search of Wonder (1956), for which he received a Hugo Award. In 1975, the Science Fiction Research Association honored Knight with a Pilgrim Award. His best known short story was, perhaps, “To Serve Man,” which was also made into an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” In the 1960s, Knight began issuing reprint anthologies, which led, in 1966, to his creation of Orbit, an original anthology that ran for 21 issues. Knight was married to SF and mystery author Kate Wilhelm.

Joan Harrison was the wife of author Harry Harrison. They had been married for 48 years.

George Alex Effinger (b1948) was a part of the Clarion class of 1970 and had three stories in the first Clarion anthology. His first published story was “The Eight- Thirty to Nine Slot” in Fantastic in 1971. During his early period, he also published under a variety of pseudonyms. His first novel, What Entropy Means to Me (1972) was nominated for the Nebula Award. He achieved his greatest success, perhaps, with the trilogy of Marid Audran novels set in a 21st century Middle East, with cybernetic implants and modules allowing individuals to change their personalities or bodies. The novels are in fact set in a thinly veiled New Orleans, telling the fictionalized stories of the transvestites and other people Effinger knew in the slums of that city. The three published novels were When Gravity Fails (1987), A Fire in the Sun (1989) and The Exile Kiss (1991). He apparently wrote a fourth book. However, legal issues prevented its publication. His novelette, “Schrödinger’s Kitten” (1988) received both the Hugo and Nebula Award. Other stories were the series of Maureen (Muffy) Birnbaum parodies which placed a preppy into a variety of science fictional, fantasy, and horror scenarios. Throughout his life, Effinger suffered from health problems. These resulted in enormous medical bills which he was unable to pay. A lawsuit by the hospital tied up the rights to all of his books and characters, causing a dearth of Effinger material. Eventually the suit was dropped and Effinger regained the rights to all his intellectual property. Effinger was married, for a few years, to fellow science fiction author Barbara Hambly.

Richard Cowper (b1926) was the pseudonym for John Middleton Murry, Jr. He began using the name Richard Cowper in 1967 for the publication of the novel Breakthrough. He followed this with several other fantasy and science fiction novels, eventually achieving his greatest success with the Corlay Trilogy, comprised of The Road to Corlay (1978), A Dream of Kinship (1981) and A Tapestry in Time (1982). TheRoad to Corlay was nominated for a Nebula Award in 1979. Cowper attended the Milford Writer’s Workshop in England.

SLF Extends Application Period

Steven H Silver — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:54:44 +0000

The Speculative Literature Foundation has announced that it will be extending the application period for its Older Writers’ Grant a second time due to an e-mail glitch that caused most of the e-mail received during the original application period to be lost. They are accepting applications through May 31 and invite anyone who previously submitted to resubmit. The winner is expected to be announced on July 15.

For more information…

Eurocon Award Winners

Steven H Silver — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:40:48 +0000

The Eurocon Awards were presented in Zagreb at Kontakt, this year’s Eurocon, on April 29.

Hall of Fame:

Best Author: Ian McDonald (UK)
Best Publisher: Ailleurs et Demain (France)
Best Artist: Nela Dunato (Croatia)
Best Promoter of Science Fiction: The Science Fiction Encyclopedia Online team (UK)
Best Magazine: Galaxies (France)
Best Translator: Pavel Weigel (Czech Republic)
Best Website: Concatenation (UK)
Grand Master: Brian Aldiss (UK)
Honorary Award: Jean Giraud / Moebius (France)

Spirit of Dedication

Best Artist: Zdenko Basic (Croatia)
Best Dramatic Presentation: Divadelni spolek Kaspar (Czech Republic) for its adaptation of Daniel Keyes’s novella Flowers for Algernon
Best Fanzine: Eridan (Croatia)

Encouragement Awards:

Oliviu Crâznic (Romania)
Alexander Ruda (Ukraine)
Marki Istvan (Hungary)
Ilya Tyo (Russia)
Katarina Brbora (Croatia)
Rod Rees (UK)
Lucia Droppova (Slovakia)
January “Johnak” Kotouc (Czech Republic)

For more information…

Science Fiction Hall of Fame Inductees

Steven H Silver — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:35:44 +0000

This year’s inductees into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame have been announced. The Hall of Fame will be part of the Icons of Science Fiction exhibit at the Experience Music Project Museum when it opens on June 9.

Joe Haldeman
James Tiptree, Jr.
James Cameron
Virgil Finlay

Locus Award Nominees

Steven H Silver — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:32:03 +0000

Locus has announced the top five finalists in each category for the Locus Awards. The awards, voted on by the readership of Locus and Locus Online, will be presented on the weekend of June 15-17 in Seattle, Washington. Connie Willis will MC the ceremony and judge the annual Hawai’ian shirt contest on Saturday, June 16.

Science Fiction Novel

Leviathan Wakes, by James S. A. Corey
11/22/63, by Stephen King
Embassytown, by China Miéville
Rule 34, by Charles Stross
The Children of the Sky, by Vernor Vinge

Fantasy Novel

A Dance with Dragons, by George R.R. Martin
Snuff, by Terry Pratchett
The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente
Among Others, by Jo Walton

First Novel

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline
God’s War, by Kameron Hurley
Soft Apocalypse, by Will McIntosh
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti, by Genevieve Valentine

Young Adult Book

Planesrunner, by Ian McDonald
Akata Witch, by Nnedi Okorafor
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente
Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld

Novella

The Affair of the Chalk Cliffs, by James P. Blaylock
“The Man Who Bridged the Mist,” by Kij Johnson
“Kiss Me Twice,” by Mary Robinette Kowal
“The Ants of Flanders,” by Robert Reed
Silently and Very Fast, by Catherynne M. Valente

Novelette

“Underbridge,” by Peter S. Beagle
“The Copenhagen Interpretation,” by Paul Cornell
“The Summer People,” by Kelly Link
“What We Found,” by Geoff Ryman
“White Lines on a Green Field,” by Catherynne M. Valente

Short Story

“The Way It Works Out and All”, Peter S. Beagle (F&SF 7-8/11)
“The Case of Death and Honey”, Neil Gaiman (A Study in Sherlock)
“The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11)
“The Bread We Eat in Dreams”, Catherynne M. Valente (Apex 11/11)
“The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”, E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld 4/11)

Magazine

Analog
Asimov’s
Clarkesworld
F&SF
Tor.com

Publisher

Baen
Night Shade
Small Beer
Subterranean
Tor

Anthology

Welcome to Bordertown, edited by Holly Black & Ellen Kushner
The Year’s Best Science Fiction: Twenty-eighth Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois
Steampunk!, edited by Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant
Eclipse Four, edited by Jonathan Strahan
Engineering Infinity, edited by Jonathan Strahan

Collection

Sleight of Hand, by Peter S. Beagle (Tachyon)
The Collected Stories of Carol Emshwiller, Volume 1, by Carol Emshwiller (Nonstop)
Two Worlds and In Between, by Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean)
After the Apocalypse, by Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer)
The Bible Repairman and Other Stories, by Tim Powers (Tachyon)

Editor

Ellen Datlow
Gardner Dozois
Jonathan Strahan
Ann & Jeff VanderMeer
Gordon Van Gelder

Artist

Bob Eggleton
John Picacio
Shaun Tan
Charles Vess
Michael Whelan

Non-fiction

In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination, by Margaret Atwood
Becoming Ray Bradbury, by Jonathan R. Eller
Musings and Meditations, by Robert Silverberg
Evaporating Genres: Essays on Fantastic Literature, by Gary K. Wolfe
Sightings: Reviews 2002-2006, by Gary K. Wolfe

Art Books

Out of This World: Science Fiction But Not As You Know It, edited by Mike Ashley
A Tolkien Tapestry: Pictures to Accompany The Lord of the Rings, by Cor Blok
Spectrum 18: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, edited by Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner
Masters of Science Fiction and Fantasy Art, edited by Karen Haber
Jeffrey Jones: A Life in Art, by Jeffrey Jones

For more information…

DUFF Seeks Candidates

Steven H Silver — Tue, 01 May 2012 03:15:51 +0000

The Down Under Fan Fund (DUFF) is looking for candidates for this year’s race to travel from North America to Australia to attend Continuum VIII in Melbourne from June 8-11, 2012. Candidates should contact either David Cake or John Hertz and have three North American nominators and two Australia/New Zealand nominators. Each candidate should also have a 100 word statement and be able to put up a $25 bond. The deadline for declaring candidacies is May 11. Send paper mail to John Hertz at 236 S. Coronado St., No. 409, Los Angeles, CA 90057, U.S.A. or Dave Cake at dave@difference.com.au.

Rios Joins Strange Horizons

Steven H Silver — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:53:52 +0000

Niall Harrison has announced that Julia Rios will be joining Strange Horizons and Senior Fiction Editor Jed Hartman in their fiction department. Rios has worked with Outer Alliance and with Broad Universe to promote the work of queer and women writers of speculative fiction.

For more information…

Obituary: Joel Goldsmith

Steven H Silver — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:28:50 +0000

Composer Joel Goldsmith (b.1957) died on April 29. Goldsmith composed the music for all of the different versions of Stargate on television. He also composed for the films Kull the Conqueror, Laserblast, and other television shows and movies. He also worked with his father, Jerry Goldsmith, on music for Star Trek: First Contact.

Van Vogt Award Created

Steven H Silver — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:30:39 +0000

The Winnipeg Science Fiction Association (WINSFA) has announced the creation of the A. E. van Vogt Award, in honor of the Canadian author The award will spotlight the best in Canadian Science Fiction Writing over the past years. The first A. E. van Vogt Award will be presented in Winnipeg in Fall of 2012.

Obituary: Kristiina Kolehmainen

Steven H Silver — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:18:56 +0000

Swedish librarian Kristiina Kolehmainen (b.1953) died on March 27. Kolehmainen founded the Serieteket, the comics library housed within Stockholm’s Kulturhuset. Since 1998, Kolehmainen also served as director of the Stockholm International Comics Festival/Small Press Expo, helping to build the event.

Ireland Takes Eurocon 2014

Steven H Silver — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 16:14:34 +0000

Ireland beat out Romania to host Eurocon in 2014 by a vote tally of 61-16. The Irish committee, heaqded by James Shields, has selected the weekend following the likely 2014 London Worldcon for the convention, hoping to attract fans in the United Kingdom to come over to Ireland and lengthen their fannish vacation. Shamrokon will take place the weekend of August 22 at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin. Guests of Honor will include Seanan McGuire and Jim Fitzpatrick.

Ditmar Nominations

Steven H Silver — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:40:24 +0000

The Nominations for the 2012 Ditmar Awards, presented for excellence in Australian science fiction, have been announced. This year’s ceremony will take place at Continuum 8 the weekend of June 8-11 in Melbourne, Australia.

Best Novel

The Shattered City, by Tansy Rayner Roberts
Burn Bright, by Marianne de Pierres
Mistification, by Kaaron Warren
The Courier’s New Bicycle, by Kim Westwood
Debris, by Jo Anderton

Best Novella or Novelette

“The Sleeping and the Dead,” by Cat Sparks
“Above,” by Stephanie Campisi
“The Past is a Bridge Best Left Burnt,” by Paul Haines
“And the Dead Shall Outnumber the Living,” by Deborah Biancotti
“Julia Agrippina’s Secret Family Bestiary,” by Tansy Rayner Roberts
“Below,” by Ben Peek

Best Short Story

“Breaking the Ice,” by Thoraiya Dyer
“Alchemy,” by Lucy Sussex
“The Last Gig of Jimmy Rucker,” by Martin Livings and Talie Helene
“All You Can Do Is Breathe,” by Kaaron Warren
“Bad Power,” by Deborah Biancotti
“The Patrician,” by Tansy Rayner Roberts

Best Collected Work

The Last Days of Kali Yuga, by Paul Haines, edited by Angela Challis
Nightsiders, by Sue Isle, edited by Alisa Krasnostein
Bad Power, by Deborah Biancotti, edited by Alisa Krasnostein
Love and Romanpunk, by Tansy Rayner Roberts, edited by Alisa Krasnostein
Ishtar, edited by Amanda Pillar and K. V. Taylor

Best Artwork

“Finishing School,” by Kathleen Jennings
Cover art for The Freedom Maze, by Kathleen Jennings

Best Fan Writer

Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work including reviews in Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus! and Not If You Were The Last Short Story On Earth
Alexandra Pierce, for body of work including reviews in Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus!, Not If You Were The Last Short Story On Earth, and Randomly Yours, Alex
Robin Pen, for “The Ballad of the Unrequited Ditmar”
Sean Wright, for body of work including “Authors and Social Media” series in Adventures of a Bookonaut
Bruce Gillespie, for body of work including “The Golden Age of Fanzines is Now,” and SF Commentary 81 & 82

Best Fan Artist

Rebecca Ing, for work in Scape
Lisa Rye, for “Steampunk Portal” series
Dick Jenssen, for body of work including work in IRS, Steam Engine Time, SF Commentary, and Scratchpad
Kathleen Jennings, for work in Errantry including “The Dalek Game”
Rhianna Williams, for work in Nullas Anxietas Convention Programme Book

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

SF Commentary, edited by Bruce Gillespie
The Writer and the Critic, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond
The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe
Galactic Chat, Alisa Krasnostein, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Sean Wright
Galactic Suburbia, Alisa Krasnostein, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Alex Pierce

Best New Talent

Steve Cameron
Alan Baxter
Joanne Anderton

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene, for “2010: The Year in Review,” in The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2010
Damien Broderick and Van Ikin, for editing Warriors of the Tao: The Best of Science Fiction: A Review of Speculative Literature
David McDonald, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Tehani Wessely for “Reviewing New Who” series, in A Conversational Life
Alexandra Pierce and Tehani Wessely, for reviews of Vorkosigan Saga, in Randomly Yours, Alex
Russell Blackford, for “Currently reading: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke,” in Metamagician and the Hellfire Club

For more information…

Obituary: Ernest Callenbach

Steven H Silver — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:25:29 +0000

Author and activist Ernest “Chick” Challenbach (b.1929) died on April 16. Callenbach wrote the futuristic novel Ecotopia in 1975, which laid out a design for more ecologically friendly living and helped spur the modern green movement. Originally self-published, and described as half-novel, half-tract by the author, it eventually was reprinted by Bantam and translated into a dozen languages.

Dueling Adjustment Bureau Lawsuits

Steven H Silver — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:56:58 +0000

The Philip K. Dick Trust has refiled a lawsuit against George Nolfi and Media Rights Capital, claiming breach of contract and other causes of action based on the film The Adjustment Bureau, which is an adaptation of Dick’s story “The Adjustment Team.” Nolfi and MRC have counterfiled seeking a declaration of right to the story, claiming that the story was in public domain at the time the film was made and no payments to the estate are required.

For more information…

First Fandom Nominees

Steven H Silver — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:33:42 +0000

Members of First Fandom have until June 1 to vote on the inductees into the Hall of Fame. First Fandom was founded in 1959 to connect those who had been in fandom prior to 1938. Its membership has since expanded with various classes of member. The Sam Moskowitz Award is presented for excellence in science fiction collecting. The winners will be announced at Chicon 7.

First Fandom Hall of Fame Award

Ray Bradbury
Larry Farsace
Claude Held
Jack Robins

First Fandom Posthumous Hall of Fame Award

Rusty Hevelin

Sam Moskowitz Archive Award

Donn Albright

For more information…

Lathe of Heaven Premieres

Steven H Silver — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:11:33 +0000

The Untitled Theatre Company, which previously debuted an adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep will present an all new stage adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven at the 3LD Art and Technology Center in New York from June 6 through June 30. The play is adapted and directed by Edward Einhorn.

For more information…

SFRA Winners

Steven H Silver — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:25:17 +0000

The winners of the SFRA Awards, presented annually by the Science Fiction Research Association, have been announced. The presentation of the awards will be at this year’s SFRA conference, 28 June-1 July, in Detroit, Michigan.

Pilgrim Award (for life time contributions to SF/F studies): Pamela Sargent
Pioneer Award (for outstanding essay-length work of the year): “Toward a Cosmopolitan Science Fiction,” by David M. Higgins
Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service: Art Evans
Mary Kay Bray Award (for the best essay, interview, or extended review in the past year’s SFRA Review): “Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” by T.S. Miller
Student Essay Award (for best student paper presented at the previous year’s SFRA conference): “Fantastic Voices: Octavia Butler’s First-Person Narrators and ‘The Evening and the Morning and the Night’,” by Florian Bast

For more information…

Shirley Jackson Nominees

Steven H Silver — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:21:50 +0000

The Shirley Jackson Awards were established to recognize outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic. This year’s judges include Laird Barron, Matthew Cheney, Maura McHugh, Kaaron Warren, and Gary K. Wolfe. The winners will be announced on July 15th at Readercon 23 in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Novel:

The Devil All the Time, by Donald Ray Pollock
The Dracula Papers, by Reggie Oliver
The Great Lover, by Michael Cisco
Knock Knock, by S.P. Miskowski
The Last Werewolf, by Glen Duncan
Witches on the Road Tonight, by Sheri Holman

Novella:

“And the Dead Shall Outnumber the Living,” by Deborah Biancotti
“A Child’s Problem,” by Reggie Oliver
“Displacement,” by Michael Marano
The Men Upstairs, by Tim Waggoner
“Near Zennor,” by Elizabeth Hand
“Rose Street Attractors,” by Lucius Shepard

Novelette:

“The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine,” by Peter Straub
“Ditch Witch,” by Lucius Shepard
“The Last Triangle,” by Jeffrey Ford
“Omphalos,” by Livia Llewellyn
“The Summer People,” by Kelly Link

Short Fiction:

“Absolute Zero,” by Nadia Bulkin
“The Corpse Painter’s Masterpiece,” by M. Rickert
“Hair,” by Joan Aiken
“Max,” by Jason Ockert
“Sunbleached,” by Nathan Ballingrud
“Things to Know About Being Dead,” by Genevieve Valentine

Single-Author Collection:

After the Apocalypse: Stories, by Maureen F. McHugh
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares, by Joyce Carol Oates
Engines of Desire: Tales of Love & Other Horrors, by Livia Llewellyn
The Janus Tree, by Glen Hirshberg
Red Gloves, by Christopher Fowler
What Wolves Know, by Kit Reed

Edited Anthology:

Blood and Other Cravings, edited by Ellen Datlow
A Book of Horrors, edited by Stephen Jones
Ghosts by Gaslight, edited by Jack Dann and Nick Gevers
Supernatural Noir, edited by Ellen Datlow
Teeth, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

For more information…

FAAN Awards

Steven H Silver — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:12:19 +0000

The FAAN Awards were announced on April 22 at Corflu Glitter, held from April 20-22 in Las Vegas, NV.

Best Website: eFanzines.com, hosted by Bill Burns
Harry Warner Jr. Memorial Award Best Letterhack: Robert Lichtman
Best Perzine: A Meara for Observers, edited by Mike Meara
Best Single Issue or Anthology: Alternative Pants, edited by Randy Byers
Best Fan Artist: Steve Stiles
Best Fan Writer: Mark Plummer
Best Genzine or Collaboration: Banana Wings, edited by Mark Plummer and Claire Brialey
#1 Fan Face: Mark Plummer

For more information…

Obituary: Richard Harter

Steven H Silver — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 17:49:13 +0000

Fan Richard Harter (b.1935) died of pneumonia on April 20. Harter discovered fandom through MITSFS and wrote fannish articles and attended conventions. Harter described himself as a “compleat fan, a collector who prizes his mint copy of Dick and Jane meet Robby Robot, a club fan who is not just a club fan but also a diamond fan and a spade fan, a fanzine fan whose multitudinous publications, if not always award winning, certainly ought to be, and a convention fan noted for attending conventions that no one else attended.”

Infinity Plus Goes Old School

Steven H Silver — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:38:16 +0000

Keith Brooke has announced that Infinity Plus, known for its e-books, will be releasing Eric Brown’s Ghostwriting, Kaitlin Queen’s One More Unfortunate, and Iain Rowan’s One of Us as their first venture into print publishing. They will also be publishing e-book versions.

For more information…

Ness Joins Kitschies

Steven H Silver — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:18:54 +0000

Patrick Ness, the winner of the 2011 Red Tentacle for his novel A Monster Calls will join the panel of judges of the Kitschies. Ness replaces outgoing judge Lauren Beukes, who had previously won the award. Ness joins editor Rebecca Levene and the award’s co-founders, Anne C. Perry and Jared Shurin who will will select the Red Tentacle and Golden Tentacle, for the novel and debut categories.

For more information…

Sage Hill Writing Workshop

Steven H Silver — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:14:09 +0000

Sage Hill has announced a Writing Workshop for up to six participants to be held from July 23-August 2. The workshop will be taught by Hugo and Nebula Award winning author Spider Robinson. The workshop is targeted at authors who have acquired and moved beyond basic skills in science fiction and speculative writing.The application deadline is April 30.

For more information…

Obituary: William Finley

Steven H Silver — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:17:55 +0000

Actor William Finley (b.1942) died on April 14. Finley appeared in Silent Rage, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Simon, Night Terrors, and The Fury. His earliest films were made as a student with Brian dePalma.

Obituary: Jonathan Frid

Steven H Silver — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:12:23 +0000

Actor Jonathan Frid (b.1924) died on April 14. Frid was best known for his role as Barnabas Collins on Dark Shadows. He also appeared in the horror films The Devil’s Daughter and Seizure. He was scheduled to have a cameo in the forthcoming Dark Shadows film.

Battle of the Toronto Cons

Steven H Silver — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:30:23 +0000

Hobby Star is suing Wizard World over the use of the name Toronto Comicon. Hobby Star has run the Toronto Comicon for several years and claims that the newer Wizard World Toronto Comic Con is infringing on its name and misrepresenting itself as being related. Hobby Star is also claiming Wizard World is defaming Hobby Star by claiming that company is threatening reprisals against vendors who exhibit at both events.

For more information…

Obituary: K. D. Wentworth

Steven H Silver — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:08:11 +0000

Author K. D. Wentworth (b.1951) died on April 18. Wentworth died from complications related to cancer and pneumonia. She was the author of the novels Black on Black, Moonspeaker, and The Imperium Game, as well as several others, including two collaborations with Eric Flint. Wentworth entered the field with a win in the Writers of the Future contest and later went on to become the editor of their book series. She was a multiple Nebula Award nominee and also helped run conventions.

Yeung Wins CUFF

Steven H Silver — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:20:45 +0000

Debra Yeung has been selected as this year’s CUFF delegate. She will travel westward to attend thie year’s Canvention, “When Worlds Collide,” in Calgary the weekend of August 10-12. Yeung defeated Jane Garthson, 29-12-1 to win this year’s Canadian United Fan Fund.

For more information…

Tananarive Due Named Cosby Chair

Steven H Silver — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:37:38 +0000

Author Tananarive Due has been named Cosby Chair for the Humanities at Spelman College for the 2012-13 academic year. The Cosby Chair was endowed by Drs. William and Camille Cosby in 1987 and supports professorships in the fine arts, humanities, and the social sciences at the historically African-American college. Candidates are expected to have achieved the pinnacle of success in their careers.

For more information…

Rhysling Nominees

Steven H Silver — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 02:48:26 +0000

The Rhysling nominations have been been announced the the Science Fiction Poetry Association. The Rhyslings are presented to recognize excellence in speculative verse.

Short Poems First Published in 2011

Mary Alexandra Agner, “Venus to Her Terraformers”
Camille Alexa, “Young Miss Frankenstein Regrets”
Erik Amundsen, “The Lend”
Elizabeth Barrette, “The Shipwright’s Song”
Robert Borski, “Abel”
Bruce Boston, “The Music of Robots”
Rich Boucher, “Response to Botticelli”
G. O. Clark, “Peter and Alice”
P. S. Cottier, “Fingernails”
Becca De La Rosa, “World’s End”
James S. Dorr, “Monkey See”
Denise Dumars, “Folding Money”
Martin Elster, “My Unicorn”
Timons Esaias, “Dark Matter”
Kendall Evans, “Dragon”
Angel Favazza, “Clothes of Yesterday”
Janis Freegard, “Yayoi Kusama goes to Iceland”
Lyn C. A. Gardner, “In Translation”
T. M. Göttl, “Bridges”
Neile Graham, “The Bean-Sidhe Calls in Owl-Light”
Neile Graham, “The Ones Outside Your Door”
John Grey, “Mr. and Mrs. Goodnight”
Sandra Kasturi, “Ode to the Mongolian Death Worm”
Roz Kaveney, “Fembot”
Keith Kennedy, “First Loves for the First Time”
Nicole Kornher-Stace, “The Witch’s Heart”
B. J. Lee, “The Tortoise’s Encounter”
Greg Leunig, “Love in the Quantum Era”
Shira Lipkin, “The Library, After”
C. S. MacCath, “When I Arrived, This Is What She Said.”
Elizabeth R. McClellan, “Down Cycles”
Dawn McDuffie, “Thank God for Proust”
Joanne Merriam, “Love in the Time of Alien Invasion”
Kurt Newton, “Nuclear Stockpile Janitor”
Scott Nickell, “Response to Poe’s ‘Sonnet—To Science’”
Juan Manuel Perez, “Vanity”
Tim Pratt, “Lion Heart”
Sofía Rhei, translated by Lawrence Schimel, “The Magic Walnut”
Matthew Richards, “Ravel: An Etymology”
Andrew Rihn, “The Physics Major Agrees to Take the English Major Stargazing”
Ty Russell, “The Seas of Time”
R. Paul Sardanas and Tisha Garcia, “Luna Satyricon”
Ann K. Schwader, “the more space”
Ann K. Schwader, “Past Human”
Alexandra Seidel, “Lanterns”
John W. Sexton, “slit sea cucumber”
Marge Simon, “The Human Guest”
Marge Simon, “Visitors”
Robin Spriggs, “The Elusive Language of Purple Birds”
Heidy Steidlmayer, “Grendel’s Mother”
W. Gregory Stewart, “idiointerventionist (or, ‘but I interrupt myself’)”
Anna Sykora, “Dead Hotels”
Sonya Taaffe, “Taking the Auspices”
James E. Tolan, “Red Grown”
Mary Turzillo, “Graffiti Tree”
Mary Turzillo, “Moving to Enceladus”
Anna Waite, “To the ancients, the sea was a dangerous place”
Kyla Lee Ward, “The Kite”
Gerald Warfield, “A Greater Moon”
Jacqueline West, “Escaping the Dawn”
Neal Wilgus, “A Modest Suggestion”
Stephen M. Wilson, “Angel’s Den”
Stephen M. Wilson, “Christogenesis”
Greer Woodward, “Closure”

Long Poems First Published in 2011

Mike Allen, Sonya Taaffe, and Nicole Kornher-Stace, “The King of Cats, the Queen of Wolves”
Erik Amundsen, “Desfixion”
Megan Arkenberg, “The Curator Speaks in the Department of Dead Languages”
Elizabeth Barrette, “The Cathedral of the Michaelangelines”
Dana Bell, “Welcomed Cast Outs”
Robert Borski, “Gavage”
Bruce Boston, “Surreal Fortune”
g. sutton breiding, “Letter from the Golden Age”
Benjamin Cartwright, “Terraforming Mars”
G. O. Clark and Kendall Evans, “The 25-Cent Rocket: One-Quarter of the Way to the Stars”
C. S. E. Cooney, “Postcards from Mars”
Lyn C. A. Gardner, “The Chant of the Black Cats”
Lyn C. A. Gardner, “The Witch Girl”
Albert Goldbarth, “Summary: Kinetic vs. Potential”
April Grant, “Wallpaper”
Sally Rosen Kindred, “Wendy Darling Has Bad Dreams”
Rose Lemberg, “In the Third Cycle”
Shira Lipkin, “The Changeling’s Lament”
Elissa Malcohn, “The Last Dragon Slayer”
Helen Marshall, “Beautiful Monster”
Helen Marshall, *Skeleton Leaves: A Collection*
Elizabeth R. McClellan, “The Walking Man Goes Looking for the Sons of John: Six Cantos”
Joanne Merriam, “Tender Aliens”
Mari Ness, “Snowmelt”
Paul Park, “Ragnarok”
Sofia Samatar, “Girl Hours”
Alexandra Seidel, “A Masquerade in Four Voices”
Nancy Sheng, “Guan Yin in the Garden”
Michael Shorb, “Ahura Mazda”
J. E. Stanley, “Speaking to the Hangman Is Not Permitted”
Mary Turzillo, “The Legend of the Emperor’s Space Suit (A Tale of Consensus Reality)”
Catherynne M. Valente, “The Melancholy of Mechagirl”
Catherynne M. Valente, “The Secret of Being a Cowboy”
JoSelle Vanderhooft, “Blood, Snow, Birch and Underworld”
Caitlin Meredith Walsh, “Initiation”
Kyla Lee Ward, “The Soldier’s Return”
Shannon Connor Winward, “All Souls’ Day”
Greer Woodward, “Ribbons of the Sun”
Xanadu (Ofnguyenfame), “Mood of Mind (I)—*Tu Bi Hi Xa*”

For more information…

Aurora Nominations

Steven H Silver — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 01:56:37 +0000

The English language nominations for the Prix Aurora have been announced by the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association. Voting for the awards will begin on April 16.

Professional Award Nominations

Best Novel – English

Enter Night, by Michael Rowe
Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism, by David Nickle
Napier’s Bones, by Derryl Murphy
The Pattern Scars, by Caitlin Sweet
Technicolor Ultra Mall, by Ryan Oakley
WWW: Wonder, by Robert J. Sawyer

Best Short Fiction – English

“The Legend of Gluck,” by Marie Bilodeau
“The Needle’s Eye,” by Suzanne Church
“One Horrible Day,” by Randy McCharles
“Turning It Off,” by Susan Forest
“To Live and Die in Gibbontown,” by Derek Künsken

Best Poem / Song – English

“A Good Catch,” by Colleen Anderson
“Ode to the Mongolian Death Worm,” by Sandra Kasturi
“Skeleton Leaves,” by Helen Marshall
“Skeleton Woman,” by Heather Dale and Ben Deschamps
“Zombie Bees of Winnipeg,” by Carolyn Clink

Best Graphic Novel – English

Goblins, webcomic, created by Tarol Hunt
Imagination Manifesto, Book 2, by GMB Chomichuk, James Rewucki, and John Toone
Weregeek, webcomic, created by Alina Pete

Best Related Work – English

Fairytale, CD by Heather Dale
The First Circle: Volume One of the Tenth Circle Project, edited by Eileen Bell and Ryan McFadden
Neo-Opsis, edited by Karl Johanson
On Spec, published by the Copper Pig Writers’ Society
Tesseracts Fifteen: A Case of Quite Curious Tales, edited by Julie Czerneda and Susan MacGregor

Best Artist (Professional and Amateur Nominations)

Janice Blaine, “Cat in Space,” Cover art for Neo-Opsis, Issue 20
Costi Gurgu, cover art for Outer Diverse
Erik Mohr, cover art for ChiZine Publications
Dan O’Driscoll, “Deep Blue Seven,” cover art for On Spec magazine, Summer issue
Martin Springett, Interior art for The Pattern Scars

Fan/Volunteer Award Nominations

Best Fan Publication

BCSFAzine,edited by Felicity Walker
Bourbon and Eggnog, by Eileen Bell, Ryan McFadden, Billie Milholland, and Randy McCharles
In Places Between: The Robin Herrington Memorial Short Story Contest Book, edited by Reneé Bennett
Sol Rising newsmagazine, edited by Michael Matheson
Space Cadet, edited by R. Graeme Cameron

Best Fan Filk

Stone Dragons (Tom and Sue Jeffers), concert at FilKONtario
Phil Mills, Body of Song-Writing Work including FAWM and 50/90
Cindy Turner, Interfilk concert at OVFF

Best Fan Organizationa

Andrew Gurudata, chair of the Constellation Awards committee
Peter Halasz, administrator of the Sunburst Awards
Helen Marshall and Sandra Kasturi, chairs of the Chiaroscuro Reading Series (Toronto)
Randy McCharles, founder and chair of When Words Collide (Calgary)
Alex von Thorn, chair of SFContario 2 (Toronto)
Rose Wilson, for organizing the Art Show at V-Con (Vancouver)

Best Fan Other

Lloyd Penney, letters of comment
Peter Watts, “Reality: The Ultimate Mythology” lecture, Toronto SpecFic Colloquium
Taral Wayne, Canadian Fanzine Fanac Awards art

For more information…

Obituary: Grant Tilly

Steven H Silver — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:44:47 +0000

New Zealand actor Grant Tilly (b.1937) died on April 11. Tilly appeared in episodes of The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Mirror, Mirror as well as the films 30 Days of Night and The Returning.

Ferguson Wins Collecting Prize

Steven H Silver — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:53:00 +0000

University of Virginia graduate student Andrew Ferguson has won the top prize in the Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia’s 49th Book Collecting Contest. Ferguson’s collection focuses on the works of R. A. Lafferty and includes 200 items including out-of-print novels, obscure magazines that featured his short stories, and books Lafferty once owned. The prize includes $300 and a fellowship to Rare Book School.

For more information…

Yolen Wins Medal

Steven H Silver — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:54:30 +0000

Jane Yolen received the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion, also known as the de Grummond Medal, at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Children’s Book Festival. The award was founded in 1969 and is given in recognition of an author’s dedication and influence on the field of children’s literature.

For more information… (pdf)

Obituary: Andy Vinton

Steven H Silver — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:58:40 +0000

Michigan fan Andy Vinton died on April 6 from complications with cancer. Vinton was a member of the Stilyagi Air Corps and was active in gaming and helped run Michigan science fiction conventions. Over the next week, Michigan fans have scheduled a series of gatherings to remember Vinton and help each other with their loss.

Obituary: Nick Webb

Steven H Silver — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:52:54 +0000

Publisher and author Nick Webb (b.1949) died on April 10. Webb worked as managing director of Arrow and Sphere before taking the position at Simon & Schuster UK between 1991 and 1999. In 1978, while working at Pan, he commissioned Douglas Adams to write a novelization of the radio show The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. After leaving Simon and Schuster, he wrote Wish You Were Here, a biography of Adams. Webb’s daughter is fantasy author Kate Griffin.

Hevelin Collection to Iowa

Steven H Silver — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:47:03 +0000

The University of Iowa Library has announced the donation of Rusty Hevelin’s collection of pulp magazines, fanzines, and science fiction books. Hevelin began collecting pulps in 1930 and his collection includes acquisitions up until his death in 2011. Iowa’s collection already includes the Horvat Collection of Science Fiction Fanzines, the Ming Wathne Fanzine Archive Collection, and a growing body of materials resulting from the Fan Culture Preservation Project.

For more inforamtion…