SF Site News http://www.sfsite.com/news Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:26:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Private ICFA Scholarship Available http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/06/private-icfa-scholarship-available/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/06/private-icfa-scholarship-available/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:58:58 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=650 A private scholarship to permit a person of color to attend next year’s International Conference of the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, FL from march 17-21. The award is a private presentation by Arthur Hlavaty, Bernadette Bosky, and Kevin Maroney.

To qualify for the scholarship, the applicant should:

  • have an interest in race and fantastic literature including science-fiction and/or horror, identify
  • be known as someone who is not white
  • will be 21 or over in March
  • want to actively participate in conference activities/discussions
  • cannot get money from a university to help you attend

The decision will be made by the judges using their our own criteria, including (but far from limited to) any writing you have done that we have seen and if we already know you personally; the decision is not subject to debate.

The deadline is Thursday, November 12.

For more information…
ICFA

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/06/private-icfa-scholarship-available/feed/ 0 Golden Gryphon Sale http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/06/golden-gryphon-sale/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/06/golden-gryphon-sale/#comments Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:39:40 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=649 Golden Gryphon is holding a buy one, get one free sale at their website through the end of the year. Golden Gryphon was founded in 1997 and in 1999, founder Jim Turner won the World Fantasy Award for his work on the press.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/06/golden-gryphon-sale/feed/ 0 SFSFC Awards 2009 SMOFCon Scholarship http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/05/sfsfc-awards-2009-smofcon-scholarship/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/05/sfsfc-awards-2009-smofcon-scholarship/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:08:53 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=648 San Francisco Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. (SFSFC) has announced that Kirsten M. Berry is the recipient of this year’s scholarship to attend SMOFCon 27 in Austin, Texas. Berry has been attending and working on conventions of various sizes for twenty-five years.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/05/sfsfc-awards-2009-smofcon-scholarship/feed/ 0 Obituary: Shel Dorf http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/05/obituary-shel-dorf/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/05/obituary-shel-dorf/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:42:08 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=647 Comic Con founder Shel Dorf (b.1933) died on November 3. Dorf was trained at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before working as a freelance artist in New York. As a teenager, he had helped run Triple Fan Fest in Detroit. When he moved to San Diego in 1970, he decided to run something similar and Golden State Comic Con was born. Dorf walked away from the convention in the mid-80s after running it for 15 years.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/05/obituary-shel-dorf/feed/ 0 Obituary: Qian Xuesen http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/obituary-qian-xuesen/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/obituary-qian-xuesen/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:02:05 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=646 Rocket scientist Qian Xuesen (b.1911) died on October 31. Qian, also known as H.S. Tsien, was one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His work wouuld be the inspiration for the Dyno-soar project. During the 1950s, he was accused of being a communist sympathizer, stripped of security clearance. Attempting to return to his native China, he was detained by the US for five years. In China, he became known as the Father of Chinese Rocketry.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/obituary-qian-xuesen/feed/ 0 SF&F Translation Awards http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/sff-translation-awards/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/sff-translation-awards/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:35:43 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=645 The Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation Awards have been established. Announced at World Fantasy Con in San Jose, two awards will be given annually for science fiction translated into English, one for long form and one for short form. The first awards are slated to be presented in 2011 for works published in 2010. Both the original author and the translator will be recognized.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/sff-translation-awards/feed/ 0 Gemmell Award Grows http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/gemmell-award-grows/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/gemmell-award-grows/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:26:43 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=644 Following the presentation of the first David Gemmell Legend Award, the awards committee has added two new categories, the David Gemmell Morningstar Award and the David Gemmell Ravenheart Award, each, like the original award, named for the title of one of Gemmell’s novels. The Morningstar Award will be presented for best newcomer to fantasy fiction. The Ravenheart will honor best fantasy cover art of the year. As with the Legend Award, all winners will be determined by popular vote.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/04/gemmell-award-grows/feed/ 0 World Fantasy Award Winners http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/01/world-fantasy-awards-winners/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/01/world-fantasy-awards-winners/#comments Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:49:51 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=643 The 2009 World Fantasy Awards were presented on November 1 at World Fantasy Convention 2009 in San Jose, California. This year’s judges included Jenny Blackford, Peter Heck, Ellen Klages, Chris Roberson, and Delia Sherman.

  • Life Achievement: Ellen Asher and Jane Yolen
  • Novel (tie): The Shadow Year, by Jeffrey Ford and Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan
  • Novella: “If Angels Fight,” by Richard Bowes
  • Short Story: “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss,” by Kij Johnson
  • Anthology: Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy, edited by Ekaterina Sedia
  • Collection: The Drowned Life, by Jeffrey Ford
  • Artist: Shaun Tan
  • Special Award—Professional: Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant (for Small Beer Press and Big Mouth House)
  • Special Award—Non-professional: Michael J. Walsh (for Howard Waldrop collections from Old Earth Books)

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/11/01/world-fantasy-awards-winners/feed/ 1 IV Xatafi-Cyberdark Award http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/30/iv-xatafi-cyberdark-award/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/30/iv-xatafi-cyberdark-award/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:48:32 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=642 The winners of the Xatafi-Cyberdark Award for the Critics of Fantastic Literature have been announced. The award is presented annually in Spain.

Spanish fiction book (ex-aequo):

  • El mapa del tiempo, by Félix J. Palma
  • El hermano de las moscas, by Jon Bilbao

Spanish tale:

  • “Mosquitos,” by Marc R. Soto

Foreign fiction book:

  • The Yiddish’s Policemen Union, by Michael Chabon

Foreign tale:

  • “The Index,” by J. G. Ballard

Publisher iniciative:

    Francisco Arellano, for Biblioteca del Laberinto

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/30/iv-xatafi-cyberdark-award/feed/ 0 Obituary: Dean Ellis http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/obituary-dean-ellis/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/obituary-dean-ellis/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:55:47 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=641 Artist Dean Ellis (b.1920) died last week in Saratoga Springs, NY. Ellis was trained at the Cleveland Art Institute, but interrupted his studies in 1941, serving in the Pacific Theatre until 1945. After finishing his BFA, he was named one of the country’s most promising artists by Life in 1950. He had a successful career when he was asked to create covers for Ray Bradbury novels in the 1960s, a job that led to him working for most of the major science fiction publishers of the period.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/obituary-dean-ellis/feed/ 0 Pegasus Winners http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/pegasus-winners/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/pegasus-winners/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:40:43 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=640 This year’s Pegasus Award winners for achievement in filk were announced at OVFF over the weekend.

  • Best Filk Song: “The Wreck of the Crash of the Easthill Mining Disaster,” by Brooke Lunderville
  • Best Classic Filk Song: “Still Catch the Tide,” by Talis Kimberley
  • Best Performer: Heather Dale / Ben Deschamps
  • Best Writer/Composer: Vixy & Tony
  • A Little Bit Country: “Stray Dog Man,” by Bill Sutton
  • A Little Bit Rock and Roll: “Six-String Love,” by Vixy & Tony

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/pegasus-winners/feed/ 0 Valada in Jeopardy! http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/valada-in-jeopardy/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/valada-in-jeopardy/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:36:53 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=639 SFWA member and photographer Christine Valada made her Jeopardy! debut on Monday, October 26. She has won her first two games and continues as champion. Valada, who suffered a major house fire earlier this year, chaired the Nebula Awards in Los Angeles in April.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/27/valada-in-jeopardy/feed/ 1 Obituary: Don Ivan Punchatz http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/24/obituary-donivan-punchatz/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/24/obituary-donivan-punchatz/#comments Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:45:00 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=638 Artist Don Ivan Punchatz (b.1936) died on October 22 after suffering cardiac arrest. Punchatz began exhibiting his work in 1962 and in 1963 he began providing cover art for science fiction and fantasy books. In 1970, he established SketchPad Studio, which became a launchpad for many other artists and taught at Texas Christian University from 1970. Perhaps his most famous work in the field graced the covers of the Avon editions of Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” novels and Philip José Farmer’s “Riverworld” books in the 1970s.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/24/obituary-donivan-punchatz/feed/ 3 WSFA Press Sale http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/wsfa-press-sale/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/wsfa-press-sale/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:26:34 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=637 In an attempt to clear inventory and raise funds for future projects, WSFA is holding a sale on four titles: The Edge of Things, by Lewis Shiner, Home by the Sea, by Pat Cadigan, Future Washingtons, edited by Ernest Lilly, and Reincarnations, by Harry Turtledove. They are also offering a special bundle that includes those four volumes plus Mike Resnick’s Through Darkest Resnick with Gun and Camera.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/wsfa-press-sale/feed/ 0 Obituary: Daniel Melnick http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-daniel-melnic/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-daniel-melnic/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:21:22 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=636 Producer Daniel Melnick (b.1932) died on October 17. Melnick served as the chief of MGM Studios in the 70s before becoming President of Columbia and then moving to Fox. His genre work included production credit on Altered States and Universal Soldier: The Return. he also was the producer of All That Jazz, Roxanne, Footloose, and numerous other films.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-daniel-melnic/feed/ 0 Vamped Contest http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/vamped-contest/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/vamped-contest/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:45:22 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=635 By the Book is giving away three copies of Vamped, by Lucienne Diver. To enter the contest, leave a comment on their website describing your scariest Halloween experience. All entries must be received by November 9. Entrants must be at least 13 years old, living in the US or Canada. There is a limit to one entry per day.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/vamped-contest/feed/ 0 ISFiC Press Sale http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/isfic-press-sale/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/isfic-press-sale/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:41:20 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=634 ISFiC Press is holding a sale in conjunction with the debut of the television series FlashForward, based on Robert J. Sawyer’s novel. Any multiple book purchase directly from ISFiC Press that includes at least one copy of Sawyer’s first US collection, Relativity, will receive a discount on the entire order between 10-40%, depending on the number of books ordered. The offer runs through November 10 and applies to all currently available titles (ISFiC Press’s newest release, James P. Blaylock’s The Shadow on the Doorstep, is scheduled for a November 13 release and is not included in the sale).

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/isfic-press-sale/feed/ 0 Ticonderoga Sale http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/ticonderoga-sale/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/ticonderoga-sale/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:37:56 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=633 Ticonderoga Publications is running a sale on all stock through November 8. All their books are selling between 20-25% off with free shipping in Australia with the purchase of A$100. Ticonderoga is the publisher of Simon Brown’s Troy, Stephen Dedman’s The Lady of Situations, and Fantastic Wonder Stories, edited by Russell B. Farr, among other books.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/ticonderoga-sale/feed/ 0 Obituary: Vic Mizzy http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-vic-mizzy/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-vic-mizzy/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:32:59 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=632 Composer Vic Mizzy (b.1916) died on October 17. Mizzy is most famous for writing the snappy theme to the television show The Addams Family. In addition, Mizzy recorded the song, overdubbing himself to make it sound like there were multiple voices. In 1960, Mizzy began to write music for television shows following a career writing for Doris Day, the Andrews Sisters, and other singers. He also socred several films for Don Knotts, including The Reluctant Astronaut.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-vic-mizzy/feed/ 0 Obituary: Joseph Wiseman http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-joseph-wiseman/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-joseph-wiseman/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:27:29 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=631 Actor Joseph Wiseman (b.1918) died on October 19. Wiseman is best known for his portrayal of Dr. No in the James Bond film of the same name. He also appeared in The Twilight Zone episode “One More Pallbearer,” several episodes of Buck Rogers in the Twenty-Fifth Century, and The Greatest American Hero.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-joseph-wiseman/feed/ 0 Rothfuss Offers Tuckerization http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/rothfuss-offers-tuckerization/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/rothfuss-offers-tuckerization/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:23:46 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=630 Patrick Rothfuss is hosting a fundraiser to raise money for Heifer International. Making a donation through Rothfuss, either by mail or Paypal, will enter the donor into a raffle to be tuckerized in his next novel, The Wise Man’s Fear. The fundraising drive will run through November 15.

For more information…
Heifer International

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/rothfuss-offers-tuckerization/feed/ 0 Obituary: Louise Cooper http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-louise-cooper/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-louise-cooper/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:17:48 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=629 Author Louise Cooper (b.1952) died on October 20. She published The Book of Paradox,her first novel, in 1973 and became a full-time author in 1977 after the publication of her sixth novel. Cooper supplemented her writing income with copy-editing and proofreading. Over the course of her career, Cooper published more than 80 novels.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/22/obituary-louise-cooper/feed/ 0 Lightspeed Launch http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/lightspeed-launch/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/lightspeed-launch/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:13:56 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=628 Prime Books has announced plans to launch a new on-line magazine, Lightspeed, in June of 2010. The magazine will be edited by John Joseph Adams, who will be leaving his position as assistant editor at F&SF at the end of the year. Andrea Kail will edit the magazine’s non-fiction. Issues will include four stories (generally two original and two reprints), as well as original non-fiction.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/lightspeed-launch/feed/ 0 Obituary: Bob Schoenfeld http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-bob-schoenfeld/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-bob-schoenfeld/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:57:26 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=627 Fan Bob Schoenfeld died in 2006 according to recent reports. Schoenfeld got into fandom through comics. He published the comic-centric fanzines Gosh Wow and On the Drawing Board. A member of the Ozark Science Fiction Association (OSFA) and its spin-off, The Saturday People, an invitation St. Louis fan club, and , Schoenfeld was the editor of the St. Louiscon Program Book for the 1969 Worldcon.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-bob-schoenfeld/feed/ 0 Doctor Who Museum to Close http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/doctor-who-museum-to-close/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/doctor-who-museum-to-close/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:57:13 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=626 The Doctor Who Museum in Blackpool, England, is scheduled to close on November 8. First opened in 2004, the museum will remain open from 10:30 am to 8:00 pm every day until then. The museum’s collection of Doctor Who props and costumes will be redistributed to other Doctor Who exhibitions throughout the United Kingdom.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/doctor-who-museum-to-close/feed/ 0 Obituary: Barry Letts http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-barry-letts/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-barry-letts/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:38:13 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=625 Producers Barry Letts (b.1925) died on October 9. Originally an actor, he decided to become a director and producers in the 1960s. His association with Doctor Who began in 1967 when he directed the six part “The Enemy of the World.” He was a producer of the show from 1969 to 1974, during which time, he hired Tom Baker. Letts returned to the show as an executive producer from 1980-1981.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-barry-letts/feed/ 0 Obituary: Ed Valigursky http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-ed-valigursky/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-ed-valigursky/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:30:31 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=624 Artist Ed Valigursky (b.1926) died on September 7 of heart failure. In addition to a large amount of work for magazines including Amazing, IF, and Fantastic Adventures, as well as book covers, Valigursky’s artwork was commissioned by NASA. Valigursky studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago following World War II.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/obituary-ed-valigursky/feed/ 0 Indy Comic Book Week http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/indy-comic-book-week/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/indy-comic-book-week/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:23:13 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=623 Following the announcement that Diamond Comic Distributors will not be shipping comics teh week of December 30, Indy Comic Week has been established, with a call for independent and small press comic book creators to fill the vacancy and arange to publish new materials and offer them to stores on December 30.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/indy-comic-book-week/feed/ 0 Wagner Dinner in Knoxville http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/wagner-dinner-in-knoxville/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/wagner-dinner-in-knoxville/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:19:19 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=622 A dinner will be held by fans or Karl Edward Wagner at Patrick Sullivan’s Saloon in Knoxville, Tennessee on Saturday, October 17 at 7:00pm. In part to honor Wagner, the group also seeks to begin hosting an annual festival in honor of Wagner beginning in 2010.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/wagner-dinner-in-knoxville/feed/ 0 Odyssey On-line http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/odyssey-on-line/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/odyssey-on-line/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:16:31 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=621 The Odyssey Writing Workshop is launching a series of on-line courses to help those who aren’t able to make it to the annual workshop. The first on-line workshop, Showing versus Telling, will be run by Jeanne Cavelos. Sessions will last one hour each week for six weeks, with the entire course costing $295. Odyssey’s Online Classes offer live lectures and
discussions using Web conferencing software.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/odyssey-on-line/feed/ 0 Online Deitz Exhibit http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/online-deitz-exhibit/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/online-deitz-exhibit/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:13:28 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=620 Worlds Imagined: The Many Realities of Tom Deitz, an exhibit held at the University of Georgia earlier this year, has been posted to the internet. The exhibit was originally held in July and August and looked at all aspects of Deitz’s life and career.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/online-deitz-exhibit/feed/ 0 Klass in Hospital http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/klass-in-hospital/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/klass-in-hospital/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:08:05 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=619 Author Philip Klass, who writes as William Tenn, has been hospitalized with congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and gall bladder difficulties. According to his wife, Klass is recovering and will spend time in rehab following his release from the hospital.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/16/klass-in-hospital/feed/ 1 LCROSS Hits Moon http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/09/lcross-hits-moon/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/09/lcross-hits-moon/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:07:18 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=618 The NASA Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) sent a Centaur rocket into the Cabeus crater, making a new crater about 18 meters across. Scientists plan to study the debris arc to learn about the chemical makeup of the region, and hope to find traces of water ice. Although there was hope that the debris would be visible through small telescopes from Earth, no such debris was spotted. Scientists have received spectrometer data and are working to decipher it.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/09/lcross-hits-moon/feed/ 0 Louvre Returns Egyptian Treasures http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/09/louvre-returns-egyptian-treasures/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/09/louvre-returns-egyptian-treasures/#comments Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:00:17 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=617 The Louvre has announced plans to repatriot fragments of five ancient frescoes to Egypt within the next several weeks. The Pharaonic steles were purchased by the Louvre in 2000, even though the museum was aware they had been stoled in the 1980s. The frescoes are believed to have been taken from the tomb of the cleric Tetaki, in the Valley of the Kings. Two days before the Louvre’s announcement, Head of Antiquties Zahi Hawass announced that Egypt would not support the Louvre in any way until the frescoes were returned.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/09/louvre-returns-egyptian-treasures/feed/ 0 Ring Around the Planet http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/07/ring-around-the-plane/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/07/ring-around-the-plane/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:09:39 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=616 An enormous ring has been discovered around Saturn. Spotted by the Spitzer Space Telescope, the dust ring was seen in the infrared spectrum, where it shows a temperature of -193°C (-316°F). The new ring begins about 5.95 million km (3.7 million miles) from the planet and extends for 11.9 million km (7.4 million miles). The ring encompasses the orbit o Saturn’s moon Phoebe, and like Phoebe it orbits Saturn in a retrograde motion. According to a JPL spokewoman, this is the first time Saturn was explored with an infrared instrument.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/07/ring-around-the-plane/feed/ 0 Obituary: Frank Caldeiro http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/07/obituary-frank-caldeiro/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/07/obituary-frank-caldeiro/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:03:51 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=615 Astronaut Frank Caldeiro (b.1958) died of brain cancer on October 3. Caldeiro worked on 52 shuttle launches before being selected for the astronaut corps in 1996. The first Argentinean to train for spaceflight, Caldeiro specialized in cryogenics and propulsion systems and directed the high-altitude atmospheric research experiment program carried onboard NASA’s WB-57 aircraft.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/07/obituary-frank-caldeiro/feed/ 0 Butler Papers to Huntington http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/butler-papers-to-huntington/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/butler-papers-to-huntington/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:13:48 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=614 Octavia Butler’s literary papers have been donated to the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. The donation consists of more than 39 cartons and eight file cabinet drawers of papers and manuscripts which will be delivered to the library and catalogued for researchers. Butler, who won two Hugos, 2 Nebulas, and a MacArthur “Genius” grant, died in 2006.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/butler-papers-to-huntington/feed/ 0 Spectrum Grand Master http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/spectrum-grand-master/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/spectrum-grand-master/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:01:44 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=613 Richard Corben has been named the newest Spectrum Grand Master. Spectrum runs an annual series of art contest and exhibits for speculative fiction. Corben’s first professional SF art sales was for the September 1967 cover of F&SF. he went on to illustrate for numerous fanzines. He illustrated R. Crumb’s Underground Comix and has had a successful career in comics, animation, and book cover design.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/spectrum-grand-master/feed/ 0 Baen Title Winner http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/baen-title-winner/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/baen-title-winner/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:55:59 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=612 Ellen Kaye-Cheveldayoff was declared the winner of Baen Books’ contest to title Esther Friesner’s 2010 vampire anthology. Kaye-Cheveldayoff suggested the title Fangs for the Mammeries. In addition to the book bearing her title, Kaye-Cheveldayoff will receive mention in the book’s introduction as well as ten free copies of the book and $100.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/baen-title-winner/feed/ 0 TAFF 2010 http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/taff-2010/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/taff-2010/#comments Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:53:07 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=611 The Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund (TAFF) Race for 2010 is underway. The winner will travel to Eastercon to help build ties between North American and European fandom. Anyone active in fandom prior to April 2008 may vote. There is a US$3 or £2 voting fee. This year’s candidates are Frank Wu and the team of Anne K.G. Murphy and Brian Gray. The ballot and the candidates’ platforms can be found on the TAFF website.

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/10/05/taff-2010/feed/ 0 Obituary: Jennifer Swift http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-jennifer-swift/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-jennifer-swift/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:29:22 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=609 Author Jennifer Swift died on September 30. Swift attended Clarion in 1979 and several short stories between 1984 and 1999 in Asimov’s, Amazing, Interzone, F&SF, and others.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-jennifer-swift/feed/ 0 Obituary: Pavel Popovich http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-pavel-popovich/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-pavel-popovich/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:07:20 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=608 Cosmonaut Pavel Popovich (b.1930) died on September 30 following a stroke. Popovich flew aboard the Vostok 4 in 1962 and the Soyux 14 in 1974. Vostok 4 was part of the first dual space flight and Soyux 14 was the first successful mission to the Salyut 3 space station. Throughout the 1980s, he served as Deputy Chief of the Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center. He was an advocate into the study of UFOs and claimed to have seen one on a flight from the US to Russia. An asteroid and an Antarctic mountain range are named in his honor.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-pavel-popovich/feed/ 0 Obituary: Emily Bethke http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-emily-bethk/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-emily-bethk/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:02:03 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=607 Emily Bethke (b.1981) died on September 25. Bethke was the daughter of SF author and poet Bruce Bethke and was active in Harry Potter fandom.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-emily-bethk/feed/ 0 Obituary: Mary Schaub http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-mary-schaub/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-mary-schaub/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:57:42 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=606 Author Mary Schaub (b.1943) died September 25. Schaub collaborated with Andre Norton on The Magestone and published many short stories, most of which were also set in Norton’s Witch World.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-mary-schaub/feed/ 0 Obituary: Ben Indick http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-ben-indick/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-ben-indick/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:55:04 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=605 Fan Ben P. Indick (b.1923) died on September 28. Indick published the fanzine Ben’s Beat and the study George Alec Effinger: From Entropy to Budayeen as well as essays and articles in many fanzines and professional magazines, including Publisher’s Weekly and REHUPA. In 2009, he received the First Fandom Hall of Fame Award at Anticipation.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-ben-indick/feed/ 1 Obituary: John Davis http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-john-davis/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-john-davis/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:50:57 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=604 Fan John Davis died on September 23. Davis was active in FAPA, the Cult, and SAPS.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-john-davis/feed/ 0 Obituary: Zanny Dillson http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-zanny-dillson/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-zanny-dillson/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:40:18 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=603 Fan Zanny Dillson (b.1953) died from leukemia on September 25. Dillson was an active costumer in both the fannish community and working in local community theatre. Dillson served on the board of directors for Chattacon for more than twenty years and served in many positions at the con.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/obituary-zanny-dillson/feed/ 0 Sunburst Award http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/sunburst-award/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/sunburst-award/#comments Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:22:01 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=602 The Sunburst Award Committee has announced the winners of the 2009 Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. The award, named for a novel by the late Phyllis Gotlieb, is a juried award presented to a Canadian author for a novel or book-length collection. It includes a prize of $1,000 and a hand-crafted medallion designed by Marcel Gagné.

  • Adult Fiction: The Gargoyle, by Andrew Davidson
  • Young Adult Fiction: Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow

For more information…

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/30/sunburst-award/feed/ 0 Obituary: Barbara Bova http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/25/obituary-barbara-bova/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/25/obituary-barbara-bova/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:59:31 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=601 Literary agent Barbara Bova died this week. Bova has been married to author Ben Bova since 1974. That same year, she founded the Barbara Bova Literary Agency.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/25/obituary-barbara-bova/feed/ 1 Haldeman Hospitalized http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/24/haldeman-hospitalized/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/24/haldeman-hospitalized/#comments Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:46:22 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=600 Author Joe Haldeman was hospitalized in Cincinnati while attending Chilicon, an informal gathering. Haldeman was suffering from chest pains, but a CAT Scan revealed it was a intestinal problem. His situation was exacerbated by pancreatic problems. Haldeman has been placed in a drug-induced coma to improve his recovery.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2009/09/24/haldeman-hospitalized/feed/ 0