28 April 2003

SFRA Conference Still On
Despite an outbreak of SARS in nearby Toronto, Peter Briggs reports there are no plans to cancel the annual SFRA (Science Fiction Research Association) conference scheduled to take place in nearby Guelph in late June. Briggs notes that "SARS is not easily transmitted, requiring extensive close contact with an ill person." Furthermore, despite the travel advisory by the World Health Organization, the Toronto outbreak of SARS currently appears under control and seems to have peaked several weeks ago.

Wolves of Fenric Relaunch
Wolves of Fenric, a science fiction club in Wolverhampton, UK, has announced that it will begin holding meetings again following a period in which the club was moribund. Founded in 1989, the group caters to media fans and organizes conventions in the West Midlands. The relaunch meeting will take place at the Voluntary Sector Council in Bell Street on May 17, starting at 4pm.

Jodrell Bank Telescope Reopens
On April 28, the Lowell Radio Telescope at Jodrell Bank will be officially opened. The telescope has been undergoing a refurbishment over the last three years in which the paneling on the dish has been replaced with a new high-precision surface. Originally built in 1957, the dish was expected to have a ten-year lifespan. It is still functioning 45 years later. When built, the Lovell Radio Telescope's 76 meter dish was the largest steerable radio telescope in the world and is still among the top radio telescopes in the world.

26 April 2003

Ursa Major Awards
The second Ursa Major Awards, given for the best in anthropomorphic/"funny animal" literature and art were announced at ConFurence on Friday, April 25 in Burbank, California. Selected by the convention's membership, the winners receive an illustrated trophy or plaque designed by one of ConFurence's guests of honor. This year's plaque was designed by Roy Pounds II.
Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture: "Lilo & Stitch" (Disney, released June 21, 2002)
Best Anthropomorphic Television Series: "Greg the Bunny" (Steven Levitan Productions for 20th Century Fox Television; 13 episodes, March 27 - August 25, 2002)
Best Anthropomorphic Novel: "Rescue Ferrets at Sea", by Richard Bach (Scribner/Ferret House Press, June 2002)
Best Anthropomorphic Short Story: "Familiars", by Michael H. Payne (in "Sword and Sorceress XIX", edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley; DAW Books, January 2002)
Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work: "Ozy and Millie IV: Authentic Banana Dye", by David Simpson (Plan Nine Publishing, November 2002)
Best Anthropomorphic Comic Book or Strip: "Usagi Yojimbo", by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse, monthly comic book; 2002 issues include vol. III #54, January, through #62, November)
Best Anthropomorphic Fanzine: "Yarf!" (Published by Jeff Ferris & others; irregular; 2002 issues include #63, January, through #65, July)
Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration: the front cover by Natasha Mleynek (Dark Natasha) of "Furrlough" #109, January 2002 (Published by Radio Comix)
Best Anthropomorphic Game: "Star Fox Adventures" (Designer: Rare, Ltd.; Publisher: Nintendo; released September 23, 2002)

Obituary
Glasgow fan Peter B. Bell, (b.1932) died March 23rd 2003 after a long battle with cancer. A long-time collector and con attendee, his collection of books and pulps dated back to the 1930s. At the 1995 Worldcon in Glasgow, Bell helped in the at-con office. He has left his entire collection to the Glasgow AlbaCon Science Fiction Convention committee to be used to raise money to fund an award within the Scottish Science Fiction field. Although AlbaCon no longer exists, Vincent Docherty is working to make sure Bell's wishes are adhered to.

25 April 2003

Postmark: ISS
The cash-strapped Russian space station, which will not be able to carry "space tourists" for the foreseeable future, has announced that it will open a post office aboard the ISS. People who wish to have a stamp cancelled at the post office can pay between $20,000 and $30,000 for postage. Lifting a kilo of material from Earth to the ISS costs $10-$20,000, returning it costs $60,000 and the astronauts time on the space station is $19,000 per hour. Any proceeds from the stamps will be used for the Russian space program.

Return of Chewbacca
Peter Mayhew, who portrayed the Wookiee Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, has been hired to reprise the role in "Star Wars: Episode III" to create additional continuity between the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. In addition to Mayhew, Anthony Daniels has portrayed C-3PO and Kenny Baker has portrayed R2D2 in both trilogies.

Obituary
Helen H. Meyer (b.1908), one of the first women to be a major force in publishing, died on April 21. Meyer joined the staff at Dell Books in 1923 as a clerk. Eventually she rose to through the ranks until she was President and Chief Executive of the company. After George Delacorte sold Dell to Doubleday in the late 70s, Meyer stayed on as a co-publisher and consultant. In the 1950s, Meyer defended Dell's line of comic books, which included "Woody Woodpecker," "Bugs Bunny" and "Donald Duck," at Congressional hearings. Over the years, Meyer has published numerous science fiction novels, including Vonda McIntyre's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Dreamsnake.

24 April 2003

Asimov and Analog Awards
The Analog Science Fiction and Fact Anlab Awards and the Asimov's Science Fiction Readers Awards were announced on April 19 during a breakfast at the Nebula Weekend in Philadelphia.

AnLab Winners
Novella: (tie) "Sunday Night Yams at Minnie and Earl's", Adam-Troy Castro (Analog Jun 2001) and "In Spirit", Pat Forde (Analog Sep 2002)
Novelette: "Look Away", Stephen L. Burns (Analog May 2002)
Short Story: "The Hunters of Pangaea", Stephen Baxter (Analog Dec 2002)
Fact Article: "Galactic Society", Robert Zubrin (Analog Apr 2002)
Cover: David A. Hardy

Asimov's Readers' Award Winners
Novella: "Breathmoss", Ian R. MacLeod (Asimov's May 2002)
Novelette: "The Wild Girls", Ursula K. Le Guin (Asimov's Mar 2002)
Short Story: "She Sees My Monsters Now", Robert Reed (Asimov's Jun 2002)
Poem : "Eight Things Not to Do or Say When a Mad Scientist Moves into Your Neighborhood", Bruce Boston (Asimov's Jul 2002)
Cover Artist: Dominic Harman
Intererio Artist: Michael Carroll

GUFF Nominees Announced
GUFF, the Going Under Fan Fund or the Get Up-and-over Fan Fund, has begun, this year sending a fan from Europe to Australasia. The winner will travel to Australia and/or New Zealand in 2004 with no requirement to attend any particular conventions. Voting is open to anyone active in fandom prior to Easter, 2001. For full information or on-line voting, see http://www.ericlindsay.com/guff/ballot03.pdf or http://www.ericlindsay.com/guff/ballot03.htm. This year's candidates are Doug Bell and Pat McMurray.

Potter Replaced on Shelves
US District Judge Jimm Larry Hendren in Arkansas has ruled that the Cedarville School District must put J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books back on the shelf in the library. After a parent had complained that the books could harm students because of their depiction of wizards and spells, the school decided students would need a parent's permission to check the books out. Fearing that their daughter would be stigmatized if she read the books because of the official stand, two parents sued for the books to be returned to the general collection.

$50 Million Spider Suit
A lawsuit between Marvel Entertainment and Sony Pictures was unsealed, revealing that Marvel was suing Sony for $50 million over Sony's marketing and licensing of the image of Spider-Man from Marvel in relation to the Hugo-nominated film "Spider-Man." In addition, the suit asks for termination of the licensing contract, which could place Spider-Man films beyond the first sequel, "The Amazing Spider-Man" in jeopardy.

Obituary
Jack Riley (b.1925), known as the "Voice of NASA," died of cancer on April 17. Following a career in the Navy during World War II, Riley attended the University of Kansas and then took a job at General Dynamics. He began working for NASA in 1959, spending 33 years working for the agency's public relations office. In 1969, he provided commentary during the first moonwalk and he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his work with Apollo 13.

22 April 2003

Two Towers to DVD
New Line Cinema has announced the dates for the release of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." The Theatrical release will be on sale on August 26 and the Extended version will be released on November 18. The Extended version will include 40 additional minutes of footage added to the film, as well as new scoring. Pre-Orders for the theatrical version will begin on May 9 and for the extended version on June 20. Currently, "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is the only Hugo nominee for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form which has not been released to the home market.

Seiun Award Nominations
The nominations for the Seiun Awards, the fan-voted national awards of Japan, have been announced. The winners will be announced at the 42nd Japan National Science Fiction Convention, July 19-21, 2003 in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. The awards will be presented during Torcon 3 at the Hugo ceremony. Only the translated categories are listed.

Translated Novels
Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
Davy, Edgar Pangborn
A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge
Freeware, Rudy Rucker
Gloriana, Michael Moorcock
Illegal Alien, Robert J. Sawyer
Passage, Connie Willis
The Reefs of the Earth, R.A. Lafferty
The Telling, Ursula K. Le Guin
Thraxas, Martin Scott

Translated Short Stories
Different Kinds of Darkness, David Langford
Funny Fingers, R.A. Lafferty
Luminous, Greg Egan
A Map of the Mines of Barnath, Sean Williams
Partial Eclipse, Graham Joyce
Pilot, Stephen Baxter
Seventy-Two Letters, Ted Chiang
A Spy in Europa, Alastair Reynolds
What Continues...and What Fails, David Brin

21 April 2003

Hugo Ballot Changed
The Torcon Hugo Administrators have announced that John L. Flynn's short story "A Gift of Verse" is ineligible for the Hugo because it was initially published in Flynn's short story collection, "Visions in Light and Shadow," in 2000. It has been replaced on the ballot by "Lambing Season," by Molly Gloss, which appeared in Asimov's July 2002 issue.

British Science Fiction Awards
The British Science Fiction Awards were presented at Eastercon this weekend.
Novel: The Separation, Christopher Priest (Scribner)
Short Fiction: Coraline, Neil Gaiman (Bloomsbury)
Artwork: Dominic Harman (Interzone #179 May 2002)
Non-Fiction: "Introduction", David Langford (Maps: The Uncollected John Sladek Big Engine)

Ditmar Awards
The Ditmar Awards were presented at Swancon 03, the Australian National Convention this weekend.
Australian Novel: Echoes of Earth, Sean Williams & Shane Dix
Australian Short Fiction: "King of All and the Metal Sentinel", Deborah Biancotti (Agog! Fantastic Fiction)
Australian Collected Work: Agog! Fantastic Fiction, Cat Sparks, ed. (Agog! Press)
Australian Artwork: Cover of Passing Strange, Cat Sparks
Australian Fan Writer: Robin Pen
Australian Fan Artist: Cat Sparks
New Talent: Lily Chrywenstrom
Australian Fanzine: Fables & Reflections, Lily Chrywenstrom, ed.
Australian Production: Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine Launch
Australian Professional Achievement: Jonathan Strahan
Australian Fan Achievement: Borderlands: That which scares us..., Simon Oxwell, Grant Watson and Anna Hepworth, eds.
William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review: Jonathan Strahan

Horror Guild Living Legend
Edward Bryant was named the International Horror Guild Living Legend this weekend at the World Horror Convention in Kansas City. The Guild also announced the nominees for their Outstanding Achievement Awards, to be presented on May 23.

Novel
The Darkest Part of the Woods by Ramsey Campbell
The Hour Before Dark by Douglass Clegg
The Killing Kind by John Connolly
Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost
From A Buick 8 by Stephen King
A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons

First Novel
The Fallen by Dale Bailey
The Snowman's Children by Glen Hirschberg
A Scattering of Jades by Alexander Irvine
The Blues Ain't Nothin' by Tuna Jens
The Horned Man by James Lasdun

Long Form
"Breathing in Faces" by Peter Crowther (Embrace the Mutation)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
El Dia De Loa Muertos by Brian Hopkins
"Mr. Gaunt" by John Langan (F&SF)
"My Work is Not Yet Done" by Thomas Ligotti (My Work is Not Yet Done)

Intermediate Form
"Death and Suffrage" by Dale Bailey (F&SF)
"Pavane for a Prince of the Air" by Elizabeth Hand (Embrace the Mutation)
"Nesting Instincts" by Brian Hodge (Lies and Ugliness)
"A Drug on the Market" by Kim Newman (Dark Terror 6)
"The Essayist in the Wilderness" by William Browning Spencer (F&SF)

Short Form
"The Road of Pins" by Caitlin Kiernan (Dark Terrors 6)
"Details: by China Mievelle (Children of Cthulhu)
"Night Falls Again" by Michael Marshall Smith (Embrace the Mutation)
"Prospect Cards" by Don Tornasonis (Dark Terrors 6)
"The Sundowners" by Chet Williamson (Figures in Rain)

Collection
Knuckles and Tales by Nancy Collins
Lies and Ugliness by Brian Hodge
Everything's Eventual by Stephen King
My Work is Not Yet Done by Thomas Ligotti
Imagination Box by Steve Rasnic Tem & Melanie Tem
Figures in Rain by Chet Williamson

Anthology
Dark Terrors 6 ed. by Stephen Jones & David Sutton
Keep Out the Night ed. By Stephen Jones
The Book of the New Flesh ed. by James Louder
The Darker Side ed. by John Pelan
Queen Fear II ed. by Michael Rowe

Nonfiction
Algernon Blackwood: An Extraordinary Life by Mike Ashley
Supernatural Fiction Writers: Contemporary Fantasy and Horror ed. by Richard Bleiler
Ramsey Campbell, Probably by Ramsey Campbell
The Biology of Horror: Gothic Literature and Film by Jack Morgan
Clive Barker: The Dark Fantastic by Douglas E. Winter

Graphic Narrative
Abarat by Clive Barker
Mike Mignola's BPRD: Hollow Earth issues #1-3 by Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegowski, Ryan Sock & Mike Mignola
30 Days of Night issues 1-3 by Steve Niles. Ben Templesmith & Ashley Wood
Strangehaven issue #14 by Gary Spencer Millidge
The Goon 2nd series, issues #1-3 by Eric Powell
Fables issues #1-10 by Bill Willingham

Periodical
All Hallows
Cemetery Dance
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
The 3rd Alternative
Weird Tales

Art
Clive Barker
Jeremy Caniglia
Edward Miller
J. K. Potter
Jason Van Hollander

Film
Frailty
One Hour Photo
The Ring
Miyazaki's Spirited Away (Japan: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi)
Wendigo

Television
Angel
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The Dead Zone
Rose Red
Saint Sinner
Six Feet Under

Shuttle Manager to Resign
The manager of NASA shuttle program, Ron Dittemore, is planning to resign. According to news articles, Dittemore was planning his resignation prior to thus Columbis'a disintegration on February 1, which would have been the last flight he oversaw, but he elected to delay his resignation until after heading the exploration into the disaster. While a search for a replacement is taking place, Dittemore's position will be filled by William Readdy and Michael Kostelnik. Readdy is currently NASA's associate administrator for spaceflight and Kostelnik is his deputy.

Archaeological Site Unearthed in Illinois
A 1200 year old village has been discovered in downstate Illinois, about 35 miles from St. Louis, Missouri. The Indian village, which dates to the Late Woodland Period (AD 600-800), would have been a forerunner to the Cahokia civilization in the same area. Examination of fire pits has already provided information on a diet based on turkey, venison, a variety of weeds, and a pancake made of the seeds of knot weed. The site was examined by archaeologists in preparation for the owner to sell the dirt as fill for a local highway project.

Ship Stern Unlikely to Be Saved
The city council of Newport, Wales, has stated that engineers have determined it is too dangerous and expensive to save and preserve the stern of a medieval ship discovered last year on the banks of the river Usk. Although the main timbers from the ship have been retrieved, to recover the stern engineers will have to excavate under a Victorian dock. The ship, built around 1465, is a unique discovery in Britain and one of only a handful of ships from that period preserved in this state.

20 April 2003

Nebula Winners
The SFWA presented this year's Nebulas at a banquet in Philadlphia on April 19, 2003. The winners were:
Best Novel: American Gods, Neil Gaiman
Best Novella: Bronte's Egg, Richard Chwedyk
Best Novelette: Hell is the Absence of God, Ted Chiang
Best Short Story: Creature, Carol Emshwiller
Best Script: "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and Peter Jackson
Grand Master: Ursula K. Le Guin

19 April 2003

New SFWA Officers Elected
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has announced the officers for the 2003-2004 year. There was a tie for Overseas Regional Director between Sean McMullen and James A. Hartley. A second ballot will be scheduled for the position in accordance with the organization's bylaws.

President: Catherine Asaro
Vice President: Andrew Burt
Secretary: Kathy D. Wentworth
Treasurer: Lawrence Watt-Evans
Western Regional Director: Sheila Finch

Dick Award Presented
Carol Emshwiller's novel The Mount has won the Philip K. Dick Award for best original paperback, announced at Norwescon on April 18. China Miéville received a special citation for his novel The Scar.

Obituary
Jacques Chambon (b. 1942) died of an heart attack on April 16 in Marcillac-la-Croisille, France. Chambon was an active SF critic in the 1960s and 1970s and collaborated on the French version of Fantasy & Science Fiction, called simply Fiction. He has served as the editor of the "Presence du Futur" line for Editions Denoel and the "Imagine" line for Editions Flammarion.

18 April 2003

Hugo Nominations (corrected)
Torcon 3 has announced this year's Hugo Ballot. All members of Torcon may vote, with the deadline for returning ballots being July 31. The Hugos will be presented on Saturday, August 30 at Torcon. There are six nominees in the Novella category due to a tie in fifth place.

Best Novel
Bones of the Earth, Michael Swanwick (Eos)
Hominids, Robert J. Sawyer (Analog 1-4/2002, Tor)
Kiln People, David Brin (Tor) (Kil'n People, in Britain)
The Scar, China Miéville (Macmillan, Del Rey)
The Years of Rice and Salt, Kim Stanley Robinson (Bantam)

Best Novella
A Year in the Linear City, Paul di Filippo (PS Publishing)
"Breathmoss," Ian R. MacLeod (Asimov's, 5/02)
"Brontė's Egg," Richard Chwedyk (F&SF, 8/02)
Coraline, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
"In Spirit," Pat Forde (Analog, 9/02)
"The Political Officer," Charles Coleman Finlay (F&SF, 4/02)

Best Novelette
"Halo," Charles Stross (Asimov's, 6/02)
"Madonna of the Maquiladora" by Gregory Frost (Asimov's 5/02)
"Presence," Maureen F. McHugh (F&SF, 3/02)
"Slow Life," Michael Swanwick (Analog, 12/02)
"The Wild Girls," Ursula K. Le Guin (Asimov's, 3/02)

Best Short Story
"Lambing Season," Molly Gloss (Asimov's 7/2002)
"Creation," Jeffrey Ford (F&SF, 5/02)
"Falling Onto Mars," Geoffrey A. Landis (Analog, 7-8/02)
"'Hello,' Said the Stick," Michael Swanwick (Analog, 3/02)
"The Little Cat Laughed to See Such Sport," Michael Swanwick (Asimov's, 10-11/02)

Best Related Book
The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction, Justine Larbeleister (Wesleyan University Press)
Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril, Judith Merril & Emily Pohl-Merril (Between the Lions)
Dragonhenge, Bob Eggleton & John Grant (Paper Tiger)
Ray Bradbury: An Illustrated Life, Jerry Weist (Morrow)
Spectrum 9: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, Cathy Fenner & Arnie Fenner (Underwood Books)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form
Star Trek: Enterprise, "A Night in Sickbay" (Paramount Television), Directed by David Straiton; Teleplay by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
Star Trek: Enterprise, "Carbon Creek" (Paramount Television), Directed by James Contner; Story by Rick Berman, Brannon Braga & Dan O'Shannon; Teleplay by Chris Black
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Conversations with Dead People" (20th Century Fox Television/Mutant Enemy, Inc.), Directed by Nick Marck, Teleplay by Jane Espenson & Drew Goddard
Firefly, "Serenity" (20th Century Fox Television/Mutant Enemy, Inc.), Directed by Joss Whedon; Teleplay by Joss Whedon
Angel, "Waiting in the Wings" (20th Century Fox Television/Mutant Enemy, Inc.) , Directed by Joss Whedon; Teleplay by Joss Whedon

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Warner Bros.), Directed by Chris Columbus; Screenplay by Steve Kloves; based on the novel by J.K. Rowling
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (New Line Cinema), Directed by Peter Jackson; Screenplay by Fran Walsh, Phillippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair & Peter Jackson, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien
Minority Report (20th Century Fox & DreamWorks SKG), Directed by Steven Spielberg; Screenplay by Scott Frank & Jon Cohen; based on the story by Philip K. Dick
Spider-Man (Columbia Pictures), Directed by Sam Raimi; Screenplay by David Koepp; based on the comic book character created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee
Spirited Away (Studio Ghibli & Walt Disney Pictures); Directed by Haya Miyazaki; Screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki (English version by Cindy Davis Hewitt and Donald H. Hewitt)

Best Professional Editor
Ellen Datlow
Gardner Dozois
David Hartwell
Stanley Schmidt
Gordon van Gelder

Best Professional Artist
Jim Burns
David A. Cherry
Bob Eggleton
Frank Kelly Freas
Donato Giancola

Best Semiprozine
Ansible, edited by David Langford
Interzone, edited by David Pringle
Locus, edited by Charles N. Brown, Jennifer A. Hall, and Kirsten Gong-Wong
The New York Review of Science Fiction, edited by David A. Hartwell, Kathryn Cramer, and Kevin Maroney
Speculations, edited by Kent Brewster

Best Fanzine
Challenger, edited by Guy H. Lillian III
Emerald City, edited by Cheryl Morgan
File 770, edited by Mike Glyer
Mimosa, edited by Rich & Nicki Lynch
Plokta, edited by Alison Scott, Steve Davies & Mike Scott

Best Fan Writer
Bob Devney
John L. Flynn
Mike Glyer
Dave Langford
Steven H Silver

Best Fan Artist
Brad W. Foster
Teddy Harvia
Sue Mason
Steve Stiles
Frank Wu

John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (not a Hugo)
Charles Coleman Finlay (2nd year of eligibility)
David D. Levine (1st year of eligibility)
Karin Lowachee (1st year of eligibility)
Wen Spencer (2nd year of eligibility)
Ken Wharton (2nd year of eligibility)

Experience Science Fiction in Seattle
Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen has announced plans to build a science fiction museum, called the Science Fiction Experience, in Seattle, Washington. Although final plans haven't been made, Allen, who will invest between $10 and $20 million of his own fortune, envisions something that is part museum and part amusement park. SFX (for the Science Fiction Experience) will fill a 13,000 foot space and is slated to open in the summer of 2004. The advisory board included SF luminaries including Greg Bear, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and Octavia Butler. Plans call for a Hall of Fame to be included. Allen traces his interest in science fiction to reading a copy of Heinlein's Rocketship Galileo when he was young.

Tolkien's House Sold
The home in which J.R.R. Tolkien lived beginning in 1918 while working at the Ashmolean in Oxford has sold for £745,000 (US$1.1 million) following a bidding war. The Tolkien Society, which had wanted to purchase the house was unable to come up with the funds. The Georgian house at 50 Saint John Street, Oxford, will need work, since its kitchen was removed during a previous renovation. Reports state that the new owner, a single man in his twenties, has no interest in J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings Stamp to be Issued
The Royal Mail in Britain has announced that it will issue a stamp in January, 2004 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the publishing of the first two books of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

16 April 2003

Armstrong Bio
The most enigmatic of the moonwalkers, Neil Armstrong, who mostly retired from public life after becoming the first man to walk on the surface of the moon, has authorized historian James Hansen to write a biography of him. Hansen will have access to Armstrong's private records for the book which will trace Armstrong's life from his boyhood in Ohio through his service in Korea, the space program and the present day. The biography is tentatively entitled First Man and will be published by Simon and Schuster.

SF Props Auctioned
On April 26, Profiles in History will auction of numerous science fiction related props from a variety of films on E-bay. Some of the items for auction include a complete Burt Ward Robin Costume, a complete Frank Gorshin Riddler costume, Klaatu's spaceship from "The Day the Earth Stood Still," a Sandworm head from Dune, a shield from the 1933 King Kong, the mask from the movie of the same name, an original Darth Vader helmet, a flying Christopher Reeve Superman model, Johnny Weismuller's Tarzan loincloth, numerous Star Trek items, and much more.

Canada to Fund SF-Detective Noir Series
The Canadian Television Fund awarded Cdn$2,300,000 to help fund production of "Charlie Jade," an hour-long science-fiction film-noir detective television series set to air on Canada's Space: The Imagination Station. Currently in pre-production, the series executive producers are Robert Wertheimer, who produced the shows "Due South" and "Robocop" and Nebula Award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer. Sawyer will also serve as head writer on the show, which is expected to begin airing in September 2004.

Intersection at 1000
Intersection, the 2005 Worldcon to be held in Glasgow, has announced that Irish Fan David Forsythe became their 1,000th attending member on March 21, 2003.

MTV Movie Award Nominations
The twelfth annual MTV Movie Awards will be presented on May 31 in Los Angeles and broadcast on June 5. This year's awards add a new category, Virtual Performance. The complete list of nominees (in categories which feature works of genre interest) are:

Best Movie
8 Mile
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Spider-Man
Barbershop
The Ring

Best Male Performance
Eminem (8 Mile)
Vin Diesel (XXX)
Leonardo di Caprio (Catch Me If You Can)
Tobey McGuire (Spider-Man)
Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)

Best Female Performance
Reese Witherspoon (Sweet Home Alabama)
Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man)
Halle Berry (Die Another Day)
Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days)
Queen Latifah (Chicago)

Best Comedic Performance
Mike Myers (Austin Powers in Goldmember)
Will Ferrell (Old School)
Cedric the Entertainer (Barbershop)
Adam Sandler (Mr. Deeds)
Johnny Knoxville (Jackass: the Movie)

Best On-Screen Team
Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughan & Luke Wilson (Old School)
Elijah Woods, Sean Astin & Gollum (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez & Sanoe Lake (Blue Crush)
Jackie Chan & Owen Wilson (Shanghai Knights)
Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O & Chris Pontius (Jackass: the Movie)

Best Villain
Mike Myers (Austin Powers in Goldmember)
Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man)
Colin Farrell (Daredevil)
Daveigh Chase (The Ring)
Daniel Day-Lewis (The Gangs of New York)

Breakthrough Female
Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding)
Beyoncé Knowles (Austin Powers in Goldmember)
Jennifer Garner (Daredevil)
Eve (Barbershop)
Kate Bosworth (Blue Crush)
Maggie Gyllenhall (Secretary)

Best Kiss
Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst (Spider-Man)
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner (Daredevil)
Nick Cannon and Zoe Saldana (Drumline)
Leonardo di Caprio and Cameron Diaz (The Gangs of New York)
Adam Sandler and Emily Watson (Punch-Drunk Love)

Best Fight
Yoda vs, Christopher Lee (Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones)
Jet Li vs. the Ultimate Fighters (Cradle 2 the Grave)
Johnny Knoxville vs. Butterbean (Jackass: the Movie)
Fann Wong vs. the Palace Guards (Shanghai Knights)

Best Action Sequence
Collision on Highway 23 (Final Destination 2)
The Battle for Helm's Deep (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
The Escape (The Minority Report)
The Arena Conflict (Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones)

Best Virtual Performance
Yoda (Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones)
Kangaroo Jack (Kangaroo Jack)
Gollum (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
Dobby (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Scooby-Doo (Scooby-Doo)

Rowena Morrell Update
Rowena, whose works have been shown in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces, has noted that she abhors the fact that the paintings were found there and has said that she would like to have them returned if possible. The painting King Dragon, which has been prominently featured accompanying several news articles, was sold several years ago to a Japanese collector for $20,000.

Obituary
Henry Beck, Sr. (b. 1925) died on April 10. Beck was a long-time participant in Chicago area fandom along with his wife, Martha (formerly Manos), who he married in 1949. Beck was a half-brother to the fan-dancer Sally Rand. At the time of his death, Back was living in Payson, AZ, where he and Martha had retired. Martha Beck died in 2002. Beck is survived by his daughter, Irene Louise Komp, and son, Henry Beck, Jr.

15 April 2003

Pioneer Award
The SFRA has announced that this year's Pioneer Award for best critical essay length writing will be presented at the SFRA Conference in Guelph, Canada to Lance Olsen for the essay "Omniphage" from the collection Edging Into the Future, edited by Veronica Hollinger and Joan Gordon.

Mary Kay Bray Award
Farah Mendelsohn has been named the recipient of the Mary Kay Bray Award for her review of Kim Stanley Robinson's novel The Year of Rice and Salt. The award is presented by a committee of judges for the best article to appear in the SFRA (Science Fiction Research Association) Review. This year's judges included Margaret McBride, Jeff Prickman, and Michael Levy. This is the second year the Mary Kay Bray Award has been awarded.

Clareson Award
Joe Sanders has been awarded the Clareson Award for Distinguished Service by the SFRA. The award is presented by a panel of judges which this year included Carolyn Wendell, Mack Hassler, and Wendy Bousfield. The award is presented for outstanding service activities, including promotion of SF, teaching and studying, editing, reviewing, and similar types of activity. The Clareson Award was established in 1996.

Robert Forward Autobiography On-Line
Following Robert Forward's death on September 21, 2002, his family has elected to post the first, uncompleted draft of an autobiography he was working on when he died. The text, about twenty-five pages, is available at www.robertforward.com. Forward was the author of the novels Dragon's Egg, Rocheworld and others.

Meteorites on Display
The Field Museum of Chicago has worked quickly, going into competition with private collectors, to acquire several of the meteorites that fell on the Chicago suburb of Park Forest on March 28. The meteorites will go on exhibit at the museum and will include a 2½ pound rock purchased from Bob Matthias and the 1/3 pound fragment which punched a hole in the Park Forest Fire Department. The largest rock found, at just over 6 pounds will be exhibited at the nearby Adler Planetarium. The two Chicago museums were joined in a consortium by the University of Chicago, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington and the Planetary Studies Foundation in their quest to acquire the fragments.

14 April 2003

Prometheus Award Nominations
The ballot for the Prometheus Awards, presented annually at Worldcon by the Libertarian Futurist Society, has been released. This years ballot includes:

Novel
Dark Light, by Ken MacLeod
Escape from Heaven, by J. Neil Schulman
The Haunted Air, by F. Paul Wilson
Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett
Schild's Ladder, by Greg Egan

Hall of Fame
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis
The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
"Requiem," by Robert A. Heinlein
That Hideous Strength, by C.S. Lewis

Wilson received the inaugural award in 1979 and Hall of Fame Awards in 1990 and 1991, MacLeod has won two awards (1996, 1998) and Schulman has won one novel award (1984) and one Hall of Fame award (1989). Heinlein currently has won the Hall of Fame award 5 times.

Authors Against PATRIOT Act
Portland Peaceful Response Coalition (PPRC) sponsored a protest against the USA PATRIOT Act on April 12 in Shemansky Park in Portland, Oregon. Speakers included SF authors Ursula K. Le Guin and L. Timmel Duchamp. The protest included a mass check out at the Multnomah Public Library of books listed as "subversive," including The Anarchist Cookbook and the Koran. The protest came at a time when the administration and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) called for abolishing the sunset clause of the PATRIOT Act, which was included to limit the length of time the additional powers granted the government by the act would be in effect.

King & Williamson Honored
The Horror Writer's Association has announced that it will present lifetime achievement awards to Stephen King and Jerry Williamson (J.N. Williamson) at the HWA Annual Conference in New York. The conference, at which the Stoker Awards will be presented, will be held in New York from June 6-8.

Lunar Notebook Auctioned
The navigational notebook used by Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin during the first lunar landing on July 20, 1969 was auctioned off by Swann Galleries on April 12. The notebook, which contained notations by both Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, fetched $225,000 from an unnamed Pennsylvania art and autograph dealer. Other lunar- related objects, including a navigational map used by Charles Duke on Apollo XVI and a glove worn by Eugene Cernan, the last man on the moon, failed to sell.

Eastercon 05 Bid
Fran Dowd is chairing a bid for Paragon 2 to be the 2005 Eastercon at the Hanover International Hotel in Hinckley, Leicestershire, the site of this year's Seacon 03/Eastercon. The site will be selected on Saturday, April 19 at noon during Seacon 03.

Martian Landing Sites
NASA has announced landing sites for the two Martian Explorer spacecraft, scheduled to land on Mars in 2004. The first spacecraft will land in Gusev Crater, located about 15° South. The second will land on Meridani Planum, halfway around Mars from Gusev. Both locations show indications of water activity, with Gusev believed to be the remnants of an ancient lake bed. Meridani Planum is believed to be one of the safest places to land on Mars because of low winds and a relative lack of rocks and dust.

13 April 2003

Rowena in Saddam Hussein's Palace
Large paintings found in a home apparently used by Saddam Hussein for assignations with lovers were recognized as being reproductions of the Rowena Merrill paintings "King Dragon" and "The Guardian Serpent." It is unclear if the paintings are actual reproductions or if Hussein had artists recreate the paintings.

Wildside Press to Acquire Borgo
Wildside Press has announced that it will acquire the publishing assets of Borgo Press, which including Borgo's imprints Starmont House, FAX Collector's Editions, and Brownstone Books. Robert Reginald, the president of Borgo Press, will join Wildside as a consultant with a five year contract. Borgo Press closed down in the summer of 1999 after having published their first books in 1976. Borgo specialized in reference works. During its 23 year run, Borgo published three hundred books, beginning with George Edgar Slusser's Robert A. Heinlein: Stranger in His Own Land and ending with Max Allan Collins's The Mystery Scene Movie Guide.

10 April 2003

Stoker Ballot Released
The Horror Writers of America have announced the ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards. Rather than being awarded at World Horror Con, the winners will be announced at the HWA Annual Conference at the Park Central Hotel in New York in June.

NOVEL
From a Buick 8, Stephen King (Cemetery Dance; Scribner)
The Hour Before Dark, Douglas Clegg (Leisure)
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (Little, Brown)
Lullaby, Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday)
The Night Class, Tom Piccirilli (Leisure)

FIRST NOVEL
Atmosphere, Michael Laimo (Delirium; Leisure)
The Blues Ain't Nothing', Tina Jens (Design Image Group)
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (Little, Brown)
The Red Church, Scott Nicholson (Pinnacle)

LONG FICTION
Cape Wrath, Paul Finch (Telos Publishing)
Coraline, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
El Dia de Los Muertos, Brian A. Hopkins (Earthling Publications)
"My Work Is Not Yet Done", Thomas Ligotti (My Work Is Not Done Yet: Three Tales of Corporate Terror)
"The Origin", David B. Silva (The Darker Side)

SHORT FICTION
"Details", China Miéville (Children of Cthulhu)
"Disappearances", Mort Castle (Chizine)
"The Green Man", Christopher Fowler (The 3rd Alternative)
"The Misfit Child Grows Fat on Despair", Tom Piccirilli (The Darker Side)
"The Plague Species", Charlee Jacob (The Darker Side)

FICTION COLLECTION
The Collection, Bentley Little (Signet)
Everything's Eventual, Stephen King (Scribner)
Knuckles and Tales, Nancy A. Collins (Cemetery Dance)
Nations of the Living, Nations of the Dead, Mort Castle (Prime)
One More for the Road, Ray Bradbury (Morrow)

ANTHOLOGY
Children of Cthulhu, John Pelan & Benjamin Adams, eds. (Del Rey)
The Darker Side: Generations of Horror, John Pelan, ed. (Roc)
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 13, Stephen Jones, ed. (Carroll & Graf)
Shivers, Richard Chizmar, ed. (Cemetery Dance)
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteenth Annual Collection, Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, eds. (St. Martin's)

NONFICTION
Hellnotes, David B. Silva, Paul F. Olson & Garrett Peck, eds. (Phantasm Press)
Jobs in Hell, Brian Keene & Kelly Laymon, eds. (JIHad Publications)
Ralan.com, Ralan Conley, ed.
Ramsey Campbell, Probably: Essays on Horror and Sundry Fantasies, Ramsey Campbell (PS Publishing)
Supernatural Fiction Writers: Fantasy and Horror, Second Edition, Richard Bleiler (Scribner)

ILLUSTRATED NARRATIVE
Fort: Prophet of the Unexplained (Issues 1-4), Peter Lenkov (Dark Horse)
Howard the Duck (Issues 1-6), Steve Gerber (Marvel)
Nightside (Issues 1-4), Robert Weinberg (Marvel)

SCREENPLAY
Frailty, Brant Hanley (Lion's Gate Films)
Minority Report, Scott Frank & Jon Cohen (based on a story by Philip K. Dick; 20th Century Fox)
The Ring, Ehren Kruger & Scott Frank (based on the novel by Koji Suzuki and on the motion picture by The Spiral Production Group; Dreamworks)
Signs, M. Night Shyamalan (Touchstone Films)

WORK FOR YOUNGER READERS
Abarat, Clive Barker (Joanna Cotler Books)
Abu and the 7 Marvels, Richard Matheson & William Stout (Gauntlet Press)
Cat in Glass and Other Tales of the Unnatural, Nancy Etchemendy (Cricket Books)
Coraline, Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)

POETRY COLLECTION
The Gossamer Eye, Mark McLaughlin, Rain Graves & David Niall Wilson (Meisha Merlin)
Guises (poetry section "Night Unmasked"), Charlee Jacob (Delirium)
Night Smoke, Bruce Boston & Marge Simon (Miniature Sun Press/Quixsilver Press)
This Cape Is Red Because I've Been Bleeding, Tom Piccirilli (Catalyst)

ALTERNATIVE FORMS
"Buckeye Jim in Egypt", Mort Castle (audio script based on the Mort Castle story; Lone Wolf Publications)
Flesh and Blood, Jack Fisher, ed. (Flesh and Blood Press)
"Imagination Box", Steve & Melanie Tem (multimedia CD; Lone Wolf Publications)
"The Tree Is My Hat", Larry Santoro (audio script based on the Gene Wolfe story)

Pluto or Bust
Following years of wrangling, budget cuts and mission revamping, NASA has announced they have finally begun construction on a probe for the New Horizons Pluto-Kuiper Belt Mission. Launch of the probe is slated for January 2006 and the craft is expected to reach Pluto, currently the only known solar planet not visited by a space probe, on the summer of 2015. Following a mapping mission of Pluto and its moon, Charon, the probe may do a flyby of a Kuiper Belt object. Scientists are also hoping to use the probe to search for additional moons around Pluto.

Harry Potter 4.1 and 4.2
David Heyman, producer of the Harry Potter films for Warner Brothers, commented during the release of the "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" DVD that there is a chance that the fourth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire may be split into two films due to its length. Heyman says they'll film it as a single movie and may later decide to split it into two parts depending on how long the film runs.

Sir Julius Vogel Awards Announced
The Sir Julius Vogel Awards recognize excellence in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror by New Zealanders. Voting is conducted among members of Emoticon and SFFANZ. The awards are named in honor of former a New Zealand prime minister who is believed to have written the first SF novel by a New Zealander.

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
BEST NOVEL
"Spirit City"- Dale Elvy - HarperCollins
"Static" - N.D. Hansen-Hill - Parade Books/Fictionwise
"Elf" - N.D. Hansen-Hill - Parade Books/Fictionwise
"Grave Images" - N.D. Hansen-Hill - Clocktower Books/Fictionwise
"Beast Master's Ark" - Andre Norton & Lyn McConchie - Tor

BEST ART WORK
John Baster, Mary Maclachlan - For model making on "The Lord of the Rings" motion pictures
Krackatoa -For composition of a score for a science fiction drama

FAN AWARD NOMINEES
BEST FAN WRITING
Alan Robson
Ross Temple

FAN ART
Alex Herbert
Grant Preston

BEST FANZINE
Phoenixine
Time Space Visualiser
NovaZine

SPECIAL AWARD NOMINEES
Note: The Special Awards are allowed to include work from previous years.

SERVICES TO FANDOM
Martin Kealey
Malcolm Fletcher
William and Adele Geradts
Matthew Pavletich

SERVICES TO SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
Weta Workshop, Weta Digital
Philip Mann

9 April 2003

Artists in Space
SF Artists Bob Eggleton and David Hardy have been honored by having asteroids named for them. 13562 Bobeggleton was discovered at Kitt Peak in 1992. 13329 Davidhardy was also discovered at Kitt Peak on September 20, 1998. Eggleton points out that while it is cool having an asteroid named for him (which he has not seen), it was cooler to appear in a Godzilla film last year.

Sawyer on Radio
Robert J. Sawyer's radio column "Science FACTion" has been picked up by CBC Radio following an eight-week trial run. The weekly three minute commentary will begin airing across Canada on July 1.

Obituaries
Dr. Willis E. McNelly (b.1920), perhaps best known for The Dune Encyclopedia, has died. Willis was an academic and SF critic at California State University at Fullerton and one of the first academics to take science fiction seriously. He also published several anthologies in conjunction with Harry Harrison, Leon Stover, and Jane Hipolito, as well as study guides for their use in the classroom.

Technologist Anita Borg (b.1948) died of brain cancer on April 6. Borg was a strong proponent of women in computer science and promoted the goal of 50/50 by 2020, calling for half of all computer science degrees to be awarded to women by 2020. She was the founder of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, the Institute for Women and Technology, and the Systers Mailing List for female sys admins.

8 April 2003

Reading for the Future CD
Julie E. Czerneda, Torcon III Science Fiction in the classroom Program Coordinator, is collecting items for a special CD to be provided to attendees and posted on a website. Czerneda is looking for lesson plans and ideas using science fiction from kindergarten to grade 12, practical insights, experiences on using sf with students, recommended science fiction for classroom use, and similar types of information. There will be no payment expected or provided for any materials submitted, and submission does not guarantee inclusion on the CD. Submissions should be sent to RFFDYR@aol.com with the tag SFC CD in the subject. Please supply as attached text files only.

Hopkins to GoH at World Horror
Following Guest of Honor Graham Masterton's announcement that due to his wife's health he will be unable to attend this year's World Horror Con in Kansas City (April 17-20), the committee has announced that Brian A. Hopkins will attend as a Guest of Honor, joining Nick Smith, Don D'Auria, Laurell K. Hamilton, Mort Castle, and Forrest J. Ackerman. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro will attend as Grand Master. Hopkins has won three Bram Stoker Awards (1999, 2000, 2001) and has published stories, anthologies and novels during his career.

Obituary
Cecile de Brunhoff (b.1903) died on April 7 in Paris following a stroke on April 5. de Brunhoff was the inspiration for the Babar stories published by her husband, Jean de Brunhoff, and son, Laurent de Brunhoff. In 1931, de Brunhoff told her children a bedtime story about a little elephant. After her children related the story to their father, he named the elephant, filled in additional details, and illustrated the tales to create the first Babar book. de Brunhoff insisted her name be removed from the book because she felt her role was too insignificant.

7 April 2003

Strange Horizon 2002 Reader's Choice Awards Announced
The Strange Horizons website has announced the winners of their reader's choice awards. The winners will each be presented with a cash prize of $25. These awards are presented to items published in Strange Horizons and voted on by the e-zine's readership. Strange Horizons is edited by Mary Ann Moharaj. As a note, "Little Gods" is also on this year's Nebula ballot.

Favorite Article: Christian Apocalyptic Fiction & Anti-Apocalyptic Fiction by Tom Doyle (April 8, 2002 & May 27, 2002)
Favorite Gallery: Science Fiction Art, by Randall Enstey (November 4, 2002)
Favorite Illustration: The Illuminated Dragon, by Kari Christensen (June 3, 2002)
Favorite Poem: Muse Trap, by Tim Pratt (February 11, 2002)
Favorite Review: Of Explorers and Button Eyes: Neil Gaiman's Coraline, reviewed by Tim Pratt (July 1, 2002)
Favorite Story: Little Gods, by Tim Pratt (February 4, 2002)
Favorite Staff-Authored Work: Gedankensexperiments: Michael Swanwick's "Periodic Table of Science Fiction," by R. Michael Hartman (December 23, 2002).

Sapphire Award Winners
The Science Fiction Romance Newsletter has announced the winners of the Eighth Annual Sapphire Award for Best Science Fiction Romance of the Year. The winners are selected by a panel of judges which included Nebula Award-winning author Catherine Asaro, who has previously won the Sapphire Award.

Novel: Contact, by Susan Grant
Short Fiction: "The Day Her Heart Stood Still," by Susan Grant (published in A Mother's Way)

Obituary
Australian fan John Foyster (b.1941) passed away on April 5. Foyster was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January 2002 following a faulty diagnosis of a stoke in September 2001. He was admitted to hospital in Adelaide on April 4. He entered fandom in the late fifties and began publishing fanzines in the 1960s. In 1966, Foyster was the main organizer of the Melbourne Easter Convention, which is credited with relaunching Australian fandom. 1970 say Foyster begin the campaign that ultimately led to Aussiecon I, the 1975 Worldcon. In 1971, he won the Ditmar for his pseudonymously published story "Let It Ring" (as by John Ossian). He subsequently went on to help found DUFF (the Down Under Fan Fund) in 1972. He revived and published the Australian Science Fiction Review from 1979 through 1986. In addition to being active in fanzine publishing, Foyster was a fan historian with broad knowledge of the field. He received the A. Bertram Chandler Award for services to Australian SF and fandom.

3 April 2003

Obituaries
Lieutenant-General Kerim Kerimov (b.1917) died on March 29. Kerimov was a "secret general" of the Russian space program from 1945 until his identity was revealed by Pravda in 1987. Following the death of Sergei Korolev in 1966, Kerimov was appointed head of the State Commission for Flight Testing of Soyuz Spacecraft. Kerimov oversaw the agency during rough times, including the loss of cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov during the Soyuz 1 mission. After his 1990 retirement, Kerimov wrote The Way to Space, a history of the Soviet space program.

Jackie Madden (b.1957), a northwestern filker known as Lady Blue, was killed on March 20 when a semi hit her car head-on in Bend, Oregon. A memorial filk will be held in her honor at the home of her son in Northridge, California on April 13.

David Mansell died of massive heart failure on March 24 at his home in Cornwall, England. Mansell was a UK fan involved in numerous aspects of fandom. Active in the Wrap Party and London social gatherings. Because his computer business frequently took him to Seattle, Mansell was also know to northwestern American fandom. Mansell was 49.

2 April 2003

3SF Folds
After only three issues, Editor Liz Holliday regretfully has announced that 3SF has ceased publication indefinitely due to the publisher's insolvency. Holliday hopes that the magazine will be resurrected by a different publisher, although it is too early to tell if their search for a new publisher will be a success. 3SF was published by Big Engine.

Obituary
Michael Jeter (b.1952) was found dead in his home on March 30. Jeter appeared in numerous television shows and movies including genre fare Jurassic Park III and Waterworld. Jeter is perhaps best known for his role on the television series "Evening Shade." Apparently in good health, an autopsy is being performed to determine Jeter's cause of death.

1 April 2003

Horror Grandmaster Announced
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, best known for her Saint Germain series of historical vampire romances, will be honored as the 2003 World Horror Convention Grandmaster was the World Horror Con is held in Kansas City, MO from April 17-20.

More Book to Science Fiction Collection
Two anonymous donors have given a copy of St. Thomas More's 1517 book Utopia to the J. Lloyd Eaton Collection of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Utopian Literature. The donors, who wish to remain anonymous, apparently have no connection to the University of California, Riverside where the collection is housed. The Eaton collection contains more than 80,000 books, 10,000 pulps, 30,000 comics and more than 200,000 fanzines.

Isaac Asimov Memorial Award
Yoji Kendo, who writes under the pseudonym Eric Kotani, has received the 2003 Isaac Asimov Memorial Award, presented at Lunacon. The award, is "to honor those who have contributed significantly to increasing the public's knowledge and understanding of science through his or her writings, and who exemplify the personal qualities...".

McKnight Artist's Fellowship for Children's Literature
Fantasy author Laurel Winter has been awarded $25,000 as part of the McKnight Artist's Fellowship for Children's Literature. The award was presented based on a twenty-page treatment of Winter's forthcoming juvenile novel Do Not Attempt This At Home.

Azkaban Strike Settled
The threatened strike over wages by British construction workers was settled at the last minute, which allows filming of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as well as other British films, to continue without disruption.

Obituary
George Solonevich (b.1917), an artist whose work included several covers for Analog, died in February. Solonevich was born in the Soviet Union and moved to the United States in 1953. Beginning his artistic career in the Russian film industry, in the US, he worked on books by Otto Binder. In addition, Solonevich created portraits of numerous major public figures in the twentieth century.

Aurealis Awards
The winners of the Aurealis Awards for Best Australian fiction was announced in a ceremony in Melbourne, Australia on March 28. The Aurealis Awards are selected by a panel of judges and was instituted in 1995 by Chimaera Publications, which also published Aurealis Magazine. The awards are completely independent of the magazine.

SF Novel: Transcension, Damien Broderick (Tor)
SF Short Story: "Walk to the Full Moon", Sean McMullen (F&SF Dec 2002)
Fantasy Novel: The Storm Weaver and the Sand, Sean Williams (HarperCollins)
Fantasy Short Story: no award Horror Novel: The White Body of Evening, A.L. McCann (Flamingo/HarperCollins)
Horror Short Story: "Oracle", Kim Westwood (Redsine #9)
Young Adult Novel: The Hand of Glory, Sophie Masson (Hodder Headline)
Young Adult Short Story: no award Children's Long Fiction: In the Garden of Empress Cassia, Gabrielle Wang (Puffin)
Children's Short Fiction: "Tashi and the Haunted House", Anna Fienberg & Kim Gamble (Allen & Unwin)
The Peter McNamara Convenor's Award : Robbie Matthews for his important contribution to local genre publishing both with the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild and Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine