30 April 2007

Jamie Bishop Scholarship Fund in Graphic Arts
A second scholarship fund has been established in the name of Jamie Bishop, author Michael Bishop's son who was murdered at Virginia Tech on April 16. The Jamie Bishop Scholarship Fund in Graphic Arts will be offered at LaGrange College in Georgia, where Michael Bishop teaches.
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Radio Interview with P.C. Hodgell
Chris Meadows will be interviewing author P.C. Hodgell on the radio show Biblio File on May 5 at 1pm Eastern time. Meadows is accepting questions prior to the show and listeners can call in during the show, which can be heard on streaming audio and will be available as an mp3 download after the show has aired.
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Obituary
Game designer Tom Moldvay (b.1949) died on March 9. Moldvay authored many of the early Dungeons and Dragons adventures for TSR, including X1: Isle of Dread, which was included in the D&D Expert Set as well as A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade and X2: Castle Amber. In 1981, he edited the first major revision of the Basic D&D rule book and went on to co-develop the Prohibition-era game Gangbusters.

27 April 2007

Russian SF Film Festival
From May 5 through 30, the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago will presents "From the Tsars to the Stars: A Journey through Russian Fantastik Cinema" from May 5-30. The thirteen films in the series span almost a hundred years and includes films from folklore to fairytale to animation to commercial blockbuster to art cinema.
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Bulgakov Award
The first Bulgakov Award has been presented by the Ukrainian science fiction and fantasy convention/conference to John Crowley, who was also the organization's guest of honor. The award comes with a sculpture of Behemoth, the black cat from Bulgakov's writing.
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Aeon Award Deadline
The deadline for the Aeon Award, sponsored by Albedo 1, is the end of June. The award, which carries a €1000 prize and publication in Albedo 1 is being judged by Ian Watson. The winner will be announced at the European Science Fiction Convention in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 2007.
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Obituary
Emily Sunstein (b.1924) died on April 21 in Philadelphia. Sunstein was a literary critic who wrote biographies of Mary Wollestonecraft and Mary Shelley, the latter the author of Frankenstein. Sunstein won the Modern Language Association Prize for Independent Scholars for her biography of Shelley.

26 April 2007

Fan is All Wet
British fan Tony Bailey is preparing to swim the English Channel in July in order to raise money for charity. Bailey has long been active in London fandom and produced the programme book for the 2nd International Week of Science & SF. Charities which will benefit from the swim include Barnados, the British Heart Foundation and Madam Curie Cancer Care.
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Earthlike planet found
Astronomers have discovered a planet in orbit around the red dwarf Gliese 581 which more closely resembles Earth than any previously discovered extrasolar planet. The planet, named 581c, has gravity which is 1.6 times greater than Earth's and orbits its primary every thirteen days. The temperature on the planet is predicted to be between 34 and 104°. Scientific theory also states that 581c may have abundant liquid water, although there is no firm evidence for this.
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Obituary
Minneapolis fan Doug Friauf died on April 25. Friauf was an active host of Minneapolis in '73 parties on many continents. Friauf was a guest of honor at Minicon 41 in 2006. Friauf helped produce the Minneapolis SF radio show Shockwave.

24 April 2007

Meisha Merlin Closes
Meisha Merlin has announced that it will be ceasing publication and closing its doors in May due to distribution problems. Over the years, Meisha Merlin has published the Myth series by Robert Lynn Asprin (and others), works by P.C. Hodgell, Storm Constantine, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden Universe, and others. It was currently publishing the "Virginia Edition" of definitive versions of Robert Heinlein's novels. They have made arrangements with the Heinlein Trust for the series to continue, with an announcement to be made in June.
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Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture
The Institute of Ideas presents the Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture, scheduled to take place on May 3 at the Apollo Theatre in London at 7:00. This year's topic will be From Star Wars to the Battle of Ideas: Is science fiction good for public debate? Speakers will include Mark Brake and Rev. Neil Hook of the University of Glamorgan, Stephen Foulger from the Science Museum, Geeta Nargund of St. George's Hospital, David Perks from Graveney School, and Lizzie Burns from Hollywood Maths and Science Consulting.
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21 April 2007

Locus Award Nominees
Locus has announced the top five nominees in each category of the Locus Awards, based on the magazine's readers' votes. Winners will be announced in June at the Locus Awards Ceremony in Seattle, June 16th, during the Science Fiction Museum's Hall of Fame weekend in Seattle.

Best Science Fiction Novel
Blindsight, Peter Watts
Carnival, Elizabeth Bear
Farthing, Jo Walton
Glasshouse, Charles Stross
Rainbows End, Vernor Vinge

Best Fantasy Novel
The Jennifer Morgue, Charles Stross
The Last Witchfinder, James Morrow
The Privilege of the Sword, Ellen Kushner
Soldier of Sidon, Gene Wolfe
Three Days to Never, Tim Powers

Best First Novel
Crystal Rain, Tobias S. Buckell
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Gordon Dahlquist
The Green Glass Sea, Ellen Klages
The Lies of Locke Lamora, Scott Lynch
Temeraire: His Majesty's Dragon/Throne of Jade/Black Powder, Naomi Novik

Best Young Adult Book
The Keys to the Kingdom: Sir Thursday, Garth Nix
Magic Lessons, Justine Larbalestier
Spirits That Walk in Shadow, Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Voices, Ursula K. Le Guin
Wintersmith, Terry Pratchett

Best Novella
"Botch Town", Jeffrey Ford
"Lord Weary's Empire", Michael Swanwick
"Map of Dreams", M. Rickert
"The Mars Girl", Joe Haldeman
"Missile Gap", Charles Stross

Best Novelette
"I, Row-Boat", Cory Doctorow
"The Night Whiskey", Jeffrey Ford
"Pol Pot's Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy)", Geoff Ryman
"The Singularity Needs Women!", Paul Di Filippo
"When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth", Cory Doctorow

Best Short Story
"How to Talk to Girls at Parties", Neil Gaiman
"In the Abyss of Time", Stephen Baxter
"Nano Comes to Clifford Falls", Nancy Kress
"Sob in the Silence", Gene Wolfe
"Tin Marsh", Michael Swanwick

Best Magazine
Analog
Asimov's
Interzone
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
Strange Horizons

Best Publisher
Baen
Del Rey
Night Shade Books
Subterranean Press
Tor

Best Anthology
One Million A.D., Gardner Dozois, ed.
Salon Fantastique, Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling, eds.
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Nineteenth Annual Collection, Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link & Gavin Grant, eds.
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection, Gardner Dozois, ed.
Year's Best SF 11, David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer, eds.

Best Collection
The Best of Philip José Farmer, Philip José Farmer
The Empire of Ice Cream, Jeffrey Ford
Fragile Things, Neil Gaiman
Galactic North, Alastair Reynolds
The Ladies of Grace Adieu and other stories, Susanna Clarke

Best Editor
Jim Baen
Ellen Datlow
Gardner Dozois
David G. Hartwell
Gordon Van Gelder

Best Artist
Bob Eggleton
Donato Giancola
John Picacio
Charles Vess
Michael Whelan

Best Non-Fiction
About Writing, Samuel R. Delany
Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. Howard, Mark Finn
The Darkening Garden: A Short Lexicon of Horror, John Clute
James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon, Julie Phillips
Myths for the Modern Age: Philip José Farmer's Wold Newton Universe, Win Scott Eckert

Best Art Book
Cathy & Arnie Fenner, eds. Spectrum 13: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art
Edward Gorey, Amphigorey Again
John Jude Palencar, Origins
John Picacio, Cover Story
Boris Vallejo & Julie Bell, The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell

20 April 2007

GUFF Winner Announced
Ang Rosin has won this year's GUFF race and will travel to Convergence, the Australian National Convention, in June. Convergence will be held from June 8-11 in Melbourne, Australia. Rosin held off a field of three other candidates, including Johan Anglemark, Steve Davies, and Anna Davour.

Eisner Nominations
Best Short Story
"The Black Knight Glorps Again," by Don Rosa, in Uncle Scrooge #354
"Felix," by Gabrielle Bell, in Drawn & Quarterly Showcase 4
"A Frog's Eye View," by Bill Willingham and James Jean, in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
"Old Oak Trees," by Tony Cliff, in Flight 3
"Stan Lee Meets Spider-Man," by Stan Lee, Oliver Coipel, and Mark Morales, in Stan Lee Meets Spider-Man
"Willie: Portrait of a Groundskeeper," by Eric Powell, in Bart Simpsons's Treehouse of Horror #12

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Batman/The Spirit #1: "Crime Convention," by Jeph Loeb and Darwyn Cooke
A Late Freeze, by Danica Novgorodoff
The Preposterous Adventures of Ironhide Tom, by Joel Priddy
Skyscrapers of the Midwest #3, by Joshua Cotter
They Found the Car, by Gipi

Best Continuing Series
All Star Superman, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Captain America, by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting
Daredevil, by Ed Brubaker, Michael Lark, and Stefano Gaudiano
Naoki Urasawa's Monster, by Naoki Urasawa
The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard
Young Avengers, by Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung, and various inkers

Best Limited Series
Batman: Year 100, by Paul Pope
The Looking Glass Wars: Hatter M, by Frank Beddor, Liz Cavalier, and Ben Templesmith
The Other Side, by Jason Aaron and Cameron Stewart
Scarlet Traces: The Great Game, by Ian Edginton and D'Israeli
Sock Monkey: The Inches Incident, by Tony Millionaire

Best New Series
Criminal, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
East Coast Rising, by Becky Cloonan
Gumby, by Bob Burden and Rick Geary
Jack of Fables, by Bill Willingham, Matthew Sturges, Tony Akins, and Andrew Pepoy
The Lone Ranger, by Brett Matthews and Sergio Cariello

Best Publication for a Younger Audience
Chickenhare, by Chris Grine
Drawing Comics Is Easy (Except When It's Hard), by Alexa Kitchen
Gumby, by Bob Burden and Rick Geary
Moomin, by Tove Jansson
To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel, by Sienna Cherson and Mark Siegel

Best Humor Publication
Flaming Carrot Comics, by Bob Burden
Onionhead Monster Attacks, by Paul Friedrich
Schizo #4, by Ivan Brunetti
Tales Designed to Thrizzle, by Michael Kupperman
Truth Serum, by Jon Adams

Best Anthology
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, by Bill Willingham and various
Hotwire Comix and Capers #1, edited by Glenn Head
Japan as Viewed by 17 Creators, edited by Frédéric Boilet
Kramers Ergot 6, edited by Sammy Harkham
Project: Romantic, edited by Chris Pitzer

Best Digital Comic
Bee, in "Motel Art Improvement Service," by Jason Little
Girl Genius, by Phil and Kaja Foglio
Minus, by Ryan Armand
Phables, by Brad Guigar
Sam and Max, by Steve Purcell
Shooting War, by Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman

Best Reality-Based Work
Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
I Love Led Zeppelin, by Ellen Forney
Mom's Cancer, by Brian Fies
Project X Challengers: Cup Noodle, by Tadashi Katoh
Stagger Lee, by Derek McCulloch and Shepherd Hendrix

Best Graphic Album—New
American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
Billy Hazelnuts, by Tony Millionaire
Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
Ninja, by Brian Chippendale
Scrublands, by Joe Daly
The Ticking, by Renée French

Best Graphic Album—Reprint
Absolute DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke
Castle Waiting, by Linda Medley
Mom's Cancer, by Brian Fies
Shadowland, by Kim Deitch
Truth Serum, by Jon Adams

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips
The Complete Peanuts, 1959–1960, 1961–1962, by Charles Schulz
Mary Perkins On Stage, by Leonard Starr
Moomin, by Tove Jansson
Popeye: I Yam What I Yam, by E. C. Segar
Walt & Skeezix, vol. 2, by Frank King

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books
Abandon the Old In Tokyo, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Absolute Sandman, vol. 1, by Neil Gaiman and various
Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries, 1900–1969, by Dan Nadel
The Eternals, by Jack Kirby
Ode to Kirihito, by Osamu Tezuka

Best U.S. Edition of International Material
A.L.I.E.E.E.N., by Lewis Trondheim
De:TALES, by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá
Hwy 115, by Matthias Lehmann
The Left Bank Gang, by Jason
Pizzeria Kamikaze, by Etgar Keret and Asaf Hanuka

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Japan
After School Nightmare, by Setona Mizushiro
Antique Bakery, by Fumi Yoshinaga
Naoki Urasawa's Monster, by Naoki Urasawa
Old Boy, by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi
Walking Man, by Jiro Taniguchi

Best Writer
Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Daredevil ; Criminal
Bob Burden, Gumby
Ian Edginton, Scarlet Traces: The Great Game
Grant Morrison, All Star Superman, Batman, 52, Seven Soldiers
Bill Willingham, Fables, Jack of Fables, Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall

Best Writer/Artist
Allison Bechdel, Fun Home
Renée French, The Ticking
Gilbert Hernandez, Love and Rockets, New Tales of Old Palomar ; Sloth
Paul Pope, Batman: Year 100
Joann Sfar, Klezmer, Vampire Loves

Best Writer/Artist—Humor
Ivan Brunetti, Schizo
Lilli Carré, Tales of Woodsman Pete
Michael Kupperman, Tales Designed to Thrizzle
Tony Millionaire, Billy Hazelnuts ; Sock Monkey: The Inches Incident
Lewis Trondheim, A.L.I.E.E.E.N.; Mr. I

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
Mark Buckingham/Steve Leialoha, Fables
Tony Harris/Tom Feister, Ex Machina
Niko Henrichon, Pride of Baghdad
Michael Lark/Stefano Gaudiano, Daredevil
Sonny Liew, Wonderland
Steven McNiven/Dexter Vines, Civil War

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)
Nicolas De Crecy, Glacial Period
Melinda Gebbie, Lost Girls
Ben Templesmith, Fell ; The Looking Glass Wars: Hatter M ; Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse
Jill Thompson, "A Dog and His Boy" in The Dark Horse Book of Monsters; "Love Triangle" in Sexy Chix ;"Fair Division," in Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Brett Weldele, Southland Tales: Prequel Saga; Silent Ghost

Best Cover Artist
John Cassaday, Astonishing X-Men ; The Escapists ; The Lone Ranger
Tony Harris, Conan ; Ex Machina
James Jean, Fables, Jack of Fables, Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall
Dave Johnson, 100 Bullets ; Zombie Tales, Cthulu Tales, Black Plague
J. G. Jones, 52

Best Coloring
Kristian Donaldson, Supermarket
Hubert, The Left Bank Gang
Lark Pien, American Born Chinese
Dave Stewart, BPRD, Conan, The Escapists, Hellboy ; Action Comics, Batman/The Spirit, Superman
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #17

Best Lettering
Ivan Brunetti, Schizo
Todd Klein, Fables, Jack of Fables, Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, Pride of Baghdad, Testament ; Fantastic Four: 1602, Eternals ; Lost Girls
Clem Robins, BPRD, The Dark Horse Book of Monsters, Hellboy ; Loveless, 100 Bullets, Y: The Last Man
Richard Sala, The Grave Robber's Daughter, Delphine
Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #17

Special Recognition
Ross Campbell, Abandoned ; Wet Moon 2
Svetlana Chmakova, Dramacon
Hope Larson, Gray Horses
Dash Shaw, The Mother's Mouth
Kasimir Strzepek, Mourning Star

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism
Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas
Comic Art 8, edited by Todd Hignite
The Comics Journal, edited by Gary Groth, Dirk Deppey, Michael Dean, and Kristy Valenti
The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon and Jordan Raphael
¡Journalista!, produced by Dirk Deppey

Best Comics-Related Book
The Art of Brian Bolland, edited by Joe Pruett
Cartoon America: Comic Art in the Library of Congress, edited by Harry Katz
Dear John: The Alex Toth Doodle Book, by John Hitchcock
In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists, by Todd Hignite
Wally's World, by Steve Sarger and J. David Spurlock

Best Publication Design
Absolute DC: The New Frontier, designed by Darwyn Cooke
Castle Waiting graphic novel, designed by Adam Grano
Lost Girls, designed by Matt Kindt and Brett Warnock
Popeye: I Yam What I Yam, designed by Jacob Covey
The Ticking, designed by Jordan Crane

Hall of Fame
Judges' Choices: Robert Kanigher and Ogden Whitney
Voters will choose four from among:
Ross Andru & Mike Esposito
Dick Ayers
Bernard Baily
Matt Baker
Wayne Boring
Creig Flessel
Harold Gray
Irwin Hasen
Graham Ingels
Joe Orlando
Lily Renée (Peters) Phillips
Bob Powell
Gilbert Shelton
Cliff Sterrett

19 April 2007

Sidewise Nominations
The Sidewise Award for Alternate History nominations have been announced. Given each year since 1995, this award recognizes excellence in alternate history writing. This year's awards are expected to be presented at Tuckercon, the NASFiC in St. Louis.

Long Form:
Robert Conroy, 1862, Presidio Press
Paul Park, The Tourmaline, Tor Books
Charles Stross, The Family Trade, The Hidden Family, The Clan Corporate, Tor Books
Harry Turtledove, The Disunited States of America, Tor Books
Jo Walton, Farthing, Tor Books

Short Form:
Stephen Baxter, The Pacific Mystery, The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction
Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, O Pioneer, Paradox 8
Gardner Dozois, Counterfactual, F&SF, June 2006
Chris Floyd, History Lesson, Moscow Times, February 22, 2006
Martin Gidron, Palestina, Interzone June 2006
Brian Stableford, The Plurality of Worlds, Asimov's August 2006
Andrew Tisbert, The Meteor of the War, Paradox 9
For More Information...

Bishop/Couture-Nowak Scholarship Announced
A scholarship fund has been set up in memory of Jamie Bishop, Michael Bishop's son who was killed in the Virginia Tech massacre. The Jamie Bishop and Jocelyne Couture-Nowak Scholarships will be awarded annually to German and French majors at Virginia Tech. Donations may be made payable to the Virginia Tech Foundation for the Jamie Bishop Scholarship (for German Majors) or the Jocelyne Couture-Nowak Scholarship (for French majors).

Dragon and Dungeon Cease Publication
Paizo Publishing and Wizards of the Coast have announced that Paizo will cease publication of Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine in September 2007 with issues 359 and 150. Scott Rouse, of Wizards of the Coast, had indicated that they will be focusing more on using the internet rather than magazines for additional gaming material.
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Save Harry Dresden
Bonnie Johnston has announce a letter-writing campaign to ask SCI FI to renew The Dresden Files for a second season. The show's fate will be decided in early May, so fans need to act quickly to make their voices heard.
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Chinese Con
The "Science Fiction Year in Asia" is expanding with a one-day academic conference on "the recent development of science fiction in China and the world" to be held August 21 at Beijing Normal University. U.S. attendees will include Worldcon guest of honor David Brin, Prof. Janice Bogstad and others, along with Chinese writers, scholars and representatives of the burgeoning Chinese film industry.
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Obituary
Stuntman Jack Williams (b.1922) died in the second week of April. Williams got his start in 1936, and appeared in the film "Gone with the Wind." His genre credits include stunts in "Soylent Green," "Beneath the Planet of the Apes," "The Omega Man," and Innerspace. Williams appeared, mostly uncredited, in nearly 100 productions.

17 April 2007

Pulitzer Prizes
Ray Bradbury was the recipient of a Special Citation from the Pulitzer Committee for his distinguished, prolific and deeply influential career as an unmatched author of science fiction and fantasy. Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road, received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The Fiction prize includes an award of $10,000.

Obituaries
Jamie Bishop, the son of science fiction author Michael Bishop, was among those killed at Virginia Tech when a graduate student went on a shooting rampage on April 16. Bishop was an Academic Technology Liaison at Virginia Tech and also taught German classes. Bishop also was a digital artist, whose work included the cover of his father's books Brighten to Incandescence and A Reverie for Mr. Ray.

Screenwriter Dave Martin (b.1935) died on April 10. Martin wrote several episodes of "Doctor Who," including "The Hand of Fear," "The Claw of Axos," "The Three Doctors," and "The Armageddon Factor." He also became the first writer to work on both the original "Doctor Who" and the revamped series with the Hugo-nominated episode "School Reunion." For his story "The Invisible Enemy," Martin created a robotic canine companion for the Doctor, K9.

16 April 2007

Rhysling Nominees
The Rhysling Awards honor science fiction based poetry. The awards are presented annually at Readercon in Massachusetts.
Taking Back the Moon, by Duane Ackerson
Sleeping Beauty, by Mary Alexandra Agner
Bacchanal, by Mike Allen
Manifest Destiny, by Mike Allen
Beach Climbing, by Elizabeth Barrette
Love's Resistance-Crossing the Wheatstone Bridge, by John Borneman
I Build Engines, by Bruce Boston
In the Sweltering Ruins of the Old City, by Bruce Boston
To a Lover Dying Old, by Lida Broadhurst
Casualty, by Kenneth B. Chiacchia
When We Sent Our Poems into Space, by Jennifer Crow
Two Cathedrals, by Malcolm Deeley
The Edge Of The World, by James S. Dorr
Deepspace Meditation, by Kendall Evans
When Will Time Unfold, by Robert Frazier
Women of the Resurrection, by Emily Gaskin
god is dead short live god, by Joe Haldeman
First Festival, by Samantha Henderson
In All Probability, by K.J. Kirby
As the Moon Loses Its Smile, by Deborah P. Kolodji
The Spider Wakes, by David C. Kopaska-Merkel & Deborah P. Kolodji
Demands of the Voluptuous Virginal Sacrifice, by John Edward Lawson
The Mute, by Ursula K. Le Guin
Dwarves Sandra Lindow Touched by the Gods, by Sandra Lindow
[time stumbles sideways], by Robin Mayhall
Very Soon..., by Hosho McCreesh
Sir Once Forgotten, by Jaime Lee Moyer
Twilight, by Jaime Lee Moyer
The Graven Idol's Godheart, by Rich Ristow
The Last Madman, by William Sanders
Template for a Fairy Tale, by Charles Saplak & Mike Allen
Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Black Hole, by Lawrence Schimel
Into the Heart, by Mirta Ana Schultz
Spiral Scream, by Ann Schwader
It will appear on your water and sewerage bill, by Julia Sevin
Saint Jefferson Then and Now, by Marge Simon
Ogygia, by Sonya Taaffe
Spider Silk, by Marcie Lynn Tentchoff
a Wing and a Prayer, by Jessica D. Thompson
Pluto Contemplates His Next Career, by JoSelle Vanderhooft
A Candlemass Poem, by Jo Walton
Cobwebs in Heaven, by Ian Watson
Disneyesque, by Neal Wilgus
Frost Bitten, by Stephen M. Wilson
Atom's Apple, by Stephen M. Wilson & Roger E. Naylor
Time Zones, by Elizabeth Jodi Woodward

Compton Crook Nominees
The Compton Crook Awards are presented annual at Balticon to recognize excellence in first novels. This year's nominees are listed below.
The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch
Sojourn, by Jana G. Oliver
His Majesty's Dragon, by Naomi Novik
The Skewed Throne, by Joshua Palmatier

NASA Pays Relatives of Columbia
Details of a secret NASA payment to the relatives of the astronauts killed in the Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003 have come to light. NASA paid a total of $26.6 million to the astronaut's next of kin. According to William Webster, the former FBI director who mediated the payments, the payment was kept secret at the request of the astronauts' families. According to Jon Clark, Laurel Clark's husband, the settlement was on the low end of what the families were seeking and payments were based in part on the level of education the astronauts had obtained.

14 April 2007

Obituaries
Actor Roscoe Lee Browne (b.1925) died on April 11. Browne provided voice work for "Treasure Planet," "Batman: The Animated Series," and as Kingpin in the 1990s "Spider-Man" television series. He appeared in two episodes of "SeaQuest DSV" and in the film "Moon 44" (a.k.a. "Intruder"). He played Box in the film "Logan's Run."

Actor Barry Nelson (b.1920) died on April 7. Nelson held the distinction of being the first actor to portray Ian Fleming's spy James Bond, when he appeared in a television production of "Casino Royale" in 1954. He also appeared in the television shows "Fantasy Island," "Battlestar Galactica," "The Twilight Zone," and "Salvage 1."

12 April 2007

Obituary
Author Kurt Vonnegut (b.1922) died on April 11 a couple of weeks after suffering a brain injury in a fall. Vonnegut was a highly acclaimed writer who wrote several science fiction novels, including Slaughterhouse Five, based on his experiences as a prisoner of war in Dresden in World War II, and The Sirens of Titan. One of his most enduring characters was science fiction writer Kilgore Trout, who appeared in multiple books. Philip José Farmer wrote the book Venus on the Half Shell using the Trout name as a pseudonym. Once Vonnegut achieved mainstream recognition, he adamantly denied being a science fiction writer.

9 April 2007

BSFA Awards
The British Science Fiction Association Awards were presented at Contemplation, the 2007 Eastercon. Contemplation replaced Convoy, which was supposed to have been this year's Eastercon when that convention had to be cancelled due to contract difficulties
Novel: End of the World Blues, by Jon Courtenay Grimwood
Short Fiction: "The Djinn's Wife," by Ian McDonald
Artwork: Angelbot, by Fanghorn

7 April 2007

Philip K. Dick Award
The winner of this year's Philip K. Dick Award for best paperback original has been announced as Chris Moriarty's Spin Control. A Special Citation was issued for Elizabeth Bear's novel Carnival. The Philip K. Dick Award is presented annually at Norwescon in Seattle and is sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. The judges for 2007 will include Steve Miller, Chris Moriarty, Steven Piziks, Randy Schroeder, and Ann Tonsor Zeddies.
For More Information...

Genre Traveler Photo Contest and Clarion West Funding
Three winners will be selected, one each in categories Science Fiction Destinations, Fantasy Destinations, and Horror Destinations. The term "destinations" is loosely defined as "someplace a person can visit", which means it can be an SF/F/H themed attraction, a location where an SF/F/H film was shot or where a story was set. Clarion West will receive 15% of the funds raised through Genre Traveler's First Annual Photo Contest.
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Obituaries
Actor Edward Mallory (b.1930) died on April 4. Mallory is best known for his lengthy appearance on the soap opera "The Days of Our Lives," but also appeared in a couple of episodes of the television series "The Munsters" and on "Bewitched." He appeared in the 1962 horror film "Experiment in Terror" and in an episode of the television series "Men into Space"

Ralph A. Sperry, Jr. (b.1945) has died. Sperry wrote the science fiction novel Status Quotient: The Carrier and several short stories. He was diagnosed with lung cancer in the Fall of 2006.

5 April 2007

West End Writers Contest
The West End Writers Workshop has announced its One Page Writing contest for 2007. The contest has two categories: prose and poetry. Each entry must be no longer than 500 words, typed on one side of a single sheet of paper. The prize in each category is $60. The deadline is May 8 and each entry must include a check for $10.
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Book Sales
In an effort to reduce their back inventory two publishers have announced sales. Wheatland Press is selling all books priced at $19.95 as buy one get one free. The sale runs through April 30.
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University of Georgia Press is also running a sale, in which selected titles are discounted 75% through the end of August. Several of their non fiction titles are science fiction.
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Ditmar Nominations
The nomination for the Australian Ditmar Awards have been announced. The awards, which honor the best in Australian Science Fiction, will be presented on June 9 at Convergence 2 in Melbourne, Australia.

Novel
Carnies, by Martin Livings
Prismatic, by Edwina Grey
The Mother, by Brett McBean
The Pilo Family Circus, by Will Elliot
The Silver Road, by Grace Dugan

Novella/Novelette
"Aftermath," by David Conyers
"The Dead of Winter," by Stephen Dedman
"The Devil in Mr Pussy (Or how I found God inside my wife)," by Paul Haines
"The Souls of Dead Soldiers are for Blackbirds, Not Little Boys," by Ben Peek
"Under the Red Sun," by Ben Peek
"World's Whackiest Upper Atmosphere Re-Entry Disasters Dating Game," by Brendan Duffy

Short Story
"Burning from the Inside," by Paul Haines, Doorways for the Dispossessed
"Cold," by Kirstyn McDermott
"Honeymoon," by Adam Browne and John Dixon
"Surrender 1: Rope Artist," by Deborah Biancotti
"The Bat's Boudoir," by Kyla Ward
"The Fear of White," by Rjurik Davidson

Collected Work
Agog! Ripping Reads, edited by Cat Sparks
C0ck, edited by Keith Stevenson & Andrew Macrae
Doorways to the Dispossessed, edited by Paul Haines and Geoffrey Maloney
The Year's Best Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Vol.2, edited by Bill Congreve & Michelle Marquardt
Eidolon I, edited by Jonathan Strahan and Jeremy Byrne

Artwork
26Lies/1Truth, cover art by Andrew MacRae
Agog! Ripping Reads, cover art by Cat Sparks
Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century cover art by Cat Sparks
The Devoured Earth, cover art by Greg Bridges
The Arrival, cover art by Shaun Tan

Fan Writer
Stephanie Gunn
Shane Jiraiya Cummings
Danny Oz
Miranda Siemienowicz
Mark Smith-Briggs
Matthew Tait

Fan Artist
Christopher Johnstone
Jon Swabey

Fan Production
ASif website, Alisa Krasnostein – Executive Editor
Inkspillers website, Tony Plank
Outland, Directed by John Richards
Tabula Rasa website, David Carroll
The Bullsheet website & ezine, Edwina Harvey & Ted Scribner

Fanzine
AntipodeanSF, editor Ion Newcombe
ASIF – Australian Specfic in Focus, editor Alisa Krasnostein
The Captain's Log, Austrek clubzine, edited by Clare McDonald
Ethel the Aardvark, MSFC clubzine
HorrorScope, editor Shane Jiraiya Cummings

Professional Achievement
Angelia Challis for establishing Brimstone Press as a mass market publisher
Bill Congreve for Mirrordanse Press and 2 issues of the Australian Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy
Russell B Farr for Ticonderoga Publications
Gary Kemble for work on ABC's Articulate and promoting the genre through radio and other mediums
Alisa Krasnostein for providing new paying markets for readers and writers of both fiction/ non fiction, art as well as forums for reviews/interviews within the speculative fiction genre, enhancing the profile of Australian speculative fiction.
Justine Larbalestier, for editing Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century

Fan Achievement
Marty Young for his work establishing and promoting the Australian Horror Writers Association
Alisa Krasnostein for establishing ASIf
Tony Plank for establishing and maintaining the Inkspillers website

New Talent
Stephanie Campisi
David Conyers
Shane Jiraiya Cummings
Alisa Krasnostein
Brett McBean

The William Atheling Jr Award
Miranda Siemienowicz for her review of Paraspheres appearing in Horrorscope
Justine Larbalestier for Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century
Robert Hood for Man and Super-Monster: A History of Daikaiju Eiga and its Metaphorical Undercurrents. Borderlands #7
Grant Watson for Bad Film Diaries - Sink or Swim: The Truth Behind Waterworld. Borderlands #8
Kathryn Linge for her review Through Soft Air, ASif
For More Information...

Obituaries
Director Bob Clark (b.1941) died on April 4 when the car he and his son were driving in was involved in a head-on collision. Clark's most famous films were the teen comedy "Porky's" and "A Christmas Story," but he also worked within the genre, directing the "Remote Control Man" for the television series "Amazing Stories," and the films "Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things," "Deathdream," and "Baby Geniuses."

Paul Walker (b.1921) died on March 8. Walker was a critic and sf interviewer, whose interviews were collected in the book Speaking of Science Fiction.

Author and journalist Charles Einstein (b.1926) died on March 7. In 1964, Einstein published the science fiction novel The Day New York Went Dry. The majority of Einstein's work, however, was in the field of Sports reporting, but his first novel, The Bloody Spur, was turned into the horror film While the City Sleeps. Einstein's half-brothers were actor Albert Brooks and "Super Dave" Osbourne.

UK librarian and author David Masson (b.1915) died on February 28. Masson published several stories in New Worlds in the 1960s, which were collected in his book The Caltraps of Time. He continued to publish into the early 1970s. His later stories were included in an expanded edition of Caltraps of Time.

3 April 2007

KITT For Sale
One of the four KITT cars used in the television series "Knight Rider" is being offered for sale for $149.995. The car, which is a modified 1982 Trans Am, has been refurbished and includes numerous non-functional buttons, two dashboard screens, and the glowing red light on the front, although the car is not considered street worthy because of some of the exhaust modifications.

Juno Books Goes Mass Market
Paula Guran, editor of Juno Books, has announced that the imprint, which focuses on science fiction and fantasy romance novels, will be publishing its first mass market books. To date, all of Juno Books' offerings have been in trade paperback format. The first mass market titles will be released in September and are scheduled to be Jamie Craig's Chasing Silver and Matthew Cook's debut novel Dancing with Werewolves.

Susan Koppelman Award
Justine Larbalestier has been named the winner of the Susan Koppelman Award for her book Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century. The award is given for best anthology, multi-authored, or edited book in feminist studies in popular culture and will be presented in Boston between April 4-7.

2 April 2007

Stoker Awards
The winners of this year's Bram Stoker Awards were announced at the World Horror Convention in Toronto.
Novel: Lisey's Story, by Stephen King
First Novel: Ghost Road Blues, by Jonathan Maberry
Long Fiction: Dark Harvest, by Norman Partridge
Short Fiction: "Tested," by Lisa Morton
Anthology: (tie) Retro Pulp Tales, by Joe R. Lansdale and Mondo Zombie, by John Skipp
Collection: Destinations Unknown, by Gary A. Braunbeck
Nonfiction: (tie) Final Exits, by Michael Largo and Gospel of the Living Dead, by Kim Paffenroth
Poetry: Shades Fantastic, by Bruce Boston
Lifetime Achievement Award: Thomas Harris
Specialty Press Award: PS Publishing.

Tiptree Awards
The winners of the Tiptree Award have been announced and this year there is a tie and a special mention. The committee decided that although it generally focuses on fiction, this year's biopgraphy of Alice B. Sheldon (James Tiptree, Jr.) by Julie Phillips merited mention. Below are the winners, followed by a list of recommended stories.
Half Life, by Shelley Jackson
The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden, by Catherynne M. Valente
James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon, by Julie Phillips
Mindscape, by Andrea Hairston
Listening at the Gate, by Betsy James
The Privilege of the Sword, by Ellen Kushner
The Last Witchfinder, by James Morrow
"Horse-Year Women," by Michaela Roessner
"Ava Wrestles the Alligator," by Karen Russell
"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves," by Karen Russell
Matriarch, by Karen Traviss
Venusia, by Mark von Schlegell

Art Exhibit
The Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle Washington will host the art show "Amazing Visions," beginning April 13 and running through May 5. "Amazing Visions will include art by Wayne Barlowe, James Gurney, H.R. Giger, Charles Vess, Kuniko Y Craft, Vincent Di Fate, Don Maitz, Donato Giancola, Bob Eggleton, and many more. There is an open reception from 6pm-9pm on April 13.

1 April 2007

Hall of Fame Inductees
The inductees into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, housed at the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, have been announced. The induction ceremony will be held on June 16 in conjunction with the presentation of the Locus Awards. This year's inductees include:
Gene Wolfe
Ridley Scott
Ed Emshwiller
Gene Roddenberry

GUFF Candidates Announced
Four European fans have announced they are running for GUFF, to visit Convergence in June 2007. The ballot is available at http://www.users.on.net/~juliettewoods/ballot.pdf. The candidates are:
Johan Anglemark
Steve Davies
Anna Davour
Ang Rosin

Star Wars Stamps
To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the release of "Star Wars," the US Post Office will be releasing a set of fifteen commemorative stamps with images from the original trilogy. The stamps will each have a value of 41c to cover the increased cost of first class postage. As a tie-in to the release, some mail boxes around the country are being replaced with a design reminiscent of R2D2.

New SF Line
Paizo Publishing has announced a new line of science fiction and fantasy novels, to be called Planet Stories. The line will focus n reprinting classic novels in trade paperback, priced at $12.99. The first two titles, to be launched in August, will be Robert E. Howard's Almuric and Gary Gygax's The Anubis Murders. After the two book launch, Planet Stories will publish a book a month. Currently planned titles include Michael Moorcock's City of the Beast (a.k.a. Warriors of Mars) and C.L. Moore's Black God's Kiss.

Empire Awards
Empire magazine has announced the winners of its reader poll for best films. Below are the categories with winners of genre interest.
Best Male Newcomer: Brandon Routh in Superman Returns
Best Director: Chris Nolan, The Prestige
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Horror: Hostel

Obituary
Seattle fan Gerald Perkins (b.1944) died on March 30, several days after lapsing into a coma. Perkins was a Bay area fan who had moved to Seattle a few years ago. He was involved in Baycon and furry fandom and had a couple of stories published in Sword and Sorceress and Aboriginal. Shortly before his death, a successful search for his biological family was launched by fans.