29 September 2008

SFPA Winners
The Science Fiction Poetry Association has announced the winners of its 2008 Poetry contest. The contest received more than 400 entries from more than twenty-five countries. In addition to the top three places, the judges announced an honorable mention and each judge mentioned two selections for judges' choices.
1st Place: "She Seemed So Quiet," by Marion E. Boyer
2nd Place: "Artifacts of Intelligent Design," by Elizabeth Barrette
3rd Place: "And I Fly," by Frances Shi

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Taikonauts in Space
China launched its third manned space flight on September 26 using the Shenzhou 7. During the mission, which ended on September 28, Zhai Zhigang performed a spacewalk on September 27, the first time China has attempted a space walk.

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Private Company in Orbit
Private space company SpaceX has announced the successful launch and orbital insertion of Falcon 1, an unmanned launch vehicle, on September 28. Falcon 1 has become the first privately developed liquid fuel rocket to achieve orbit. This was the fourth launch of the Falcon launch vehicle.

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Obituary
Actor Paul Newman (b.1925) died on September 26 after a battle with cancer. Newman's first role was in the television series "Tales of Tomorrow" in the episode "Ice from Space." He also appeared in the 1979 film "Quintet." Newman is best known for his non-genre roles, including "The Hustler," "The Sting," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Hud," and more. He was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won one for his reprisal of the role of Fast Eddie Felton in "The Color of Money."

25 September 2008

David Gemmell Legend Award
A group of fans and authors, led by Deborah J. Miller, have formed the David Gemmell Awards, to be presented annually for fantasy written in the spirit of Gemmell. Anyone who wants to may vote on the awards, which will announce a nomination list at the end of December. In addition, the site allows people to sign up and participate in on-line discussions.

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Hackers Killed the Magazine
The editors of Serpentarius have announced that after being hacked and used as a malware distribution point multiple times, they are shutting down the magazine. Serpentarius was a semi-pro quarterly market. The website will be up through the end of September.

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24 September 2008

Philadelphia Fantastic Rescheduled
At the request of author Greg Frost, his scheduled reading for this Friday, September 26, has been rescheduled to take place during the October reading. Frost asked for the change due to the presidential debates, which he feels are of greater importance than attending a book reading.

Obituary
Fan Nancy Kippax died on September 20. Kippax was one of the founders of ClipperCon and long active in Star Trek fandom. She published the Trek zine Contact from 1975 through 1987. She was also involved in running Spectrum and ConneXions. Kippax wrote several pieces of fan fiction.

23 September 2008

Can't Win Them All
Shortly after J.K. Rowling won a lawsuit against fan Steve van der Ark's attempts to publish an Harry Potter Lexicon, Warner Brothers had a lawsuit thrown out of an Indian court in which they were suing the makers of the Indian film Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors. The judge ruled that the film was not infringing on Warner Brothers' trademark.

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22 September 2008

Flashforward on ABC
ABC has purchased television rights to Robert J. Sawyer's novel Flashforward and has committed to producing a pilot. The pilot, which is currently in pre-production, was written by David S. Goyer and Brannon Braga. Sawyer will act as a consultant for the series and will write a first-season episode.

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Science Fiction in India
The National Council of Science and Technology Communication in association with Indian Science Fiction Writers' Association (ISFWA), Faizabad and Indian Association of Science Fiction Studies (IASFS), Vallore, is organising the first-ever national discussion on science fiction – its past, present and future. The event will take place in Varanisi, India from November 10-14.

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Sunburst Awards
The winners of the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic have been announced. The Sunburst Award is presented for excellence of writing by a Canadian writer who has published a speculative fiction novel or book-length collection any time during the previous calendar year. The award consists of a cash prize of $1,000 and a hand-crafted medallion which incorporates a "Sunburst" logo, designed by Marcel Gagné. This is the first year the Young Adult Awards has been presented.
Adult: The New Moon's Arms, Nalo Hopkinson
Young Adult: Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet, by Joanne Proulx

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Dwarf Planet Named
The IAU has announced the name for the fifth dwarf planet, Haumea. Haumea's discovery was first announced in 2005, although it was discovered in December 2003. Haumea was initially nicknamed Santa and has the same diameter as Pluto, although its oblong shape gives it a much smaller mass. Haumea is named for the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth and fertility.

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British Fantasy Awards
The British Fantasy Awards, selected by the membership of the British Fantasy Society, have been announced.
Karl Edward Wagner Award (Special Award): Ray Harryhausen
Sydney J. Bounds Awards for Best Newcomer: Scott Lynch
August Derleth Award (Novel): The Grin of the Dark, Ramsey Campbell
Novella: The Scalding Rooms, Conrad Williams
Short Fiction: "My Stone Desire", Joel Lane
Anthology: The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 18, Stephen Jones
Collection: Old Devil Moon, Christopher Fowler
Nonfiction: Whispers of Wickedness Peter Tennant
Small Press: PS Publishing, Peter Crowther
Artist: Vincent Chong

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Massive Interstellar Explosion
The Swift telescope has detected an explosion, known as GRB 080913, originating 12.8 billion light years from Earth. Scientists believe the explosion occurred when the universe was only .9 billion years old and accompanied the death of an early star. The initial discovery could not be detected from Earth since gamma rays don't penetrate the atmosphere, but ground-based astronomers at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, captured the burst's fading afterglow in other wavelengths of light.

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Emmy Awards
The PrimeTime Emmy Awards were announced on September 20. Only one show of genre interest received an Emmy, although several were nominated. Below are the winners of genre interest.
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series: Barry Sonnenfeld for Pie-lette, Pushing Daisies.

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Large Hadron Collider Down
The Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland ceased operations thirty-six hours after initially starting on September 10. Scientists have now had a chance to examine the facility and have stated that, although the cause of the problem is not known, the collider will be down for at least two months.

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Ignatz Nominees
The nominees for the Ignatz Award have been announced. The Ignatz is presented for achievements in comics and cartooning. Members of the Small Expo Press may vote for the award, which will be presented the first weekend of October.

Outstanding Artist:
Warren Craghead for How to Be Everywhere
Lat for Town Boy
Laura Park for Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream
Michel Rabagliati for Paul Goes Fishing
Jillian Tamaki for Skim

Outstanding Anthology or Collection:
Inkweed by Chris Wright
Little Lulu Vol. 18 by John Stanley
Papercutter #7 edited by Greg Means
Pond Life by John Broadley
Windy Corner #2 edited by Austin English

Outstanding Graphic Novel:
The Hot Breath of War by Trevor Alixopulos
Notes for a War Story by Gipi
Paul Goes Fishing by Michel Rabagliati
Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
Spent by Joe Matt

Outstanding Story:
"Americus," by MK Reed and Jonathan Hill, in Papercutter #7
"The Candy Rod," by Onsmith, in Hotwire Comics #2
"The Galactic Funnels," by Dash Shaw, in Mome #11
"The Thing About Madeleine," by Lilli Carre
"The Urn," by Chris Wright, in Inkweed

Promising New Talent:
Oliver East for Trains Are… Mint
Austin English for Windy Corner #2
Chuck Forsman for Snake Oil #1
Sarah Glidden for How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less
Lars Martinson for Tonoharu

Outstanding Series:
Eye of the Majestic Creature, by Leslie Stein
Injury, by Ted May, Jason Robards, and Jeff Wilson (Buenaventura Press)
Paul, by Michel Rabagliati
Reich, by Elijah Brubaker
Snake Oil, by Chuck Forsman

Outstanding Comic:
Cryptic Wit #2, by Gerald Jablonski
Department of Art, by Dunja Jankovic
Lucky Vol. 2 #2, by Gabrielle Bell
Palooka-ville #19, by Seth
Snake Oil #1, by Chuck Forsman

Outstanding Mini-Comic:
Bluefuzz, by Jesse Reklaw
Dorado Park, by Lilli Carre
How To Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less, by Sarah Glidden
Ochre Eclipse #2, by Jonas Madden-Connor
Swell, by Juliacks

Outstanding Online Comic:
Achewood, by Chris Onstad
Danny Dutch, by David King
Slow Wave, by Jesse Reklaw
Thingpart, by Joey Sayers
Traced, by Tracy White

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Obituary
Editor Brian Thomsen (b.1959) died on September 21 of an heart attack. Thomsen worked for Warner Questar and TSR before becoming a consulting editor for Tor. Thomsen edited several anthologies, including The American Fantasy Tradtion and Masters of Fantasy. He also published several short stories.

14 September 2008

Helix to Close
William Sanders has announced that the Hugo-nominated on-line sf magazine Helix SF will cease publication following its tenth issue (which will be online beginning on October 1). Sanders has said that part of the reason was the magazine's "ongoing failure to develop a broad base of support." Helix operated with a voluntary donation system, and although they were always able to pay their authors well, most of the money was "coming from a small number of amazingly generous donors."

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Holy F*ck, Batman
DC Comics is trying to recall issues of All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder #10 after it was discovered that four-letter expletives can be seen through black-out in the magazine's dialogue balloons. DC has apologized to dealers and fans, asking for all copies to be returned, but some dealers are refusing and copies of the issue are going for more than $200 on Ebay.

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Teresa Nielsen Hayden Heart Attack
Editor and fan Teresa Nielsen Hayen suffered a minor heart attack in the early morning hours of September 12. Nielsen Hayden was taken to the hospital and treated, remaining at the hospital through the weekend. According to her husband, Patrick, Nielsen Hayden will have further tests, but is not in critical condition and is mostly bored.

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Obituary
Star Trek fan Joan Winston (b.1931) died on September 12. Winston helped create the first Star Trek convention. In addition, Winston penned Star Trek non-fiction books including Star Trek Lives! and The Making of the Trek Conventions. Winston worked as a professional agent and died in an assisted living facility.

1 September 2008

SFWA Author Emerita Announced
M.J. Engh, the author of Arslan, has been announced as the SFWA Author Emerita. She will receive the honor at the 2009 Nebula Weekend in Los Angeles. Engh began publishing science fiction in 1964 under the pseudonym Jane Beauclerk. Since 1993, she has focused more on historical projects than science fiction. For more information:

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Corflu Fifty Fan Fund Winner
Curt Phillips has been selected as the winner of the Corflu Fifty fan fund. This will allow Phillips to attend Corflu Zed in Seattle, WA in 2009. The fund began as a one-off in 2004 to bring Bruce Gillespie to Corflu. It gets its name from the fact that the fund is made up of donations from members of $25 or Ł15 apiece. The plan is to eventually have fifty donators, currently the number stands at 25.

Endeavor Nominees
The nominees for the Endeavour Awards, presented for novels written by authors in the Pacific Northwest, have been announced. The winner, who will receive a $1,000 honorarium, will be announce in November at OryCon. The judges for 2008 include Ellen Asher, Steven Barnes, and Russell Davis.
The Book of Joby, by Mark J. Ferrari
Bright of the Sky, by Kay Kenyon
Not Flesh Nor Feathers," by Cherie Priest
Powers, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Sliver Ship and the Sea, by Brenda Cooper

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Pegasus Nominations
The nominations for this year's Pegasus Awards have been announced. The Pegasus Awards are given to honor the best filk of the year.

Best Filk Song
Die Puppen (The Dolls), by Eva Van Daele-Hunt
Like Their Feet Have Wings, by Gwen Knighton
One Small Boat, by Marilisa Valtazanou
Pageant Legend (The Morgan LeFay Song), by Katy Dröge-Macdonald /Ju Honisch Uplift, by Andrew Eigel

Best Classic Filk Song
Archetype Cafe, by Talis Kimberley
Chess, by Juanita Coulson
Following in Valentina's Footsteps, by Valerie Housde
Gone Filkin', by Tom Jeffers
Nessie, Come Up, by Dr. Jane Robinson

Best Performer
Heather Dale, for One Of Us
Amy McNally, for Willafjord
Playing Rapunzel, for Starship & Haiku
Vixy & Tony, for Mal's Song
Wild Mercy, for Your Cosmos, Cavalier

Best Writer/Composer
Barry Childs-Helton, for Your Cosmos, Cavalier
Ju Honisch, for Pageant Legend
Brooke Lunderville, for The Wreck of the Crash of the Easthill Mining Disaster
Seanan McGuire, for The Black Death
Benjamin Newman, for Here Be Cartographers

Best Tragedy Song
Black Davie's Ride, by Cynthia McQuillin
The Black Death, by Seanan McGuire
The Hunter, by Mich Sampson
Sealskin Jacket, by Tim Jennings
The Wreck of the Crash of the Easthill Mining Disaster, by Brooke Lunderville

Best Comedy Song
Alien Salad Abduction, by Chris Conway
Apology, by Bill and Gretchen Roper
Chocolate Is A Vegetable, by Graham Leathers
Close Your Eyes, by Daniel Glasse
Evil Eyeball, by Sibylle Machat

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Obituaries
Actor Fred Crane (b.1918) died on August 21. Crane debuted in 1939 as Stuart Tarleton in "Gone with the Wind." He only had a handful of acting credits, but they include an appearance in the television series "Lost in Space" and voicework in "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."

BBC Producer Geoffrey Perkins (b.1953) died in a car accident on August 29. Perkins is best known as the producer of the radio series "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" Perkins went on to work in television, where his credits include "The Catherine Tate Show," "Splitting Image," and "My Hero."

Ken Campbell (b.1941) died on August 31. Campbell formed the Science Fiction Theatre of Liverpool in 1976 and adapted the Illuminatus Trilogy and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for the stage. Campbell also appeared in the radio series of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" as Poodoo. In the early 1970s, he performed with Bob Hoskins and Sylvester McCoy. In 1987, he auditioned for the role of the Seventh Doctor, losing out to McCoy.