Locus, May 2013

by Locus Publications

  The Lectureship began Thursday, April 11, with a reading from Haldeman, followed by a dinner gathering. Friday morning’s group breakfast was followed by casual author readings and Q&A sessions.

  Organizer Patrice Caldwell opened Friday’s luncheon to about 80 people. Willis wove many references to Primeval into her introductions. She said Haldeman is a ‘‘writer of the grand Williamson tradition – humble, learned, courtly, kind, and a true gentleman.’’

  Haldeman began his address by saying, ‘‘I love Mars. Who doesn’t love Mars? Well, maybe Venus.’’ He talked about America’s fascination with the Red Planet starting in the late 1800s with the postulation of canals. That speculation lasted until the Mars fly-by of Mariner 4 in 1965. ‘‘My personal Mars fever began in 1952 with Chesley Bonestell’s paintings,’’ he said. ‘‘My brother and I built a telescope for the 1956 opposition. The image bounced all around in our viewer. But if you looked long enough, you’d swear you saw polar caps. I was into astronomy before I started writing, and Mars is my favorite planet.’’

  The Lectureship held two-track panels Friday afternoon in Golden Library, home of the Williamson Special Collections. Approximately 40-60 attendees watched discussions on ‘‘SF and Fantasy in Film & TV’’ with Bryant, Snodgrass and ENMU’s John Bahr; ‘‘The Writing Process’’ with Gould, Kiesbye, Jones, and Willis, where Willis advised, ‘‘Figure out what works best for you, and do it every day’’; ‘‘Short Attention Span’’ (covering many topics in short bursts) with Gould, Snodgrass, Willis, and ENMU’s Barbara Senn; ‘‘New Directions: What’s New in SF/Fantasy’’ with Bryant, Saberhagen, Tregillis, Wood, and ENMU’s Heather Christensen; ‘‘What Are The SF Classics?’’ with Bryant, Ron Else, Hamann, and Tregillis; and ‘‘The Red Planet 1898-2013’’ with Caldwell, Haldeman, Rogers, Courtney Willis, and ENMU’s William Andersen. Rogers talked of her efforts to get Martian features named after SF authors, including a rock named for Jack Williamson. Haldeman said, ‘‘Hopefully, NASA would use a first manned mission to Mars to spread a sense of wonder, and capture some enthusiasm for science.’’

  Gay & Joe Haldeman at Jack Williamson’s writing shed

  Friday evening, a party was held at Gene Bundy and Geni Flores’s home with enchiladas, salad, chips, guacamole, wine, and desserts.

  On Saturday, there was another group breakfast; a Young Writers Workshop with Connie Willis and Steven Gould at the Portales Public Library; and a visit to the Williamson Ranch. While Jack Williamson’s writing shed still stands close to the main house, time and weather are leaving their marks on the 1934 structure.

  In conjunction with the Lectureship, a book sale was held to benefit the Williamson Collection. Plans for the 2014 Lectureship are underway.

  –Craig W. Chrissinger

  2013 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE FANTASTIC IN THE ARTS

  2013 ICFA Attendees Poolside

  With a record high of over 500 participants, the 34th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA) returned to the Orlando Airport Marriott Hotel, March 20-24, 2013, with a theme of ‘‘Fantastic Adaptations, Transformations, and Audiences’’. Neil Gaiman and Kij Johnson were guests of honor, with guest scholar Constance Penley, and special guest emeritus Brian Aldiss (in absentia).

  The usual mix of academics, writers, publishers, critics, and artists were in attendance, along with a slew of new students. Attending authors, editors, and artists numbered over 80 guests this year, and included Christopher Barzak, Jedediah Berry, Chris Cevasco, Suzy McKee Charnas, Ted Chiang, Stephen R. Donaldson, Andy Duncan, Steven Erikson, Ian C. Esslemont, Jeffrey Ford, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Theodora Goss, Daryl Gregory, Joe Haldeman, Maria Dahvana Headley, James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, Ellen Klages, Jay Lake, Patricia McKillip, Sarah Pinborough, Kit Reed, Peter Straub, Genevieve Valentine, and more. Participating critics and academics included Brian Attebery, Alexis Brooks de Vita, A.P. Canavan, John Clute, F. Brett Cox, Maria Haywood Ferreira, and Mike Levy. Editors and publishers, some of whom are also scholars or writers, included Ellen Datlow, Liz Gorinsky (Tor), David Hartwell (who managed the book room again), Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, Jacob Weisman (Tachyon), and Sheila Williams (Asimov’s). Locus was represented by Liza Groen Trombi, Francesca Myman, Gary K. Wolfe, Russell Letson, and Karen Burnham.

  The theme of ‘‘Fantastic Adaptations, Transformations, and Audiences’’ encouraged participants to explore the ‘‘ubiquity of adaptation in all its Fantastic forms.’’ There were essays examining the guests of honors’ work and teaching their work in the academy, and papers covering areas like ‘‘Adapting Fairy Tales and Faerie Queenes’’, ‘‘Transforming the Canon’’, ‘‘Transformations in/to/from Graphic Novels, Manga, and Anime’’, ‘‘Transforming Teens: Alienation and Acceptance in Young Adult Fantasy’’, and ‘‘Monstrous Miscellany’’.

  GoHs: Kij Johnson, Neil Gaiman, Constance Penley

  In an entertaining opening panel, moderator Andy Duncan gave the GoHs the chance to talk about their careers. Penley, a feminist scholar initially inspired by fan and slash writing, said: ‘‘You have to remember that all during the ’70s, the ’80s, the ’90s, the 2000s, right into the new millenium, a broad popular perception of feminism was that it was one and the same with the anti-porn movement. If you were anti-porn, that meant that you were anti-men, and you were antisex, and for the slashers that was the trifecta. For them, I mean, they really loved men and sex and porn…. I decided to teach a course on pornographic film…[Journalists] couldn’t get the idea of feminists teaching pornography, feminists taking pornography seriously.’’ Gaiman joked that ‘‘the smallest possible interval of time is that between realizing that the link you have been sent is to some real-person slash with you and Terry Pratchett and hitting the backspace,’’ and continued on to an engaging overview of his career, from his origins as a journalist, to years of writing comics, graphic novels, adult and children’s novels, and even TV scripts. Johnson added that she had the opposite career trajectory from Penley, starting as an ‘‘ad hoc sex educator’’ and ending up as a college professor, with detours along the way at various publishing houses.

  This year’s conference saw the first ever Ten-Minute Play Festival, with a set of (blind selected) works read: The Sum of Your Experience by Trace Crawford, Brides of Cthulhu by Michael Furlong, and Mississippi Twilight by Michael Reimann, all directed by Carrie J. Cole. Another highlight was Kij Johnson’s GoH reading from a selection of flash fiction called ‘‘The Apartment Dweller’s Bestiary’’. Gaiman’s GoH reading was standing-room only, with three selections comprising a previously unseen, ‘‘Down to a Sunless Sea’’, a not-yet-published poem, and an excerpt from new novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

  Russell Letson, Mike Levy, Sandra J. Lindow, Margaret McBride; M.W. Bychowski, Mandy Mahaffey, Robert J. Sawyer, Liz Cano

  In his GoH talk, Gaiman underlined the importance of the sacred contract between author and reader, and speculated on how that contract can illuminate our understanding of the definition of story, and of genre itself: ‘‘I decided that a story was anything that I made up that kept the reader turning the pages or watching and did not leave the reader or viewer feeling cheated at the end…. What makes something genre fiction?… If you take out the songs from a musical, the sex acts from a porn film, the gunfights from a Western, then they no longer have the thing that the person came to see…the people who come to the genre looking for that thing will feel cheated…. Subject matter does not create genre.’’

  Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells Reading

  The interior bar was better attended than usual due to chillier weather, but improved weather on Saturday night resulted in a surprise marshmallow roasting around a firepit by the pool, instigated by Gaiman and Valya Lupescu in an effort to introduce British author Sarah Pinborough to the joys of s’mores. Amanda Palmer put in a brief appearance Thursday evening, serenading a small crowd at the bar with a heartfelt ukelele performance of Radiohead’s �
��‘Creep’’.

  The main awards banquet was held Saturday night, with the 286 banquet attendees milling around at the cocktail reception beforehand. Donald Morse opened the banquet with thanks to the hotel liaison and chef, and gave gifts of appreciation to the GoHs and Charles Vess, who designed the program cover. Jim Casey, president of IAFA, thanked officers, with special thanks to treasurer Bill Clemente. Gary Wolfe presented the IAFA Distinguished Scholarship Award and a $500 stipend to Constance Penley, who accepted with thanks.

  Sheila Williams presented the Dell Magazine Award for Undergraduate Excellence in SF and Fantasy Writing, with thanks to co-judge Rick Wilber. Williams announced the runners-up, all first-timers. The first-place winner was Lara Donnelly from Wright State University, for ‘‘To the Dogs’’; this was Donnelly’s fifth year attending ICFA, with three previous honorable mentions in 2009, 2010, and 2011 and a third runner-up award in 2012.

  Rachel Lister, Miah Saunders, Jennifer Lyons, E. Lily Yu, Karen Burnham; A.P. Canavan, Ann Crimmins, Fiona Crimmins, Deirdre Crimmins

  The Lord Ruthven Society Awards presented by Stacie Hanes went to Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers (fiction), and The Vampire Film: Undead Cinema by Jeffrey Wienstock (nonfiction). Brian Evenson presented the IAFA Graduate Student Award to Cassandra Bausman of the University of Iowa, for ‘‘Convention Undone: UnLunDun’s Unchosen Heroine and Narrative (Re)Vision’’, a critique of Mieville’s 2008 novel. The Jamie Bishop Memorial Award, for an essay on the fantastic written in a language other than English, went to Ezequiel De Rosso. Finalists were Paweł Frelik (in attendance) and Mariano Martín Rodríguez.

  The Crawford Award for a first book of fantasy, presented by Gary K. Wolfe, went to Karin Tidbeck for short story collection Jagganath, and was accepted by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, Cheeky Frawg publishers. The Robert A. Collins Service Award for exceptional support and service to IAFA, presented by Chip Sullivan, went to David G. Hartwell, ‘‘bookroom master, our free book master, the man that we owe so much to for so many years for working for us, and for his sartorial splendor…actually [he’s] getting the award as the foremost male model for the IAFA.’’

  ICFA Department Chairs: Bridgid Shannon, Bill Clemente, Brian Attebery, Sydney Duncan, Crystal Black, Gary K. Wolfe, Jim Casey, Taryne Taylor, Donald Morse, Judy Collins McCormick

  Jim Casey then passed the gavel to Sydney Duncan, new president of the IAFA, who introduced three new officers, first vice-president Dale Knickerbocker, second vice-president Karen Burnham, and public information officer Stacie Hanes. Next year’s theme for the 35th annual conference is ‘‘Fantastic Empires’’, and it will take place March 19-23, 2014 at the Orlando Airport Marriott, in Orlando, FL. Guests of honor are Nnedi Okorafor and Ian McDonald, guest scholar is Istven Csicsery-Ronay, Jr., and special guest emeritus is Brian Aldiss.

  We have included a selection of photos from the convention below.

  –Francesca Myman & Liza Groen Trombi

  Charles Vess, Ellen Klages; Sarah Pinborough, Daryl Gregory, Ian C. Esslemont; Jeanne Beckwith, Carrie J. Cole, John Kessel

  Sue Bedry, Robert Johnson; Alexis Brooks de Vita, Kathy & Jim Morrow; Peter Straub, Valone Ebert

  Christopher Barzak, Ted Chiang, Dale Bailey, Nathan Ballingrud; Sydney Duncan, Joe Haldeman, Andy Duncan, Lorena Haldeman, Gay Haldeman

  Sofia Samatar, Valya Lupescu, Nancy Hightower, Kat Howard; Outgoing ICFA President Jim Casey, Kevin Crawford; Liza Groen Trombi, Jay Lake

  Patricia A. McKillip & David Lunde; Delia Sherman, Stephen R. Donaldson; Jeana Jorgensen, Katherine Pendill

  Helen Pilinovsky, Veronica Schanoes; Mary Ann Mohanraj, Jed Hartman, Sheila Williams; Joe & Kit Reed; Rebecca McNulty, Nick DiChario

  David G. Hartwell, Mark Wingenfeld, Glennis LeBlanc, Joe Berlant, Peter Halasz; Relaxing on the patio

  Keffy Kehrli, Shaun Duke, Kendra Holmes; Crawford Administrator Gary K. Wolfe with Ann & Jeff VanderMeer of Cheeky Frawg; Kathleen Ann Goonan, Timothy Anderson,Candas Jane Dorsey

  John Clute, Arthur B. Evans; Janny Wurts, Owl Goingback; Marge Simon, Mary A. Turzillo

  Austin Sirkin, Karen Burnham; Kij Johnson, Francesca Myman, Novella Brooks de Vita, Joseph Brooks de Vita; Peter Halasz, Judy Collins McCormick, Stacie Hanes

  Chip Sullivan, Rick Wilber, Bill Senior; Ben Loory, Edward Gauvin

  Arthur B. Evans, Rachel Haywood Ferreira; Caitlin Herington, Joe Prinz; E. Lily Yu, Sheila Williams, Lara Donnelly

  Performances at ICFA: Give Me All Your Stories performed by Conor McCreery and Neil Gaiman, and Brides of Cthulhu performed by Frances Auld, Sharon King, and Ann Crimmins

  S’mores around the fire

  2013 RAINFOREST WRITERS VILLAGE RETREATS

  The Rainforest Writers Village retreat, held annually at Lake Quinault WA, had two sessions this year, February 27 - March 3 and March 6-10, 2013. For more: .

  Session 1: Front row: Anna Bortolotto, Alison Sinclair, Susan Forest, Sara Mueller, Julie McGalliard, Lisa Owen, Kayt Huggans. Second row: Kim Greyson, Brenda Cooper, Heather Roulo, Amy Thomson, Janna Silverstein, David Levine, Cory Skerry, Ann Cooney, Elizabeth Stephan, Barb Galler-Smith, Manny Frishberg, Patrick Swenson, Randy McCharles, Val King. Back rows: Ted Kosmatka, James Van Pelt, Louise Marley, Gary B. Phillips, Jennifer Brozek, Robert J Sawyer, Sherry Peters, John Pitts, Art Boulton, Bob Brown, Allan Rousselle, Stephen Merlino, Michael Gillett. Not pictured: Bruce Cordell, Julie Nordeen, Alex Tillson, Allie Tullis.

  Session 2: Front row: Mark Teppo, Mae Empson, Sandra Wickham, Luna Lindsey, Brandie Tarvin, Debora Rienert, Minerva Zimmerman, Janka Hobbs, Maura Glynn-Thami, Randy Henderson, Maggie Croft, Joy Ralph, Rashida Smith. Second row: Patrick Swenson, Camille Griep, Kelly Lagor, Emily Skaftun, Daryl Gregory, Charles Walbridge, Amanda Clark, Nicole Feldringer, Amy Sundberg, Erika Holt, Chris Reynaga, Nancy Kress, Liz Argall, Ted Kosmatka. Back Row: Tod McCoy, Jack Skillingstead, Art Boulton, Sandra Odell, Mark Edwards, Anthony Lanni, Duane Wilkins. Not pictured: Ada Cole, Jeff Peterson, John Remy, Andrew Romine, Tracie Welser, Christie Yant.

  Return to In This Issue listing.

  MAIN STORIES

  2013 Hugo Awards Nominations • Slattery Wins Dick Award • Banks Diagnosed with Terminal Cancer • 2012 BSFA Awards Winners • Clarke Award Shortlist • Night Shade for Sale

  2013 HUGO AWARDS NOMINATIONS

  BEST NOVEL (1,113 NOMINATING BALLOTS)

  Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed (DAW; Gollancz ’13)

  Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)

  Blackout, Mira Grant (Orbit US; Orbit UK)

  2312, Kim Stanley Robinson(Orbit US; Orbit UK)

  Redshirts, John Scalzi (Tor; Gollancz)

  BEST NOVELLA (587)

  On a Red Station, Drifting, Aliette de Bodard (Immersion Press)

  San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats, Mira Grant (Orbit Short Fiction)

  ‘‘The Stars Do Not Lie’’, Jay Lake (Asimov’s 10-11/12)

  After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall, Nancy Kress (Tachyon)

  The Emperor’s Soul, Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon)

  BEST NOVELETTE (616)

  ‘‘The Girl-Thing Who Went Out for Sushi’’, Pat Cadigan (Edge of Infinity)

  ‘‘In Sea-Salt Tears’’, Seanan McGuire (Self published)

  ‘‘Rat-Catcher’’, Seanan McGuire (A Fantasy Medley 2)

  ‘‘The Boy Who Cast No Shadow’’, Thomas Olde Heuvelt (Postscripts 26/27: Unfit For Eden)

  ‘‘Fade to White’’, Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld 8/12)

  BEST SHORT STORY (662)

  ‘‘Immersion’’, Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld 6/12)

  ‘‘Mantis Wives’’, Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld 8/12)

  ‘‘Mono no Aware’’, Ken Liu (The Future Is Japanese)

  BEST RELATED WORK (584)

  ‘‘I Have an Idea for a Book’’: The Bibliography of Martin H. Greenberg,

  John Helfers, compiler
& ed. (The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box)

  The Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature, Edward James & Farah Mendlesohn (Cambridge University Press)

  Writing Excuses, Season Seven, Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler & Jordan Sanderson

  Chicks Unravel Time: Women Journey Through Every Season of Doctor Who, Deborah Stanish & L.M. Myles, eds. (Mad Norwegian Press)

  Chicks Dig Comics: A Celebration of Comic Books by the Women Who Love Them, Lynne M. Thomas & Sigrid Ellis, eds. (Mad Norwegian Press)

  BEST GRAPHIC STORY (427)

  Saucer Country, Volume 1: Run, Paul Cornell, art by Ryan Kelly, Jimmy Broxton & Goran Sudžuka (Vertigo)

  Locke & Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks, Joe Hill, art by Gabriel Rodriguez (IDW Publishing)

  Grandville Bête Noire, Bryan Talbot (Dark Horse Comics; Jonathan Cape)

  Schlock Mercenary: Random Access Memorabilia, Howard Tayler, colors by Travis Walton (Hypernode Media)

  Saga, Volume One, Brian K. Vaughn, art by Fiona Staples (Image Comics)

  BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION - LONG (787)

  The Avengers

  The Cabin in the Woods

  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

  The Hunger Games

  Looper

  BEST DRAMATIC PRESENTATION - SHORT (597)

  Doctor Who: ‘‘The Angels Take Manhattan’’

  Doctor Who: ‘‘Asylum of the Daleks’’

  Doctor Who: ‘‘The Snowman’’

  Fringe: ‘‘Letters of Transit’’

  Game of Thrones: ‘‘Blackwater’’

  BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR LONG FORM (408)

  Lou Anders

  Sheila Gilbert

  Liz Gorinsky

  Patrick Nielsen Hayden

  Toni Weisskopf

  BEST PROFESSIONAL EDITOR SHORT FORM (526)

  John Joseph Adams

  Neil Clarke

  Stanley Schmidt