Nebula Awards Showcase 2009
Page 45
Best Novelette: “At the Rialto” by Connie Willis
Best Short Story: “Ripples in the Dirac Sea” by Geoffrey A. Landis
1990
Best Novel: Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Best Novella: “The Hemingway Hoax” by Joe Haldeman
Best Novelette: “Tower of Babylon” by Ted Chiang
Best Short Story: “Bears Discover Fire” by Terry Bisson
1991
Best Novel: Stations of the Tide by Michael Swanwick
Best Novella: “Beggars in Spain” by Nancy Kress
Best Novelette: “Guide Dog” by Mike Conner
Best Short Story: “Ma Qui” by Alan Brennert
1992
Best Novel: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Best Novella: “City of Truth” by James Morrow
Best Novelette: “Danny Goes to Mars” by Pamela Sargent
Best Short Story: “Even the Queen” by Connie Willis
1993
Best Novel: Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Best Novella: “The Night We Buried Road Dog” by Jack Cady
Best Novelette: “Georgia on My Mind” by Charles Sheffield
Best Short Story: “Graves” by Joe Haldeman
1994
Best Novel: Moving Mars by Greg Bear
Best Novella: “Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge” by Mike Resnick
Best Novelette: “The Martian Child” by David Gerrold
Best Short Story: “A Defense of the Social Contracts” by Martha Soukup
1995
Best Novel: The Terminal Experiment by Robert J. Sawyer
Best Novella: “Last Summer at Mars Hill” by Elizabeth Hand
Best Novelette: “Solitude” by Ursula K. Le Guin
Best Short Story: “Death and the Librarian” by Esther Friesner
1996
Best Novel: Slow River by Nicola Griffith
Best Novella: “Da Vinci Rising” by Jack Dann
Best Novelette: “Lifeboat on a Burning Sea” by Bruce Holland Rogers
Best Short Story: “A Birthday” by Esther M. Friesner
1997
Best Novel: The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre
Best Novella: “Abandon in Place” by Jerry Oltion
Best Novelette: “The Flowers of Aulit Prison” by Nancy Kress
Best Short Story: “Sister Emily’s Lightship” by Jane Yolen
1998
Best Novel: Forever Peace by Joe Haldeman
Best Novella: “Reading the Bones” by Sheila Finch
Best Novelette: “Lost Girls” by Jane Yolen
Best Short Story: “Thirteen Ways to Water” by Bruce Holland Rogers
Other Awards and Honors Given in 1999
Grand Master: Hal Clement (Harry Stubbs)
Bradbury Award: J. Michael Straczynski
Author Emeritus: William Tenn (Phil Klass)
1999
Best Novel: Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
Best Novella: “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang
Best Novelette: “Mars Is No Place for Children” by Mary A. Turzillo
Short Story: “The Cost of Doing Business” by Leslie What
Best Script: The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan
Other Awards and Honors Given in 2000
Grand Master: Brian W. Aldiss
Author Emeritus: Daniel Keyes
2000
Best Novel: Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear
Best Novella: “Goddesses” by Linda Nagata
Best Novelette: “Daddy’s World” by Walter Jon Williams
Best Short Story: “macs” by Terry Bisson
Best Script: Galaxy Quest by Robert Gordon and David Howard
Other Awards and Honors Given in 2001
Grand Master: Philip José Farmer
Bradbury Award: Yuri Rasovsky and Harlan Ellison
Author Emeritus: Robert Sheckley
2001
Best Novel: The Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro
Best Novella: “The Ultimate Earth” by Jack Williamson
Best Novelette: “Louise’s Ghost” by Kelly Link
Best Short Story: “The Cure for Everything” by Severna Park
Best Script: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai, and Hui-Ling Wang; from the book by Du Lu Wang
Other Awards and Honors Given in 2002
President’s Award: Betty Ballantine
2002
Best Novel: American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Best Novella: “Bronte’s Egg” by Richard Chwedyk
Best Novelette: “Hell Is the Absence of God” by Ted Chiang
Best Short Story: “Creature” by Carol Emshwiller
Best Script: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson; based on The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Other Awards and Honors Given in 2003
Grand Master: Ursula K. Le Guin
Author Emeritus: Katherine MacLean
2003
Best Novel: The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
Best Novella: “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman
Best Novelette: “The Empire of Ice Cream” by Jeffrey Ford
Best Short Story: “What I Didn’t See” by Karen Joy Fowler
Best Script: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair, and Peter Jackson; based on The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Other Awards and Honors Given in 2004
Grand Master: Robert Silverberg
Author of Distinction: Charles Harness
Service to SFWA Award: Michael Capobianco and Ann Crispin
2004
Best Novel: Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
Best Novella: “The Green Leopard Plague” by Walter Jon Williams
Best Novelette: “Basement Magic” by Ellen Klages
Best Short Story: “Coming to Terms” by Eileen Gunn
Best Script: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson; based on The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Other Awards and Honors Given in 2005
Grand Master: Anne McCaffrey
2005
Best Novel: Camouflage by Joe Haldeman
Best Novella: “Magic for Beginners” by Kelly Link
Best Novelette: “The Faery Handbag” by Kelly Link
Best Short Story: “I Live with You” by Carol Emshwiller
Best Script: Serenity by Joss Whedon
Andre Norton Award:* Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie by Holly Black
Other Awards and Honors Given in 2006
Grand Master: Harlan Ellison
Author Emeritus: William F. Nolan
2006
Best Novel: Seeker by Jack McDevitt
Best Novella: “Burn” by James Patrick Kelly
Best Novelette: “Two Hearts” by Peter S. Beagle
Best Short Story: “Echo” by Elizabeth Hand
Andre Norton Award:* Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
Other Awards and Honors Given in 2007
Grand Master: James Gunn
Author Emeritus: D. G. Compton
* The Andre Norton Award is not a Nebula.
THE AUTHORS EMERETI
SFWA inaugurated the Author Emeritus program in 1995 as a way to recognize and appreciate senior writers in the genres of science fiction and fantasy who have made significant contributions to our field but who are no longer active or whose excellent work may no longer be as widely known as it once was. The honor is decided by SFWA’s board of directors through discussion and consensus. The Author Emeritus is invited to speak at the Nebula Awards Banquet and given a lifetime SFWA membership. When the invitee is not able to attend the banquet to speak, he or she is instead recognized as an Author of Distinction .
Fiction by the first five Authors Emeriti i
s collected in the anthology Architects of Dreams (Meisha Merlin, 2003) edited by Robin Wayne Bailey.
THE AUTHORS EMERITI ARE:
Multigenre, award-winning writer Joe R. Lansdale has written a fitting tribute to Ardath Mayhar.
ARDATH MAYHAR, TALENT FROM THE PINES
JOE R. LANSDALE
Ardath Mayhar is a talent out of East Texas, a woman living in a small dome-shaped house in the depths of the pines, her home surrounded by wind-rattled bamboo—at least before a tornado did a bit of natural weed eating, tearing a lot of it up, taking it away and not quite weaving baskets of it. There’s also a yard full of stray cats that have found a sucker, and their numbers vary according to the eating habits of the local coyotes who like nothing better for an evening snack than a fresh, warm cat.
Like her natural surroundings, Ardath is one of the most natural writers who ever wrote a line. The words and stories jump at her like hot sparks from lightning; seem to come from hidden places in the pines instead of the clouds.
I lost count long ago of how many books Ardath has written, though I have read most, many in manuscript, and I look forward to those that have been lost in her files for so many years and are soon to be brought into book form via Borgo Press.
I have said this before, and I will say it again: Ardath Mayhar is a neglected writer, and that neglect is an offense worthy of a firing squad. Like Neal Barrett, Jr., she has been so good and so consistent, folks take her for granted. She is one of those born storytellers, and therefore easy to take for granted, like the wind, the earth, and sky. We tend to think these things are always going to be there.
It takes only a moment of applied logic to know this isn’t true.
All things pass.
But not everyone has the backlist of work Ardath has, or the kind of readers who at the recent Nebula convention rushed to her signing table with piles of books and childlike excitement, gushing accolades long overdue.
Part of the reason for this neglect is Ardath herself.
She doesn’t get out much.
She’s not someone to stand on a soapbox and wave her arms and tell everyone how good she is and how important she is.
She’s not someone to remind us that her work is unique, that it is born and bred out of East Texas, and no matter what she writes, be it the most amazing aliens one can imagine—and she had created a large number of amazing aliens—they all are somehow out of East Texas. I’m not saying they talk with Ardath’s accent, which is pretty close to mine, bless our little country hearts, and I’m not saying these aliens aren’t alien, but it’s the East Texas mind that has created them. Living out in the pines as she does, out where the dark things gather and there are plenty of odd ducks, hungry alligators, and vicious water moccasins with snake hearts full of sin; deep in the center of East Texas, it is no surprise that at the core of her stories is the strange, sweetly dark soul of East Texas; it throbs like a sore at times, and at others it is as healing and comforting as a mother’s touch.
Over thirty years ago I met Ardath. She was already an accomplished poet, and had a few stories published, including one, “Crawfish,” that was a big influence on me. It was a crime story and it was about East Texas and it alerted me to the fact that I didn’t have to write about some place outside of my homeland of East Texas; it showed me writing was about life and experience. It was a great lesson, and without that story, I don’t know if I would have had a career. I had been fueled by Matheson and Bloch and Bradbury, and so many others, and they gave me direction, but Ardath, she showed me that I could write closer to the bone. It was, at the time, a revelation. It seems obvious now, but not then.
But enough about a crime story. Ardath’s first love was fantasy and science fiction, and she, like me, wanted badly to break into those fields. We became fast friends and burned up the phone lines every day, sometimes talking for hours. They were good talks. We talked about books and stories we liked, the state of the field (it always stinks), publishers, editors, other writers, conventions (we attended a few), and our latest works.
We formed a writers’ organization that lasted for many years and petered out when many of the members moved, died, or became so busy that the monthly meetings couldn’t continue. Interestingly enough, a large number of those members were published in some form or another. But what I remember about those meetings was looking forward to Ardath Mayhar reading from a story, or a book she was working on.
It was a great treat.
Before long, she broke into science fiction big-time. I drifted off into other, newer interests, circling back now and then to touch base, but Ardath was selling books and stories faster than a duck could gobble june bugs. In time, Ardath branched out into other types of stories: crime, suspense, western, mystery, but, like me, she always circled back, and for her, the bulk of her work lies within the science fiction and fantasy fields.
Bless her. She fought the good fight to become a writer and made it.
No connections to start out with.
Originally, no other real dedicated writers to speak to—thank goodness we found each other.
No financial backing. She’s done everything from milking cows to operating a bookstore.
No great respect or understanding from the local populace, who didn’t get that science fiction and funny space stuff. (That perception about SF here has changed dramatically, and part of that is due to Ardath herself, because how do you keep denying a force of nature?)
You see, Ardath persisted. She wrote and wrote and wrote, turning out thousands of words a day, and this, young folks, was when we were writing our works on old-fashioned typewriters that sometimes demanded we near stand on the keys to make them pop the paper. She moved from those, as did I, to electric typewriters, and finally word processors. In fact, I bought my first word processor from her and her husband, Joe.
These days there are fewer stories coming from the Mayhar residence. She’s enjoying the fruits of her labors; she’s slowed down a bit. Pets and feeds those stray cats, reads a lot, and watches old movies. We get together for visits now and then, like at the recent Nebula Awards. We rode there together and back, my wife at the wheel, my daughter in the backseat with me. I leaned forward the whole trip. Ardath and I swapped stories and talked about this and that. It was delightful. Like old times.
These days, the words don’t quite jump and spark at Ardath the way they once did, but that may be because she’s not at this moment ready to catch them. Recently, an exploding compost toilet excited her enough to snag a few sparks out of the air (nothing from the exploding toilet I might add) and pin those sparkly suckers to paper. Replacements and/or repairs cost money. The need for money necessitates creativity sometimes. Remember, Philip K. Dick dedicated one of his novels to bill collectors.
But enough of the memories.
Now, Ardath Mayhar has been named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction Writers of America.
I’m ecstatic.
Break out the brass bands.
Someone buy some confetti.
Clear the streets.
Gather the crowds.
Start the parade.
And at both ends of this very long, blocked-off street where we hold our parade, put up this banner:
Ardath Mayhar, Author Emeritus. Living Treasure.
ABOUT THE EDITOR
Ellen Datlow has been an award-winning editor of short science fiction, fantasy, and horror for over twenty-five years.
She is coeditor (the horror half) of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror and has edited or coedited a large number of award-winning original anthologies. Her most recent are Inferno; The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy; Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe; The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales; and Troll’s Eye View (the latter two with Terri Windling).
She is the winner of multiple awards for her editing, including the World Fantasy Award, Locus Award, Hugo Award, International Horror Guild Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and Bram Stoker Awa
rd. She was the recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for “outstanding contribution to the genre.”