People & Publishing Roundup, March 2022

MILESTONES

BRONTE-MARIE WESSON is now represented by the John Jarrold Literary Agency. She is an Australian bookseller and influencer.

SUZAN PALUMBO is now represented by Michael Curry of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

IORI KUSANO is now represented by Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

Author COLM TÓIBÍN has been named the new Laureate for Irish Fiction by the Arts Council of Ireland, a position which seeks to ...Read More

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School Renamed for Butler

Washington Steam Multilingual Academy in Pasadena CA has been renamed “The Octavia E. Butler Magnet” in honor of the late author, who attended the school (then called Washington Middle School), graduating in 1961. The motion was “passed, approved, and adopted on February 24, 2022, at a special meeting of the Pasadena Unified School District Board of Education.”

Octavia E. Butler is a role model for our students as she exemplifies ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, February 2022

AWARDS

LAURIE R. KING has been named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America, and will be honored at the 76th Edgar Awards Ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York on April 28, 2022. Reviewer LESA HOLSTINE won the 2022 Raven Award, for “outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writ­ing,” and Soho Press associate publisher (and author) JULIET GRAMES received ...Read More

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Tóibín Named Irish Fiction Laureate

Author Colm Tóibín has been named the new Laureate for Irish Fiction by the Arts Council of Ireland. He takes over from Sebastian Barry, and his three-year term begins this month. The Laureate position “seeks to acknowledge the contribution of fiction writers to Irish artistic and cultural life by honouring an established Irish writer of fiction, encouraging a new generation of writers, promoting Irish literature nationally and internationally and encouraging ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, January 2022

MILESTONES

JOHN VARLEY, 74, was hospi­talized last year with COVID, pneu­monia, and congestive heart failure, and received a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He is home now, and expects to soon “be back at work on my next novel, a re-write and near total alteration of the horrible second draft of my first unpublished novel, Gas Giant.” Read his account here.

TOMI ADEYEMI’s publishing rights are ...Read More

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Obama’s Top Books of 2021

Former President Barack Obama has announced a 13-title list of the best books of 2021. Titles and authors of genre interest include:

  • Cloud Cuckoo Land, Anthony Doerr (Scribner)
  • Crossroads, Jonathan Franzen (Farrar, Straus, Giroux)
  • Matrix, Lauren Groff (Riverhead)
  • How the Word Is Passed, Clint Smith (Little, Brown)
  • The Lincoln Highway, Amor Towles (Viking)
  • Harlem Shuffle, Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
  • The Love Songs of W.E.B Du Bois
...Read More Read more

People & Publishing Roundup, December 2021

MILESTONES

Author BRADLEY P. BEAU­LIEU suffered a stroke on Novem­ber 10, 2021, and was admitted for observation and testing. “Knock wood, it seems light so far…. It’s affecting my left hand (fingers, mostly) and the left side of my face a bit. Some slurred speech but not too bad.”

AWARDS

MERCEDES LACKEY is the 38th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial SFWA Grand Master Award. Her award will be presented ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, November 2021

MILESTONES

Librarian MISHA STONE of the Seattle Public Library won the Librarian of the Year Award from the Greater Seattle Romance Writers Association. Stone is a Clarion West board member.

AWARDS

Composer JOHN WILLIAMS received the Forry Award for life­time achievement in the SF field, presented by The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society at their October 9, 2021 meeting.

URSULA VERNON writing as T. KINGFISHER’s “Metal Like Blood in ...Read More

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Lackey Named SFWA Grand Master

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has named Mercedes Lackey the 38th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy said,

From the time I read my first Mercedes Lackey book as a young woman, her stories have illuminated my imagination and brought joy to my life. With multi-layered fantasy worlds, canny magical systems, and characters who step off the page as ...Read More

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Icons of Darkness Museum

Actor Rich Correll has opened Icons of Darkness, a new Hollywood museum filled with $15 million worth of props and costumes from beloved science fiction, fantasy, and horror franchises.

The collection, which represents “over 100 years of Hollywood film history curated and collected over the last 60 years,” includes props from Jurassic Park, a Darth Vader mask, and lots more costumes and memorabilia. The collection is currently on display ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, October 2021

MILESTONES

N.K. JEMISIN was named as one of the 100 most influential people of 2021 by Time. See the full list on their website.

AWARDS

NANCY PEARL will receive the 2021 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community, to be presented November 17, 2021 at the National Book Awards ceremony in New York. Pearl is the influential librarian who created the ‘‘One Book, One City’’ program.

SUSANNA ...Read More

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Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Fourth Edition

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (SFE) has launched its Fourth Edition. The online edition of the essential reference work was sponsored by Orion/Gollancz from 2011-2021, but is now published by SFE Ltd and Ansible Editions.

Editors John Clute and David Langford say of the move:

With the release of the Fourth Edition of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, we have a new publisher and a new web server; but ...Read More

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Breuer Exhibit

The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles will host an exhibition to honor Czech-American writer Miles J. Breuer (1889-1945) on October 14, 2021. The event will commemorate the 76th anniversary of Breuer’s death.
Breuer is the author Paradise and Iron (1930) and co-author of The Birth of a New Republic (1931, with Jack Williamson), along with numerous stories, including “The Gostak and the Doshes” (1930) and “The
...Read More Read more

2021 Nielsen Bestseller Awards

The Nielsen Bestseller Awards have been announced, and include several titles and authors of genre interest. George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake (Jonathan Cape) was a Platinum Bestseller; Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo (Hamish Hamilton) was a Gold Bestseller; and The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman (Penguin UK & David Fickling) was a Silver Bestseller. Several titles by Matt Haig ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, September 2021

MILESTONES

DOMINICA PHETTEPLACE has been chosen for the Bookshop Santa Cruz Writing Residency. She will spend two weeks writ­ing at the Wellstone Center in the Redwoods, working on her novel Robot Country, “a dystopian sci­ence fiction novel which imagines robots as the agents of the next wave of American colonization and forced resettlement.” For details see the website.

Writers LAUREN DIXON & DALLAS TAYLOR were married July 31, 2021. ...Read More

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SF Opera Premieres

A new 20-minute opera, Stars Between, with a libretto by SF writer E. Lily Yu and music by Steven K. Tran, is now available on the Seattle Opera website. The opera tells the story of the Voyager space probes, following them “into the interstellar unknown, exploring death, beauty, wonder, space, and time.”

The opera was created as part of the inaugural year of the Jane Lang Davis Creation Lab: ...Read More

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Jemisin On Time‘s 100 Most Influential List

Time has named author N.K. Jemisin as one of the 100 most influential people of 2021 in the “Artists” category. Jemisin is the award-winning author of The City We Became, the Broken Earth trilogy, the Inheritance Trilogy, and more.

For the full list and more details, see the Time article.

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, August 2021

MILESTONES

TA-NEHISI COATES is joining the faculty of Howard University, his alma mater.

NNEDI OKORAFOR accepted an appointment at Arizona State University as a Professor of practice as part of the Interplanetary Initia­tive and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

TADE THOMPSON has been voted vice president of the British Science Fiction Association.

RB KELLY is now represented by the John Jarrold Literary Agency.

AWARDS

KEVIN J. ANDERSON and ...Read More

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Museums Honor Butler and Afrofuturism

The Smithsonian Institution plans to honor Octavia E. Butler as part of their upcoming Futures exhibit, scheduled to open November 2021 in the Arts and Industries building. An Olivetti typewriter originally donated to the museum by Butler “will represent Butler’s life,” and will be displayed alongside a portrait of Butler by Nettrice Gaskins, an artist who “uses algorithms meant to be employed in machine learning to produce artworks.” The exhibit ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, July 2021

MILESTONES

KAT HOWARD is now represent­ed by Allie Levick of Writers House.

AWARDS

V.E. SCHWAB‘s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (Tor) won the Bisexual Book Award in the Specu­lative Fiction category, presented by the Bi Writers Association.

DAVID DIOP‘s At Night All Blood Is Black (Pushkin), translated by ANNA MOSCHOVAKIS, won the 2021 International Booker Prize. The £50,000 prize is divided equally among the author and ...Read More

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Rediscovery Award Judges Empaneled

The administrators of the Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award have announced a new panel of judges: Rich Horton, Steven H Silver, and Grant Thiessen. New judges were selected from a call for volunteers after last year’s judges, Robert J. Sawyer and Barry Malzberg, resigned from position.

Established in 2001 by the Cordwainer Smith foundation, the Rediscovery Award is intended to bring attention to lesser-known SF and fantasy authors. Award recipients include ...Read More

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President Obama’s 2021 Summer Reading List

President Barack Obama announced his 2021 Summer Reading List via Twitter, including a few works of genre interest:

  • Leave the World Behind, Rumaan Alam (Ecco)
  • Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf)
  • Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir (Ballantine)

For the complete list, see his post on Twitter.

While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, June 2021

MILESTONES

TOBIAS S. BUCKELL has joined Bluffton University in Bluff­ton OH as a full-time member of the creative writing faculty. He will be teaching writing and American Literature classes, and directing literary magazines Shalith and The Bridge. “I’ve ordered a jacket with leather patches, and expect your mental image of me to be updated accordingly!”

DAVID CRAIG is now repre­sented by the John Jarrold Literary Agency.

AWARDS

LOUISE ERDRICH‘s ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, May 2021

MILESTONES

ALICE BELL is now repre­sented by Stevie Finegan of Zeno Agency.

AWARDS

JEAN-CLAUDE MOURLEVAT won the 2021 Astrid Lindgren Me­morial Award, honoring children’s and young adult literature, which includes a prize of five million krona ($572,000).

MICAIAH JOHNSON‘s The Space Between Worlds (Del Rey) won the 2021 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Award for the “best debut novel in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres.” The $1,000 award will ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, April 2021

MILESTONES

JOHN VARLEY, 73, began having chest pains in late February 2021, and subsequently underwent quadruple bypass surgery. He re­turned home on February 28 and is recovering well. “I thank you for the good vibes and wishes and karma sent my way during my recent travails. Yes, and your prayers as well, though I’m an atheist and don’t know quite what to do with them. Is anyone really listening? ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, March 2021

MILESTONES

VAJRA CHANDRASEKERA is now represented by Michael Curry of the Donald Maass Liter­ary Agency.

J.A. BRADLEY is now repre­sented by Paul Stevens of the Don­ald Maass Literary Agency.

AWARDS

ANTHONY R. LEWIS won the Edward E. Smith “Skylark” Award for contributions to science fiction, and HILARY CLARCQ received the Gaughan Award, given annually to an emerging artist, both pre­sented by the New England Science Fiction Association at Boskone 58, ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, February 2021

AWARDS

MONIQUE ROFFEY‘s The Mermaid of Black Conch (Peepal Tree) won the £5,000 Costa Novel award, given to one “of the most enjoyable books of the year, writ­ten by authors based in the UK and Ireland.” She’s in the running for the £30,000 Costa Book of the Year award.

BOOKS SOLD

STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES sold My Heart Is a Chainsaw and a second book to Joe Monti at Saga ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, January 2021

AWARDS

ALAN WHITE won the 2020 Rotsler Award for “long-time won­der-working with graphic art in amateur publications of the science fiction community.” The award is sponsored by the Southern Califor­nia Institute for Fan Interests, and includes a $300 honorarium.

Editor and author PATRICE CALDWELL and author and artist MOLLY KNOX OSTERTAG are on the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Media category.

GILLIAN CHANDLER won the 2020 A. ...Read More

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Le Guin Stamp

Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018) is the subject of the 33rd stamp in the Literary Arts series from the United States Postal Service.

The stamp features a portrait of Le Guin and a background scene from The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) with art by Donato Giancola, and will be available later this year. “The words ‘three ounce’ on this stamp indicate its usage value. Like a Forever stamp, this ...Read More

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People & Publishing Roundup, December 2020

MILESTONES

SCOTT WESTERFELD con­tracted COVID-19 six months ago, and underwent surgery in October 2020 to recover damage the virus did to his heart. He is recovering well. “I feel like the people who think Covid is a hoax aren’t giving us hoaxers enough credit for our COMMITMENT.”

Locus Online Editor MARK R. KELLY had a heart attack on October 25, 2020. His partner drove him to the emergency room, and ...Read More

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Addison Named SFPA Grand Master

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has named Linda Addison as their newest Grand Master.

The title is given “to an individual living at the time of selection whose body of work reflects the highest artistic goals of the SFPA, who has been actively publishing within the target genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy for a period of no fewer than 20 years, and whose poetry has been ...Read More

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Hopkinson Named SFWA Grand Master

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has named Nalo Hopkinson the 37th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.

SFWA president Mary Robinette Kowal said,

I have loved Nalo Hopkinson’s work since 1999 when I discovered her through the short story “Precious” in a Datlow/Windling anthology Silver Birch, Blood Moon. Each new piece continues to delight me and stretch me as a reader and ...Read More

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