Author C. Dean Andersson, 75, died in his sleep July 5, 2021 in Dallas TX after a long illness.
Cloyce Dean Andersson was born March 20, 1946 in in Little River KS, and earned degrees from Northern Arizona University and the University of North Texas. He worked in robotics, as a programmer, and as a technical writer, and was a veteran of the US Air Force.
Andersson began publishing with ...Read More
Read moreAuthor and editor J.W. Rinzler, 58, died July 28, 2021 in Albion CA of pancreatic cancer. Rinzler was best known for numerous non-fiction books about the Star Wars and Indiana Jones films.
Jonathan W. Rinzler was born August 17, 1962 and grew up in Berkeley CA. He attended the Parsons School of Design, and graduated from NYU, where he also earned a master’s in comparative literature. In 2001 he began ...Read More
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Arizona State University (ASU) has announced Libia Brenda, Xia Jia, Hannah Onoguwe, and Vandana Singh as its 2021 Climate Imagination Fellows.
Each fellow will write an original piece of short climate fiction, building on local opportunities, challenges, resources and complexities, and drawing on conversations with experts in a variety of fields, ranging from climate science to sociology to energy systems to biodiversity. They will also write a set of shorter ...Read More
Read moreAuthor, editor, scholar, and frequent Locus contributor Elizabeth Anne Hull, 84, died in the early hours of August 3, 2021.
Elizabeth Ann Hull was born January 10, 1937 in Upper Darby PA. She attended Illinois State University, Northwestern University, and Loyola University, where she earned her MA in 1970 and PhD in 1975. She taught English for over 30 years at William Rainey Harper College in Illinois before retiring and ...Read More
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The Mythopoeic Society has announced the 2021 Mythopoeic Awards finalists. Winners will be announced in fall 2021.
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature
Publishing platform Curious Fictions announced that it will go on indefinite hiatus starting August 27, 2021. The site featured many speculative fiction writers in a subscription model format. Founder and CEO Tanya Breshears said,
As much as I love this site, the stories you’ve published, and the wonderful people I’ve met through it, keeping it going is no longer sustainable. The business had a little outside funding at first, but ...Read More
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The Romance Writers of America (RWA) announced the winners of the 2021 Vivian Awards on July 31, 2021. The Vivian Award, named after RWA founder Vivian Stephens, “recognizes excellence in romance writing and showcases author talent and creativity.” The Vivian replaces the RWA’s retired RITA Awards. Winners of genre interest include A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong (KLA Fricke) in the Speculative Romance – Long category, and Betwixt by ...Read More
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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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The Locus Awards Weekend took place on June 23-26, 2021, in its second virtual-only iteration. Connie Willis emceed the awards ceremony along with host Liza Trombi. There were over 150 registrations, and full members received a Locus t-shirt and awards program. There was also a sliding scale, attendance-only membership available.
This year’s online event added panels and doubled the number of readings. A pocket convention, the online events had seven ...Read More
Read moreSF writer and music critic Patricia Kennealy-Morrison, 75, died July 23, 2021.
Patricia Kennely was born March 4, 1946 in Brooklyn NY and grew up in Long Island NY. She attended St. Bonaventure University, where she studied journalism, and Binghamton University, graduating with an English Literature BA. After college she worked at Macmillan as a lexicographer and editorial assistant. She was one of the first women rock and roll critics, ...Read More
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The 13-title longlist for the 2021 Booker Prize has been announced, including several titles and authors of genre interest:
The £50,000 prize is “open to works by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK or Ireland.” This year’s judges are
The British Fantasy Society (BFS) has announced the shortlist for the 2021 British Fantasy Awards:
Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award)
Finalists for the inaugural Mike Resnick Memorial Award for Short Fiction have been announced:
The annual award — sponsored by Galaxy’s Edge, Arc Manor, and Dragon Con — is given to the best unpublished science fiction short story by a new ...Read More
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Winners of the 2020 Ladies of Horror Fiction Awards have been announced.
Best Novel
Best Young Adult
The 2021 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were announced at Comic-Con@Home online on July 23, 2021. Winners of SF/F interest include:
Best Single Issue
Best Continuing Series
Best Limited Series
Best New Series
Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12)
The World Fantasy Awards ballot for works published in 2020 has been announced. The awards will be presented during World Fantasy Convention 2021, to be held November 4-7, 2021 at the Hotel Bonaventure in Montreal, Quebec.
The Life Achievement Awards, presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the fantasy field, will go to Megan Lindholm and Howard Waldrop .
The World Fantasy Awards finalists are:
Best Novel ...Read More
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Winners for the 2020 Kitschies, awarded for “the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining fiction that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic,” have been announced.
The Red Tentacle (Novel)
Michi Trota has stepped down as editor-in-chief of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s (SFWA) publications department, which produces The Bulletin, the annual Nebula Showcase Anthology, The Singularity, and New Releases Newsletter. Trota said,
It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve as SFWA Editor-in-Chief. Being the first person of color to step into this role at SFWA was an opportunity I had never envisioned ...Read More
Read moreSF60, the 60th Nihon SF Taikai convention held in Japan, has announced the winners for the 2021 Seiun Awards (the Japanese equivalent of the Hugo Awards), honoring the best original and translated works published last year in Japan.
Best Translated Novel
Author and editor Joe McKinney, 52, died in his sleep July 13, 2021 in San Antonio TX. McKinney wrote horror, crime, and SF.
Joe Clayton McKinney was born September 22, 1968 in Cambridge MA, and was a longtime member of the San Antonio Police Department, where he served as a homicide detective, patrol supervisor, and disaster mitigation specialist.
He was best known for the Dead World series: debut novel Dead ...Read More
Read moreArtist and author Stephen Hickman, 72, died of natural causes July 16, 2021 at home in Red Hook NY.
Stephen Forrest Hickman was born April 9, 1949 Washington DC. His father was in the foreign service, and as a child he spent time in the Philippines and Pakistan. Stateside they lived in Texas and Arizona before settling in Alexandria VA.
He studied art at the Richmond Professional Institute of Virginia ...Read More
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Shortlists for the 2021 Prix Utopiales (for best French SF) and Prix Utopiales Jeunesse Awards (for best French SF for young adults) have been announced.
Prix Utopiales
Prix Utopiales Jeunesse
The European Science Fiction Society (ESFS) Hall of Fame Awards, Achievement Awards, and Chrysalis Award winners were announced during Eurocon 2021 held July 15-17, 2021 in Fiuggi, Italy.
European Grand Master
Hall of Fame Awards:
Best Author
Best Artist
Best Magazine (tie)
Best Publisher (tie)
Winners for the 2021 Premio Italia Awards have been announced:
International SF Novel
Science Fiction Novel
Fantasy Novel
Series
Anthology
Short Fiction —
Author William F. Nolan, 93, died July 15, 2021 in the hospital of complications from an infection. Nolan was best known for the Logan’s Run series of science fiction novels, the first of which was adapted into a film and TV series.
William Francis Nolan was born March 6, 1928 in Kansas City, MO, and moved with his family to California when he was 19. He trained as a visual ...Read More
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The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has announced the winners of the annual Rhysling Awards for SF, fantasy, and horror poetry in short and long form categories. This year’s winners are:
Orphans of the Tide by Struan Murray (Puffin) is the 2021 Branford Boase Award winner. The prize is shared with the book’s editor, Ben Horslen. Witch by Finbar Hawkins (Head of Zeus) was also among the seven titles on the 2021 shortlist.
The Branford Boase award is “given annually to the author of an outstanding debut novel for children.” The author and editor of the winning title each receive an ...Read More
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KAT HOWARD is now represented by Allie Levick of Writers House.
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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The New York State Council on the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts announced the recipients for the annual NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship program, including authors Amanda Lee Koe and Su-Yee Lin. The program awarded $616,000 to 92 artists across five disciplines.
For more information, see the NYFA site.
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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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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Nominees for the 2020 Ladies of Horror Fiction Awards have been announced.
Best Young Adult
Finalists for the 2021 Deutsche Science Fiction Preis, presented by Science Fiction Club Deutschland (SFCD), have been announced.
Best German Language Short Story
Best German Language
