Chengdu Worldcon 2023, the 81st World Science Fiction Convention, to be held in Chengdu, China, has announced a delay and a new convention hotel and venue:
Chengdu Worldcon 2023… will be held on October 18-22, 2023 (5 days in total), at the Chengdu Science Fiction Museum in Jingrong Lake, Pidu District, Chengdu. Sheraton Chengdu Pidu and Wyndham Grand Chengdu will be the new convention headquarter hotels for the accommodation.
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MILESTONES
ROBIN MCKINLEY is the 39th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial SFWA Grand Master Award. Her award will be presented during the SFWA Nebula Conference, to be held May 12–14, 2023 at the Sheraton Park Hotel at the Anaheim Resort in Anaheim, CA.
Tordotcom editor RUOXI CHEN won the $2,500 Superstar prize at Publishers Weekly’s annual Star Watch awards gala, held November 15, 2022 in New York ...Read More
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Gina Centrello, president and publisher of the Random House Publishing Group, is retiring from her position after two decades. She will become strategic advisor to the Random House US board, and “will continue to participate actively in the industry through her work supporting Literacy Partners.” She took over the Group in 2003; before that, she was president and publisher of Ballantine starting in 1999.
She told her staff,
This was ...Read More
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Sean Markey, publisher of The Deadlands magazine, has launched a new publishing company, Psychopomp.com. Markey says,
Psychopomp.com is an indie press.
We will start by publishing a couple of novellas per year, and eventually plan to move to publishing novels.
We are also the publisher of The Deadlands (which – nothing is changing, just: The Deadlands is an entity published by Psychopomp.com, instead of being its own independent thing.
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The Galactic Philadelphia reading series has returned after a long COVID hiatus:
The Galactic Philadelphia author reading series is returning at a new venue: The Rosenbach Library, famed for its rare book collection rare books. GP’s first salon will be on January 18th, and will feature readings by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and C.S.E. Cooney. Before the readings will be a wine & cheese reception, tours of the library, and time ...Read More
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Entertainment Weekly has released their set of the best books of 2022, “a highly subjective list of EW staff favorites”. Titles of genre interest include The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan (Simon and Schuster) and Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House (Scribner).
For the full list, see EW‘s website.
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The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has announced new guidelines for the Rhysling Award. The changes include the addition of a jury, as well as a rule to prevent “double dipping”, or submitting the same work to the Dwarf Stars and Elgin Award.
The changes have gone through two rounds of membership surveys, and have been approved by SFPA’s executives. For more information, see their website.
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The Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) has named Akua Lezli Hope and Mary Soon Lee as their 2022 Grand Masters.
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, ...Read More
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Vernacular Books, the SF/F publisher founded in 2019 by Eric M. Bosarge & J.M. McDermott, is closing.
Bosarge announced:
After three years and over a dozen titles published, we’ve decided we can no longer continue as a viable business. Kids, work, and other obligations have made continuing impossible.
Vernacular Books published work by A.M. Muffaz, Paul Jessup, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam, and many more, and their site also included book reviews. ...Read More
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Clarion West announced via email that the 2023 Summer Workshop will be held virtually. Per the announcement:
The workshop dates are June 25 – August 5, 2023. We accept 15 students in virtual classes to keep the workload and screen time manageable for all. Tuition is $3,200, and applicants can apply to scholarships through the workshop application. Applications are open January 4 – March 1.
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The New York Public Library (NYPL), the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queen’s Public Library have each released lists of their most-borrowed books of 2022.
The most borrowed book across the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island was Mat Haig’s fantasy The Midnight Library (Viking). Other titles of genre interest that ranked high in the lists include Anthony Doeer’s Cloud Cuckoo Land (Scribner), Jennifer Egan’s The Candy House (Scribner), and The ...Read More
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Amazon has notified magazine publishers that they will be ending their Kindle Publishing for Periodicals Program in September 2023, which means subscribers will no longer be able to receive their print or digital magazines through the site.
Publishers Weekly reported that they “learned that [Amazon] is ending its print textbook rental program, which was established about a decade ago, and will phase out print and digital magazine and newspaper subscriptions ...Read More
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MILESTONES
SF writers J. DIANNE DOTSON & GARETH L. POWELL were married November 5, 2022 in a small ceremony held in Los Angeles CA. Dotson designed her wedding dress herself: “I chose red as it is my favorite color and it honors Gareth being half-Welsh, given the colors of the Welsh flag.”
ALICIA WANSTALL-BURKE is now represented by the John Jarrold Literary Agency.
STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES is the ...Read More
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The Guardian has listed the best SF and fantasy books of 2022, as selected by Adam Roberts. The five-title list has:
Applications for Clarion’s six-week summer workshop are open now through March 1, 2023.
The workshop will be held June 25 – August 5, 2023 in San Diego CA, and the instructors are Andy Duncan, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Tochi Onyebuchi, Anjali Sachdeva, and Rae Carson & Charles Coleman Finlay. Jac Jemc is faculty director.
The application fee is $55 until February 15. From February 16 to March 1, the fee is ...Read More
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The editors of The New York Times Book Review selected their ten best books of the year, including titles of genre interest, such as The Candy House by Jennifer Egan (Scribner), Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver (Harper), and The Furrows by Namwali Serpell (Hogarth).
For more information, including the complete list, see The New York Times website.
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More than 150 literary agents have signed an open letter to the leadership of HarperCollins, in support of the HarperCollins Union strike. They have vowed not to submit work until the strike is resolved. It reads:
We, the undersigned literary agents, are writing to express our support for the HCP Union, now on strike since November 10. We and our clients have benefited greatly from the passion and expertise of ...Read More
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The New York Public Library has announced its lists of the best books of 2022 in various categories, including 75 Best Books for Adults, 50 Best Books for Teens, and 135 Best Books for Kids. There are also lists of the top 10 for each category.
The Adult category includes genre titles, such as The Change by Kirsten Miller (Morrow) and Goliath by Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom), with T. Kingfisher’s Nettle ...Read More
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NPR’s Books We Love (formerly Book Concierge) has an extensive list of Best Books in an assortment of categories, including It’s All Geek to Me, The Dark Side, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, and many more, with hundreds of titles recommended by “NPR staff and trusted critics.” The Sci Fi, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction category includes titles by authors like Sarah Gailey, Alexis Henderson, Marlon James, Shehan Karunatilaka, T. Kingfisher, R.F. ...Read More
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Amazon has published its yearly array of lists to promote the best books of 2022, with editors’ selections in various categories. Titles and authors of genre interest follow, in ranked order.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
The Clarion Workshop in San Diego CA has announced the instructors for its 2023 session: Andy Duncan, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Tochi Onyebuchi, Anjali Sachdeva, and Rae Carson & Charles Coleman Finlay. Jac Jemc is faculty director.
The workshop will be held June 25, 2023 – August 5, 2023. Applications for the workshop open on December 1, 2022.
The Clarion West Summer Workshop previously announced its instructors and dates.
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JEFF VANDERMEER’s literary interests are now represented by Joe Veltre of the Gersh Agency, who was already his film and TV agent. VanderMeer has also joined the Gersh Speakers Bureau as a client. Alex Kohner of Yorn Levine provides additional representation as VanderMeer’s entertainment attorney.
DEREK KÜNSKEN is stepping down as programming co-chair of Can*Con, Ottawa’s literary SF/F conference, after 11 years working on the conference. Co-chair MARIE
Governor Douglas Ducey has declared November 30th Speculative Poetry Day in the state of Arizona.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA) spearheaded the effort, and seeks to “highlight the vibrant legacy and extraordinary achievement of speculative poets,” as well as “introduce communities to the delights and benefits of reading and writing speculative poetry.”
For more information, see the SFPA post.
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Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra CA is hosting a retrospective exhibition on the work of Wayne Barlowe from November 19 – December 3, 2022.
The show will feature “various reproductions from some of Wayne’s notable book projects and film work” and “a curated selection of original drawings and paintings,” available for purchase. The opening reception will be held November 19. Admission to the reception and the exhibit is free.
A world-renowned ...Read More
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The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) Mentorship Committee has announced that the SFWA Career Mentorship Program is now taking applications for mentors and mentees for three-month-long mentorships set to run January 10 – April 10, 2023.
This all-volunteer service is provided free of charge. We aim to connect emerging writers with each other and established professionals for community, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities. This endeavor is focused on ...Read More
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Pemmi-Con, the 15th North American Science Fiction Convention, has announced the First Nations Travel Fund.
The announcement says:
Pemmi-Con has committed to reserve 10% of their Adult Attending memberships, or CAD $4,000, whichever is greater, to assist indigenous science fiction and fantasy fans to travel to Winnipeg to attend Pemmi-Con. This fund will be under the direction of indigenous groups who will contact Pemmi-Con to request funds for individuals whom ...Read More
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The Huntsville Museum of Art in Huntsville AL is hosting an art exhibit, “Donato Giancola: Adventures in Imagination,” from October 30, 2022 – January 22, 2023. The artist will give a lecture and the museum will host a reception on November 1, 2022, and there will be a cosplay night and costume contest on November 17.
Donato Giancola is an American artist specializing in narrative realism with science fiction and ...Read More
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Publishers Weekly has announced its list of the best books of 2022, divided into 13 categories. Their overall Top 10 includes The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty (Knopf), The Birdcatcher by Gayl Jones (Beacon), and The Furrows by Namwali Serpell (Hogarth).
The best books in the SF/Fantasy/Horror category are:
MARYANN HARRIS, artist, musician, and wife of Charles de Lint, became ill on September 6, 2021 with encephalitis, and was eventually diagnosed with the rare, tick-borne Powassan virus. She spent eight months in intensive care before being transferred to a complex care facility, where she is on a ventilator and almost entirely paralyzed. Fundraising efforts are underway to defray the considerable costs; details, and updates on her condition,
On October 21, 2022, Heritage Auctions “will proudly present the Harlan Ellison Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction,” offering more than 100 comics and pieces of original art from the collection of the late author, who died in 2018 at age 84. The auction was organized by Ellison’s executor J. Michael Straczynski.
Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Harlan and Susan Ellison Foundation, a nonprofit created by Straczynski. The ...Read More
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Baffling Magazine has announced that Craig Laurance Gidney is stepping down as co-editor, with Kel Coleman taking over as the new co-editor, joining dave ring.
The twitter announcement stated:
We’re so lucky to have had Craig’s discerning eye with us for so long. We can’t wait to see where Kel takes us next.
For more information, see the official announcement.
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The Horror Writers Association (HWA) has announced the results of the election for its open officers’ positions. John Edward Lawson was elected President, and Becky Spratford was re-elected Secretary. Linda Addison, James Chambers, and Ellen Datlow were all re-elected to the Board of Trustees.
The election team volunteers were Rhonda Jackson Joseph, Nicole Kurtz, and Lisa Marie Wood. The Ballot Master was Angel Leigh McCoy, and the election verifiers were
