Hey, are you a Hugo voter? Just in case, don't forget that ballots must be received by March 13th!

Here's the Writertopia website that features information on the Campbell Award, both on past winners and on folks that are eligible for it now.

Yes, as of today it features a photo of yours truly, blissfully holding on to the Campbell plaque and sporting wee tiara. What can I say? Campbell thoughts still make me very, very happy...

Of course I'll be watching the Campbell category with interest this year, but there are all those other categories to consider. My votes are in - are yours?

Labels: Hugos, John W. Campbell

Check it out at Whatever.

One day I'll roar like that.

Oh, and yes, admittedly he does say a nice word or two about me. ;)

Labels: Award Stuff, Hugos, Other Authors

At Readercon last year I had the pleasure of being on a panel with Paolo Bacigalupi. A little later I had a signing session, which basically means I sat at a table with a pen in my hand, smiling awkwardly as people walked by. Paolo was good enough to sit down and hang out, and I've remembered that conversation since.

It was terrific in that he's a lot of fun to talk to, humorous and smart and easy going. What's strange about this is that he pretty much spent the entire time explaining the horrible state of the environment, the futility of the measures we're taking (or not) at the moment, and generally making me very scared of all things plastic. This guy knows way too much about way too much. Odd that he smiles so often... I do take a measure of hope from the fact that he's a father, so he hasn't completely given up.

He's a hell of a writer, too. His collection, Pump Six and Other Stories is terrific, even if it's not exactly light reading. Here's what Publishers Weekly said in a starred review:

Bacigalupi's stellar first collection of 10 stories displays the astute social commentary and consciousness-altering power of the very best short form science fiction. The Hugo-nominated The Calorie Man explores a post–fossil fuel future where genetically modified crops both feed and power the world, and greedy megacorporations hold the fates of millions in their hands. The People of Sand and Slag envisions a future Earth as a contaminated wasteland inhabited by virtually indestructible post-humans who consume stone and swim in petroleum oceans. The Tamarisk Hunter deals with the effects of global warming on water rights in the Southwest, while the title story, original to this volume, follows a New York sewage treatment worker who struggles to repair his antiquated equipment as the city's inhabitants succumb to the brain-damaging effects of industrial pollutants. Deeply thought provoking, Bacigalupi's collected visions of the future are equal parts cautionary tale, social and political commentary and poignantly poetic, revelatory prose.

Nice. I mention him now because he's back in the award game again. His story, "The Gambler" is nominated for a Hugo in the Novelette category. You can read it over at the Pyr Website. He's up against some folks I really like, so it's darn hard to say who I want to win. But still, today I'm a Paolo mood, hence this post.

I also "enjoyed" reading a recent Interview he did with EcoGeek. Go take a look. (Oh, and I should note, as Paolo did on his blog, that the interview got reposted at io9. Quite a few people went ballistic there.)

Here's another one from last year, at Omnivoracious.

Labels: Award Stuff, Cool Friends, Hugos, Other Authors

This is pretty cool. Just got mine the other day.

It's due to the coordinating work of John Scalzi and many other authors, editors and the various folks involved with the Hugos and Anticipation. What is it? The Hugo Voters Packet. It's a collection of sample works from nominated writers. It comes in various formats, including pdfs of entire novels. (See below for the complete list of available materials.) I know that Doubleday offered a complete pdf of Acacia: The War with the Mein for the Campbell category. You'll find the same offered from all the Best Novel candidates (except for Neal Stephenson). The idea is that it's the best way to make sure voting members of Worldcon have access to the nominated materials of as many of the writers as possible. It's meant to encourage voting, and - better yet - to facilitate informed voting.

Thing is, it's also a pretty big perk to membership. Joining is $195 US/$250 CAD for attending membership (which means you plan on coming to Anticipation this August) or $50 US/$55 CAD for a supporting membership (which allows you to vote for the Hugos). Considering that you get rather unusual access to novels and stories in a rare format... Pretty cool.

Having said that, I should make sure I also say that you're not buying these works. You'd be receiving them as a feature of membership. It remains very important that there be no copyright infringement. These would just be for your use and ownership, and if anyone betrays that it'll likely scuttle the whole thing in future. And you'd run the risk of - at the very least - stirring the ire of some formidable word smiths.

Anyway, you could get in on this yourself, you know? Join up! Read. Vote. Come up to Montreal! It's guaranteed to be great fun. Even if you can't go, though, it's a great way to take a step further into this community. Here's a list of the titles you'd get a look at...

Best Novel

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi (Tor)
Saturn's Children by Charles Stross (Ace)

Best Novella

"The Erdmann Nexus" by Nancy Kress (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)
"The Political Prisoner" by Charles Coleman Finlay (F&SF Aug 2008)
"True Names" by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
"Truth" by Robert Reed (Asimov’s Oct/Nov 2008)

Best Novelette

"Alastair Baffle's Emporium of Wonders" by Mike Resnick (Asimov's Jan 2008)
"The Gambler" by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2)
"Pride and Prometheus" by John Kessel (F&SF Jan 2008)
"Shoggoths in Bloom" by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov's Mar 2008)

Best Short Story

"26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss" by Kij Johnson (Asimov’s Jul 2008)
"Article of Faith" by Mike Resnick (Baen's Universe Oct 2008)
"Evil Robot Monkey" by Mary Robinette Kowal (The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction)
"Exhalation" by Ted Chiang ( Eclipse Two)
"From Babel's Fall'n Glory We Fled" by Michael Swanwick (Asimov’s Feb 2008)

Best Related Book

Rhetorics of Fantasy by Farah Mendlesohn (Wesleyan University Press) What It Is We Do When We Read Science Fiction by Paul Kincaid (Beccon Publications)
Your Hate Mail Will be Graded: A Decade of Whatever, 1998-2008 by John Scalzi (Subterranean Press)

Best Graphic Story

Schlock Mercenary: The Body Politic Story and art by Howard Tayler (The Tayler Corporation)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

METAtropolis by John Scalzi, ed. Written by: Elizabeth Bear, Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell and Karl Schroeder (Audible Inc)

Best Semiprozine

Clarkesworld Magazine edited by Neil Clarke, Nick Mamatas & Sean Wallace
Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal - Year in Review

Best Fanzine

Argentus edited by Steven H Silver
The Drink Tank edited by Chris Garcia
Electric Velocipede edited by John Klima
File 770 edited by Mike Glyer

Best Professional Artist - Art samples by:

John Picacio

Best Fan Writer - Writing samples by:

Chris Garcia
John Hertz
Cheryl Morgan
Steven H Silver

The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer - Novels and/or writing samples by:

Aliette de Bodard
David Anthony Durham
Felix Gilman
Tony Pi
Gord Sellar

Labels: Award Stuff, Hugos, John W. Campbell

I'm kinda following Mary Robinette Kowal's lead on this, but herewith a post spotlighting one of my fellow John W. Campbell Award Nominees!

This time it's Aliette de Bodard, who Mary just interviewed over at her place: Mary Robinette Kowal's interview with Aliette. I can't tell you much more about Aliette than is available at her website, but I can mention a few cool things that might get you interested in heading over there.

Aliette lives in Paris. That's in France. Her first language in French, but she writes in English. (Puts me to shame.) In addition to being French, she's half-Vietnamese. She's published stories in Electric Velocipede, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Coyote Wild Magazine, Abyss & Apex, and Deep Magic, just to name a few. She incorporates non-Western cultures into her fiction, including Indian mythology and Chinese and Aztec inspired material. Cool. I think that's terrific - and not just out of desire to see more of the world in fantasy but because those cultures are surely rich in fantastic potential. She was a Writers of the Future winner in 2007. We have, apparently, arrived at the future.

And here's a link to another story by Aliette. There are plenty more available at her website, but I just read and enjoyed this one via Electric Velocipede; it's called The Dragon's Tears.

Oh, here's another interview at Turn The Page Magazine.

Labels: Award Stuff, Hugos, John W. Campbell, Links, Other Authors

The Hugo Finalists have just been announced! I've been looking forward to this for a while, both because I plan on being in Montreal for WorldCon and because... well, I am in my second year of eligibility for a John W. Campbell Award. And, friends, I'm on the list!

The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer

Aliette de Bodard*
David Anthony Durham*
Felix Gilman
Tony Pi*
Gord Sellar*

* Means second (and last) year of eligibility.

You can check out the entire list at the AnticipationSF Website, or see more about the awards at Writeropia.

I'll say more about the nominees etc in future, but right now I will go and do a silly dance. (That's the only kind I can manage these days anyway.)

Labels: Hugos, John W. Campbell, Other Authors

I got something cool in the mail yesterday. It's funny, because I tend to not be very impressed by symbolic gestures, awards and the like. But I'm rather moved by this...It's the pen that the organizers of next year's Worldcon, Anticipation, gave as a commiserating present to the non-winner finalists for the 2007 Hugos. Yes, this is a "losers" present, but damn... It's a Hugo losers present! Are you kidding me? (I know, the John W. Campbell Award is not, officially, a Hugo, but still, it kinda is. Yeah?)

Anyway, I wasn't able to go to Denvention, so I couldn't pick this up in the dire moments after not winning the Campbell. Instead, they just sent it to me. I'm rather pleased. I'll make sure not to loose it.

No guarantees, but technically I do have a shot at next year's Campbell. Whether I get the nod or not I'll be there. Neil Gaiman is the writer Guest of Honor after all. It would be silly to miss that!

Labels: Hugos, Neil Gaiman