Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America

The following is reposted with permission from Jeff Crook's blog at

http://jeffcrook.blogspot.com/2008/08/krynns-small-world-after-all.html

Occasionally I get emails from Dragonlance fans overseas, which is always nice but sometimes a surprise as I have not been able to keep track of all of the foreign editions of the books I've written. Sometimes translations are issued under different titles, and sometimes — especially when companies merge, or are sold, or Shit Happens — I'm just not told when a book is translated and released elsewhere.

So I thought I'd offer up the following synopses of my novels and put out this international call for help. Basically, if you've read or have seen a book with the following description, drop me a line at vorpalsquirrel at yahoo dot com. Make your subject line "Letters from Krynn" so your email won't end up in my box of mummified SPAM. Or leave a comment below.

I'd love to hear from you, and maybe get a cover scan or even a copy of one of the foreign editions I didn't know I had.

The Rose and the Skull - Gargantuan dragons soar over Krynn, battling for control of the lands below. On the isle of Sancrist, the weakened Knights of Solamnia ask their old enemies the Knights of Takhisis, for help. But when the Grand Master of the Knights of Solamnia abruptly dies, the knights are challenged, while the secret of the Grand Master's death is kept by a lonely and frightened gully dwarf.

The Thieves' Guild - For three thousand years Palanthas has shone as a beacon to the world. Even now, ruled by the Knights of Neraka, she glitters in the night. Yet at the core of the gleaming city lies a dark center: the Thieves' Guild. Though the Dark Knights ruthlessly crushed the old guild beneath an iron heel, a stronger, darker guild has arisen, only to be challenged by a strange young freelance thief who claims to be the son of the hero Tanis Half-elven.

Conundrum - On a dark spring night, nine weeks behind schedule, the MNS Indestructible, a Class C Submersible Deepswimmer, departs Sancrist Isle with a crew of twenty tinker gnomes and a callous disregard for the inevitable. Armed with top-secret devices, this band of intrepid explorers sets out on a legendary journey to sub-navigate the continent of Ansalon and determine why very large rocks float. This is the story of a single member of that ignoble crew: Conundrum, the heroic gnome featured in Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's best-selling War of Souls trilogy.

Dark Thane - War is brewing in Krynn once again, yet the young thane of the dwarves of Thorbardin, Tarn Bellowsgranite, defies tradition and seeks an alliance with the hill dwarves. Fundamentalist extremists within his kingdom plot rebellion and Tarn is forced to make the most difficult choice in his life - to retain his crown or save the life of his young son.

For those going to the World Science Fiction Convention in Denver this week - Denvention 3rd, Aug 6-10, 2008

Here's the schedule of SFWA related events:

** SFWA Business Meeting in Colorado Convention Center - room Korbel 3A - Sat, Aug 9, 1:00 - 2:30 PM
(Please come - we need a quorum! Discuss new By-Laws, 2009 Nebulas and more.)

** SFWA Table in the Dealers' Room - where you'll find books, magazines, book signings, friendly people, and the brand-new "rocket pen" SFWA T-shirts, sizes S-3X - all this ably organized and managed by Glenn Gillette

** SFWA Suite in Presidential Suite at Sheraton Hotel - open Wed - Sun. Your genial hostesses are Sandra Morrese and Jane Jewell.

Thanks to those who have already volunteered. We still need some more help. Please drop by and sign up to help for a couple of hours. It's a great way to meet your fellow authors and publishing professionals. Many a plot idea and book deal first saw the light
of day in a late-night conversation in the SFWA Suite at some world con somewhere. Let that next idea be yours!

Opens Wed- Sat 9:00 AM for coffee and light breakfast (bagels, etc.)
Closes Wed-Sat - sometime in the wee hours - probably 2:00 am, possibly later

Serving a great lunch and light supper every day - such as pizza, meatballs, sandwich makings of all kinds - ham, lunch meats, roast beef, etc.

Party Sponsors in SFWA Suite:

Wed - SFWA Pizza Party (and beer!) Wed evening
after Opening Ceremonies 6:30 PM - 10 PM (SFWA suite will stay open after 10 but there may be no pizza left! So come early!)
Thurs - Daw Books Party - Thursday 9:00 PM until ...
Fri - Clarion West 25th Anniversary Party Friday 7-9 PM
Fri - Asimov / Analog Party (with those great magazine cover cakes!) 9:00 PM until ....
Sat - Strange Horizons Reception - Sat 2:00 - 5:00 PM
Sat - Ace Books - Saturday after Hugos (ca 10:00 or 10:30 PM) until ....

If anyone needs a last minute hotel room at the Sheraton, Wed Aug 6 - Sun Aug 10 (or part of), email Jane Jewell ASAP at execdir@sfwa.org or call SFWA office at 410-778-3052 as we must let the room go today, Monday, if not needed.

We're still looking for volunteers to help out with the SFWA's Table in the Dealer Room at Denvention3. Now that the pocket schedule is out, I figure it should be easier for folks to look at their plans and see if there's a time when you can volunteer.

In particular, we need help on Thursday. I, personally, need someone to cover my shift Thursday at 1:00 because I've been scheduled for a signing that I wasn't expecting. I'll pick up a different shift, but I don't want to leave a hole there.

Just as a reminder, here's what we're asking folks to do.

* Job Title: SFWA table representative
* Estimated Time Required: 1-2 hours per shift, 34 shifts needed
* Job Description:
o Help SFWA by being a spokesperson at World Con.
o Set up and staff a booth to draw in new members.
o Be willing to answer questions and be friendly.
o Sell books and other printed material. Attract people to the
Table: tell them that the most wonderful stories in the world are sitting on the table and they'll never forgive themselves if they pass it by. As a salesperson should, be outgoing & friendly.
* The membership committee will supply you with brochures and a list of talking points. Benefits: Visibility at con, good way to meet new people
* Skills required: Friendly. All Workers must be paying members of the convention. (Sorry, no freebies for working the Table.)

If you're willing to help, please email me (secretary@sfwa.org) with how many shifts you are willing to take and a list of your conflicts (panels, meetings, departure date). You can also volunteer to take a specific time, but those will go on first come basis. Glenn Gillette, our table czar, will get you set up with a time slot.

Many thanks!

A personal exploration of the similarities in the poetic prose of Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine and Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, by Sheila Finch (lingster1)

Sarah Beth Durst, interviewed by Jen West.

 (at jimhines suggestion, I'm cross-posting this post from my blog with some minor modifications. It concerns the SFWA Associate class.)

what services could SFWA provide to make the Associate class more attractive?

First of all, let’s summarize the different membership levels (there are affiliates and the like, but I’m interested here only in the writers levels):

Active: 1 novel sold, or 3 pro short stories published.

Associate: 1 pro short story published.

There are apparently other ways to get Associate, but the short story is probably the most general entrance route.

Membership costs $70 per year. What do you currently, as an Associate, get?

Not a lot:

• the Bulletin — ok, if the actual revamps turns out close to the projected revamps, this could be a very nice bonus to get;
• access to the sff.net private forums;
• access to the online directory;
• access to the sfwa suite at cons (or worldcon, not sure if it’s just the one or the others too).

Let’s address those:

• as an extra, it’s good, as the main pulling point  no, no magazine is that good or that necessary.
• if you join an organization and the main benefit on offer is hobnobbing, you’ve joined a country club. Do you play tennis or golf? Or do you intend to write? there’s also an element of information on offer here, which see below.
• ah, Information. See below.
• see country club above.

Those are a few examples, but what it boils down to is this: an Associate pays and in turn receives mingling with people and information. That’s it. That’s what’s on offer. And look, I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but that’s not good enough. Where are the actual services?

(Active membership doesn’t get that much more, but the main difference is all important: Active Members get a genuine voice in the direction and purpose of the organization. Associate members have a voice in the same way peasants had voices in ancient Greek war councils. Anyone remember that scene from The Illiad? The Ballots, whether for office or story recommendations, belong to the Actives. The Associates have influence and opportunity of token value only. See just mentioned Greek peasant.)

The Social Scene:

yeah, you get access to the private suits and you get to “hang out” with veterans on the private forums. So what? You can do that outside SFWA as well.

I’ll admit this might be a bigger pull to other people than I can fathom; the whole concept of networking is a little distasteful to me. Blurring the lines between friendship, sporadic acquintance contact&chat, and business cannot be healthy. Sometimes, all those can be the same people, but the different concepts shouldn’t be taken as synonymns, in my opinion.

Information:

This is the single biggest item on offer, the Big Pull Card.

To be blunt: Information should never be a bargaining chip. Never. Down that road politics lurks. (obviously, this excludes confidential and private information, but as a general rule in my opinion NO! Never!)

And as far as information goes: maybe once upon a time, but today? It might be a bit harder, but all the info writers need to be succesful is available, is out there, can be found through other sources that cost nothing. Only time. If SFWA possesses super sekrit information you can get only by joining SFWA then . . .well, actually I’d like to know what it is as well!

Other reasons against joining as an Associate:

Money, and what you get for it. Money, and how putting it to use can further your writing career. That’s what it all comes down to. There are better ways to invest that 70 dollars in your future writing career:

• see the workshops (Clarion, Virtual Clarion, James Gunn's online workshop, Odyssey). put that money in the jar and save. Those workshops are expensive but they’re intended to improve your writing. That’s gold.
• If you must have information on the field, use that money and buy a subscription to the Bulletin, and Locus magazine too while you’re at it. You get the good stuff without the…interesting personalities that sometimes accompany information gathering from venues like forums.
• short fiction magazine subscriptions. What better way to find what’s selling, and what better way to learn than to keep reading? How many mags or anthos can you buy for $70?
• Mailing your manuscripts. These things cost money I’ve been told. How many can you mail for $70? There are 18 permanent venues for gaining pro short fiction status. Of those, one is invite only (to the average newbie, or even a lot of Associates? boom, good-bye, see ya when you’re famous! try someone else), at least 7 of the remainder require postal submissions. That leaves 10 at most. And the anthos, but how many open vs closed are there out now? How many open anthologies are published that qualify for pro status? Want your Active Membership? Keep the Associate money and mail out those manuscripts;
• Novels. Don’t a lot of these require postal submissions (aka, money you spend) as well?
• conventions. Tickets. Traveling. Lodging. Costs money.
• the internet. costs money. You can probably get more value for your buck by getting a doman registration, getting a host server and devoting time and attention to your website and various other online presences, some of which requires money to utilize to their maximum potential. Most of these things need to be renewed on an annual basis as well.

When you’re below Active Membership qualifications, there are better ways to spend your money to further your writing career. Much better ways.

A Mentor Programme:

Well, what services can the org provide that would be enticing to Associate level members? Well, first of all, and last of all, it has to be an actual service. Something that only the organization can provide, and I’m going to take a guess here that the number one thing every writer wants (every writer, although in this case particularly neo-pro and semi-pro and newbie) is — to improve their writing.

Enter the Mentor.

Is this idea feasible? I have no idea. Not everyone is suitable for teaching. Some personalities just don’t click. Some are better on their own than being taught.

But I do think there is merit in this idea worth considering and here’s how I see it:

An Active member is paired with between 1-4 Associate members for at least and no more than a year. There is a lot of merit in the idea that you shouldn’t be part of a writing group for longer than two years, and after one year, all those Associates who haven’t yet attained Active membership, can be re-assigned to another Active Mentor and with a new group of Associates. A year allows enough time for everyone to get to know each other, get comfortable, sort out Alpha issues if there are any, and prevents the staleness of over familiarity.

This also allows willing Actives to rotate, and not to be chained down every single year, but rather on alternate years (and there are just not that many Associates that numbers is going to be a problem. You can screen for and provide the best teachers the SF&F fields has, teachers both for writing as well as professional conduct as well as everything there is to know about the business outside what’s written on a fictional page.)

Right there, you have the whole hobnobbing, socializing, networking thing so valuable to so many. You combine it with a system of writing lessons and critiques. These are critiques you’ll receive from a pro and a small group of neo-pros. That’s a pretty high level of critique on your writing to be part of. Right now, Codex is the only group I know of who come close to that high a standard.

Most of all, the Associate/ neo-pro has a veteran on tap/dial-a-pro whenever s/he needs advice. Someone who will either know the answer or know someone who does.

That’s a service I’d give serious consideration to paying for, that would be a big attraction for me personally to join a writer’s group such as SFWA. (HWA has a form of mentor programme, don’t they? does someone know?)

You probably can’t get that for only $70, it’ll probably cost more so the Actives will be compensated for their time as well. I don’t know, the money and the math here are things I don’t know how to evaluate.

This might compete with some of the workshops out there right now, but maybe not. The difference is that the Mentor programme doesn’t just teach writing, it looks at the implementing of those lessons, at the progression of the writer over the course of an entire year. It’s more in-depth and longer.

I’d  love to know what everyone else's opinion is, both on this matter and in looking at the memberships services in general.

The other thing I’d like to see is that the writer memberships be re-defined, from the point of view of their entrance mediums. So, instead of Associate and Active, we start looking at novels and short stories, and maybe one day even comics (or graphic novels if you must). Membership catered to the entrance medium.

A post for another day.

Volunteer opportunity: SFWA Bulletin Website Editor

Estimated time required: 10 hours per month (Initially more, but workload would vary seasonally.)

Job Description:

The person in this position would perform the following tasks:
1) Update the website 6 times a year to reflect the contents of the current print issue of the Bulletin. This involves editing the files for the home page, back issues page, current issue page, every issue and other pages, depending on staffing changes, contributor changes, etc. The pages are currently coded in css, so very little web programming knowledge is needed, but the work demands care and consistency.

2) Upload the Market Report as soon as it is received.

3) Upload miscellaneous files of content (e.g., featured articles).

4) Modify image files to match the needs of Bulletin web pages (e.g., resizing jpegs).

5) Upload SFWA and genre related news on a regular basis,schedule to be determined by the SFWA Website Content Editor.

6) Perform minor edits to Bulletin web pages, as needed or requested, by the SFWA Website Content Editor.

Requirements:Qualified candidates should have good organization and written communication skills, as well as an understanding of current web technology. Membership in SFWA is required.

Benefits: Resume worthy credit, close contact with established SF professionals, help shape the face of SFWA. Interested parties should contact me at secretary AT sfwa.org.

I'm wondering if any of you'd be willing to help out and sign up for a shift or two at the SFWA table. I'll be working two shifts at the booth as will other SFWA officers and authors such as Cat Rambo and Patrick Rothfuss.

* Job Title: SFWA table representative
* Estimated Time Required: 1-2 hours per shift, 34 shifts needed
* Job Description:
o Help SFWA by being a spokesperson at World Con.
o Set up and/or staff a booth to draw in new members.
o Be willing to answer questions and be friendly.
o Sell books and other printed material. Attract people to the Table: tell them that the most wonderful stories in the world are sitting on the table and they'll never forgive themselves if they pass it by. As a salesperson should, be outgoing & friendly.
* The membership committee will supply you with brochures and a list of talking points.

Benefits: Visibility at con, good way to meet new people.

Skills required: Friendly. All Workers must be paying members of the convention. (Sorry, no freebies for working the Table.)

If you are interested, email me (secretary AT SFWA.org) with how many shifts you are willing to take and a list of your conflicts (panels, meetings, departure date). Glenn Gillette, our table czar, will get you set up with a time slot.

Joe Haldeman.

Joe Haldeman has been nominated for and received the Nebula, Hugo, Ditmar, World Fantasy, Galaxy, Rhysling and James Tipree Awards.  The Accidental Time Machine is his 8th Nebula nomination.

Ellen Datlow's Introduction to the 2009 Nebula Showcase anthology

Good Evening,

The Author's Guild has released an advisory to its members that I wanted to share in part here.

"Simon & Schuster has recently sent a one-page letter to many, perhaps thousands, of authors with unspecified e-book royalty rates in an attempt to set those rates at 15% of the "catalog retail price" of the e-book. (This is the typical e-book royalty rate for S&S.)"

The amendment may impact reversion of rights, as well as other areas, and is obviously something to review carefully with your agent or attorney.

Please visit http://www.authorsguild.org/advocacy/articles/simon--schuster-e-book.html for more information.

Thank you,

Russell Davis

Good Afternoon,

Harry Harrison, creator of The Stainless Steel Rat and author of the novel that inspired the movie Soylent Green, will be honored as the next Damon Knight Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America during the 2009 Nebula Award Weekend® in Los Angeles, Calif.

Harrison’s selection was announced by SFWA President Russell Davis after consulting with the Board of Directors and participating past presidents. The Nebula Awards Weekend will be held April 24-26 in Los Angeles, Calif., with the awards presentation banquet to be held on the UCLA campus to tie in with the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Past SFWA President and Grand Master (2004) Robert Silverberg will be presenting.

“There are few moments in life that can be taken out and savored in memory. One happened today,” Harrison said. “A phone call from our President Russell Davis with the startling news that I was to be the 2009 Grand Master nearly led to the collapse of a stout writer!

“It’s still soaking in,” he said. “But may I express my fervent thanks to all involved for this signal honor.”

Already an established illustrator and freelance non-fiction writer, Harrison published his first science fiction story, "Rock Diver," in the August 1951 issue of Worlds Beyond. From that point he went on to produce more than 62 novels, eight short fiction collections, six non-fiction books and countless short stories. He also found the time to edit 35 anthologies over the span of his career.

His active involvement in the science fiction community throughout the 1950s led to his becoming a charter member of SFWA.

“Why, I can recall with a tear in one rheumy eye, when SFWA was a just a wild idea put forward by Damon Knight,” Harrison said. “A few of us nodded and agreed with him and thus, with great hope and no money, this organization was born. I won’t dwell on the fact that this was over 50 years ago…

“Enough! Let’s look to the future not the past as we go from strength to strength and march—banners flapping—into the SF future,” he said.

Harrison was born in 1925 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II, an experience that made a strong negative impression on him and inspired his satirical Bill, the Galactic Hero novel series. A regular contributor to the legendary John W. Campbell's Astounding, Harrison’s work often reflected his interest in environmental issues and non-violent resolutions to conflict. His best-known creations are The Stainless Steel Rat and Make Room! Make Room! on which the film Soylent Green was based. His more recent works include best-selling alternate world trilogies West of Eden and Stars and Stripes Forever!

Harrison is the 26th writer recognized by SFWA as a Grand Master. He joins Robert A. Heinlein (1974), Jack Williamson (1975), Clifford D. Simak (1976), L. Sprague de Camp (1978), Fritz Leiber (1981), Andre Norton (1983), Arthur C. Clarke (1985), Isaac Asimov (1986), Alfred Bester (1987), Ray Bradbury (1988), Lester del Rey (1990), Frederik Pohl (1992), Damon Knight (1994), A. E. van Vogt (1995), Jack Vance (1996), Poul Anderson (1997), Hal Clement (1998), Brian Aldiss (1999), Philip Jose Farmer (2000), Ursula K. Le Guin (2003), Robert Silverberg (2004), Anne McCaffrey (2005), Harlan Ellison (2006), James Gunn (2007) and Michael Moorcock (2008).

Until 2002 the title was simply "Grand Master." In 2002 it was renamed in honor of SFWA's founder, Damon Knight, who died that year. More details about the Nebula Awards Weekend are available at http://www.nebulaawards.com/.

About SFWA Founded in 1965 by the late Damon Knight, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America brings together the most successful and daring writers of speculative fiction throughout the world. Since its inception, SFWA® has grown in numbers and influence until it is now widely recognized as one of the most effective non-profit writers' organizations in existence, boasting a membership of approximately 1,500 science fiction and fantasy writers as well as artists, editors and allied professionals. Each year the organization presents the prestigious Nebula Awards® for the year’s best literary and dramatic works of speculative fiction.

Robin Wayne Bailey, interviewed by Leslie What

I've been a bit remiss here, so let me thank Michael Burstein,mabfan, for setting up the livejournal syndication feeds. Thank you, Michael.

Good Morning,

I have a variety of announcements to make regarding the various SFWA publications and websites:

THE ALL NEW BULLETIN: As the public face of SFWA, the Bulletin needs not only to represent our organization, but recruit new writers to our organization and showcase our membership for the general public. The Bulletin is about to be reborn with a new look and feel intended to update its image and attract new subscribers and aspiring writers. To that end, the Bulletin is undergoing a radical makeover, including:

• A six (6) issue/year schedule, with one issue always coinciding with the Nebula Awards Weekend and another issue intended to appear at WorldCon. A faster mailing system is also in the works and competitive bids have been solicited from different printers.

• More timely market reports, including posting the reports on the website as soon as they are received, rather than wait for the print edition. Markets with a very short window (typically a month of less) of opportunity may also appear in the Online Update.

• A broader focus, covering video games, graphic novels, anime, media tie-ins and any other subgenre or potential market that offers opportunities for speculative fiction writers.

• More member news and advertising opportunities, including the development of a “people in publishing” section with news, personal events, and more, called The Biz. A new, reduced advertising rate schedule has been developed for regular advertisers, and special rates and a new “business card” size ad are available to SFWA members.

• There will be a special SFWA Business section, devoted specifically to SFWA activities, officer and committee reports, and a modified version of the NAR. The modified Bulletin NAR will only appear twice per year and the listing will only show the title, author, publisher and date published. The listings will be divided into two basic sections: works qualified for the ballot and recommended works. No specific number of recommendations or names of those who have recommended the works will appear. In the case of officer and committee reports, we will – at all times – take care not to print confidential information in the pages of the Bulletin. Any such reports containing privileged information will still appear in the Forum (see below) only.

• Brand new features, such as legal news and a tech spotlight will keep readers informed of breaking news of importance to writers.

• The goal is to make the Bulletin a premier publication with a broad appeal to the membership, and ultimately, the science fiction and fantasy community as a whole. Look to SFF.Net and the Bulletin newsgroup – sff.private.sfwa.bulletin – for more details and stay tuned.

ELECTRONIC FORUM WILL SAVE MONEY/TIME The Forum is also going through some much needed changes. With a price tag exceeding $12,000/year, rising paper and postage costs, and more than 50% of each issue devoted to oft repeated content in the form of the Nebula Awards Report (NAR), it became very clear that it was time to go in a new direction. Knowing that we are already providing an electronic version of the NAR, and that the vast majority of member discussions are taking place in online forums such as SFF.Net, to continue producing the Forum in the same way made little sense from a fiscal or governance point of view. With all that in mind, I have decided that the final printed and mailed issue of the Forum will appear in August, and effective October, 2008, the Forum will go to a quarterly, electronic format. The new electronic Forum will be sent out to the appropriate membership classes via email and made available for viewing in the Members Only section of the website. A very small number will be printed for archival purposes, and members who want to print it out are, of course, more than welcome to do so. The Forum will continue to offer the full NAR report as well as letters from the membership, while the vast majority of officer and committee reports (with the exception of those containing confidential or privileged information) will be moved to the Bulletin. Please make certain that you have given SFWA your current email address.

ONLINE UPDATE OOPS, PLUS CHANGES Some of you may have noticed the flurry of Online Update activity earlier this week. For those of you whose inbox was inundated, I do apologize. That was my fault for not being clear enough in my discussions with Glenn Gillette about some changes to the content and methodology of this particular communications system. One of the most important things, in my opinion, that SFWA can do is keep its membership informed on matters of importance to their career, such as available markets. With that in mind, I’ve asked Cynthia Ward – who handles the Market Watch section of the Bulletin – to pass on to Glenn for use in the Online Update, markets which are on a particularly short time frame and members may not see in time, even with the faster magazine schedule. Barring matters of extreme urgency, however, the Online Update will only be going out on a regular, bi-monthly schedule. Again, I do apologize for not making this more clear to Glenn, who (poor man) was only doing what I told him. It shouldn’t happen again, and hopefully, many members will enjoy having markets included in the regularly scheduled Online Update.

VISIT NEBULAAWARDS.COM – YOUR INPUT NEEDED Work is continuing on the NEBULAAWARDS.COM website. This site will continue to be an evolving process as we add content and features, while at the same time, strive to make the site accessible to as large an audience as reasonably possible. If you have a blog or a website, please consider adding the site to your links and/or discussions. And please keep sharing your ideas and suggestions for content and design improvements.

NEW SFWA.ORG WEBSITE PROGRESS UPDATE I am working to put together the team of designers and content editors to build a new SFWA.ORG website, and I think we’ve made a good start. This site will not go live until it has been tested in beta by a number of users for feedback and improvements. One of the key steps will be finding content editors for specific subject areas of the site, so we’ll be looking for volunteers in the very near future for that. The current site will stay up in the meantime and we will be simultaneously working on several sections of it to fix broken links and applications, as well as to take down and archive away information that is no longer needed or accurate. If you find a non-functioning link or application, please don't hesitate to email Jane Jewell or Chris Hansen about it.

SFF.NET UPDATES As indicated earlier, I completed a review of the status of various newsgroups within the sff.private.sfwa area on SFF.Net, and found a substantial number that were no longer in use and had essentially been quiet for a year or longer. Those newsgroups and the messages contained therein have now been archived (nothing lost), so the first “housekeeping” step for our newsgroups has been taken. If one of thse, for whatever reason, needs to be restored, please email me directly. The next step, which will be done in conjunction with the development of the updated SFWA.ORG website, will be to create a more logical hierarchy of groups, principally by broad subject area. If anyone needs to create a new newsgroup in the sff.private.sfwa area, please send either myself, Jane Jewell, Elizabeth Moon or Mary Robinette Kowal an email; until we complete the process of streamlining SFWA communications, we would appreciate limiting the creation of new newsgroups.

As always, these are steps being taken to streamline SFWA services, allowing the organization to be more effective, functional and flexible. I am certain that with these particular announcements, there may be questions or concerns, and I'll be happy to answer them. This announcement will be cross-posted in the Lounge and on the SFWA Live Journal.

Cheers,

Russell Davis

Good Morning,

I thought I'd share the cover image sent along for the 2009 Nebula Awards Showcase, edited by the incomparable Ellen Datlow.

Cheers,

Russell Davis

Good Evening,

As part of our ongoing effort to streamline member services and make SFWA a more functional and flexible organization, I'm pleased to announce the creation of the new Ombudsman Committee, to be chaired by Lee Martindale.

The purpose of the Ombudsman Committee is to ensure, promote and facilitate communication of the will of the membership of SFWA to its Board of Directors. Because SFWA is a membership organization, it is incumbent upon the Board of Directors to be informed and responsive to the opinions, needs and concerns of the members.

As the membership has grown and available technology has increased the number of channels by which members directly address the Board, it has become increasingly difficult to maintain that responsibility. Unfocused discussion in multiple venues, low "signal-to-noise" ratio in the content, and the volume of input by a few members overshadowing the input of most has proven detrimental to effective communication of members' opinions and concerns. The Ombudsman Committee is tasked with simplifying and focusing the process as a dedicated channel for member to Board communications.

To this end, the committee will serve as point of contact for individual members having questions, opinions, concerns, and issues they wish brought to the Board’s attention, especially on matters of corporate governance, policies and procedures, and membership services. Further, the committee will facilitate Board awareness of the “sense of the membership” through the use of focused discussions and solicitation of member opinion, the results of which will be summarized and reported to the Board.

A newsgroup has been established at sff.private.sfwa.ombudsman-committee to facilitate this process.

Lee Martindale has been a member of SFWA for ten years and for most of them has been involved with organizational structure and operation. She served three years on the Election Committee, six years as Chair of the Bylaws Committee, and is currently in her fourth year sitting the Mediation Desk of the Grievance Committee. Her pre-fiction-writing professional background includes project and technical management in corporate settings, contract negotiation and mediation, human rights activism, and magazine publishing and editing. Her fiction writing and editing credits can be found on her website, http://www.HarpHaven.net.

I'm looking forward to working with Lee and excited about having this committee in place for the entire membership.

Cheers,

Russell Davis

Good Morning,

I'm pleased to announce that the location for the *2010 Nebula Awards Weekend* has been chosen. Please note that this announcement is for the 2010 event, not 2009.

The event will take place in May, 2010 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and be presented by the South Florida Science Fiction Society (SFSFS, pronounced Sisyphus). Here's a link to the facility: http://www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com.

SFSFS is a thirty-year-old fan organization based in Dade and Broward counties. Its activities include monthly meetings, book discussions, an active writer's workshop, annual picnics and other social events. For over twenty years it ran the small local convention Tropicon, whose guests have included Robert Bloch, Hal Clement, Andre Norton, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Mike Resnick, Neil Gaiman, and Peter David.

Its members have been active at Worldcon, serving as division chairs at many levels. Although SFSFS is the group officially sponsoring this bid, it maintains close ties with OASFiS, the Orlando Area Science Fiction Society. As several of their members belong to both organizations, they expect enthusiastic participation from their fellow Floridians in serving this Nebula event.

The Hollywood, Florida location and selected facility is a perfect choice, equally appropriate for attendees who want to stay on the grounds and enjoy the many dining and entertainment options on site, and for those who want to venture elsewhere to sightsee, shop, explore, and visit South Florida's beautiful beaches.

This announcement will be cross-posted to the private SFWA newsgroups on SFF.Net. As more details become available, additional announcements will be made.

Cheers,

Russell Davis 

Jennifer Pelland, interviewed by Charles Tan

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Good Evening,

As part of our ongoing effort to streamline member services and make SFWA a more functional and flexible organization, I'm pleased to announce that Steven H. Silver has been appointed as the SFWA Events Coordinator.

Steven H Silver has several years of con-running experience, including working as programming chair for Chicon 2000 (WorldCon), and has chaired two Windycons and the first Midwest Construction, a con devoted to con-running. In 2004, Steven served as the liaison from Noreascon IV to SFWA and the following year he helped run the 2005 Nebula Award Weekend in Chicago.

Steven has served on the Nebula Award jury four times, twice on the short fiction jury and twice on the novel jury, including a current stint as the chair of the novel jury.

Steven founded the Sidewise Award for Alternate History and has been nominated for the Hugo Award nine times, eight times as Best Fan Writer and once for Best Fanzine.  He has sold two short stories, and runs ISFiC Press.

In addition to ensuring that SFWA Events such as the Nebula Award Weekend and the SFWA Suite at WorldCon operate in a successful manner, Steven will also be helping to establish a SFWA-presence at other conventions and ensuring that future administrations have all the records necessary to continue building these events successfully. I'm really thrilled to have him on board and am looking forward to working with him in the coming months.

Cheers,

Russell Davis

Good Evening,

I'm pleased to announce that Cat Rambo has been appointed the new chair of the SFWA Copyright Committee.

Cat Rambo's fiction has appeared in such places as Asimov's, Strange Horizons, and Subterranean. Her collaboration with Jeff VanderMeer, The Surgeon's Tale and Other Stories, was published in 2007. She is the co-editor of Fantasy Magazine.

Cat has worked in the fields of network security and technology writing for such companies as Intrusion Detection, RSA, and Microsoft. She maintains an online presence at http://www.catrambo.livejournal.com. ; Along with technology writing, she writes about and for games and has overseen the online game Armageddon MUD for the past two decades. She has done podcasts for Pod Castle, EscapePod, and Clarkesworld.

Cat holds a BA in English and Gender Studies from Notre Dame and an MA from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. Her teaching experience includes courses for Bellevue Community College, the Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins, Towson State University, and Indiana University. She is a graduate of Clarion West and Taos Toolbox.

Cat has been a member of SFWA since 2005 and has served on a Nebula jury as well as working with both the Copyright Exploratory Committee and the Copyright Committee, copy-writing for the Nebula website, and assisting with volunteer descriptions.

I'm looking forward to working with Cat in the coming year and think she'll do an excellent job in guiding this committee forward in more effective ways.

Cheers,

Russell Davis