Major Award for Geoffrey A. Landis

Campbell and Sturgeon Awards Announced

Geoffrey A. Landis’s “The Sultan of the Clouds” has won the Sturgeon Award for the best short science fiction of the year. Ian McDonald’s The Dervish House has won the Campbell Award for the best science-fiction novel of the year.

In a ceremony Friday at the University of Kansas, the Campbell Award was presented to McDonald by Campbell Award juror Elizabeth Anne Hull.

The Sturgeon Award was presented to Landis by Noël Sturgeon, Theodore Sturgeon’s daughter, trustee of his literary estate, and a member of the Sturgeon Award jury.

McDonald was born in Scotland in 1960 but was moved to Northern Ireland when he was five, and lived through the troubled years. He was turned on to science fiction by childhood television programs and began writing at the age of nine. He sold his first story at twenty-two and became a full-time writer in 1987. Much of his writing has focused on the developing nations of Africa, India, and South America, and one commentator has suggested that his life in Northern Ireland led him to consider that country a “third-world” society. The Dervish House is set in Turkey, specifically Istanbul, five years after Turkey has been admitted to the European Union and offers, one reviewer said, “a coalescence of order out of interacting possibilities.”

Landis came to science fiction through science. He was born in Detroit in 1955 but moved regularly throughout his childhood. He is a NASA scientist with a Ph.D. in physics from Brown University after undergraduate studies at M.I.T. in physics and electrical engineering. He has worked on several space missions, including Mars Pathfinder and the long-lived Mars Exploration Rovers. He began publishing science fiction in 1984 and attended Clarion in 1985, where he met his wife, writer Mary Turzillo. Landis has won two Hugo Awards and a Nebula Award for his short fiction. He is known as a writer of “hard science fiction,” and “The Sultan of the Clouds” describes a possible way of living on Venus–or, rather, living in floating cities in the upper atmosphere of Venus.

This is McDonald’s second trip to the Awards ceremony. His “Tendeleo’s Story” won the Sturgeon Award in 2001.

The Awards are presented by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction during the Campbell Conference, a four-day event held annually at the University of Kansas. The Campbell Award is selected, from nominations by publishers, by a jury composed of seven writers and academics. The Sturgeon Award is selected, from nominations by reviewers and editors, by a jury composed of five writers and academics.

More information about the Awards and Conference is available on the Center’s website.

Mark Twain's Fourth of July

It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either.
- Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar

Man is the only Patriot. He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, and keeps multitudinous uniformed assassins on hand at heavy expense to grab slices of other people's countries, and keep them from grabbing slices of his. And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood of his hands and works for "the universal brotherhood of man"- with his mouth.
- "The Lowest Animal"

...the liberty of the Press is called the Palladium of Freedom, which means, in these days, the liberty of being deceived, swindled, and humbugged by the Press and paying hugely for the deception.
- "From Author's Sketch Book, Nov. 1870," reprinted in The Twainian, May 1940

And then there's this:

You know my weakness for Adam, and you know how I have struggled to get him a monument and failed. Now, it seems to me, here is my chance. What do we care for a statue of liberty when we've got the thing itself in its wildest sublimity? What you want of a monument is to keep you in mind of something you haven't got - something you've lost. Very well; we haven't lost liberty; we've lost Adam.
Another thing: What has liberty done for us? Nothing in particular that I know of. What have we done for her? Everything. We've given her a home, and a good home too. And if she knows anything, she knows it's the first time she ever struck that novelty. She knows that when we took her in she had been a mere tramp for 6,000 years, biblical measure. Yes, and we not only ended her troubles and made things soft for her permanently, but we made her respectable - and that she hadn't ever been before. And now, after we've poured out these Atlantics of benefits upon this aged outcast, lo! and behold you, we are asked to come forward and set up a monument to her! Go to. Let her set up a monument to us if she wants to do the clean thing.

But suppose your statue represented her old, bent, clothed in rags, downcast, shame-faced, with the insults and humiliation of 6,000 years, imploring a crust and all hour's rest for God's sake at our back door? - come, now you're shouting! That's the aspect of her which we need to be reminded of, lest we forget it - not this proposed one, where she's hearty and well-fed, and holds up her head and flourishes her hospitable schooner of flame, and appears to be inviting all the rest of the tramps to come over. O, go to - this is the very insolence of prosperity.

-- Mark Twain was asked to contribute to the album of artists' sketches and autograph letters, to be raffled for at the Bartholdi Pedestal Fund Art Loan Exhibition. This is his response, which accompanied his contribution...

from the Digby blog

Mary Turzillo at Columbus PulpFest/FarmerCon

FarmerCon at PulpFest

As reported previously, PulpFest 2011 is pleased to welcome the members of FarmerCon VI to our convention. An annual gathering for fans of Grand Master of Science Fiction Philip José Farmer, please be sure to visit the PulpFest programming area on Friday evening, July 29th, at 10:30 PM for a salute to this celebrated author.

Michael Croteau, creator of The Official Philip José Farmer Home Page, will get things started by explaining the origins of FarmerCon and why it is happening this year at PulpFest. Following Michael’s introductory remarks, Win Scott Eckert will discuss the December 13, 1795 meteor strike in Wold Newton, England that resulted in a “nova of genetic splendor”—the Wold Newton Universe.

Changing gears a bit, writer and poet Mary Turzillo will present a visual examination of the wonderful cover art that has adorned Philip José Farmer’s books while Dr. Art Sippo will delve into A Feast Unknown, the author’s controversial novel that featured thinly-veiled versions of Tarzan and Doc Savage.

Tying into PulpFest’s 80th anniversary salute to The Shadow Magazine, Rick Lai will investigate the character’s ties to the Wold Newton Family and other "secrets" that Farmer knew about the first great pulp hero, The Shadow. Will Murray will close out Friday evening’s programming by reminiscing about interviewing Philip José Farmer in 1990 for Starlog Magazine.

PulpFest 2011 continues the proud tradition of a summer pulp con, now in its 40th year. A very well-organized version of the venerable convention for fans and collectors of vintage popular fiction and related material returns to Columbus, Ohio in 2011.

Join us Thursday, July 28th – Sunday, July 31st
at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center
for PulpFest 2011!

52 Cleveland Haiku (25)

Long days of summer:
firecrackers in the night,
tiger lilies bloom.

--Geoffrey A. Landis .

52 Cleveland Haiku (24)

Twelve thousand tons of ore
One man fishing from the deck:
That's some fishing boat!

--Geoffrey A. Landis .

Michelle Obama talks poetry!

Michelle Obama talks poetry: "Poetry helps us connect."

Outsider Art, Underground Poetry

Poetry reading and art show!

Lady K, Mark Kuhar and Steven B. Smith will be reading poetry at the Serafino Gallery in Little Italy Thursday, June 23 at 7:30 pm as part of their current art show reception.'

Please join poet/artists Kathy Smith, Mark S. Kuhar, and Steven B. Smith as well as artist Ralph Solonitz for Outsider Art, Underground Poetry, at Serafino Gallery in Little Italy. View strange works of folk, primitive and art brut; political cartoons, and listen to poetry, cosmic love songs and bongo chants. OUTSIDER ART runs from June 18 through June 30th. The opening reception is from 6-10 p.m. on Thursday, June 23. Click here for a preview.

Serafino Gallery
11917 Mayfield Rd. in Little Italy, Cleveland, OH 44106 · 216.721.1025

Visit Serafino's Facebook page here.
Click here for directions.

52 Cleveland Haiku (23)

Forget the Hall of Fame:
Rock and Roll ought to be in

dingy basement clubs.

--Geoffrey A. Landis

Remembering Loren Weiss

Loren Weiss, once Poet Laureate of Cleveland Heights, died this past week. Though I didn't know him well, I have loved his poetry and will miss him much. Here's a clip of him reading at the Literary Cafe in 2007, recorded by Lit proprietor Andy Timithy:

Read his Plain Dealer obituary here.

Dogzplot Summer Reading Tour Stops In Cleveland This July

The evening of Saturday, July 23rd, Barry Graham and eight other writers are converging on the Morgan stage for flash and mojo mania. Please join us as we celebrate the spoken word with drinks, food and friends from near and abroad at the beautiful gallery for the Cleveland literary tour stop.

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Christopher Bowen is a local culinary student and works full-time in food service. His flash fiction has appeared in over a dozen journals and he has organized or participated in readings in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. He was invited and is scheduled to participate in the fall residency and festival, Val-David, Quebec.

Darren C. Demaree is living in Columbus, OH with his wife and daughter. His poems have appeared, or are scheduled to appear in numerous magazines/journals, including the South Carolina Review, Meridian, Grain, Cottonwood, The Tribeca Poetry Review, and Whiskey Island. Recently, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Freshwater Poetry Journal.

Author of the forthcoming story collection, Fables of the Deconstruction, Damian Dressick’s stories have appeared in nearly fifty literary journals, including failbetter.com, Barcelona Review, Caketrain, Vestal Review, Smokelong Quarterly and Alimentum. He can be found online at www.damiandressick.com.

Devan Goldstein's writing has appeared or is forthcoming in The Collagist, The Good Men Project, Bluestem, and elsewhere. He is Managing Editor of Flywheel Magazine.

Barry Graham is the author of two books, The National Virginity Pledge andNothing or Next to Nothing. look for him online at www.dogzplot.blogspot.com

Aubrey Hirsch's work has appeared in Third Coast, SmokeLong Quarterly, Whiskey Island, Hobart, and others. A Cleveland native, she now lives in Colorado Springs where she is at work on a novel with the support of the Daehler Fellowship.

Steven Casimer Kowalski lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Brian Oliu is originally from New Jersey and currently lives in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Work appears/is forthcoming in Hotel Amerika, Ninth Letter, and Puerto del Sol. His collection of Tuscaloosa Missed Connections, 'So You Know It's Me', was released in June 2011 by Tiny Hardcore Press.

Pedro Ponce is the author of Homeland: A Panorama in 50 States, just out from Seven Kitchens Press, the story collection Alien Autopsy, and the chapbook Superstitions of Apartment Life. He lives in Canton, NY.

52 Cleveland Haiku (22)

In the warm spring breeze
cottonwood drifts through the air;
fuzz piles on sidewalk.

--Geoffrey A. Landis .

The Buck Stops Here - and reads with Bilgere, Borsenik, Leatherman, Hemery and Mad Anthony

Poet Chansonette Buck is coming all the way from Berkeley, California, this week to read at two big events on the western fringe of Greater Cleveland: Wednesday June 15th during the final (for now) Lix and Kix Poetry Extravaganza at Bela Dubby (13321 Madison Ave.) in Lakewood and Thursday June 16th during PoetryElyria at Scott M Duncan Photography (120 Middle Ave.) in downtown Elyria. She'll share a completely different set of her work at each venue.

Our other featured poet during June's Lix and Kix will be the renowned George Bilgere, author of The White Museum, winner of a 2010 Lantern Award for best poetry collection from The Lit: Cleveland's Literary Center. The evening will include an open mic emceed by Borsenik and Burroughs, as well as a wall-shaking performance by Cincinnati rock band Mad Anthony.

Joining Dr. Buck during June's PoetryElyria will be three more featured authors: Stacie Leatherman, Mike Hemery and Dianne Borsenik, all of whom have exciting new books out. This event will include an open mic emceed by John Burroughs and (while supplies last) free wine.

To read more about our fine featured authors and these exciting happenings, please visit our Facebook event pages:

Lix and Kix featuring George Bilgere, Chansonette Buck & Mad Anthony
PoetryElyria featuring Buck, Borsenik, Hemery and Leatherman

The Big Big Mess in Akron

Nick Sturm writes to say:

I would like to formally introduce you to Akron's new monthly reading series - THE BIG BIG MESS READING SERIES - hosted at Annabell's Bar & Lounge the first Friday of every month (after this month) from 7-9pm. Attached, please find the flier for the first event, this Friday June 10th, featuring readings by Mary Biddinger, Eric Morris, Cari Gornik, Eliese Goldbach, and Chris Smith. Free books will be given away, sponsored by the Akron Series in Poetry, in a continued effort by THE BIG BIG MESS to support the work of small presses.

THE BIG BIG MESS, named after the DEVO song "Big Mess," was born out of the desire to do something awesome for the Northeast Ohio writing community, and to create a space in Akron for consistent, exciting readings where interested people can come together, be together, and be awesome. Every reading will feature a completely different line-up, including NEOMFA students from all four gateways, and a giveaway of free books from a different small press each month. There is no cover charge - everything is free except the drinks! Here is the Facebook event page.

For future information about THE BIG BIG MESS, please "like" our Facebook page.

52 Cleveland Haiku (21)

Above the valley

concrete span arches over

blooming tulip trees

--Geoffrey A. Landis

Poetry Contests with a Reading Fee should be Abolished

Anis Shivani writes Poetry Book Contests Should be Abolished: Why Contests Are the Stupidest Way to Publish First Books.

Yep. They're abusive.

I was particularly disgusted, reading the Poets and Writers interview with four contest administrators, at the point where one of 'em admitted that sometimes they don't award a prize, they just keep the money.