Westercons 73 And 74 Postponed For One Year Due To Covid-19
The 2020 and 2021 Westercon committees have agreed to roll their events forward a year. They announced the decision today on the Westercon.org site: Due to government orders prohibiting large gatherings having been extended into July 2020, Westercon 73 in
2020 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Longlist
The longlist for the 2020 Theakston old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year has been announced. The prize was created to celebrate the very best in crime fiction and is open to UK and Irish crime authors whose novels were published in
Masked Filers Reading SFF: Exhalation
Steve Wright is actually reading two books – that’s why he needs to keep his hair out of both eyes. I’m reading Ted Chiang’s Exhalation collection (for the 2020 Hugos) and Leigh Brackett’s The Nemesis from Terra (or “Shadow Over Mars” for the Retros),
Pixel Scroll 5/9/20 A Pixel Scroll Title That Turns Out To Have Been Used Before
NOT DEAD YET. Since the cancellation of San Diego Comic-Con 2020 was announced in mid-April the people behind it have been thinking about an online counterpart. This humorous video dropped on May 8. What it all means has yet
Masked Filers Reading SFF: Hella
Steve Davidson – remind me, what’s that magazine he’s affiliated with? – is the first on his block to see these fine new pages: Books don’t make for good masks, but this soon-to-be-released novel from David Gerrold is a great
2019 Leo Literary Awards Nominations
The shortlist for the 2019 Leo Literary Awards has been announced. The Leo Awards’ goal is to highlight exceptional works of literature in the furry fandom. The juried award is given to those works that surpass a benchmark score, which
Gollancz Announces BAME SFF Award Shortlist
Gollancz and Ben Aaronovitch announced the eight shortlisted titles for the inaugural Gollancz and Rivers of London BAME SFF Award on May 7. The award was launched in October 2019 when Gollancz, the UK’s oldest sff imprint, teamed up with
Pixel Scroll 5/8/20 A Logic Named Mjølnir
ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS. Newsweek is “Talking Murderbot With ‘Network Effect’ Author Martha Wells”. The series is from Murderbot’s perspective, who doesn’t care much about the wider galaxy (outside of its favorite media), but I assume there’s a lot of
2020 Aurora Award Ballot
The 2020 Aurora Awards finalists have been announced. The awards are nominated by members of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association, for Science Fiction / Fantasy works done in 2019 by Canadians. The top five nominated works were selected. Additional works were
2020 Seiun Awards Nominees
The 2020 Seiun Award nominees were announced May 7. The award has nine categories. Below are the items shortlisted in the categories for translated works, and a few other categories of international interest. FOREIGN NOVEL The Long Way to a Small, Angry
Masked Filers Reading SFF: Time Master
Joe H. keeps his mask on while rereading this long-time favorite: In the Before Times I did the bulk of my reading when I was out and about, so for the past several years I was reading almost exclusively on
Pixel Scroll 5/7/20 They Probably Still Use Feet and Inches
FIRST FIFTH. Camestros Felapton’s fifth anniversary celebration is in progress and he’s rolling out the party favors, like today’s “Book Launch: How To Science Fictionally“, “a new collection of posts spanning the nearly two-thousand day history of the blog.”
Brianna Wu Ends 2020 Candidacy
Brianna Wu announced April 28 she has ended her 2020 campaign for Congress. It was Wu’s second attempt to unseat incumbent Stephen Lynch in Massachusetts’ District 8. Both are Democrats. Her statement on Medium, titled “How would I feel if
Two Plays Win Neukom Institute 2020 Honors
The winner of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Arts Award for Playwriting is Drive by Deborah Yarchun. “I was floored and delighted by the overwhelming number of submissions for this year’s award,” said Dan Rockmore, director of the Neukom Institute for Computational Science
Masked Filers Reading SFF: Rosewater
Bonnie McDaniel crosses the streams with this entry — A mask, a cat and a Hugo read! What else do you need? If you want to see this series continue, send photos of your mask and social distancing reads to
Quantum Shorts 2019 Flash Fiction Competition Finalists
The ten finalists in the Quantum Shorts 2019 flash fiction competition were announced May 4. The shortlist was chosen from 647 total submissions, quantum short stories that are no longer than 1000 words and contained the phrase “things used to
Pixel Scroll 5/6/20 Look Dave, I Can See You’re Really Upset About This. Take A Pixel Scroll, And Think Things Over
CAREER PATH. At Lit Reactor, Nick Mamatas hits close to home — “Ask Nick: Publishing 201 — Do I Need to Attend Conventions or Conferences?” …A relative handful of science fiction/fantasy/horror conventions are considered “professional” and it is expected
Prix Jeunesse des Univers Parallèles 2021 Finalists
The selection committee for Quebec’s Prix jeunesse des univers parallèles 2021 (the Parallel Universe Youth Award) has chosen three novels as finalists from among 18 works in the running. These are Lac Adélard by François Blais (La courte échelle) C.R.A.A.V. 1. Thérapie de
Masked Filers Reading SFF: Network Effect
Who was that masked Murderbot reader? Lace — with the new release in one hand and a prior story in the other. Being fortunate enough to have an employer who’s treating us very well, and a WFH-able job, I decided
Pixel Scroll 5/5/20 Have M95 Space Suit, Will Travel Anywhere It’s Helpful
CELEBS READ POTTER. Daniel Radcliffe reads the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone as WizardingWorld.com launches“Harry Potter At Home.” Eddie Redmayne and Stephen Fry are among the other celebrities involved. Daniel will be the first
SFWA Nebula Conference Online Website Goes Live
Registration is open for the SFWA Nebula Conference Online. This virtual event takes place May 29th – 31st, 2020, substituting for the in-person conference cancelled in response to limits on public gatherings in the face of COVID-19. What is the SFWA
2020 Australian Fairy Tale Society Award Nominees
The 2020 nominees for the Australian Fairy Tale Society Annual Award for Inspiration and Contribution to Australian Fairy Tale Culture” are Lorena Carrington, Serene Conneeley and Juliette Marillier. Voting is open to AFTS members only. Lorena Carrington lorenacarrington.com Here are some of the
Masked Filers Reading SFF: After Atlas
Goobergunch is passing the time with a book while he awaits his next social distancing opportunity. I’ve been taking advantage of the library’s ebook lending program to do some Hugo reading during shelter-in-place. Here’s me reading After Atlas by Emma
Pixel Scroll 5/4/20 Sufficiently Advanced Scrolls Are Indistinguishable From Pixels
MURDERBOT READING TOMORROW. The New York Review of Books will host online a “Martha Wells Book Launch Party” on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 at 8 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. EDT On the eagerly awaited occasion of the publication of
Prix Solaris 2020
The winner of the is Josée Bérubé, for her story “Les Épinettes à corneilles.” The Prix Solaris is for an unpublished sff short story written in French by a Canadian author. The winner receives $1,000 and the story is published in Solaris.
2019 Agatha Award Winners
Malice Domestic announced the 2019 Agatha Awards on May 2. The Agatha Awards honor the “traditional mystery,” books typified by the works of Agatha Christie and others. The genre is loosely defined as mysteries that contain no explicit sex, excessive gore or
2020 Derringer Award
The Short Mystery Fiction Society unveiled the s winners on May 1. The winners were determined by vote of the SMFS membership. Best Flash Story (up to 1,000 words) • “The Two-Body Problem,” by Josh Pachter Best Short Story (1,001 to
