2023 Roswell Award Finalists

The 2023 finalists for the Roswell Award, and the winner of the New Suns Climate Fiction Award, have been announced.

Both are international short science fiction story competitions for writers age 17 and older. The Roswell Award seeks stories that explore and connect themes such as social justice, feminism, identity, inequity, environmental sustainability, ethics, and technology. The New Suns Climate Fiction Award is for original short science fiction that reimagines new ways of living and depicts humanity exploring and overcoming today’s climate and biodiversity crises.

The top-ranking entries and the award winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on May 21. Register to watch it free here. (Note: The year shown in the plaques below is a typo, and should be 2023.)

The Roswell Award – Finalists

“The Ripples Read Outward” by Karin Hullati (Michigan, USA)
“First Plantings” by Elizabeth King (Utah, USA)
“Philanthropy” by Cecilia Evans (Thailand)
“Breathing for Two” by Rich Larson (Canada)
“You’re Hired” by Lexus Ndiwe (United Kingdom)
“Plastic Dragon” by Lucy Zhang (California, USA)

New Suns Climate Fiction Award – Winner

“Desert Rain” by Natalie Click (Arizona, USA) 

The Roswell Award – Honorable Mentions

“The Fading Colour of Tea Leaves” by Mof Afdhall (Sri Lanka)
“The Last Violin” by Sam Bohlken-Hern (Canada)
“Curved” by David Krasky (Florida, USA)
“Jane” by Lee Nash (France)
“Northbound Highway 101: Slow Traffic” by Lis Chi Siegel (Nevada, USA)

New Suns Climate Fiction Award – Honorable Mentions

“Survivor: Ecosystem” by Liz Hufford (Arizona, USA)
“Less Like a Robot” by Aishwarya Kharkhanis (India)
“The Flow of Water” by Mersades Lodge (Montana, USA)
“Seasons of Sugar and Blue” by Nadine Tabing (Washington, USA)
“Paint by Numbers” by Neille Williams (Australia)

Pixel Scroll 4/25/23 Careful The Things You Scroll, Children Will Pixel

(1) HUGO NOMINATIONS 101. For the benefit of people who haven’t had a lot of experience with the Hugos, Tarvalon has written “Demystifying the Hugo Award Nomination Process” at Reddit’s r/fantasy forum. And an interesting dialog between Tarvalon and Django Wexler continues in the comments.

… But because this is exactly the kind of nerd I am, I want to spend a little bit more time talking about the E Pluribus Hugo scoring system and its practical effects on crafting a nominating ballot. If you don’t care about the details, just nominate some things and let the math do what it does. If you’re curious, read on. And if you’re curious about the practical effects but not the voting mechanics, skip the next couple paragraphs and pick back up in the following section….

You’ll have to let us know how convincing you find Tarvalon’s ideas about how to do the most to help your favorites. (Another hat Tarvalon wears is being a judge in the Self-Published Science Fiction Book Competition.)

(2) VIEW THE ROSWELL AWARD CEREMONY. There will be a virtual celebration of the 2023 Roswell Award and New Suns Climate Fiction Award honorees on Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific. Free; Register here.

Free; Registration Required In an epic performance honoring planet Earth’s emerging sci-fi writers, celebrity guests deliver dramatic original short story readings! The Roswell Award and New Suns Climate Fiction Award: Virtual Readings & Honors recognizes outstanding new works of science fiction by emerging writers from across the United States and worldwide, including the winner of this year’s climate themed sci-fi story. This lively show will feature dramatic readings by celebrity guests (to be announced) from some of today’s hottest sci-fi and fantasy shows and movies. Following the readings, the authors will be honored for their writing.

(3) IT WILL HAVE TO DO. “John Scalzi says he has no other skills than writing” while answering the LA Times’ “Very Important Questions.”

Science fiction author John Scalzi stopped by the Los Angeles Times photo and video studio at the Festival of Books to tell us what his favorite kaiju is and answer other very important questions.

(4) NEWEST ADDITION TO TAFF EBOOKS. Jacq Monahan’s report of her 2012 Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund trip, Same Planet Different World, is now a free download at the TAFF Ebooks page. (Though don’t let that discourage you from making a little donation to the fund while you’re clicking.) Here’s an excerpt from Jacq’s arrival at Heathrow where she discovered that customs officials’ idea of “humor” is universal.  

…Instead he motioned me toward a chair and said we’d have to have a little interview because it was a different matter if I was going to be paid in some capacity to be in the UK. He started writing something down, and I started thinking in desperate expletives.

I learned later from someone in the know that if I was to be employed in the UK I had to have a “silver thing” in the back of my passport that showed I had the proper permission. It’s always good to know the technical term.

Once I understood that my words misled the agent (because his questions had misled me (she maintains) I interjected hastily, “No, no! I’m not working. I won a fan fund!” I then braced for the worst. How could I explain TAFF to a mundane? And a mundane official? And a mundane official with the keys to my British kingdom? I’d had a hard enough time trying to explain the fan fund to anyone, family or non-fan friend, employer – anyone. And now, here was bureaucracy standing firmly between me and clotted cream.

To my surprise he stopped writing and crossed out what he had already written. He believed me! I couldn’t believe me, my good luck, that is. But then, a warning. “I want you to know that I’ll be attending that convention, and if I see you working in any capacity, I’ll have you arrested!” I trotted away as quickly as possible and found a restroom. Relief was palpable in a few ways, and I used the plastic toothbrush to restore a smile….

(5) RESEARCHING FAN HISTORY. Fanac.org has made the videos available of its two-part “Researching Science Fiction FanHistory” Zoom panel.

  • Researching Science Fiction FanHistory (Pt1 of 2) – Rob Hansen, Andy Hooper, Mark Olson & Joe Siclari

The first fan history was written by Jack Speer in 1939, and the most recent is the crowd-sourced Fancyclopedia.org, updated as of yesterday. The fan historians on our panel each focus in a very different way on fan history…Rob Hansen, author of “Then: Science Fiction Fandom in the UK”, brings a UK centered perspective to global fandom, and Andy Hooper has deeply researched the first World Science Fiction convention, both publishing in the traditional way. 

Mark Olson and Joe Siclari are part of the FANAC Fan History project – Mark is chief editor of the crowd-sourced online Fancyclopedia.org, and Joe is the chairman behind the Fan History project, and in particular the driving force behind FANACs digital archive (FANAC.org)…

In this Part 1 video, the panelists talk about how they became interested in fandom and fan history in particular, and the different approaches they have taken to recording and interpreting fan history. You’ll hear about the creation of the first timeline of UK fan history, the nude figure with a dagger in each hand, and the tenuous but possible connection of fandom to the Zodiac killer. Perhaps most engrossing are the stories of contacts from non-fans, relatives of fans long gone. Some of these have no real understanding of what fandom was and is, but are seeking to learn about their relatives. There’s even an anecdote about Warren Fitzgerald, the African-American fan who was the founding president of the Scienceers, the first first regularly meeting sf fan club which was started in 1929.

Researching Science Fiction FanHistory (Pt2 of 2) – Rob Hansen, Andy Hooper, Mark Olson & Joe Siclari

In this Part 2 video, discussion ranges from academia to our panelists’ investigative techniques. When the primary resources are fanzines, researchers deal with first person accounts where “accuracy is not their primary virtue”, although how different that is from other histories is questionable. Unsurprisingly, panelists share stories and findings, more sometimes with each other than the audience.  Spoiler alert: John W. Campbell’s mother was not an identical twin!…Particularly interesting is a segment on the place of anecdote in fan history, and for those interested in learning more, there’s a “starter list” of readings. Audience Q&A forms the last portion of the recording, and with many of the audience experts in their own right, the questions (and answers) are first-rate.

I’m surprised to learn from a line in the announcement – “There’s even an anecdote about Warren Fitzgerald, the African-American fan who was the founding president of the Scienceers” – that the panel might be unaware of the extensive research some fans have done to put to the test Fitzgerald’s specific identification as an African-American. After I made the same assertion three years ago we had quite a donnybrook in the comments of the December 11, 2020 Scroll, and heard from people who have done a lot of research on Ancestry, through the census, etc.  

(6) WHAT’S UP WITH THE SOCIETY FOR CREATIVE ANACHRONISM? If you find the prospect of reading 42 pages of legal analysis about SCA kerfuffles irresistible, then “A Tale of 6 Sanctions” is for you. I did, of course, read it. Your mileage may vary. This is the introduction to the paper’s author:

In the SCA I am Aeron Harper, OL, OD, premier Society A&S Deputy for Historical Combat, and other awards and titles. My name is still on the society’s A&S rules for historical combat study, and on a number of kingdom’s C&T rules.

Mundanely, I am David Biggs, Attorney, U.S. Diplomat, and foreign policy advisor for the U.S. State Department. My day job includes interpreting, defining, and applying U.S. policies, which often involves ensuring they don’t contradict U.S. law. It also includes negotiating and implementing international agreements with foreign countries on behalf of the United States. I graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School, and was an editor on the Minnesota Law Review. All that to say, I know a little bit about researching, writing, interpreting, and applying laws and rules….

(7) HERE’S HOW IT PLAYS IN PEORIA. Public TV station WCBU is “Exploring the lost world of TV sci-fi in the 50s”.

“Twilight Zone” is often viewed as the first television series to showcase fantasy on the small screen. The Rod Serling program that ran from 1959 to 1964 is an oft-repeated TV classic with many memorable episodes but it wasn’t the first show to bring science fiction to television viewers.

“Captain Video and His Video Rangers” became the world’s first science fiction TV series when it went on the air in 1949 on the now defunct DuMont Television Network, said Alan Morton, author of “The Golden Age of Telefantasy,” a guide to sci-fi, fantasy and horror TV shows of the 1940s and 1950s.

Television was in its infancy in the 1950s with many of the earliest shows (like “Captain Video”) transmitted live. Most of these early sci-fi programs were aimed at kids, said Morton, citing entries such as “Tom Corbett, Space Cadet” (1950-55), “Space Patrol” (1950-55), “Captain Z-Ro” (1951-56) and “Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers” (aired from 1953 to 1954 with a young Cliff Robertson as Ranger Rod Brown)….

(8) HARRY BELAFONTE (1927-2023). Singer Harry Belafonte died April 25 at the age of 96. His sff credis including guesting on The Muppets, and appearing in the Fifties doomsday film The World, the Flesh and the Devil, and the Nineties alternate America movie White Man’s Burden.

(9) MEMORY LANE.

1989[Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]

Pat Murphy’s The City, Not Long After is a magical novel, one of those works that I reread regularly. 

Published thirty-four years ago by Doubleday, it’s set in San Francisco and much of the wonderfulness of the novel is indeed its setting (no spoiler there I’d say). Though the characters are interesting as well.

It was nominated for a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award.

And now our Beginning…

THE EARLY MORNING BREEZE BLEW through the vegetable garden in Union Square, shaking the leaves of the bean plants and the lacy carrot tops. The city of San Francisco was asleep. The city was dreaming.

In the Saint Francis Hotel, just off the Square, Danny-boy was dreaming of the color blue. With a paint roller on a long pole, he painted the sky. He had been at work for many hours. At least half of the expanse above him was smeared with paint of a thousand different shades: royal blue, navy, turquoise, baby blue, teal, the fragile hue of robins’ eggs, the treacherous blue-gray of the ocean at dusk. Toward the horizon, where Danny-boy’s roller had not yet reached, the blues faded to misty gray. But overhead, luminous colors swirled and flowed like the water in a river.

In the middle of the changing pattern, two patches of blue-gray coalesced. Bright eyes watched Danny-boy from the center of the sky. Dark blue shadows defined the angles of a face, the curves of a woman’s body. As Danny-boy stared upward, a young woman stepped out of the sky, looking more than a little confused.

The city slept, and its dreams drifted through the minds of its inhabitants, twisting and changing their thoughts.

“The man who called himself The Machine dozed on a narrow cot at the back of his workshop. In his dream, he was constructing an angel from objects he had gathered. The angel’s bones were pipes from the plumbing of an old Victorian mansion; its muscles were masses of copper wire, torn from the cables that ran beneath the city streets. On the angel’s massive wings, thousands of polished bottlecaps overlapped, making a pattern of scallops like the scales on a fish.

The Machine welded the last bottlecap to the wing and stepped back to admire his work. As he gazed up at the angel, he realized suddenly that his creation was not complete. Its chest was hollow: it had no heart.

“He heard footsteps and glanced behind him. A woman was walking toward him, carrying something in her cupped hands. He could not see what she carried, but he could hear the steady pounding of a heartbeat, keeping time with her footsteps.

“Dawn broke in the city: gray light shone on the gray stone buildings that surrounded the Civic Center Plaza. The statues on the facade of the public library showed signs of neglect. Over the years, pigeons had adorned the statues’ heads with streaks of white and deposited a clutter of feathers and broken nests at their feet.

In a tree that grew in the Plaza, a gray-muzzled monkey, one of the oldest of the troop that lived in the city, dreamed of the Himalayas. Icicles hanging from the eaves of a temple roof melted in the morning sun. Drops of falling water struck a bell, and the metal rang with a musical note. The water trickled away, whispering and crackling softly as it melted a path through the snow. The monkey stirred in its sleep. Changes were coming.

(10) TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS.

[Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]

  • Born April 25, 1897 Fletcher Pratt. Pratt is best known for his collaborations with de Camp, the most well-known of which is the Harold Shea series which is collected as The Complete Enchanter. His solo fantasy novels The Well of the Unicorn and The Blue Star are also superb. Pratt established the literary dining club known as the Trap Door Spiders in 1944. The club would later fictionalized as the Black Widowers in a series of mystery stories by Asimov. Pratt would be fictionalized in one story, “To the Barest”, as the Widowers’ founder, Ralph Ottur. (Died 1956.)
  • Born April 25, 1907 Michael Harrison. English writer of both detective and sff fiction. He wrote pastiches of Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Poe’s C. Auguste Dupin. His most remembered work is In the Footsteps of Sherlock HolmesThe London of Sherlock Holmes and The World of Sherlock Holmes. He was also a noted Sherlock Holmes scholar, being a member of both the Baker Street Irregulars of New York, and the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. He wrote three genre novels — The Bride of FrankensteinHigher Things and The Brain. (Died 1991.)
  • Born April 25, 1915 Mort Weisinger. Comic book editor best known for editing Superman during the Silver Age of comic books. He also served as story editor for the Adventures of Superman series. Before that he was one of the earliest active sf fans, working on fanzines like The Planet (1931) and The Time Traveller (1932) and attending the New York area fan club known as The Scienceers. (Died 1978.)
  • Born April 25, 1925 Richard Deming. Ok, I think that all of the Man from U.N.C.L.E. novellasor in this case the Girl from U.N.C.L.E. novellas, in the digest-sized Man from U.N.C.L.E. Magazine, were listed under the house name of Robert Hart Davis. Deming was only one of a very long list of writers (I know of Richard Curtis, Richard Deming, I. G. Edmonds, John Jakes, Frank Belknap Long, Dennis Lynds, Talmage Powell, Bill Pronzini, Charles Ventura and Harry Whittington) that were the writers who penned novellas in the twin U.N.C.L.E. series. (Died 1983.)
  • Born April 25, 1929 Robert A. Collins. Scholar of science fiction who founded the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts. Editor of the Fantasy Newsletter & Fantasy Review from 1978 to 1987, and editor of the IAFA Newsletterfrom 1988 to 1993. Editor, The Scope of the Fantastic: Selected Essays from the First International Conference on the Fantastic in Literature and Film and Modes of the Fantastic: Selected Essays from the Twelfth Annual International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts. (Died 2009.)
  • Born April 25, 1939 Rex Miller. Horror writer with a hand in many pies, bloody ones at that. (Sorry couldn’t resist.) The Chaingang series featured Daniel Bunkowski, a half-ton killing-machine. Definitely genre. He contributed to some thirty anthologies including Hotter Blood: More Tales of Erotic HorrorFrankenstein: The Monster WakesDick Tracy: The Secret Files and The Crow: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams. The last are amazingly outstanding. (Died 2004.)
  • Born April 25, 1981 Silvia Moreno-Garcia, 42. She’s the publisher of Innmouths Free Press, an imprint devoted to weird fiction. Not surprisingly, for the Press she co-edited with Paula R. Stiles the Historical Lovecraft and Future Lovecraft anthologies. She won a World Fantasy Award for the She Walks in Shadows anthology, also on Innsmouth Free Press. She was a finalist for the Nebula Award in the Best Novel category for her Gods of Jade and Shadow novel, which won a Sunburst and Ignyte Award. And finally with Lavie Tidhar, she edits the Jewish Mexican Literary Review. Not genre, but sort of genre adjacent. Canadian of Mexican descent.

(11) COMICS SECTION.

  • Bizarro shows what the medieval marketplace is calling for.  

(12) CLASSIC CARTOONS. StudyFinds ranks the “Best Cartoon Series Of All Time: Top 5 Cartoons Of All Time, According To Editors and Fans”. Looney Tunes is number one.

Cartoons and animated features have been delighting fans since the very beginnings of motion film. As a medium they allow creators to pull an audience into a realm of pure storytelling without limitations. Among all the beloved titles, it can be hard to choose a favorite. So, in the space of the small screen, we endeavor to ask the question, what are best cartoon series of all time?

A lot of nostalgia is associated with popping on your favorite kids’ movie. One recent article describes, “There’s something about watching your favorite animated film and seeing that Magic Kingdom logo that brings back some of the best childhood feelings and memories.” Although some people may automatically associate cartoons with children and humor, the best cartoons move past this stereotype to become a vehicle for storytellingSlapstick, violence, and impossible situations are all the hallmarks of iconic animated shows….

(13) DUNE 2 TRAILER TEASE. “’Dune: Part Two’ Trailer Shows Timothee Chalamet Riding Giant Sandworm”Variety saw the trailer at CinemaCon. When it hits YouTube we’ll link to it.

Timothée Chalamet has assumed his rightful place as Muad’Dib, prophet of the Fremen in the first trailer for “Dune: Part Two.”

“In the first movie Paul Atredis is a student…we really see Paul Atreides become a leader here,” Chalamet said at CinemaCon on Tuesday, teasing a first look at the sci-fi epic….

“Dune: Part Two,” which is produced by Legendary and Warner Bros., is set to be released on November 3, 2023. Warner Bros. showed the footage during its presentation to theater owners. It also shared footage and trailers from “Barbie,” “The Flash” and sequels to “Aquaman” and “The Nun.”

(14) READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP. From Nature, “First up-close images of Mars’s little-known moon Deimos”.

Images from the UAE’s Hope mission suggest that the moonlet’s composition is similar to that of the red planet’s surface.

The United Arab Emirates’ space probe Hope has taken the first high-resolution images of the farside of Mars’s moonlet Deimos. The observations add weight to the theory that Deimos formed together with Mars, rather than as an asteroid that was captured in the planet’s orbit, mission scientists say.

(15) MOON MISSION FAILS. Controllers could not regain contact after scheduled touchdown: “Commercial lunar lander presumed lost after historic moon landing attempt” at CNN.

A Japanese lunar lander, carrying a rover developed in the United Arab Emirates, attempted to find its footing on the moon’s surface Tuesday — and potentially mark the world’s first lunar landing for a commercially developed spacecraft. But flight controllers on the ground were not immediately able to regain contact, prompting the company to presume the spacecraft was lost.

The lander, built by Japanese firm Ispace, launched atop a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on December 11. The spacecraft then made a three-month trek to enter orbit around the moon, which lies about 239,000 miles (383,000 kilometers) from Earth, using a low-energy trajectory. Overall, the journey took the lander about 870,000 miles (1.4 million kilometers) through space.

Touchdown was expected to occur Tuesday at 12:40 p.m. ET, which is Wednesday at 1:40 a.m. Japan Standard Time….

[Thanks to John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Michael Toman, David Langford, Cat Eldridge, Mike Kennedy, and Andrew Porter for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Andrew (not Werdna).]

2023 Roswell Award & New Suns Climate Fiction Award Competitons Open

Entries for The Roswell Award and the New Suns Climate Fiction Award international short science fiction story competitions are being accepted from writers age 17 and older through December 19.

For the Roswell Award, they are seeking stories “on diverse topics that explore and connect themes such as social justice, feminism, identity, inequity, environmental sustainability, ethics, and technology.”

For the inaugural New Suns Climate Fiction Award, they want “original short science fiction that reimagines new ways of living and depicts humanity exploring and overcoming today’s climate and biodiversity crises.”

For complete details see the 2022-2023 Roswell Award & New Suns Climate Fiction Award submission guidelines.

  • Selected finalists will be chosen to have their stories read in their honor by celebrity guests during the May 2023 Culminating Event.
  • First, Second, and Third place Roswell Award winners will receive $500, $250, and $100 USD cash prizes.
  • The First place Roswell Award winner will receive access to the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program sponsored 10-week or shorter online course.
  • The winner of the New Suns Climate Fiction Award will receive a $500 USD cash prize.

2022 Roswell Award

The Roswell Award and Feminist Futures Award winners were announced on May 21, recognizing outstanding new works of science fiction by emerging writers from across the United States and worldwide, including the winner of this year’s feminist themed sci-fi story.

The program featured dramatic readings of the finalists by celebrity guests.

ROSWELL AWARD

  • First: “Astronomology: or How Elon Musk killed Neil deGrasse Tyson” by Ed Marsh [Read by Rico Anderson]
  • Second: “Dr. Harriet Hartfeld’s Home for Aging AIs” by Paul Martz [Read by Tim Russ]
  • Third: “Heart to Heart” by Susan Wachowski [Read by Chad Coleman]

Other finalists:

  • “Beauty is the Beast” by Ven Pillay [Read by Nana Visitor]
  • “Tyrannosaurus Mechs” by Gregory Norris [Read by Steven L. Sears]

HONORABLE MENTIONS

  • “Falling Giants” by Camilla Linde
  • “The Seventh Day is for Resting” by Florencia Hain
  • “Bob’s Your Uncle” by Larry Herbst
  • “Meat Ships Are the Worst” by Addison Marsh
  • 2022 FEMINIST FUTURES AWARD
  • “Salt Water,” by Jane Smith [Read by Karen Malina White]

FEMINIST FUTURES HONORABLE MENTIONS

  • “Maximum Potential Skill Level” by Didrik Dyrdal
  • “Chrysanthemums are made to bloom” by Emma Uren
  • “The Part of Paradise where our Anger comes from.” by Yuwinn Kraukamp

Pixel Scroll 5/18/22 Fili, Scrolli, Pixeli – I Liked, Scrolled And Pixeled — Fiulius Pixar

(1) ANIME CENTRAL RELAXES MASK POLICY. Anime Central is a convention taking place in Chicago from May 20-22. At the end of April the con committee was adamant that for ACen 2022 they’d be requiring all attendees to wear a mask and provide proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test result, and that this policy would not change.

However, their Covid policy has changed after all, reports Anime News Network: “Anime Central 2022 Reverses Mask Policy, No Longer Requires COVID-19 Vaccination or Negative Test”. ANN says, “An e-mail sent by and to Anime Central staff suggests that this was a decision made by the Midwest Animation Promotion Society (MAPS) following ‘lack of support from the venue’ and ‘last-minute communication.’”

Anime Central has changed its Covid policy to read:

…Our policies are based on current CDC Guidelines and align with the requirements of the Donald E. Stephens Conventions Center and state and local health authorities regarding large indoor events. Currently, verification of vaccination or proof of negative test are not required for admission to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center or Anime Central. We will continue to monitor the requirements and guidance from state and local health departments….

Face Coverings Required in Select Areas

In our recent vaccine and mask policy change announcement, we stated that face coverings may be required in some areas of Anime Central or at the request of our guests of honor at their events. We’ve received a lot of feedback for clarification on which areas and events will require a face covering and which do not. Face coverings will be required to enter:

  • All guest and panelist events
  • The Dances
  • The Exhibit Hall
  • The Artist Alley
  • The Gaming and Entertainment Hall

We strongly recommend wearing masks in all lobbies, hallways, public spaces, and restrooms. Our team will continue to do the best we can to help enforce this in our spaces, we ask that you also join in in masking even where it’s not required.

(2) A WARNING. “’Have we not loved you? Have we not cared for you?’: The Plight of AI in the Universe of Douglas Adams” examined by Rachel Taylor at the Tor/Forge Blog.

…When we think of the dangers of AI, we normally think of Skynet, HAL or AM. And sure, there is a non-zero chance that any Super AI might spend five minutes on the internet and think “ah, I see the problem. Where are those nuclear codes?” But honestly, if I had to place money on the science fiction writer who will prove most prophetic in depicting our future relationship with AI? Not Philip K. Dick. Not Harlan Ellison. Not Asimov.

Douglas Adams, all the way.

In the universe of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and its sequels across all media the relationship between humanity and the various computers and robots they’ve created is less apocalyptic warfare and more like a miserably unhappy marriage….

(3) ROSWELL VOICES. Here are the celebrity readers for this weekend’s 2022 Roswell Award event. Register for the free Zoom presentation.

The Roswell Award and Feminist Futures Award: Celebrity Readings & Honors recognizes outstanding new works of science fiction by emerging writers from across the United States and worldwide, including the winner of this year’s feminist themed sci-fi story. This thrilling show will feature dramatic readings by celebrity guests from some of today’s hottest sci-fi and fantasy shows and movies. Following the readings, the authors will be honored for their writing! 

(4) AURORA VOTERS PACKAGE. Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association members can now download the 2022 Aurora Awards Voters Package. Login (or join) at www.prixaurorawards.ca. Downloads remain available until voting closes on July 23.  Voting for the 2022 awards will begin on June 11.

Have you started reading works by this year’s finalists? We are pleased to announce that this year’s voters’ package contains either e-versions or links for every single one of our 2022 nominated works and is open to all CSFFA members to download.

The electronic versions of these works are being made available to you through the generosity of the nominees and their publishers. We are grateful for their participation and willingness to share with CSFFA members. Please remember, all downloads are for CSFFA members only and are not to be shared.

The purpose of the voters’ package is simple–before you vote for the awards, we want you to be able to experience as many of the nominated works as possible so you can make informed decisions.

(5) HEAR RHYSLING NOMINEES READ ALOUD. The second of three readings of the short poems nominated for the Rhysling Awards will be held on May 20, 2022 from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. Eastern, live on Facebook via Zoom. tinyurl.com/Rhysling2

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association presents the annual Rhysling Awards, named for the blind poet Rhysling in Robert A. Heinlein’s short story “The Green Hills of Earth.” Apollo 15 astronauts named a crater near their landing site “Rhysling,” which has since become its official name.

Nominees for each year’s Rhysling Awards are selected by the membership of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association. For 2022, 103 short poems and 78 long poems were nominated.

The last reading of the nominated short poems in the Rhysling anthology will be held on June 6, 2022 from 7 to 8 p.m. EDT. The readings, hosted by Akua Lezli Hope, are free and open to the public. 

(6) THE FIRST TRAILER FOR SHE-HULK. “You’ll like her when she’s angry.” She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, an Original series from Marvel Studios, starts streaming August 17 on Disney+.

(7) HIGHER LEARNING. In the Washington Post, Mary Quattlebaum interviews Dhonielle Clayton about The Marvellers, her YA magic-school novel. “’The Marvellers’ by Dhonielle Clayton features a diverse school of magic”.

… “So many people said it couldn’t be done,” said Dhonielle (pronounced don-yell) Clayton about a novel set in a school of magic. “How can anyone compete with Harry Potter?”

Well, Clayton proved them wrong. “The Marvellers,” the first book in her new middle-grade series, was launched this month.

The boarding school — called the Arcanum Training Institute for Marvelous and Uncanny Endeavors — is quite different from the Hogwarts of J.K. Rowling’s global publishing phenomenon. It’s located in the sky rather than a mystical land that resembles the Scottish Highlands. Young magic folks from around the world are invited to attend.

Clayton’s inspiration came from a real school, one in New York City’s East Harlem neighborhood, where she was a librarian.

“The kids there were from different countries, different cultures,” said Clayton, who lives in the city. “They didn’t see themselves in the fantasy books they wanted to read.”

So for the past five years, Clayton devoted herself to researching and writing a book that might reflect and connect with those students — and so many like them, around the world….

(8) THOUGHTS AND PREYERS. Giant Freakin Robot assures us, “The Predator Actually Looks Good Again In The Trailer For New Movie Set 300 Years Ago”.

…Prey will stream on Hulu starting Friday, August 5. While it will technically be a prequel to the rest of the Predator films, it will reportedly not directly reference any of their events. Besides, you know. Having someone from the same freaky alien species hunting people down and murdering them….

The YouTube intro says:

Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, “Prey” is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and highly skilled warrior. She has been raised in the shadow of some of the most legendary hunters who roam the Great Plains, so when danger threatens her camp, she sets out to protect her people. The prey she stalks, and ultimately confronts, turns out to be a highly evolved alien predator with a technically advanced arsenal, resulting in a vicious and terrifying showdown between the two adversaries.

(9) MEMORY LANE.

2013 [By Cat Eldridge.] Ok I cannot do this essay without SPOILERS, so you are warned. Go away now if you haven’t read Ancillary Justice

Just nine years ago, Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie’s debut novel came out. And oh what a novel it is! It’s the first in her Imperial Radch space opera trilogy, followed by Ancillary Sword and Ancillary Mercy. Breq is both the sole survivor of a starship destroyed by treachery by her own people and the carrier of that ship’s consciousness. What an amazing job Leckie does differentiating between those two characters.

Doing space opera that feels original is damn hard but she pulls it off here amazingly well. The very personal and the grand political are present here, balanced in a way and tangled together as well that is rarely done so intelligently. Genevieve Valentine of NPR in her review agrees with me saying that it is “A space opera that skillfully handles both choruses and arias, Ancillary Justice is an absorbing thousand-year history, a poignant personal journey, and a welcome addition to the genre.” 

Everyone in our community liked it as not only did it win a most deserved Hugo at Loncon 4, but it effectively swept the awards season garnering an Arthur C. Clarke Award, a BSFA Award, a Kitschies Golden Tentacle for Best Debut Novel, Locus Award for Best First Novel, a Nebula Award for Best Novel and a Seiun Award for Best Translated Novel. And it got nominated for a Compton Crook Award, Otherwise Award and Philip K. Dick Award.

The next two novels in this trilogy are just as stellar. Ancillary Sword got nominated for a Hugo at Sasquan, and Ancillary Mercy would get a nomination at MidAmericaCon.

The audioworks are narrated by Adjoa Andoh who appeared on Doctor Who as Francine Jones during the Time of the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors. They are quite superb. 

(10) TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS.

[Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]

  • Born May 18, 1930 Fred Saberhagen. I’m reasonably sure I’ve read the entirety of his Berserker series though not in the order they were intended to be read. Some are outstanding, some less so. I’d recommend Berserker ManShiva in Steel and the original Berserker collection.  Of his Dracula sequence, the only one I think that I’veread is The Holmes-Dracula File which is superb. And I know I’ve read most of the Swords tales as they came out in various magazines.  His only Hugo nomination was at NYCon 3 for his “Mr. Jester” short story published in If, January 1966. (Died 2007.)
  • Born May 18, 1934 Elizabeth Rodgers. Yes, Nyota Uhura was the primary individual at the communications post but several others did staff it over the series. She appeared doing that as Lt. Palmer in two episodes, “The Doomsday Machine” and “The Way to Eden”.  She was The Voice of The Companion in a third episode, “Metamorphosis”. She would also appear in The Time Tunnel, Land of The Giants and Bewitched. (Died 2004.)
  • Born May 18, 1946 Andreas Katsulas. I knew him as the amazing Ambassador G’Kar on Babylon 5 but had forgottenhe played played the Romulan Commander Tomalak on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I’m reasonably sure that his first genre role on television was playing Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and he had a recurring role in Max Headroom as Mr. Bartlett. He also had appearances on Alien NationThe Death of the Incredible HulkMillenniumStar Trek: Enterprise anda voice role on The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest. Screw the damn frelling Reaper for taking him far too soon.  (Died 2006.)
  • Born May 18, 1948 R-Laurraine Tutihasi, 74. She’s a member of LASFS and the N3F. She publishes Feline Mewsings for FAPA. She won the N3F’s Kaymar Award in 2009. Not surprisingly, she’s had a number of SJW creds in her life and her website here gives a look at her beloved cats and a lot of information on her fanzines. 
  • Born May 18, 1952 Diane Duane, 70. She’s known for the Young Wizards YA series though I’d like to single her out for her lesser-known Feline Wizards series where SJW creds maintain the gates that wizards use for travel throughout the multiverse. A most wonderful thing for felines to do! Her Tale of the Five series was inducted into the Gaylactic Spectrum Award Hall of Fame in 2003. She also has won The Faust Award for Lifetime Achievement given by The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers. 
  • Born May 18, 1958 Jonathan Maberry, 64. The only thing I’ve read by him is the first five or six novels in the Joe Ledger Series which has an extremely high body count and an even higher improbability index. Popcorn reading with a Sriracha sauce.  I see that he’s done scripts for Dark Horse, IDW and Marvel early on. And that he’s responsible for Captain America: Hail Hydra which I remember as quite excellent. Not surprisingly, he’s won Stoker Awards and nominated for at least a dozen more. 
  • Born May 18, 1969 Ty Franck, 53. Half of the writing team along with Daniel Abraham that s James Corey, author of the now-completed Expanse series. I’ll admit that I’ve fallen behind by a volume or two as there’s just too many good series out there too keep up with all of them, damn it, but now that it’s ended I intend to finish it. The Expanse won the Best Series Hugo at CoNZealand. The “Nemesis Games” episode of The Expanse is nominated at Chicon 8 for a Hugo as have two episodes previously. 

(11) FREE READ. “Grant Morrison Releases a Sci-Fi Comic He Made Back in the ’80s” and Gizmodo invites you to read it in a slideshow presented at the link.

Grant Morrison, multiple award-winning writer of acclaimed comic books like All-Star Superman, The Invisibles, Doom Patrol, New X-Men, Batman, and many many more, had a special gift released this past Free Comic Book Day. In wasn’t a new title; in fact, it was quite the opposite—a 40-year-old short story he’d written and drawn in the very early stages of his career. While Morrison originally posted it on their SubStack, we’re absolutely honored to be able to republish it on io9.

(12) A KALEIDOSCOPIC AUDIENCE. Charles Payseur, who now is reviewing short fiction for Locus and stepped away from his epic Quick Sip Reviews blog, speaks openly about how public expectations whipsaw critics. Thread starts here.

(13) ABANDONED LAUNDRY. The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan says, “Steven Moffat’s adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s 2003 bestseller is witty and well done, but it can’t overcome the novel’s depressingly old-fashioned and iffy implications.” – “The Time Traveler’s Wife review – far too much ick factor to be truly great”.

…He [The Time Traveler] learns to find his feet (and some clothes) a little faster each time. In the course of his many unchronological journeys, he meets his soulmate, Clare. They are wrenched repeatedly from each other’s arms to reunite weeks, months or years later in more or less romantic scenarios, depending on their ages at the time.

It is, in short, guff of a high order. But the new six‑part adaptation (Sky Atlantic) by Steven Moffat (a longtime fan of the book, which he used as inspiration for the Doctor Who episode The Girl in the Fireplace) does it proud. He takes the melodrama down a notch and salts the schmaltz with wit where he can.

Nonetheless, an emetic framing device remains….

(14) TELL NASA WHAT YOU THINK. “NASA Seeks Input on Moon to Mars Objectives, Comments Due May 31”.

As NASA moves forward with plans to send astronauts to the Moon under Artemis missions to prepare for human exploration of Mars, the agency is calling on U.S. industry, academia, international communities, and other stakeholders to provide input on its deep space exploration objectives. 

NASA released a draft set of high-level objectives Tuesday, May 17, identifying 50 points falling under four overarching categories of exploration, including transportation and habitation; Moon and Mars infrastructure; operations; and science. Comments are due to the agency by close of business on Tuesday, May 31. 

“The feedback we receive on the objectives we have identified will inform our exploration plans at the Moon and Mars for the next 20 years,” said Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “We’re looking within NASA and to external stakeholders to help us fine-tune these objectives and be as transparent as possible throughout our process. With this approach, we will find potential gaps in our architecture as well as areas where our goals align with those from industry and international partners for future collaboration.”   

(15) WEIRDO CEREAL NEWS. [Item by Martin Morse Wooster.] Not even kids stoked on sugar wanted to see creepy creatures staring at them from the cereal bowl, so I bought a box on the half-price shelf today. “Minecraft” at Kellogg’s.

(16) VIDEO OF THE DAY. [Item by Martin Morse Wooster.] The Blue Peter gang drive a full-scale Thunderbirds Fab-1 complete with a rotating license plate, machine gun, and a closed-circuit TV set in this 1968 BBC clip that dropped yesterday.

Blue Peter presenters Valerie Singleton, John Noakes and Peter Purves bring a fully-functioning life-size replica of Lady Penelope’s iconic Rolls-Royce, FAB 1 into the studio.

[Thanks to Martin Morse Wooster, JJ, John King Tarpinian, Chris Barkley, Olav Rokne, Andrew Porter, Michael Toman, Cat Eldridge, and Mike Kennedy for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day Ingvar.]

2022 Roswell Award Finalists

The Roswell Award and Feminist Futures Award: Celebrity Readings and Honors on May 21 will recognize outstanding new works of science fiction by emerging writers from across the United States and worldwide, including the winner of this year’s feminist themed sci-fi story.

The free virtual event starts 11:00 a.m. Pacific; Registration required. Use the Zoom Registration link: bit.ly/reg-roswell-ffa-2022

The program will feature dramatic readings by celebrity guests Following the readings, the authors will be honored for their writing.

  • First, Second, and Third place Roswell Award winners will receive $500, $250, and $100 cash prizes.
  • The First Place Roswell Award winner will receive a UCLA Extension Writers’ Program sponsored 11-week or shorter online course.

ROSWELL FINALISTS

  • “Beauty is the Beast” by Ven Pillay
  • “Dr. Harriet Hartfeld’s Home for Aging AIs” by Paul Martz
  • “Astronomology: or How Elon Musk killed Neil deGrasse Tyson” by Ed Marsh
  • “Heart to Heart” by Susan Wachowski
  • “Tyrannosaurus Mechs” by Gregory Norris

HONORABLE MENTIONS

  • “Falling Giants” by Camilla Linde
  • “The Seventh Day is for Resting” by Florencia Hain
  • “Bob’s Your Uncle” by Larry Herbst
  • “Meat Ships Are the Worst” by Addison Marsh

THE 2022 ROSWELL AWARD Finalist Judges

  • SB Divya
  • Nicholas Meyers
  • Danielle Costa
  • Clifford Johnson

2022 FEMINIST FUTURES AWARD

  • “Salt Water,” by Jane Smith

The Feminist Futures Award is an additional special prize category for a feminist themed sci-fi story. The winning story will be published by co-presenter Artemis Journal.

FEMINIST FUTURES HONORABLE MENTIONS

  • “Maximum Potential Skill Level” by Didrik Dyrdal
  • “Chrysanthemums are made to bloom” by Emma Uren
  • “The Part of Paradise where our Anger comes from.” by Yuwinn Kraukamp

Emerging Science Fiction Writers Worldwide Invited to Compete for The Roswell Award

The Roswell Award is back in its seventh season, and writers everywhere can submit their original short science fiction stories to the competition through December 21, 2021 at 11:59pm. Finalists’ stories will be read by celebrity guests live in May 2022 and the winners will receive cash prizes. A nonprofit program presented by the Omega Sci-Fi Awards, The Roswell Award is an opportunity for future-minded emerging writers to have their stories highlighted to a worldwide audience.

Each writer aged 16 and older may submit one story between 500 and 1,500 words. Past submissions have come from dozens of countries including Canada, Malaysia, Sweden, Malawi, Singapore, Indonesia, England, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and others. It is free to submit work.

The Roswell Award empowers diverse emerging writers globally to contribute their unique voices and perspectives to the art of science fiction story writing, while also tapping into the power of science fiction to serve as a lens for examining the greatest challenges and moral dilemmas humanity faces. Writers are encouraged to explore scientific, social, technological, environmental, moral and philosophical themes and issues in their writing and always, at the core, to master the art of great storytelling.

“Science fiction opens doors for writers of all backgrounds to explore how we relate to one another, to our world, and to our future and to write stories that are unique to them,” says Omega Sci-Fi Awards Director Rosalind Helfand.

Up to five finalists will be chosen and their stories read by celebrity guests live in the May 2022 culminating event. First, second, and third place cash prizes will be presented following the reading. The first place winner will also receive an online course from the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

“Feminist Futures Award” Recognizes Outstanding Sci-Fi with Feminist Themes: New to the Omega Sci-Fi Awards, the Feminist Futures Award recognizes a science fiction story that embraces feminist themes. Top entries will exemplify excellence in feminist storytelling and capture the complexities and other aspects of identity, as well as intersectionality, through the imaginative power of science fiction. This competition is open to people of any gender and/or no gender. The winning story will be published by co-presenter Artemis Journal.

The Omega Sci-Fi Awards are a program of Sci-Fest LA and the arts and education nonprofit, Light Bringer Project. Sponsors also include B5 Events, UCLA Writers’ Extension Program, and Artemis Journal.

Prizes Include: First Place – $500; Second Place – $250; Third Place – $100; Feminist Futures Award: Publication in Artemis Journal, additional prizes to be announced.

For more information and to submit stories, click here: Omega Sci-Fi Awards — Light Bringer Project.

[Based on a press release.]

Omega Sci-Fi Awards Are Taking Entries

The Lightbringer Project is taking submissions for its four Omega Sci-Fi Awards – the Roswell Award, Feminist Futures Award, Tomorrow Prize, and Green Feather Award – until December 21.

THE ROSWELL AWARD. The Roswell Award is an international short science fiction story competition from writers age 16 and older. The complete guidelines are here.

  • Selected finalists will be chosen to have their stories read in their honor by celebrity guests during the Culminating Event on May 21, 2022.
  • First, Second, and Third place Roswell Award winners will receive $500, $250, and $100 cash prizes.
  • The First Place Roswell Award winner will receive a UCLA Extension Writers’ Program sponsored 11-week or shorter online course.

FEMINIST FUTURES AWARD. The Lightbringer Project has announced a new feminist prize they are co-presenting with Artemis Journal — the Feminist Futures Award. The complete guidelines are here.

The Feminist Futures Award is an additional special prize category for a feminist themed sci-fi story. The winning story will be published by co-presenter Artemis Journal.

THE TOMORROW PRIZE. Los Angeles County high school students are invited to submit their short science fiction stories to The Tomorrow Prize. Full guidelines are here.

  • Selected finalists will be chosen to have their stories read in their honor by celebrity guests during the Culminating Event on May 22, 2022.
  • First, Second, and Third place Tomorrow Prize winners will receive $250, $150, and $100 USD cash prizes.
  • The First place Tomorrow Prize winner will be published in L.A. Parent Magazine

THE GREEN FEATHER AWARD. The Tomorrow Prize partner, the Nature Nexus Institute is co-presenting The Green Feather Award, which highlights an environmentally focused sci-fi story. For more details see the submission guidelines here.

  • The Green Feather Award is an additional special prize category for an environmentally focused sci-fi story. The winner will receive $250.00 & online publication by the Nature Nexus Institute.

Roswell Award 2021

Andrea Goyan, a California writer, is the winner of 2021 Roswell Award for short science fiction by adults. During the May 22 online ceremony celebrity guests read the six finalists’ stories before the first, second, and third place winners were revealed.

THE ROSWELL AWARD for original short science fiction from writers worldwide

FIRST PLACE

  • “Imagine Dandelions” by Andrea Goyan (California, USA)

SECOND PLACE

  • “Biomimicry” by Ven Pillay (South Africa)

THIRD PLACE

  • “Realtiger” by Susan Wachowski (Illinois, USA)

OTHER FINALISTS

  • “The Rite to Vote” by Matthew Cushing (Connecticut, USA)
  • “Autonomous” by Ben Hennesy (USA/Tanzania)
  • “Run” by Tenzin Phillips (South Africa)

Also announced during today’s ceremony:

THE WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY AWARD for original short feminist themed science fiction

WINNER

  • “Never Turn Your Back on the Water” by Courtney Watson (Virginia, USA)

OTHER FINALISTS

  • “Yes” by Marie Cartier (California, USA)
  • “Unfrozen” by Libby Marshall (Illinois, USA)
  • “Fish Hunting Fish” by Archie Nicholson (Canada)
  • “Virgintillion” by Anna O’Brien (Maryland, USA)
  • “The Shadows of the Baobabs Fall Long” by Bailey Sweatman (Texas, USA)

The Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award, a special feminist-themed award, is co-presented by the feminist publication Artemis Journaand KPFK’s Feminist Magazine radio show. The first place winner was also presented with a free online course from the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

Featured celebrity guests for The Roswell Award readings included: LaMonica Garrett (Arrow, Dc’s Legends Of Tomorrow), Ruth Connell (SUPERNATURAL), Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Phil Lamarr (Samurai Jack, Futurama), Tiffany Lonsdale-Hands (Siren), Kari Wahlgren (Rick And Morty), and David Blue (Stargate Universe).

Finalist judges for The Roswell Award were: Author Steven Barnes (Lion’s Blood, The New Twilight Zone), paleontologist Alyssa Bell (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Dinosaur Institute), author Wesley Chu (The Lives Of Tao, The Walking Dead: Typhoon), author and engineer S.B. Divya (Runtime, Escape Pod), author Rebecca Moesta (Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights, Star Wars: Junior Jedi Knights), writer and director Philippe Mora (Communion, Continuity), author Larry Niven (Ringworld, The Integral Trees).

The Omega Sci-Fi Awards is a nonprofit program founded in 2014 by Sci-Fest L.A. that aims to recognize and encourage emerging sci-fi writers, and Light Bringer Project, a Pasadena-based nonprofit arts and education organization. The awards ceremony is hosted in conjunction with LitFest Pasadena 2021.

There’s a GoFundMe raising support for the Omega Sci-Fi Awards 2022.

Roswell Award and Tomorrow Prize 2021 Finalists and Honorable Mentions

Omega Sci-Fi Awards has announced the 2021 finalists and honorable mentions for both The Roswell Award and The Tomorrow Prize. They also have revealed the winner of the Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award, their feminist themed prize, and the winner of the Green Feather Award, their eco-themed prize.

THE ROSWELL AWARD for original short science fiction from writers worldwide

FINALISTS

  • “The Rite to Vote” by Matthew Cushing (Connecticut, USA)
  • “Imagine Dandelions” by Andrea Goyan (California, USA)
  • “Autonomous” by Ben Hennesy (USA/Tanzania)
  • “Run” by Tenzin Phillips (South Africa)
  • “Biomimicry” by Ven Pillay (South Africa)
  • “Realtiger” by Susan Wachowski (Illinois, USA)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

  • “When The Books Were on Paper” by Evgeniy Bondarev (Russia)
  • “Logistics” by Christian Dark (United Kingdom)
  • “Buddy and I” by Bryan Leong Jing Ern (Malaysia)
  • “Opt-In” by Susan Harper (California, USA)
  • “Way Out” by Larry Herbst (California, USA)
  • “Starchild” by Mayor Prosper Ihechi (Nigeria)
  • “Eclosion” by Alice Laciny (Austria)
  • “Rate Me!” by Lexus Ndiwe (United Kingdom)
  • “Mittens Aurelius: Meowditations” by Mark Thomas (Canada)

THE WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY AWARD for original short feminist themed science fiction

WINNER

  • “Never Turn Your Back on the Water” by Courtney Watson (Virginia, USA)

FINALISTS

  • “Yes” by Marie Cartier (California, USA)
  • “Unfrozen” by Libby Marshall (Illinois, USA)
  • “Fish Hunting Fish” by Archie Nicholson (Canada)
  • “Virgintillion” by Anna O’Brien (Maryland, USA)
  • “The Shadows of the Baobabs Fall Long” by Bailey Sweatman (Texas, USA)

THE TOMORROW PRIZE for original short science fiction by Los Angeles County high school students

FINALISTS

  • “EP-1M Contamination” by Britney Cruz (Susan Miller Dorsey High School)
  • “Äerd” by Tessa Kennedy (John Marshall High School)
  • “Star Sailor” by Gwendolyn Lopez (Pasadena High School)
  • “Returning Home” by Sofia Orduno (Mt. SAC Early College Academy)
  • “The Plague” by Flora White (Geffen Academy at UCLA)

HONORABLE MENTIONS

  • “Cold Ashes” by Ethan Kim (Crescenta Valley High School)
  • “The Gorm” by Jakob Wedel (Wedel Academy Independent Homeschool)

THE GREEN FEATHER AWARD for original short eco-themed science fiction by Los Angeles County high school students

WINNER

  • “Corn” by Sienna Koizumi (Culver City High School)

HONORABLE MENTION

  • “The Great Forgotten” by Jonah Guardino (High Tech LA)

On May 22 and 23 there will be Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards events hosted in partnership with actress and stunt person Patricia Tallman’s (Babylon 5, Star Trek) B5 Events.

These events are free to attend with registration. Registration and more info is available here.

  • Saturday, May 22 at 11am PDT: The Roswell Award and Women Hold Up Half the Sky Virtual Celebrity Readings and Awards. Register here.
  • Sunday, May 23 at 5pm PDT: The Tomorrow Prize and Green Feather Award Virtual Celebrity Readings and Awards. Register here.

The Roswell Award and Women Hold Up Half the Sky Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards will honor the best emerging science fiction writers from across the United States and worldwide. The Women Hold Up Half the Sky Award, a special feminist-themed award, is co-presented by the feminist publication Artemis Journal and KPFK’s Feminist Magazine radio show. The first place winner will also be presented with a free online course from the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

Featured celebrity guests for The Roswell Award Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards on May 22 include: LaMonica Garrett (Arrow, Dc’s Legends Of Tomorrow), Ruth Connell (SUPERNATURAL), Nana Visitor (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Phil Lamarr (Samurai Jack, Futurama), Tiffany Lonsdale-Hands (Siren), Kari Wahlgren (Rick And Morty), and David Blue (Stargate Universe).

Finalist judges for The Roswell Award include: Author Steven Barnes (Lion’s Blood, The New Twilight Zone), paleontologist Alyssa Bell (Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Dinosaur Institute), author Wesley Chu (The Lives Of Tao, The Walking Dead: Typhoon), author and engineer S.B. Divya (Runtime, Escape Pod), author Rebecca Moesta (Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights, Star Wars: Junior Jedi Knights), writer and director Philippe Mora (Communion, Continuity), author Larry Niven (Ringworld, The Integral Trees).

The Tomorrow Prize and Green Feather Award Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards is co-presented by L.A. Parent Magazine. These include five all-female Finalists for The Tomorrow Prize original short sci-fi competition, this year’s Honorable Mentions, and the Winner of the Green Feather Award, a special ecology-themed award co-presented by the Los Angeles Audubon Society.

Featured celebrity guests for The Tomorrow Prize Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards on May 23 include: Joanna Cassidy (Blade Runner, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Rico E. Anderson (The Orville), Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds), Duane Henry (Captain Marvel), and more.

Finalist judges for The Tomorrow Prize include: volcanologist, explorer, and author Jess Phoenix (Ms. Adventure), and author Charles Yu (How To Live Safely In A Science Fictional Universe, Interior Chinatown), author Jennifer Brody (The 13th Continuum, 200), American Flight engineer Bobak Ferdowsi.

This will be Omega Sci-Fi Awards’ sixth year hosting celebrity guests to read finalists’ stories. Gary Phillips, sci-fi and mystery writer and Omega Sci-Fi Awards board member says, “I was thrilled to read the entries for this year’s awards and am looking forward to hearing the Finalists’ stories read aloud by this stellar line-up.”

Their 6th annual Virtual Celebrity Readings & Awards events, with dramatic readings of the finalists’ stories followed by the prize announcements, will be on:

The Omega Sci-Fi Awards is a nonprofit program founded in 2014 by Sci-Fest L.A. that aims to recognize and encourage emerging sci-fi writers, and Light Bringer Project, a Pasadena-based nonprofit arts and education organization. The awards ceremony is hosted in conjunction with LitFest Pasadena 2021, a series of literary panel discussions that will be held on May 15-16 from noon to 6:00 p.m. Pacific.

[Based on a press release.]