2014 Mythopoeic Award Nominees

The finalists for the 2014 Mythopoeic Awards have been announced. The winners will be revealed at Mythcon 45, August 8-11, in Norton, Massachusetts.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

  • Yangsze Choo, The Ghost Bride (William Morrow)
  • Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane (William Morrow)
  • Max Gladstone, Three Parts Dead (Tor)
  • Mark H. Williams, Sleepless Knights (Atomic Fez Publishing)
  • Helene Wecker, The Golem and the Jinni (Harper)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

  • William Alexander, Ghoulish Song (Margaret K. McElderry)
  • Holly Black, Doll Bones (Margaret K. McElderry)
  • Joseph Bruchac, Killer of Enemies (Tu Books)
  • Sara Beth Durst, Conjured (Walker Children’s)
  • Robin McKinley, Shadows (Nancy Paulsen Books)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

  • Mark Atherton, There and Back Again: J.R.R. Tolkien and the Origins of the Hobbit (I.B. Tauris, 2012)
  • Robert Boenig, C.S. Lewis and the Middle Ages (Kent State Univ. Press, 2012)
  • Jason Fisher, ed., Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays (McFarland, 2011)
  • Alister McGrath, C.S. Lewis—A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet (Tyndale House, 2013)
  • Corey Olsen, Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

  • Umberto Eco and Alastair McEwan, trans., The Book of Legendary Lands (Rizzoli Ex Libris, 2013)
  • Sandra J. Lindow, Dancing the Tao: Le Guin and Moral Development (Cambridge Scholars, 2012)
  • G. Ronald Murphy, Tree of Salvation: Yggdrasil and the Cross in the North (Oxford Univ. Press, 2013)
  • Michael Saler, As If: Modern Enchantment and the Literary Prehistory of Virtual Reality (Oxford Univ. Press, 2012)
  • David Sandner, Critical Discourses of the Fantastic, 1712-1831 (Ashgate, 2011)

Mythopoeic Award Winners Speak

Acceptance remarks made by winners of the 2013 Mythopoeic Awards have been posted.

Ursula Vernon, who won for Digger, said in part —

When I was quite young, my mother got me a boxed set of the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis. I couldn’t pronounce “Narnia” but that didn’t stop me from reading the series until the bindings came unglued. These books were not like anything else I’d read, and they mattered in a way that most of the books in the school library didn’t. They made me want to write books with Talking Beasts in them. (My mother tried to explain copyright and plagiarism and that I couldn’t actually call them Talking Beasts. She suggested “Verbal Varmints” as an alternate. I recall being unamused.)

Comments by other winners Sarah Beth Durst, Verlyn Flieger and Nancy Marie Brown are also online.

2013 Mythopoeic Award Winners

The winners of the 2013 Mythopoeic Awards were announced at Mythcon 44 in East Lansing, Michigan, on July 14.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature
Ursula Vernon, Digger, vols. 1-6 (Sofawolf Press)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature
Sarah Beth Durst, Vessel (Margaret K. McElderry)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies
Verlyn Flieger, Green Suns and Faërie: Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien (Kent State Univ. Press, 2012)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies
Nancy Marie Brown, Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature is given to the fantasy novel, multi-volume, or single-author story collection for adults published during 2012 that best exemplifies “the spirit of the Inklings.” Books are eligible for two years after publication if not selected as a finalist during the first year of eligibility. Books from a series are eligible if they stand on their own; otherwise, the series becomes eligible the year its final volume appears.

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature honors books for younger readers (from “Young Adults” to picture books for beginning readers), in the tradition of The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia. Rules for eligibility are otherwise the same as for the Adult Literature award. The question of which award a borderline book is best suited for will be decided by consensus of the committees.

The Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies is given to books on Tolkien, Lewis, and/or Williams that make significant contributions to Inklings scholarship. For this award, books first published during the last three years (2010–2012) are eligible, including finalists for previous years. The Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies is given to scholarly books on other specific authors in the Inklings tradition, or to more general works on the genres of myth and fantasy. The period of eligibility is three years, as for the Inklings Studies award.

2013 Mythopoeic Award Nominees

These are the finalists for the 2013 Mythopoeic Awards. The winners will be announced at Mythcon 44, July 12-15, in East Lansing, Michigan.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

  • Alan Garner, Weirdstone trilogy, consisting of The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (Collins), The Moon of Gomrath (Collins), and Boneland (Fourth Estate)
  • Caitlin R. Kiernan, The Drowning Girl (Roc)
  • R.A. MacAvoy, Death and Resurrection (Prime Books)
  • Tim Powers, Hide Me Among the Graves (William Morrow)
  • Ursula Vernon, Digger, vols. 1-6 (Sofawolf Press)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

  • Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado, Giants Beware! (First Second)
  • Sarah Beth Durst, Vessel (Margaret K. McElderry)
  • Merrie Haskell, The Princess Curse (HarperCollins)
  • Christopher Healy, The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (Walden Pond Press)
  • Sherwood Smith, The Spy Princess (Viking Juvenile)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

  • Robert Boenig, C.S. Lewis and the Middle Ages (Kent State Univ. Press, 2012)
  • John Bremer, C.S. Lewis, Poetry, and the Great War 1914-1918 (Lexington Books, 2012)
  • Jason Fisher, ed., Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays (McFarland, 2011)
  • Verlyn Flieger, Green Suns and Faërie: Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien (Kent State Univ. Press, 2012)
  • Corey Olsen, Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

  • Nancy Marie Brown, Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)
  • Jo Eldridge Carney, Fairy Tale Queens: Representations of Early Modern Queenship (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)
  • Bonnie Gaarden, The Christian Goddess: Archetype and Theology in the Fantasies of George MacDonald (Fairleigh Dickinson Univ. Press, 2011)
  • Michael Saler, As If: Modern Enchantment and the Literary Prehistory of Virtual Reality (OxfordUniv. Press, 2012)
  • David Sandner, Critical Discourses of the Fantastic, 1712-1831 (Ashgate, 2011)

[Thanks to Lynn Maudlin for the story.]

2012 Mythopoeic Awards

The winners of the 2012 Mythopoeic Awards were announced August 5 at Mythcon XLIII in Berkeley, CA.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature
Lisa Goldstein, The Uncertain Places (Tachyon Publications)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature
Delia Sherman, The Freedom Maze (Big Mouth House)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies
Carl Phelpstead, Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity (Univ. of Wales Press, 2011)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies
Jack Zipes, The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films (Routledge, 2011)

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature is given to the fantasy novel, multi-volume, or single-author story collection for adults published during 2011 that best exemplifies “the spirit of the Inklings.”

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature honors books for younger readers (from “Young Adults” to picture books for beginning readers), in the tradition of The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies is given to books on Tolkien, Lewis, and/or Williams that make significant contributions to Inklings scholarship. For this award, books first published during the last three years (2009–2011) are eligible, including finalists for previous years.

The Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies is given to scholarly books on other specific authors in the Inklings tradition, or to more general works on the genres of myth and fantasy. The period of eligibility is three years, as for the Inklings Studies award.

2012 Mythopoeic Award Nominees

Finalists for the 2012 Mythopoeic Awards have been announced. The winners will be revealed during Mythcon XLIII, to be held from August 3-6, in Berkeley, California.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

  • Lisa Goldstein, The Uncertain Places (Tachyon)
  • Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus (Doubleday)
  • Richard Parks, The Heavenly Fox (PS Publishing)
  • Catherynne M. Valente, Deathless (Tor)
  • Jo Walton, Among Others (Tor)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

  • Lisa Mantchev, Théâtre Illuminata series, consisting of Eyes Like Stars, Perchance to Dream, and So Silver Bright (Feiwel and Friends)
  • Tamora Pierce, Beka Cooper series, consisting of Terrier, Bloodhound, and Mastiff (Random House)
  • Delia Sherman, The Freedom Maze (Big Mouth House)
  • Maggie Stiefvater, The Scorpio Races (Scholastic)
  • Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Feiwel and Friends)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

  • Jason Fisher, ed. Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays (McFarland, 2011)
  • Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull, The Art of the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (HarperCollins, 2011)
  • Carl Phelpstead. Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity (Univ. of Wales Press, 2011)
  • Sanford Schwartz. C.S. Lewis on the Final Frontier: Science and the Supernatural in the Space Trilogy (Oxford Univ. Press, 2009)
  • Steve Walker, The Power of Tolkien’s Prose: Middle-earth’s Magical Style (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

  • Ruth B. Bottigheimer, Fairy Tales: A New History (SUNY Press, 2009)
  • Bonnie Gaarden, The Christian Goddess: Archetype and Theology in the Fantasies of George MacDonald (Fairleigh Dickinson Univ. Press, 2011)
  • Ursula K. Le Guin, Cheek by Jowl (Aqueduct Press, 2009)
  • Darrell Schweitzer, The Fantastic Horizon: Essays and Reviews (Borgo Press, 2009)
  • Jack Zipes, The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films (Routledge, 2011)

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature is given to the fantasy novel, multi-volume, or single-author story collection for adults published during 2011that best exemplifies the spirit of the Inklings. Books are eligible for two years after publication if not selected as a finalist during the first year of eligibility. Books from a series are eligible if they stand on their own; otherwise, the series becomes eligible the year its final volume appears.

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature honors books for younger readers (from Young Adults to picture books for beginning readers), in the tradition of The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia. Rules for eligibility are otherwise the same as for the Adult Literature award. The question of which award a borderline book is best suited for will be decided by consensus of the committees.

The Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies is given to books on Tolkien, Lewis, and/or Williams that make significant contributions to Inklings scholarship. For this award, books first published during the last three years (2009–2011) are eligible, including finalists for previous years.

The Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies is given to scholarly books on other specific authors in the Inklings tradition, or to more general works on the genres of myth and fantasy. The period of eligibility is three years, as for the Inklings Studies award.

2011 Mythopoeic Award Winners

The winners of the 2011 Mythopoeic Awards were announced at Mythcon 42 in Albuquerque on July 17:

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature
Karen Lord, Redemption in Indigo (Small Beer Press)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature
Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen’s Thief series, consisting of The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings (Greenwillow Books)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies
Michael Ward, Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford Univ. Press, 2008)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies
Caroline Sumpter, The Victorian Press and the Fairy Tale (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008)

2011 Mythopoeic Award Finalists

The Mythopoeic Society announced the finalists for the 2011 Mythopoeic Awards on May 17. But hey, it’s news to me! The winners will be revealed at Mythcon 42, being held July 15-18, 2010, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

  • Guy Gavriel Kay, Under Heaven (Roc)
  • Karen Lord, Redemption in Indigo (Small Beer Press)
  • Patricia A. McKillip, The Bards of Bone Plain (Ace)
  • Devon Monk, A Cup of Normal (Fairwood Press)
  • Sharon Shinn, Troubled Waters (Ace)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

  • Catherine Fisher, Incarceron and Sapphique (Dial)
  • Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight (HarperCollins)
  • Polly Shulman, The Grimm Legacy (Putnam Juvenile)
  • Heather Tomlinson, Toads and Diamonds (Henry Holt)
  • Megan Whalen Turner, The Queen’s Thief series, consisting of The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings (Greenwillow Books)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

  • Bradford Lee Eden, ed., Middle-earth Minstrel: Essays on Music in Tolkien (McFarland, 2010)
  • Verlyn Flieger and Douglas A. Anderson, eds., Tolkien on Fairy-stories: Expanded Edition, with Commentary and Notes (HarperCollins, 2008)
  • Douglas Charles Kane, Arda Reconstructed: The Creation of the Published Silmarillion (Lehigh Univ. Press, 2009)
  • Steve Walker, The Power of Tolkien’s Prose: Middle-earth’s Magical Style (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)
  • Michael Ward, Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford Univ. Press, 2008)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

  • Don W. King, ed., Out of my Bone: The Letters of Joy Davidman (Eerdmans Pub., 2009)
  • Ursula K. Le Guin, Cheek by Jowl (Aqueduct Press, 2009)
  • Farah Mendlesohn, Rhetorics of Fantasy (Wesleyan Univ. Press, 2008)
  • Leslie A. Sconduto, Metamorphoses of the Werewolf: A Literary Study from Antiquity through the Renaissance (McFarland, 2008)
  • Caroline Sumpter, The Victorian Press and the Fairy Tale (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008)

The rest of the press release follows the jump.

[Via Locus.]

Continue reading

Diana Speaks at Wheaton on Oct. 20

Dr. Diana Pavlac Glyer

Diana Pavlac Glyer lectures about “C.S. Lewis’s Fingerprints on the Map of Middle-Earth” in the Wade Center at Wheaton College at 4 p.m. Wednesday, October 20. The topic of her talk is based on her study of collaboration among the Inklings, which was completed using resources at the Marion E. Wade Center.

Dr. Glyer is the author of The Company They Keep: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien as Writers in Community. Her book reveals the behind-the-scenes story of how Lewis, Tolkien, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, and other Inklings influenced each other’s works, and in the words of Wade Center Associate Director Marjorie Lamp Mead, “deserves a place in the library of all those who value the works of the Inklings.”

Dr. Glyer is a professor of English at Azusa Pacific University and was the winner of the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Inklings Studies in 2008, and also a Hugo nominee.  

This lecture is free and open to the public. It takes place at The Marion E. Wade Center, located at 351 E. Lincoln Avenue in Wheaton (campus map).

The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College is a special library, archives, and museum devoted to the works of seven British authors including C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, George MacDonald, and Owen Barfield. Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.) is a coeducational Christian liberal arts college noted for its rigorous academics, integration of faith and learning, and consistent ranking among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

[Based on the Wheaton College press release.]

2010 Mythopoeic Award Winners

The winners of the 2010 Mythopoeic Society Awards were announced on July 11 at Mythcon 41 in Dallas.

Fantasy Awards, Adult Literature

Jo Walton, Lifelode (NESFA Press)

Fantasy Awards, Children’s Literature

Grace Lin, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Little, Brown)

Scholarship Awards, Inklings Studies

Dimitra Fimi, Tolkien, Race, and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)

Scholarship Awards, Myth and Fantasy Studies

Marek Oziewicz, One Earth, One People: The Mythopoeic Fantasy Series of Ursula K. Le Guin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L’Engle and Orson Scott Card (McFarland, 2008)

Also presented at the awards banquet was the first Alexei Kondratiev Student Paper Award. Named for the popular Mythopoeic scholar who passed away earlier this year, the award is given for a paper read at the conference. The winner was Michael Millburn for “Art According to Romantic Theology: Charles Williams’ Analysis of Dante Reapplied to J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘Leaf By Niggle’.”

Update 07/12/2010: Two of the acceptance messages from absent winners were especially memorable. Jo Walton has posted her wonderful verse here. And I hope that Mythprint will run the text of Marek Oziewicz’ message about the meaning Narnia and such books had for him growing up in Poland at a time when Marek’s father, a Solidarity activist, was jailed and their home searched by police.