The
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased
to announce that the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Awards will be presented to
Nisi Shawl and Neil Clarke at the 54th Annual Nebula Conference.
The
Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award is given by SFWA for distinguished
contributions to the science fiction and fantasy community. Shawl and
Clarke join the ranks of previous winners, including Octavia E. Butler,
James Tiptree, Jr., Tom Doherty, Carl Sagan, and Sheila Williams. The
award ceremony will be a part of the SFWA Nebula Conference taking place
at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, CA on May 16th-19th, 2019.
Nisi Shawl
In addition to her own writing, including the novel Everfair and the stories collected in Filter House and Something More and More,
Nisi Shawl has been active in teaching science fiction and promoting a
wide range of diverse voices through the Carl Brandon Society. Her
editorial work included guest editing the issue People of Color Take Over Fantastic Stories of the Imagination and the anthologies Bloodchildren: Stories by the Octavia E. Butler Scholars and Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany,
the latter a collaboration with Bill Campbell. Shawl was one of the
founders of the Carl Brandon Society in 1999, which not only presents
the Carl Brandon Parallax Award and the Kindred Award to promote authors
of color and works which focus on issues of race and ethnicity, but
also works to make attendance and conventions more affordable for people
of color by provided scholarships.
SFWA President Cat Rambo noted, “Nisi Shawl's work with the Carl Brandon Society has, as the society's mission statement says, fostered dialogue about
issues of race, ethnicity and culture, raised awareness both inside and
outside the fantastical fiction communities, promoted inclusivity in
publication/production, and celebrated the accomplishments of people of
color in science fiction, fantasy and horror. She's worked to provide
writers with the tools they need, including Writing the Other,
co-written with Cynthia Ward, as well as classes based on the book. And
she's pushed steampunk into new lands with her critically acclaimed
novel Everfair. She exemplifies the spirit of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award.”
Neil Clarke
Invested
in the community for decades through various publishing and
book-selling ventures, Clarke launched the Hugo and World Fantasy Award
winning online publication, Clarkesworld Magazine in 2006. Over
the ten-plus years since its inception, he has published a wide range
of new and established writers, including a large number of
non-Anglophone authors in translation.
Instrumental in the transition from paper-only submissions to online systems, the software he first developed for Clarkesworld is still in use at several magazines. Clarke founded Wyrm Publishing in 2007, Forever Magazine in 2015, and the translation imprint, Clarkesworld Books, in 2019. He also currently serves as the editor of the SFWA Bulletin.
In recent years, he’s taken on the task of finding The Best Science
Fiction of Year--an anthology series currently in its fourth year of
publication--and has edited multiple, successful anthologies with Night
Shade Books.
SFWA President Cat Rambo has noted about Clarke, “Over the years, Neil has grown Clarkesworld Magazine
into one of the powerhouses among online magazines, excelling in its
treatment of writers, including one of the highest per words rate
coupled with one of the fastest reply rates in the business. At the same
time, he's encouraged international voices through translation and
outreach, while consistently publishing some of the finest fantasy and
science fiction around. He well merits recognition in the form of the
Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award.”
The Nebula Awards will be presented during the annual SFWA Nebula Conference, which will run from May 16th-19th and feature programming developed and geared toward working SFF Professionals. On May 18th, a mass autograph session will take place at Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills and is open to the public.
The
Nebula Awards, presented annually, recognize the best works of science
fiction and fantasy published in the previous year. They are selected by
members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The
first Nebula Awards were presented in 1966.
The
Nebula Awards include four fiction awards, a game writing award, the
Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, the Andre Norton
Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book. SFWA
also administers the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Awards, the Kevin O’Donnell,
Jr. Service to SFWA Award, and the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master
Award.
For more information, please email pr@sfwa.org.
http://nebulas.sfwa.org/nebula-conference/ 
