Rick Klaw
Posts by Rick Klaw:
Happy birthday to the extraordinary PEN/Faulkner Award-winning Karen Joy Fowler
Rick Klaw birthday, blog birthday, booth, Karen Joy Fowler, the james tiptree award anthology, we are all completely beside ourselves
Shortly after the publication of a handful of short stories in 1985, Karen Joy Fowler emerged as one of the most acclaimed authors of her generation. She has won numerous awards including PEN/Faulkner (We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves [2014]), World Fantasy for Best Collection (Black Glass [1999] and What I Didn’t See and Other Stories [2011]), World Fantasy for Best Short Fiction (”Pelican Bar” [2010]), Shirley Jackson for Best Short Fiction (”Pelican Bar”), Nebula for Best Short Story (“What I Didn’t See” [2004] and “Always” [2008]), and Astounding (formerly John W. Campbell) Award for Best New Writer (1987). Fowler received the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award in 2020.
She has seven novels to her credit: Sarah Canary (1991), The Sweetheart Season (1996), Sister Noon (2001), The Jane Austen Book Club (2004), Wit’s End (2008), We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (2013), and Booth (2022). Fowler’s numerous short stories have been collected in Artificial Things (1985), Peripheral Vision (1990), Black Glass (1998), What I Didn’t See and Other Stories (2010), The Science of Herself plus … (2013), and Comme ce monde est joli [French] (2021).
In 1991, Fowler, alongside Pat Murphy, founded the James Tiptree, Jr. Award (now Otherwise Award), a science fiction/fantasy literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that “expands or explores our understanding of gender.” Fowler and Murphy joined Debbie Notkin and Jeffrey D. Smith to edit three volumes of THE JAMES TIPTREE AWARD ANTHOLOGY (2005-2007). She also edited MOTA 3: Courage (2003), 80!: Memories and Reflections on Ursula Le Guin (with Notkin, 2010), and The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2016.
All of us at Tachyon wish the amazing Karen a happy birthday. May you always see the world a bit different than the rest of us!
Happy birthday to the award-winning Sam J. Miller
Rick Klaw birthday, blog birthday, boys beasts & men, kid wolf and kraken boy, let all the children boogie, sam j miller, the blade between
Sam J. Miller’s books have been called “must reads” and “bests of the year” by USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, and O: The Oprah Magazine, among others. His works have won the Shirley Jackson Award, Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult Novel. and John W. Campbell Memorial Award and nominated for the Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, Crawford Award, Locus Award, Theodore Sturgeon Award, John W. Campbell Memorial Award, the Premio Italia, the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire, and the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book. Miller’s novels include The Art of Starving (2017; Andre Norton Award winner), Blackfish City (2018; John W. Campbell Memorial Award winner), Destroy All Monsters (2019), and The Blade Between (2020).
Design by Elizabeth Story
Beginning with “Haunting Your House” (2008), he has produced numerous acclaimed and award-winning short stories including “57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides” (2013; Shirley Jackson Award winner), “We Are the Cloud” (2014; nominated for both Nebula and Sturgeon); “The Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History” (2015; nominated for World Fantasy), “When Your Child Strays from God” (2015; nominated for Nebula), “Angel, Monster, Man” (2016; nominated for Shirley Jackson), and “Things with Beards” (2016; nominated for Sturgeon, Nebula, and Shirley Jackson). Miller’s first short story collection BOYS, BEASTS & MEN (2022) won the Locus Award. Among his other books are the chapbooks The Future of Hunger in the Age of Programmable Matter (2017), Let All the Children Boogie (2021), and Kid Wolf and Kraken Boy (2022), as well as the anthology Horror After 9/11: World of Fear, Cinema of Terror (2001 co-edited with Aviva Briefel).
A graduate of the 2012 Clarion’s Workshop and a member of the SFF writers group Altered Fluid, Miller’s fiction has been translated into Croatian, Czech, French, Hebrew, Italian, Hungarian, Japanese, Mandarin, Polish, and Russian. He spent fifteen years as a community organizer for Picture the Homeless.
All of us a Tachyon wish the sensational Sam, a happy birthday.
Meet Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman and managing editor Jill Roberts at 2024 San Francisco Writers Conference
Rick Klaw blog, Events jacob weisman, jill roberts, san francisco, san francisco writers conference, sfwc
Tachyon publisher Jacob Weisman and managing editor Jill Roberts are participating in the 2024 San Francisco Writers Conference, February 15-18 at Hyatt Regency San Francisco.
This will be the 20th Celebration of Craft, Commerce, and Community for all writers. Attendees will join 100+ presenters and fellow writers from across the country and around the world at this year’s event. The SFWC events are consistently rated among the top writers’ conferences anywhere. Our goal is to help writers become published authors as we help them become better at the craft of writing and the business of publishing. The SFWC is also one of the friendliest conferences around.
SFWC About
Weisman and Roberts are involved with several events.
Friday, February 16
10:15AM
Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 2
Joey Garcia, Rusty Shelton, Lynnette Novak, Bruce Wawrzyniak, Brooke Warner, Leticia Gomez, Susie Meserve, Michael Carr, Andy Ross, Kesia Lupo, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Monica Wesolowska, Heather Lazare, Patricia Nelson, Jill Roberts, Andrea Stewart, Malaga Baldi, B Lynn Goodwin, Natalie Obando, Ralph Scott. Gini Grossenbacher, EJ DeBrun
11:30AM
Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 3
Rusty Shelton, Bruce Wawrzyniak, Karly Dizon, Mary C. Moore, Brooke Warner, Michael Carr, Jim McCarthy, Kesia Lupo, Maeve McLysaght, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Isidra Mencos, Monica Wesolowska, Carole Bumpus, Heather Lazare, Jill Roberts, Andrea Stewart, Stefanie Molina, Kaitlin Ketchum, Tanya Egan Gibson, EJ DeBrun, Natasha Yim
2PM
Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 4
Peter Dudley, Karly Dizon, Joey Garcia, Jennifer Joseph, Andy Ross, Jim McCarthy, Maeve McLysaght, Georgia Hughes, Monica Wesolowska, Carole Bumpus, Heather Lazare, Kristen Tatroe, Jill Roberts, Stefanie Molina, Jodi Fodor, Kaitlin Ketchum, Camille Kantor, B Lynn Goodwin. Gini Grossenbacher, Tanya Egan Gibson, EJ DeBrun
3:15PM
Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 5
Peter Dudley, Jennifer Joseph, Alyssa Maltese, Andy Ross, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Isidra Mencos, Monica Wesolowska, Kristen Tate, Marika Flatt, Patricia Nelson, Jill Roberts, Susan Wooldridge, Malaga Baldi, Camille Kantor, Natalie Obando, Ralph Scott, Barbara Rich, EJ DeBrun, Brenda Knight, Susan Woolridge
Saturday, February 17
9AM
Agent & Editor AMA in the Ballroom
Michael Carr, Camille Kantor, Lisa Abellera, Kaitlin Ketchum, Mary C. Moore, Jennifer Joseph, Georgia Hughes, Patricia Nelson, Brenda Knight, Alyssa Maltese, Jacob Weisman, Jill Roberts, Lynnette Novak, Andy Ross, Leticia Gomez, Natalie Obando, Brooke Warner, Jim McCarthy, Maeve McLysaght, Malaga Baldi, Stefanie Molina, Natalie Obando, Kesia Lupo Moderator: Laurie McLean
10:15AM
Fiction in the Marketplace: What You Need to Know to Polish and Sell Science Fiction/Fantasy in 2024
Maeve MacLysaght, Andrea Stewart, Jacob Weisman, Mary C. Moore, Jill Roberts Moderator: Victoria “Nicole” Shi
11:30AM
Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 8
Cara Black, Jennifer Joseph, Jacob Weisman, Mary C. Moore, Brooke Warner, Michael Carr, Kesia Lupo, Maeve McLysaght, Georgia Hughes, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Linda Joy Myers, Monica Wesolowska, Marika Flatt, Patricia Nelson, Kristen Tatroe, Stefanie Molina, Mary Knippel, Lisa Abellera, Natalie Obando, B Lynn Goodwin, Brenda Knight
3PM
Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 9
Jacob Weisman, Mary C. Moore, Leticia Gomez, Alyssa Maltese, Andy Ross, Jim McCarthy, Maeve McLysaght, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Linda Joy Myers, Julie Broad, Kristen Tatroe, Mary Knippel, Kaitlin Ketchum, Lisa Abellera, Camille Kantor, B Lynn Goodwin, Ralph Scott, Patrick Aylward. Gini Grossenbacher, Joan Gelfand
4:15PM
Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 10
Lynnette Novak, Cara Black, Jacob Weisman, Georgia Hughes, Mary Rakow, Ph.D., Linda Joy Myers, Julie Broad, Marika Flatt, Mary Knippel, Kaitlin Ketchum, Camille Kantor, Natalie Obando, B Lynn Goodwin
Sunday, February 18
10:15AM
Writing for Change: Agents for Change: The Publishing Industry’s Role in Your Mission
Jacob Weisman, Georgia Hughes. Gini Grossenbacher Moderator: Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte
11:30AM
Consultation/Pitch Appt. Block 13
Jacob Weisman, Isidra Mencos, Monica Wesolowska, Julie Broad, Marika Flatt, B Lynn Goodwin, EJ DeBrun
The Outspoken and the Incendiary: A Literary Celebration of the Life and Work of Terry Bisson
Rick Klaw blog, Events carter scholz, city lights, Diana Block, jonathan lethem, Karen Joy Fowler, kim stanley robinson, Nick Mamatas, Peter Maravelis, pm press, Ramsey Kanaan, rudy rucker, san francisco, san francisco antiquarian book print & paper fair, Terry Bisson, the lost church
City Lights and PM Press celebrate the life and work of Terry Bisson on March 30, 7PM at The Lost Church in San Francisco. Luminaries Ramsey Kanaan, Peter Maravelis, Diana Block, Karen Joy Fowler, Jonathan Lethem, Nick Mamatas, Kim Stanley Robinson, Rudy Rucker, and Carter Scholz will be on hand to discuss the truly unique life and works from the late author, editor, and political activist. There is a $15 admission and registration is required.
The Outspoken and the Incendiary: A Literary Celebration of the Life and Work of Terry Bisson
March 30 7PM
988 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA
Price: $15.00 (Registration Required)
The legendary Thomas M. Disch was born 84 years ago
Rick Klaw birthday, blog billet-doux, birthday, the wall of america, the word of god, thomas m disch
The influential writer, poet, editor, and essayist Thomas M. Disch was born on February 2, 1940. With the 1965 publication of his first novel The Genocides, Disch began an impressive output of challenging, creative fiction. Other noteworthy novels included Camp Concentration (1968), Black Alice (1968 with John Sladek), The Prisoner (1969), 334 (1972), On Wings of Song (1979), The Businessman: A Tale Of Terror (1984), The M.D.: A Horror Story (1991), The Priest: A Gothic Romance (1994), The Sub: A Study in Witchcraft (1999), and THE WORD OF GOD: OR, HOLY WRIT REWRITTEN (2008).
In 1980, Disch ventured into the world of children’s books with The Brave Little Toaster: A Bedtime Story for Small Appliances, which was the basis for the acclaimed Disney film. His other works for children included The Tale Of Dan De Lion (1986), The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars (1988 also made into a Disney film in 1998), and A Child’s Garden Of Grammar (1997). In 1999, Disney released The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, the third film to use characters created by Disch.
Disch’s numerous shorts stories were collected into several volumes including One Hundred and Two H-Bombs (1967), Under Compulsion (1968), White Fang Goes Dingo (1971), Getting Into Death (1974), Fundamental Disch (1980), The Man Who Had No Idea (1982), and THE WALL OF AMERICA (2008). His acclaimed poetry was collected in several volumes including The Right Way To Figure Plumbing (1972), Abcdefg Hijklm Npoqrst Uvwxyz (1981), Burn This (1982), Dark Verses and Light (1991), Haikus of an Ampart (1991), About the Size of It (2007), and Endzone (2018). His poem BILLET-DOUX (2007) was produced as limited edition broadside in celebration of Tachyon Publications’ twelfth anniversary.
As an award-winning essayist, Disch was regular contributor to The Nation, The Weekly Standard, Harper’s, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Times Literary Supplement, and Entertainment Weekly. He won a Hugo award for the non-fiction The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered The World.
Among Disch’s other numerous accomplishments, are editing the anthologies Highway Sandwiches (1970 with Marilyn Hacker and Charles Platt), The Ruins of Earth (1971), Bad Moon Rising (1973), The New Improved Sun (1975), New Constellations: An Anthology of Tomorrow’s Mythologies (1976 with Charles Naylor), and Strangeness (1977 with Charles Naylor).
Sadly, the iconic Thomas Disch died in 2008, just days after Tachyon published what proved to be his final novel, THE WORD OF GOD: OR, HOLY WRIT REWRITTEN.
Tachyon tidbits featuring Patricia McKillip, Susan Palwick, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Pat Murphy, and Terry Bisson
Rick Klaw blog catalyst, catching shadows, Charlie Jane Anders, eating the fantastic, greetings and other stories, meg ellison, Nevada Writers Hall of Fame, nina kiriki hoffman, numbers don't lie, pat murphy, patricia a mckillip, scott edelman, susan palwick, Terry Bisson, the forgotten beasts of eld: special 50th aniversary edition, the shadow hunter
The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web
Photo by Scott Edelman
Photo by Scott Edelman
Photo by Rosalie Winard
Catching Shadows praises THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD: SPECIAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, which is current available for pre-order directly from Tachyon and all finer booksellers.
McKillip’s work has a thoughtful, introspective and dreamlike feel, and THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD is just a powerful and thought-provoking as the first time I read it in my teens.
Susan Palwick was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.
On December 1, 2023 we attended the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame event at the University of Nevada Reno to celebrate this year’s inductees. Susan Palwick was inducted into the Hall of Fame and Megan Edwards was awarded the 2023 Silver Pen award.
Scott Edelman on episodes 214 and 215 of his podcast Eating the Fantastic met individually with Nina Kiriki Hoffman and Pat Murphy.
We discussed the way a ghost story which left her wanting more led to her taking her writing more seriously, her early reactions to reading Robert A. Heinlein and Ursula K. Le Guin, how the Clarion workshop convinced her she could have a career as a writer, the way she wanted to grow up to be a combination of Ray Bradbury and Zenna Henderson, what she learned about characterization from Samuel R. Delany while at Clarion, the major difference she saw between the horror and science fiction communities during the early days of the Internet, how my perception of the arc her career was affected not by what she wrote but by what she sold, the lesson Ellen Datlow taught her which she passes on to her students, and much more.
214 with Nina Kiriki Hoffman
We discussed the part of Robert A. Heinlein’s famed rules of writing with which she disagrees, why she felt the need to attend the Clarion writing workshop even after having made several sales to major pro markets, the occasional difficulties in decoding what an editor is truly trying to tell you, the importance of never giving up your day jobs, why she can’t read Dylan Thomas when she’s working on a novel, the differences between the infighting we’ve seen in the science fiction vs. literary fields, what we perceive as our personal writing flaws, a Clarion critiquing mystery I’ve been attempting to solve since 1979, the science fiction connection which launched her career at the Exploratorium, and much more.
215 with Pat Murphy
Charlie Jane Anders and Meg Ellison each shared remembrances of the late Terry Bisson.
Terry was incredibly generous to me when I was starting out as a baby SFF writer, and welcomed so many new people into the field. I was privileged to publish a few of his short pieces in a magazine I worked on back in the day. SF won’t be the same without him.
Charlie Jane Anders
This morning someone texted me the news that he had died. I had time to think about all the nights I had seen him drunk at parties, laughing his ass off, telling stories of his own. I remembered all the times he had described how weird it was to find a Chinese radio play of “They’re Made of Meat” and come to grips with the legacy of a story that’s less than a thousand words long and reaches people in every language, year after year. I thought about the night at the Locus Christmas party when he had offered me one of his hand-rolled unfiltered cigarettes under the stars.
Meg Ellison
I don’t smoke, but I figured I might never again have the opportunity to smoke the spit of a genius like him.
Inhale, inhale, inhale.
Thank you, Terry.
2023 Locus Recommended Reading List includes titles by Peter S. Beagle, Tobias S. Buckell, Josh Rountree, and Lavie Tidhar
Rick Klaw blog a stranger in the citadel, josh rountree, lavie tidhar, Locus, peter s beagle, the circumference of the world, the essential Peter S. Beagle, the legend of charlie fish, Tobias S Buckell
Locus released their annual recommended reading list. Tachyon is proud to have several selections including THE ESSENTIAL PETER S. BEAGLE: Volumes I and II (also for The Way Home), A STRANGER IN THE CITADEL by Tobias S. Buckell (also for Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance and Other Stories), THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE FISH by Josh Rountree, and THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE WORLD by Lavie Tidhar (also for The Best of World SF: Volume 3).
Design by Elizabeth Story
Other Tachyon authors and editors receiving notice include John Joseph Adams, Charlie Jane Anders, Lauren Beukes, Ellen Datlow, Cory Doctorow, Kate Elliott, James Patrick Kelly, Stephanie Law, Sam J. Miller, Tim Powers, Jonathan Strahan, Michael Swanwick, James Tiptree, Jr., and Peter Watts.
Congrats to all.
Nebula and Hugo Award-winning author Samantha Mills’ debut novel THE WINGS UPON HER BACK will stay with readers long after the final page
Rick Klaw blog andrew liptak, Kathryn's Book Review and Other Thoughts, Publishers Weekly, samantha mills, the wings upon her back, transfer orbit
With three months from publication, THE WINGS UPON HER BACK by Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and Sturgeon Award winner Samantha Mills is already getting positive attention as evident by the Publishers Weekly starred review, notice in Kathryn’s Book Review and Other Thoughts, and listed as a 2024 most anticipated book by Andrew Liptak at Transfer Orbit.
THE WINGS UPON HER BACK is currently available for preorder from Tachyon and all finer booksellers.
Mills debuts with an intricate and intriguing science fantasy set in the divided city of Radezhda. Five sects each serve one of five gods who sleep behind portals floating high above the land. After a brutal civil war, the mecha sect, a group of human warriors with their nerves wired into mechanical wings that allow them to fly, reigns supreme, led by power-hungry Winged Vodaya. After Vodaya’s closest confidant, Winged Zemolai, returns home tired and aching from a month of border patrol, she makes what is perhaps the worst mistake of her life: letting a spy go free. Cast out of the sect and left to die on the streets of Radezhda, Zemolai is miraculously saved by another sect, forcing her to decide whether to beg Vodaya’s forgiveness or betray her people. Toggling between two timelines, Mills juxtaposes Zemolai’s adult regrets and childhood hopes to devastating effect. Much like the winged warriors it follows, the story begins on the ground and takes flight as the characters attempt higher stakes battles and plans, eventually achieving a complete aerial view of Zemolai’s life and the full history of Radezhda. This cathartic adventure will stay with readers long after the final page.
Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
It had a great overall tale of redemption and the use of science-fantasy elements to the story. The characters worked with what I wanted from this story and glad I was able to read this. Samantha Mills writes a great tale and can’t wait for more from the author.
Kathryn’s Book Review and Other Thoughts
Last year, Samantha Mills scored a number of awards for her story for Uncanny Magazine, “Rabbit Test.” This year, she’s publishing her debut novel, THE WINGS UPON HER BACK, in which humanity has been trying to figure out why five slumbering gods below the city of Radezhda turned their backs on humanity, sparking war between sects.
Transfer Orbit
More Tachyon titles appear on best of the year lists including Tobias S. Buckell’s A STRANGER IN THE CITADEL, Marjorie Liu’s THE TANGLEROOT PALACE, Brandon Sanderson’s THE EMPEROR’S SOUL, Ellen Datlow’s NIGHTMARES, and Tim Powers’ THE BIBLE REPAIRMAN AND OTHER STORIES
Rick Klaw blog a stranger in the citadel, ambling along the aqueduct, best of 2023, bookish muggle, brandon sanderson, c. n. wheaton, cat rambo, Ellen Datlow, marjorie liu, nightmares: a new decade of modern horror, Peter Tennant, the bible repairman and other stories, the tangleroot palace, Tim Powers, Tobias S Buckell, trumpetville
As coverage of 2023 winds down, several Tachyon books managed to make their way onto best reads lists. Cat Rambo for Ambling Along the Aqueduct lists Tobias S. Buckell’s A STRANGER IN THE CITADEL among her favorite reads. At Beyond the Bookshelves, C. N. Wheaton expresses similar thoughts about Marjorie Liu’s THE TANGLEROOT PALACE. According to Bookish Muggle, Brandon Sanderson’s Hugo-awarding novella THE EMPEROR’S SOUL was once again one of the top reads of the year. On Trumpetville, Peter Tennant’s best reads of 2023 includes, without comment, Ellen Datlow’s NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR and Tim Powers’ THE BIBLE REPAIRMAN AND OTHER STORIES.
Terrific world-building and a librarian questioning that world.
Ambling Along the Aqueduct
Design by Elizabeth Story
I found this collection the most consistently strong throughout. “Sympathy for the Bones” was a particular standout.
Beyond the Bookshelves
Sanderson is unbeatable in world building. I said this to him in person when I got this book signed from him at Worldcon. Soul stones and soul stamps are such cool magic tools. Magic system is top notch in this and very different from every other fantasy book I have read so far. It was interesting to learn in the Epilogue where the idea of stamps came from (in a Taiwan museum). The story was nice and different. I loved the main characters too.
Bookish Muggle
Design by Elizabeth Story