Last Drink Bird Head Award Finalists (2009-2010)
We’re pleased to announce the finalists for the second annual Last Drink Bird Head Awards, as chosen by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer. The purpose of the awards is to celebrate those in the genre community who enrich us with their time, energy, and words, for causes greater than themselves. Finalists for this year’s award were chosen for efforts in 2009 and/or 2010. Thanks for recommendations from last year's winners.The winner of the Neil Clark Special Achievement Award, as announced below, is L. Timmel Duchamp. Please join us in congratulating her for her efforts.The winners will be announced at Capclave in Washington D.C. on the evening of Saturday, October 23, in conjunction with the WSFA Small Press Award ceremony. Winners will receive a bird head figurine, a certificate, and chocolate.
The awards are named after the anthology Last Drink Bird Head from Ministry of Whimsy Press (an imprint of Wyrm Publishing). The proceeds from the anthology benefit the ProLiteracy charity. Contributors include Peter Straub, Ellen Kushner, Gene Wolfe, Tanith Lee, and over 60 others. To buy the Kindle edition, click here. To buy the limited hardcover and support literacy, visit the order page.THE FINALISTSGentle AdvocacyIn recognition of individuals willing to enter into blunt discourse about controversial issues...- Ay-leen the Peacemaker (for Beyond Victoriana)- Hal Duncan (for blogging and Notes from New Sodom)- N.K. Jemisin (for blogging and commentary)- Jason Sanford (for blogging)Tireless EnergyIn recognition of individuals who selflessly give of themselves for worthy causes, websites, or organizations...- Rick Kleffel (for The Agony Column)- Leslie Howle (for Clarion West and Hugo House activities)- Debbie Notkin (for Tiptree Awards work, Wiscon work, and other activities)- Victor Raymond (for past Carl Brandon Society and Interstitial Arts Foundation work, as well as other behind-the-scenes activities)Promotion of ReadingIn recognition of individuals whose efforts contribute to the promotion of reading or an increase in reading proficiency...- Colleen Cahill (for Library of Congress work as a genre fiction advocate and as the library’s representative to the ALA)- James Gunn (for his work with AboutSF)- Julia Starkey (for building the Harvard Library’s SF/F section)- Lynne Marie Thomas (for archiving the works and papers of SF/F authors)Expanding Our VocabularyIn recognition of writers whose nonfiction, through reviews, blogging, and/or essays, exposes readers to new words and, often, new ideas...- Matthew Cheney- Anil Menon- Abigail Nussbaum- Adam Roberts International ActivismIn recognition of those who work to bring writers from other literary traditions and countries to the attention of readers in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia...- Larry Nolen (for coverage of international fiction, primarily on The Of Blog)- Charles Tan (for Bibliophile Stalker and The World SF Blog)- Lavie Tidhar (for The World SF Blog)- Yan Wu, Guangyi Li, and Nathaniel Isaacson (for Chinese Sci Fi )The Neil Clarke Special Achievement AwardWinner: L. Timmel DuchampThe Special Achievement Award is geared toward recognizing individuals who are proactive behind the scenes but whose efforts often don’t receive the measure of public recognition they deserve. The winner will receive an elegant Hieronymous Bosch bird-with-letter figurine, a certificate, and chocolate. The award is named after the first year’s winner, publisher and editor Neil Clarke.As founder of and editor for Aqueduct Press, L. Timmel Duchamp has demonstrated great creativity, care, and love as the guiding force in creating a strong line of feminist science fiction and fantasy. Although Aqueduct Press is a for-profit publisher, it serves a greater purpose in providing a valuable space for women’s fiction, often publishing otherwise marginalized authors. Further, Duchamp has often set aside her own career and fiction over the past five years to run Aqueduct Press. For these efforts, she is the 2010 recipient of the Neil Clarke Special Achievement Award.