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« May 2004 | Main | July 2004 »

June 2004

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

NYRSF Editorial 191:
Advertisements for Ourselves

Kathryn and the kids and I drove to Madison, Wisconsin for Wiscon, stopping on the way to stay over with Jim and Kathy Morrow in Pennsylvania. Wiscon was a tiny bit claustrophobic this year because it rained a lot, making it difficult to enjoy the downtown Madison location that is the setting for this gem of a convention. We spent time with Susan Palwick, old friend and founding member of NYRSF, now living, writing (new novel coming in 2005), and teaching in Reno, Nevada. The Hartwell family got calligraphed by Jae Leslie Adams and on whim, I decided to ask for a latin word. Thinking that paterfamilias was too long, I chose crux, and so functioned as a billboard for Albert Cowdrey¹s forthcoming novel (which I like. It reminds me of Tiptree and Cordwainer Smith).

Emily Pohl-Weary and her cohorts on tour ("Girls Who Bite Back cuts through the layers of the new Œfemale power,¹ questioning its corporate origins and investigating issues of race and sexual orientation. And it goes a crucial step further by asking: If you don't like what¹s out there, what do you want to see?") hosted a discover your inner superhero costume party and Peter discovered his.

On Monday after the convention closed, we drove to Illinois and stayed a might at Fred Pohl and Betty Ann Hull¹s house, and on Tuesday I drove Kathryn and the kids to O¹Hare to fly back to Westchester so Peter wouldn¹t miss too much school. Then I attended the SFRA Conference in Skokie, IL, which I will discuss in the next editorial.

I must fly to Seattle now for the opening of the lavish new SF Museum and Hall of Fame which will be linked like a Siamese twin to the Experience Music Project building at Seattle Center. I have always been a skeptic about the various sf museums proposed over the past couple of decades, but this one had $18 million dollars spent on it up front by Paul Allen (for which I, for one, am grateful), and will be at very least a snazzy place to visit in the next year. I gather they are going to charge admission, sell memberships, and host special events to raise money, like all other museums. It is also my understanding that they open with no endowment, so that they will start raising money from the outset. I wonder what the souvenir shop will sell? I will get to shop on the first day, June 18, and find out, though.

Tuesday, June 15, 2004 | | TrackBack (0)

About David G. Hartwell

Praise for
David G. Hartwell


  • The Science Fiction Century

    "Over the past quarter century, Hartwell has built a well-deserved reputation in SF, fantasy and horror as an editor extraordinaire. In addition to discovering many of the leading luminaries in the genre, he has produced a pool of anthologies that attept to stand as definitive volumes. The Science Fiction Century is another such successful landmark collection."—Publishers Weekly

    "A superb survey for the uninitiated and a definitive sampler for confirmed fans."—Booklist

    "This ranks as one of the definitive anthologies of the genre—and it makes the perfect introduction to the field of science fiction. . . . The Science Fiction Century shows great breadth and range. . . . Editor Hartwell succeeds by including a wide range of authors, styles, and themes."—The Des Moines Register

    "This is a book filled with familiar treasures and a great way to introduce a skeptic to the field."—Science Fiction Chronicle

    Visions of Wonder

    "This volume demonstrates the fact that science fiction is alive and well in the ’90s. . . . The editors are to be congratulated for producing work that will be useful both within the classroom and without. But even more remarkable is how much fun it is to read. They have gathered a collection of contemporary stories that is challenging, engaging, provocative, but above all rewarding. . . . The result is a delight for fans of the genre as well as a treasure trove for teachers. . . . Visions of Wonder is a fine addition of any science fiction collection."—VOYA

    "A historic anthology of great value."—The Edmonton Journal

    "The editors know their stuff. . . . Is this an anthology which you would recomend to a person who has never read any science fiction? The answer is a resounding yes from all corners. If you yourself have wondered what you might have missed over the past twenty years, then you may want to at least take a look at the table of contents. If you have a friend or a relative who keeps asking you why you read that ‘SF’ stuff, then toss this at them. Hartwell and Wolf set out to create an anthology that would represent the field and they ended up producing something that not only does that, but is fun to read to boot."—Age of Wonder

    Northern Stars

    "Canadian sf is clearly a force to be reckoned with. . . . Cross the border—though it’s only the next country over, Canadian sf offers some unique pleasures you won’t find at home."—The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction

    "Northern Stars is a great opportunity to experience that distinctive other North American point of view."—The Washington Post Book World

    "Replete with some of the best SF to be published anywhere in the last ten years. . . . As a primer on where Canadian scinece fiction and fantasy, Northern Stars is unbeatable."—SF Site

    Northern Suns

    "Pleasingly eclectic and worth a try for story fans."—Kirkus Reviews

    "Demonstrate[s] the vitality and eclectic thrust of Canada’s brightest and best authors of speculative fiction. A good addition to most sf or short story collections."—Library Journal

    "[Hartwell and Grant] show that Canadian science fiction is alive and well and living north of the border."—SF Site

    "[A] fine collection . . . an impressive range of stories."—Vector

    "An excellent introduction to some of the rising stars in contemporary Canadian science fiction."—The National Post (Canada)

    "A cross-section of the best contemporary stories ranging from hard SF to visionary fantasy, and from the horrifying to the totally hilarious. . . . captivating and haunting."—VOYA

    "Outstanding fiction."—Foundation

    Centaurus

    "Not the first volume of Australian SF but by far the most significant. . . . A substantial and impressive showcase. If you considered Australia too remote and sparsely populated to be science fictionally important—well, think again."—Kirkus Reviews

    "The wordcraft and imagination at play in this collection of 20 SF stories by Australian writers is quite extraordinary. The book is full of gorgeously imagined scenes on a transgalactic scale and challenging extrapolations of cutting-edge science. Hidden in the grandeur are meditations on the meaning of reality, motherhood, the social worth of religions, and gender dominance. . . . There is enough of the quotidian, charming and homey to ground all this exotica, and there are a few neat japes. . . . Broderick’s introduction is itself a fine and illuminating piece of writing, and his and Hartwell’s profiles are unusally personal. It may arise from Down Under, but this anthology is a world-class treasure."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    "Tired of seeing the same names in anthology after anthology? Here’s a chance for a break, a big collection of twenty SF stories by writers from Australia. . . . One of your best anthology bets of the year."—Science Fiction Chronicle

    "There is a wealth of neat, stylish SF between these covers."—San Diego Union-Tribune

    "Centaurus demonstrates that the best Australian SF is as good as the best written anywhere. . . . While Broderick and Hartwell point out that Centaurus isn’t the first anthology to attempt to collect Australia’s best science fiction, its publication is without question a significant event. It succeeds brilliantly both as a wonderful collection of great stories and as a document of the development in SF ina country whose writers are becoming increasingly important in the SF field. A+"—Science Fiction Weekly

    "Broderick and Hartwell have assembled a book that will be published to coincide with the third World Science Fiction Convention to be held in Australia, and one that is intended to give non-Australian readers an overview of Australian SF. As such, it succeeds, and succeeds admirably. Highly recommended."—Locus

    "A group of fine stories by authors who deserve to be better known on this side of the world."—Locus

    "In population terms, Australia is a small country; in literary terms, it consistently punches above its weight. This anthology is proof enough of that."—Interzone