Author: Neil Clarke

2010 Best Semiprozine Hugo Nominees

- Neil Clarke

The 2010 Best Semiprozine Hugo nominees are:

Best Semiprozine

  • Ansible edited by David Langford
  • Clarkesworld edited by Neil Clarke, Sean Wallace, & Cheryl Morgan
  • Interzone edited by Andy Cox
  • Locus edited by Charles N. Brown, Kirsten Gong-Wong, & Liza Groen Trombi
  • Weird Tales edited by Ann VanderMeer & Stephen H. Segal

There were 377 ballots cast in this category. It placed 6th in the categories with the most ballots behind Novel, Dramatic Long Form, Short Story, Editor Short Form, and Novelette. Semiprozines received more nominations than Novella, Campbell Award, Pro Artist, Fan Writer, Fanzine, Editor Long Form, Dramatic Short, Best Related, Graphic Story and Fan Artist.

Clarkesworld Issue 41 : February 2010

- Neil Clarke

cw_41The February 2010 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine is now available online.

FICTION
Torquing Vacuum by Jay Lake
Torquing Vacuum (AUDIO VERSION) by Jay Lake, read by Kate Baker
The Language of the Whirlwind by Lavie Tidhar

NONFICTION
Chameleon of the Fantastic: An Interview with Jeffrey Ford interview by Jason S. Ridler
Earth Science Gets No Respect by Russ Colson
2009 Reader’s Poll Results

COVER ART
Transfiguration of Sergeant 05 by Bryan Sola

On the 15th of February, our podcast will feature The Language of the Whirlwind by Lavie Tidhar.

Clarkesworld Magazine – October 2009

- Neil Clarke

cw_37_250The October issue of Clarkesworld Magazine is now available…

FICTION

  • Spar by Kij Johnson
  • Spar (AUDIO VERSION) by Kij Johnson, read by Kate Baker
  • Of Melei, of Ulthar by Gord Sellar

NON-FICTION

  • Keeping Ahead of the Fear: A Conversation with Ken Scholes interview by Jeremy L. C. Jones
  • Forevermore: The Iconic Poe of the 21st Century by G.A. Buchholz

COVER ART

  • OH SHIT by Sean Donaldson

Video of the WSFS Business Meeting – Semiprozine Vote

- Neil Clarke

From Kevin Standlee’s blog:

The video of the 2009 Main WSFS Business Meeting held Saturday, August 8, at Anticipation is now online. If you have difficulty viewing the video through Vimeo’s online viewer, you can download the video (WMV format) to your machine using the link in the lower right corner of the video’s web page.

Vimeo limits users to uploading 500 MB/week, although once uploaded, the files stay up there and new files do not displace them. I plan to post the Site Selection Business Meeting next week.

The Main Business Meeting dealt with amendments to the WSFS Constitution pending ratification after having received initial passage at the 2008 Business Meeting in Denver. The Main Event was the debate over the removal of the Semiprozine Hugo Award. Also on the agenda: The Graphic Story Hugo Award and the explicit expansion of Hugo Award eligibility to electronic (web-based) publication.

This information is not secret. Feel free to pass it along to anyone else you think might be interested. You can quote this message entirely if you wish.

So, if you weren’t there and want to see how the discussion and vote on the semiprozine went down, here is your chance.

2009 Semiprozine Hugo Results

- Neil Clarke

Final Results of the 2009 Best Semiprozine Hugo Award

1. Weird Tales
2. The New York Review of Science Fiction
3. Interzone
4. Locus
5. Clarkesworld Magazine

*source: http://www.thehugoawards.org/content/pdf/2009%20Final%20Ballot.pdf

Results from the original nominations used to make the final ballot:

1. Interzone 82
2. Locus 74
3. Weird Tales 70
4. New York Review of Science Fiction 66
5. Clarkesworld 55
6. Ansible 43
7. Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet 38
8. On Spec 35
9. Neo Opsis 17
10. Strange Horizons 16
11. Internet Review of Science Fiction 16
12. Abyss & Apex 12
13. Postscripts 9
14. Shimmer 9
15. Electric Velocipede 8  *** Nominated for Best Fanzine and won
16. Talebones 7
17. Andromeda Spaceways In-Flight Magazine 7
18. Subterranean 6
19. Shadow Unit 6
20. Helix 5
21. Fantasy Magazine 5

* source: http://www.thehugoawards.org/content/pdf/2009%20Nominations.pdf

We did it! The Semiprozine Hugo will continue!

- Neil Clarke 10 Comments

I would like to thank everyone who has supported our cause and especially everyone who showed up at today’s business meeting. Our supporters spoke eloquently and with conviction. When the vote was finally held, we won by an overwhelming majority. The Best Semiprozine Hugo will continue.

A new committee to help redefine the semiprozine and related Hugos was voted into place shortly afterwards. It will be chaired by Chris Barkley. More information on that as it becomes available.

Again, thanks to everyone involved. I have to say that everything was handled very professionally (by both sides) and it does appear that we are united in repairing the category. This is a very good day.

Kevin J. Maroney on the Semiprozine Hugo

- Neil Clarke

Kevin J. Maroney is one of the managing editors of The New York Review of Science Fiction, one of this year’s Best Semiprozine Hugo nominees. Over on his blog, he makes a strong case for the continuation of the award. Definitely recommended reading for those interested in this issue.

You can find his post at http://womzilla.livejournal.com/259350.html.

Save the Semiprozine – Part 4 (conclusion)

- Neil Clarke 11 Comments

When I launched this site, I told fellow editors that we needed to focus on our strengths and accomplishments to make our case. In a page right out of Horton Hears a Who, we’ve stood up and screamed “We’re here! We’re here! We’re here!” and I think people have heard us. Now we count on them to do what they believe is right.

Several times over the last few months, the discussion has turned to “we know the category is defined poorly, but first we must save it.” My mistake has never been addressing what comes next. Next we fix the definition.

I’ve been told that far greater minds have tried to address the problem, but sitting here hip-deep in semiprozineland (and speaking entirely on my own behalf), I’d like to offer you what I see as the defining characteristic of a 21st century semiprozine: their editors don’t make a living at this. Seeing Mike’s discussion at File 770, I feel for him. The definition of Fanzine is changing under their feet as well, but at its heart, it seems that a lot of people believe that a defining characteristic of Fanzines is that they don’t pay anyone. So how is this for a crazy and overly simplistic model for the future (should we survive):

Fanzine: A publication primarily devoted to science fiction and / or fantasy in which contributors and editors are unpaid.

Semiprozine: A publication primarily devoted to science fiction and / or fantasy in which contributors are paid and from which none of the staff receive their primary income.

Professional Editor (short form): An editor, not covered by the above categories, of at least four (4) anthologies, collections or magazine issues primarily devoted to science fiction and / or fantasy, at least one of which was published in the previous calendar year.

So that’s my little pitch for the future. First we save the Semiprozine Hugo and then we make it more meaningful. In the last few months, I’ve come to know a lot more about my colleagues in the semiprozine category. Representing them as a nominee and through this site has been an honor that cannot be taken away, win or lose. It is my sincere hope that the Best Semiprozine Hugo is around for years to come. I hope that you feel the same and will join me in the discussion that follows after we win.