Nebula Award News

SFWA Announces 2019 Nebula Toastmaster — Bobak Ferdowsi

Bobak Ferdowsi Named SFWA Nebula Awards® Toastmaster

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that Bobak Ferdowsi has been named the toastmaster for the 54th annual Nebula Awards® on May 18th, 2019 in Woodland Hills, CA.

Ferdowsi has served as a systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, working on the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity mission and the Cassini–Huygens mission to Saturn. Following the Curiosity landing, Ferdowsi achieved fame for the mohawk he was seen wearing at JPL during media coverage of the successful landing. He is currently working on the NISAR joint Earth observation mission and the Europa Clipper mission scheduled for launch to the Jovian moon Europa in 2023.

The Nebula Awards® will be presented during the annual SFWA Nebula Conference, which will run from May 16th-19th and feature seminars and panel discussions on the craft and business of writing, SFWA’s annual business meeting, and receptions. On May 18th, a mass autograph session will take place at the 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 United States as selected by members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, membership in which is open to professional science fiction and fantasy authors. The first Nebula Awards® were presented in 1966.

For more information please email pr@sfwa.org.

 https://nebulas.sfwa.org/nebula-conference/

Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service to SFWA Award To Be Presented to Lee Martindale

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that the Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service Award will be presented to Lee Martindale during the SFWA Nebula Conference awards ceremony on May 18th, 2019.

Lee Martindale has been a member of SFWA since 1999 and served on the Election Committee for three years and chaired the Bylaws committee for six years.  Beginning in 2005, she served as the Mediation Specialist on the Grievance Committee and in 2008 she took on the position of SFWA Ombudsman.  Martindale was elected as the South-Central director in 2010 and served in that position until 2015, when the regional directorships were redesigned to reflect the organization’s change to a 501c3 public charity.  She continued to serve as one of the directors-at-large until 2016.

SFWA President Cat Rambo has reflected on her time working with Martindale, “Lee’s service to SFWA includes driving the creation of SFWA’s accessibility guidelines, which have been used by dozens of events outside SFWA’s own, serving for years on the SFWA board and representing it there and at events with a consistent, fair, and business-minded presence, and her current role as part of SFWA’s Grievance Committee. She was a leader in diversity issues such as accessibility and the size rights movement, publishing a book of essays, Prejudice by the Pound, in 2008. It’s a pleasure to recognize her sharp-witted and devoted service to SFWA with the Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service to SFWA Award.”

The Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service to SFWA Award recognizes a member of SFWA who best exemplifies the ideal of service to his or her fellow members.  O’Donnell won the Service Award in 2005.

The Nebula Awards® will be presented during the annual SFWA Nebula Conference, which will run from May 16th – 19th and feature a series of seminars and panel discussions on the craft and business of writing, SFWA’s annual business meeting, and receptions. 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 United States as selected by members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, membership in which is open to all professional science fiction and fantasy authors. 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, the Solstice Award, the Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award, and the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.

http://nebulas.sfwa.org/nebula-conference/

Attention SFWA 2019 Nebula Conference Attendees!

We are in need of volunteers to donate ONE HOUR of their time to assist writers by giving 15 minute one-on-one interviews in the field of your expertise.

Time slots available on all conference days!

Please contact Anne Tibbets at OfficeHours@sfwa.org to volunteer!

Additionally, if you’d like to sign up to interview a knowledgeable and experienced volunteer, we have sessions available in the following categories:

‘Breaking into Business, Tech, and Ghost Writing’
‘Navigating the Business of Writing Novels’
‘How to Break into Freelance Teaching’
‘The Ins and Outs of Social Sciences and Services’
‘How to Brand and Build a Fan Base in Self Publishing’
‘How to Query Agents and What to Expect’

More will become available as we gather more volunteers!
Pay it forward and offer some one-on-one advice for a writer in need.

Please contact Anne Tibbets at OfficeHours@sfwa.org

Nebula Mass Autographing Announced

SFWA Proudly Presents the Nebula Conference Mass Autographing!

At the 2019 SFWA Nebula Conference

Saturday, May 18th from 1:00PM — 3:00PM

Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills – Grand Ballroom

21850 W Oxnard St, Woodland Hills, CA 91367

Featuring over 100 Authors!

  • John Joseph Adams
  • Michael Anderle
  • Marie Andreas
  • Liz Argall
  • Barbara Barnett
  • Gregory Benford
  • TJ Berry
  • Laura Blackwell
  • Brooke Bolander
  • Joseph Brassey
  • Jonathan Brazee
  • Rhett C. Bruno
  • Rob Buckman
  • Michael Cassutt
  • Mike Chen
  • Curtis C. Chen
  • Gwendolyn Clare
  • P. Djèlí Clark
  • Neil Clarke
  • Tina Connolly
  • John Peyton Cooke
  • Dan Cray
  • S.B. Divya
  • Cory Doctorow
  • Meghan Ciana Doidge
  • A.K. DuBoff
  • Andy Duncan
  • Scott Edelman
  • Eva L. Elasigue
  • Meg Elison
  • Isaac R. Fellman
  • Sheila Finch
  • Susan Forest
  • Richard Fox
  • Laura Frankos
  • Sarah Gailey
  • William Gibson
  • Laura Anne Gilman
  • Rebecca Gomez Farrell
  • W. L. Goodwater
  • A. T. Greenblatt
  • Sally Wiener Grotta
  • A. J. Hackwith
  • Joe Haldeman
  • Rachel Hartman
  • Erin M. Hartshorn
  • Kate Heartfield
  • Alyc Helms
  • Barbara E. Hill
  • José Pablo Iriarte
  • Xia Jia
  • L.S. Johnson
  • James Patrick Kelly
  • Jeffe Kennedy
  • Scott King
  • Mary Robinette Kowal
  • R.F. Kuang
  • Derek Künsken
  • David D. Levine
  • Henry Lien
  • Jenn Lyons
  • Terry Madden
  • PJ Manney
  • Lee Martindale
  • Alastair Mayer
  • Sam J. Miller
  • Mary Anne Mohanraj
  • Tina LeCount Myers
  • Larry Niven
  • Karen Osborne
  • Chrome Oxide
  • Douglas Phillips
  • Palmer Pickering
  • Sarah Pinsker
  • C.L. Polk
  • Daniel Potter
  • Lettie Prell
  • Cat Rambo
  • Rebecca Roanhorse
  • Kelly Robson
  • Lawrence M. Schoen
  • Caitlin Seal
  • Peng Shepherd
  • Elsa Sjunneson-Henry
  • Dave Smeds
  • Rosemary Claire Smith
  • Melinda M. Snodgrass
  • Caitlin Starling
  • Shanna Swendson
  • Rachel Swirsky
  • Christine Taylor-Butler
  • Lauren C. Teffeau
  • R J Theodore
  • Natalia Theodoridou
  • Harry Turtledove
  • Nicole Valentine
  • Greg van Eekhout
  • R.R. Virdi
  • Juliette Wade
  • E.D. Walker
  • Wren Wallis
  • M. Darusha Wehm
  • Yudhanjaya Wijeratne
  • Fran Wilde
  • Connie Willis
  • Gwendolyn Womack
  • William F. Wu
  • Christie Yant
  • Caroline M. Yoachim
  • Joe Zieja

And more!

 

50 Days and Counting

There are just 50 days before the Nebula Conference starts (May 16) and it’s almost certain to sell out! Register now.

Ten reasons why:

1. The Nebulas return to LA after ten years! Meet writers, editors, agents, and industry professionals!

2. Four days of panels and workshops designed for writers — both trad and indie!

3. Buy books at the greatest pop-up SFF bookstore in the world!

4. Sell your books through the consignment program at SFWA’s Book Depot!

5. A HUGE bag of swag — books! ARCs! graphic novels! magazines! Save room in your suitcase.

6. Mass autographing session — get your new books signed, sign others’ books!

7. New to conferences? A mentor will help you feel at home…

8. Experience to share? Be a mentor and help the community grow!

9. Nebula Conference registration is already breaking records, so memberships could sell out! Register now!

10. And — be present for the very first Nebula Award for Game Writing!

2018 Nebula Finalists with links

This year’s Nebula Finalists are now incorporated into the Nebula database with links to read and purchase here.

SFWA members can access the 2018 Nebula Awards® voter packet, containing digital e-books of nominated works, which have been graciously provided by participating publishers here. Please note that SFWA’s discussion boards require logging in first.

As a reminder, all material in the voter packet will be removed once voting closes. These works are for personal use and should not be disseminated.