Gay Haldeman

Announcing Our Latest Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award Recipient, Gay Haldeman

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is proud to announce that the latest Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award will be presented to Gay Haldeman at the 61st SFWA Nebula Awards® for her outstanding work on behalf of the organization.

Gay Haldeman is a long-time SF fan, who began attending conventions in 1963. Born Mary Gay Potter, she met Joe at age 15 when he was 17, and together they built a life around science fiction. Gay helped found the Science Fiction League at the University of Iowa in 1975, and also the club convention DemiCon. Gay Haldeman was active in the Washington Science Fiction Association, serving as club secretary from 1966-1971. She shared NESFA’s Skylark Award with Joe in 1996 and won the Worldcon’s Big Heart award in 2011 in Reno.

A master of many disciplines, Gay earned a Master’s degree in Spanish Literature from the University of Maryland and another in Linguistics, from the University of Iowa. She taught for many years at MIT’s Writing Center.

Last year, when Brian Herbert accepted the Infinity Award on behalf of his late father, he reminded us that life partners often make the most famous work in our field possible–including Beverly Herbert, whose care and contributions made her husband Frank’s success possible.

Gay has been a proud steward of her husband Joe’s excellent career in genre for decades, and it is this curatorial care that she has also graciously gifted to the SFWA community through her volunteer work with us, most recently in the role of SFWA Ombudsman and more broadly as one of the most welcoming people this organization has been fortunate to count among its own.

“What a joy it has been to get to work with Gay over the years, and an honor to learn from her grace and expertise,” said Kate Ristau, SFWA President. “She is the literal embodiment of community; she has selflessly given her support to SFWA over the years while also challenging us to do better and to be better.”

“Gay was one of the first people to welcome me to SFWA, and her kindness to members, volunteers, staff, and the board is unparalleled,” Russell Davis, Operations Director said. “Her presence, her demeanor, and her unwavering commitment to making SFWA better for everyone in our community is second to none.”

SFWA is excited to honor Gay this year at our conference in Chicago, and we hope you’ll join us in honoring her service to the SFF community either in person or online during the event.

Eugen Bacon

Eugen Bacon is announced at the 2025 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award recipient

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association is pleased to announce that the 2025 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award will be presented to Eugen Bacon at the 60th Annual SFWA Nebula Awards® ceremony on June 7, 2025.

The Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award is bestowed by SFWA to a person who has made significant contributions to the science fiction, fantasy, and related genres community. The award was created in 2008, with Wilhelm named as one of the three original recipients, and it was renamed in her honor in 2016. Our latest recipient joins the ranks of Solstice Award winners, including Cerece Rennie Murphy, Greg Bear, Petra Mayer, Arley Sorg, Troy L. Wiggins, Ben Bova, Rachel Caine, and Jennell Jaquays.

Eugen Bacon (eugenbacon.com) is an African Australian author of several novels and collections. She’s a British Fantasy and Foreword Indies Award winner, a twice World Fantasy Award finalist, and a finalist for the Shirley Jackson, Philip K. Dick, Victorian Premier’s Literary Award in Australia, and the Nommo Awards for speculative fiction by Africans. Eugen is an Otherwise Fellow, and was also announced in the honor list for “doing exciting work in gender and speculative fiction”.

Her short story collection, Danged Black Thing, made the Otherwise Award Honor List as a “sharp collection of Afro-Surrealist work”. Her latest publications are A Place Between Waking and Forgetting (short stories) and Afro-Centered Futurisms in Our Speculative Fiction—an edited anthology of original artistic essays infused with creative excerpts from award-winning African writers on the futurisms in their speculative fiction.

In accepting the Solstice Award, Eugen said, “I am beyond words—we don’t always feel visible. Deepest thanks to SFWA for this amazing recognition! I see the work you do, and can only stay earnest in the hope that science fiction and fantasy writers, globally, will continue to make a difference in these particularly challenging times. My heart is glowing.”

The gratitude goes both ways. As SFWA President Kate Ristau shared, “We are proud to celebrate Eugen for her continued work in the community, challenging us to create and contextualize our own creative practice. In her Bloomsbury Academic book Writing Speculative Fiction, Eugen tells us there’s a story in you. With her curiosity, playfulness, and keen eye for storytelling, Eugen continues to inspire and motivate the speculative fiction community to write that story. Thank you, Eugen, for your passionate leadership and support.”

Children’s book author Christine Taylor-Butler heartily agrees: “In today’s environment, it is more important than ever that we recognize the voices and contributions of creative people all over the world. Eugen is an award-winning author/editor who shows that holding science and art backgrounds are not mutually exclusive. She pays her success forward by expanding opportunities for others through writing clinics, award competitions, and mentorship opportunities in Australia. She represents the best of us both through her writing and by encouraging others in the pursuit of their own.”

Erin Roberts

Banner ad for the 60th Anniversary Nebula Conference Toastmaster Erin Roberts

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is excited to announce that acclaimed author Erin Roberts, will serve as toastmaster for the 60th Annual Nebula Awards® Ceremony! The ceremony will take place in Kansas City, Missouri on June 7, 2025, and streamed live on YouTube so that our global audience can partake in the latest adventures of Airship Nebula.

Erin Roberts tells stories however and whenever she can. She’s written short stories published by magazines including Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, and The Dark; built worlds and designed adventures for over 50 tabletop roleplaying game projects, including Nebula finalist Journeys through the Radiant Citadel; offered players choices as an interactive fiction and video game writer; and given characters a voice in scripts for projects including Zombies, Run! and the Yoto interactive children’s adventure Forge Your Quest.

When not telling her own stories, Erin helps others tell theirs. She’s taught creative writing courses for the University of Texas at Austin, Surrey International Writers Conference, and Clarion West; talked about the craft of writing in conference panels, on cruise ships, and between karaoke numbers; and shares her thoughts in a weekly conversation about the business and craft of writing as one of the hosts of the Writing Excuses podcast.

She’s honored to have this opportunity to celebrate the power of story in all its forms and to give some shine to the brilliant writers who bring new worlds to life and make ours that much brighter.

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