Okay, heres one for the group mind. Last week, a fan asked me if I expected to be named a Grand Master. I said, I havent thought about it. Which is pretty much true. I tend to regard awards the same way I regard Europe. A great place to visit, I wouldnt mind living there, but I have stories to write first. (I wont campaign for awards, or acknowledgment of any kind. Otherwise its not an honest acknowledgment. And I know when and why I started feeling that way, itll be a theme in my autobiography. ) But the question did start me thinking about who should be considered for future Grand Master acknowledgment. (As I understand it, its a lifetime achievement award acknowledging significant impact on the field.) And of all the awards SFWA can bestow, it is the most meaningful. On my list would be: Ben Bova Spider Robinson Lois McMaster Bujold George R.R. Martin Mike Resnick Larry Niven Kim Stanley Robinson Yes, I recognize that the above list slants heavily toward men. This is a side effect of the genres adolescent male-dominated beginnings and the inherited bias that SF was (and still is) primarily a male field. And also my failure to keep up over the last twenty years while I was raising my son. The female writers I believe who more than earned the honor have passed. But I would have certainly wanted Joanna Russ and James Tiptree Jr. to have the honor, also Leigh Brackett, C.L. Moore, and Zenna Henderson. I also believe that there are editors who deserve that level of acknowledgment as well. In particular, Betty Ballantine. And a good case could be made for Ellen Datlow, Beth Meachum, and a few others whove had significant impact on the field. Who would you add to the above list.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Jun 2014 19:44:23 +0000
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