Workshop rock concert. Also, Campbell Award and Sturgeon Award winners announced.

The second week of the Science Fiction Writers Workshop begins today, and tonight the inimitable Andy Duncan joins us as this year's guest author.

Last night, our dinner out was Mexican, where we drank margaritas and ate deliciousness on the outdoor patio in 100-degree heat. Why? Well, icy beverages help, as does shade - the building blocked the sun - and a lovely breeze. But mostly it was so we could watch the Tour of Lawrence bicycle race's final round, which passed the patio just feet away. The riders even decided to participate in a major crash right across from us - no one seemed hurt, though a couple of bikes were out of the race... and it was almost the last lap of 50 (yes, FIFTY, on a day of 100 degrees).

Afterward, the neighbors across the street from this year's Workshop building (a gorgeous scholarship hall that we have all to ourselves - that's it across the street from the grandstand in this photo) invited us to their block party. This included a zip-line terminating in an inflatable pool, a claw-foot tub hooked up to a garden hose, dozens of chairs, food, beer, and live music on a stage built in a parking spot in front of the house. The band we saw is Rob Gillespie's new group, Pale Hearts, and it was their first show. They rocked the block! So hard, in fact, that The Law showed up and had a conversation with the home-owner. You probably already noticed the interesting array of attire adorning some of the concert attendees. One of the Workshoppers speculated that the party was holding a "worst costume contest." Ah, the charms of youth.

Sometimes people ask me, "Why Lawrence, Kansas?" Well, right there's one reason.

Oh, and in case you missed it:

Campbell Award and Sturgeon Award winners announced.

This coming weekend is the Campbell Conference! If you haven't yet registered, now's the time - especially if you want to register for the Awards Banquet on Friday night, as today's the deadline for guaranteeing we can get you dinner. (You can always attend the Awards after dinner, but you still need to register so we can have enough seating.)

Now I'm back to it.

Best,
Chris

Register NOW for the Campbell Conference! Last day to register for banquet...

Hi folks!

The Campbell Conference begins this Friday, so if you haven't yet registered, now is the time! If you haven't attended before, it's a wonderful opportunity to spend a weekend with a number of SF authors, editors, and other enthusiasts in an intimate and fun-yet-scholarly setting. You can read all about it here.

A few author and editor attractions for this year include:

Robin Wayne Bailey, who is not just an author and editor but also a past president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and a key player in the creation of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Andy Duncan, whose story "The Pottawatomie Giant" won the World Fantasy Award in 2001, as did his collection Beluthahatchie and Other Stories in the same year. His novella "The Chief Designer" won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award in 2002. He's also this year's guest author for the SF Writing Workshop.

Sheila Finch, whose work has won several awards, including the Nebula Award for Best Novella, the San Diego Book Award for Juvenile Fiction, and the Compton-Crook Award.

James Gunn, who is CSSF founder, SF author and historian, SFWA Grand Master, and past president of SFWA.

Kij Johnson, whose fantasy and SF novels and short stories have won the Sturgeon Award, World Fantasy Award, Nebula Award three times, and IAFA Award.

Eric T. Reynolds, who is an author as well as publisher/editor of Hadley Rille Books.

Joan Slonczewski, whose YASF/adult SF novel The Highest Frontier is a finalist (and possibly more...) for this year's Campbell Award. Dr. Slonczewski is a biologist, and her novel, A Door into Ocean, won the Campbell Award in 1986.

Sheila Williams, who is editor of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine.

...and many more! If you're a writer, consider arriving early so you can attend the 1:00pm - 4:00pm Friday talk about "The Secrets of Successful Writing." And if you enjoy intelligent conversation in a museum-like setting, be sure to stay through Sunday afternoon, when local paleontologist Larry Martin hosts "Science Fiction Sunday" at his home.

We have decided to keep the early-bird (pre-June-14) pricing in place, so it's still just $45, even at the wonderful new Oread location just down the road from the usual Union setting. The Awards Banquet (which starts at 6:00pm Friday) is $25; if you want to watch the Awards Ceremony (which starts at 7:00pm Friday) but prefer not to dine, still be sure to register so we can have enough seating. TODAY IS THE DEADLINE for registering for the Banquet.

Saturday from 12:45pm - 1:30pm is the autograph session with the attending authors and editors in the Oread Hotel's lobby; you can purchase books in the adjacent bookstore. This event is FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Hope to see you there, and help spread the word!

Best,
Chris