Joanne Merriam » Awards

What is wrong with the Man Booker Prize?

joannemerriam — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:14:13 +0000

The finalists for the fourth Man Booker International Prize were announced today. Irritatingly, of the thirteen finalists, only four are women. Even more irritatingly, my kneejerk reaction to that was to be pleased that so many women were nominated, so accustomed am I to only one or two gracing such lists (not the Man Booker specifically, just prizes in general).

Also irritatingly, their website doesn’t link to further information about the authors who were shortlisted. Don’t these people realize they’re on the internet? The finalists are:

Wang Anyi (China)
Juan Goytisolo (Spain)
James Kelman (UK)
John le Carré (UK) (but he withdrew)
Amin Maalouf (Lebanon)
David Malouf (Australia)
Dacia Maraini (Italy)
Rohinton Mistry (India/Canada)
Philip Pullman (UK)
Marilynne Robinson (USA)
Philip Roth (USA)
Su Tong (China)
Anne Tyler (USA)

Act One; Vinegar Peace, or the Wrong-Way Used-Adult Orphanage; Divining Light; Going Deep; Bridesicle

joannemerriam — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:15:52 +0000

Asimov’s has posted their Nebula nominated stories.

Nebula nominees available online

joannemerriam — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:25:40 +0000

2009 Nebula Awards Final Ballot

I think about the Medicare form that talked about white figures, and I wonder if they were dreaming of Richard.

joannemerriam — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:44:15 +0000

SFWA members can nominate work published between July 1st 2008 and December 31st 2009. Since this is an award for fiction, my only Nebula Award eligible work is “Swan Song” (Strange Horizons, published 6 October 2008).

hell yeah EP221: Little Ambushes by Joanne Merriam

joannemerriam — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:11:45 +0000

The readers of Escape Pod are talking about Best EP episode of 2009 Nominations.

Poems eligible for Rhysling nominations

joannemerriam — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:49:18 +0000

The nominees for each year’s Rhysling Awards are selected by the membership of the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Each member is allowed to nominate one work in each of the two categories: “Best Long Poem” (50+ lines) and “Best Short Poem” (0-49 lines). All nominated works must have been published during the calendar year for which the present awards are being given.

Here are my Rhysling-eligible poems (all short):

“Thirteen Scifaiku for Blackbirds.” Strange Horizons. 12 October 2009.
“The Butterfly Factory” and “Charon’s Midlife Crisis.” 42 Magazine, print magazine, Summer 2009.
“matter and anti-matter.” Scifaikuest. February 2009 online edition.
“afternoon heat.” Scifaikuest. February 2009 print edition.

Personally I think “Thirteen Scifaiku for Blackbirds” is the best of these. I’ll be happy to email complete texts of any of the above on request to SFPA members at joannemerriam at gmail dot com.

Eyestalk hemorrhage after hovercraft accident.

joannemerriam — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:13:07 +0000

“Deaths on Other Planets” has won Asimov’s Science Fiction‘s Readers’ Awards for Best Poem of 2008. (You can read it here.)

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Trying to maintain a suave calm is a challenge, but I think I might just be pulling it off.

Rhyslings

joannemerriam — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 15:48:27 +0000

The 2009 Rhysling Awards are now open to nominations from SFPA members. My eligible poems (all for the short poem category) this year are:

“Werepenguin.” Strange Horizons, 10 March 2008.
“Venusian Girls Are Better.” Coyote Wild. January 2008 Vol 2 Issue 1.
“The Aviary.” Chizine, Issue #35 (January – March 2008).

I’m fond of these poems, and I hope people will check them out who missed them the first time, but honestly I don’t think any of them are award-worthy. I would suggest people instead consider these two poems which both really struck me this year:

“Hill and Pail.” Mary Alexandra Agner. Strange Horizons.
“Phrenology.” Elizabeth Bradfield. Ploughshares.

Atlantic Writing Awards

joannemerriam — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 20:22:30 +0000

The shortlist for the Atlantic Writing Awards was announced last weekend. Since I did the web design for it, I already knew I wasn’t on it. This week I got my formal letter from the Fed, though, telling me my book wasn’t on it, with a handwritten note from Jane (my ex-co-worker) saying, “You should know that the jury cited your book, praising such a fine debut. You’d have blushed.”

I totally want to quote that on my reviews page, except I don’t know how to do so without sounding like this: “I didn’t win dick, but these people said something nice! BUY MY FREAKING BOOK!” Ha ha. I rock.

My poem “The Rainy Season” won first place for poetry in Strange Horizons’ 2005 Reader’s Choice Awards, though. Many thanks to everybody who voted for it!

no need for breath

joannemerriam — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 20:33:24 +0000

Strange Horizons published my poem “Cherries for Buttons” today. Their Readers’ Choice Awards 2005 are open for voting until March 17. Anybody can vote. You can vote for up to 5 poems. Coincidentally, I have five eligible poems: “Surface Properties“; “The Rainy Season“; “First Contact“; “Settler’s Song“; and “The Greening.” (Personally I think “The Rainy Season” and “The Greening” are the best of these.)

Peg Duthie also has an eligible poem; so does Neile Graham. I won’t take it personally if you vote for them instead, really. Other stand-outs: “War Is For the Hard of Hearing” and “Where Elevator Music Comes From.” Also please consider voting in the short story category for “A Coffee Cup/Alien Invasion Story” or “Close To You” – I thought both of these were notably inventive on a structural/language level and would like to see that sort of experimentation rewarded. I also thought “Bearing Witness” was exceptional, though not at all experimental.