The Nebula Awards were held this past weekend in Florida -- where I
was one of three recipients of the 2010 Solstice Award, along with Thomas Doherty (publisher of Tor Books) and the late
Donald Wollheim (publisher of DAW Books). Russell Davis, President of
SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America) wrote to
explain that "the award is for individuals who have
had a
significant impact on the science fiction or fantasy landscape, and is
particularly intended for those who have consistently made a major,
positive
difference within the
speculative
fiction field. Your work as an editor, writer,
artist, educator and mentor has been extraordinary, and we’re very
pleased to give you this award."
It's certainly one of the prettiest awards I've ever gotten, as you can see in the picture above.
Alas, I couldn't make the trip
from England to Florida to be at the ceremony, so my friend and
fellow-editor Beth Meacham accepted for me. (Beth is the person who
convinced me to look for a job in publishing thirty years ago, so I'm
particularly pleased that she agreed to do this.) Several friends have
asked if I would share the little acceptance speech I gave Beth to read
for me, so here it is:
"I feel quite overwhelmed by receiving this award.
I'm deeply honored that it comes from SFWA – an organization filled with
many of the best writers working in America today. And I'm especially
honored, and humbled, to share the award with Donald Wollheim and Tom
Doherty. The books that Don Wollheim published at DAW first brought me
into the fantasy field and shaped my tastes as a young fantasy reader.
To Tom Doherty I owe an even greater debt, for I've worked for him as a
consulting editor at TOR since 1986. His support of my work, as both an
editor and a writer, made my career possible -- and I'm pleased to have
this opportunity to say a very public: Thank you, Tom.
"I came to the New
York publishing industry with a background in folklore studies and a
deep love of magical fiction – which was still rather thin on the ground
in those early days of the fantasy genre. I was barely 19 when Jim Baen
took a chance on me and hired me at Ace Books...and I've been working
in the Fantasy field ever since, going on three decades now. I’m deeply
grateful to this genre for giving me a home – and more than that, to
giving a home to a whole generation of writers who, like me, have a
particular passion for fantasy rooted in fairy tales, folklore, and
myth.
"Since 1987, I've been running an arts organization called The
Endicott Studio -- which supports the creation and study of myth and
mythic arts. I was touched that my work at Endicott was specifically
cited in the announcement of this award, and I'd like to share the honor with
Endicott's co-director, Midori Snyder, and all our Endicott colleagues
and collaborators.
"My deepest thanks to the SFWA Board of Directors;
and to all of the good folks I've worked with over the years,
especially Chris Schelling, Ellen Datlow, Merrilee Heifetz, Ellen
Kushner, Delia Sherman, Thomas Canty, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Jim
Frenkel, Sharyn November...and, of course, Beth Meacham, who was my
earliest editorial partner-in-crime.
"I'd like to leave you with one of
my favorite quotes, from one of my favorite writers: Patricia McKillip:
"'At its best,' she
says, 'fantasy rewards the reader with a sense of wonder about what
lies within the heart of the commonplace world. The greatest tales are
told over and over, in many ways, through centuries. Fantasy changes
with the changing times, and yet it is still the oldest kind of tale in
the world, for it began once upon a time, and we haven't heard the end
of it yet.' "
Midori has had her head down in Tucson this summer, finishing up the fairy novel that she's writing in collaboration with 
