The Endicott Studio for Mythic Arts

The 2010 Solstice Award

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.' "

The Source of Creation

A wonderful video, with thanks to Amal El-Mohtar for the recommendation.

Break out the champagne!

Congratulations are due to two writers in the Endicott circle: Neil Gaiman, who has won the prestigious Newbery Medal (from the Association for Library Service to Children) for The Graveyard Book (illustrated by Dave McKean); and to Margarita Engle, whose latest poetry volume, The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom, is a 2009 Newbery Honor Book. Great news!

Hot off the press:

Please forgive me for double-posting this here and on my own blog, but I want to be sure that all mythic arts afficionados know that Iain McCaig (who has long been associated with Endicott) has an amazing new book out: Shadowline, from Random House/Insight Editions.

This stunningly beautiful volume compiles many years worth of paintings, drawings, film designs, book illustrations, and much, much more. The sheer range of Iain's work is jaw-dropping -- even to someone like me who has loved his art for years -- and the text is a delightful, insightful exploration of the process of telling stories through still and moving images. (Don't let the cover price put you off; this lavish volume is worth every penny and then some.)

Iain was born in the U.S., raised in Canada, studied art in Scotland, began his book illustration career in London, married a lovely woman from Portugal (with whom he's raised two childen), and has worked on films in California and around the world.  You can see some of his work here (on our site) and here (on the Gnomon Workshop site). He's also got a new blog in the works.

To all of our Endicott colleagues, collaborators, and supporters:

We've just learned that the Endicott Studio's Journal of Mythic Arts has won The World Fantasy Award -- which is a very lovely way to end its eleven-year run (with the Summer 2008 issue being our last).  We won in the "Nonprofessional" category -- perhaps because the Endicott Studio is a nonprofit organization. (All profits made by JoMA and other Endicott projects go to charities for abused, homeless, and at-risk children.) But however they categorize us, we're delighted. We're very grateful to the WFA judges, to all the good folks who have worked on and contributed to JoMA, and to the fantasy community for supporting Endicott and mythic arts.

A full list of winners and nominees can be found here. Congratulations to everyone.

Book Sale:

Small Beer Press is having a sale, and donating 20% of the proceeds to the Barack Obama campaign. Here's your chance to stock up on some gems of mythic and fantastic literature -- such as Geoff Ryman's The King's Last Song, Kelly Link's Pretty Monsters and Magic for Beginners, John Crowley's Endless Things, Ellen Kushner's Privilege of the Sword, Laurie Marks' Water Logic, Elizabeth Hand's Generation Loss, Alan deNiro's Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead, Delia Sherman and Dora Goss's Interfictions anthology -- all of which I highly recommend -- and many other fine books besides.  Help support one of the best small presses around today -- and an important political cause as well.

Faeries descend on Philly:

Alan Lee, Brian & Wendy Froud, Iain McCaig, Charles Vess, Holly Black, Ari Berk and other folks in the Endicott family will be featured guests at The 2nd International Faery Convention in Philadelphia,  October 10th and 11th. You'll find more information here.

The drawing above is by Alan Lee, the event's main Guest of Honor.

Hot off the press:

Please forgive me for double-posting this message (here and on my own blog), but I want to be sure Endicott readers hear this news asap:

Coyote Speaks, the new book by Endicott Studio regulars Ari Berk and Carolyn Dunn, is finally out! Aimed at young readers, this handsome volume provides a terrific introduction to Native American myth, ritual, and symbolism, in all its rich diversity. The book is profusely illustrated with paintings, carvings and photographs -- including one from another member of the Endicott circle, Stu Jenks.

Carolyn, by the way, has two mythic poems in the current issue of The Journal of Mythic Arts.  And Ari has been named the new editor of the Folkroots column in Realms of Fantasy Magazine.

JoMA Farewell Issue online

Dear Friends & Readers,

We are both pleased and a little melancholy to offer you the Farewell Issue of the Journal of Mythic Arts. We hope you will enjoy the truly wonderful articles: Ruth Padel's reflection on the mythology of the British Forest; Janni Simner's journey to Iceland to experience first hand the landscapes of the sagas; Terri Windling's thoughtful observations on Home and Hearth in the world's folklore; Kit Whitfield's biting analysis on Werewolves (sorry couldn't resist the pun); Colleen Mondor's insightful (and oh so chilly) look at heroic impulse in the most frozen landscapes of the north; and finally, my own article on the controversial Swan Maidens.

You will find also find in this issue three short stories: a wry and satiric "A Short Encyclopedia of the Lunar Seas" by Ekaterina Sedia; a tale of compassion and a fallen angel, "Emilio's Tale," by Bruce McAllister;  and an old tale re-worked in tango tempo, "The Red Shoes,"  by Genevieve Valentine. In the art gallery, Terri put together a mosaic of images from forty of the Endicott Studio's contributing artists -- can you guess their identity from their work? And for the first time, we have a gorgeous short film/poetry project, created by Howard Gayton, reading his poems with photographs from Stu Jenks.

And the poems...I have to say there was an astonishing out pouring from so many superb poets and we couldn't say no to anyone; all the poems we received were extraordinary. So we've published them all, and the result is a hearty list of twenty-nine poems from thirteen poets.

Once again, we hope you enjoy this final issue -- and a heart-felt thanks to all the wonderful readers, contributors, artists and authors, techies and angels, copy-editors and reviewers who have helped create the wealth of art and literature that graces the pages of the Endicott Studio's Journal of Mythic Arts.

Welcome!

Welcome to the Endicott Studio's new blog -- which is going to be much more irregular and limited in scope than our previous Journal of Mythic Arts blog, being focused on Endicott-related news. We hope, nonetheless, that you'll find it worthwhile to bookmark and peruse from time to time.

The old JoMA blog has not disappeared. We've kept it online because it's packed with mythic arts links, reviews, images, and information that you might find it useful to have access to. You'll find JoMA News and Reviews (2006 - 2008) parked at this web address: http://endicottstudio.typepad.com/endicott_redux.

Midori and I have been enormously touched by the close-to-100 comments left on our Farewell Post on the News and Reviews blog. Thank you all for your very kind words. They've meant a great deal to us.

In one of those comments, Kim Power asked us to pass on the following message to others in the mythic arts community:

"I've already expressed my sadness at the ending of this wonderful blog . . . however, I'm writing now to offer something constructive. I belong to a website called Goodreads, where people share what they read, their views, pick up new ideas of what to read and much more, something like a ultra book club. Anyway, another member, Odette Odile, had a wonderful idea to start a group on the site where we will read through and discuss the Endicott books. Thankfully, you're keeping the site archives on line so we can do this. I think it's an exciting way to keep the spirit of this blog alive and gather people of common interest. Here's the site: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/4030.Endicott_Mythic_Fiction.
Come join us!"

The Journal of Mythic Arts:

We're finishing up work on the final, farewell issue of the Journal of Mythic Arts, which contains some wonderful material from many of our regular contributors . . . and a few newcomers too. Keep an eye on this blog, where we'll post an announcement when it goes online. Very soon . . . we promise!

In the meantime, we'd like to recommend the latest issue of Goblin Fruit, if you haven't caught it already. Once again, the editors have packed the issue with a range of truly marvelous offerings, and we're very honored indeed by the issue's dedication. Midori and I contributed two poems to this one, and we're both thrilled with Oliver Hunter's illustrations -- and with his very magical musical rendition of The Night Journey.

The World Fantasy Awards

The list of finalists for the 2008 World Fantasy Awards (for works published in 2007) has just been announced, and Endicott folks are well represented this year. Emma Bull's novel Territory (a mythic western set in Tombstone, Arizona in 1881), and Will Shetterly's The Gospel of the Knife (a magical realist novel dealing with coming-of-age issues in 1960s America), are both finalists for the Best Novel category. The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales, which I edited with Ellen Datlow, is a finalist for Best Anthology; and Kij Johnson's story for the book, "The Evolution of  Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change," is up for Best Short Story. (You can read it on the web here.) Pat McKillip, Dora Goss, Tim Pratt, Ellen Klages and other friends-of-Endicott are on the ballot too, which is truly full of treasures this year. And in the "Special Award" category, Midori and I have been nominated for our work on the Endicott Studio/Journal of Mythic Arts website.

Congratulations everyone!

Endicott Staff News

Midori has had her head down in Tucson this summer, finishing up the fairy novel that she's writing in collaboration with Jane Yolen. She's taken a summer hiatus from her blog, In the Labyrinth -- but she'll be back once her current deadlines are past, and the last JoMA issue is wrapped up.

I've just completed hanging an exhibition of mythic art for children in the Big Red Sofa bookstore/gallery in Devon. (It runs until Sept. 5, if you happen to be in south-west England.) Here's a little critter from the show . . . and you can see a few more of them over on my website.