Whoopie! President Obama

I was just about to go to lunch with Gahan Wilson (who was picking me up at my apt) when I realized that I was going to MISS THE SPEECH!!! I got downstairs and we talked about the disappointment. However, as we meandered down Hudson Street looking for a place to eat (now that our regular joint, Florent, is gone), we got to Dublin 6 which announced in small signs outside--come and have a drink/food and watch the inauguration. How could we resist? We didn't. I wanted their Irish breakfast but they only serve it on weekends (I forgot)but made do and arrived JUST in time to see Obama sworn in and start his speech. We and the other patrons applauded loudly and I was just about in tears. And worried the whole time that something bad would happen. However, the overview of the crowds of people attending the inauguration almost made me forget my fears.

He made me and Gahan especially happy by giving a shout out, not only to Christians, Muslims, and Jews but to non-believers. We think this is the first time a president ever did that and it was a breath of fresh air. Thank you, President Obama.

Shirley Jackson Award announcement

A fifth juror has been added: Kelly Link.

In recognition of the legacy of Shirley Jackson’s writing, and with permission of the author’s estate, the Shirley Jackson Awards have been established for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror, and the dark fantastic.

Shirley Jackson (1916-1965) wrote such classic novels as The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, as well as one of the most famous short stories in the English language, “The Lottery.” Her work continues to be a major influence on writers of every kind of fiction, from the most traditional genre offerings to the most innovative literary work. National Book Critics Circle Award-winning novelist Jonathan Lethem has called Jackson “one of this century’s most luminous and strange American writers,” and multiple generations of authors would agree.

The Shirley Jackson Awards are voted upon by a jury of professional writers, editors, critics, and academics, with input from a Board of Advisors. The awards are given for the best work published in the preceding calendar year in the following categories: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Single-Author Collection, and Edited Anthology.

The website, ShirleyJacksonAwards.org, provides information on the 2007 winners, the award categories, and the selection process.

The jurors for the 2008 Shirley Jackson Awards are, alphabetically:

F. Brett Cox, co-editor (with Andy Duncan) of Crossroads: Tales of the Southern Literary Fantastic (Tor, 2004); author of numerous short stories, critical essays, and reviews; English faculty at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont.

Kelly Link, author of the collections Stranger Things Happen, Magic for Beginners, and Pretty Monsters; winner of three Nebula Awards, a Hugo Award, and a World Fantasy Award. Co-editor, with Gavin J. Grant, of the fantasy half of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror; Co-founder, with Gavin J. Grant, of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet.

John Langan, author of short story collection Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters (Prime Books) and House of Windows (Night Shade Books, forthcoming 2009) and numerous critical essays and reviews; English faculty at State University of New York-New Paltz.

Sarah Langan, author of novels The Keeper (Harper, 2006; finalist for Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel) and The Missing (Harper, 2007; winner of Bram Stoker Award Winner for Superior Achievement in a Novel); MFA in Creative Writing, Columbia University; freelance writer currently living in New York City.

Paul G. Tremblay, author of collection Compositions for the Young and Old (Prime Books), novella “City Pier: Above and Below” (Prime, 2007), and novel The Little Sleep (Henry Holt); co-editor of the anthologies Fantasy and Bandersnatch.

The Board of Advisors for the Shirley Jackson Awards includes editor Bill Congreve; award-winning editor and anthologist Ellen Datlow; renowned scholar and editor S.T. Joshi; author and teacher Jack M. Haringa (co-editor, with Joshi, of the critical journal Dead Reckonings); author Mike O’Driscoll; editor Ann VanderMeer; and award-winning and best-selling novelist Stewart O’Nan.

www.shirleyjacksonawards.org
Media representatives who are seeking further information or interviews should contact JoAnn F. Cox: admin at shirleyjacksonawards dot org