Home from Columbus and catching up

[ellen_datlow]

I had a fabulous time at the World Fantasy Convention in Columbus, where I unexpectedly ate some pretty fine food (who knew?) for four nights--even at the hotel restaurant, although others --not at my table--had complaints earlier in the weekend. The banquet chicken was inedible. There is an ice cream chain called Jeni's ice creams that everyone was raving about and I was relieved that I was able to get there once where Rob Killheffer and I tasted no less than 8 flavors and I settled on Reisling pear sorbet and black coffee. Looks like you can get it in NYC and other places. Yayyy.

Ahem. Ok. I was very busy during the weekend, with plans made before I left for Columbus and then a few extra biz meetings I wasn't expecting. The Haunted Legends reading went well although it was sparsely attended. There were at least two other events that drew our possible audience members away. But I think we had a good time and I thank Tor for providing the space.

I'm sure everyone already knows the winners.
Novel:
The City & The City, China Miéville (Macmillan UK/ Del Rey)

Novella
“Sea-Hearts”, Margo Lanagan (X6 )

Short Story
“The Pelican Bar”, Karen Joy Fowler (Eclipse Three)

Anthology
# American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny: From Poe to the Pulps/From the 1940s to Now, Peter Straub, ed. (Library of America)

Collection
# There Once Lived a Woman Who Tried To Kill Her Neighbor’s Baby: Scary Fairy Tales, Ludmilla Petrushevskaya (Penguin)

Artist
Charles Vess

Special Award --professional
Jonathan Strahan for editing anthologies

Special Award=-non-professional
Susan Marie Groppi for Strange Horizons

The three Life Achievement awards were announced earlier:
Brian Lumley
Terry Pratchett
Pete Straub


# The Very Best of Gene Wolfe/The Best of Gene Wolfe, Gene Wolfe (PS /Tor)

45 minutes before the banquet I was drafted by Jo Fletcher (who developed laryngitis) to take her place giving out the awards with Rodger Turner. I said "sure" as long as I didn't have to give out the awards in the two categories for which I was nominated. I was pretty nervous --it kind of dumped all my nervousness about winning or losing into ohmigod! I have to read these nominees carefully and correctly --including Ludmilla Petrushevskaya --twice. Jo separated the syllables for me on the sheet we were using (from one of the progress reports) but it was marked up with notes to me about which of us were giving out which award and with the names of the actual winners. And in pretty small letters. So yeah. I'm embarrassed to say I did stumble over her name.

I can't say I wouldn't have loved to have won, but I am very pleased for my friends and colleagues Jonathan Strahan and Peter Straub.
Congratulations to them both. And to all the rest of the winners.