SFWA is launching an online auction to support its expanding membership base of over 2,000 members, advocacy efforts for all writers, and initiatives to better serve marginalized communities within the larger speculative fiction writing world. This silent auction will open May 10, 2021, at 12:00pm Pacific Time and close May 17, 2021, at 12:00pm Pacific Time at the auction website: bitly.com/sfwaauction.

The auction infrastructure is furnished by a partnership with Worldbuilders, an organization of “geeks doing good” that supports humanitarian efforts worldwide.

SFWA President Mary Robinette Kowal says, “We are delighted to partner with Worldbuilders for this auction. They’ve been very kind to share what they’ve learned from doing great work with the speculative fiction community.”

The money raised from this auction will benefit SFWA programs that affect both the future of the science fiction and fantasy genres and the organization itself. 

A few examples of the work SFWA has undertaken to address the needs and challenges that speculative fiction authors face today: Over 100 scholarships are being targeted to writer populations in need for this year’s Nebula Conference. The ongoing #DisneyMustPay Task Force is working to make sure that writer contracts are honored after major media acquisitions. SFWA offers a mentorship program open to all genre writers, even if they’re not SFWA members. As soon as the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear, SFWA created a fund through which authors could seek assistance if their livelihoods were threatened. 

Featured auction items include:

• Virtual kaffeeklatsches with authors such as Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Amal El-Mohtar, R.F. Kuang, and Sarah Pinsker.
• One-on-one virtual career sessions with authors such as N.K. Jemisin, Holly Black, Maurice Broaddus, and Catherynne M. Valente, or literary agents such as Seth Fishman, Sara Megibow, and DongWon Song.
• Virtual or written manuscript critiques from authors, agents, and editors such as Tobias S. Buckell, Lucienne Diver, Jason Sizemore, Arley Sorg, and Lynne M. Thomas.
• Signed books, manuscripts, and advanced reading copies from authors such as Sofia Samatar, Ken Liu, C. J. Cherryh, and Gene Wolfe.
• Other one-of-a-kind genre collectibles, including a signed Staten Island Dire Wolves jersey and Pop figurines.

For questions, contact the SFWA Fundraising Committee at funding@sfwa.org.