Author Julian May (b.1931) died on October 17. May entered fandom in her late teens and published the fanzine Interim Newsletter. Her first professional sale, “Dune Roller,” appeared in Astounding in 1951, including original illustrations by May. In 1952, she chaired the TASFIC in Chicago, becoming the first woman to chair a Worldcon.
Dr. Yoji Kondo, known to science fiction readers as Eric Kotani, passed away yesterday at the age of 84. Yoji Kondo was an astrophysicist at NASA/GSFC, where he served as Director of the NASA International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) satellite observatory, among other prestigious appointments, and had formerly served as the head of the astrophysics laboratory […]
ElizaBeth A. Gilligan (Lace), died in her sleep on the morning on October 9, 2017 after a battle with cancer. Gilligan published her first short story, Evolution,” in 1990 and began writing as a columnist for Midnight Zoo in 1991. Subsequent short stories appeared in Witch Fantastic, Sword and Sorceress, Black Gate, and other anthologies. Her story “Iron Joan” made the Nebula preliminary […]
Kit Reed (b.1932) died on September 24, several months after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Reed published the story “The Wait” in 1958 and was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best New Author of 1958, a forerunner of the John W. Campbell, Jr. Award.
Former SFWA President Jerry Pournelle (b.1933) died on September 8.
Brian Wilson Aldiss OBE (August 1925 – August 2017) was a SFWA Grand Master, writer and editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. Greatly influenced by science fiction pioneer H. G. Wells, Aldiss was the vice-president of the international H. G. Wells Society. Named a Grand Master by SFWA in 2000 and inducted by the Science […]
John Dalmas (b.1926 as John Robert Jones) died in June following a short bout of pneumonia. In 1969, when Dalmas was working for the US Forest Service, he published the novel, The Yngling, which was serialized in Analog and published in book form in 1971. Two stand-alone stories appeared in Analog in 1970, but Dalmas didn’t publish any more fiction until […]
William B. Sanders (1942-2017) aka, William Sundown, was a writer and editor of science fiction. His work frequently drew on his own Native American heritage, coupled with a dry humor and biting cynicism. His novels included alternate histories, Journey to Fusang (1988), which Roger Zelazny called “a clever romp through maybes and might-have-beens” and which received […]
Susan Casper (b.1947) died on February 24 following a long illness. A member of SFWA throughout her life, her first published story was “Spring-Fingered Jack,” which appeared in the Charles L. Grant anthology, Fears in 1983. Over the next twenty years, she continued to publish short fiction, usually alone, but occasionally in collaboration with her […]
Ed Bryant (b.August 27, 1945) died on February 10. Bryant attended the Clarion Writers Workshop in 1968 and published his first short story, “The Only Come in Dreams” in Adam Magazine in 1970. Bryant was nominated for his first SFWA Nebula Award for the short story “Shark” in 1974 and won back to back short […]
Trapped in a child’s body, a resourceful woman risks death by deletion from a simulated world. With her debut novella for adults, Thompson has crafted a taut, ultimately hopeful story that deftly explores identity and autonomy.
Steven D. Brewer teaches scientific writing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He writes steampunky romantasy and fluffy military space opera, often with an LGBTQIA+ focus. Brewer lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his extended family.
