Directory (1 to 43)

#1 (1974): Robert A. Heinlein (July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988)

#2 (1975): Jack Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006)

#3 (1976): Clifford D. Simak (August 3, 1904 – April 25, 1988)

#4 (2015): L. Sprague de Camp (November 27, 1907 – November 6, 2000)

#5 (1981): Fritz Leiber (December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992)

#6 (1984): Andre Norton (February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005)

#7 (1985): Arthur C. Clarke (December 16, 1917 – March 19, 2008)

#8 (1986): Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 – April 6, 1992)

#9 (1987): Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987)

#10 (1988): Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012)

#11 (1990): Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993)

#12 (1992): Frederik Pohl (November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013)

#13 (1994): Damon Knight (September 19, 1922 – April 15, 2002)

#14 (1995): A. E. van Vogt (April 26, 1912 – January 26, 2000)

#15 (1996): Jack Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013)

#16 (1997): Poul Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001)

#17 (1998): Hal Clement (May 30, 1922 – October 29, 2003)

#18 (1999): Brian W. Aldiss (August 18, 1925 – August 19, 2017)

#19 (2000): Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009)

#20 (2002): Ursula K. Le Guin (October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018)

#21 (2003): Robert Silverberg (January 15, 1935 – Present)

#22 (2004): Anne McCaffrey (April 1, 1926 – November 21, 2011)

#23 (2005): Harlan Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018)

#24 (2006): James Gunn (July 12, 1923 – December 23, 2020)

#25 (2007): Michael Moorcock (December 18, 1939 – Present)

#26 (2008): Harry Harrison (March 12, 1925 – August 15, 2012)

#27 (2009): Joe Haldeman (June 9, 1943 – Present)

#28 (2011): Connie Willis (December 31, 1945 – Present)

#29 (2014): Gene Wolfe (May 7, 1931 – April 14, 2019)

#30 (2013): Samuel R. Delany (April 1, 1942 – Present)

#31 (2014): Larry Niven (April 30, 1938 – Present)

#32 (2015): C. J. Cherryh (September 1, 1942 – Present)

#33 (2016): Jane Yolen (February 11, 1939 – June 11, 2026)

#34 (2017): Peter S. Beagle (April 20, 1939 – Present)

#35 (2018): William Gibson (March 17, 1948 – Present)

#36 (2019): Lois McMaster Bujold (November 2, 1949 – Present)

#37 (2020): Nalo Hopkinson (December 20, 1960 – Present)

#38 (2021): Mercedes Lackey (June 24, 1950 – Present)

#39 (2022): Robin McKinley (November 16, 1952 – Present)

#40 (2023): Susan Cooper (May 23, 1935 – Present)

#41 (2024): Nicola Griffith (September 30, 1960 – Present)

#42 (2025): N. K. Jemisin (September 19, 1972 – Present)

#43 (2026): Nancy Kress (January 20, 1948 – Present)

Damon Knight Memorial Grand Masters

C. J. Cherryh

Conferred in 2015 as the 32nd Grand Master (Award Ceremony in 2016)

Official Announcement

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that C. J. Cherryh (born September 1, 1942) has been named the 32nd Damon Knight Grand Master for her contributions to the literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is given by SFWA for “lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.” It is named after the author Damon Knight, SFWA's founder and the organization's 13th Grand Master. Cherryh joins the Grand Master ranks alongside such legends as Gene Wolfe, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula K. LeGuin, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Joe Haldeman.

C.J. Cherryh won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1977 and three Hugo Awards, including the Best Novel Award for Cyteen and Downbelow Station. In 1998, Cherryh was the Guest of Honor at the World Science Fiction Convention. In addition to her Hugo winning works, Cherryh is the author of The Faded Sun series, the long-running Foreigner series, and the Chanur books. Her writing spans the breadth from space opera to historical fantasy.

“I never expected this. I’m honored to join the ranks of so many illustrious writers. I have a lot of books left to write, a lot of books I want to write, stories I want to tell. I thank my publishers, who keep me in print—I thank my agent, as well. I thank everybody, profoundly, who gives me the chance to do that. And I plan to keep the books coming.” – C.J. Cherryh

“As a longtime reader and re-reader of Cherryh’s works, I am thrilled beyond measure to be able to recognize her contribution to the field in this way. She is a master of long-running series involving worlds and characters that the reader can visit and revisit with a true sense of wonder each and every time.” – SFWA President, Cat Rambo

Directory (1 to 43)

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