Jane Yolen named SFWA Grandmaster

Cafe Society
1

Author Jane Yolen is the latest recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award, given in recognition of her long career in the genre.

Jane has written award-winning fiction and fantasy, as well as children’s books. Her best know title, Owl Moon, won a Caldicott medal for its art and is a perennial classic. “The Devil’s Arithmetic” is a standard in high school classrooms today.

I’ve known Jane for many years and it’s hard to think of anyone more beloved in the field today, and more deserving of the honor.

Trivia note: While a publisher’s assistant, Jane wrote the jacket copy for the first US edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2

Logrolling. Jane used to be SFWA President.

JK. Of course, she’s a great choice. She’s a giant in her field.

3

Congratulations to Jane Yolen. I liked her “Wild Hunt.”

Next year, I wonder if SFWA will pick Vinge (either one).

4

Good news!

5

That’s awesome. I first read her lyrical fantasy for adults (Briar Rose, I think), but more recently have loved her children’s works. Owl Moon is one of the great picture books, and if you’ve not had a chance to read it, track it down: like Where the Wild Things Are, it’s a poem set to pictures.

I’m very happy to hear this.

6

Good choice.
Heard her read at an event here a couple of months ago.

7

Jane wrote in November:

Since it’s December, she may be at 400 by now.

8

The complete list of Grandmasters:

Robert A. Heinlein
Jack Williamson
Clifford D. Simak
L. Sprague de Camp
Fritz Leiber
Andre Norton
Arthur C. Clarke
Isaac Asimov
Alfred Bester - the only person to receive the honor posthumously
Ray Bradbury
Lester del Rey
Frederik Pohl
Damon Knight - the award was renamed in his honor after his death
A. E. van Vogt
Jack Vance
Poul Anderson
Hal Clement
Brian W. Aldiss
Philip José Farmer
Ursula K. Le Guin
Robert Silverberg
Anne McCaffrey
Harlan Ellison
James Gunn
Michael Moorcock
Harry Harrison
Joe Haldeman
Connie Willis
Gene Wolfe
Samuel Delany
Larry Niven
C.J. Cherryh
Jane Yolen

9

I’m glad to hear this. Her work deserves wider attention.

(I have a copy of her Wizard’s Hall on my desk, in connection with a book on the Harry Potter phenomenon I’ve been working on for a while.)

10

Two points. The award cannot be awarded posthumously. In Bester’s case, he was notified he won, but died before the ceremony.

And Damon Knight hated the idea of the Grand Master award. It was created by Jerry Pournelle primarily so SFWA could honor Heinlein.

11

To be fair, Damon hated everything SFWA did after he was president. Including adding fantasy writers.

12

This award should not be given annually. They’re running out of writers. I love Jane Yolen, but still.

I said this about the Mystery Writers of America, too, when Stuart Kaminsky was made a Grand Master.

13

It used to was that the Award could be given out only seven times a decade. I have been a member for 41 years and never learned why. These days it appears to be 9 years out of 10. I don’t know why the change was made, or what the official number is, or who thought this was a good idea. SFWA is to organizations what publishing is to industries: a mysterious sinkhole of intuition and assertion devoid of research, facts, logic, or transparency.

The Award is constrained by the recipient needing to be alive. No one not eligible for Medicare has ever been given the Award. I’m surprised by the number of recipients who hit 90; the field is not noted for longevity. I’ve never even heard of an older writer noted for fitness.

OTOH, the boomer generation is finally old enough to be eligible. That young punk William Gibson is 68.

Let 'em all in, I say.

14

I’ve been pretty satisfied with her work with the Federal Reserve as well. :wink: