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February 21, 2007
Your New PIC Sends His Greetings
Hello everyone,
As the new IAFA PIC I thought it best to introduce myself. Before I do that, however, I'd like to thank Chrissie Mains for her fantastic service over these past years. She has had an undeniable impact on the IAFA and I can only hope to fill her PIC shoes, not replace her. Chrissie has graciously offered to help walk me through this transition period to prevent any unnecessary fumblings on my part; so, I want to publically thank her and I look forward to officially taking up the reins as your new PIC.
For those of you who don't know me: I'm another Canadian (the "C" of PIC must stand for Canuck) in the position. I completed my Ph.D. at the University of Alberta in 2002 and have been ensconced as a part-time faculty member of the Cultural Studies Program and the Department of English at Trent University (Peterborough). But, this site isn't about me; rather, it's about you and what it is you want announced to the broader IAFA community. On that front, please don't hesitate to e-mail your announcements and I'll get them posted ASAP. My contact e-mail is GrahamMurphy@trentu.ca.
I look forward to seeing some/most of you at ICFA-28. Feel free to introduce yourself and say "hello." I'll be the bewildered one trailing after Chrissie, frantically taking notes.
Posted by GrahamMurphy at 06:44 AM | Comments (0)
February 13, 2007
Hal Hall's SF/Fantasy Research Database
SCIENCE FICTION DATABASE REACHES MILESTONE
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database developed at Texas A&M University reached a significant milestone with the loading of the updated database December 31, 2007. The database provides author, title, and subject access to over 75,000 individual items about the fields of science fiction, fantasy, and related material, drawn from books, journals, newspapers, fanzines, the internet, and occasionally unpublished manuscripts.
The database is based heavily upon the Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection in the Cushing Memorial Library and Archives and collections in the Sterling C. Evans Library at Texas A&M , with the substantial assistance of the Interlibrary Loan department of the University Libraries. Material acquired for indexing from other sources is archived in Science Fiction: Collected Papers, the research file of compiler and science fiction curator Hal W. Hall. That archive is housed in the Cushing Library Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Collection.
In addition to the files of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database, the Cushing Library Science Fiction Research Collection houses over 25,000 books, some 90% of the science fiction and fantasy magazines published in English, and manuscripts and papers of many science fiction and fantasy writers. The total collection numbers over 43,000 published items, and several hundred linear feet of archival material.
The Cushing Library is open daily from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday through Friday, and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, during the regular semester. For more information, contact Hal W. Hall at the Cushing Library: 979-862-1840 or email hhall AT lib-gw. tamu.edu
Hal W. Hall
Curator, Science Fiction Research Collection
Cushing Library
Texas A&M University
5000 TAMU
College Station TX 77843-5000
Editor, Science Fiction and Fantasy Research Database
(979) 862-1840 (with voice mail)
FAX (979) 845-1441
E-Mail: Hal-Hall AT TAMU.EDU
Posted by ChrissieMains at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2007
Crawford Award
The winner of the 2007 Crawford Award of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts has been announced by IAFA Committee Director Gary K. Wolfe: Mary Rickert for Map of Dreams.
On behalf of the IAFA, the board would like to congratulate Mary Rickert, who will be in attendance at the International Conference of the Fantastic of the Arts March 14-18, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to accept the award.
The board would also like to extend congratulations to the other finalists:
Daniel Abraham, A Shadow in Summer
Alan De Niro, Skinny Dipping in the Lake of the Dead
Keith Donohue, The Stolen Child
Theodora Goss, In The Forest of Forgetting
Scott Lynch, The Lies of Locke Lamora
Naomi Novik, Temeraire
The Crawford Award, presented annually by the IAFA since 1985 and originally funded by a gift from Andre Norton, recognizes the first book by an outstanding new fantasy writer. Past winners include Joe Hill, Alexander Irvine, Candas Jane Dorsey, Jonathan Lethem, Susan Palwick, Greer Gilman, and Charles de Lint.
Nominators for this year's award included Kelly Link, Graham Sleight, Niall Harrison, Jonathan Strahan, Farah Mendlesohn, and Gary K. Wolfe.
The award will be presented at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, March 14-18 in Fort Lauderdale.
Posted by ChrissieMains at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)