Reading science fiction like it matters since 1989.
One of the best things about the last month is that there was no substantial damage to either of our headquarters in Westport and Pleasantville New York from the very real hurricanes that hit hard in this area. Lots of nearby flooding, lots of nearby power losses, road closings, many, many trees down. But we are relatively unscathed. Another best thing was the Worldcon in Reno, at which I took a large number of photos, some of which are on pages 3 and 20–23. In Reno, Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden and I got to visit our friend and former NYRSF writer Susan Palwick and her husband Gary at their home.
One of the worst things was the number of people who got sick or even died. Bill Trojan passed away in his hotel room at Reno, Bill Patterson became ill and had to have an amputation just after the convention, Lee Modesitt’s wife Carolanne became ill on the first day and required surgery the next week, still in Reno. And Bella Pagan, the new editor at Tor UK, had an ailment that put her in the same elevator as Lee Modesitt very late at night in the con hotel, coming back heavily medicated from the same local emergency room.
Bracketing Reno, I had a fine time as GoH at Diversicon in St. Paul, before, and at Context in sunny Columbus, Ohio the week after (while Hurricane Irene was closing roads for my return trip). But I sure felt like I needed my week of vacation in Westport after that.
With all that travel, this issue is being produced a week late, while I am recovering from a week of emergency dental work and then four yellow jacket stings while mowing my lawn and trying to catch up on editing and other work. And the next issue will have to be produced two weeks from now to get us back on schedule. Fortunately we had a helpful visit from our former Managing Editor, Ariel Haméon, and a new volunteer staffer, Heather Masri, to help us over the hump this weekend. And Jen Gunnels brought wasp spray.
Also at Reno the amended rules for the Semiprozine Hugo were adopted, so the Hugo category in which we are eligible persists. Maybe next year we will be nominated again. The new rules will have to be ratified by vote at the Business Meeting of the Chicago Worldcon next August, but we hope for the best. We welcome your continued support and participation.
—David G. Hartwell & the editors.
A PDF copy of the NYRSF issue in which this TOC first appeared is available for purchase at Weightless Books.