Quick, Overdue Update

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I’m not dead. And I haven’t killed anybody (whose body has been discovered, at least).

I am swamped with a couple of things.

First of all, work. This semester is keeping me busy. Both my classes started at capacity, including my 8:00 AM section.I just gave the first exam and have barely made a dent int he grading. My department head seems to have a new hobby. Thinking up more things for me to do.

I also have a new hobby. No, it’s not thinking up more things for me to do. Although it might resemble such to the untrained eye.

I’ve been taking some online writing workshops. So far they have been worth the time. I’ve learned a lot. There was a sale on them last week, and I signed up for two more. They are six week workshops, and they, along with a three week workshop that was a Kickstarter exclusive, start over the next two days.

So most of the writing I’m going to be doing will be either for these workshops or other fiction projects I’ve got in the works. More on those when they are ready to hatch.

Most of my reading has been short fiction, although there’s one novel I want to review. I will try to fit it in later this week. I read the hardcover and the paper edition comes out soon.

I will try to do a better job on birthday posts. (Ignores the dirty look from Theodore Sturgeon’s ghost.)

If you will excuse me, I’ve got fiction to get started on.

2022 Robert E. Howard Awards List of Nominees

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The list of nominees for the 2022 Robert E. Howard Awards has been finalized by the Awards Committee. The Committee would like to thank everyone who sent in nominations for the various awards. We have worked our way through all of them, and have listed the most nominated works in each category. We congratulate everyone who was nominated whether you made the final cut or not, and wish good luck to the nominees.

Only current members of the Robert E. Howard Foundation can vote on the winners, and if you are a current member, you will be receiving an email with the link to the page where you can vote on the nominees. If you haven’t received an email with the link by Feb. 20, 2022, please send an email to rehawardsjbATgmailDOTcom (replace the at and dot with their symbols) so we can check your status and send you an email link. Voting by Foundation members ends at 11:59 PM, CST, March 1, 2022.

Here are the finalists for this year’s awards: Continue reading →

Third Brief Shoutout: C. L. Moore

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While I made my deadline for submitting to the anthology I was trying for, I still haven’t had a chance to read anything by the birthday girl for today (Jan. 24), C. L. Moore (1911-1987). I blame labs starting today and another writing assignment I had due.

She’s no stranger to regular readers of this blog. I fell in love with her writing way back in middle school, and she’s been a favorite ever since.

I’ve read pretty much all of her solo work, and most of what she wrote in collaboration with her husband Henry Kuttner. But it’s been a while since I’ve read some of it.

Maybe I’ll revisit some of those stories.

If you’ve not read her, give her work a try. You’ll be glad you did.

Another Brief Shoutout, Howard This Time

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January 22 is the birthday of one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century, Robert E. Howard. Not only did he pen some of the best horror and fantasy stories of all time, he excelled in other genres as well, such as boxing, adventure and both humorous and serious westerns. And let’s not forget two literary categories, poetry and corresponding with H. P. Lovecraft.

I’m still trying to get a piece of fiction finished before a deadline, so I haven’t had a chance to read anything of Howard’s. I’d hoped to, but then one of our for-legged family members died suddenly. That’s thrown everything off.

But one thing that’s been at the back of my mind about Bob while I’ve been writing is what I mentioned in the first paragraph. He was a versatile writer. And he was not afraid to stretch himself and grow, to take chances. This can be seen in the works of a number of writers.  That’s the example I’m trying to follow.

A Brief Shoutout to Abraham Merritt

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Abraham Merritt (1884-1943) was born on this date, January 20. This is just going to be a brief post. I’m working on a tight deadline for an anthology submission, so I’ve not had a chance to read anything by him (or anyone else, for that matter.)

He was once one of the most revered names in fantasy. His influence was such that he was, to the best of my knowledge, the first genre writer to have a fiction magazine named after him. There’s an example of one of the issues on the right. I’d like to get my hands on a copy. That cover looks great.

Hopefully we’ll see a resurgence of interest in the man and his work. He could spin a yarn. I want to reread Dwellers in the Mirage later this year.

I’ve missed a couple of birthday’s lately, such as Brackett and Clark Ashton Smith. Once my writing commitments lighten up, I’ll post something about them.

 

RIP, Dave Wolverton (1957-2022) and Ron Goulart (1933-2022)

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This wasn’t the post I had planned to write today, and it certainly isn’t one I want to write. The fields of fantasy and science fiction have lost two of thier luminaries.

Dave Wolverton, who is probably better know as David Farland, died from head injuries he suffered due to a fall down a set of stairs. Goulart had been hospitalized in December with pneumonia and was suffering from dementia. Both men died on the 14th. Goulart had turned 89 the day before. Continue reading →

The 2022 Robert E. Howard Awards Are Open for Nominations!

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We are pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the 2022 Robert E. Howard Awards. The Robert E. Howard Foundation has revised the rules and categories for the awards, so please read over the information below. Some categories have changed, and there is a new category for works of fiction. Under the new rules, nominations are due in to the Awards committee by January 31, 2022, with the Awards committee selecting the top nominees in each category for the final ballot by February 15, 2022. The Final ballot will be sent out to all current Robert E. Howard Foundation members (members who have paid dues for the year 2022) for voting on the winners on February 15, 2022. You do not have to currently be a member of the Robert E. Howard Foundation to send in nominees at this stage of the process. All nominees must have the name of the publication for printed works, and the internet address for works available on the internet in the nomination. Only work that was published from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2021 is eligible to be nominated.

All nominations are to be sent to the following email address:

rehawardsjb ”AT” gmail ”DOT” com (replace the AT and DOT with their corresponding symbols)

Here are the revised awards and requirements for them.

Categories

Awards will be given in three categories: Scholarship, Art, and Special Awards. Works for each category may be submitted for consideration and voting. The awards will be announced at the annual Howard Days celebration.

Scholarship Awards

Scholarship Awards are focused principally on original research, biography, literary analysis, and criticism related to Robert E. Howard’s life and work. This includes studies dedicated to media (fiction, poetry, film, comics, etc.) principally concerned with Howard’s characters or work.

The Atlantean—Outstanding Achievement, Book

Requirements: Nonfiction work (print or digital), minimum 50,000 words, substantively devoted to the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year.

Considerations: Reprinted works without significant revisions are not eligible. Award goes to the author or authors.

The Valusian—Outstanding Achievement, Anthology/Collection

Requirements: Nonfiction anthology or collection of essays (print or digital), nonfiction, minimum 50,000 words, substantively devoted to the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year.

Considerations: Reprinted works without significant revisions are not eligible. Award goes to the editor or editors.

The Hyrkanian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay

Requirements: Nonfiction essays (print or digital), no minimum word count, substantively focused on the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year.

Considerations: Short blog posts, news, interviews, reviews, trip reports, and other minor works are not considered. Award goes to the author or authors.

The Cimmerian—Outstanding Achievement, Scholarship (peer-reviewed)

Requirements: Scholarly essays (print or digital), no minimum word count, substantively focused on the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year in a peer-reviewed journal or collection.

Considerations: Can be awarded separately to an essay that appears in a book that wins the Valusian. Award goes to the author or authors.

The Venarium—Emerging Scholar

Requirements: Candidates must have recently begun making significant contributions to Howard scholarship through publications and/or presentations over the past few years.

Considerations: Previous winners are not eligible. Award goes to the individual.

Art Awards

One of the missions of the Robert E. Howard Foundation is to promote Howard’s creative legacy as well as his study. Art awards recognize achievement in creative fields related to Robert E. Howard’s life and work.

The Black Lotus—Outstanding Achievement, Web-based

Requirements: Web-based content (i.e. digital magazine, journals, websites, blogs, podcasts, audiovisual/multimedia presentations, internet sites, etc.), substantively focused on the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, new content must have been published in the last calendar year.

Considerations: Non-static social media like Facebook and Twitter would not be eligible. Award goes to site owner/administrator.

The Costigan—Literary achievement

Awarded for original creative writing that carries on the spirit and tradition of Robert E. Howard, to better recognize and celebrate his influence on future generations of writers.

Requirements: Fiction (i.e. short fiction, novels, comic books, etc.), in the spirit and tradition of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year.

Considerations: Work must be substantial and original in content; translations and adaptations will not be considered. Award goes to the individual writer or writing team.

The Rankin—Artistic achievement

Requirements: Visual media (painting, comics art & covers, film, etc.), directly related to the depiction of Robert E. Howard’s life, characters, or fictional worlds; published in the last calendar year.

Considerations: Work must be substantial and original in content. Award goes to the individual artist.

Special Awards

Some achievements deserve recognition, but do not fit neatly into easy categories, nor are they likely to be handed out every year. Those who have made some substantial achievement in scholarship or particular contribution to Howard studies, may be eligible for a Crom Award. Those who have made a significant contribution over a long involvement with Howard Studies may be eligible to join the Black Circle. The Select Committee will collect nominations, but these special awards will be voted on privately by the Board of Directors. The winners will be announced at the end of the award program.

 

The Awards Committee thanks you for your help in recognizing these deserving people.

“Free Dirt” from Beaumont and Bradbury

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Today, January 2, is the birthday of Charles Beaumont (1929-1967). Beaumont was one of the writers of the original Twilight Zone. The reason Rod Serling asked Beaumont to write for him can be easily seen in Beaumont’s work.

One of Beaumont’s mentors was Ray Bradbury. Bradbury wrote in the introduction to Best of Beaumont (1982) that he and Beaumont lived in the same part of Los Angeles and used to pass a cemetery that had a sign advertising FREE DIRT. Continue reading →

A Look Ahead to 2020Too

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I’m not into resolutions much. I’m more of a goals kind of guy.

Here are a few goals. These are mainly being driven by some situations at work, some of which I am not at liberty to discuss in a public forum. By that I mean legally prohibited (personnel issues). Bottom line, I will have put in enough time to be able to retire a year from now. I don’t know that I will want to then, but I want to have the freedom to exercise that option.

So, here are  few that relate to this blog. Continue reading →

A Look Back at 2020 Won

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2021 wasn’t my favorite year, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve ever experienced. (Those were back in the 90s, and the less said about them, the better.)

Since this blog is a writing, reading, and, to a lesser extent, publishing blog, I’ll confine my comments to things that relate to those topics.

I didn’t get much reading done this past year. I came down with a moderate case of COVID at the beginning of the summer, which took a toll on my stamina over the summer. I didn’t have a lot of energy to do much reading or writing in June or July, and teaching a class the second summer session didn’t help.

Being in academia, the effects of COVID were felt there as well. The spring semester everything was hybrid, and I just have to say, “I HATE ONLINE LABS”. And I’m the one who put them together. Classes were back to full attendance in the fall, but there were other time consuming aspects of the day job, such as two additional committee assignments, a search committee and a building planning committee.

Most of my reading was short fiction, with very few novels. Most of the novels were either older works or independent authors. Among the trad published works, I tended to focus on Poul Anderson, Frank Herbert, and Robert Heinlein, leavened with Isaac Asimov. I tried to work in as much Howard, Brackett, and Kuttner as possible, but I didn’t get as much read as last year.

Writing was pretty much a nonstarter, at least until NaNoWriMo. See this post for further details.

I guess like many people, 2020Won was spent trying to hang on to my sanity and a sense of normality. I’m hoping to change some things, but that will be the topic of tomorrow’s post.