Demise… the Wild Cards baddie you all love to hate, or maybe hate to love… is back in a new short story on Tor.com from the pen (well, computer) of Walton “Bud” Simons.
https://www.tor.com/author/walton-simons/
No, Demise hasn’t returned from the dead (again). We don’t do that in Wild Cards. It’s a period piece.
Old fans will love it, and new fans have a treat in store.
It’s free. Go and enjoy.
Current Mood: 
bouncy
Damon Knight created the legendary Milford Writers Conference in the 1960s. It was named after Milford, Pennsylvania, where Damon lived… though it later moved on to Colorado and other distant climes. A decade or so later, the British writers decided they wanted a Milford too, and even found a town called Milford to hold it in. (I attended it in 1981, during my first visit to the UK). The original American Milford expired many many years ago… but as it happens, the British version is still going strong, though they are no longer in Milford.
Just this morning, I received an email from Jacey Bedford, their current secretary, who asked for me to help spread the word about the conference, and some scholarship opportunities. She writes:
“This will be our third year of offering funding for two SF writers of colour wishing to attend Milford for the first time. We have our two writers this year, but we are always trying to reach a wider audience to solicit applications from all over the world. So far we’ve had writers from the UK, USA, Nigeria, and the Philippines via The Netherlands. Applications have just opened for the two available places in September 2020 and we want to get the word out to as many eligible writers as possible.
“Could we please ask you to give it a shout-out on your blog? As a previous attendee of Milford, it would be great coming from you. Our bursaries cover the full cost of attending Milford (approximately £650 per person), but not the cost of travel.
“Milford has now settled at a lovely venue in North Wales, close to Mount Snowdon and the Snowdonia National Park.
“We need to publicise the availability of funding as widely as possible. The quality of our applicants is high, but we don’t get many of them. I’m happy to write a piece for your blog, or just to supply you with as many details (and Images) as you can use if you prefer to mention it yourself.
“Applications for September 2020 bursaries open in September 2019 and close at the end of February 2020. (We usually have our recipients announced at Eastercon.) It would be ideal if you could throw something onto the interwebs in September / October.
“This is Milford now: http://www.milfordsf.co.uk/
And this is our bursary page: http://www.milfordsf.co.uk/bursaries.htm
“This will be our third year of funding two writers of colour to attend Milford. Our recipients so far have been Suyi Okungbowa (Nigeria) who has just had the novel published that he brought to Milford (Yay!), Dolly Garland (UK), Nisi Shawl (USA), Rochita Loenen Ruiz (Philippina via the Netherlands), and this year we have Russell Smith (Black British), and Mbozi Haimbe (Zambia, resident in the UK). We hope to be able to continue the bursaries annually. Currently, due to the generosity of private (writer) donors and two previous Eastercons, we are funded up to 2022.”
Milford UK was a wonderful experience for me in 1981, and I don’t doubt that the current version will be as well.
Spread the word.
Current Mood: 
pleased
Mike Resnick is one of the giants of our field. A former worldcon Guest of Honor, a Hugo winner (many times) and Hugo loser (even more times), founder and editor of GALAXY’S EDGE magazine, novelist and editor and anthologist and unfailing champion of new writers (he calls them his Writer Babies, and they are legion).
Now he needs help, to deal with some staggering medical bills.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help him.
Go ye, and contribute. Every dollar helps.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-mike-resnick-pay-off-a-neardeath-experience
Current Mood: 
hopeful
August went by in a blur, and most of it was spent on the road. London, Dublin, Belfast. Great cities, great times, but it is good to be home in Santa Fe. By the end of any long trip, my green chile addiction kicks in and I need a fix.
I do not travel with a computer, so I returned to the usual one thousand unanswered emails. Thankfully, a lot of them were spam or junk mail, so I was able to get through them quickly.
Dublin is a lovely city, and worldcon was fun as always. James Bacon and his team did a smashing job, although the convention facilities were not equal to the size of the crowds, which caused some problems and a lot of lines. I did a couple of signings there, but not a lot of programming. But the two panels I did do, both with Parris, were very special, and I think the audience felt that as well. I do miss some of the pleasures that I used to take for granted at worldcons, like being able to walk the dealer’s room and browse new books, or sit in the bar for hours with friends coming and going and everyone buying rounds… but sadly, none of that seems possible for me any longer. Too many people wanting signatures or selfies. All very nice, most very polite, but I hate refusing anyone, and after a while it just wears me out.
I was able to enjoy more of that at Eurocon/ Titancon the following weekend, in Belfast. A much smaller con in a smaller city, maybe that’s the answer. Peadar and Pat made a great toastmaster team. I had not been to Belfast since we were shooting the GAME OF THRONES pilot, and it was fascinating the extent to which the show has permeated the city. Castle Ward has its own Night’s Watch, the GOT Exhibit down by the Titanic Museum is just stunning… and everywhere I went, strangers came up to thank me for their jobs and tell me how the show has changed the city and their lives. That was very gratifying.
I just hope Brexit does not screw it all up… but I fear it might. Belfast deserves better.
Loved our time in London too.
Oh, and everywhere I went they gave me awards. That was also very nice.
I will have more to say about that, and many other things, in subsequent posts. Right now, I am still trying to bounce back from jetlag. Later, friends.
Current Mood: 
tired
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