Nebula Awards Showcase 2009 (58 page)

But enough about a crime story. Ardath’s first love was fantasy and science fiction, and she, like me, wanted badly to break into those fields. We became fast friends and burned up the phone lines every day, sometimes talking for hours. They were good talks. We talked about books and stories we liked, the state of the field (it always stinks), publishers, editors, other writers, conventions (we attended a few), and our latest works.

We formed a writers’ organization that lasted for many years and petered out when many of the members moved, died, or became so busy that the monthly meetings couldn’t continue. Interestingly enough, a large number of those members were published in some form or another. But what I remember about those meetings was looking forward to Ardath Mayhar reading from a story, or a book she was working on.

It was a great treat.

Before long, she broke into science fiction big-time. I drifted off into other, newer interests, circling back now and then to touch base, but Ardath was selling books and stories faster than a duck could gobble june bugs. In time, Ardath branched out into other types of stories: crime, suspense, western, mystery, but, like me, she always circled back, and for her, the bulk of her work lies within the science fiction and fantasy fields.

Bless her. She fought the good fight to become a writer and made it.

No connections to start out with.

Originally, no other real dedicated writers to speak to—thank goodness we found each other.

No financial backing. She’s done everything from milking cows to operating a bookstore.

No great respect or understanding from the local populace, who didn’t get that science fiction and funny space stuff. (That perception about SF here has changed dramatically, and part of that is due to Ardath herself, because how do you keep denying a force of nature?)

You see, Ardath persisted. She wrote and wrote and wrote, turning out thousands of words a day, and this, young folks, was when we were writing our works on old-fashioned typewriters that sometimes demanded we near stand on the keys to make them pop the paper. She moved from those, as did I, to electric typewriters, and finally word processors. In fact, I bought my first word processor from her and her husband, Joe.

 

These days there are fewer stories coming from the Mayhar residence. She’s enjoying the fruits of her labors; she’s slowed down a bit. Pets and feeds those stray cats, reads a lot, and watches old movies. We get together for visits now and then, like at the recent Nebula Awards. We rode there together and back, my wife at the wheel, my daughter in the backseat with me. I leaned forward the whole trip. Ardath and I swapped stories and talked about this and that. It was delightful. Like old times.

These days, the words don’t quite jump and spark at Ardath the way they once did, but that may be because she’s not at this moment ready to catch them. Recently, an exploding compost toilet excited her enough to snag a few sparks out of the air (nothing from the exploding toilet I might add) and pin those sparkly suckers to paper. Replacements and/or repairs cost money. The need for money necessitates creativity sometimes. Remember, Philip K. Dick dedicated one of his novels to bill collectors.

But enough of the memories.

Now, Ardath Mayhar has been named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction Writers of America.

I’m ecstatic.

Break out the brass bands.

Someone buy some confetti.

Clear the streets.

Gather the crowds.

Start the parade.

And at both ends of this very long, blocked-off street where we hold our parade, put up this banner:

Ardath Mayhar, Author Emeritus. Living Treasure.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

 

E
llen Datlow has been an award-winning editor of short science fiction, fantasy, and horror for over twenty-five years.

She is coeditor (the horror half) of
The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror
and has edited or coedited a large number of award-winning original anthologies. Her most recent are
Inferno
;
The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy
;
Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe
;
The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales
; and
Troll’s Eye View
(the latter two with Terri Windling).

She is the winner of multiple awards for her editing, including the World Fantasy Award, Locus Award, Hugo Award, International Horror Guild Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and Bram Stoker Award. She was the recipient of the 2007 Karl Edward Wagner Award, given at the British Fantasy Convention for “outstanding contribution to the genre.”

She cohosts the popular Fantastic Fiction at KGB Bar series of readings in New York City, where she lives in close proximity to too many books and some very frightening (although not to her) doll heads.

COPYRIGHT NOTICES

 

Introduction by Ellen Datlow. Copyright © 2009 by Ellen Datlow. Published here for the first time in any form by permission of the author.

“The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate,” by Ted Chiang. Copyright © 2007. First appeared in
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
, September 2007. Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s agents, the Virginia Kidd Agency, Inc.

“Always,” by Karen Joy Fowler. Copyright © 2007 by Karen Joy Fowler. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, April/May 2007 issue. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Where the Sidewalk Ends,” by Barry N. Malzberg. Copyright © 2009 by Barry N. Malzberg. Published here for the first time in any form by permission of the author.

“Why I Write Science Fiction,” by Kathleen Ann Goonan. Copyright © 2009 by Kathleen Ann Goonan. Published here for the first time in any form by permission of the author.

“Titanium Mike Saves the Day,” by David D. Levine. Copyright © 2007 by David D. Levine. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
, April 2007. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Pol Pot’s Beautiful Daughter (Fantasy),” by Geoff Ryman. Copyright © 2006 by Geoff Ryman. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
, December 2006. Reprinted by permission of the author.

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union
(excerpt), by Michael Chabon. Copyright © 2007 by Michael Chabon. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

“Last Unicorn,” by Jane Yolen. Copyright © 2006 by Jane Yolen. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, June 2006 issue. Reprinted by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

“The Graven Idol’s Godheart,” by Rich Ristow. Copyright © 2006 by Rich Ristow. First appeared in
The Shantytown Anomaly
, issue 2, 2006. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Journey to Kailash,” by Mike Allen. Copyright © 2006 by Mike Allen. First published in
Strange Horizons
, January 23, 2006. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Stars Seen Through Stone,” by Lucius Shepard. Copyright © 2007 by Lucius Shepard. First published in
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
, July 2007 issue. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“What You Saw Was What You Got,” by Howard Waldrop. Copyright © 2009 by Howard Waldrop. Published here for the first time in any form by permission of the author.

“
Pan’s Labyrinth
: Dreaming with Eyes Wide Open,” by Tim Lucas. Copyright © 2007 by Tim

Lucas/Video Watchdog. Adapted from the original article published in
Video Watchdog
#135, December 2007. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Evolution of Trickster Stories Among the Dogs of North Park After the Change,” by Kij Johnson. Copyright © 2007 by Kij Johnson. First published in
The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales
. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“An Appreciation of Michael Moorcock,” by Kim Newman. Copyright © 2009 by Kim Newman. Published here for the first time in any form by permission of the author.

“The Pleasure Garden of Felipe Sagittarius,” by Michael Moorcock. Copyright © 1966 by Michael Moorcock. First published in
New Worlds
, September 1965. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The New Golden Age,” by Gwenda Bond. Copyright © 2009 by Gwenda Bond. Published here for the first time in any form by permission of the author.

“Clubbing,” by Ellen L. Asher. Copyright © 2009 by Ellen Asher. Published here for the first time in any form by permission of the author.

“Captive Girl,” by Jennifer Pelland. Copyright © 2006 by Jennifer Pelland. First published in
Helix: A Speculative Fiction Quarterly
, fall 2006 issue. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse,” by Andy Duncan. Copyright © 2007 by Andy Duncan. First published in
Eclipse 1: New Science Fiction and Fantasy
. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Fountain of Age,” by Nancy Kress. Copyright © 2007 by Nancy Kress. First published in
Asimov’s Science Fiction
, July 2007 issue. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Ardath Mayhar, Talent from the Pines,” by Joe R. Lansdale. Copyright © 2009 by Joe R. Lansdale. Published here for the first time in any form by permission of the author.

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SFWA and Nebula Awards are registered trademarks of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc.