T A B L E o f C O N T E N T S May 2015 • Issue 652 • Vol. 74 • No. 5 48th Year of Publication • 30-Time Hugo Winner CHARLES N. BROWN Founder (1968-2009) Cover and Interview Designs by Francesca Myman LIZA GROEN TROMBI Editor-in-Chief KIRSTEN GONG-WONG Managing Editor MARK R. KELLY Locus Online Editor-in-Chief CAROLYN F. CUSHMAN TIM PRATT Senior Editors FRANCESCA MYMAN Design Editor ARLEY SORG Editorial Assistant JONATHAN STRAHAN Reviews Editor TERRY BISSON LIZ BOURKE CORY DOCTOROW GARDNER DOZOIS STEFAN DZIEMIANOWICZ RICH HORTON Ellen Datlow and Joe Haldeman fishing off the pier at ICFA RUSSELL LETSON I N T E R V I E W RICHARD A. LUPOFF FAREN MILLER Nnedi Okorafor: Magical Futurism / 6 COLLEEN MONDOR Ken Liu: Silkpunk / 58 TOM WHITMORE GARY K. WOLFE C O N V E N T I O N S Contributing Editors Willliamson Lectureship: April 9-11, 2015 / 4 2015 Writers and Illustrators of the Future / 5 ALVARO ZINOS-AMARO 2015 International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts / 32 Norwescon 38 / 57 Roundtable Blog Editor WILLIAM G. CONTENTO M A I N S T O R I E S / 5 & 10 Computer Projects Locus, The Magazine of the Science Fiction & Fantasy 2015 Hugo Awards Ballot • Elison Wins Dick Award • 2014 BSFA Awards Winners • Russ Field (ISSN 0047-4959), is published monthly, at $7.50 per copy, by Locus Publications, 34 Ridgewood Lane, Oakland and Schmidt Win Solstice Awards • Byrne and Walton Win Tiptree • Dell Awards Winners • CA 94611. Please send all mail to: Locus Publications, PO Box 13305, Oakland CA 94661. Telephone (510) 339-9196; Hugo Awards Controversy (510) 339-9198. FAX (510) 339-9198. E-mail: <locus@ locusmag.com>. 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Letters, information, and credit card subscriptions can be Peggy Rae Sapienza • Günter Grass • Ellen Conford sent via e-mail to <[email protected]> or by fax to (510) 339-9198. Subscriptions by phone are available at (510) 339-9196; 9:30AM to 5:00PM PST, Monday – Friday. E D I T O R I A L M A T T E R S / 62 All opinions expressed by commentators and interviewees are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions Bloc Voting • Trips • This Issue/Next Issue of Locus. The 39th Williamson Lectureship, described by Toastmis- or ‘I write extrapolations.’ We’re built to predict our futures based on tress Connie Willis as ‘‘part sci-fi Woodstock, part family our pasts. And then there’s the Black Swan moment – the thing that comes reunion and part mini sci-fi convention where you actually to us from an angle we didn’t see because we’re comfortable or confident get to talk to everyone,’’ was held April 9-11, 2015 in Portales NM, in our place. Disasters often stack on disasters, and all the things that can to honor SF pioneer Jack Williamson. Lectureship events took place at go wrong are fun and interesting to a writer.’’ Eastern New Mexico University, with casual gatherings around town. He said that he writes dark SF and ‘‘negative, depressing stories’’ because Paolo Bacigalupi, multiple award-winning author of The Windup Girl, ‘‘science fiction is the only genre that can create the visceral experience was the guest of honor. of a Black Swan moment. SF attendees included authors Edward Bryant, Steven Gould & Laura Science fiction is context. It J. Mixon, Darynda Jones, Emily Mah, Victor Milan, Joan Saberhagen, allows us to step out into the Melinda Snodgrass, and Walter Jon Williams; Santa Fe journalist Lorene future, and then step back Mills; illustrators Brad Hamann and Jenn Myers; physicist Courtney Wil- into the present – and pos- lis; and forensic scientist Cordelia Willis. Jack Williamson’s niece Betty sibly make a change.’’ Williamson, her husband Milz Bickley, and his nephew Gary attended, too. The Lectureship held two- Also present were Bubonicon organizers Craig Chrissinger, Jessica Coyle, track panels Friday afternoon Kristen Dorland, Kevin & Rebecca Hewett, Patricia Rogers & Kennard in Golden Library, home Wilson; booksellers Nina & Ron Else from Denver; lectureship organizer of the Williamson Special Patrice Caldwell; digital film instructor Jon Barr; and special collections Collections. Approximately librarians Gene Bundy, Debbie Lang, and Susan Asplund. 55-65 attendees watched The lectureship began Thursday, April 9, with a two-hour forensics discussions including ‘‘Com- science talk by Cordelia Willis for ENMU forensics and law students, ics and Science Fiction’’ with followed by readings to 60 attendees in the early evening from Connie Hamann, Bryant, and My- Guest of honor Paolo Bacigalupi with Willis and Walter Jon Williams. A large dinner gathering finished out the ers; ‘‘How Not To Sell Your Toastmistress Connie Willis first day. Willis read from the forthcomingCrosstalk , explaining that it’s First Story’’ with Jones, Mah, Mixon and high school librarian Heather the working title for her 2016 novel in which the heroine gains telepathy Christensen, in which Jones admitted, ‘‘I thought you should put as many with someone other than her fiancé. Williams read from ‘‘Diamonds from adverbs on a page as possible, but that’s bad,’’ and Mah noted, ‘‘Using Tequila’’, his story featuring former child actor Sean Makin, from the passive voice is a mistake. Reading is a trance state, and you have to help Rogues anthology. the reader stay there’’; ‘‘In a Glass Darkly: Science Fiction and Fantasy Friday morning’s group breakfast was followed by an author reading 20 Years From Now’’ with Bacigalupi, Bryant, Bundy, Saberhagen, and from Bacigalupi to 65 people, excerpting his forthcoming The Water Snodgrass, in which Bacigalupi noted, ‘‘I’m just hoping there will be a Knife, while Snodgrass led a discussion with ENMU film students. Baci- publishing industry 20 years from now,’’ and Bryant commented, ‘‘We can galupi said he is interested in market-based solutions to resource problems, make some great guesses, but those of us who survive in science fiction and that he started thinking until then will probably find the reality is nothing like about the book when he was in we think’’; and ‘‘Future Very Imperfect: SF and Envi- Austin TX for ArmadilloCon ronmental Catastrophes’’ with Bacigalupi, Caldwell, in 2011 during the height of a Mixon, Courtney Willis, and ENMU’s Bill Anderson. drought. ‘‘What is the value of Willis talked about how the world started getting water? It’s very high if you’re smaller with sailing ships and how tree diseases have thirsty,’’ he quipped. ‘‘I never spread. ‘‘Biodiversity is very important,’’ Willis said. create worlds where people Bacigalupi stated that he feels very little fiction so far work together or plan ahead. I has the environment or ‘‘the unraveled ecosystem’’ at write science fiction, but noth- its core, especially as a catastrophe. ‘‘As storytellers, ing unrealistic.’’ it’s probably better to start a story after a collapse,’’ he Caldwell opened Friday’s said, ‘‘and tell of normal people in a broken world.’’ luncheon to about 100 people, Friday evening a dinner party was held at Gene welcoming visitors and thank- Bundy and Geni Flores’ home, followed on Saturday ing several people for assisting.