Monday, June 16, 2008

In Which My Ego Goes on a Rampage

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The good folks at Readercon have, as is their wont from time to time, gone completely mad. Specifically, they've expanded their request for information to go into the bio paragraphs in the program book to include:

. . . every book you’ve published, with the novels in chronological order followed by any short story collections. Include for each:

-- Title
-- Year and publisher of first publication (if the paperback publisher was different, you can indicate that as well)
-- If significantly different, year and publisher of the most recent edition
-- Any awards or nominations (collections should list the titles of stories that were nominated for or won awards, together with their year and category)
-- Genre if you write in more than one
-- Relation to other of your books if part of a series (which may be grouped together)

Please include forthcoming books (with their publisher and scheduled date) and works in progress, and significant forthcoming editions of existing books.

-- The titles of stories which were award nominees or winners, or which appeared in Best-of-Year anthologies, together with the relevant information
-- The title and editor of every anthology which contains uncollected short fiction
-- The names of magazines where uncollected short fiction has appeared
-- The title and location of a story recently appearing or about to appear

What kind of monster does this create? I'm glad you asked. Here's my extremely cut-down bio paragraph, cut together from the bio they already had and a quick run through my bibliography. I didn't include anything about uncollected fiction, because that's just plain bugfuck.

Michael Swanwick, a Guest of Honor at Readercon 13, is one of the most prolific and inventive writers in science fiction today. His works have been honored with the Hugo, Nebula, Theodore Sturgeon, and World Fantasy Awards, and have been translated and published throughout the world.

Michael is the author of IN THE DRIFT (Ace Books, 1985), VACUUM FLOWERS, (Arbor House, 1987), STATIONS OF THE TIDE (William Morrow and Company, 1991) a Hugo and Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee and Nebula Award winner as well as a New York Times Notable Book; GRIFFIN'S EGG ( Century Legend, 1991) a Hugo and Nebula nominee; THE IRON DRAGON'S DAUGHTER (Millenium, 1993), a World Fantasy Award and Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee; JACK FAUST, (Avon Books, 1997), a Hugo nominee; BONES OF THE EARTH (HarperCollins Eos, 2002), a Hugo and Nebula Award nominee, and, this year, THE DRAGONS OF BABEL (Tor Books, 2008). His short fiction has been collected in GRAVITY'S ANGELS (Arkham House, 1991); A GEOGRAPHY OF UNKNOWN LANDS (Tiger Eyes Press, 1997), a World Fantasy Award nominee; PUCK ALESHIRE’S ABECEDARY (Dragon Press, 2000); MOON DOGS (Ann A. Broomhead and Timothy P. Szczesuil, eds., NESFA Press, 2000); TALES OF OLD EARTH (Frog Ltd., 2000); CIGAR-BOX FAUST AND OTHER MINIATURES(Tachyon Publications, 2003); MICHAEL SWANWICK’S FIELD GUIDE TO THE MESOZOIC MEGAFAUNA (Tachyon Publications, 2003), THE PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS, (PS Publishing. 2005; “Cecil Rhodes in Hell” was reprinted in: David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, eds., Year’s Best Fantasy 3, Eos, 2003); and THE DOG SAID BOW-WOW (Tachyon Publications, 2007). Non-fiction books include THE POSTMODERN ARCHIPELAGO (Tachyon Publications, 1997); BEING GARDNER DOZOIS, (Old Earth Books, 2001); and WHAT CAN BE SAVED FROM THE WRECKAGE? (Temporary Culture, 2007). His first published story, "The Feast of Saint Janis", (Robert Silverberg, ed., New Dimensions 11, Pocket Books, 1980; reprinted in: Gardner Dozois, ed., Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year, 1981: Tenth Annual Collection, Dutton, 1981) was a Nebula Award nominee, as were his second, "Ginungagap" (Triquarterly 49, 1980), and third, "Mummer Kiss" (Terry Carr, ed., Universe 11, Doubleday, 1981; Zebra, 1981). "The Man Who Met Picasso" (Omni, Vol. 4: No. 12, September, 1982) was a World Fantasy Award nominee. “Marrow Death", (Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Vol. 8: No. 13, Mid-December, 1984) was a Nebula nominee, as was "Trojan Horse" (Omni, Vol. 7: No. 3, December, 1984). "Dogfight", a collaboration with William Gibson (Omni, Vol. 7: No. 10, July, 1985; reprinted in: Gardner Dozois, ed., The Year's Best Science Fiction: Third Annual Collection, Bluejay Books, 1986), was both a Nebula and Hugo nominee. "The Gods of Mars", a collaboration with Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois (Omni, Vol. 7: No. 6, March, 1985) was a Nebula nominee. "Covenant of Souls" (Omni, December, 1986) was reprinted in Gardner Dozois, ed., The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fourth Annual Collection, St. Martin's Press, 1987. "The Dragon Line" (Terry's Universe, Beth Meacham, ed., Tor, 1988) was reprinted in: Gardner Dozois, ed., The Year's Best Science Fiction: Sixth Annual Collection, St. Martin's Press, 1989. "A Midwinter's Tale" (Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Vol. 12: No. 12, December, 1988) won the Asimov’s Readers’ Award. "The Edge of the World" (Lou Aronica, Shawna McCarthy, Amy Stout & Patrick LoBrutto, eds., Full Spectrum 2, Doubleday, 1989; reprinted in: Gardner Dozois, ed., The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventh Annual Collection, St. Martin's Press, 1990, and Ellen Datlow and Terry Windling, eds., The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Third Annual Collection, St. Martin's Press, 1990) won the Theodore Sturgeon Award and was nominated for the World Fantasy Award, Hugo Award, and the Arthur C. Clarke Award. "Cold Iron" (Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol. 17: Nos. 12 & 13, November, 1993) was a Nebula nominee. "The Changeling's Tale" (Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol. 18: No. 1, January, 1994) was a World Fantasy Award nominee. "Radio Waves” (Omni, Vol. 17: No. 9, Winter 1995) won the World Fantasy Award and was nominated for the Sturgeon Award. "Walking Out" (Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol 19: No. 2, February 1995) was a Hugo nominee. "The Dead" (Starlight, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, ed., Tor, 1996; reprinted in Gardner Dozois, ed., The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fourteenth Annual Collection, St. Martin's Press, 1997, Gardner Dozois, ed., The Best New SF 10, Raven Books, 1997, and Gardner Dozois, ed., The Best of the Best, St. Martin’s Press, 2005) was a Hugo and Nebula nominee. "Radiant Doors" (Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol 22: No 9, September, 1998) was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and Theodore Sturgeon Awards. That same year, “Wild Minds” (Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol 22: No. 5, May, 1998) was also nominated for both the Hugo and Sturgeon Awards, and "The Very Pulse of the Machine" (Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol. 22: No. 6, February, 1998) won the Hugo. The next year, "Ancient Engines", Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol. 23: No. 2, September, 1999; reprinted in David G. Hartwell, ed, Year’s Best SF 5, Eos, 2000) won the Asimov’s Readers’ Award and was a Hugo and Nebula Nominee, and “Scherzo With Tyrannosaur"(Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol. 23, No. 7, July, 1999) was nominated for the Nebula and won the Hugo. “Moon Dogs” (Moon Dogs, Ann A. Broomhead and Timothy P. Szczesuil, eds., NESFA Press, 2000) was nominated for the Hugo. "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy-O" (Tales of Old Earth, Frog Ltd., 2000) was a World Fantasy Award nominee. “The Dog Said Bow-Wow” (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Vol. 25: Nos. 10 & 11, October/November, 2001; reprinted in: Robert Silverberg and Karen Haber, eds., Science Fiction: The Best of 2001, ibooks, 2002, David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, eds., Year’s Best SF, Eos, 2002, and Gardner Dozois, ed., The Year’s Best Science Fiction, St. Martin’s Press, 2002) was nominated for the Nebula and received the Hugo. “Five British Dinosaurs” (Interzone, No. 177, March, 2002) was a BSFA Award nominee. “‘Hello,’ Said the Stick” (Analog, Vol. CXXII, No. 3, March, 2002) was a Hugo nominee, “The Little Cat Laughed to See Such Sport” (Asimov’s, Vol. 26: Nos. 10 & 11, October/November, 2002) was a Hugo nominee, and “Slow Life” (Analog, Vol. 122: No. 12, December 2002) won the Hugo Award. “Legions in Time” (Asimov’s Science Fiction, Vol. 27: No. 4, April, 2003) also won the Hugo. “Coyote at the End of History” (Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol. 27: Nos. 10 & 11, October/November, 2003) was reprinted in David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer, eds, Year’s Best SF 9, Eos, 2004. “Lord Weary’s Empire” (Asimov's Science Fiction, Vol. 30: No. 12, December 2006; reprinted in: Jonathan Strahan, ed., Best Short Novels 2007). “A Small Room in Koboldtown” (Asimov's Science Fiction, April/May, 2007) is currently on the Hugo ballot. A monthly column appears in Science Fiction World, published in Chengdu, China. He has also written eleven unique stories sealed in bottles. Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Swanwick lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Marianne Porter. A retrospective collection of short fiction, THE BEST OF MICHAEL SWANWICK, is forthcoming from Subterranean Press. He is currently at work on a novel featuring Postutopian con men Darger and Surplus.

Imagine if Robert Silverberg tried to put together such a thing! They'd have to print up a second program book just for him.


No News on the Howard Waldrop Front . . .

As of last I heard, the surgery's today. I'll keep you posted.


And as always . . .

The poem du jour continues apace. Saturday's was Yeats' epitaph for Swift.


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2 comments:

Jeff Prucher said...

"THE PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS". You just put that in to see if anybody bothered copy-editing your blurb, didn't you?

Michael Swanwick said...

Fabulous save, Jeff.

Alas, I had a good religious upbringing, and so I have to come clean: No, I just goofed.

Forty lashes with a wet noodle, as Ann Landers used to say. I never really appreciated the lady until she and her sister were dead and I got to read what their replacements wrote.