And The Winner IS . . .

.

If I've learned anything from running the Science Fiction Day and/or Isaac Asimov Limerick Writing Competition (and not everyone agrees that I have), it's  that limerick-writers work fast, so they don't really need a month-long competition.  If I ever do this again, I'll limit the contest to a week. 

But never mind that.  The Blue Ribbon and Not At All Nepotistic Panel of Family has met, deliberated, and pondered, deep into a lunch at Grog, out by the comic book store on Lancaster Avenue, and come up with a decision.  The winner is . . .  Joe Stillman!  For writing:

Some writers who like science fiction

Formed a new and exciting tradition

Doctor Asimov's heirs

And his fans and his peers

Yell hooray and continue his mission

Which, in addition to its obvious virtues, pushed self-referentiality (or perhaps competition-referentiality is the mot juste here) right to the edge, and almost (but not quite) booted it over.  Kudos to Mr. Stillman.

Joe, if you'll send me your street address (email can reach me at miswanwick ["at" sign] aol.com), an autographed copy of the new trade paperback of Dancing With Bears will wing its away toward you.


And there's more . . .

The Blue Ribbon and Not At All Nepotistic Panel of Family has decided to give a special award to . . .  Richard Mason for:

There once was a robot whose rhyme

Considered this directive prime:

"My verses must scan

If they possibly can

Except where doing so would conflict with either the First or Second lines."

His ingenuity, alas, ran afoul of my stated rule that the limerick must be formally correct.  But the panelists liked this one so much that they demanded I send out a second book.  So, Richard, if you'll give me your address, as above, I shall comply.


And also  . . .


There was a limerick which almost smoked the two winners.  It was written by the pseudonymous oneoftheMichaels and went as follows:

Asimov, Heinlein and Pohl

Bova, Bear, Gibson & Clough

Zelazny and Swanwick

Williams and Phil Dick

Gaiman, LeGuin, Doctorow 

The ingenuity of this (plus  the fact that it included my name) was almost enough give it the laurel wreath.  Unhappily, it relied on Brenda Clough's name rhyming with Doctorow, when it actually rhymes with "rough, tough, and dazzling stuff."

So close!  But a very good try.

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