Debbie says:
And the winners are …
Shelley Jackson for Half Life and Catherynne M. Valente for The Orphan’s Tales: In the Night Garden.
The jury also gave an additional special recognition award for of Julie Phillips’ work of nonfiction James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon. (St. Martin’s 2006) This kind of special award is unusual for the Tiptree Award, which focuses on fiction. But the jury could not ignore Phillips’ fine work and excellent scholarship, detailing the remarkable life of the remarkable woman for whom the award is named.
The Tiptree awards will be presented on May 27, 2007 at WisCon. Jackson and Valente will each receive $1000 in prize money, an original artwork created specifically for the award, and the signature chocolate that always accompanies the Tiptree Award. In addition to the ceremony at WisCon, the awards will also be featured at the 2007 World Science Fiction Convention in Japan in August 2007.
The James Tiptree Jr. Award is presented annually to a work or works that explore and expand gender roles in science fiction and fantasy. Rather than finding work that falls into some narrow definition of political correctness, this award seeks out work that is thought-provoking, imaginative, and perhaps even infuriating. The Tiptree Award is intended to reward those women and men who are bold enough to contemplate shifts and changes in gender roles, a fundamental aspect of any society.
The James Tiptree Jr. Award was created in 1991 to honor Alice Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr. By her chance choice of a masculine pen name, Sheldon helped break down the imaginary barrier between “women’s writing†and “men’s writing.†Her insightful short stories were notable for their thoughtful examination of the roles of men and women in our society.
Each year, a panel of five jurors selects the Tiptree Award winners. The 2006 jurors were Midori Snyder, Joan Gordon, Laurel Winter, Diane Silver, and Takayuki Tatsumi. In addition to selecting the winners, the jurors compile an “honor list†(formerly known as the “short listâ€Â), which calls attention to works that the jurors found interesting, relevant to the award, and worthy of note.
In addition, the jury has honored the following books and stories:
Andrea Hairston, Mindscape (Aqueduct Press 2006)
Betsy James, Listening at the Gate (Atheneum 2006)
Ellen Kushner, The Privilege of the Sword (Spectra 2006)
James Morrow, The Last Witchfinder (Morrow 2006)
Michaela Roessner, “Horse-Year Women” (Fantasy and Science Fiction, January 2006)
Karen Russell, “Ava Wrestles the Alligator” (Granta 93, April 2006; St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves (Knopf 2006))
Karen Russell, “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves” ( Zoetrope: All-Story, Summer 2006; St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves (Knopf 2006))
Karen Traviss, Matriarch (Eos 2006)
Mark von Schlegell, Venusia (Semiotext(e) 2005)
Congratulations to all winners and honorees, and heartfelt thanks to all jurors!
Tiptree Award, science fiction, fantasy, gender, WisCon, Body Impolitic