Face to Face with Scott Edelman
Nebula Awards Weekend
Marriott Financial Center
New York City
May 11-13, 2007
The last time the Nebulas were held in New York, it was 2000, I was the Toastmaster and Science Fiction Age had just been cancelled. Which means that by comparison, the trip to New York for the latest Nebula Awards was far more relaxing.
Because of this year's location, more of the local publishing world was able to make it to the banquet. So that's SCI FI magazine Art Director Chris Kalb (at his first Nebulas) to the left of me and Craig Engler.
World Horror Convention
Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
March 29-April 1, 2007
I used to attend the annual World Horror Conventions quite a bit, but my attendance has slackened off in recent years, mostly due to the fact that print deadlines for SCI FI Magazine have overlapped. But luckily, I was able to make it to the World Horror Convention 2007, where I could show my support for my 1979 Clarion comrade Gene O'Neill, who had been nominated for Superior Achievement in Short Fiction, and to hang out with the rest of the O'Neill clan.
Other highlights of the con included catching up with two editors who have been very good to me—Pete Crowther and Stephen Jones—as well as picking up an original watercolor from Gahan Wilson.
The Great Pyramid
Cairo, Egypt
December 20, 2006
Yes, that's us, grinning like fools after having clambered up onto the Great Pyramid of Giza. Irene and I wandered Egypt from December 13-21, 2006, hitting all of the famed antiquities we'd dreamed of for so long—Abu Simbel, Luxor, Karnak, and more. To be standing in front of the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to survive—no wonder we seemed so happy!
We traveled there with Lindblad, the same company we had trusted in Galapagos and Antarctica, and felt coddled ... which is what I think we needed for peace of mind on such a trip.
World Fantasy Convention
Austin, Texas
November 4, 2006
This was an unusual World Fantasy Convention for me. I gave the dealers' room and art show only a cursory look. I didn't attend a single panel. Instead, I overdosed on readings, sitting in as Jeffrey Ford, Mary Turzillo, F. Brett Cox, Daniel Abraham, Paul Witcover, Ellen Klages and others read recent stories, many yet to be published.
Irene accompanied me to Austin, but skipped the convention except for (as you can see) the awards banquet.
L.A. Con IV
64th World Science Fiction Convention
Anaheim, California
August 23-27, 2006
This Worldcon was an exercise in nostalgia, as it was my third in the same locale. At the time of the 1984 Anaheim WorldCon, I was living in New York and editing Last Wave magazine. By the 1996 Anaheim Worldcon, I was living in Maryland and editing Science Fiction Age magazine. And now, in 2006, I'm living in West Virginia and working for the SCI FI Channel editing multiple magazines. Who knows where I'll be or what I'll be doing come the probable 2016 Anaheim Worldcon?
I had breakfast with Robert Silverberg early in the weekend, before I started staying up too late to even think of breakfast.
Nebula Awards Weekend
Mission Palms Hotel, Tempe, Arizona
May 4-7, 2006
This was one of the more entertaining Nebula Awards weekends in a long time, thanks to Toastmaster Connie Willis and the newly appointed Grand Master Harlan Ellison. For more about the event, check out the blogging I did that weekend for Science Fiction Weekly. (I don't know know that I'll bother blogging like that again, as it's difficult to have any fun when you have to run back to the hotel room multiple times each day to update the site).
That's William F. Nolan, known primarily for writing Logan's Run, sitting next to me during the pre-banquet cocktail party. We'd never met before, and it was a treat to chat with him about his long career as a writer. He received SFWA's Author Emeritus Award later that evening.
Interaction
63rd World Science Fiction Convention
Glasgow, Scotland
August 4-8, 2005
I hadn't been in Glasow in ten years, and it took another Worldcon to get me there. A lot had changed for me in the interim—instead of editing Science Fiction Age for Sovereign Media, I was now editing a pair of magazines (SCI FI and Science Fiction Weekly) for the SCI FI Channel. Who knows what I'll be doing in another decade? But whatever happens, I do know one thing. And that's where I'll be in 2007—visiting with Takayuki Tatasumi (seen to my right) at the Japanese Worldcon.
Nebula Awards Weekend
Allegro Hotel, Chicago, Illinois
April 28, 2005
I am sure that the smile on Anne McCaffrey's face at the 2005 Nebula Awards weekend had nothing to do with her being bussed on the cheeks by me and Joe Haldeman. She was surely distracting herself by thinking of what was still to come, the highpoint of her weekend—being named the latest SFWA Grand Master. I ended up at a winning table for the banquet, as both Eileen Gunn and Ellen Klages won Nebulas (also at the table were Ellen Datlow, Gwenda Bond, Chritopher Rowe, and Gordon and Barbara van Gelder).
Paulet Island
Antarctica
January 22, 2005
There are over 100,000 nesting pairs of penguins on Antarctica's Paulet Island, and I tried to meet all of them. Behind me in the picture you can see the chicks from those penguins formed into a creche. During the our week visiting the Antarctic mainland and its islands, we were able to meet three types of penguins—Gentoos, Chinstraps and Adélies—as well as three species of whales—orca, minkes and humpback. The southern crossing of the Drake passage was gentle enough that I thought I might visit Antarctica again someday—but the return crossing convinced me otherwise.
World Fantasy Convention Four
Tempe, Arizona
October 28-31, 2004
The 2004 World Fantasy Convention was held at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel in Tempe, Arizona. The theme of this year's convention was Women in Fantasy and Horror, as evidenced by the banquet table decorations you can see sticking out of the breast pocket of my suit jacket. (Don't worry—those of us who scavenged them waited until Sunday's banquet was over.) Visible are famous fantasy females, including Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Sue Storm from the Fantasic Four, and even Betty Ballantine, one of this year's Guests of Honor.
It strikes me that even though I don't have as long a history of attending World Fantasy Conventions as I do World Science Fiction Conventions—because my first WFC was 1979, while my first WSFC was 1974—this still marked the 25th anniversary of my first WFC.
Noreason Four
62nd World Science Fiction Convention
September 2-6, 2004
I went to my first World Science Fiction Convention 30 years this weekend ago in 1974 (Washington, DC's Discon II), so Noreason Four, the 2004 WorldCon in Boston seems strangely different than most. It isn't really, but anniversaries make us think too much.
In a another anniversary, I'd had my photo taken 10 years ago at the 1994 Worldcon as part of a project to photograph all SF professionals, and it has hung in a photo gallery that has travelled from Worldcon to Worldcon. Studying the image this year, I decided to stand side by side with that photo to see what damage a decade has done to me.
It makes me wonder what the 2014 Worldcon will bring ...
The Australian Outback
September 25, 2003
Irene and I went to Australia for three weeks in the Fall of 2003, and in the middle of the trip, with Sydney behind us and Melbourne still in the future, we found ourselves at dawn on the back of a camel in the Outback. As the sun rose across the desert, we could see Uluru and Kata Tjuta in the distance.
The camel behind me in the caravan was a little bit too friendly, and kept rubbing his snout into my back and hips as our small group absorbed the views. But I didn't mind that much. It was calm and peaceful out there, and a wonderful contrast from the bustling cities before and after.
Torcon 3
61st World Science Fiction Convention
August 29, 2003
Laughing in the face of SARS scares, mad cow disease warnings and post-9/11 travel irritants, the science-fiction community descended on Toronto for the usual Labor Day lovefest. As history has shown, nothing short of a World War will stop us.
Often, one of the best parts of the convention are the publisher parties. And one of the best parts of the Avon party, held amidst the pool tables and never-ending jumbo shrimp of the Academy of Spherical Arts, was that Karen Haber abandoned husband Robert Silverberg in favor of me.
I tried my best to hang on to her, but she eventually returned to him anyway. (Must be his beard.)
Clarion SF and Fantasy Writers' WorkshopI was Editor-in-Residence at the 2003 . Kelly Link, one of the other instructors, gave a reading at the Archives Book Shop. Afterwards, the class lined up against the wall to preserve their soon-to-be-famous faces for posterity.
Standing in the back are Kelly Link, Jonathan Laden, Lancer Kind, Scott Edelman, William McIntosh, Robert Canipe, and Lister Matheson. Seated in the middle are Sean Melican, Ryan Butkus, Matthew Fitz, Joel Schnackenberg, Catherine Morrison, Tamara Inman, and Kiel Phegley. Stuck without a chair once the music stopped are Benjamin Kuo, Jamie Kress, Tom Doyle, Douglas Texter, and Amelia Beamer. Stephanie Dray didn't make it for the photo—she was too busy writing! [For a larger view, click on the image.] Remember those names!
Nebula Awards 2003
Radisson Warwick Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 19, 2003
The 2003 Nebulas were held over a weekend that conflicted with both Easter and Passover, so there was some fear that the turnout would be low, but it did not seem as poorly attended as some predicted. There was certainly no shortage of schmoozing to be done over the course of the weekend.
For the awards ceremony itself, we assembled a gang of 10 for a fun table made up of Ellen Datlow, Phil and Fruma Klass, Bill Shunn, Laura Chavoen, Eileen Gunn, Sharyn November, Craig Engler and Suzie McKee Charnas. As you can see by this photo taken after the ceremony, a strange black butterfly, native to Philadelphia, attached itself to my ear. I was warned to remain calm and not to startle it, which explains why two wild and crazy guys like me and Bill and me appear so bemused.
The Williamson family ranch
Portales, New Mexico
March 7, 2003
Back in 1991, I was one of the featured speakers at the Jack Williamson Lectureship, an annual event held on the campus of Eastern New Mexico University. In 2003, the affair became something more, since the year marked the 75th anniversary of Jack's first fiction sale. This year it was to be a celebration of the life and works of Jack himself, and I knew that I had to be there. Irene and I had a wonderful time at the pre-lectureship dinner, at the lectures themselves and at the the Williamson family ranch the following day.
In this photo, my left hand is holding a copy of the December 1928 issue of Amazing Storiews, containing Jack's first published piece of fiction, "The Metal Man," and my right hand is around Jack himself. I know that numbers are just arbitrary markers humans use to give events meaning, but still, that an author could still be working at the top of his craft 75 years after his first sale is miraclous, and something any writer would wish for for himself.
Plaza de la Revolución
Havana, Cuba
November 28, 2002
Yet again I spent Thanksgiving outside of my country, and yet again I spent it in the company of science-fiction writers from other countries. I celebrated the 2001 holiday in China, and 2002 was Cuba's turn. Along with Locus publisher Charles N. Brown and executive editor Jennifer A. Hall, I went to Havana to research the current state of Cuban science fiction, in a trip timed to coincide with the conference Cubaficción 2002. (My first thoughts about the experience were published as a Science Fiction Weekly editorial titled "90 Miles and a Million Light-Years From Home." )
On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day itself, while on the way to a regular weekly meeting of the next generation of science-fiction creators, we paused for a photograph in the Plaza de la Revolucion.I'm in front of the Ministry of the Interior, a building famous for its image of Che Guevara.
Wolong City Panda Preserve
People's Republic of China
November 25, 2001
No, it isn't a stuffed doll—it's real! My few minutes of panda petting was the highlight of my visit to Wolong City, arranged by the editors of the best-selling SF magazine in the world, titled, coincidentally enough, Science Fiction World. (The circulation of SFW is almost 400,000 copies per month.)
We drove 2 1/2 hours north from Chengdu to reach the preserve, where I experienced a bit of cognitive dissonance. Since China only lends each foreign zoo a single pair, I had never before seen more than two pandas at a time. Some part of my subconscious insisted that no more than two at a time were possible. And here there were 44 of them! Also, any pandas I'd ever seen before were barely moving, as the heat usually left them torpid. It was freezing in Wolong at our 6,000 feet elevation, and the pandas were in their element. They were leaping and frolicking, with some climbing trees, and others playing tug of war with bamboo stalks.
But it got even better. The next thing I knew, a zookeeper went into one of the panda habitats, hugged a young panda around the stomach, picked it up, placed it on a park bench, and gave it an apple. Then he gestured for me to sit beside it. I did, and when I was a little shy about getting too close, the zookeeper told me to pet it. So we sat there, the young panda and I, looking at each other as he ate his apple, and I patted his head as my hosts snapped pictures. It was a miraculous day, since that was the only spot on Earth where such an encounter was possible.
Española Island
The Galapagos Islands
September 30, 2001
As Irene and I contemplated our 25th wedding anniversary, we knew we wanted to take a trip—but to where? We thought of Europe at first, but then decided that England and France were not magical enough (sorry, guys) for such an occasion. It was a once-in-a-lifetime commemoration, and we wanted what would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Since Irene loves turtles, and we were seeking magic, we thought, why not the Galapagos Islands? And so from September 28th through October 7th, we were south of the equator, communing with nature in the land where Charles Darwin made his evolutionary discoveries.
This image shows me in Garder Bay, where I had just snorkled with sea lions. Though older sea lions are bored by visitors, the younger ones love to play. When they saw me enter the water, they raced over to peer into my mask and swim in circles around me. To the left are a mother and pup, the tiny baby just hours old. Neither minded as I lay in the sand and watched them from just a few feet away. Having to say farewell to that peaceful beach was a very difficult thing to do.
Millennium Philcon
59th World Science Fiction Convention
September 1, 2001
When Sheila Williams invited me to be a guest at the annual Asimov's/Analog Readers Poll banquet, I knew that a fun time was in store. Good conversation, old friends and an endless stream of dim sum—what more could I possibly ask for? I didn't expect the additional treat of a seat at the elbow of singer-songwriter Janis Ian, pictured between me and writer James Patrick Kelly. Janis is a longtime science-fiction fan who was introduced to con-going by Mike Resnick. This was her first convention, and I enjoyed watching her behave as I had at my first WorldCon (albeit that was—yikes!—27 years earlier), getting all giddy at meeting the elder gods of SF. Welcome to the dark side, Janis.
Chicon 2000
58th World Science Fiction Convention
September 3, 2000
As I sat in the audience at the Hugo Awards ceremony in Chicago, I was also sitting on the cusp of yet another chapter in my science-fiction career. That morning, I had given a talk titled The Short Happy Life of Science Fiction Age. (Actually, it was more like leading a wake than just giving a talk.) It was my final farewell to the magazine that had been a part of my life from 1991 through 2000. But change was on my mind that day for more than just that reason.
Keith Stokes caught me here after I had interviewed at the con for the position as editor-in-chief of Science Fiction Weekly and been offered the job, but before I had given my answer to General Manager Craig Engler. I was waiting for a return call from my wife so we could discuss whether she agreed that the move was a good idea. Isn't that what any good spouse would do?
So I wrote new lyrics for the Elvis song, "Are You Lonesome Tonight," and hid a boom box under the podium. No one knew what I had planned. At the right moment, I turned up the music, and started to sing: "Are you hopeful tonight? Will you win one tonight? Is a Nebula soon to be yours?" When the song ended, I received a standing ovation. But knowing Gardner, I'll probably still be on that damned list of his.
Noreascon Three
48th World Science Fiction Convention
September, 1989
It was on a panel in Boston on Specialty SF Publishing that I first made public a rule I'd learned at great expense as both editor and publisher of Last Wave. (Joining me on the panel were fellow publishers John Betancourt, Jan Burke, Charles Ryan and Dean Wesley Smith). The axiom I call Edelman's First Rule of Publishing is (please, for your own good, take notes)—"Use somebody else's money!"
I was to use that rule as editor of Science Fiction Age magazine, a gig which taught me Edelman's Second Rule of Publishing. If you see me at a convention someday, I'll be glad to tell you all about it.
National Cartoonist Society Halloween Party
October 19??
Back in high school, I met cartoonist Bill Kresse, who worked at the New York Daily News and drew the comic strip Super Duper. 
Thanks to him, I attended a variety of National Cartoonist Society events, including their annual awards banquet and a Halloween dinner at which this photograph was taken.
Whenever I've shown this photo to people and asked if they recongized the woman to my left, people have assumed that she's my grandmother or aunt. Nope.
Can you tell who this is? If you've don't know who she is, you can find out who by clicking on the image, which will get you to a photo of her with a very different young person.
Unfortunately, I have no idea when this photo was taken, though I think it was sometime between 1978 and 1982. I contacted the National Cartoonist Society and asked when this particular event took place, but their institutional memory doesn't seem to go back that far. If anyone out there knows, please