Speculaltive Fiction Grant for Writers Over 50; Deadline 31 March

Sorry for being late to the party on this one, but we've just found out (via BoingBoing) that the Speculative Literature Foundation's application period for the SLF Older Writers Grant will be closing soon, on 31 March.

This is a one-time grant of $750 and, being a grant, you can spend that any way you wish. You have to be 50 years old or older, and you have to be trying to break into the business.

Time is short to apply, but the list of applications materials seems short and sweet, and anyone trying to work professionally doubtlessly either has these to hand or can work them up quickly.

Technorati Tags: Grants, Speculative Fiction Writing, Older Writers

Got $116K? Then You Have A First Edtion Library!

Tor.com:

If any of you have a spare $116,ooo sitting around, you can purchase an impressive collection of books. The Fine Books Company recently listed a collection of all the Hugo and Nebula Award winners for Best Novel on ABE Books. Here are some details from the site:

The listing includes 126 books covering 82 titles (many titles won both awards), and 95% of the titles are signed or inscribed, and in fine or better condition. When a paperback is the true first edition, then the first hardcover is also included. In some cases, US and UK hardcovers have been included where the paperback is the true first.

Read all about it at the Tor website.

The LA Times Reviews Bradbury's "We'll Always Have Paris"

Gavin J. Grant for the LA Times:

Given his recent record, reader expectations for "We'll Always Have Paris" might understandably be on the low side -- especially given the cover, which features a grinning Bradbury holding a glowing book, Photoshopped in front of the Eiffel Tower.

And therein lies a happy surprise: Throw those expectations out the window and get ready to enjoy a fresh draft of stories the way only Bradbury can write them. Bradbury's strengths have always been in capturing something about people, places and moments. His signature tales -- "The Martian Chronicles," "Dandelion Wine," "The Fog Horn" -- wend among joy and darker emotions. Here, Bradbury often shows how much he loved the small town he grew up in, but his willingness to write about the shadows as well as the carnivals, the poison apples as well as the apple pie, is what gives his stories their depth.

Read All About It.

Top 10 SF Books For Non-SF Readers

(via Suite101.com) If you think that s-f is a silly boys' genre all about star-ships and
robots battling in space, think again: and use this selection for the
unconverted as a guide.

Read more: "Top 10 Science-Fiction Books for Non-Fans: The Best S-F Novels for the Unconverted" - http://scififantasyfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/top_10_sciencefiction_books_for_nonfans#ixzz08mCjzEPh

Philip Jose Farmer Dead at 91

Via The Associated Press:

Philip Jose Farmer, one of the most celebrated science fiction, fantasy and short story writers of the 1960s and '70s, died Wednesday. He was 91.

Mr. Farmer died "peacefully" in his sleep, according to a message posted on his official Web site.

The longtime Peoria resident wrote more than 75 novels, including the Riverworld and World of Tiers series. He won the Hugo Award three times and the Grand Master Award for Science Fiction in 2001.

Read All About It Here.

Technorati Tags: Philip Jose Farmer, SF Authors, SF Obituaries