Hugo Awards eligibility: Letters to Tiptree, with an an essay of mine, for Best Related Work

The nominations for the 2016 Hugo Awards have just opened: http://www.thehugoawards.org/2016/01/2016-hugo-campbell-award-1941-retro-hugo-award-nominations-now-open/

Letters to Tiptree (http://www.twelfthplanetpress.com/products/ebooks/letters-to-tiptree where you can also read some of the essays for free) is eligible for Best Related Work this year.

The book is available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Letters-Tiptree-Alexandra-Pierce-ebook/dp/B014WF9Z86) and other e-book retailers.

An excerpt is available at Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/2015/08/12/excerpts-letters-to-tiptree-brit-mandelo/

Many reviews (average rating right now 4.36) have been posted at Goodreads.com: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26120369-letters-to-tiptree

My own contribution is a letter „actually addressed to Bulgarian writer Zora Zagorska about Tiptree, which makes for an interesting read“ quoting from one of the goodreads reviewers. My review of her novel The Treasure of Planet Earth can be seen here: http://scifiportal.eu/the-treasure-of-planet-earth-by-zora-zagorska-the-first-bulgarian-science-fiction-novel-written-by-a-woman/ Interestingly, this is the first Bulgarian science fiction novel, written by a woman.

I have to add that participating in this project was very interesting and gratifying, and made me look at our own Bulgarian genre heritage in a very different way, through the prism of the modern gender relations. Unfortunately, the Bulgarian Science fiction (see my historical overview of the genre in Bulgaria at http://scifiportal.eu/between-a-hummer-and-a-rock-the-bulgarian-science-fiction-between-the-east-and-the-west/) is has only rarely made excursions into the English reading world. For some recent examples see:

– https://valentindivanov.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/bulgarian-speculative-fiction-abroad-works-by-yancho-cholakov-appeared-in-the-famed-russian-magazine-uralski-sledopit-and-in-the-newspaper-bulgaria-of-the-bulgaria/

– https://valentindivanov.wordpress.com/2015/09/15/bulgarian-speculative-fiction-in-english-the-capital-of-latecomers-by-nina-nenova/

– https://valentindivanov.wordpress.com/2015/07/17/%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%BA%D0%B0%D0%B7%D1%8A%D1%82-%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%BA%D1%8A%D1%82-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B5-the-language-of-knives-%D0%BE%D1%82/

– https://valentindivanov.wordpress.com/2015/05/10/%D0%B1%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D1%84%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%B2-%D1%87%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%BA%D0%B0/

– https://valentindivanov.wordpress.com/2014/03/01/%D0%B1%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D1%84%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B0-%D0%B2-%D1%87%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-bulgarian-speculative-fiction-ab-2/

It is a personal quest of mine to popularize the Bulgarian speculative fiction abroad:

– http://scifiportal.eu/between-a-hummer-and-a-rock-the-bulgarian-science-fiction-between-the-east-and-the-west/

– http://sffportal.net/2011/06/lawful-little-country-the-bulgarian-laws-of-robotics/

– http://sffportal.net/2010/12/bulgarian-science-fiction-and-fantasy-boutique-publishing-in-sff-fan-clubs-review-of-the-commemorative-book-%E2%80%9Cwith-the-name-of-ivan-efremov%E2%80%9D/

My essay Dear Zora to appear in the non-fiction collection Letters to Tiptree (Моето есе „Драга Зора“ ще бъде публикувано в сборника „Писма до Типтри“)

In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Alice Sheldon’s birth, and in recognition of the enormous influence of both Tiptree and Sheldon on the field, Twelfth Planet Press is publishing a selection of thoughtful letters written by science fiction and fantasy’s writers, editors, critics and fans to celebrate her, to recognise her work, and maybe in some cases to finish conversations set aside nearly thirty years ago.

The list of contributors incliudes: Kathryn Allan, Marleen Barr, Stephanie Burgis, Joyce Chng, Aliette de Bodard, Timmel Duchamp, A.J. Fitzwater, Lisa Goldstein, Theodora Goss, Nicola Griffith, Valentin D Ivanov, Gwyneth Jones, Rose Lemberg, Sylvia Kelso, Alex Dally MacFarlane, Brit Mandelo, Sandra McDonald, Seanan McGuire, Karen Miller, Judith Moffet, Cheryl Morgan, Pat Murphy, Sarah Pinsker, Cat Rambo, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Justina Robson, Nisi Shawl, Nike Sulway, Lucy Sussex, Rachel Swirsky, Bogi Takács, Lynne M. Thomas, Elisabeth Vonarburg, Jo Walton, Tess Williams.

I am honoured to be in this venerable company.

My essay is about the Tiptree work, but also about a poorly known Bulgarian writer Zora Zagorska – the first woman in my country, to write a science fiction novel, back in 1967.

To pre-order the book: http://www.twelfthplanetpress.com/products/ebooks/letters-to-tiptree