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Student Caucus Election

All current student members of the IAFA are encouraged to vote for their new representatives!

You have 3 wonderful candidates to choose from! To vote, please rank all candidates from 1-3 and email your selections to Skye Cervone at scervone@fau.edu no later than Monday, May 9th. The candidate with the most votes for first place will serve as the Student Caucus Representative, and the runner-up will serve as Student Caucus Vice-Representative. You will find the bios and pictures of the 3 candidates below.

Amandine Faucheux

Amandine is a second-year PhD student in English and Women’s and Gender Studies at Louisiana State University, where she studies feminist and queer science fiction, with a strong interest in alternative futurisms.

Throughout my graduate career I have helped organize conferences, workshops, and other events in various groups or organizations. I have been a member of the Writing Program Administration Graduate Organization (WPA-GO), a national organization, for over two years, and I serve as one of their grant readers. I am currently the President of the Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Organization (WGSGO) at my university, which has given me the opportunity to work with a group of students across the disciplines and organize multiples events on and off campus. I also attend regular faculty meetings where I am in charge of representing the interests of the members of this group. Although relatively new to the ICFA community, my extensive experience with student organizations makes me a strong candidate for the job of SCIAFIA Representative.

Amandine

 

Sarah Fish

I am currently a PhD Candidate in English and American Literature at the University of Houston.  I am ABD, finishing my dissertation about national security and education framed through ideas developed while working with discourses about “zombie students.”  I will graduate in May 2017, so I will not be a student for the full term, but I see myself as a good fit as Rep because I have been a member of IAFA and attended ICFA since 2014.  Since the 2015 conference, I’ve made a bigger effort to connect with my student and professor colleagues (especially through social media), and I have a broader interest in working with graduate student development.  At UH, I have organized TA classroom training and been a part of graduate student professional development panels.  IAFA and ICFA have been a major part of my development as a scholar, and I would be happy to serve my fellow student members.

Sarah

 

Amanda Rudd

Amanda Rudd is a PhD Candidate in British and American Literature at the University of Houston, specializing in Science Fiction and Globalization. She is working on her dissertation tentatively titled “Globalization and the Evolution of Science Fiction.” She is currently an adjunct lecturer at University of Houston-Downtown, and has taught First-Year Writing courses and Introduction to Science Fiction courses. In the Summer of 2016 she will be teaching two courses (Time Travel Narratives and The Art of Satire) at the prestigious Duke University Talent Identification Program. She has presented at many conferences including the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (2014, 2015, 2016), and the ACA/PCA Conference (2015). She has been published in Brigham Young’s Literature and Belief journal (2012). Her article “Paul’s Empire: Imperialism and Assemblage in Frank Herbert’s Dune” was recently published in the inaugural issue of the Museum of Science Fiction’s publication The Journal of Science Fiction, in January 2016. And her book chapter “‘Shut up and take my money!’: Exposing the Realities of Hyper-Consumerism and Consumption Through Parody in the World of Futurama” is forthcoming in the collection Neoliberalism and Television, currently in negotiation with Lexington Books.

I believe I am a good fit for Student Caucus representative because I have experience both in the field of science fiction and in planning and managing events. As both a PhD student and as a teacher, I have years of experience working in the science fiction field. In addition, I have presented at ICFA for the last three years, which gives me familiarity with the event and the community. Furthermore, I have been highly involved in running a conference: the Coastal Plains Graduate Liberal Arts Conference at the University of Houston, for which I was head of publicity in 2012, Assistant Chair of the Planning Committee in 2013, and finally Chair of the Planning Committee in 2014, during which I made the conference the biggest it has yet been. This position gave me experience in managing and working in collaboration with many people, coordinating with speakers, and fundraising. All of this demonstrates that I am very invested in being involved in and of service to the communities I care about.

Amanda

Call for Division Head Applications: Science Fiction and Fantasy

The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts is accepting applications for the position of Head of the Science Fiction Literature (SF) and Fantasy Literature (FL) Divisions. Those interested in applying must send a cover letter explaining their interest in and qualifications for the position, and a current CV, to the First Vice-President, Isabella van Elferen i.vanelferen@kingston.ac.uk, no later than 15 May 2016. Division Heads are appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the First Vice-President, who chairs the Council of Division Heads, after formal discussion and majority vote of the Board. The terms are for three years. The SF Division Head will begin immediately, the Head of FL will “shadow” the current Head until their appointment begins at the conclusion of the conference in 2017.

Each Division Head organizes and supervises all conference activity within a subdivision of fantastic scholarship. Division Heads work under the guidance of the First Vice-President. Division Heads are responsible for recruiting session proposals and papers and are responsible for formatting these to the requirements of the First Vice-President. Division Heads are responsible for forwarding all information to the First Vice-President in a timely fashion. Division Heads have the responsibility to check the draft program for accuracy and AV needs. Division Heads are expected to liaise with other Division Heads and the First Vice-President. The First Vice-President is the final arbiter of the program under the aegis of the Executive Board. At the conference the Division Heads oversee sessions in their respective Divisions and collect suggestions for future topics, special guests, etc.

Call for Nominations – IAFA Student Caucus Representatives

The Student Caucus of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts announces a Call for Nominations for the Caucus elected positions of Student Caucus Representative and Student Caucus Vice-Representative. The new terms will be from August 1, 2016 – July 31, 2018. Any student member of the IAFA is invited to run, even if that member does not plan on being a student for the entire term. All candidates run for the same, full representative position, with the winner of the election holding the position of Student Caucus Representative and the runner-up holding the position of Student Caucus Vice-Representative. In the event of a tie, an instant runoff will be held by Skye Cervone to determine a winner. Those interested in running should send a brief biography, a description explaining why they would be a good fit for the position, and a picture to Skye at scervone@fau.edu no later than April 24th. During the week of April 25th, all student members of the IAFA will then be invited by Skye to participate in an election for their new representatives. Please see the formal job descriptions below.

Job Description: Student Caucus Representative

Formal titles: Representative of the Student Caucus of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (SCIAFA)/ SCIAFA Representative to the Executive Board of the International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA)

The SCIAFA Representative is elected by the student body of the IAFA. During the two year term, the Representative is responsible for addressing and advocating for the needs of student members of IAFA. This responsibility includes representing student membership on the Executive Board of the IAFA (the SCIAFA Representative serves on the Executive Board). The Representative must attend biannual board meetings during their term and participate in the Board’s online discussion list. At the conference, the Representative will run SCIAFA programming, including the SCIAFA Mentorship Program. The Representative is expected to attend all IAFA business meetings, as well as most Board-sponsored events. The SCIAFA Representative should remain visible and accessible for the duration of the conference both to assist and guide fellow students, as well as to assist fellow Board members, organizers, and volunteers

Job Description: Student Caucus Vice-Representative

Formal title: Vice-Representative of the Student Caucus of the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (SCIAFA) (formerly the Shadow Representative)

The SCIAFA Vice-Representative is an elected position. The Vice-Representative runs for the full SCIAFA Representative position—the Vice-Representative position is filled by the runner-up. The duty of the Vice-Representative is to assist the Representative; this includes stepping in for the Representative in the event of emergencies or scheduling conflicts. The Vice-Representative is expected to attend all SCIAFA and Board-Sponsored events at the annual conference, but does not attend the summer board meeting (though the Vice-Representative should be available to attend in the Representative’s place if needed).

If you have any questions about what the positions entail, please email Skye at scervone@fau.edu.

Announcement from the President

Dear ICFA attendees,

We regretfully announce that Terri Windling will be unable to join us at the conference next week. Nonetheless, we intend to honor and celebrate her work as planned, in addition to the fine work of our other guests, Holly Black and Cristina Bacchilega. I am delighted to report that we will still hear Terri’s Guest of Honor speech on Thursday, which will be delivered by Ellen Kushner.

The conference will cancel only two events out of more than 150 total sessions, so while we will miss Terri Windling’s presence, we trust your conference experience will be an excellent one. Please join us in wishing Terri the best.

Warm regards,
Sydney Duncan
President, IAFA Board of Directors

ICFA Accessibility Policy

ICFA is committed to being an accessible conference that supports the varied needs of our members. We understand how important it is for our attendees and panelists to feel comfortable and welcome.

The conference is held at the Orlando Marriott Lakeside Hotel. Members should be aware of the following:

  1. The hotel has a number of mobility accessible rooms, which include full deaf alert systems. Members can select rooms with roll-in showers or handle-grip tubs (please note that the tubs are generally available only with rooms with single king sized beds.) Most of the mobility accessible rooms are not equipped with refrigerators; if you have medication that needs to be refrigerated, please contact the hotel in advance to arrange for a refrigerator in your room, or contact ICFA staff for assistance.

The main hotel registration desk is not fully accessible.

Please note that mobility accessible rooms are limited and may sell out. All nearby hotels contain at least eight mobility accessible rooms per hotel.

  1. Following Florida law, service animals are allowed for guests with disabilities.
  1. The hotel does not have a disabled accessible restroom on the second floor, where some panels are held.  Two elevators provide access to the disabled accessible restrooms on the ground level.  Many panels are held in in the hotel’s ballroom event area, which has fully accessible restrooms.
  1. The hotel’s lunchtime restaurant/bar area is divided by stairs. Members can reach the ground floor area directly, or reach the top area through a long access ramp off to the side of the bar.
  1. The hotel’s complimentary shuttle service is not wheelchair accessible. Boarding this service requires climbing three steps.
  1. The Orange County Lynx Bus service and all theme park buses are wheelchair accessible. Most services will require wheelchair users to use the complimentary seatbelts/straps.  Many Orlando taxis offer roll in wheelchair service; please alert the taxi service when making your reservation.  The Marriott hotel will be able to assist you with finding accessible taxi services.

Please note that ACCESS Lynx is not available at this time to out of state residents.

  1. Although a sidewalk does lead away from the hotel, it does not fully connect to other sidewalks offering access to local restaurants and overflow hotels. The curb cut from this sidewalk to the street is tilted and may cause issues for heavy power chairs and mobility scooters.  The curb cut from the main guest parking lot into the hotel is narrow and may cause issues for heavy power chairs and mobility scooters. The curb cut from the parking lot by the main ballroom area is fully accessible; that, and the main lobby entrance, are recommended entrances for wheelchair users.
  1. The hotel pool has a lift; although labeled self-operating, guests will need the assistance of hotel staff to use it.
  1. The Marriott hotel currently uses fluorescent lighting in most of its meeting rooms. The restaurant and bar area use a mix of LED and fluorescent lighting.
  1. Our banquet menus have been selected to offer a broad variety of foods, including clearly labeled vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free options.
  1. At this time, financial restrictions preclude us from offering ASL interpreters or captioning. We welcome any suggestions on how we can improve accessibility for members in this area.

Call for Division Head Applications

The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts is accepting applications for the position of Head of the Horror Literature (HL) and Visual and Performing Arts and Audiences (VPAA) Divisions. Those interested in applying must send a cover letter explaining their interest in and qualifications for the position, and a current CV, to the First Vice-President, Dale Knickerbocker knickerbockerd@ecu.edu, no later than 10 March 2016. Division Heads are appointed by the President, on the recommendation of the First Vice-President, who chairs the Council of Division Heads, after formal discussion and majority vote of the Board. The termi is for three years. The terms are for three years. The VPAA Division Head will begin immediately following the 37th ICFA, the Head of HL will “shadow” the current Head until their appointment begins at the conclusion of the 38th ICFA in 2017.

Each Division Head organizes and supervises all conference activity within a subdivision of fantastic scholarship. Division Heads work under the guidance of the First Vice-President. Division Heads are responsible for recruiting session proposals and papers and are responsible for formatting these to the requirements of the First Vice-President. Division Heads are responsible for forwarding all information to the First Vice-President in a timely fashion. Division Heads have the responsibility to check the draft program for accuracy and AV needs. Division Heads are expected to liaise with other Division Heads and the First Vice-President. The First Vice-President is the final arbiter of the program under the aegis of the Executive Board. At the conference the Division Heads oversee sessions in their respective Divisions and collect suggestions for future topics, special guests, etc.

2016 Crawford Award Announced

The winner of the 2016 Crawford Award, presented annually by the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts for a first book of fantasy fiction, is Kai Ashante Wilson for The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps (Tor). The judges cited the novel’s “fresh and powerful voice,” “gorgeous language, great characters, and wonderfully imagined setting.”

The other books included on this year’s Crawford shortlist include

Natasha Pulley, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street (Bloomsbury); Ken Liu, The Grace of Kings (Saga Press); Indra Das, The Devourers (Penguin India); Seth Dickinson, The Traitor Baru Cormorant (Tor); and Adrienne Celt, The Daughters (Liveright).

Participating at various stages of this year’s nomination and selection process were previous Crawford winners Sofia Samatar, Jedediah Berry, and Candas Jane Dorsey, as well as Cheryl Morgan, Niall Harrison, Farah Mendlesohn, Ellen Klages, Graham Sleight, Karen Burnham, Jonathan Strahan, Liza Groen Trombi, and Stacie Hanes.  The award will be presented on March 19 during the 37th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts in Orlando, Florida.

Also at the conference, the IAFA’s Distinguished Scholarship Award will be presented to Cristina Bacchilega, and the Jamie Bishop Memorial Award for a work of scholarship written in a language other than English will go to Natacha Vas-Deyres and Patrick Bergeron.  The Walter James Miller Memorial Award, for a student paper on a work or works of the fantastic originally created in a language other than English, will be presented to Kristy Eager.  The IAFA’s general award for an outstanding student paper, formerly called the Graduate Student Award, has been rechristened the David G. Hartwell Emerging Scholar Award, in tribute to editor and long-time IAFA Board member and book room manager David Hartwell. The winner will be announced at a later date.

David G. Hartwell: 1941-2016

David G. Hartwell and Gary K. WolfeDavid G. Hartwell, who would have turned 75 this summer, attended his first ICFA in Boca Raton in 1984—only the fifth conference—and immediately earned his place in conference folklore when he and Justin Leiber (Fritz’s son; they were both guests that year) conspired to bum-rush the then-president Marshall Tymn into the hotel pool one evening.  There were good reasons for this, from David’s point of view, but there were also good reasons for David to continue attending the conference almost yearly, except for ICFA’s brief exile to Texas.  And the more he attended, the more such stories gathered around him.  He really did sing “Teen Angel” to a riverboat full of tourists, including Doris Lessing, and he really was along on what became known as the “Heart of Darkness” water taxi cruise with Philip Jose Farmer and his wife and a few of the rest of us.  And, of course, he really did own all those clothes. As he once explained to me, “You need to have good taste to do bad taste well.”

In 1995, Bob Collins and I invited him to join the conference board and take over management of the book room, which had been something of a haphazard affair before then.  For many conference members, this was their first encounter with David, whose connections in New York publishing and particularly with Tor have for years provided ICFA with many of the free books that showed up at luncheons and banquets.  The book room itself grew into one of the main attractions of the conference.

David believed in ICFA; he wrote that it had become an “umbrella for the marginalized study of the fantastic, and that it was worth supporting.”  This, I think, helps explain the apparent paradox of the two Davids.

And that paradox is this:  for many ICFA attendees, including some well-known scholars, David was the colorfully-dressed, urbane, and very knowledgeable guy who ran the book room, who had done some of those darkly outrageous things in the early history of the conference, and who was Peter and Elizabeth’s dad.

But for most of the writers attending and at least a few of us academics–the list of names is too long to even begin here–ICFA had somehow snagged one of the great legendary editors in the history of science fiction as a regular attendee and as, of all things, the book room manager.  He did this for more than twenty years, and the influence he had in bringing more and more distinguished writers to the conference is inestimable.

Academics and literary historians tend to focus on writers, for obvious reasons: they’re easier to research.  In the science fiction field, an occasional editor like Hugo Gernsback or John W. Campbell, Jr. or Michael Moorcock might show up on the radar, but anthologists and novel editors are far less visible.  But those who know the real history of science fiction (and fantasy, and horror) know that David Hartwell is a name that belongs in that pantheon.  He not only edited writers as diverse as Gene Wolfe, Gregory Benford, Michael Bishop, Robert Sawyer, and L.E.Modesitt, but he won three Hugo and two World Fantasy Awards, and one of the latter was for The Dark Descent, an anthology which did as much to define modern horror fiction as any other single book.  His equally massive science fiction anthologies, sometimes co-edited with Kathryn Cramer, more recently with Patrick Nielsen Hayden, made coherent and pointed arguments for the kind of science fiction David believed in.  He edited nine years of Best Fantasy annuals and eighteen years of Best Science Fiction annuals.  He co-founded one of the important critical magazines in the field, The New York Review of Science Fiction. He wrote a still-useful popular introduction to science fiction, Age of Wonders.

He shaped the field as much as anyone else has in the last half-century.

And he was the guy in the book room.  A couple of years ago, David told me with some glee that one of the more prominent ICFA scholars, who had read a lot of theory but only recently begun researching the details of the literary history of science fiction, had come up to him and said, with some surprise, “It seems like you’re a pretty important guy.”  She was even more surprised to learn he had a doctorate in medieval literature.

He didn’t seem to mind much, being the guy in the book room, but we all should have asked him more questions than we did. I knew David for over thirty years, and didn’t always agree with his ideas about science fiction or fantasy, but I never failed to learn something new from him just about every time we talked. We’ve lost a lot of the history of SF, as well as a congenial guy with unaccountable passions for indescribable wardrobes and teen death songs. And we have lost a huge and largely unsung part of what has helped knit ICFA together over all these years.

–Gary K. Wolfe

Overflow Hotel

Hello Everyone!

As you may or may not be aware, the Orlando Airport Marriott Lakeside Hotel is completely booked.

The good news is that we have secured an overflow hotel at an excellent group rate!

The overflow hotel is the Sheraton Suites Orlando Airport, 7550 Augusta National Drive. Orlando, FL 32822, United States. This hotel is next door to our hotel, so it will be easy to get to and from the events at the Marriott (It is about a five-seven minute walk).  

While we were unable to get the normal conference rate of $132 per night, we were able to negotiate an excellent rate of $149 per night, which is great deal and will likely be cheaper than any going rate in the area.  

We only have a limited block of rooms available for our group, so they will fill up fast.  If you do not yet have a room for the conference, I strongly suggest that you reserve your room today. 

To reserve your room, go the below link:

https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/StarGroupsWeb/res?id=1601155606&key=24875F08

If you have any questions at all, please email me at iafareg@gmail.com. 

See you all in March!

Your Faithful Registration Coordinator,

Valorie 

International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA) 

Membership & Registration Coordinator

1279 W. Palmetto Park Road, #272285

Boca Raton, Florida 33427

iafareg@gmail.com

ICFA REGISTRATION

Dear ICFA Participants:

REDUCED PRICE REGISTRATION ENDS JAN. 14. after which it goes up from $110 to $135 ($165 after Jan. 31)–see prices and cutoff dates attached.

HOTEL: Last year, the reduced-price hotel rooms were sold out by Feb.1–given our increased attendance this year, we recommend booking by Jan. 15.

GRADUATE STUDENTS: Deadline for IAFA Emerging Scholar Award (formerly Graduate Student Award) Feb. 1 (see attached)