SFWA Names Nalo Hopkinson as 37th Damon Knight Grand Master
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA) announced that Nalo Hopkinson shall be the 37th Damon Knight Grand Master, for her contributions to the sci-fi and fantasy genres.
Hopkinson’s first book, Brown Girl in the Ring, won the Warner Aspect First Novel Contest in 1998 and won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the Locus Award for Best First Novel. Since then, she has published five other books, including the Andre Norton Award–winning Sister Mine and three collections of her work, winning a slew of other awards, such as the the Aurora Award, British Fantasy Award, the Gaylactic Spectrum Award, and the Sunburst Award. She has also edited several stories, like Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction and an issue of Lightspeed Magazine. She has taught English at many different universities, like Clarion East, Clarion West, and Clarion South and is a professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside.
The president of SWFA, Mary Robinette Kowal, had this to say about Hopkinson:
“I have loved Nalo Hopkinson’s work since 1999 when I discovered her through the short story “Precious” in a Datlow/Windling anthology Silver Birch, Blood Moon. Each new piece continues to delight me and stretch me as a reader and makes me bolder as a writer.
“Naming Nalo as Grand Master recognizes not only her phenomenal writing but also her work as an educator who has shaped so many of the rising stars of modern SFF.”
The SWFA is a non-profit 501 organization of sci-fi and fantasy writers that was founded in the year 1965 by Damon Knight. Though it’s based in Enfield, CT, it accepts writers from all nations, and has approximately 1900 members.
The award will be presented at the 56th Nebula Awards, which will take place from June 4-6. Due to COVID, this will be the second virtual Nebula Awards. The awards will have seminars and panels regarding creative writing, as well as business meetings hosted by SWFA. Registration for the event is available for purchase for $125 at events.sfwa.org.
