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Platform Statement for SFWA Vice President

Picture of Cat Rambo
I am running for SFWA vice president because I love the organization and think I can do more for it in that position.
Well, the statement’s up in the SFWA forums, so I should probably put it here as well. I am running for SFWA VP. I think I can do a good job. Even if you’re not voting for me, please vote if you’re a SFWA member.

Dear SFWA Members:

I am running for Vice President of SFWA.

I joined SFWA in 2005, as soon as I made my first qualifying sale. Among the work I’ve done for SFWA are stints on the Nebula short fiction and Norton juries, work with the Copyright Committee, interviews and articles for the SFWA blog, articles for the SFWA Bulletin, assisting with the YA-SIG’s move to a mailing list, and helping develop guidelines for and moderating the discussion forums. At the time I joined, I was excited and proud to be joining the ranks of so many writers I’ve admired, and I continue to be an enthusiastic advocate for and supporter of SFWA.

I have worked with the current administration and know that I can interact smoothly with it to maintain and continue to build the organization as a valuable resource for speculative fiction writers and one whose members can take pride in their membership. I’m pleased to see SFWA continuing to adapt to changes in the publishing landscape, such as the recent rate increase for SFWA-qualifying markets and the work of the Self-Publishing committee, and hope to lead similar efforts.

As far as my qualifications go, I’ve worked as both a writer and an editor. I have over 100 original short story publications, including in such places as Asimov’s, Weird Tales, and Tor.com, and three collections (two solo, one with Jeff VanderMeer) (for a complete list, see http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/fiction/). My short story, “Five Ways to Fall in Love on Planet Porcelain,” was a 2012 Nebula nominee, while others have been nominated for the Locus Award and the Million Writers Award. I was the editor for several years of award-winning Fantasy Magazine, receiving a 2012 World Fantasy nomination for my efforts there, and I have multiple editing projects coming up in 2014. I have also worked as a volunteer with both Broad Universe and the Clarion West Writers Workshop. Last year I wrote and self-published Creating an Online Presence, a guidebook for writers trying to navigate the confusing world of online self-promotion, and am currently writing a similar guide on podcasting with Folly Blaine, the podcast manager of Everyday Fiction. I teach a popular series of online classes on writing and editing and do some podcast narration. I am a frequent convention-goer and make a point of participating in SFWA activities when they’re available at such gatherings. This year, I will be attending Norwescon, the Nebula Award ceremony, the Locus Awards, and Worldcon, with tentative plans for a couple of other conventions.

My priorities as a board officer include:

  • Building SFWA’s name and influence by reaching out to both established and newer F&SF writers who have not joined but would find it useful. I’d like to see SFWA’s social media presence continue to expand and to work to interest and intrigue potential members.
  • Preserving SFWA’s institutional memory through archives and collecting existing information.
  • Improving the existing volunteer structure in order to more effectively connect volunteers with SFWA’s needs, as well as recognizing and rewarding volunteers more consistently.
  • Assisting SFWA as it determines qualifications for self-published writers as well as how it can best serve such writers.
  • Working to address internal miscommunications by better communicating what the board is doing and how people can assist in such efforts. I’d like to help current volunteers and SFWA officers tell other members what they do.

My primary role as VP, though, would be to support SFWA’s President. To assist me in that role, I’ve got good people skills, a sense of humor, and the fact that I don’t take myself overly seriously. I will continue to represent SFWA with enthusiasm and the respect such an august organization deserves.

Currently I am head moderator of the SFWA discussion forums. To avoid a potential conflict of interest, I have asked the other moderators to oversee the election subforum. Over the last six months, I’ve been recruiting new moderators and working out processes so someone else can take my place, should I be elected. As VP, I would continue to work with the moderating team to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

Sincerely,
Catherine (Cat) Rambo

10 Responses

  1. When I started writing, I wanted desperately to be part of the club. It represented camaraderie in our niche and acceptance as a writer. Then I spent 2013 and 2014 (to date) watching the posts and infighting. I wondered if I had misjudged my previous interpretation of what the SFWA stood for, even knowing not everyone agreed with all these loud opinions.

    I am indie and pay for editors and the like, which is the biggest argument I’ve seen against independent writers after not going through the system. Eventually, I will be in a position to decide whether to join or not. Were I a member, I would vote for you based on this post and the expectations for cooperation and communication it creates. I hope you make it.

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More on that Gamewriter Stuff, Plus Cat's Gen Con Schedule

I am part of the Writer’s Symposium this year at Gen Con and looking forward to it. Last time I went to one, it was in Lake Geneva, and a whole lot tinier, I believe, than nowadays.

One lure is the chance to talk with my brother Lowell, who is (is it possible?) a bigger game geek than I. You may be familiar with his Age of Ravens website, which talks a lot about RPG history, design, and gamemastering.

The SFWA Board and the Game Committee are continuing to discuss how to best tweak the qualifications.

Marc Tassin has very kindly set up a town hall event at the con, where I can talk about the decision, listen to your feedback, and take questions. Here’s my schedule overall; if you’re interested in the game writing decision, please let me know if you’re going to miss the Town Hall and would like to set up a time to come and talk to me. I’m currently writing up another blog post on what SFWA offers game writers, because there’s quite a bit.

Photo of game boxes

Here’s my schedule; I’ll be updating it as it fills up. Unless noted, an event still had tickets last time I checked.

Thursday

9 AM – attend Writers Symposium Opening Ceremonies
1 PM – Writer’s Craft: Writing Stories in First Person
2 PM – Short Fiction: Where to Start the Story
6 PM – Writer’s Craft: Story to Idea Workshop No tickets left
7 PM – Town Hall meeting about SFWA

Friday

9 AM – Writer’s Craft: Novel Writing 101 Very few tickets left.
10 AM – Character Craft: Hearing the Character’s Thoughts
12 PM – Signing
4 PM – attending a panel
7 PM – Attend friend’s reading and dinner after

Saturday

9 AM – attending a panel
12 PM – Lunch meeting
6 PM – Character Craft: Building Them Up
8 PM – Author Hangout Event

Sunday

9 AM – Read & Critique Session C
11 AM – attending a panel
12 PM – Private event
1 PM – Closing ceremonies

...

My Report: Pittsburgh 2017 Nebula Conference

Swag bags assembled and awaiting distribution.
Swag bags assembled and awaiting distribution.
I got back late last night, after a trip back that included a lost reservation, my luggage being overweight (how could that be? oh, look at all those books) so I had to repack a bit at the counter under the check-in agent’s impatient gaze, and the poor kid beside me throwing up steadily all the way from PIT to IAD. It’s always weird, the day after travel, because one feels as though you’ve been simultaneously on vacation and yet working harder than most days.

I cannot begin to enumerate all the ways that weekend was wonderful. It was a great joy to see months and months of planning finally bear fruit and now we can relax for at least a couple days before thinking about next year. The programming was, in my opinion, outstanding. My only quarrel would be that there was so much good stuff that I could not get to every panel I wanted to, and that I could not spend enough time with the fabulous SFWA events team of Kate Baker, Terra LeMay, and Steven H Silver, who are responsible for everything that was wonderful.

One of the challenges for the Programming Team, led by Mary Robinette Kowal, was making sure the programming had something for all writers, whether they were tradpub, small press, indie, or hybrid. There were so many terrific, in-depth panels, including a wealth of shadow programming additions and office hours with writers and other publishing professionals. It made me think back to a Nebula from several years when I was on a lackadaisical panel about writers block that was, I think, so much less useful than it could have been and realize just how far the Nebula Conference has come from the days of “let’s all get together in a hotel and hand out the awards and then drink a lot.”

Literally the busiest person at the conference: SFWA's fabulous Executive Director Kate Baker
Literally the busiest person at the conference: SFWA’s fabulous Executive Director Kate Baker
Sarah Pinsker did a great job with the mentoring program, which matched up literally dozens of folks for mentoring sessions that were, for a number of folks, a major highlight of the con. I am sure many of the relationships formed there will last long after this weekend; I know I picked up two of my mentee’s books and am looking forward to reading them.

The book depot structure, so adeptly administered by Sean Wallace, meant that everyone had a chance to have their books there. That had been an issue for a number of the indies last year and it was gratifying to see that problem addressed. I apologize for being one of the people who brought a stack of books in at the last minute; Sean was very patient with the number of us who did so.

I will not claim everything was perfect; I think I’m one of the people most acquainted with every behind-the-scene misstep and/or perceived slight that needed smoothing over. But so many of the small touches were stellar. The centerpieces on the banquet tables were charming robots assembled from vintage materials by artist Don L. Jones. There were plenty of chances for networking with partners and finding new and interesting opportunities. The gender-neutral bathroom was there, and usable, and in a place where people could find it. The Volunteer Breakfast on Sunday was lovely; we had a great turn-out and people liked the appreciation certificates and special SFWA temporary tattoos. (I still have a lot of these and am happy to mail them to SFWAns.) Toastmaster Kjell Lindgren was charming and smart and loves SF as much as any of us; he even showed us the books that drew him on his lifepath.

Speaking of reading, the swag bags were STUFFED with great stuff; I was making a number of happy noises while unpacking mine. I also enjoyed pointing people at the excess tables towards books that I knew were terrific, like Sarah Kuhn’s The Heroine Complex or Alaya Dawn Johnson’s Spirit Binders books.

Picture of SFWA President Cat Rambo holding a small robot sculpture
I brought a robot home with me.
I got to wear several of my more high-end thrift store finds from this year, and also learned how to pack garments that consist mainly of chainmail-like layers of sequins. I also learned that such things really end up being heavy when you accumulate a few in one suitcase. My banquet dress was a big hit; I’ve never been asked before “who were you wearing?”, which amuses me and may underscore the lengths to which I will go in SFWA’s service.

I did indeed announce that SFWA will be giving out a game-writing Nebula. Not an award with a separate name, like the Andre Norton or Ray Bradbury Award, but a Nebula. Why? Because game-writing deserves to be right up there in the ranks, not treated like a special case (no disrespect is intended there to either of the named awards). If you’re a gamewriter interested in providing feedback on how SFWA can help/serve gamewriters — or better yet, if you’re interested in helping make that happen by volunteering — I’d love to hear from you, and you can find my contact information here.

Next year’s Nebulas will again be in Pittsburgh and at the same hotel. Overall, they did a pretty solid job (with a few overwhelmed restaurant bobbles) and I know the manager and the events team sat down together on Sunday and went over everything that went wrong and how we can avoid them next year, down to details like marking the ramp’s edges with white tape so next time no one trips and has a bad fall over that invisible edge.

Selfie with SWA's CFO, Bud Sparhawk.
Selfie with SFWA’s CFO, Bud Sparhawk.
The business meeting on Saturday went smoothly; I don’t think there were any real surprises for anyone. The officer election results were announced; thank you and welcome to incoming officers Curtis Chen, Andy Duncan, Jeffe Kennedy, and John P. Murphy, with special thanks again to Erin M. Hartshorn for agreeing to take up M.C.A. Hogarth’s sparkly war axe. The most contentious discussion was a member who felt that some members might prefer to write letters to the editor in the e-newsletter The Singularity in order to communicate with fellow members than use the discussion forums; the agreement was made that should anyone wish to write such a letter, we will include it in The Singularity. Afterwards we had a panel in the same room about all the stuff SFWA offers writers; the challenge was that we didn’t have enough time to cover it all.

I don’t often get to surprise Steven H Silver, and yet Kate and I managed to keep the fact that Walter Day had made one of his awesome trading cards for him secret until the banquet. Walter’s trading cards are so nifty; he’s up to over 200 of them now and they were one of the nifty features of the swag bags. He also presented Jane Yolen with a special blown-up version of her new one. Jane gave a lovely speech, finishing with her Sally Field moment, and just generally was awesome and generous with her time all throughout the weekend.

The Super Nebula Showcase HumbleBundle has one day to go. So far it has raised more money for the SFWA Givers Fund, which administers grants to promote F&SF writing, than the Fund gave out last year. If you haven’t checked it out — there’s an awful lot of good reading in there.

Liz Argall did an adorable cartoon about the weekend, and another based on my closing words, which I hope she’ll post at some point, but I will reiterate them. It was so lovely to see you all. You are my people and I appreciate the trust you’ve given me. I’ll keep trying to steer things in a reasonable direction, but you’re the ones powering the ship. Thank you.

Many thanks to the Future Affairs Administration for live tweeting the Nebulas — they had over 4.5 million page views, which is awesome. I hope to be in Chengdu this winter to meet some of those viewers.

I am sure I have left out so much, and I suspect I’ll be updating this post throughout the next couple days as things occur to me, but I wanted to get a post up so peeps who weren’t there got to see some of the pictures. Here’s a few more.

Robots awaiting distribution to the banquet tables.
Robots awaiting distribution to the banquet tables.
With our fabulous Toastmaster.
With our fabulous Toastmaster.
Walked into the SFWA office to find Seanan McGuire had built us a castle.
Walked into the SFWA office to find Seanan McGuire had built us a castle.

...

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