HELP US HONOR JAMES E. GUNN at the SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY HALL OF FAME CEREMONY in SEATTLE on JUNE 27, 2015 at the LOCUS AWARDS WEEKEND!
Please help us fly James E. Gunn to Seattle to be inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law. Participate in our “Lightning Fast Fundraiser” for airfare here! LESLIE HOWLE: “I was working at SFM, the new Science Fiction Museum located inside of the EMP Museum, when the SF&F Hall of Fame moved from the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to its new home in Seattle. Since part of my job as SFM Outreach and Education Manager was to help organize the inductee nomination and selection process, during that transition time I got to know SF&F Hall of Fame founder James E. Gunn. He was always kind and generous with his time and assistance. During my years at SFM I saw how the SF&F Hall of Fame works as an important educational tool to introduce people to the best in our field, and though I no longer work at the museum, I continue to volunteer. Now, ten years later, this year’s panel of Hall of Fame pros has selected James E. Gunn from the list of nominees provided by museum members and last year’s panel to be inducted into the SF&F Hall of Fame. We are delighted to see him honored. The SF&F Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place as part of the Locus Awards on June 27, 2015. It would be fantastic for Jim to be there to accept this honor, but unfortunately, there is no budget for airfares to bring inductees to Seattle. As one of the original SF&F Hall of Fame founders, it would mean a lot to Jim to attend his induction. It would also be gratifying for all of us who have enjoyed his fiction or benefited from his decades-long pioneering efforts to legitimize the field of science fiction in academia to see him at the induction ceremony. With the help of the good folks at Locus Magazine and others, we are setting up a “Lightning Fast Fundraiser” to help us quickly buy tickets to bring James Gunn (and a companion to help him make the trip) to Seattle to be inducted into the SF&F Hall of Fame. The cost of airfare will continue to rise daily between now and June 27; so we are hoping for a lightning fast response from good-hearted people who can afford to donate even a small amount to help make this happen. Also being inducted into the 2015 SF&F Hall of Fame are author Kurt Vonnegut, artist John Schoenherr, French filmmaker Georges Méliès; and the Curators Selection this year is artist Jack Gaughan. James Gunn is the only living inductee. Thanks in advance for any and all donations! The Locus donate button is below. Click on the button to make a contribution earmarked for the James Gunn Hall of Fame Fund. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowable by law.” All best; Leslie Howle
James E. Gunn is an author, educator, scholar, and founder/former Director of the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas. He has served as both President of SFWA, the international organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers, and of SFRA, the organization of professional scholars and critics of science fiction. Named a Damon Knight SFWA Grandmaster in 2007, Gunn continues to write (his new novel just came out!) and work as an educator at 91 years of age. You can read more about James E. Gunn here http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/bio.htm or http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/Kessel-appreciation.htm.
Photo of James Gunn by Jason Dailey.
For more information about the Locus Awards events, visit the 2015 Locus Awards Information Page. Anything above and beyond the travel expenses of James Gunn and his assistant will be donated to the Locus Science Fiction Foundation and earmarked for the Locus Awards, which currently operates at a deficit. If insufficient funds are raised to cover the costs of travel, donors will be contacted and refunded.
Thank you for your help! Please email us at locus@locusmag if you have donated and do not see your name here.