Campbell Conference and Awards 2013:
"To the Stars"
June 13-16, 2013

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of the poster, courtesy Keri O'Brien.
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This year's Campbell Conference will take place on June 13 - 16 in Lawrence, Kansas. We will again meet in The Oread hotel for all our activities - and have a room block there, too - one block from our prior rooms in the Kansas Union at the University of Kansas. Using the theme of "To the Stars," we will explore SF's long relationship with off-planet travel, its promises, and the future of the human race as a galactic species. We will also discuss the important steps along the path to the stars. This year - in addition to the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award - we give another literary honor during the Awards Ceremony: the "Lifeboat to the Stars" Award.

What inspires you? Some ideas to get your creativity flowing in preparation for the discussion:

The Campbell Conference, which has been offered at the University of Kansas in Lawrence since 1978, is a feature of the summer science-fiction program. That program begins with two-week Writers Workshops in short stories and in novels, and the Conference is followed by the two-week Intensive Science Fiction Institute.

 
Award winners at the 2009 Campbell Conference Awards Banquet
Cory Doctorow, Ian MacLeod, James Alan Gardner (James Gunn in background). Photo by Keith Stokes.

The Campbell Conference is the concluding event of the Writers Workshop in Science Fiction led by Chris McKitterick and the Novel Writers Workshop in Science Fiction led by Kij Johnson, the multiple-award-winning author of science fiction and fantasy and an assistant professor in the University's MFA writing program, and the kick-off event for the Intensive Institute on the Teaching of Science Fiction. Held regularly at the University of Kansas since 1973 (except for the special joint event in 2007 with SFRA and the Heinlein Centennial), the Conference provides a setting for presenting science-fiction honors:

• Since 1979, the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science-fiction novel of the year.
• Since 1987, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the best short science fiction of the year.
• From 1996–2004, the induction of honorees into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.
• Starting in 2013, the "Lifeboat to the Stars" Award.

Planning it still in the early stages, but we already have some news to share:

Activities kick off on Thursday evening with a talk by Canadian science-fiction author Robert J. Sawyer. Friday afternoon sees the annual SF Workshops talk with our guest authors and editors, and the Awards Banquet takes place on Friday evening. We invite winners of the Campbell, Sturgeon, and Lifeboat to the Stars awards to the event, and they will take home trophies and have their names engraved on the permanent trophies that remain on display at the Center's office.

The Kansas Union Bookstore also hosts a big signing with the attending authors on the Saturday of the Conference, also held in The Oread hotel. Saturday evening also sees a special screening of the new Kevin Willmott film, Destination Planet Negro. See the schedule of events for more details. We usually plan for Conference attendees to be able to get a copy of the Sturgeon Award-winning short story and to be able to purchase the Campbell Award-winning novel at the signing. Stay tuned for updates!

Campbell Conference book signing from 2008
Kij Johnson, James Gunn, Chris McKitterick, and Frederik Pohl.

Be sure to register early for savings!

Earth: A pale, blue dot amid the endless reaches of space

Some inspiration for our discussions:

Earth, as photographed by the Voyager spacecraft from four billion miles away.
Click the image to see the NASA page discussing Earth in this context.

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

"The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.

"Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.

"The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.

"It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

- Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Special Guests for 2013

In addition to area authors and regular guest authors, the Campbell Conference usually brings to Lawrence the winners of the Campbell Award and Sturgeon Award as special guests, as well as others, and this year we also hope to have in attendance the winner of the Lifeboat to the Stars Award. CSSF Director James Gunn is our permanent special guest.

More of this year's guests will be announced as plans firm.

	Kevin J. Anderson is the author of more than 115 books, 52 of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists, with more than 23 million copies in print in 30 languages. He has won or been nominated for the Nebula Award, Bram Stoker Award, Faust Award, SFX Reader's Choice Award, Scribe Award, and New York Times Notable Book, among others. Anderson is best known for his Dune novels coauthored with Brian Herbert, his Star Wars and X-Files novels and comics, and his original Saga of Seven Suns series.
	Robin Wayne Bailey is the author of many novels and short works, including "The Children's Crusade," a 2007 Nebula nominee. He's edited two notable collections, including Architects of Dreams: The SFWA Author Emeritus Anthology. Mr. Bailey is a past president of SFWA and was a key player in the 1996 creation of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Hall of Fame.
	M.C. Chambers writes science fiction and fantasy. Her first novel, Shapers' Veil, was published by Hadley Rille Books. Her short work includes "Silk and Velvet" in the anthology Renaissance Festival Tales and an award-winning science fiction story, "Visual Silence," in the anthology Return to Luna. She has been a member of the Noble Fusion writers group since 1998. She is also a flute player, a mother of five, and a variable print programmer.
	Andy Duncan's novelette "Close Encounters" just won the Nebula Award. His story "The Pottawatomie Giant" won the World Fantasy Award in 2001, as did his collection Beluthahatchie and Other Stories in the same year. His novella "The Chief Designer" won the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award in 2002. His short-story collection, The Pottawatomie Giant & Other Stories, is currently available from PS Publishing. Duncan taught Clarion in 2004 and Clarion West in 2005 and was a full-time journalist for 12 years. He is Assistant Professor of English at Frostburg State University, and an instructor in the Honors College of the University of Alabama. Andy is this year's visiting author for the second week of the Science Fiction Writers Workshop.
	Karin Rita Gastreich is an author and teacher whose fantasy novel, Eolyn, is available from Hadley Rille Books, and the sequel, High Maga, comes out in 2014. Her short works have appeared in a number of publications. She lived for ten years in Costa Rica, where she directed a study-abroad program in tropical ecology and environmental policy for Duke University and the Organization for Tropical Studies. She recently returned to Kansas City and is now Assistant Professor of Biology at Avila University.
	James Gunn is a science fiction author and historian, KU professor emeritus of English, Founding Director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, and SFWA Grand Master. He is a past president of SFWA and is chair of the Campbell Award jury to select the best science-fiction novel of the year. Dr. Gunn is on the advisory board of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Hall of Fame.
	Kij Johnson is an author whose fantasy and SF novels and short stories have won the Sturgeon Award (where she now serves as juror), World Fantasy Award, Nebula Award three times, IAFA Award, and Hugo Award. Kij is Associate Director of the Center, teaches the Science Fiction & Fantasy Novel Writing Workshop, and is Assistant Professor of Fiction Writing in the University of Kansas English Department.
	In Memoriam: Larry Martin was Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology and Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kansas. He was a discoverer of the American Cheetah, Miracinonyx; the sabertoothed cats, Barbourofelis and Xenosmilus; the earliest beaked bird, Confusciusornis; and was a leading authority on saber-toothed carnivores, fossil rodents, birds from the age of dinosaurs, and the fossil history of disease. Larry graciously hosted regular "Science Fiction Sunday" gatherings at his home on the last day of the Campbell Conference for several years, and was a regular Campbell Conference attendee. We will miss him. Larry Martin died on March 8, 2013.
	Christopher McKitterick is an author, editor, and faculty member at the University of Kansas, where he serves as CSSF Director and teaches fiction writing, technical writing, and science fiction. His short fiction, nonfiction, and essays have been published in a number of magazines and anthologies, and his debut novel, Transcendence, was recently released by Hadley Rille Books. Chris teaches the CSSF Speculative Fiction Writers Workshop and other regular-semester SF courses at KU.
	Eric T. Reynolds is the publisher/editor of Hadley Rille Books and writes about science, space, and archaeology. Eric is a member of SFWA and Broad Universe and a graduate of the Speculative Fiction Writers Workshop.
	Robert J. Sawyer was called "the dean of Canadian science fiction" by The Ottawa Citizen and "just about the best science-fiction writer out there these days" by The Denver Rocky Mountain News. He is one of only eight writers (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field's top honors for best novel of the year: the World Science Fiction Society's Hugo Award, which he won in 2003 for his novel Hominids; the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Nebula Award, which he won in 1996 for his novel The Terminal Experiment; and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, which he won in 2006 for his novel Mindscan. He is the coordinating judge for this year's new "Lifeboat to the Stars" Award. Sawyer will give a special talk on Thursday evening.
	The Campbell Award and Sturgeon Award winners or their editors often attend, and this year we also host the Lifeboat to the Stars Award winner.
	More guests TBA!

Keep your eye out for talks and readings by and about these special guests! We will continue to update the guest list until shortly before the Conference begins.

Special Guests from 2004
George Zebrowski (Campbell Award 1999 winner and Sturgeon Award juror), Frederik Pohl (the only two-time Campbell winner, 1978 and 1985), Gregory Benford (Campbell 1981), Jack McDevitt (Campbell 2004), Brian Aldiss (1983 Campbell winner, SF&F Hall of Fame inductee, and First Fandom Hall of Fame inductee), and Hall of Fame inductee Harry Harrison. Aldiss and Harrison created the Campbell Award in 1972. Photo courtesy Karen Gunn.

Space sounds: astronaut Chris Hadfield's "Space Oddity"

Some more inspiration: Canadian astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield sings and plays guitar in his revised version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" aboard the International Space Station. This is the first song ever recorded in space:

Schedule of Events

Please stay tuned: This is an early draft of the schedule, and it will likely grow as new special guests confirm and as we add other events of interest to SF scholars and educators. The quick overview: The Conference really kicks off with a talk by SF author Robert J. Sawyer on Thursday evening. All Conference attendees are invited to attend an informal discussion about SF and writing on Friday afternoon as part of the Writing Workshops. After a break, we hold the Awards Banquet on Friday evening, followed by a reception. Saturday morning is devoted to a round-table discussion on our theme, followed by a book-signing event, afternoon readings and presentations, a film screening, and an evening reception. Sunday events include a morning discussion with the Campbell Award, Sturgeon Award, and Lifeboat to the Stars Award winners, plus an informal afternoon get-together at Ruth Lichtwardt's home. In recent years, KU Paleontologist Larry Martin graciously hosted regular "Science Fiction Sunday" gatherings at his home on the last day of the Campbell Conference, and was a regular Campbell Conference attendee. We will miss him. Larry Martin died on March 8, 2013. Thursday, June 13 7:30pm - 8:30pm: Special kickoff presentation by Robert J. Sawyer: Prediction and Science Fiction Science fiction is often termed a literature of prediction, but is it really, and, if so, how does it accomplish that? Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell Memorial Award-winning science-fiction novelist Robert J. Sawyer explores the speculative mindset, the role science fiction plays in the intellectual landscape, and how science-fictional thinking about the future can be applied to business and government. Along the way, he shows how 2001: A Space Odyssey inspired an entire generation of computer scientists, looks at why Star Trek sets so much of our research agenda, and examines the notion of the technological singularity. He points out some of science fiction's greatest predictive successes, and he also spotlights where the science-fictional vision has come up short and explains the foresight lessons to be learned from those failures. Location: (room TBA in your membership packet) Friday, June 14 1:00pm: "The Secrets of Successful Speculative Fiction" chat with our attending guest authors during the Workshop. Location: Krehbiel Scholarship Hall 1st Floor Lobby (1301 Ohio St - link here) near the KU campus. Though this is of special interest to our Workshop attendees, all Campbell Conference registrants are welcome to join.   6:00pm - 9:00pm: Awards Ceremony and Banquet for the John Campbell Award for best SF novel of the year, the Theodore Sturgeon Award for best short SF of the year, and the new Lifeboat to the Stars Award. The Banquet costs extra, but all Conference attendees are invited to attend the Awards Ceremony (starts at about 7:00pm) that follows the meal. Even if you do not intend to eat dinner, you must contact Lydia Ash (lash@ku.edu) in advance so we can arrange for seating. Location: TBA in The Oread hotel. Valet parking in The Oread's garage; parking is free on the hill as marked.   Evening: Reception immediately following Awards Ceremony. Location: TBA in The Oread hotel. Campbell Award, Sturgeon Award, and SFRA Pilgrim Award together in 2007 Photo courtesy Keith Stokes Saturday, June 15 9:00am – noon: Round-table discussion. Location: TBA in The Oread hotel near the KU campus. This year's topic: "To the Stars." Valet parking in The Oread's garage; parking is free on the hill as marked. Some resources to check out for thoughts on taking humankind to the stars. Nonfiction suggestions Buzz Aldrin's letter to NASA about US space policy. How Stuff Works article on "How Space Elevators Work." io9 article, "How NASA might build its very first warp drive." The Lifeboat Foundation's website contains tons of relevant information. NASA's Breakthrough Propulsion Physics website. NASA's Glenn Research Center's website, "Warp Drive, When?" NASA's "Why We Explore" website. NASA's Near Earth Object (NEO) Program: Cataloguing dangerous asteroids. Sky & Telescope article, "Asteroid Mining Gets Competitive." Stephen Hawking's argument that human survival depends on establishing permanent human habitation off the Earth. Fiction suggestions Tau Ceti, Kevin J. Anderson, with novella by Steven Savile (generation ship) The Algebraist, by Iain M. Banks (wormholes) Cities in Flight, by James Blish (spindizzy) The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman (collapsars) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (infinite improbability drive) Lensman series, by E.E. "Doc" Smith (inertialess drive) Methuselah's Children, by Robert A. Heinlein (another FTL drive) Tau Zero, by Poul Anderson (Bussard ramjet) Noon – 12:45pm: Break for lunch. The Oread contains several eating establishments. If you wish to dine downtown, click here for a good list of Lawrence restaurants.   12:45pm – 1:30pm: Autograph session with attending authors and editors. Location: The Oread Lobby; you can purchase books in the adjacent bookstore. This event is free and open to the public. 1:45pm – 4:30pm: Curated readings organized by Kij Johnson. Location: TBA in The Oread hotel. Scheduled readers TBA. 4:30pm – 6:30pm: Break for dinner. 6:30pm – 9:00pm: Screening of Destination Planet Negro, a new film by Kevin Willmott. Location: Oldfather Studios - details in your membership packet. 9:00pm: Informal reception. Location: TBA in The Oread hotel. Check your packet.   Sunday, June 16 9:00am – 11:00am: "Meet the authors and editors" informal talk with our attending guests and award-winning authors. Some pastries and beverages provided. Location: TBA in The Oread hotel. Noon - late afternoon: Informal afternoon gathering at the home of Ruth Lichtwardt. Location: (information in your membership packet).   Campbell Conference round-table discussion, 2007 Photo courtesy Keith Stokes

Registration and Costs

To attend some or all of the Conference activities, please complete this electronic form.

Feel free to drop us an email with any questions: Lydia Ash (lash@ku.edu)

Lifeboat to the Stars Award

he Lifeboat Foundation has announced that it will present an award for the best work of science fiction published in 2011 or 2012 that contributes to an understanding of the benefits, means, or difficulties of interstellar travel. The award, of $1,000, will be presented at the 2013 Campbell Conference to be held at the University of Kansas June 13-16.

The motto of the state of Kansas is "Ad Astra Per Aspera."

Eric Klien, President and administrator of the Foundation, said that travel to other solar systems is one way in which humanity can survive catastrophes, natural or manmade, and can contribute to humanity's understanding of the universe and of itself. "Many of our members are science-fiction writers, as well as scientists, and science fiction has the ability to explore the unknown and its human implications. We want to encourage writers to contribute their imaginations to these vital purposes."

For its part, the Campbell Conference, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, has selected interstellar travel as the topic for the 2013 Conference, which includes a roundtable discussion around a single topic. The Conference also features its traditional awards - the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for the best science-fiction novel of the year and the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the best short science fiction of the year.

Robert J. Sawyer, the distinguished Canadian science-fiction writer, chairs the "Lifeboat to the Stars" award committee, which includes science-fiction author Greg Bear as its honorary chair. Sawyer will present the award at the award dinner on Friday, June 13, and will give a talk, open to the public, about the Lifeboat Foundation and his own writing on Thursday, June 12. Sawyer is the author of several novels, including FLASH FORWARD, which was adapted into a television series. Nominations for the Lifeboat Award should be emailed to Sawyer.

Lifeboat's coordinating judge is Robert J. Sawyer, their consulting judge is Greg Bear, and their other judges include Catherine Asaro, Jason Batt, Sherry E. Bell, Kevin M. Berry, Don V. Black, Stephan Vladimir Bugaj, Brenda Cooper, David Gerrold, Niklas Järvstråt, Jim Karkanias, Rouslan Krechetnikov, Wes Kretzschmar, Eva-Jane Lark, Mike E. McCulloch, George Perry, Allen M. Steele, Jr, John K. Strickland Jr, and Allen G. Taylor.
 
The Lifeboat Foundation will also present a bibliographical survey at the 2013 Campbell Conference covering science-fictional methods of interstellar travel.
 
The Chair of the Interstellar Travel Bibliographical Survey is Lifeboat's James Blodgett. Other members of the survey team include Tracy Atkins, Jason Batt, Greg Bear, Kevin M. Berry, André Caminoa, David Gerrold, Niklas Järvstråt, Eva-Jane Lark, Mike E. McCulloch, Robert J. Sawyer, Allen M. Steele Jr, John K. Strickland Jr, and Allen G. Taylor.

Housing for the 2013 Campbell Conference

Our official housing for 2013 is in the lovely new Oread Hotel, where all this year's activities will take place, as well. It is only one block north of our usual Saturday space in the Kansas Union. Contact them directly to reserve a room, and be sure to mention the CSSF Campbell Conference for a special event discount rate. Information: To reserve a room within our discounted room-block, call the hotel's reservations department: (785)843-1200 or toll-free at (877)263-6347. Reservations are open Monday - Friday, 8:30am-6:00pm (Central time); Saturday 10:00am - 3:00pm; and Sunday 10:00am - 3:00pm. Please refer to the Campbell Conference. More details as we get them.

Enrollment Forms

To attend some or all of the Conference activities, please complete this registration form available online and submit it to Lydia Ash (lash@ku.edu).

See this map of the University of Kansas to find your way: http://www.ku.edu/~parking/ParkingMap.pdf

Meals are available in a variety of wonderful restaurants, and Lawrence offers at least one fine micro-brewery. Check out Lawrence.com or Yelp for a list of just a few of the local eating establishments.

Campbell and Sturgeon winners from 2007
James Gunn, Campbell Award winner Ben Bova, and Sturgeon Award winner Robert Charles Wilson.
Photo courtesy Keith Stokes.

Feel free to drop us an email with any questions: Lydia Ash (lash@ku.edu)

Transportation from Airport to Lawrence

This year's Conference takes place in Lawrence, Kansas.

The shuttles most people use to get to and from the Kansas City International (MCI) airport to Lawrence are:

• KCI Express Shuttle offers pickup and delivery right to our dorm or your hotel for only $5 more than the normal rate. Phone Reservations: (816)645-1815. After 8:00 PM CST (816)372-1556.
• KCI Airport Shuttle (also known as the "Roadrunner Shuttle"). Full information here (scroll to the bottom of the page for rates). Toll-free phone contact number: (800)747-2524 or call your travel agent.
  
• Ground Transportation, Inc, is a local Lawrence business. (888)467-3729 or (785)838-4500. See a schedule here.

Maps

Here's a cropped map of the University of Kansas (click the image to see it in full-screen size):
 

Here's a map showing where KU is located in Eastern Kansas:
 

University of Kansas map (in .pdf format):
http://www.ku.edu/visit/maps.shtml

Kansas Union map (in .pdf format):
http://www.union.ku.edu/forms/MapKsUnion.pdf

Lawrence map (a bus-route map, but very useful, in .pdf format):
http://www.lawrencetransit.org/maps/ltspage2.pdf 

Google Maps (just input where you wish to go and it will provide the maps).

Lawrence in the Summer

For anyone who hasn't visited, Lawrence is wonderful, a lively small city in the Kaw River valley, filled with art, events, and activities. The location of the University of Kansas, Lawrence is situated about 40 miles from Kansas City and 20 miles from Topeka. Summers can be hot, but classrooms and housing are air-conditioned.

Among its many amenities, the University of Kansas has a large science-fiction collection and excellent reference collections, including the newly acquired Sturgeon papers; museums of natural history and art; and sports, theater, and concerts. Lawrence has excellent restaurants and shopping and recreational opportunities. Kansas City is less than an hour away.

The nearest major airport is Kansas City International, about 55 miles from Lawrence. Transportation to Lawrence from Kansas City International can be arranged through one of several airport shuttle services. By car, Lawrence is at the intersection of U.S. 59 and I-70 (Kansas Turnpike). The west interchange is closer to the campus. Lawrence can also be reached by Kansas Highway 10.

Find out all about Lawrence - its history, stores, museums, observatories, and SFnal activities - here.

Contact us for any logistical help you might need in getting settled for your stay:

Lydia Ash ( lash@ku.edu )

Reports About Past Conferences

Click the links below to see reports about previous Campbell Conferences.

Photos from Past Conferences

Click the links below to see Keith Stokes' MidAmerican Fan photo-archives of previous years' activities.