The Curious Case of the Masonic-sounding Award

[sandramcdonald]

Alice Mary Norton was an ambitious young writer who went off to college to become a teacher. Then the Depression set in, and she had to drop out to go work for the local library. She was told it would be easier to sell her books under a male name and so she legally became Andre. Her first book was published when she was 22, and for seventy years

Comments

[sartorias]

The Curious Case of sounds like the whole Arthur Conan Doyle subgenre.

Wow do I agree, but awards by their nature all go to whoever the in crowd running them likes, and in the case of sf, it's been mostly white males for decades.

[sandramcdonald]

I agree - women only win Grand Master when women are presidents of SFWA. I think there's got to be a better way to do it.

[ccfinlay]

Really?! That's pretty damning. I would think some male president of SFWA would take it as a personal challenge to correct that.

And for Kate Wilhelm to *not* get the award in her lifetime would be... ridiculous on so many levels.

[sandramcdonald]

Yes, it's true. The only three women to be awarded Grand Master received it while women were presidents of SFWA.

I think some future male president of SFWA should definitely take it on as a challenge :-)

[orbitalmechanic]

FOR REAL? That is shameful. Though exactly in keeping with that writer's-heaven cover, which I also don't want to believe!

[sandramcdonald]

Andre Norton won in 1984, when Marta Randall was president.

Ursula LeGuin won in 2003 (notice that 19 year gap) when Sharon Lee was president.

Anne McCaffrey won in 2005, when Catherine Asaro was president.

[barbarienne]

Someone needs to get up Scalzi's nose next year.

[affinity8]

Indeed.