Rhysling Awards
Encyclopedia
The Rhysling Awards are an annual award given for the best science fiction, fantasy, or horror poem
of the year. Unlike most literary awards, which are named for the creator of the award, the subject of the award, or a noted member of the field, the Rhyslings are named for a character in a science fiction story: the blind poet Rhysling, in Robert A. Heinlein
's short story The Green Hills of Earth
. The award is given in two categories: "Best Long Poem", for works of 50 or more lines, and "Best Short Poem", for works of 49 or fewer lines.
The nominees for each year's Rhysling Awards are chosen by the members of the Science Fiction Poetry Association
(SFPA). Each member may nominate one work for each of the categories. The nominated works are then compiled into an anthology called The Rhysling Anthology, and members of the Association then vote on the final winners. Since 2005, the Awards have been presented in July at a ceremony at Readercon
. While the "Best Short Poem" category allows very short poems to be entered the SFPA also has the Dwarf Stars Award
which is for poems from one to ten lines..
Speculative poetry
Also variously called science fiction poetry or SF poetry or fantastic poetry, speculative poetry is to poetry roughly what speculative fiction is to fiction. Speculative poetry is often published by the same markets that publish science fiction, fantasy and horror.Speculative poetry is not...
of the year. Unlike most literary awards, which are named for the creator of the award, the subject of the award, or a noted member of the field, the Rhyslings are named for a character in a science fiction story: the blind poet Rhysling, in Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
's short story The Green Hills of Earth
The Green Hills of Earth
"The Green Hills of Earth" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein, and the title of a song, "The Green Hills of Earth", mentioned in several of his novels...
. The award is given in two categories: "Best Long Poem", for works of 50 or more lines, and "Best Short Poem", for works of 49 or fewer lines.
The nominees for each year's Rhysling Awards are chosen by the members of the Science Fiction Poetry Association
Science Fiction Poetry Association
The Science Fiction Poetry Association was established in 1978 by Suzette Haden Elgin to bring together poets and readers interested in science fiction poetry. The organization administers the Rhysling Award and publishes the journal Star*Line, as well as providing market listings and industry news...
(SFPA). Each member may nominate one work for each of the categories. The nominated works are then compiled into an anthology called The Rhysling Anthology, and members of the Association then vote on the final winners. Since 2005, the Awards have been presented in July at a ceremony at Readercon
Readercon
Readercon is an annual science fiction convention, held every July in the Boston, Massachusetts area, in Burlington, Massachusetts). It was founded by Bob Colby and statistician Eric Van in the 1980s with the goal of focusing exclusively on science fiction in the written form Readercon is an...
. While the "Best Short Poem" category allows very short poems to be entered the SFPA also has the Dwarf Stars Award
Dwarf Stars Award
"Dwarf stars" redirects here. For the type of star, see Dwarf star.The Dwarf Stars Award is a poetry award of the Science Fiction Poetry Association, created in 2006. It awards the best horror, fantasy, and science fiction short poetry published in the previous year, including scifaiku, tanka,...
which is for poems from one to ten lines..
Best Long Poem winners
- 1978 Gene WolfeGene WolfeGene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
The Computer Iterates the Greater Trumps - 1979 Michael BishopMichael Bishop (author)Michael Lawson Bishop is an award-winning American writer. Over four decades and thirty books, he has created a body of work that stands among the most admired in modern science fiction and fantasy literature....
For the Lady of a Physicist - 1980 Andrew JoronAndrew JoronAndrew Joron is an American writer of experimental poetry. He began by writing science fiction poetry. Joron's later poetry, combining scientific and philosophical ideas with the sonic properties of language, has been compared to the work of the Russian Futurist Velimir Khlebnikov...
The Sonic Flowerfall of Primes - 1981 Thomas M. DischThomas M. DischThomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W...
On Science Fiction - 1982 Ursula K. Le GuinUrsula K. Le GuinUrsula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
The Well of Baln - 1983 Adam CornfordAdam CornfordAdam Cornford is an American poet, librettist, and essayist.-Biography:Adam Francis Cornford is the son of Christopher Cornford and a lineal descendant of naturalist Charles Darwin...
Your Time and You: A Neoprole's Dating Guide - 1984 Joe HaldemanJoe HaldemanJoe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
Saul's Death: Two Sestinas - 1985 Siv CederingSiv CederingSiv Cedering was an award-winning Swedish-American poet, writer, and artist. She occasionally published as Siv Cedering Fox.-Early life:...
A Letter from Caroline Herschel (1750-1848) - 1986 Andrew JoronAndrew JoronAndrew Joron is an American writer of experimental poetry. He began by writing science fiction poetry. Joron's later poetry, combining scientific and philosophical ideas with the sonic properties of language, has been compared to the work of the Russian Futurist Velimir Khlebnikov...
Shipwrecked on Destiny Five - 1987 W. Gregory StewartW. Gregory StewartW. Gregory Stewart is a poet most associated with speculative fiction. He has won the Rhysling Award four times.He was born in Canada, has lived in Australia, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Aside from poetry he also writes short fiction and was a past nominee for the Nebula Award for Best...
Daedalus - 1988 Lucius ShepardLucius ShepardLucius Shepard is an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leans into other genres, such as magical realism. His work is infused with a political and historical sensibility and an awareness of literary antecedents...
White Trains - 1989 (tie): Bruce BostonBruce BostonBruce Boston is an American speculative fiction writer and poet who was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, 1965, and an M.A., 1967...
In the Darkened Hours ; John M. FordJohn M. FordJohn Milo "Mike" Ford was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer, and poet.Ford was regarded as an extraordinarily intelligent, erudite and witty man. He was a popular contributor to several online discussions...
Winter Solstice, Camelot Station - 1990 Patrick McKinnonPatrick McKinnonPatrick McKinnon's poems, prose, collage and criticism have appeared in more than 700 literary magazines worldwide including Atom Mind, Henry Miller's Stroker, North American Review, Pulpsmith and Minnesota Monthly. In 1992 he received a Nebula Award for the Best Long Poem in Science Fiction...
dear spacemen - 1991 David Memmott The Aging Cryonicist in the Arms of His Mistress Contemplates the Survival of the Species While the Phoenix Is Consumed by Fire
- 1992 W. Gregory StewartW. Gregory StewartW. Gregory Stewart is a poet most associated with speculative fiction. He has won the Rhysling Award four times.He was born in Canada, has lived in Australia, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Aside from poetry he also writes short fiction and was a past nominee for the Nebula Award for Best...
the button and what you know - 1993 William J. Daciuk To Be from Earth
- 1994 W. Gregory StewartW. Gregory StewartW. Gregory Stewart is a poet most associated with speculative fiction. He has won the Rhysling Award four times.He was born in Canada, has lived in Australia, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Aside from poetry he also writes short fiction and was a past nominee for the Nebula Award for Best...
and Robert FrazierRobert FrazierRobert Alexander Frazier is an American writer of speculative poetry and fiction, as well as an impressionist painter on Nantucket Island....
Basement Flats: Redefining the Burgess Shale - 1995 David Lunde Pilot, Pilot
- 1996 Margaret B. SimonMarge SimonMarge Simon is an American artist and a writer of speculative poetry and fiction. Her poems, short fiction, and illustrations have appeared in hundreds of publications, including Amazing Stories, Nebula Awards 32, Strange Horizons, The Pedestal Magazine, Chizine, Niteblade, Vestal Review, and Dark...
Variants of the Obsolete - 1997 Terry A. Garey Spotting UFOs While Canning Tomatoes
- 1998 Laurel WinterLaurel WinterLaurel Winter is an author of fantasy, science fiction, and poetry. In childhood she attended a one-room schoolhouse....
why goldfish shouldn't use power tools - 1999 Bruce BostonBruce BostonBruce Boston is an American speculative fiction writer and poet who was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, 1965, and an M.A., 1967...
Confessions of a Body Thief - 2000 Geoffrey A. LandisGeoffrey A. LandisGeoffrey A. Landis is an American scientist, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics...
Christmas (after we all get time machines) - 2001 Joe HaldemanJoe HaldemanJoe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
January Fires - 2002 Lawrence SchimelLawrence SchimelLawrence Schimel is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, translator, and anthologist whose work frequently deals with gay and lesbian themes, and with Jewish themes. He was born in New York, and received his B.A. in Literature from Yale University. Schimel is a member of the National...
How to Make a Human - 2003 (tie): Charles Saplak and Mike AllenMike Allen (poet)Mike Allen is an American editor and writer of speculative fiction and poetry. He currently lives in Roanoke, Virginia.His short story "," published in the October 2007 issue of Helix SF, was a finalist for the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.The Philadelphia Inquirer has described Allen as...
Epochs in Exile: A Fantasy Trilogy ; Sonya TaaffeSonya TaaffeSonya Taaffe is a Massachusetts-based author of short fiction and poetry. Sonya grew up in Arlington and Lexington, MA and graduated from Brandeis University in 2003 where she received a BA and MA in Classical Studies...
Matlacihuatl's Gift - 2004 Theodora GossTheodora GossTheodora Goss is a Hungarian American writer of fantasy short stories. Her stories have been nominated for major awards, including the 2007 Nebula Award for "Pip and the Fairies," and the 2005 World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction for "The Wings of Meister Wilhelm." She won the 2004...
Octavia Is Lost in the Hall of Masks - 2005 Tim PrattTim PrattTim Pratt is a science fiction and fantasy writer and poet. He grew up in the vicinity of Dudley, North Carolina, and attended Appalachian State University, where he earned a Bachelor's in English. In 1999 he attended the Clarion East Writing Workshop...
Soul Searching - 2006 Kendall Evans and David C. Kopaska-Merkel The Tin Men
- 2007 Mike AllenMike Allen (poet)Mike Allen is an American editor and writer of speculative fiction and poetry. He currently lives in Roanoke, Virginia.His short story "," published in the October 2007 issue of Helix SF, was a finalist for the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.The Philadelphia Inquirer has described Allen as...
The Journey to Kailash - 2008 Catherynne M. ValenteCatherynne M. ValenteCatherynne M. Valente , is a Tiptree–, Andre Norton–, and Mythopoeic Award–winning novelist, poet, and literary critic. Her short fiction has appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, the World Fantasy Award–winning anthologies Salon Fantastique and Paper Cities, along with numerous Year's Best volumes...
The Seven Devils of Central California - 2009 Geoffrey A. LandisGeoffrey A. LandisGeoffrey A. Landis is an American scientist, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics...
Search - 2010 Kendall Evans and Samantha Henderson In the Astronaut Asylum
- 2011 C.S.E. Cooney The Sea King's Second Bride
Best Short Poem winners
- 1978 (tie): Duane AckersonDuane AckersonDuane Ackerson is an American writer of speculative poetry and fiction. He currently lives in Salem, Oregon.Duane Ackerson's work has appeared in anthologies that include The Year's Best SF 1974, 100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories, Future Pastimes, and the textbook Writing Poetry...
The Starman ; Andrew JoronAndrew JoronAndrew Joron is an American writer of experimental poetry. He began by writing science fiction poetry. Joron's later poetry, combining scientific and philosophical ideas with the sonic properties of language, has been compared to the work of the Russian Futurist Velimir Khlebnikov...
Asleep in the Arms of Mother Night ; Sonya DormanSonya DormanSonya Dorman was the working name of Sonya Dorman Hess. She was born in New York City in 1924 and died in Taos, New Mexico on February 14, 2005 at the age of 80....
Corruption of Metals - 1979 (tie): Duane AckersonDuane AckersonDuane Ackerson is an American writer of speculative poetry and fiction. He currently lives in Salem, Oregon.Duane Ackerson's work has appeared in anthologies that include The Year's Best SF 1974, 100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories, Future Pastimes, and the textbook Writing Poetry...
Fatalities ; Steve Eng Storybooks and Treasure Maps - 1980 (tie): Robert FrazierRobert FrazierRobert Alexander Frazier is an American writer of speculative poetry and fiction, as well as an impressionist painter on Nantucket Island....
Encased in the Amber of Eternity ; Peter Payack The Migration of Darkness - 1981 Ken Duffin Meeting Place
- 1982 Raymond DiZazzo On the Speed of Sight
- 1983 Alan P. Lightman In Computers
- 1984 Helen Ehrlich Two Sonnets
- 1985 Bruce BostonBruce BostonBruce Boston is an American speculative fiction writer and poet who was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, 1965, and an M.A., 1967...
For Spacers Snarled in the Hair of Comets - 1986 Susan PalwickSusan PalwickSusan Palwick is an American writer and associate professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno. She began her professional career by publishing "The Woman Who Saved the World" for Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in 1985....
The Neighbor's Wife - 1987 (tie): Jonathan V. Post Before the Big Bang: News from the Hubble Large Space Telescope ; John Calvin Rezmerski A Dream of Heredity
- 1988 (tie): Bruce BostonBruce BostonBruce Boston is an American speculative fiction writer and poet who was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, 1965, and an M.A., 1967...
The Nightmare Collector ; Suzette Haden ElginSuzette Haden ElginSuzette Haden Elgin is an American science fiction author. She founded the Science Fiction Poetry Association, and is considered an important figure in the field of science fiction constructed languages...
Rocky Road to Hoe - 1989 Robert FrazierRobert FrazierRobert Alexander Frazier is an American writer of speculative poetry and fiction, as well as an impressionist painter on Nantucket Island....
Salinity - 1990 G. Sutton Breiding Epitaph for Dreams
- 1991 Joe HaldemanJoe HaldemanJoe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
Eighteen Years Old, October Eleventh - 1992 David Lunde Song of the Martian Cricket
- 1993 Jane YolenJane YolenJane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
Will - 1994 (tie): Bruce BostonBruce BostonBruce Boston is an American speculative fiction writer and poet who was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, 1965, and an M.A., 1967...
Spacer's Compass ; Jeff VanderMeerJeff VanderMeerJeffrey Scott VanderMeer is an American writer, editor and publisher.He is best known for his contributions to the New Weird and his stories about the city of Ambergris, in books like City of Saints and Madmen.-Biography:...
Flight Is for Those Who Have Not Yet Crossed Over - 1995 Dan Raphael Skin of Glass
- 1996 Bruce BostonBruce BostonBruce Boston is an American speculative fiction writer and poet who was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, 1965, and an M.A., 1967...
Future Present: A Lesson in Expectation - 1997 W. Gregory StewartW. Gregory StewartW. Gregory Stewart is a poet most associated with speculative fiction. He has won the Rhysling Award four times.He was born in Canada, has lived in Australia, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Aside from poetry he also writes short fiction and was a past nominee for the Nebula Award for Best...
Day Omega - 1998 John GreyJohn Grey-14th and 15th centuries:*Sir John de Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Rotherfield , founding member and 14th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1348*John de Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Rotherfield , 2nd Baron Grey of Rotherfield...
Explaining Frankenstein to His Mother - 1999 Laurel WinterLaurel WinterLaurel Winter is an author of fantasy, science fiction, and poetry. In childhood she attended a one-room schoolhouse....
egg horror poem - 2000 Rebecca Marjesdatter Grimoire
- 2001 Bruce BostonBruce BostonBruce Boston is an American speculative fiction writer and poet who was born in Chicago and grew up in Southern California. He received a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, 1965, and an M.A., 1967...
My Wife Returns as She Would Have It - 2002 William John WatkinsWilliam John WatkinsWilliam John Watkins is a science fiction writer and poet. His middle-name is commonly written as "Jon."In the 1970s and 1980s he was known for novels, but in the last decade he has primarily been a poet. In 2002 he won the Rhysling Award for short poem for We Die as Angels. He has also placed or...
We Die as Angels - 2003 Ruth BermanRuth BermanRuth Berman is a writer of short science fiction and speculative poetry. In 2003, she won the Rhysling Award for Best Short Poem. She was also the winner of the 2006 Dwarf Stars Award for her poem Knowledge Of.-External links:*...
Potherb Gardening - 2004 Roger Dutcher Just Distance
- 2005 Greg BeattyGreg BeattyGreg Beatty is a Rhysling Award winning author of poetry and prose, primarily in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He received his BA from the University of Washington and a PhD from the University of Iowa. He attended Clarion West, as it was then known, in 2000 and currently lives in...
No Ruined Lunar City - 2006 Mike AllenMike Allen (poet)Mike Allen is an American editor and writer of speculative fiction and poetry. He currently lives in Roanoke, Virginia.His short story "," published in the October 2007 issue of Helix SF, was a finalist for the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.The Philadelphia Inquirer has described Allen as...
The Strip Search - 2007 Rich Ristow The Graven Idol's Godheart
- 2008 F.J. Bergmann Eating Light
- 2009 Amal El-Mohtar Song for an Ancient City
- 2010 Ann K. Schwader To Theia
- 2011 Amal El-Mohtar Peach-Creamed Honey