James Tiptree, Jr. Award

The James Tiptree, Jr. Award is an annual literary prize for works of science fiction ("SF") or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February of 1991 by SF authors Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler, subsequent to a discussion at WisCon (the world's leading feminist-oriented science fiction convention).

Background

The award is named for Alice B. Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr. By choosing a masculine "nom de plume," having her stories accepted under that name and winning awards with them, Sheldon helped demonstrate that the division between male and female SF writing was illusory. Years after "Tiptree" first published SF, Sheldon wrote some work under the female pen name "Raccoona Sheldon"; later, the SF world discovered that "Tiptree" had been female all along. According to the Tiptree Award council, this discovery led to widespread discussion over which aspects of writing, if any, have an intrinsic gender. To remind audiences of the complicated role gender plays in both reading and writing, the award was named in Sheldon's honor.

Fundraising efforts for the Tiptree have included publications (two cookbooks), feminist bake sales, and auctions.

Anthologies

Selections of the winners, various short listed fiction, and essays have appeared in four Tiptree-related collections, "Flying Cups and Saucers" (1999) and a series of annual anthologies published by Tachyon Publications of San Francisco. These include:
*"Flying Cups and Saucers: Gender Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy" edited by The Secret Feminist Cabal and Debbie Notkin (1999)
* "The James Tiptree Award Anthology 1" edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2005)
* "The James Tiptree Award Anthology 2" edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2006)
* "The James Tiptree Award Anthology 3" edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2007)

The James Tiptree Award Anthology 4 was originally announced for late 2007 or early 2008.

Winners

*2007 "The Carhullan Army" by Sarah Hall
*2006 "The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden" by Catherynne M. Valente and "Half Life" by Shelley Jackson; with special recognition for Julie Phillips biography of James Tiptree, Jr., "James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon"
*2005: "Air" by Geoff Ryman
*2004: "Camouflage" by Joe Haldeman and "Not Before Sundown" by Johanna Sinisalo
*2003: "Set This House In Order: A Romance Of Souls" by Matt Ruff
*2002: "Light" by M. John Harrison and "Stories for Men" by John Kessel
*2001: "The Kappa Child" by Hiromi Goto
*2000: "Wild Life" by Molly Gloss
*1999: "The Conqueror's Child" by Suzy McKee Charnas
*1998: "Congenital Agenesis of Gender Ideation" by Raphael Carter
*1997: "Black Wine" by Candas Jane Dorsey and "Travels With The Snow Queen" by Kelly Link
*1996: "Mountain Ways" by Ursula K. Le Guin, and "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell
*1995: "Waking The Moon" by Elizabeth Hand and "The Memoirs Of Elizabeth Frankenstein" by Theodore Roszak
*1994: "The Matter of Seggri" by Ursula K. Le Guin and "Larque on the Wing" by Nancy Springer
*1993: "Ammonite" by Nicola Griffith
*1992: "China Mountain Zhang" by Maureen F. McHugh
*1991: "A Woman of the Iron People" by Eleanor Arnason, and "White Queen" by Gwyneth Jones
* Retrospective Award: "Motherlines" and "Walk to the End of the World" by Suzy McKee Charnas; "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin; "The Female Man" and "When It Changed" by Joanna Russ

See also

* Gender role
* Gender and sexuality studies
* Gender in science fiction
* Sex in science fiction
* Women in science fiction
* Women science fiction authors

Further reading

* [http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue22/tiptree.html "On James Tiptree, Alice Sheldon and bake sales", by Karen Joy Fowler]

External links

* [http://www.tiptree.org/ James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council]
* [http://www.tachyonpublications.com Site for Tachyon Publications]