Tonight was Geoff Ryman's reading at The Archives, since they are closed on Thursday (July 4), and it was really fantastic. We could tell he had a little frustrated actor in him because he basically acted out the story: a monologue in first person by an old man from New Jersey, read by an expatriated Canadian living in England. I thought it would be muddled too, but he did a great job. It was like watching a one-man show. If you ever get a chance to see him read at a convention or whatever, take it. There are certain writers I like to listen to (like Andy Duncan and Neil Gaiman), and now Geoff is near the top of my list as well. Very entertaining.

After the reading, there was a scholarship presentation, where it was revealed that everyone at Clarion was able to be awarded a scholarship this year. Mine, along with many others, drew from the Douglas L. Ruble Science Fiction Scholarship, for which I am eternally grateful. I'll get the information from one of the program assistants tomorrow so that I can send a thank you note. As we were presented our framed certificates, a professional photographer took our pictures. Then we all got together and had a group picture, which will appear in Locus Magazine soon. (Locus is the premiere trade journal for the speculative fiction field, with up-to-date information on who's sold what where, interviews with authors, reviews on short fiction, etc. It's a phenomenal resource for the science fiction and fantasy writer.) When I find out which issue the photo will be in, I'll let you all know, so you can run out and see the goofy grin on my face.

Wow. I can't believe I'll be in Locus. How cool is that?