With only about a month left until voting closes for the BSFA Awards, it’s time for the annual BSFA Award Discussion at the London Meeting. Our panelists this year year will be Tom Hunter, Clarke Award Director; Martin McGrath, BSFA Focus Editor; and Donna Scott, the BSFA Awards Administrator.
As a reminder, here are the shortlists. I hope many of you will be able to come and join in the discussion there!
Date: Wednesday 23rd March 2011
Venue: The Upstairs room at the Antelope Tavern. 22, Eaton Terrace, Belgravia, London, SW1W 8EZ. The nearest tube station is Sloane Square (District/Circle) A map of the location is here.
All are welcome! (No entry fee or tickets. Non-members welcome.) The Interview will commence at 7.00 pm, but the room is open from 6.00 (and fans in the downstairs bar from 5). There will be a raffle (£1 for five tickets), with a selection of sf novels as prizes.
Future London Meetings
Wednesday 20th April 2011 ** – DAVID WEBER: Interviewer TBC
Wednesday 25th May 2011 – SARAH PINBOROUGH: Interviewer TBC
Saturday 4th June 2011 – BSFA/SFF AGM
Thursday 30th June 2011 ** – GILLIAN POLACK: Interviewer TBC
vector-bsfa.com 
Just as a general point, I wonder if the BSFA should be thinking of making a bigger deal of its awards, to follow the example of the Clarke and reach out beyond the usual sf community? There might be more, or higher-profile public events like the one planned for Wednesday (one event per award category?), or a conscious effort to involve discussants who aren’t usually seen at BSFA events. There’s also the whole media side, and the question of inviting along to the ceremony people who aren’t usually con-goers. Just a thought…
I’m not going to be able to make it this evening, and I’m sure it will be a good discussion, but I’d just like to echo Graham — if only for presentational reasons, it seems a shame that the panel are all committee members.
The Clarke’s profile and ‘network externalities’ are due largely (it seems to me) to Tom’s tireless efforts to build that profile and those externalities (just this morning I saw he was appearing on a comics podcast).
In order for the BSFA events to have a similar level of dynamism we’d really need another Tom and they’re kinda hard to come by ;-) In fact, is Tony still running the BSFA events and, if so, did he not ask to step down a little while ago?
Hmm, Graham and Niall have clearly read all of my preparation notes for tonight in advance – not bad considering I’m only writing them now, and very helpful since I can now steal from here and quote you guys rather than raising these kind of ‘controversial’ points myself :-)
You’re right of course that all of the panel this year are on the BSFA committee, but I feel I ought to point out that I am at least sort of there with my Clarke hat on, which is why i was already looking at the broader questions of Awards when I found this. Not that this is me subverting a BSFA event to my own ACCA ends mind you, simply that I have an outside of the BSFA perspective on this one.
Also, I am something of a last minute volunteer parachute panelist and I know Donna worked very hard to find someone vastly more exciting than me, and one of the reasons I put myself forward (other than insider Award knowledge) was precisely because Award biz has kept me away from the monthly meetings of late and this seemed an ideal means to lock the date in my diary. I promise to be as entertaining as possible for everyone.
Jonathan, all kind words are greatly appreciated btw, but I do have a team behind me who help with the heavy lifting behidn the scenes I assure you. This is partly why my speech at the Clarke ceremony seems to get longer every year – it’s all the heartfelt thanks!
Hopefully see a few of the TC crowd tonight
Like I say, I’m sure it’ll be a good discussion, and I’m sure Donna did put the work in! But still, consider it a wish for next year.