Ken Liu, Writer

Author of The Grace of Kings and The Paper Menagerie

Ken

Readercon

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I’ll be at Readercon on the 14th and the 15th. Here are my panel assignments:

  • July 14, Saturday, 2:00 PM, RI The Future of Copyright. Ken Liu, B. Diane Martin, Eugene Mirabelli, Kenneth Schneyer (leader), Jacob Weisman. SFF authors have two reasons to care about the future of copyright: both as a novum for fiction, as in Spider Robinson’s Melancholy Elephants, Charles Sheffield’s “Out of Copyright,” and Randy Henderson’s “Surviving the eBookalypse,” and as a basis for long-term career strategy (see the blogs of Cory Doctorow and Kristine Kathryn Rusch). All we know for sure about copyright is that it’s going to change, but how? Will it become ever more stringent and draconian, with publishers charging separately each time a reader opens a book? Will it vanish altogether in favor of a fee-for-service or “revenue rights” model? Will authors have to start beating the bushes for rich patrons? Join in the wild speculations and crackpot theories.

  • July 15, Sunday, 2:00 PM, RI Xena at Tau Ceti: An Overview. Athena Andreadis (leader), Ken Liu, Vandana Singh, Joan Slonczewski. Xena at Tau Ceti will be an anthology of evolved space opera (with optional mythic over/undertones) with female protagonists that moves past the traditional conflicts, attentive to the complexities and nuances of both the science and fiction component, directed at adult readers. Participants in this anthology who are attending Readercon will discuss the foundation concept and the works intended for the collection, and read brief excerpts.

If you’re going, please come by and say hi!

The Sturgeon Awards

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I’m a few days late on this — been a bit swamped at work.

Congratulations to Paul McCauley for winning the Sturgeon Award with his story, “The Choice.” And to Charlie Jane Anders as well, who came in second with “Six Months Three Days.” I’m humbled and honored to be among the nominees.

SF & F Translation Awards

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Chen Qiufan and I are finalists in the SF & F Translation Awards!

The work nominated is Chen Qiufan’s “The Fish of Lijiang” (《丽江的鱼儿们》 which I translated for Clarkesworld. It’s a lovely story and if you haven’t read it, it’s available here.

I’m so glad that the panel saw the beauty in Chen’s work. I’m very proud to have been involved in bringing his story to an English-speaking audience.

Nebula

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So, I’ve won a Nebula.

Nebula Award

I couldn’t be at the ceremony tonight because baby Miranda needs her daddy. But Jamie Todd Rubin was gracious enough to accept for me and take that picture so I can be sure it’s not a dream. He also read my acceptance speech, which I’ve reproduced below:

When I was a kid, my grandmother taught me how to do zhezhi (origami). I remember being especially fascinated by the final stage of some of these paper constructions, which involved blowing them up like balloons, giving life to the paper animals.

I’ve always wanted to write a story based on that moment, which felt like magic.

I’ve also encountered few works of fiction that treat the life of the mail-order bride with real sympathy. Most seem to portray these women as either victims or conniving opportunists. Yet in my experience, many women who come to the West as mail-order brides are neither, but real people with complicated histories and yearnings and pains that are universal.

I’m glad that this story struck a chord with so many. Thank you, Gordon Van Gelder, for believing in this story. And thank you all very much, my fellow writers.

Tonight feels really special. I’m going to give my wife and daughters another kiss.

Congratulations to all the nominees and winners. I’m proud to be in such amazing company.

The Man Who Ended History, Italian Edition

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The Italian translation of “The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary” is out from 40k Books: L’uomo che mise fine alla Storia (Italian Edition). The translator is Elena Cantoni.

You can get a copy from Amazon for your Kindle here. It’s available at other ebook sellers as well.

Cover for Man Who Ended History, Italian Edition

40k has a consistent style for their covers which works well for books in a spectrum of different styles, subjects, and tones. I think they did an excellent job here. The background image of the sun alludes to the Japanese Imperial Army’s flag.