Yes, I am succumbing to the temptation to blog again… but I have an excellent reason (and a caveat). First, the caveat: I will not blog about the CBC. From this day forward, if I continue to blog, it will be a personal blog with no connection to my dayjob.
It’s just safer that way.
And now: on with why I’m breaking my silence.
Last night, on behalf of SF Canada, I presented the SF Canada Lifetime Achievement Award to Phyllis Gotlieb. And it was great!
I managed to get the award to the Merrill Collection in one piece, we
had quite a fair turnout, Lorna Toolis and her gang at the Merrill Collection had the whole place set up wonderfully with a terrific assortment of goodies. Robert Charles Wilson was there, along with Peter Halasz, Allan Weiss, and Fergus Heywood and Hilary Doyle from the CBC (oops, there I go mentioning the CBC) and many others whose names escape me at the moment.
I spent the better part of my commutes this week trying to figure out
what to say upon presenting the award. Here’s what I came up with
(more or less):
***
Everyone here knows Phyllis Gotlieb. You know her work; perhaps
you’re fortunate enough to know her personally. You might know that
she was born Phyllis Fay Bloom right here in Toronto, and that she was
educated in Toronto as well. I don’t have to tell you that she’s
written many fine novels, poems, short stories, and that her work
spans many decades and genres — that it is an outstanding body of
work. You already know that.
Did you know that she’s written radio plays too? Of course you did.
Phyllis is a founding member of SF Canada. Indeed, she is one of the
founders of contemporary Canadian science fiction. She has been and
continues to be a role model and mentor to many of us who consider her
a part of our extended family. In her groundbreaking career Phyllis
has been an editor, she’s been nominated for a Governor General’s
Award, and she’s even had an award named after one of her novels: The
Sunburst Award. And the award we’re presenting today isn’t her first
award – her novel A Judgment of Dragons, published by Berkley, won the Canadian Science Fiction Award in 1981.
You are no doubt familiar with the sheer scope of Phyllis’s work: with
her elegant prose, the gritty reality of her fictional worlds, and the
vibrant, sometimes tragic characters inhabiting those worlds. Such
work has made her a towering figure in Canadian literature, a pioneer
in Canadian science fiction. But her reputation transcends our
borders – her work is respected the world over.
It’s one thing to be accomplished. It’s quite another to be as
accomplished as Phyllis is and remain so darned friendly. As a
recipient of her generosity and warmth — one of many recipients, I
know – I am happy to attest not only to Phyllis’s towering
achievements as an artist, but also to her enduring humility.
All of which is more than enough reason to present our very own Grande
Dame of Science Fiction with this honour here tonight. Phyllis, on
behalf of SF Canada, I am thrilled to present you with the first ever
SF Canada Lifetime Achievement Award, along with my sincere
congratulations.
***
It’s not genius, but it’s sincere. Congratulations again, Phyllis.
Joe (making no promises when another post might appear…)
