Locus News

Former literary agent Patrick Delahunt, 72, died December 23, 2025.

Patrick Flanagan Delahunt was born March 23, 1953 in Milwaukee WI. He entered publishing and was the original agent for multiple SF and fantasy authors, including Karen Joy Fowler and Kim Stanley Robinson. He is survived by his siblings, cousins, and other family and friends. …Read More

The A.C. Bose Grant for South Asian Speculative Literature is open to applications through January 31, 2026. The grant provides $1,500 to a South Asian or Desi diaspora writer developing speculative fiction , with preference given to work that is accessible to older children and teens.

The grant is co-sponsored by the Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) and DesiLit. Winners will be selected by a jury on the basis of …Read More

The 2026 Philip K. Dick Award nominees have been announced:

• Sunward, William Alexander (Saga)
• Outlaw Planet, M.R. Carey (Orbit UK; Orbit US)
• Casual, Koji A. Dae (Tenebrous)
• The Immeasurable Heaven, Caspar Geon (Solaris UK)
• Uncertain Sons and Other Stories, Thomas Ha (Undertow)
• Scales, Christopher Hinz (Angry Robot UK)
• City of All Seasons, Oliver K. Langmead & Aliya Whiteley (Titan)

The award is presented annually to a distinguished work …Read More

Ark Press editor-in-chief Tony Daniel has announced the $10,000 inaugural Ark Press Prize winner is Ghostlands by Andrew Fox. Honorable mentions included Shrine by Graham Bradley, Centennial by Robert E. Hampson, and Independence '76 by Matt Harlow.

The theme of the first year of the prize, which asked authors to submit novel-length manuscripts, was America 2076 . Fox is awarded a publishing contract and a $10,000 advance. Ghostlands is planned …Read More

The Must Read Books Team has shared that Sheila Williams, editor of Asimov's, has been hospitalized after suffering a brain aneurysm. Asimov's senior managing editor Emily Hockaday will act as interim editor as Williams recovers.

In their statement, Must Read Books shared words from several close friends and authors, and they encourage friends and fans to send notes or positive stories for Williams and her family via a Google Form. …Read More

Longtime SFF editor Patrick Nielsen Hayden retired from Tor on January 5, 2026. In his tenure at Tor he had served as VP, associate publisher, and editor-in-chief before shifting to editor-at-large in 2024. His influence and impact on the field is immeasurable and includes launching the careers of many celebrated authors, as well as being instrumental in the development of Tor.com (now Reactor) and the Tor Essentials line. His involvement …Read More

The Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS) has announced the finalists for the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award for Best Classic Fiction.

• The Star Dwellers, James Blish (Avon / Faber & Faber)
• Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (Chatto & Windus)
• That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis (Scribner)
• Salt, Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
• Singularity Sky, Charles Stross (Ace)

Four other works were also considered: Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said,byPhilip K. Dick; The …Read More

The Heinlein Society has opened its 2026 scholarships for undergraduate students. The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. PDT on April 1, 2026. Applicants must be entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year in a four-year, accredited college in any country, and must submit a 500-1000 word essay.

The Society awards four annual $4,000 scholarships, and for 2026 will award a fifth bonus scholarship:

• The Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship …Read More

David C. Kopaska-Merkel has been awarded The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (SFPA)'s President's Lifetime Service Award. The award is given for service throughout the years to an individual who has furthered the knowledge, appreciation and acceptance of the speculative poetry genre, and who has served the SFPA in a significant volunteer capacity.

SFPA President Brian U. Garrison said:

David C. Kopaska-Merkel has stayed strong even after earning …Read More

The LAcon V organizers have announced that Tracey Baptiste will be a special guest for the 84th World Science Fiction Convention. Baptiste is an award-winning author of twenty-six books for young readers, including the Jumbies series and a popular Minecraft tie-in novel; an author of nonfiction and historical books such as African Icons: Ten People Who Shaped History; and a teacher in a low-residency MFA program at the University of …Read More

Author Terence M. Green, 78, died December 19, 2025, after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Terence Michael Green was born February 2, 1947 in Toronto, Canada. He worked as a high school English teacher from 1968-1999, then became a creative writing lecturer at Western University in London, Ontario, a post he held until 2022. He was an invited reader at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts …Read More

French SF author Pierre Bordage, 70, died of a heart attack December 26, 2025.

Bordage was born January 29, 1955 in La Réorthe, Vendée, France. A significant luminary in French science fiction, he wrote more than 50 novels and over 50 short stories in his long and well-lauded ouvre. His career launched with the 1993 publication of Les Guerriers du silence [The Warriors of Silence] (L'Atalante), the first volume of …Read More

The Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) has announced an open call for original artwork combining fantasy and science fiction themes to be featured as its 2026 Illustration of the Year.

The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2026. The winner, to be announced in February 2026, will receive $750, and the winning artwork will be featured on the SLF website and social media and will be used as a visual …Read More

The Bookseller and the Writer Beware site are among numerous sources reporting on recent emails which inundate the inboxes of writers, agents, publishers, and more. Many authors on various social media sites have also posted about receiving said emails. The scams often involve impersonating notable authors: The Bookseller mentions impersonations of Margaret Atwood and Writer Beware gives an example using Suzanne Collins. Some of the emails offer to publicize a …Read More

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) announced and then modified Nebula Awards eligibility rules regarding works utilizing generative large language model (LLM) tools. The initial press release, dated December 19, 2025, was met with criticism from numerous members of the SFF community. A subsequent press release was posted shortly thereafter, modifying the initial statements. The new rules according to the later release state:

Works that are written, either …Read More

Conventions in Israel are usually held during the holidays, which are school vacations. This both allows young people in their teens to come to the conventions and lets parents bring along even younger children. The timing of the holidays this year meant that ICon had only two days instead of the usual three. This made the work of the programming committee even harder than usual in deciding what to …Read More

R.F. Kuang announced in an Instagram story that she has withdrawn from the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature (EAFL), to be held in Dubai UAE from January 21 - 27, 2026, with respect for a call for a boycott of the UAE by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement.

In the Instagram story, Kuang shared a message she had sent to the organizers. She wrote that she has always …Read More

The Bookseller has announced the winners of the inaugural British Audio Awards. Categories, titles, and authors of genre interest include:

Science Fiction & Fantasy

• WINNER: Queen B, Juno Dawson, narrated by Nicola Coughlan (Harper Voyager)

• Count Zero, William Gibson, narrated by Alix Wilton Regan, Kyle Soller & Sebastián Capitán Viveros (WF Howes)
• The Shadow Rising, Robert Jordan (Macmillan Audio)
• Doctor Who: Agent of the Daleks, Steve …Read More

The Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) has announced Ryan Lerrik's The Definition of Yearning as the winner of the 2025 Diverse Writers Grant and Craig Noles's Murderous (Multi)Verses as the winner of the 2025 Diverse Worlds Grant.

Diverse Writers Grant and Diverse Worlds Grant are $500 grants which are intended to support the SLF's mission of promoting literary quality in speculative fiction and awarded by SLF staff on the basis of …Read More

CHIARA BULLEN is now represented by Emily Barrett at the Blair Partnership. The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance and another book sold to Anne Groell at Del Rey in a pre-empt via Jessica Mileo of Inkwell Management on behalf of The Blair Partnership. UK rights went to Sam Bradbury at Del Rey UK via Bea Fitzgerald while part of The Blair Partnership.

LAURA BLACKWELL is now represented …Read More