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JAMES TIPTREE JR. MEMORIAL AWARD ANNOUNCED

Set This House In Order: A Romance Of Souls by Matt Ruff is the winner of the 2003 James Tiptree Jr. Award. Ruff's award will be presented at WisCon 28, to be held on Memorial Day weekend, May 28-31, 2004, in Madison, Wisconsin. Ruff will receive $1000 in prize money, an original artwork created specifically for this year's award by Georgie Schnobrich of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the signature chocolate that always accompanies the Tiptree Award.

The James Tiptree Jr. Award was created in 1991 to honor Alice Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree, Jr. By her chance choice of a masculine pen name, Sheldon helped break down the imaginary barrier between "women's writing" and "men's writing." Her insightful short stories were notable for their thoughtful examination of the roles of men and women in our society.

The Tiptree Award is presented annually to a work that explores and expands gender roles in science fiction and fantasy. The aim of the award organizers is not to look for work that falls into some narrow definition of political correctness, but rather to seek out work that is thought-provoking, imaginative, and perhaps even infuriating. The Tiptree Award is intended to reward those women and men who are bold enough to contemplate shifts and changes in gender roles, a fundamental aspect of any society.

Each year, a panel of five judges selects the Tiptree Award winner. The 2003 judges were Maureen Kincaid Speller (chair), Michael Levy, Vicki Rosenzweig, Lori Selke, and Nisi Shawl.

The winning novel, Set This House In Order: A Romance Of Souls (HarperCollins), begins with Andy Gage, a twenty-eight-old with multiple-personality disorder. Andy's many personalities (or souls, as he calls them) live in the house inside his head, a structure created by his father (another of the many souls). Andy meets Penny Driver, a young woman who also has multiple personalities, but is not fully aware of her condition. In trying to help Penny, Andy sets in motion a chain of events that threatens the stability of the house in his own head.

The judges were particularly impressed with the way Ruff handled gender issues in multiple personality, as a reflection of the difference of gender of the body and gender of the mind (or soul). They were also delighted with the book's overall quality. Jury chair Maureen Kincaid Speller says, "Of all the books I've read this last year, this is the book that most fascinated and pleased me generally, the one I've most wanted to write about in detail."

In addition to selecting the winners, the judges have compiled a "short list," calling attention to works that the judges found interesting, relevant to the award, and worthy of note. The 2003 short list is:

For more information about the winner and the works on the short list, visit the Tiptree Award Web site at www.tiptree.org. You can receive an annotated copy of this list, and lists of fiction honored in previous years, by sending $3.00 to James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council (address below).

Since its inception, the Tiptree Award has been an award with an attitude. As a political statement, as a means of involving people at the grassroots level, as an excuse to eat cookies, and as an attempt to strike the proper ironic note, the award has been financed through bake sales held at science fiction conventions across the United States, as well as in England and Australia. Fundraising efforts have included auctions conducted by standup comic and writer Ellen Klages, the sale of t-shirts created by collage artist and silk screener Freddie Baer, and the publication of two cookbooks featuring recipes and anecdotes by science fiction writers and fans. The Bakery Men Don't See, a collection of recipes for baked goods, and Her Smoke Rose Up From Supper, a collection of main dish recipes, are both available from the James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council.

The cookbooks are $10 each (plus $1 postage in North America; $3 postage outside North America). Flying Cups And Saucers, an anthology of short fiction that won or was short listed for the Tiptree Award, is available from the same address for $18 plus postage and handling ($2.50 within the U.S. and Canada, $5.00 overseas sea mail, and $20 overseas airmail).

This year, the Tiptree Award is proud to announce its new relationship with Tachyon Press, which will be publishing annual volumes including the short-listed short fiction, essays by notables in the field, and an excerpt from or essay about the award-winning novel. This year's volume will be available in Fall 2004.

Reading for the 2004 Tiptree Award has begun. The 2004 judges are Margaret McBride (chair), Judith Clute, Alan DeNiro, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Cecilia Tan. The judges welcome recommendations for the award. Please submit recommendations via the Tiptree Award Web site at http://www.tiptree.org.

In addition to presenting the Tiptree Award annually, the James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council occasionally presents the Fairy Godmother Award, a special award in honor of Angela Carter. Described as a "mini, mini, mini, mini MacArthur award," the Fairy Godmother Award strikes without warning, providing $1000 to a deserving writer in need of assistance to continue creating material that matches the goals of the Tiptree Award.

For more information on the Tiptree Award or this press release, contact Pat Murphy at jaxxx@well.com or write to the James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council at 680 66th St., Oakland, CA 94609.

More Info About The Tiptree Winner & Shortlisted Works

The 2003 Tiptree will go to Matt Ruff for Set This House In Order: A Romance Of Souls, published by HarperCollins. You can read an excerpt of the novel at his web site.

You can find reviews of this novel at:

The following works are on the 2003 Tiptree Award Short List: