Sean Wallace has declared that Sheila Williams deserves this year's Hugo Award for Best Editor in the short form category. I completely agree.
As Sean states,
"In five years, she's garnered 8 Hugo wins, 21 Hugo nominations, 2 Nebula wins, 13 Nebula nominations, and 1 World Fantasy Award win, for Asimov's stories."
That's an impressive record. It also makes me shake my head at how Sheila has never won a Best Editor Hugo even though she has edited so many award-winning stories.
Of course, what matters most for the current Hugo vote is Sheila's record in the last year. As I stated when I posted my picks for the Asimov's Reader's Award, the magazine had a stellar 2010. Asimov's was the place to go for novellas last year, several of which will definitely make the upcoming award shortlists. Asimov's also published a number of great novelettes and short stories, some of which will also make the year's award lists.
However, in 2010 Sheila's work as an editor extended beyond the selection of great fiction—she also encouraged debate and discussion last year on diversity within our genre. This started when Norman Spinrad's controversial Asimov's column "Third World Worlds" stirred up a ton of negative reactions from myself and others. In response Sheila made the brave decision to open her magazine up to another point of view and published an essay by Aliette de Bodard on non-western/non-Anglophone science fiction. The fact that Sheila was willing to embrace new voices like this really impressed me and speaks highly of her editorial talent.
In conclusion, Asimov's had a damn great year and Sheila Williams deserves the Hugo Award for Best Editor, Short Form.
Hear, hear!
Posted by: Greg Bossert | January 13, 2011 at 11:18 PM