Wedding bells are ringing at last—on the Travel Channel, at any rate! Bill Shunn and Laura Chavoen's nuptials, celebrated last June at the Graceland Wedding Chapel, will appear on the new series "Two for Las Vegas" beginning January 15th. Our episode debuts at 1:00 p.m. Eastern that day, and runs three times more over the next two days. See the schedule here for more details, and see here for wedding photos.

It's official! My novelette "Dance of the Yellow-Breasted Luddites" has made the preliminary ballot for the 2001 Nebula Awards. The nine novelettes will be whittled down to five later this winter for the final ballot, so stay tuned for further news. To read the story in the meantime, order your copy of Vanishing Acts, a collection of science fiction stories about endangered species, edited by Ellen Datlow, from Barnes & Noble!

If you missed it the first time around, don't despair. Bill Shunn and Laura Chavoen's nuptials, celebrated last June at the Graceland Wedding Chapel, will appear on the Travel Channel series "Two for Las Vegas" five more times during the month of February. The first of those airings happens February 10th at 12:30 in the afternoon, Eastern Time. See the schedule here for more details, and see here for wedding photos.

My short story "The Veil Beyond the Veil," appearing in the April 2002 issue of Realms of Fantasy, can be found on newsstands now. Head down to your local Barnes & Noble, or any extremely well-stocked magazine shop, to scare up a copy. You'll most likely find it shelved near either the writing magazines or the Star Trek magazines. For other stories, see Bill's bibliography.

The final ballot for the 2001 Nebula Awards was announced on February 28th by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and among the nominees in the novelette category is my story "Dance of the Yellow-Breasted Luddites." Winners will be announced at the Nebula Awards Banquet in Kansas City on April 27th. To read the story, order your copy of Ellen Datlow's fine anthology Vanishing Acts from Barnes & Noble. For review excerpts, see here. For complete information about the Nebula Awards, including rules and past winners, see here.

The 2001 Nebula Awards were handed out last night at a lavish banquet in Kansas City. Kelly Link took home the best novelette trophy for her excellent story "Louise's Ghost," but I had a hard time feeling any disappointment in the midst of this thrilling first experience as a Nebula nominee. I really couldn't have had a better weekend. See if you can spot Laura and me in these photos from the Nebula events, and look for my nominated novelette, "Dance of the Yellow-Breasted Luddites," in Ellen Datlow's superior anthology Vanishing Acts.

The new anthology Beyond the Last Star, containing my short story "The Diagnostic Feast," is slated to be released in August 2002. The book is edited by Sherwood Smith and is the fifth and final volume of SFF Net's "Darkfire" anthology series. The book cannot yet be pre-ordered, but watch this space for more details on its availability.

I will be reading from my memoir Missionary Man at KGB in Manhattan's East Village on July 17, 2002, at 7:00 p.m. The event is part of the KGB Science Fiction Reading Series, curated by Terry Bisson and Ellen Datlow. China Miéville, author of the Hugo-nominated novel Perdido Street Station, will headline the dual bill. KGB is located at 85 East 4th Street in Manhattan, between Bowery and Second Avenue.

I will appear on Jim Freund's extremely-long-running radio program "Hour of the Wolf" on Saturday, August 10th, 2002. "Hour of the Wolf" has brought the world of science fiction to listeners in the New York metro area for 30 years. It runs on WBAI 99.5 FM from 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings.

Readercon, the premiere literature-oriented SF convention, takes place this weekend in Burlington, Massachusetts. I'll be participating in various events over the weekend, including a reading and a kaffeeklatsch on Sunday, July 14th. For more details, see here, and visit the Readercon Web site to register.

The release of the new anthology Beyond the Last Star, containing my short story "The Diagnostic Feast," has been delayed one month to September 2002. The book is edited by Sherwood Smith and is the fifth and final volume of SFF Net's "Darkfire" anthology series. Watch this space for more details.

For those visitors in the U.K., I'll be appearing Monday, August 5th, in "Attack on the Wires," a BBC Television documentary about the effects of the terrorist attacks on global communications networks. I was interviewed in New York City last winter by producer David Shulman about the creation of my 9/11 check-in registry. "Attack on the Wires" appears on BBC 2 at 7:30 pm GMT.

I received word today that my short story "Mrs. Janokowski Hits One Out of the Park" has been accepted for publication in John Klima's fine small-press magazine Electric Velocipede. The exact issue has yet to be determined, so keep your eye on this space for further updates.

Audio segments from my recent appearance on WBAI 99.5 FM's weekly Saturday morning program "Hour of the Wolf" are now available online. Jim Freund and I discussed the story behind my memoir Missionary Man, and the ways in which science fiction helped get me out of Mormonism. Tune in now!

After several delays, the anthology Beyond the Last Star, containing my short story "The Diagnostic Feast," is now shipping. The book is edited by Sherwood Smith and is the fifth and final volume of SFF Net's "Darkfire" anthology series. Buy it today from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or directly from SFF Net.

I've added a new audio file to "Radio Free Queens" for your listening enjoyment. The segment comes from my August 10th appearance on WBAI 99.5 FM's Saturday morning radio program "Hour of the Wolf," and contains a reading of my yet-unpublished short story "The Day Pietro Coppino Spoke to the Mountain." "Radio Free Queens" already contains two earlier segments from the same broadcast. Tune in now!

Bill will read a pair of new short stories as part of the New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series on Monday, December 9th. This monthly reading series has featured top science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers for more than a decade. Also reading will be Jack Womack. For time, address, and other information, see "Author Events."

It's official! My short story "The Veil Beyond the Veil," originally published in the April 2002 issue of Realms of Fantasy, has squeaked onto the preliminary ballot for the 2002 Nebula Awards. The thirteen short stories will be whittled down to five later this winter for the final ballot, so stay tuned for further news.

My short story "The Day Pietro Coppino Spoke to the Mountain" has just sold to Realms of Fantasy and will appear in a yet-to-be-announced issue. Bill read an earlier draft of this story on Jim Freund's Hour of the Wolf broadcast last August on WBAI in New York City. For a preview, tune in to the audio stream.

For those of you holding your breath, you can let it out. The final Nebula Awards ballot for 2002 was announced today, and "The Veil Beyond the Veil" failed to make the cut. Never fear, though. It's an honor, as always, to have been longlisted, and I'll have a couple of strong stories appearing this year. 2004!

It's Science Fiction month for the Echo Read-Only reading series, sponsored by EchoNYC.com, the virtual salon of New York City. Bill joins writers Barbara Krasnoff, Sue Young Wilson, and Nebula Award nominee Richard Bowes for an evening of readings from the fantastic. Bill will read from his novel-in-progress, Silvertide. KGB is located at 85 East 4th Street in Manhattan, between Bowery and Second Avenue. Admission is free.

My short story "Divided by Time" has just sold to Realms of Fantasy and will appear in a yet-to-be-announced issue. The marks my fourth sale to Realms, and along with "The Day Pietro Coppino Spoke to the Mountain" gives me two stories forthcoming there this year.

The fourth issue of Electric Velocipede, containing my short story "Mrs. Janokowski Hits One out of the Park," is reportedly now out and available. This fine little zine contains a wealth of good fiction and poetry, so when you order your copy consider getting a subscription as well. Tell 'em Bilmo sent you!

I'm so stunned I can hardly believe it myself, but I seem to have just sold my brand-new SF short story "Observations from the City of Angels" to Salon—just a day after finishing up the final draft. The only other person I'm aware of to sell original fiction to Salon is the redoubtable Cory Doctorow, whose stories "0wnz0red" and "Liberation Spectrum" both appeared there within the past year. (There may very well be others, but it sure as hell ain't common.) Raise a glass with me in celebration, and tune in soon to find out when "Observations" will run.

My short story "Observations from the City of Angels" is scheduled to appear in Salon this Wednesday, July 16. Be sure to check it out—and if you need a reminder, sign up for my handy mailing list.

It seemed as if this day would never come. But it's here, and I'm thrilled. My story "Love in the Age of Spyware" (originally titled "Observations from the City of Angels") debuts tonight in Salon as one of the vanishingly rare science-fiction stories to grace the virtual pages of that fine publication. The story is "premium content," which means that to read it either you must have a subscription to Salon or you must view a brief ad in order to acquire a free "day pass." The red circle in the illustration to the right shows you where to click in order to get your day pass when you visit Salon. If you need more explicit instructions, please visit this page. And if you enjoy "Spyware," please come back and email your friends about the story from our brief handy form.  [go]

The October issue of Realms of Fantasy has been spotted on newsstands in Manhattan, which means it's safe to say it's now out and available. My short story "The Day Pietro Coppino Spoke to the Mountain" is featured, and you won't (ahem) be able to miss my name on the cover. (Here's a picture.) I hope you'll pick up a copy.

The December issue of Realms of Fantasy is out and available at newsstands nationwide. My short story "Divided by Time" is featured, and my name is prominent on the cover for the second straight issue. Get your copy before they're gone!

My second story for Salon, "Strong Medicine" debuts today in that prestigious online publication. The story is "premium content," which means that to read it either you must have a subscription to Salon or you must view a brief ad in order to acquire a free "day pass." If you're not sure how to get your day pass, I've posted a page of instructions to help. And if you enjoy "Strong Medicine," please come back and email your friends about the story from our handy form.  [go]

My second story for Salon, "Strong Medicine," has been chosen by Gardner Dozois to be reprinted in the 21st edition of his annual anthology The Year's Best Science Fiction. Watch for it from St. Martin's Press this summer.

The sixth issue of Electric Velocipede, containing my short story "Why I Think I'll Be Staying Home Tonight," is now out and available. This fine little zine contains a wealth of good fiction and poetry, so when you order your copy consider getting a subscription as well. Tell 'em Bilmo sent you!

Last night Bill delivered the keynote address at the awards ceremony for the New York City Region of the Scholastic Writing Awards of 2004, held at Long Island City High School in Queens. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards are now in their 81st year. Bill has served as a national juror in the SF/fantasy category of the awards competition for the past two years. His remarks at the regional ceremony are available here.

Friday night Bill delivered a tribute to the Davis High School Class of '84 at his 20-year high school reunion. The full text of his remarks, including bits that don't appear in the "official" version, is available here.

The seventh issue of Electric Velocipede, containing my short story "Optical Allusions"—written as Perry Slaughter—is now out and available. This fine little zine contains a wealth of good fiction and poetry, and is beginning to get rave reviews from the likes of Locus magazine. So when you order your copy consider getting a subscription as well. Tell 'em Bilmo Perry sent you!

As part of the New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series, Bill will host and guest-curate an evening of readings from members of the 8th of February Group, a private writers' workshop of which he is co-founder. Readers will include Richard Bowes, Jae Brim, David Barr Kirtley, and Robert J. Howe. The reading takes place at the Melville Gallery of the South Street Seaport Museum, located at 213 Water Street (near the intersection with Fulton) in lower Manhattan. Doors open at 7:00 pm, and the reading starts at 7:30 pm. Admission is $5.

The Winter 2004 issue of Storyteller, with my story "The Ice Queen" featured on the cover is now out and available—in Canada. This fine magazine is one of Canada's premier fiction magazines, and it's a great honor to have my work featured like this. Grab a copy while you're north of the border scoring your prescription drugs! (For a short time, an excerpt from "The Ice Queen" is available online.)

As part of the New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series, Bill will host and guest-curate a second evening of readings from members of the 8th of February Group, a private writers' workshop of which he is co-founder. Readers will include Barbara Krasnoff, Ian Randal Strock, and Bill himself. The reading takes place at the Melville Gallery of the South Street Seaport Museum, located at 213 Water Street (near the intersection with Fulton) in lower Manhattan. Doors open at 7:00 pm, and the reading starts at 7:30 pm. Suggested admission is $5.

Bill's new podcast—"William Shunn's ShunnCast"—is now listed in the iTunes Music Store. Only a handful of new episodes will be released each year, and by subscribing now you can be sure the latest is always automatically delivered to your iPod.

"William Shunn's ShunnCast" currently features selections from Bill's past appearances on WBAI's "Hour of the Wolf," with short stories, personal essays, conversation, music, and more. And best of all, it's 100% free!

Visit Bill's podcasting page now for more information, and to subscribe to "ShunnCast" today.

Do you get BBC World Service Radio in your area? If so, tune in Tuesday morning to "World Update" to catch a feature story for which Bill was interviewed.

Over the weekend, Bill was interviewed by BBC reporter Tara Gadomski for a story about the play "Heddatron," running now in New York City. "Heddatron" is a postmodern twist on Ibsen's "Hedda Gabler," and it purports to be among the first plays to feature real robots in its cast.

The New York Times has been gushing all over "Heddatron," both in its review and in a feature article about the robots, but Bill was less than blown away by the play himself. He reviewed "Heddatron" for Science Fiction Weekly last week, and it was pretty much his dissenting opinion that brought the BBC around to talk to him for their story, in his capacity both as a science fiction writer and as a computer programmer.

Hear "World Update" in New York City on WNYC 820 AM, from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. For stations and times elsewhere worldwide, click here.

Bill's novella "Inclination" is available now in the April/May double issue of Asimov's Science Fiction. Locus calls it "outstanding ... a fascinating future," while Tangent says, "It would not surprise me if this tale eventually finds a place in someone's year's best science fiction anthology." Find Asimov's now on a newsstand near you!