Robert J. Sawyer

(April 29, 1960 – )

Robert James “Rob” Sawyer is a Toronto SF writer and fan whose career began with three stories in the early 1980s, three more in the late ’80s, and his first novel in 1990. His career took off in the mid-90s and he has published over 20 novels.

He has been heavily involved in SFWA, and lobbied hard for the creation of the Canadian Region which was established in 1992. Sawyer served as Canadian Regional Director of SFWA for three years and also edited its newsletter, called Alouette. Alouette was nominated for a Prix Aurora award for best fanzine. In 1998, he was elected president of SFWA on a platform that promised a referendum on periodic membership requalification and the creation of a Nebula Award for best script. He won, beating Norman Spinrad 3:2. However, his term was marked by considerable controversy and he resigned half-way through and was replaced by vice-president Paul Levinson.

Sawyer's Aurora Award-winning collection of stories and essays, Relativity was the first book published by ISFiC Press.

In 1975, Sawyer and school friends Rick Gotlib and Ted Bleaney started a science-fiction club, the Northview Association for Science Fiction Addicts, or NASFA (Afsan, the main character in Sawyer’s novels Far-Seer, Fossil Hunter and Foreigner, is NASFA spelled backwards). In 1982, he was one of the organizers of the NorthStar one-day con.

He worked at Bakka Books, the Toronto bookstore in the summer of 1982. Sawyer has been involved in Toronto fandom. He is married to poet Carolyn Clink.

• Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
• Website.

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

• 1993 -- CAN*CON '93
• 1995 -- Nebula Award for Best Novel
• 1996 -- Ad Astra 16, Astronomicon 5, CAN*CON '96
• 1997 -- Capricon 17, Con-Version 14 Canadian Guest, Science Fiction Chronicle Reader Award for Best Short Story
• 1998 -- Bubonicon 30, Con*Cept '98
• 2000 -- VCON 25, Boréal 2000
• 2001 -- Ad Astra 2001, EerieCon 3, CAN*CON 2001, toastmaster at VCON 26 and Tropicon XX
• 2002 -- toastmaster at Con-Version 19
• 2003 -- Minicon 38, Keycon 20, Con-Version 20 Canadian GoH, OASIS 16, MidSouthCon 21, 2003 Best Novel Hugo for Hominids
• 2004 -- WindyCon 31, toastmaster at ConFusion XXX
• 2005 -- CopperCon 25, Apollocon 2005, Con-Version 21.5
• 2006 -- 2BeContinued 5 (didn’t attend), MileHiCon 38, Keycon 23, toastmaster at Norwescon XXIX
• 2007 -- Loscon 34, RavenCon 2007, Chattacon XXXII, special guest at FenCon VII
• 2008 -- OASIS 20
• 2009 -- FilKONtario 19, Con-Version 25
• 2010 -- Capricon 30, Ad Astra 29, Conjecture 2010, 5Pi-Con, I-Con XXIX
• 2011 -- Confluence 2011, HAL-CON 2011, Millennicon 25, science guest at When Words Collide 2011, Hal Clement Award for Young Adult
• 2012 -- DucKon 21
• 2013 -- CAN*CON 2013, Skylark Award
• 2014 -- Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame
• 2015 -- CONtraflow 5
• 2016 -- Lunacon 2016, VCON 41
• 2017 -- ConQuesT 48, Robert A. Heinlein Award, Chengdu International Science Fiction and Fantasy Conference
• 2018 -- ArmadilloCon 40 special guest
• 2019 -- Capclave 2019
• 2022 -- TitanCon 2022
• 2023 -- Chengdu Worldcon, Miscon 37
• 11 other Hugo nominations
• Eight Aurora Awards
• Three Seiun Awards

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Person

1960—

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