Clarke Award Ceremony
May. 12th, 2005 08:05 amSo, the Scheherazade team and I, plus Mr Brazier, took ourselves off to the big city. We arrived unfashionably early at the English Heritage Lecture Theatre, so we had to go to the pub: the Windmill, typical London, all red and gold and mirrors, with stout cherubs above the doorways.
There are some very designer shops in that neck of the woods, too. We looked at the Issey Miyake collection (if I want to wear a burqa, I'll move to Kabul, thanks all the same) and flinched from a window with a 30 foot-high naked bright yellow man.
By this time, the award ceremony was open, so we mingled with pretty much everyone in the British genre scene, as one does.![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
claire_weaver wins 'feather boa of 2005' award and generally, there were some pretty elegant people around.
And not just British: Frederick Pohl came over, much to everyone's surprise - he and his lady sailed in on the Queen Mary yesterday. I had a chat to him after the ceremony and then he left, having rounded up Harry Harrison ("Harry is such a child! Take your eye offa him and he runs away." Harry is 80).
Anyway, Paul Kincaid ably and efficiently conducted the award ceremony itself. China won (in a suit. Again) for THE IRON COUNCIl. He appeared somewhat stunned: I don't think he was expecting to win. But I was pleased because of publisher brand loyalty, as well as liking China and his work. The Pan Mac team are delighted.
A bunch of us went off to dinner (I always seem to end up leading a large group of people: 16 in this case, with no idea of where we were going). But Cherith Baldy and Deirdre C steered me to an Italian chain, where we drank a fair amount and had Marco Polo pasta in honour of our forthcoming trip.
We lost Ian Mcdonald en route through Soho. Hope he's OK.
On the way back, the train was repllently crowded and filled with nutcases. One of them was anxious to please and offered me a battery. "Wanna Duracell?" Refrained from replying "No thanks, I'm trying to give them up." Then he dropped it and it rolled under the seat, so there went that.
And then we had to battle with the ticketing system in the new station car park. At 1 a.m! in the freezing cold! Grrr.
And now I have to go and get my eyes tested. No, not as a result of last night.
There are some very designer shops in that neck of the woods, too. We looked at the Issey Miyake collection (if I want to wear a burqa, I'll move to Kabul, thanks all the same) and flinched from a window with a 30 foot-high naked bright yellow man.
By this time, the award ceremony was open, so we mingled with pretty much everyone in the British genre scene, as one does.
claire_weaver wins 'feather boa of 2005' award and generally, there were some pretty elegant people around. And not just British: Frederick Pohl came over, much to everyone's surprise - he and his lady sailed in on the Queen Mary yesterday. I had a chat to him after the ceremony and then he left, having rounded up Harry Harrison ("Harry is such a child! Take your eye offa him and he runs away." Harry is 80).
Anyway, Paul Kincaid ably and efficiently conducted the award ceremony itself. China won (in a suit. Again) for THE IRON COUNCIl. He appeared somewhat stunned: I don't think he was expecting to win. But I was pleased because of publisher brand loyalty, as well as liking China and his work. The Pan Mac team are delighted.
A bunch of us went off to dinner (I always seem to end up leading a large group of people: 16 in this case, with no idea of where we were going). But Cherith Baldy and Deirdre C steered me to an Italian chain, where we drank a fair amount and had Marco Polo pasta in honour of our forthcoming trip.
We lost Ian Mcdonald en route through Soho. Hope he's OK.
On the way back, the train was repllently crowded and filled with nutcases. One of them was anxious to please and offered me a battery. "Wanna Duracell?" Refrained from replying "No thanks, I'm trying to give them up." Then he dropped it and it rolled under the seat, so there went that.
And then we had to battle with the ticketing system in the new station car park. At 1 a.m! in the freezing cold! Grrr.
And now I have to go and get my eyes tested. No, not as a result of last night.
