Betsy Wollheim’s Skylark Acceptance Speech

Hello Boskone, and thank you to NESFA for this incredible honor.

I’m sorry I couldn’t be here with you tonight, but at least I have someone very special to be there for me: Margery Meadow has been one of my closest friends since we met at college in Massachusetts in 1971, and we bonded over our love of science fiction, fantasy, and fandom. Margery and I attended many Boskones together, and now, fifty years later, we’re like sisters and soul mates.

Boskone and NESFA have a special place in my heart. For the years I lived in Worcester and Cambridge it was my beloved local convention, but also for the labor of love with which NESFA Press has brought so many beloved authors back into print, including not only my dad’s short stories, but one of the authors I most revere, Cordwainer Smith.

I’m honored to join the ranks of editors who have been presented with this award, which include my friends Beth Meacham and Ginjer Buchanan, but also the late Judy-Lynn Del Rey, who even though she was my competitor, generously offered me her help when I first took over the reins of DAW Books in 1985. Hallowed company indeed.

I can’t thank you enough.