Winners of the 2001 Rhysling Awards have been announced by the Science Fiction Poetry Association. The Science Fiction Poetry Association was founded in 1978 by Suzette Haden Elgin and annually bestows Rhysling Awards for the best Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror poem of the previous calendar year. There are two categories, Short Poem for poems 50 lines or less and Long Poem for poems longer than 50 lines. The 2001 Rhysling Chairperson was G. O. Clark

In the Short Poetry Category, 1st place was won by Bruce Boston for his poem 'My Wife Returns As She Would Have It' which appeared in ASIMOV'S SF MAGAZINE (3/00). Boston, the first poet elected as a Grandmaster by the Science Fiction Poetry membership has won the award previously six tines in either category of the Rhysling (short or long).

Second place in the Short Poetry category was a tie with G. O. Clark's 'Of Dance Steps and Distances' which appeared in ICARUS ASCENDING #1 (10/00) and Ann K. Schwader for 'Refections in a Fading Mir' which appeared in MYTHIC DELIRIUM #3. Third place in Short Poetry was won by Tracina Jackson-Adams for 'Persephone Wakening' that appeared in MAGAZINE OF SPECULATIVE POETRY (Spring,2000).

First place in the Long Poetry category was won by Joe Haldeman for 'January Fires' which appeared in ASIMOV'S SF (1/01). This is his third Rhysling.

Second place in long poetry was a tie with David C. Kopaska-Merkel for 'Valley of Years' which appeared in his collection RESULTS OF A PRELOMONARY INVESTIGATION OF ELECTROCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOME ORGANIC MATRICES and James Dorr for 'Maya' which appeared in his collection STRANGE ATTRACTIONS. Third place was also a tie with Bruce Boston for 'Lesions of Genetic Sin' which wasthe first poem published in Perihelieon Broadsheet series and Gene Van Troyer for 'Event Horizons' which appeared in the general literary magazine SNOW MONKEY.

Thirty five poems by twenty eight poets were nominated in either category and represented all genres of the fantastic.

Posted July 18, 2001