FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tananarive Due selected as Toastmaster for the 61st Annual Nebula Awards Conference
San Francisco, CA – February 26, 2026
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is proud to announce that American Book Award, NAACP Image Award, and British Fantasy Award-winning author Tananarive Due will serve as Toastmaster for the 61st Annual Nebula Awards Conference happening in Chicago, IL from June 3-7. Previous Toastmasters include Erin Roberts, Sarah Gailey, Aydrea Walden, and Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren.
“Due is an exceptional speaker – brilliantly insightful, delightfully funny – and deeply generous in her commitment to elevating the craft of speculative fiction writing across media,” said SFWA Executive Director Isis Asare. “She is the perfect toastmaster for the Nebula Awards Conference celebrating N. K. Jemisin as the recipient for the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award and Gay Haldeman as the recipient for the Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award.”
A rich tradition of storytelling
Due is the acclaimed author of The Reformatory (winner of a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Chautauqua Prize, Bram Stoker Award, Shirley Jackson Award, World Fantasy Award, and a New York Times Notable Book), The Wishing Pool and Other Stories, Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, The Good House, and contributing author of Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror.
A seasoned multimedia creator, Due and her husband/collaborator – Steven Barnes – recently co-directed their first short horror film, “The Keeper” (Samansa/Blackmaled), which will stream on Samansa in September. They alsowrote “A Small Town” for Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone on Paramount Plus and two segments of Shudder’s anthology film Horror Noire. In addition, they co-wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan and published by Megascope. Due and Barnes co-host the podcast Lifewriting: Write for Your Life! Due also served as executive producer on Shudder’s groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror.
“It’s such a thrill to be invited to be Toastmaster at the Nebulas, which has such a storied history, especially during a year honoring N. K. Jemisin and Gay Haldeman. Events like this remind us of the power of art to help create hope and change during difficult times,” Due said.
Gearing up to the Nebulas in Chicago
Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes will also participate in author signings, hybrid panels, and in-person craft workshops during the Nebula Awards Conference. Author signings will be open to the public and copies of Due’s work will be available to purchase onsite from local independent bookstore, Call and Response. Hybrid programming will also be available to attendees of Horror Writers Association’s StokerCon as a result of a recent collaboration between HWA and SFWA.
“The Horror Writers Association is pleased to see more collaboration and advancement of partnerships between genre-organizations. We’re excited to offer this unique virtual experience to members of both SFWA and the HWA to encourage virtual participation for both the Nebulas and StokerCon,” stated Maxwell Gold, Executive Director of the Horror Writers Association.
Learn more about the 61st Nebula Awards Conference, running from June 3-7 in Chicago, IL by visiting SFWA.org. Nebula Award Finalists will be announced March 15. Secure early registration pricing until May 1st.