I had this idea I was going to not post until we had the TOC ready for ASZAS, but, y’know, screw that. (We’ll have it soon, honest.)

First things first: apologies to Ms. Livdahl for not acknowledging her as a Ratbastard. English needs a gender-inclusive plural that’s more interesting than people, less folksy than folks, and that, unlike ladies and gentlemen, allows for one lady and many gentlemen, one gentleman and many ladies, or possibly just one lady and one gentleman.

Next, apologies to Ms. Bond. I’ve still only written answers to three of those five questions, and they shouldn’t be hard questions, either.

Third, I’ve just had news of the 2003 Strange Horizons Reader’s Choice Awards. In the fiction category, we have:

• First place: “In the Late December,” Greg van Eekhout
• Second place: “Sleeping with Bears,” Theodora Goss
• Third place: “Living with the Harpy,” Tim Pratt

and

• Honorable mention: “Fetch,” yours truly.

Ms. Goss and Messrs. Pratt and van Eekhout are folks [see what I mean? —Ed.] I have no trouble giving place to. Well done, all.

I’d also like to congratulate Ms. Goss, my TOC-mate for Polyphony 2, on having her story from that volume, “Professor Berkowitz Stands on the Threshold,” selected for the Hartwell/Cramer Year’s Best Fantasy. It’s a hell of a story, and you should all read it. Mr. Pratt has one in there too — nice work, Tim.