Don Sakers Explained

Don Sakers
Birth Date:16 June 1958
Birth Place:Yokosuka, Japan
Death Place:Maryland, United States
Occupation:Writer
Notable Works:Dance for the Ivory Madonna

Don Sakers (June 16, 1958 – May 17, 2021)[1] [2] was an American science fiction writer and fan who lived in Maryland, and wrote several novels and edited a short story collection. In 2009 he succeeded Thomas Easton as book reviewer for Analog Science Fiction and Fact magazine. Sakers is probably best known in the science fiction community as a frequent guest speaker at science fiction conventions.

When asked about the reaction to the diversity elements in his SF, Sakers said:

Writing career and SF fandom

Sakers was the author of SF novels Dance for the Ivory Madonna (2002) and companion titles The Leaves of October (1988), A Voice in Every Wind (2003), Weaving the Web of Days (2004), and A Rose From Old Terra (2007); and dark fantasy novel Curse of the Zwilling (2003).[3] He was also author of the short story "The Cold Solution" (Analog, 1991) and other short fiction. Sakers was editor of Carmen Miranda's Ghost Is Haunting Space Station Three (1990), an anthology of stories based on Leslie Fish's song of the same name; the SF Book of Days (2004);[4] and the Gaylaxicon 2006 Sampler.[5] Sakers was also the author of two gay young adult novels: Act Well Your Part (1986) and Lucky in Love (1988). Melissa Scott called him "a left wing Heinlein."[6]

A member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, he wrote numerous obituaries for their web site, including that of Lisa A. Barnett.[7]

Dance for the Ivory Madonna

According to a Publishers Weekly review, Dance for the Ivory Madonna is about when;

Sakers described the book as being about "a lot of things: friendship, toleration, a celebration of the creative spirit, a paean to unconventionality. It's about what's wrong with today's world, what's right with today's world, and what hope there is for the future. It's about how our technology affects us, and about the decisions we can make regarding those effects."

Dance for the Ivory Madonna was a Spectrum Award finalist.[8]

Science fiction conventions

Sakers was guest of honor at the 1995 Gaylaxicon,[9] [10] and was a frequent guest speaker at other Gaylaxicons,[11] Albacon, Arisia, and Boskone.[12]

Personal life

Sakers was born in Yokosuka, Japan, but grew up in the United States.[13] He was openly gay[14] and had diabetes and autism.[15] He shared a home in Anne Arundel County, Maryland with his spouse, costumer Thomas Atkinson.[16] Their house, known as Meerkat Meade,[17] was featured in Weird Maryland.[18] [19] His self-described "day job" was with the Anne Arundel County public library, where he worked for 42 years.[20] [21] Sakers was an active blogger.[22]

Sakers died of a heart attack on May 17, 2021, aged 62.

Bibliography

Novels

Scattered Worlds Mosaic
  1. Book:
  2. Book:
  3. Book:
  4. Book:
  5. Book:
  6. Book: [23]
  7. Book:
  8. The Leaves of October (started as a short story in August 1983's Analog, and was expanded as a novel in 1988)

Short fiction

Collections

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Don's Obituary . Kirkley-Ruddick Funeral Home . 30 June 2021 . 9 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181318/https://www.kirkleyruddickfuneralhome.com/obituary/don-sakers . live .
  2. Web site: In Memoriam – Don Sakers . . 23 May 2021 . 19 May 2021 . 20 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210520190806/https://www.sfwa.org/2021/05/19/in-memoriam-don-sakers/ . live .
  3. http://www.sfandf.com/html/scifi-fantasy-books.html?id=2&p1=Don%20Sakers&p2=books Review of Curse of the Zwilling
  4. http://www.stevenhsilver.com/sakers.html SF site review of SF Book of Days
  5. http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=63-9780971614789-0 Powell's Books review of Gaylaxicon 2006 Sampler
  6. http://www.sfrevu.com/ISSUES/2002/0203/Feature%20-%20Don%20Sakers/interview.htm SFRevu Interview
  7. Web site: Lisa A. Barnett . 2007-05-16 . Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America . Sakers . Don . 2006-05-04 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070822203810/http://sfwa.org/news/2006/lbarnett.htm . 2007-08-22 .
  8. Web site: 2003 Best Novel Finalists. Spectrums Awards. April 2012. July 1, 2014. July 14, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150714225358/http://www.spectrumawards.org/2003.htm. live.
  9. http://www.readersadvice.com/mmeade/writing/gcon.html Gaylaxian Guest of Honor Speech
  10. Web site: Gaylaxicon 1995 Badges . 2008-01-24 . 2007-09-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070927010744/http://www.readersadvice.com/cons/con95.html . live .
  11. http://gaylaxicon.gaylacticnetwork.org/2006/PanelList.php Gaylaxicon panel list
  12. http://www.nesfa.org/Boskone/b34/program.html Boskone 2007 program
  13. Web site: Don Sakers (1958-2021) . . 23 May 2021 . 20 May 2021 . 23 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210523135355/https://locusmag.com/2021/05/don-sakers-1958-2021/ . live .
  14. http://www.sfrevu.com/ISSUES/2002/0203/Feature%20-%20Don%20Sakers/interview.htm SFRevu Interview
  15. Web site: Sakers. Don. June 12, 2020. Newsletter Week of 12 Jun 2020. 2020-07-02. donsakers.com. en. "I'm over 60, diabetic, have type A blood, am bald, and have autism.". 2020-07-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20200703031238/http://donsakers.com/sw/node/6161. live.
  16. Web site: Don Sakers. 2009-05-19. 2002-02-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20020214040405/http://www.readersadvice.com/mmeade/airlock/donbio.html. live.
  17. http://meerkatmeade.blogspot.com/ Meerkat Meade Blog by Don Sakers
  18. Matt Lake, Mark Moran, and Mark Sceurman, Weird Maryland, p. 137, 138 (2006 Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.),, found at Weird Maryland at Google Books . Accessed June 23, 2008.
  19. http://www.readersadvice.com/museum/museum.html Reader's advice page about The Star Toys Museum
  20. Web site: Don Saker bio at readersadvice.com . 2009-05-19 . 2002-02-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20020214040405/http://www.readersadvice.com/mmeade/airlock/donbio.html . live .
  21. Web site: About Don Sakers. 2020-07-02. donsakers.com. en. 2020-07-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20200702175119/http://donsakers.com/sw/node/109. live.
  22. http://www.blogger.com/profile/15217892733792461253 Profile at Blogger.com
  23. A collection of two short stories.
  24. Includes some non-fiction pieces.

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