Because of these several impediments, as well as other technical difficulties, you will find typos and occasional replication of text. In our humble opinion, typos show that the logs are of *live* chats, not canned interviews, and minimal editing of these logs has taken place.

Lindalee Stuckey's Home Page

[Cybling] Folks Lindalee Stuckey has just joined us for chat. Join me in welcoming her to Chicon!
[Cybling] Live from the Chicon Green Room in the Hyatt! Chats from Chicon!
[Cybling] Lindalee...how's the con for you so far. Good Parties? Get stuck...
[Cybling] on any elevators?
[Lindalee] We had a very nice time at the Duckon party last night
[Lindalee] And met old friends on several elevators
[Cybling] LOL. I've heard one of the major complaints at a Worldcon...
[Cybling] is that there are so many people you want to spend time with and not time to do it.
[Lindalee] Actually I think that the elevatorpeople were doing a great job
[Lindalee] a lot of world cons have been less effient
[Cybling] Lindalee, you started out in fandom back in 1983 when you met your husband at a convention?
[Cybling] If you have questions for our guest, please just ask. But please, let the guest answer one before asking another. Thanks!
[Lindalee] He took me to the first convention in 1983 World Fantasy where I got to see Ellison take a tape away from a fan who was taping illegally
[Cybling] LOL!
[Lindalee] But I met Larry via an ad that he was looking to find a lady to help locate the last unicorn
[Cybling] How romantic!
[Lindalee] a friend saw the ad and knew I had a unicorn necklace
[Lindalee] He is very romantic and thoughtful
[Cybling] Lindalee, you began the Golden Duck Award. Can you tell us what that is?
[Lindalee] It is an award to help teachers and libraians find good sf books
[Lindalee] www.goldenduck.org
[Cybling] BTW, folks, please remember that we're working on laptops set on dining room size tables,
[Cybling] while perched on dining room sized chairs...so typos are required.
[Lindalee] We have been giving cash awards to authors for 9 years now
[Cybling] Cash awards? Can I ask what denominations?
[Lindalee] We have been giving cash awards to authors for 9 years now$200 and now we are doing $500
[Cybling] So you reward authors for writing good SF/Fantasy books for children...what we used to call Juvenilles?
[Lindalee] We thought that more people would take notice of cash than trophies
[Cybling] True.
[Lindalee] we sometimes have had a hard time getting publishers to tell the author they have won.
[Cybling] Do you select the nominees or is there some other selection procedure?
[Lindalee] we sometimes have had a hard time getting publishers to tell the author they have won.w
[Lindalee] We ask anyone to tell us when they find a good book
[Lindalee] Then we have a committee that buys the book and we all read it.
[Lindalee] Anyone willing to read all the books can be on the committee.
[Cybling] So fans who regularly select books for their children, nieces and nephews are your best source for titles.
[Lindalee] Often yes and libraians that select tell us too
[Lindalee] We even have wonderful authors like Jane Yolen suggest titles.
[Cybling] About how many people are currently on the Golden Duck Award committee?
[Cybling] If you have questions for our guest, please just ask. But please, let the guest answer one before asking another. Thanks!
[Lindalee] We have four that read all but we have others that will only do one part such as picture books.
[Cybling] What prompted you to decide these books needed an award?
[Stormwindz] 2How long has the Golden Duck been around?
[Lindalee] Nine years we have been around. I am a school librarian and have seen many librarians and teachers not take sf seriously
[Lindalee] Many of my college teachers label sf junk.
[Cybling] And it's important to get kids interested in the genre at an early age?
[Lindalee] I think it is because Ray Bradbury once said that only sf prepares us for the problems of modern life.
[Cybling] Very true. I've noticed that it's of help to me.
[Cybling] Lindalee, what is Duckon?
[Lindalee] Dupage County convention which is west of Chicago
[Cybling] When is it held,and when did it start.
[Cybling] ?
[Lindalee] We started it ten years ago and hold it in May or June.
[Lindalee] www.duckon.org
[Cybling] Thanks for the url Lindalee. Now you were on a panel on Thursday..
[Cybling] about writing for children. ARe there important...
[Cybling] things that fantasy and SF authors should know about writing for this market?
[Lindalee] Yes thankfully my principal allowed me to leave school early
[Lindalee] Writers need to know that there are market differences for kids books.
[Lindalee] book clubs and school book fairs are big business
[Cybling] You know, I've always heard that the young-adult market is a great one for authors, and yet so few seem to tackle it.
[Lindalee] Also these days accelerated reader dominates school spending. If there is no test written for your book it is hard to sell to school libraries
[Lindalee] There are many young adults that are so turned off to reading period
[Cybling] Isn't there some sort of restriction, not only on content, but on reading level?
[Cybling] In Children's books that is.
[Lindalee] Yes there is a lot to do with reading level. So many kids read below grade level.
[Lindalee] And you have to do a lot to get them interested. I am amazed by the Harry Potter books
[Cybling] From the writer's point of view though...how would they learn what words fit the reading level of the children they're writingfor?
[Lindalee] Good juvenile publishers should have computers that can test the reading level of the book and suggest words to use instead of ones used.
[Lindalee] Also sentence length is a problem.
[Cybling] Now you mentioned with today's teaching methods, books that don't have tests associated with them have a hard time being sold to the Schools? Heavens. Isn't that a kind of catch 22.
[Lindalee] Yes it is. Accelerated reader has in the last two years dominated what many schools purchase
[Lindalee] I have written some tests for David Brins YA series and will give them to any teacher that asks
[Cybling] Cool! Does this mean that publishers are now reticent...
[Cybling] to accept children's books without a test up front?
[Cybling] Or have things not progressed to that horrible level yet?
[Lindalee] I am not sure that has got quite to that level yet but I see it coming.
[Lindalee] I know of many schools that take the ENTIRE library budget for accelerated reader titles
[Cybling] As do I. I think we've all read to many distopian novels, lol.
[Cybling] Or maybe not enough dystopian novels.
[Kimmo] Quick question from the non-american? :)
[Lindalee] ok
[Kimmo] Accelerated reader is not a term I'm familiar with
[Lindalee] It is a computer test that keeps kids reading books on their reading level
[Kimmo] Oh, I see.
[Lindalee] You read a book take a test then earn points--the points determine your reading or english grade
[Cybling] YOu were also on an interesting panel about the censorship of Henry Potter.
[Cybling] I find it terrifying that there are some places where kids are not allowed to read this popular series.
[Lindalee] Yes the room was packed
[Lindalee] There have been challenges in Michigan, South Carolina and Kansas on Harry as satanism and anti female.
[Cybling] Satanism? Good lord.
[Lindalee] Yes there is NO good witchcraft
[Cybling] Hasn't the school system always been a little leery of fantasy and more of SF though?
[Lindalee] Yes but many because they think it is junk rather than it is witches
[Cybling] You know I've often thought the best way to get new young readers is to take a bunch of Heinlein's juvenilles down to a schoolyard and hand them out.
[Cybling] I assume if I were to do that with Potter I might get arrested now.
[Lindalee] I don't think it is that bad--but you might be mobbed by the crowds.
[Cybling] LOL!
[Lindalee] Did you see any of the long lines at bookstores at midnight selling the books?
[Cybling] Lindalee, are there any plans with your group to work harder with the school systems in the future to dispell these prejudices against our favorite genres. and yes I did see those lines.
[Lindalee] We have been working with Read for the Future to help school systems with prejudices and interest in reading.
[Lindalee] We also plan on donating books to the Chicago public schools. We have a box of books from previous years.
[Cybling] Wonderful. Is there anything that our chatters here, or the folks who read this log can do to help?
[Lindalee] Please let us know when you see good titles. Or if you have any teaching ideas for good sf books.
[Lindalee] I have lesson plans for many elementary and middle school books on the duckon site
[Cybling] They can reach you through your website?
[Lindalee] yes they can mail me thru the website
[Cybling] Thank you so much for joining us today Lindalee. This has been a most...
[Cybling] informative chat and I'm very excited. I never knew what Duckon was.
[Cybling] Now that I do...I may be running down there this year.
[Kimmo] I'm glad to see someone is making efforts to make kids read, whatever the material
[Cybling] Folks, Lindalee was just telling me about the Klingon love poem contests.
[Cybling] Folks...Sasha Miller is our next guest...let me look around the Green Room and locate.
[Cybling] While I'm looking, I've asked Lindalee to tell you all about the Klingon Love Poetry Contest...
[Cybling] they hold at Duckon each year.
[Lindalee] Klingon women choose their mates based on their ability to read poetry and duck the heavy objects they throw.
[Lindalee] Klingon women like their men tough and agile. Able to think under fire.
[Cybling] lol
[Lindalee] So women get prizes for the most forceful throwing, most accurate throwing and most seductive throwing.
* Cybling snorting
[Lindalee] Men get prizes for the best reading, best reciting and best ducking
[Lindalee] If you read heinlien--this is a funny always thing
[Cybling] This sounds like a great con for lovers, Lindalee. I'll definately check out the site.
[Lindalee] We also have had several Klingon weddings.
[Cybling] Thanks so much.
* Cybling applauds