[Illbay]

FWIW, Connie Willis is hardly "new". I was reading her stuff in the mid-80s.

I'll check out some of the other stuff you mention, but you have to remember that I'm pretty skeptical in my old age.

Judging by the stuff that "wows" 'em at the SFBC site, it's pretty bleak out there.

[JenB]

Well... nobody I know outside my immediate family knows her, which is weird since she has more Hugos and Nebulas than anyone needs. Did you read her novels? If you've only read her short stuff you have no idea what you're missing. I know you're skeptical, but really - how great was the "Golden Age"? We don't keep the bad stuff, and good stuff is always being written. If the fans would just through poseurs like Robert Jordan out on their ears... well, I think we're in for a renaissance, not a dying-out.