Kate Ristau's Blog

2025 SFWA Nebula Awards

Since November, I’ve had the honor of leading the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association as President. At the Nebula Awards Ceremony, I shared about what we’ve been working on — our struggles, our strategy, and our reorganizing.

It’s been a challenge. I’ve learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes on the way. Still, I am so happy with how far we have come and so proud of the team working to make these changes to the organization and the industry as a whole. Here’s a splash of my intro speech, with a link to the full Ceremony below. Make sure you listen to Nicola Griffith’s grandmaster speech. She is a light.

This past fall we started having conversations, meeting with volunteers, asking questions, and listening. We learned a lot.

And we took what we learned straight into the board room. 

We focused on reorganizing, reconsidering and most importantly, strategizing. That work has continued this weekend in our strategic planning sessions, where we are paying attention to our past mistakes and looking toward a different future. 

It’s exciting. 

Over the next few months, we will start sharing our strategic plan with you. Goals. Actions. Objectives. I know. SO VERY DORKY. 

But y’all, I am here for it. SFWA’s future is now rooted in focused support for writers and a passionate desire to make the industry stronger. Better. More HUMAN. More caring. 

In the face of AI and political upheaval, we need that story: The one about hope. Resistance. Compassion. And kicking ass…

Click below to listen to the full speech and meet the award winners at the 2025 SFWA Nebula Awards!

Watch the 2025 SFWA Nebula Awards

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My Norwescon Schedule

 

I’m heading to Norwescon April 17 – 20, 2025. Here’s where you can find me:

Thursday

Once Upon a Time: Storytelling 201

5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Cascade 5 & 6

Friday

Worldbuilding Series 202: Myth and Magic

2:00pm – 3:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4

A Strong Bridge: Storytelling 202

5:00pm – 6:00pm @ Cascade 5 & 6

Northwest Speculative: Norwescon Reading

8:00pm – 10:00pm @ Cascade 9

Saturday

Teens Overthrow the Government!

1:00pm – 2:00pm @ Cascade 13

Help Teens Overthrow the Government!

2:00pm – 3:00pm @ Cascade 13

The Grand Finale: Storytelling 203

4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 5 & 6

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Ink and Coffee

Last week, my friend Remy Nakamura gave me a bottle of ink he picked up in Japan. It’s coffee flavored…I mean SCENTED. Don’t drink it. That would be super gross. And messy.

It made me think of the little ways we show our care for each other. 

I’ve been pouring lots of cups of coffee since Armin and I launched the Kickstarter last week (we are 20% of the way there!). 

Writing Mythwakers: The Manananggal has been a challenge. The Manananggal is not your regular middle grade hero. She drinks blood and can, you know, separate the top half of her body from the bottom. 

Lots of people are scared of her. 

Armin and I, as we have been working, have been trying to explore her character more. Why does she resonate with the Filipino peoples? What makes her story compelling?

Turns out, there’s a lot about this world that we don’t understand. 

Sometimes, life is confusing. Sometimes, people are mean. Sometimes the winter is dark and we can’t find the light. Sometimes, people drink our blood in the middle of the night and the only way we can stop them is by–

I’ll save that bit for later.

I don’t tend to watch a lot of horror movies myself. I think it’s because the coffee is too hot. I like mine cooled down, with extra cream. 

I wish the world was more gentle. 

My husband Bob noted today that we got through a lot of cream. I didn’t remind him that we go through a lot of coffee too. He knows that very well. 

We lean into the planning and the process, the madness and the plan. We ardently try to fix things that are going wrong. We are going going going and I sometimes forget to take a moment and enjoy the first sip.

So, here’s to March. Here’s to a cup of coffee, just the way you like it.

Here’s to a moment in the early morning or late afternoon. Just for you. An extra pour.

Pass me the cream. 

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Let it Snow

That’s the view outside my office window.

We are halfway through February, which I thought was still January, and folks, it has been a bit of a trek. 

On the Willamette Writers side, we are getting ready to launch a conference on March 1st (woot!). 

On the SFWA side, I’m headed to Kansas City to check out the Nebulas hotel tomorrow (woot!)

On the writing side, I’m working on a brand new project with Armin Tolentino (woot!).

On the brain side, I do not have one (shoot!).

But the snow is blanketing the ground, a good reminder that sometimes we need time before we rise. To rest, to winter, to think, to plan, and then to act. 

So, what are you planning on? What are you wondering and wishing and thinking about? What are you dreaming into the spring?

Let me know what you are up to. I will look forward to it with you.

BOOOOOOOKKKKKKSSSS

Of course I read the new book in Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children’s series. It’s called Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear. No plot spoilers, but I love that series because the basic idea is that a kid finds a doorway into a world that is perfectly made for them. The books are a lovely intersection of happiness and nostalgia intertwined with grief and loss. 

I was just talking with my friend Rebekah about how the series is also great for writers. The setting is so wound up in the characters and vice-versa. The world becomes a reflection of the characters — who they are, and who they want to be. They are a master class in worldbuilding.

They are not always easy books, but they are perfect — each in their own way. 

Work in Progress

Coming soooooooooooon:

Did you know there is a whole world underneath our feet? The top of the earth is made of gigantic tectonic plates. They are like the scales of a dragon. When one plate moves, it shifts the other plates around it as well. This is how we get earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. 

At least, that’s the scientific explanation. If you’ve met my friend Bacobaco, you’d understand there is more to the story than you’ll find in your textbooks.

You see, Bacobaco is a great and terrible spirit of the sea…

What I’m Up To

Still running for SFWA President.
Pouring more coffee.
Here we go again!

What I’m Not Up To

Come on, Jon Snow.
Put on a hat and a scarf and
support the arts.

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2025 SFWA President Platform

My name is Kate Ristau. I am the current President of SFWA and the Executive Director of Willamette Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit writing organization. After four years of supporting the Nebula Awards, I ran for the Board of Directors in the fall with a desire to help the organization in this period of transition. I am running again to continue the work we are doing to strengthen the foundation of SFWA and the genre as a whole.

When I wrote the last board update, I discussed our current progress, but here’s a quick rundown of what has happened since November:

We set a strategic direction to guide us into the summer.We developed and clarified policies around whistleblowing and confidentiality.We hired an office assistant and have finished interviews for the Nebula conference project manager (with full and open searches).We started the Writers in Crisis Grant Program.

We also created and participated in three major organizational quarterly meetings:

Committee Chair Meeting.Partner Presidents Meeting (with the Horror Writers Association, the Romance Writers of America, and the Mystery Writers of America).President’s Advisory Council.

I also met with staff and volunteers, as well as one on one with board members and past presidents. In addition, we restarted the Fundraising Committee, where we set a direction for our fundraising over the next 6 months.

That is just a little slice of the last few months, which has also included lots of Nebula planning, operations support, and member outreach. What I have learned since November is that SFWA is an incredibly complex and multifaceted organization full of people who want to make productive and positive changes. They want to support the genre and make our community stronger.

I met some of them this weekend at the COSine Convention in Colorado Springs.

I’m writing to you from the hotel in Colorado Springs, where I participated in panels and connected with members, as well as our larger genre community.

I am so happy I came. It was a good reminder of why we do the work and what matters: creators, the genre, and the work.

In my previous platform, I stated that throughout my career in arts and nonprofit management, my focus has been on building healthy, principled, and strategic organizations. 

I know we still have more to do here.

But I also keep saying “we.”

That is because when I stepped onto the board, I focused on collaborating with my fellow board members, and they more than stepped up. I continue to be impressed by their level of dedication and thoughtful leadership.

It’s not just the board, though. Staff and volunteers are working tirelessly to help us meet SFWA’s mission AND vision.

Together, we’ve done a lot in the last three months, and given our new strategic direction, I see more focused work ahead. But I also see the cultural shift that needs to happen underneath.

We need a community of transparency and accountability, and importantly, we need to care for and support one another.

In that vein, I intend to keep listening and keep learning. I also intend to encourage training and good employment practices. We’ve been working on further supporting our committees and staff, but I know we have much more to do in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, as accountability is not just about the words, it’s about our actions and the community we are co-creating.

In the spirit of collaboration, you’ll continue to read more of our regular board updates to keep you informed of board activities,and we will also host our quarterly town hall in February. In our next board meeting, we will consider open meetings and our policies process, as well as how we can better engage the traditional publishing industry.

All of this work supports great programming, advocacy, and outreach. It supports YOU.

I said it before – I get a little dorky about all of this. But the reality is that — together — we can do good things.

So, as the snow falls in Colorado, I’m looking forward to more seasons with you. I will repeat my previous note with one small change: I have offered my support to the current board organization, and will continue to do so, no matter the results of the election. 

I look forward to supporting the organization as we move forward into the future.

Hello, 

My name is Kate Ristau. I am an author, folklorist, and the Executive Director of Willamette Writers, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in education with 1200 members. I work with our board, staff, and 75 year-round volunteers to host 400 community events each year. My goal in joining the ballot as a nonprofit arts executive is to support SFWA and help our community thrive.

I am the Nebula Awards Producer, which means I worked with staff and volunteers to oversee and support the last three productions (from streaming to lighting to the Writer’s Room). I began volunteering with the Nebulas because of my love for the genre and for our community.

I have essays in the New York Times and Washington Post. I have a middle grade series (indie) and a young adult series (small press), as well as other books, articles, poems and stories published. I taught writing at the university level for eight years, and I have led workshops and moderated panels at Norwescon, Orycon, Portland Book Festival, and many other conferences and conventions. I have served on the board of my local public library for seven years, where I am currently Chair, and have served on several other arts boards over the last ten years. 
 

Throughout my career in arts and nonprofit management, my focus has been on building healthy, principled, and strategic organizations. Practically, that means addressing the following priorities, with an eye for long-term stability:

Program Development & Management

If you don’t know me, the dorky thing you will find out is that I am a firm believer in working together and finding common ground, but for organizations, that work requires systems and objectives to support productive continuation into the future. While the work of the board is usually focused on the mission, vision, and direction of the organization, the board is ultimately responsible for the well-being of the nonprofit. During times of transition, it is a board’s responsibility to be actively engaged in recruiting and retention, as well as closely investing in programming staff. This engagement extends to volunteer relations as well. 
 

Immediate areas I would prioritize are:

– Working to settle outstanding employment issues professionally and with appropriate transparency.

– Addressing immediate hiring needs in accounting, events, and volunteer management.

– Collaborating with the board to begin work on a new 5-year strategic plan.

For me, leadership is strategic, honest, and collaborative. I will work with the board, volunteers, and staff to address these priorities. 
 

Organizational Culture

A vibrant and collaborative culture is a standard that must be nurtured, tended to, and modeled by an organization’s leaders. Effective leaders set expectations up front on program management and help staff and volunteers fit in their clearly defined roles (with lots of support!), so everyone can meet objectives together. 
 

Participation on the board, or within a designated leadership or coordination role, confers a responsibility to behave ethically, and with appropriate transparency. 
 

Beyond all that, we specifically have generosity written into our values: “We believe in paying it forward by sharing our collective experience and encouraging, educating, and informing writers through professional development and community-building.” 

If we want to support writers and our genre, we have to create a culture of generosity and support — we have to look out for each other. 
 

As the president, I would set expectations of an environment of professionalism and communicate values by prioritizing:

– Staff and volunteer trainings around communication, whistleblower and legal protections, and work/life boundaries.

– Focus on the RACI model of communication, a project management tool that helps define roles and encourages standards-based communications.

– Continue Town Halls and bi-weekly updates to members and the public.

We have the bylaws to guide us as we move into the future, and policies and procedures to follow in the OPPM. I see these guides as a backstop — our insurance policy for good, consistent governance. But governance is more than rules — it is also the environment that we foster so we can pursue our mission. 
 

We can all work better together if we can actively communicate our values and needs in open, honest, and equitable ways. Ultimately, the job of the president is to model these qualities and hold the board and leaders accountable to that standard. 
 

Here to help

There is more work to do, and lots more work that has already been done. I have been impressed with the current board’s work, and know they are facing incredible challenges. I have offered my support to the current board, and will continue to do so, no matter the results of the election. I am here to help the organization; we are a powerful community of writers who tangle with dragons and soar into space. We can do this. 

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COSine Convention

I am thrilled to announce my participation in this year’s COSine Convention, an event that brings together science fiction writers and fans. Join me January 24-26 in Colorado Springs. This convention has a wonderful mix of thought-provoking panels and engaging discussions. Plus, I’m excited to connect with Connie & Courtney Willis, as well as fellow SFWA board officer Jonathan Brazee.

Here’s my schedule:

• Saturday 11 AM, Front Range: The Technology Trap
• Saturday 12 PM, Front Range: Balancing Writing and Marketing
• Saturday 5:30 PM, Atrium: Author Signing
• Sunday 12 PM, Main Events: Timey Wimey

You can find out more about COSine at: https://www.firstfridayfandom.org/cosine/events/cosine/

Hope to see you there!

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Choosing hope

Friends,

We just finished watching LOKI, Season Two. It felt unreasonably epic until we stepped back into unreasonably epic times.

There was talk of timelines and glorious purpose. It all felt a little too MUCH until it didn’t. 

It sometimes feels like we stepped into the wrong timeline. 

Part of me wishes that was true: all those timelines colliding and melding together into a multiverse of possibility. Mostly because that would mean we still get dragons. 

But the other part of me knows this is where we are at. 

So, what are we gonna do about it?

We’re going to do what we always do: The work. 

We are going to write and hope and cry and create. We are going to hold each other accountable and hold space for each other too. 

We are going to tell our stories. 

Because the way we create order in all the chaos is through creativity — we make the active choice to change what we can and to hold tight to what we believe in. 

I am going to keep asking you to do that. CREATE. CREATE. CREATE.

Because even as we stand looking out into the unknown, with chaos swirling around us and our hearts pounding hard in our aching chests, we stand there together, holding cups of coffee and holding up each other.

Hope is an active choice. I want to choose it with you.

Keep creating,

Kate

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My Norwescon Schedule

Norwescon is just around the corner! If you’re coming up to SeaTac on March 28-31, you can find me at the panels below. I’ll also be hanging out at the Willamette Writers club table (#31) and causing general mayhem. See you there!

Thursday

Worlds to Come Home to

3:00pm – 4:00pm @ Evergreen 3 & 4

Kate Ristau (M), Tom Llewellyn, Kate Alice Marshall, Lish McBride, Kendare Blake

A Call to Adventure: Crafting Fantasy Starts (Fantasy Writing 201)

4:00pm – 5:00pm @ Cascade 13

G.R. Theron (M), Kate Ristau, Randy Henderson, Travis Baldree, Brenda Carre, Carol Berg

Friday

Mythological Origins

10:00am – 11:00am @ Evergreen 3 & 4

Kate Ristau (M), Rhiannon/R.Z. Held, Shiv Ramdas, Anastasia Wilde, Richard Sparks

Along the Winding Path: Crafting Compelling Middles (Fantasy Writing 202)

3:00pm – 4:00pm @ Cascade 13

G.R. Theron (M), Kate Ristau, Randy Henderson, Brenda Carre, Travis Baldree

The Resilience of the Epic

7:00pm – 8:00pm @ Cascade 10

G.R. Theron (M), Kate Ristau, Carol Berg, Randy Henderson, Sarah Chorn

Saturday

Breaking the Wand: Crafting Memorable Ends (Fantasy Writing 203)

10:00am – 11:00am @ Cascade 13

G.R. Theron (M), Kate Ristau, Brenda Carre, Carol Berg, Dean Wells, Tegan Moore

So You’re Stuck on Your Novel?

3:00pm – 4:00pm @ Olympic 2

Kate Ristau (M), Randy Henderson, Gwendolyn N. Nix, Travis Baldree, J.P. Barnett

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2024 Writing Goals

Worried about your 2024 Writing Goals? Worried you don’t even have any?

Or did you already mess up your resolutions? Are your goals in the trash can?

It’s okay. You’re okay! You don’t have to have your life figured out by January 1st.

The end of the year always seems so frenetic. We are trying to finish up projects, recharge our batteries, and springboard into a new year. But, at the same time, our house is in upheaval. Our relatives are in our office. The coffee cups are all dirty. Nooooooooo!

I used to try and set my goals and then fail from the get-go. It’s my husband’s fault. His birthday is January 1st. We eat cake and celebrate him instead of meeting my 2024 writing goals. If I’m supposed to begin like I want to continue, I clearly want to eat cake.

Which is true. But honestly, it’s a stressful time of year. What a wild time to set your new direction and establish patterns for the future.

There is still wrapping paper on the floor!

Plans?

So, here’s what I do. I choose one word, one intention, and spend the first few weeks thinking about what it means.

This year, it’s lantern.

You can draw a lantern too! Here’s the tutorial.

I chose lantern because it’s a symbol of light, and I want to be that! But I’m not thinking of myself as a big shiny ball of fiery stuff this year.

I’m thinking about how I should have matches, wax, wicks and supplies to keep my fire burning. I should have panes, to protect my light. And I’m also thinking about mirrors — how some people will reflect back my light, and some people will make me shine a little brighter. Other people — and other distractions and habits and life stuff — can blow out my light.

I’m thinking about what makes me shine.

How can I be brighter this year?

BIG

Yes! I’m thinking big. I’m thinking about the kind of impact I want to make this year, and the type of person that I want to be. Goals? That’s micro-level stuff, and holy cow, I just drew that lantern in my notebook. I am not ready to list out my SMART goals. I’m still thinking about what it means to shine.

But I can do that much: I can imagine a bright and shiny year.

So I’m getting started there.

I can’t wait to share this year with you!

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Kate Ristau’s 2023 Year in Review

I hope your final days of 2023 have been warm and wonderful. Mine have included a fair amount of chocolate, coffee, gifts, and books (in no particular order!). I also dove into a video game (Baldur’s Gate 3) and am editing a novel (Adult Fantasy). The holidays have been wonderful. 



That is a picture of me holding a donut because nothing says holidays like donuts. Every year, about this time, I sit down to look at what the heck happened. Have you heard that joke about forgetting? I would tell you it, but I forgot it.HAHAHA. You’re welcome. But seriously, looking back and taking stock is a good thing. It helps you get your head on straight before you launch into another year.

For Writers

For creatives, it’s especially important to look back and remember what you accomplished, worked on, hated, or loved. It’s so important because, for some of us, no one is checking in on what we’ve been doing. 

If you want to finish a book, you have to, you know, finish it. Your boss isn’t looking over your shoulder.

There are other ways to keep accountable: writing communities, book coaches, helpful (and unafraid to be annoying) friends. 

But, I’m going to put my foot down here. Real hard. Get ready.



Sorry. I didn’t meant to do it in such an adorable way.

The thing is, you gotta be accountable to yourself. You got to believe in your work, celebrate your successes, and keep track of what happened. 

You are your biggest critic, and you also have to be your biggest fan. You gotta love you. 

So, that’s what I’m doing today. I’m gonna celebrate the good stuff. If you do it, send me an email. Let me celebrate you, too!

What happened – Kate Ristau’s 2023 Year in Review


So many cool things happened this year. I wrote two online games (I WROTE GAMES! My teenage self is freaking out!). I published a non-fiction kids book (IT IS A-MAZE-ING! The Minotaur is freaking out!). I finished up the Shadow Girls Saga (IT IS OVER! My middle-aged self is freaking out!).

For those of you who stuck with me, thanks for surviving that A-MAZE-ING joke, too. Other things you survived included me endlessly complaining about revision, encouraging you to volunteer with me, using too many exclamation marks(!!), and posting endless photos of coffee. I would add a coffee pic here, but instead, randomly, here is a VERY cute picture of a pig I met.
 


With everything I learned this year, what would I do differently next year?

I would like to be more intentional about my writing, including writing for games. I kind of fell into game writing, and need to think about how it links up to everything else I do. I also would like to work on more essays — I enjoyed writing the Chicken Soup for the Soul essay, and I know I have more real-life stories I can craft.

But mostly, I want to be very selective with what I say yes to. It’s going to be a busy year, and I have good things on their way out into the world (you’ll hear first), but I also have to be smart. Don’t take on too much.

Ha. I’ll tell you how that goes.



Justin. Don’t look at me like that. I got this. Really. I do!

This I promise you.

Anyways, thanks for reading. I am looking forward to having a cup of coffee with you in 2024, if we can. Shoot me an email, and we will make some plans. 

Oh no. I’m already talking about making more plans.

We will definitely need that coffee.

Cheers!
Kate

Links to the Good Stuff!

Mythwakers!

Shadow & Shimmer

“Start” in Winding Paths

“Shine” in Cozy Cosmic

“Skater Girl” in Chicken Soup for the Soul

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