I honestly can’t speak about Ann VanderMeer and not continue the conversation with another of the most prolific editors in genre, Ellen Datlow. Datlow works in the shadows of genre and has a keen eye for twisted stories to terrify and delight the reader. I’m not saying anything new under the sun, because Datlow has been editing anthologies since before I’ve been born.*
Impressed doesn’t begin to cover how I feel about this achievement on its own and I hope I don’t sound condescending when I say it’s double-so considering Datlow carved a piece of her own at a time the gender balance in genre looked even more dismal. Naturally, I can’t say what it was to be a woman in genre in the late 80s, but if we’re still in the process of fighting for equal respect and coverage of women as creators, then I’d imagine twenty years ago the situation didn’t look a lot brighter. I can’t help but nod in appreciation at all the anthologies she has edited and her big legacy in the twenty one volumes of The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies – a staple in genre culture.
Where there is legacy, there are awards and Ellen Datlow has amassed a small collection. From World Fantasy Awards to Hugos and Stockers and Locus Awards, Ellen Datlow has them all and I can’t help but compare her to the greatest Pokemon master (provided you’d be comfortable of imagining awards as Pokemon). However, that’s not really personal. Yes, I do admire her for the work she has done. To me Datlow has become an institution and a role model to writers who can only wish to be featured in her anthologies and editors who want to emulate her success.
