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September 4, 1998Harlan Ellison Receives 1998 Defender of Liberty AwardRenowned author and critic Harlan Ellison has been honored with this year's Defender of Liberty Award. Bestowed by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the award recognizes outstanding efforts to promote free speech in the comics community. The 1998 Defender of Liberty Award was presented by CBLDF president Denis Kitchen on September 4 at DragonCon in Atlanta, GA, where Ellison was the guest of honor.
Ellison has been called "one of the greatest living American short story writers" by The Washington Post. In a career spanning more than forty years, Ellison has written more than 45 books and some 1300 stories, as well as numerous essays, articles, newspaper columns, comic books, two dozen teleplays and a dozen motion pictures. "It's long past time," said The Los Angeles Times, "for Harlan Ellison to be awarded the title: 20th century Lewis Carroll." As a creative artist and critic, Ellison has always been a more-than-outspoken proponent of free speech. "The self-anointed arbiters of what is permissible for us to see, or read, or think are always with us," said Ellison at the awards ceremony. "They are the shambling Legion of the Intellectually Undead. They count themselves the spokespersons for 'the Majority.' Well, as Mark Twain once correctly observed, 'whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.' They are always with us, and we have to stand on a high place and keep watching for them." Ellison's weekly column in the L.A. Weekly, called "An Edge in My Voice," provided a regular forum for his impassioned defense of the First Amendment. In 1990, his continuing commitment to artistic freedom earned him the Silver Pen for Journalism from P.E.N., the international writer's union. Ellison is an equally eloquent spokesman for the comics medium. His own monthly comic, "Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor," debuted in 1995 from Dark Horse. His graphic narrative work garnered numerous awards and such rave reviews that Dark Horse re-launched the series in bookstore format as "Harlan Ellison's Dream Corridor Quarterly." Ellison has consistently been one of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's strongest supporters. In addition to regular monetary contributions, Ellison has a policy of only writing book introductions if payment is made directly to the Fund. Later this month he will convene a special panel on censorship in comics at Mad Media V in Madison, WI. Ellison will be joined by Neil Gaiman, Peter David, and Mike Baron. The panel discussion will be filmed to provide the Fund with a valuable and accessible educational tool. DragonCon hosted a special award ceremony for the presentation of the Defender of Liberty. The Fund and its mission were introduced by CBLDF board-member Peter David. "'I am mortified to be told that in the United States of America the sale of a book can become a subject of inquiry, and of criminal inquiry too,'" said David, quoting from Thomas Jefferson. "I wonder how mortified Jefferson would be today to see that freedom of expression, one of the underpinnings of this country, continues to be routinely under assault. Comic books have been under fire for four decades now, and we have seen no lessening of these attacks. Censorship touches everyone's lives." "Throughout the years," said Kitchen in presenting the award, "countless people have quietly supported the CBLDF and its efforts. Harlan Ellison is not one of those quiet supporters. He has been an outspoken proponent of First Amendment rights throughout his entire career. He's been a great ambassador for the comics industry. He's helped raise our public profile, and he's extolled comics as a worthwhile form of literature. I'm delighted to be presenting him with this year's Defender of Liberty Award." Previous Defender of Liberty honorees include Dave Sim, Paul Mavrides, and Neil Gaiman. The award statuette was designed by sculptor Randy Bowen . |
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The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. Donations and inquiries should be directed to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. For additional information, call 413-268-7776 or e-mail the CBLDF staff. 271 Madison Avenue, Suite 1400 Web design and site maintained by Eric Griffith / Squished Frog Productions. |