Fresh off a Nebula Award and kicking off a book deal, West Seattle writer Cat Rambo

The night unfolded like a montage at the start of a dystopian story, eliciting a range of emotions that don’t necessarily fit together.

As West Seattle author Cat Rambo was being feted during the online 2020 Nebula Awards on May 30, she was also watching as police clashed with protesters in dozens of cities across America — including her own.

It was the very thing speculative fiction writers have been forecasting for a long time.

“Well, it was good to be reminded of the importance of stories and storytelling and how those are one of the ways that we kind of move out of this, one would hope,” Rambo said.

Rambo won best novelette for her story “Carpe Glitter” during the 55^th annual ceremony hosted by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). The Nebulas are one of the top awards for speculative writers, and her win was an acknowledgment of Rambo’s place in the community — and the result of hard work that also recently netted her a book deal with major publisher Tor Books.

“She’s one of the hot new writers, which is something that comes along every generation or so,” said Greg Bear, a Seattle writer and close friend of Rambo’s. “And they’re very cool and they replace us old farts, and do a good job of it.”

She was also celebrated for her work as the preceding two-time president at SFWA, an organization that was in financial circumstances described as “dire” when she took over. Rambo guided the organization to nonprofit status, expanded the membership base by including independently published authors, small publishers and game writers, established mentorship programs and completed a refurbishment of the 55-year-old organization.

Though her presidency ended last year, the legacy of her work was on full display during a vibrant awards ceremony and conference, a gathering forced online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“She’s the reason that SFWA was able to do this pivot because she put the organization on such firm financial footing,” said Mary Robinette Kowal, SWFA president, during the awards, adding: “She was such an amazing president for five years. Let me say that again. She was president of SFWA for five years. Five.”

Asked to give a speech that Saturday night, the webcast from her delightfully book-cluttered office turned into a toss-the-script moment.

“I had a pretty speech all prepared, but the news this morning convinced me to throw that all away,” she said of the developing clashes around the country between protesters and law enforcement after George Floyd was killed by arresting police in Minneapolis last week.

She noted that the SFWA was started by a small group of writers who wanted to look out for their fellow writers. The need for that mission has only been reinforced in a time of pandemic and pandemonium.

“I want to say we must continue to look out for each other,” Rambo said in her speech. “It is difficult to tell stories when the world is burning. It is…