Suzette Haden Elgin, the founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association would have been 87 this year. Born on November 18, 1936, she had roots in Jefferson City, Missouri, and went on to teach for many years at San Diego State University before retiring and moving to Arkansas with her family.

At the age of 42, she established the Science Fiction Poetry Association, and enjoyed a journey marked by a love of language and creativity. With a PhD in linguistics, she achieved particular prominence for her writing on the art of verbal self-defense. She held the distinction of being the first woman at UCSD to write two dissertations, one on English, and the other on Navajo. Among her well-known prose works was the Coyote Jones series, the Ozark Trilogy, and the Native Tongue series, in addition to her extensive list of non-fiction works, short stories and poetry. The Less Said: A Book of Poems came out in (1965).

Many long-time members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association remember her, and ten years ago in 2013 the first Elgin Awards were established to recognize the best speculative poetry books and chapbooks of the preceding year.