James Gunn first met Theodore Sturgeon in 1952, in Sturgeon’s home on the Hudson River. They discussed their craft, writing science-fiction novels and short stories.

Gunn had yet to be published, but was an aspiring author. Sturgeon had released his first novel and a collection of short stories and was on his way to becoming, as Gunn put it, “one of the best, if not the best, short story writers in the field.”

Fifty-eight years later Gunn, now a Hugo Award-winning author himself and the director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, discusses the craft annually at the Campbell Conference at the University of Kansas with other aspiring and established writers. This year, the conference is in large part dedicated to Sturgeon and his body of work.

The conference, which runs Friday through Sunday at the University, is an annual gathering of some of the brightest minds in science fiction for free-form discussions and the presentation of two prestigious awards: the Campbell Award, given to the best science fiction novel of the year, and the Sturgeon Award for the best short science-fiction story of the year.

This year, the conference’s roundtable discussions will center on the topic “Theodore Sturgeon and the Science Fiction Short Story.”

“It was primarily the short story at which he excelled,” Gunn said, though Sturgeon also wrote several novels. “He brought a level of literary skills to science-fiction writing that had scarcely been observed before.”

Sturgeon died in 1985, but his daughter Noel, who is part of the Sturgeon Award committee, finished the last volume of his completed works this year, prompting the conference hosts to delve into the works the namesake of their short-story award.

“He would have been very touched,” she said. “He loved coming to Kansas to teach in the summer for many years, and the Center for Science Fiction held a special place in his heart.”

The free-form discussion, Gunn said, is a place to address the present and future of the science fiction field.

“We bounce ideas and notions off each other,” he said. “What is the status of the science fiction short story? What factors have changed the writing and reading and publishing? How has the short story changed in its own nature? These are questions I think are crucial.”

In addition to the roundtable discussions, there will be readings of Sturgeon’s works from 10:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Oread Books in the Kansas Union, followed by a mass autographing session with almost a dozen award-winning authors.