2014 Hugo Nominee Ballot: Best Fanzine

Well, it’s that time again:  nominating blogs instead of traditional zines, primarily because this is the medium I prefer to read in and which publishes the content I like reading.

But enough of that.  Here are my nominations:

A Dribble of Ink
Aidan Moher’s rather prolific blog also presented some truly awesome work in 2013, including essays from Foz Meadows and Kameron Hurley (who appear on my Best Fanwriter list) and many more.  It’s a good introduction to the discourse of sf/f fandom, so if you’re not reading, give it a shot.


Pornokitsch
On the more “academic” side of the scale is Pornokitsch, wherein one can find the Kitschies, discussions about genre and criticism, and examinations of things not typically considered in sf/f (like pulp detective novels).  That combination of things makes this one worthy of consideration for a Hugo.

The Book Smugglers
One of the best group blogs out there, The Book Smugglers provides reviews, news, discussions, guest posts, and more.  They are also home to Smugglivus, an end-of-the-year celebration of all that is awesome about sf/f books and more.  They cover a huge amount of material throughout the year; how they do it is beyond me.


Fantasy Book Cafe
Home to the Women in SF/F feature, now an annual exploration, FBC is another blog contributing a great deal of material to the sf/f world while also engaging in a fair amount of critical self-reflection.  That criticism comes from a place of love, as in the case of the other entries on this list.  Love, after all, is kind of a fannish thing.

LadyBusiness
This group blog is notable for its rather personal exploration of fandom from the position of fans.  While they do obviously pay a lot of attention to representation issues and provide excellent reviews and insightful commentary, I think the way they move between the poles of a fandom is noteworthy.

And that’s that.