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.
2014 Hugo Nominee Ballot: Best Fan Writer
There are far too many amazing fan writers out there. This list began with 20-30 names, which I whittled down to 8. Then I flipped a bunch of 8-sided die to pick the final 5 (or something like that). So, here’s what I picked this year: Kameron Hurley One of the things I love about Hurley’s writing is the way she uses personal anecdotes and analogies to address the issues throughout our genre, particularly as they relate to representation and gender. She also writes about the writing world and much more, but I think her strongest work involves her critiques of our genre’s representation problems, particularly this essay at A Dribble of Ink. Foz Meadows She is by far my favorite feminist writer in the sf/f world. Her analysis of the SFWA fiasco last year, for example, is well worth reading, if not because you need persuading, then at least to bask in the intensity of her rhetoric and the profound analyses she provides. Her “controversial” writing style probably works against her among certain circles, but I personally think she deserves to make it to the final ballot. Paul Weimer This is my only almost-traditional fanwriter selection. I should note up front that Paul is a friend, so I’m a tad biased. That said, there’s something about Paul’s all-encompassing involvement in sf/f that I think must be recognized. He is everywhere, adding his thoughts on everything from books to commentary to sf/f history to his personal connection to genre. He’s like the singularity of the fanwriter. He writes columns for multiple websites (including one of mine — The Skiffy and Fanty Show). He tweets more than any other human being on the planet (or close to it), reads and reads and reads and just shares his love for sf/f in a way that is exhausting, but also so endearing. Genre loves Paul. It must love Paul. Abigail Nussbaum Easily one of the best reviewers in the blogosphere, Nussbaum’s detailed and well-reasoned posts are responsible for her inclusion on this list. This review of Sofia Samatar’s A Stranger in Olondria, for example, is a glorious piece of work. Her many posts on films and literature are practically essential reading, so if you haven’t checked out her blog, you need to do so now. Justin Landon Remember when Justin wrote some thing about the Hugos and pissed off a bunch of people? Me, too. And it was beautiful. He writes about a lot of other things, too, such as books and what not, but I suspect he is best remembered for his criticisms of what he sees as the flaws or issues within our genre. And he has this extraordinary ability to spark conversation, which I think is hard to come by sometimes. And that’s it. So, what did you pick?