2016 WISB Awards Long List
It’s that time of year: time for me to release some kind of list of things I loved in 2015. This year is different, though. This year, I’m releasing a long list for the WISB Awards, and it is from this list that I’ll select the winners of my annual WISB awards, the jury-less, vote-less monstrosity of an award that is only of value to myself. Since I cannot include my own work on the following long list, I’ll include those works here: Best Fancast: The Skiffy and Fanty Show (Shaun Duke, Julia Rios, Paul Weimer, Mike Underwood, Rachael Acks, David Annandale, and Jen Zink); Totally Pretentious (Shaun Duke and David Annandale) Best Non-Fiction Work: Speculative Fiction 2014: The Year’s Best Online Reviews, Essays, and Commentary edited by Renee Williams and Shaun Duke (Book Smugglers Publishing) If you feel there’s a glaring ommission, let me know in the comments. I haven’t read everything there is to read (obviously), and it’s likely I’ve missed a lot of really great work. Now here’s the official 2016 WISB Awards Long List:
The 2016 Hugo Awards Reading/Watching List (or, My Next Few Months)
Last month, I asked for recommendations for my annual Hugo Awards reading bonanza. A bunch of you responded with books, movies, TV shows, cookbooks, and so on. The form will remain open for the next month or so, so if you haven’t submitted anything or want to submit some more stuff, go for it! So, without further delay, here is the big massive monster list of stuff I’ll be reading or watching for the next few months:
On Academic Brain and Compartmentalizing
As an academic, it is often very difficult to shut off the faculties I’ve spent the last fourteen years building. Since I spend almost every day of the week analyzing literature, reading or thinking about theoretical/philosophical texts, I generally use my brain in a very particular way. Turning that off is a chore, but a necessary one. In fact, it is often so difficult to turn off that even some of my colleagues have expressed dismay at the inability or unwillingness of other academics to turn those faculties off just long enough to have a “regular conversation.” It’s a problem I’ve seen, too, and it sometimes results in a distancing effect between those who can’t turn it off and those that can. Since I’m so often engaged in everyday sf/f fandom, the exercise of flipping that little academic switch is, in my opinion, crucial. One such exercise occurred last Sunday when I went with a friend to see Ant-Man, the last entry in Marvel Studio’s Phase 2. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if I can muster the words to say something intelligent about the film, I’ll write a review for Totally Pretentious. Discussing the film on Twitter eventually prompted a brief discussion with David Annandale and John Stevens about the impact of “academic brain” on one’s ability to enjoy a creative product.
Shaun’s Rambles 004: Interviewing the Fans — Paul Weimer
…in which I continue this podcast thing on my new website by talking to Paul Weimer about how he became an sf/f fan. In this episode: http://media.blubrry.com/shaunsrambles/ia801505.us.archive.org/9/items/ShaunsRambles004InterviewingTheFansPaulWeimer/ShaunsRambles004–InterviewingTheFans–PaulWeimer.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Shaun’s Rambles 003: On Negative Reviews and Their Value
…in which I talk about things some people don’t want to write. In this edition: http://media.blubrry.com/shaunsrambles/ia801504.us.archive.org/10/items/ShaunsRambles003OnNegativeReviewsAndTheirValue/ShaunsRambles003–OnNegativeReviewsAndTheirValue.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Shaun’s Rambles 001: The Gallo Conspiracy and Trial By Fire
…in which I begin a podcast of random thoughts had while driving home from work. In this edition: Some thoughts on the controversy over Irene Gallo’s statements about the Sad / Rabid Puppies Some thoughts on Trial By Fire by Charles Gannon and the absence of sf/f awards for adventure fiction Enjoy the rambles. You can download the mp3 directly from this link or stream the episode below. http://media.blubrry.com/shaunsrambles/ia601500.us.archive.org/15/items/ShaunsRambles001TheGalloConspiracyAndTrialByFire/ShaunsRambles001–TheGalloConspiracyAndTrialByFire.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS