2022 Hugo Awards Reading List: What Should I Have Read? Tell Me!
It’s been many years since I’ve done one of these. As I mentioned on my 2022 resolutions post/rant, I want to do a lot more reading and a lot more positive interactions in fandom. The first step: opening myself up to a public conversation about the Hugo Awards, the things I particularly loved, and more. But I don’t want to do that alone, which is where you come in. For several years, I asked folks to tell me what stories (fiction of all lengths and comics) they particularly enjoyed in the prior year. I then used those suggestions to together a longlist of works I consider worth checking out. This helped me narrow my focus for my nominating ballot and give other folks some insight into my process (and help narrowing their lists, too). So here we are. The comments are open, and I want to know:
My Worldcon 79 / DisCon III Schedule
Welp. In 14 days, I’ll be off to D.C., where I hope I’ll get to have a good time while avoiding COVID. *crosses fingers* And since I’ll be in D.C., I think it’s worth noting that I’m on programming because apparently people mostly like me! Here’s what I’m up to (all times are in EST): Wed 4:00 PM (Older; Virtual): Not Just D&D: Great Tabletop RPGs Wed 5:30 PM (Calvert; Mod): What Makes a Classic a Classic? Wed 7:00 PM (Lobby): Sip with the Stars Thu 5:00 PM (Ambassador Ballroom): Public Hugo Finalists Reception Thu 7:00 PM (Lobby): Sip with the Stars Fri 7:00 PM (Calvert): Teaching and Analyzing Genre Fiction Fri 8:30 PM (Blue): The Work of Nalo Hopkinson Sat 11:30 AM (Blue): Is the Genre Too Big for Meaningful Hugos? Sat 2:30 PM (Regency Ballroom): Hugo Finalist Rehearsals Session Sat 5:30 PM (Congressional Room; Virtual): How to Star a Fan Podcast Sat 2:30 PM (Regency Ballroom): Hugo Finalist Rehearsals Session Sat 10:30 PM (Regency Ballroom): Hugo Awards Photo Opportunity A quick note: these are current as to my schedule, but the names, locations, etc. may change on the day. In particular, I suspect “Sip with the Stars” will have an additional name each time as one of the folks originally listed had to cancel their attendance. Make sure to check your program book! I did leave myself open to allowing other folks to take slots if they were able, so I suspect a big part of this VERY heavy Worldcon load is the fact that we’re still in COVID time. And why do I suspect that? When I helped with World Fantasy this year, we ran into a brick wall when a lot of folks who had intended to come in person decided not to, which opened a lot of in-person programming items. To be clear, those folks were justified in their decision and I am in no way judging them (really, I’m not; just pointing out a fact about what happened). So, I suspect this happened here, too. Add to that the fact that I’m apparently notoriously easy to program for, and, well, here we are. All that said, I’m very much looking forward to modding and participating at Worldcon, if for no other reason than I miss being in that environment quite a lot. If you’re planning to be there, scream at me. We should catch up like regular people…but with masks and vaccines!
Worldcon 2019 (Dublin): My Schedule and Other Shenanigans
Well well. It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here. I have been a busy bee, from moving to the northwest corner of Minnesota to a new job to writing a textbook to partly semi-producing a podcast. Yup. Busy. And that means I’ve neglected this blog along with a lot of other things.. Sadface. Speaking of podcasts: The Skiffy and Fanty Show is once more a Hugo Award finalist. Ballots are submitted, so we’ll find out if we’re winners in about 2 weeks. Wish us luck! And since I am part of that show, I’ll be at Worldcon in Dublin. As the title of this post suggests, that’s what I’m here to talk about today. As it turns out, I’m on programming at Worldcon, which means some of you might have the opportunity to hear me babble about a variety of topics. With that in mind, here’s my schedule for the event: The use of SF in higher education 17 Aug 2019, Saturday 15:00 – 15:50, Wicklow Room-2 (CCD) Professors from different disciplines discuss the possible uses of speculative fiction as a tool for teaching. From humanities to sciences via legal studies, how have academics used SFF in the classroom in the past, and how can we dream of speculative fiction – and the technology it posits! – being used in future? Panelists: Mary Anne Mohanraj (M), Nora E. Derrington, David DeGraff, Dr. Shaun Duke, Corry L. Lee Ph.D. (corry.lee@gmail.com) Literary Beer: Dr Shaun Duke 17 Aug 2019, Saturday 17:00 – 17:50, Liffey-A (Fan Bar) (CCD) Basically, you can come talk to me while having a beer, water, or air. For 50 minutes. So please come say hello. Please! Academics and acolytes: learning in SFF worlds 18 Aug 2019, Sunday 12:30 – 13:20, Odeon 4 (Point Square Dublin) Whether they’re apprenticed to an assassin, a grunt in basic training, downloading knowledge from an online academy, or learning spells from wizardly professors, characters often need to gain skills and qualifications of some kind. How and when they do this is an important element of worldbuilding and there are endless options. What does it tell us about the Discworld that wizards attend university and witches are apprentices? How does Starfleet Academy differ from the Imperial Academy? From Hogwarts to Brakebills to the Oha Coven, how does magical instruction differ? Panelists: Dr. Shaun Duke (M), Karen Simpson Nikakis, Prof. Kenneth Schneyer, Ali Baker Fan podcasts 18 Aug 2019, Sunday 15:30 – 16:20, Odeon 5 (Point Square Dublin) Podcasts have become a popular way to talk about and hear about our fannish favourites, share the latest theories and plot developments, and find new things to love. Our panelists discuss the challenges and delights of podcasting, and help you find new podcasts to check out. Panelists: Heather Rose Jones (M), Alexandra Rowland, Dr. Shaun Duke, Jonathan Strahan, Jen Zink I’ll also be in attendance for the Hugo rehearsals and the Hugo Awards proper. I don’t expect to do much more than clapping for the latter event, but you never know! Beyond these events (please come!), I’ll also be hard at work on various other podcast activities throughout the convention AND some Dublin shenanigans around those days. Speaking of podcast activities: if you’re a creative type with a nifty project to talk about OR a fan with a cool blog, podcast, or other super fan thing to plug, get in touch at skiffyandfanty[at]gmail[dot]com OR via Twitter DM @SkiffyandFanty. We’re interested in interviewing folks! Anywho. That’s all for now. Hopefully, I can get back into this blogging thing again…soon.
2017 WISB Awards Long List
The long list returns! Last year, I introduced the first ever WISB Awards Long list, which represents all the things I loved in 2015 and, more or less, my Hugo Awards Ballot (some items are obviously not eligible). This year, I’m at it again. Shortly, I’ll release the winners of the 2017 WISB Awards. Presumably, there will be thunderous applause or something. As always, I do not include my own work on the long list. If you’re interested in nominating me for something, feel free to do so for the following: Best Fancast The Skiffy and Fanty Show (Shaun Duke, Julia Rios, Paul Weimer, Mike Underwood, Rachael Acks, David Annandale, Jen Zink, and Trish Matson) Totally Pretentious (Shaun Duke and David Annandale) Now here’s the official 2017 WISB Awards Long List: (IMPORTANT: I am in the process of filling out the categories. New updates will go up periodically throughout the day.)
The 2017 Hugo Awards Reading / Viewing List
As I did last year, I have begun to compile a big massive (and, indeed, very sexy) list of all the books, stories, comics, movies, fans, etc. suggested to me via my recent 2017 Hugo Awards Recommendations form. The following is by no means a comprehensive list, as it is based on suggestions by readers. If something is missing, let me know in the comments. Note #1: I have deliberately excluded my own work from the list, which consists of The Skiffy and Fanty Show in the Best Fancast category. If you think my podcast deserves a nomination this year, then by all means put it on your ballot! The below list is just for all the other things out there 🙂 Note #2: Normally, I try to include links and publisher information for everything. Unfortunately, I ran out of time, and I figured people would rather see the list than wait any longer for me to fill in all the details. I’m not opposed to help with this, though. So, here’s the list:
2017 Hugo Awards Recommendations: What should I read/watch?
2017 is here, and that means it’s time to ask for recommendations for the Hugo Awards. Sadly, I have not been able to read nearly as much from 2016 as I would have liked, so I expect this to be one hell of a reading session for me! So, suggest some things! I’m looking for fiction and non-fiction in every category, pro and amateur artists, films, television shows, and anything else that fits! Use the form below to send your suggestions!