Hugo Fan Writer Nominees

[jimhines]

During my acceptance speech last year, I said, “There are so many brilliant and wonderful fan writers out there. I don’t know if there are enough rocket trophies in the world to recognize everyone who’s written passionate, insightful, clever, funny, and flat-out awesome articles and essays about our community. But I’d love to see us honor as

Comments

[apis_mellifera]

Interesting that 4 of the 5 people you recommend here would be eligible in other categories, too--not saying that they shouldn't be nominated in the fan writer category, but I'd like to see more people who aren't eligible in other categories be nominated (I am not a Worldcon member, so my opinion here is of negligible value).

[jimhines]

I noticed that myself. A lot of the folks I read online tend to be professional writers, which influences my list. I'd love to see more suggestions from outside of my immediate circles!

[squirrel_monkey]

I find it puzzling that you recommend Valente's essay but not Requires Only That You Hate, the blog Valente linked to, and that has been consistently providing much-needed criticism of racism and sexism endemic in the SF/F field. She is probably one of the most controversial bloggers to emerge lately, but she certainly deserves recognition for the way she holds up the mirror to the genre -- even though the genre might not like it.

[cybermonklives]

I'll second that - I can't think of a more important commenter on the field today than RH.

I would also love to see more diversity in the nominations. Charles Tan I think deserves recognition.

- Lavie.

[oldcharliebrown]

I have to agree. While I might not always agree with her criticism, I think Requires Hate brings something fresh to the field.

[beth_bernobich]

I agree as well.

[naomikritzer]

One of my favorite fan writers right now is Ana Mardoll, who does deconstructive close readings of stuff. Her blog is here: http://www.anamardoll.com/ I've been particularly enjoying her posts on the Narnia books, but she's also doing Twilight. The post that sucked me in was this one: http://www.anamardoll.com/2011/08/twilight-sound-effects-added-to-lessen.html about Twilight and disability and the ways in which Twilight presents Bella as having a disability, and then trivializes it instead of taking it seriously.

[penguineggs]

Enthusiastically seconded; the Narnia deconstructions are definitely worth it.

[nenya_kanadka]

Oh, yes, Ana Mardoll. I would recommend her quite highly. I haven't followed the Narnia posts in particular, but her Twilight stuff is often good. I like that she doesn't bash Bella if it's at all possible not to, and goes out of her way to discuss how the books reflect fantasies some real women have, and at the same time talks about the worrying parts of the story. Not just the obvious stuff like Edward being controlling, but the depictions of Bella's relationship with her father, or her "clumsiness", etc. It's well done.

[squirrel_monkey]

Oh, I'm so glad you posted! Because I was staring at it unsure if I should say something because yes, a report of sexual harassment is NOT an essay, and, to be less kind than you are, it is misguided to suggest it for FAN WRITER category. Blogging has a number of purposes -- from criticism to entertainment to informative, and treating the report of sexual harassment as entertainment seems, to me, deeply inappropriate. I know Jim suggested it with best intentions because it DID start a great dialog, but fan writer award to me means an intent to entertain or to comment, not a personal and painful experience.

[squirrel_monkey]

By virtue of appearing in a fanzine, writer indicates that the piece, personal or otherwise, is meant as entertainment or commentary. A writer posting in her personal blog to report the experience, where she is very upfront about WHY she is writing it (to report harassment) gives no such indication.

[oldcharliebrown]

Ever since First Fandom, professional authors have been recognized for their fan writing, as something separate. I'm not too sure that anything has changed here, so I'm a little unclear why professionalism should play a role in determining what's fan writing or not fan writing, no?

[apis_mellifera]

I think the line is extremely fuzzy between fan and pro--and I generally don't have a problem with that because I think that's one of the great things about genre, the way a lot of pros are really engaged with the genre not just as writers but as readers/consumers as well.

However. I do think there's something going on here--three of the last five winners have been professional writers. I'm still thinking about this and don't have any clear answers/suggestions/whatever.

[ninebelow]

I have no problem with a professional writer being nominated for a fan writer award because the two are completely compatible. But I do find it strange that only two of the writers mentioned (Genevieve Valentine and SS White) are being nominated for a body work (and even then a chunk of Valentine's writing is explicitly excluded). These two are people who fit my definition of a fan writer rather than in the case of McGuire where you've got a pro writing about her own fiction. Obviously that post is part of a wider conversation but it would be a shame if a high profile one-off like that crowded out prolific writers like Foz Meadows and Abigail Nussbaum mentioned below.