think galacticon report
i think i'm going to try to do this for public consumption, with cut tags, so bear with me. as usual i did not take notes at the panels, so i am not as useful a reporter as someone who did, but i will do my best.
left work a little early to collect ian at the airport, then headed to roosevelt university, thinking we might help with set-up. arrived to find that we were not needed to help, so ian pulled out his laptop to work and i chatted with folks. (basically, ian worked every spare second, including during every panel that he wasn't on, but he actually completed the thing that he was trying to finish by the end of the weekend, hurray!)
at some point, rhobike and mr. rhobike arrived to purchase day passes. rho had brought dinner for the two of them and stretched it to include me, as well. we ate in the main room (which contained registration, con suite, tables, and through an archway, the bazaar). this was also where opening ceremonies took place. opening ceremonies were a greeting from con chair (i might get the titles of people wrong), heathergalaxy, and then speeches by the notable guests, nojojojo and adrienne maree brown, winolj, afaik. nora gave an outstanding speech--about how she had reacted to the word "radical" in the think galacticon description, thinking it didn't apply to her, only to come to realize the ways that it did. adrienne talked about her activist work in detroit with passion and energy, speaking also of how octavia butler's works had inspired her. off to a good start already.
then, time for the first panels. i went to the one that ian was on:
A Bridge is Made Out of Bricks: Personal Growth Tools For The Revolution - Rm 244
Facilitator: Ian K. Hagemann
Recently, some activists have begun to develop a “transformational organizing” style which is focused on the overlap between personal growth and political work. Many revolutionaries discount personal issues (and many think that revolutionaries without huge egos are doomed to failure) but we know that revolutions are always made up of people working together for a common good. Even though we strive towards a common good, individuals involved are not a monolith of opinions and experiences. What are some tools and best practices that we can use to build our interconnectedness without losing our individuality when engaged in revolutionary practices?
you'll notice that ian is listed as the facilitator--there weren't panels, per se, at least in the things that i attended--just one person to direct and facilitate the conversation.
this panel was a response to a panel that ian was on at wiscon that got completely derailed--i had attended that panel, so i knew what he was after. i think that we had a good conversation but that we didn't come away from the conversation with much in the way of good or new tools--it seemed like everyone there was hoping that other people had ideas for tools. ian talked about some of the personal growth work that he does, but that's not a solution that works for everyone, especially since he does a lot of his work through organized programs that cost money, and therefore are not accessible to everyone. still, compared to the wiscon panel, it was a glorious conversation.
then it was back to the lounge where i got pulled (without putting up any resistance whatsoever) into a couple of successive games of dominion--the prosperity extension, i think they told me it was called. i was able to put in some recommendations to the people there to go to canyon_lady's husband's game store: http://chicagolandgames.com/ . i'm trying to think who played--it was me, nick, happyelfling and ... was it grrremlinski, or did i just talk to her so much about dominion afterwards that i think she was playing? anyway, that game is completely addictive and i need to go back to chicagoland games and play it some more.
then home, and late bed.....
i set my palm pilot rather than the usual alarm and the palm pilot completely failed to wake either of us, resulting in us waking up about 20 minutes before we needed to leave the house if we wanted to make it onto the el in time to get down there for the first panels. we totally would have made it, too, only i dropped a contact lens, so i gave myself permission to drive, instead, and took my time to find it--no harm done.
we arrived with five minutes to spare and went to separate panels. i headed to:
The Politics and Privilege Of Awards In SF- Rm 330
Facilitator: Jef Smith
Most speculative fiction awards do not actively promote particular goals or political intentions (the Tiptree being an exception). They purport to simply recognize the best in the genre. The major awards have limited voting pools (SFWA members vote on the Nebulas and Worldcon members vote on the Hugos). With this in mind and assessing trends in nomination and awards, this panel looks to examine various privileges that can skew what is considered “best”, especially white and male privilege. Since these awards can have a significant commercial and cultural impact, questioning the basis and values of award processes is necessary for the broader goal of promoting the “best” in SF literature, regardless of privilege.
this was a really excellent conversation. during the panel, we learned that one could purchase a supporting membership at the reno worldcon, download the hugo nominees, and still vote for a winner, say, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (that would be nojojojo) if one is so inclined. alas, jef thought it would be $15, and it turned out to be $50, but it's still a pretty good deal--you get a vote and five books in electronic format, plus all the short stories, novellas, etc. i now get to vote for the chicago worldcon hugos, too, i think--i need to check into that.
anyway, besides that tidbit, we talked about the ways that privilege intersects with these older, established, most prestigious awards. you have to join the worldcon for at least $50, as i just said, for example, to vote on the hugos. and for the nebula, you have to be a member of the sfwa, which means having a certain amount of work for which you were paid, that favors writers who sell to larger presses rather than smaller ones that can't afford advances of the size required. (not saying it's bad to have a minimum standard to become a member, just that larger presses' authors are favored over smaller ones'.) really excellent panel.
then it was lunchtime and i had quinoa salad in the con suite--again the consuite was replete with fresh, mostly vegan selections. then, more panels. this time i went to:
In Fantasy, Servitude- Rm 320
Facilitator: Nora K. Jemisin
What are the multiple dimensions of servitude and privilege represented in fantasy works and what can they tell us about our own historical situation? In many fantasy series, the subjects of a kingdom, and the royal family themselves, are bound to serve the realm. The ruling parties serve because of duty and honor. The kingdom’s subjects serve because of colonialism, indentured servitude, and often outright slavery. Roles in society are often defined by sexism and racism. Let’s discuss N. K. Jemisin’s first book, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which takes up these themes. Within the hundred thousand kingdoms, all peoples serve the Arameri, and yet, those of Arameri descent are also bound to “serve.” Another example is George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones which also looks at servitude in several parts of the Seven Kingdoms. What does it mean to serve? What can we say about how we serve in our lives and is it a choice?
we actually didn't discuss the hundred thousand kingdoms or the game of thrones that much, but we did talk about a lot of interesting things and at least for this panel, i jotted down some titles to try. interesting sidebar: that pregnancy--bearing children for one's family/clan/king/country/planet can be a form of servitude. we discussed how usually when a servant is the focus of the story, that servant is going to turn out to be chosen in some way--a prince(ss) in disguise, or has a special talent to save their country, or whatever. sometimes being the leader can be a form of service, too. good panel.
then off to:
Political Content in a Capitalist World- Rm 330
Facilitator: Jef Smith
“Information wants to be free” is a new mantra. But does it work for everyone? The corporate pursuit of punitive copyrights has stirred a backlash of unauthorized replication of content as a protest for copyright reform. How do independent publishers, musicians, filmmakers financially sustain their projects in the face of a contemporary movement to liberate content from any control? How does justifiable copyright reform work for content creators who are sympathetic to the concept but are still forced to struggle for their survival in a capitalist system?
this panel was near and dear to my heart/pocketbook since i work in publishing. some small press publishers were there to talk about the finances of their endeavors, balancing against the pressure to release everything for no money. how e-publishing might eliminate the cost of the physical book--the paper, and cover, but you still need to edit and typeset the thing or you wind up with a mess, so while distribution costs and stock costs are smaller, an e-book still costs money, plus authors want to make some money for their efforts, of all things. another excellent discussion.
and yet another panel:
I Do Not Welcome Our Robot Overlords- Rm 238
Facilitator: Andrea Hairston
Since the Luddites, those who critique the use of technology or question whether technology is always positive are labelled as anti-technology. Why should market-driven technological ‘advances’ be sacred? Is convenience overrated? Do we have hidden values that lead to decline even before the seventh generation out? Are our shiny widgets golden handcuffs?
andrea will be one of the GoH's at next year's wiscon--do NOT miss seeing her. she is a professor of theater and she is dynamic and exciting and stimulates wonderful conversation. huge turnout--jammed into a freezing room, but everyone one got a chance to talk and much was said. (rho and mr. rhobike showed up for this session and rho made an excellent point about how some technology builds community where other things tear it down, but we didn't manage to have the rest of that conversation--this reminds me that i'm supposed to ping andrea about that, though, to propose it as a wiscon panel.) (there, i sent her e-mail.)
then it was dinner time and i went to chutney joe's indian fast food with rho, and mr. rhobike. we wound up sitting next to annaoj and isabel winolj, so those two tables got somewhat merged. then yet another panel:
Divining the Politics of Fantasy- Rm 244
Facilitator: Ian K. Hagemann
Many radicals reject fantasy - especially medievalist fantasy - as hopelessly reactionary, but writers like LeGuin articulate many of the ways that fantasy is important. This panel will examine the question. What can we say about the politics of the new fantasy? Whether looking at the politics of the writers and reading communities or the politics of the books themselves, there is a lot to talk about and challenge there. How engaged is the genre with the larger world? How much of recent fantasy in a dialogue with previous epic fantasy? What works are most exciting and where is the genre headed?
there was a lot going on at this panel. the first thing that happened was that another panel had only two people so the facilitator and the other person merged into this panel. not sure that they got the conversation that they wanted, but they both did speak up at this panel. this was another one where i jotted some titles, but also i was able to make what i think was a good suggestion, which was the temeraire books by naomi novik. i told ian and i tell you that i think the first book is available online for download--at least it was at one point. so you can see if you're interested in this particular take for free, but fair warning--the politics get more intense the further into the series you get.
then there was karaoke and a reading and i had the energy for neither, and ian wanted to get home to work in quiet, so we scooped up tanyad and amy's roommate, joy, and gave them rides home, and headed back to the house.
this time we managed to get up when an alarm went off, but i decided to drive again, in case they needed help schlepping after the teardown. so we drove down yet again. as usual headed to different panels--i went to:
Furthering the Tiptree: Transgender and Transsexual SFF- Rm 330
Facilitator: Heather Galaxy
The annual Tiptree, Jr. Award was created to award science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender. Because of how society has changed in the last 20 years, what was accepted by previous Tiptree Juries might not expand our understanding of gender and sex now. Where is transgender and/or transsexual SF in all of this? What has been written and what should be written? Is there a good enough understanding of cissexism and transphobia in the progressive SF community? Are trans writers getting “gendered out” (i.e. burnt out) with the expectation to educate cisgendered and cissexual readers? What can all of us do to expand everyone’s understanding of gender and support trans stories and writers?
here we got bogged down for a bit at the beginning while we covered trans 101, but at a certain point that got put aside and we were off and running. i was trying to represent the viewpoint of a friend i see at wiscon who has proposed several panels like this that i have attended but that i think have been frustrating experiences for her (she can say who she is, if she likes, but she didn't ask me to represent her viewpoint, and wasn't there to say whether i portrayed her feelings accurately--i didn't mention who she was at the panel). what this panel turned out to be was more of a brainstorming session about how to support trans writers. one recommendation that i jotted down was So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy (an anthology of short stories edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan). another good panel past the first half hour.
lunch in the excellent con suite, yet again.
last panel of the con--i did not go to the one that was going to discuss moonfail, but am hoping for a panel report from someone who did. instead i went to:
New Tales For The 21st Century- Rm 326
Facilitator: Andrea Hairston
How do we introduce audiences to new storylines? How do we get beyond women doing
badass macho scenarios, ‘colored’ people playing noble savages or born again capitalists/colonialists, queer people living the Het dream, or democratic masses of working people rejoicing the return of the King. How do we make it engaging and fun to get out of these familiar, cozy story ruts?
did i mention how dynamic andrea is, facilitating a panel? can you tell that i became a total fangirl at this con? she spent the entire time on her feet, walking around, writing on the chalkboard. i did make more notes, including andrea's new book redwood & wildfire (which i bought afterwards but have yet to start reading) and aqueduct press--both their authors and their website for good conversation. we talked about so long been dreaming here, too. quite the pitch to write what you want to write about rather than what you think will sell--since what you think will sell is likely not a new storyline.
then, as i headed to the plenary, i got pulled aside by jef to see if i could take nora to the airport--see? i knew there was a reason i had a car. so i missed the beginning of the plenary which i think was the two of them interviewing each other but also adrienne's sister asking some questions. and then i missed the beginning of the debriefing session to get directions from roosevelt to o'hare (well to 90/94, really, since congress was a mess due to construction), but made it to some of that.
then headed out to o'hare with nora (and ian working in the back seat, of course). got her there in plenty of time, then home and ian finished his deliverable, and all was well.
another great con--congratulations to everyone who helped to make it so fantastic!
(edited to pull out the bit about supporting nora's book at the hugos if you are able and so inclined, from behind the cut tags.)
left work a little early to collect ian at the airport, then headed to roosevelt university, thinking we might help with set-up. arrived to find that we were not needed to help, so ian pulled out his laptop to work and i chatted with folks. (basically, ian worked every spare second, including during every panel that he wasn't on, but he actually completed the thing that he was trying to finish by the end of the weekend, hurray!)
at some point, rhobike and mr. rhobike arrived to purchase day passes. rho had brought dinner for the two of them and stretched it to include me, as well. we ate in the main room (which contained registration, con suite, tables, and through an archway, the bazaar). this was also where opening ceremonies took place. opening ceremonies were a greeting from con chair (i might get the titles of people wrong), heathergalaxy, and then speeches by the notable guests, nojojojo and adrienne maree brown, winolj, afaik. nora gave an outstanding speech--about how she had reacted to the word "radical" in the think galacticon description, thinking it didn't apply to her, only to come to realize the ways that it did. adrienne talked about her activist work in detroit with passion and energy, speaking also of how octavia butler's works had inspired her. off to a good start already.
then, time for the first panels. i went to the one that ian was on:
A Bridge is Made Out of Bricks: Personal Growth Tools For The Revolution - Rm 244
Facilitator: Ian K. Hagemann
Recently, some activists have begun to develop a “transformational organizing” style which is focused on the overlap between personal growth and political work. Many revolutionaries discount personal issues (and many think that revolutionaries without huge egos are doomed to failure) but we know that revolutions are always made up of people working together for a common good. Even though we strive towards a common good, individuals involved are not a monolith of opinions and experiences. What are some tools and best practices that we can use to build our interconnectedness without losing our individuality when engaged in revolutionary practices?
you'll notice that ian is listed as the facilitator--there weren't panels, per se, at least in the things that i attended--just one person to direct and facilitate the conversation.
this panel was a response to a panel that ian was on at wiscon that got completely derailed--i had attended that panel, so i knew what he was after. i think that we had a good conversation but that we didn't come away from the conversation with much in the way of good or new tools--it seemed like everyone there was hoping that other people had ideas for tools. ian talked about some of the personal growth work that he does, but that's not a solution that works for everyone, especially since he does a lot of his work through organized programs that cost money, and therefore are not accessible to everyone. still, compared to the wiscon panel, it was a glorious conversation.
then it was back to the lounge where i got pulled (without putting up any resistance whatsoever) into a couple of successive games of dominion--the prosperity extension, i think they told me it was called. i was able to put in some recommendations to the people there to go to canyon_lady's husband's game store: http://chicagolandgames.com/ . i'm trying to think who played--it was me, nick, happyelfling and ... was it grrremlinski, or did i just talk to her so much about dominion afterwards that i think she was playing? anyway, that game is completely addictive and i need to go back to chicagoland games and play it some more.
then home, and late bed.....
i set my palm pilot rather than the usual alarm and the palm pilot completely failed to wake either of us, resulting in us waking up about 20 minutes before we needed to leave the house if we wanted to make it onto the el in time to get down there for the first panels. we totally would have made it, too, only i dropped a contact lens, so i gave myself permission to drive, instead, and took my time to find it--no harm done.
we arrived with five minutes to spare and went to separate panels. i headed to:
The Politics and Privilege Of Awards In SF- Rm 330
Facilitator: Jef Smith
Most speculative fiction awards do not actively promote particular goals or political intentions (the Tiptree being an exception). They purport to simply recognize the best in the genre. The major awards have limited voting pools (SFWA members vote on the Nebulas and Worldcon members vote on the Hugos). With this in mind and assessing trends in nomination and awards, this panel looks to examine various privileges that can skew what is considered “best”, especially white and male privilege. Since these awards can have a significant commercial and cultural impact, questioning the basis and values of award processes is necessary for the broader goal of promoting the “best” in SF literature, regardless of privilege.
this was a really excellent conversation. during the panel, we learned that one could purchase a supporting membership at the reno worldcon, download the hugo nominees, and still vote for a winner, say, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin (that would be nojojojo) if one is so inclined. alas, jef thought it would be $15, and it turned out to be $50, but it's still a pretty good deal--you get a vote and five books in electronic format, plus all the short stories, novellas, etc. i now get to vote for the chicago worldcon hugos, too, i think--i need to check into that.
anyway, besides that tidbit, we talked about the ways that privilege intersects with these older, established, most prestigious awards. you have to join the worldcon for at least $50, as i just said, for example, to vote on the hugos. and for the nebula, you have to be a member of the sfwa, which means having a certain amount of work for which you were paid, that favors writers who sell to larger presses rather than smaller ones that can't afford advances of the size required. (not saying it's bad to have a minimum standard to become a member, just that larger presses' authors are favored over smaller ones'.) really excellent panel.
then it was lunchtime and i had quinoa salad in the con suite--again the consuite was replete with fresh, mostly vegan selections. then, more panels. this time i went to:
In Fantasy, Servitude- Rm 320
Facilitator: Nora K. Jemisin
What are the multiple dimensions of servitude and privilege represented in fantasy works and what can they tell us about our own historical situation? In many fantasy series, the subjects of a kingdom, and the royal family themselves, are bound to serve the realm. The ruling parties serve because of duty and honor. The kingdom’s subjects serve because of colonialism, indentured servitude, and often outright slavery. Roles in society are often defined by sexism and racism. Let’s discuss N. K. Jemisin’s first book, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which takes up these themes. Within the hundred thousand kingdoms, all peoples serve the Arameri, and yet, those of Arameri descent are also bound to “serve.” Another example is George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones which also looks at servitude in several parts of the Seven Kingdoms. What does it mean to serve? What can we say about how we serve in our lives and is it a choice?
we actually didn't discuss the hundred thousand kingdoms or the game of thrones that much, but we did talk about a lot of interesting things and at least for this panel, i jotted down some titles to try. interesting sidebar: that pregnancy--bearing children for one's family/clan/king/country/planet can be a form of servitude. we discussed how usually when a servant is the focus of the story, that servant is going to turn out to be chosen in some way--a prince(ss) in disguise, or has a special talent to save their country, or whatever. sometimes being the leader can be a form of service, too. good panel.
then off to:
Political Content in a Capitalist World- Rm 330
Facilitator: Jef Smith
“Information wants to be free” is a new mantra. But does it work for everyone? The corporate pursuit of punitive copyrights has stirred a backlash of unauthorized replication of content as a protest for copyright reform. How do independent publishers, musicians, filmmakers financially sustain their projects in the face of a contemporary movement to liberate content from any control? How does justifiable copyright reform work for content creators who are sympathetic to the concept but are still forced to struggle for their survival in a capitalist system?
this panel was near and dear to my heart/pocketbook since i work in publishing. some small press publishers were there to talk about the finances of their endeavors, balancing against the pressure to release everything for no money. how e-publishing might eliminate the cost of the physical book--the paper, and cover, but you still need to edit and typeset the thing or you wind up with a mess, so while distribution costs and stock costs are smaller, an e-book still costs money, plus authors want to make some money for their efforts, of all things. another excellent discussion.
and yet another panel:
I Do Not Welcome Our Robot Overlords- Rm 238
Facilitator: Andrea Hairston
Since the Luddites, those who critique the use of technology or question whether technology is always positive are labelled as anti-technology. Why should market-driven technological ‘advances’ be sacred? Is convenience overrated? Do we have hidden values that lead to decline even before the seventh generation out? Are our shiny widgets golden handcuffs?
andrea will be one of the GoH's at next year's wiscon--do NOT miss seeing her. she is a professor of theater and she is dynamic and exciting and stimulates wonderful conversation. huge turnout--jammed into a freezing room, but everyone one got a chance to talk and much was said. (rho and mr. rhobike showed up for this session and rho made an excellent point about how some technology builds community where other things tear it down, but we didn't manage to have the rest of that conversation--this reminds me that i'm supposed to ping andrea about that, though, to propose it as a wiscon panel.) (there, i sent her e-mail.)
then it was dinner time and i went to chutney joe's indian fast food with rho, and mr. rhobike. we wound up sitting next to annaoj and isabel winolj, so those two tables got somewhat merged. then yet another panel:
Divining the Politics of Fantasy- Rm 244
Facilitator: Ian K. Hagemann
Many radicals reject fantasy - especially medievalist fantasy - as hopelessly reactionary, but writers like LeGuin articulate many of the ways that fantasy is important. This panel will examine the question. What can we say about the politics of the new fantasy? Whether looking at the politics of the writers and reading communities or the politics of the books themselves, there is a lot to talk about and challenge there. How engaged is the genre with the larger world? How much of recent fantasy in a dialogue with previous epic fantasy? What works are most exciting and where is the genre headed?
there was a lot going on at this panel. the first thing that happened was that another panel had only two people so the facilitator and the other person merged into this panel. not sure that they got the conversation that they wanted, but they both did speak up at this panel. this was another one where i jotted some titles, but also i was able to make what i think was a good suggestion, which was the temeraire books by naomi novik. i told ian and i tell you that i think the first book is available online for download--at least it was at one point. so you can see if you're interested in this particular take for free, but fair warning--the politics get more intense the further into the series you get.
then there was karaoke and a reading and i had the energy for neither, and ian wanted to get home to work in quiet, so we scooped up tanyad and amy's roommate, joy, and gave them rides home, and headed back to the house.
this time we managed to get up when an alarm went off, but i decided to drive again, in case they needed help schlepping after the teardown. so we drove down yet again. as usual headed to different panels--i went to:
Furthering the Tiptree: Transgender and Transsexual SFF- Rm 330
Facilitator: Heather Galaxy
The annual Tiptree, Jr. Award was created to award science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender. Because of how society has changed in the last 20 years, what was accepted by previous Tiptree Juries might not expand our understanding of gender and sex now. Where is transgender and/or transsexual SF in all of this? What has been written and what should be written? Is there a good enough understanding of cissexism and transphobia in the progressive SF community? Are trans writers getting “gendered out” (i.e. burnt out) with the expectation to educate cisgendered and cissexual readers? What can all of us do to expand everyone’s understanding of gender and support trans stories and writers?
here we got bogged down for a bit at the beginning while we covered trans 101, but at a certain point that got put aside and we were off and running. i was trying to represent the viewpoint of a friend i see at wiscon who has proposed several panels like this that i have attended but that i think have been frustrating experiences for her (she can say who she is, if she likes, but she didn't ask me to represent her viewpoint, and wasn't there to say whether i portrayed her feelings accurately--i didn't mention who she was at the panel). what this panel turned out to be was more of a brainstorming session about how to support trans writers. one recommendation that i jotted down was So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy (an anthology of short stories edited by Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan). another good panel past the first half hour.
lunch in the excellent con suite, yet again.
last panel of the con--i did not go to the one that was going to discuss moonfail, but am hoping for a panel report from someone who did. instead i went to:
New Tales For The 21st Century- Rm 326
Facilitator: Andrea Hairston
How do we introduce audiences to new storylines? How do we get beyond women doing
badass macho scenarios, ‘colored’ people playing noble savages or born again capitalists/colonialists, queer people living the Het dream, or democratic masses of working people rejoicing the return of the King. How do we make it engaging and fun to get out of these familiar, cozy story ruts?
did i mention how dynamic andrea is, facilitating a panel? can you tell that i became a total fangirl at this con? she spent the entire time on her feet, walking around, writing on the chalkboard. i did make more notes, including andrea's new book redwood & wildfire (which i bought afterwards but have yet to start reading) and aqueduct press--both their authors and their website for good conversation. we talked about so long been dreaming here, too. quite the pitch to write what you want to write about rather than what you think will sell--since what you think will sell is likely not a new storyline.
then, as i headed to the plenary, i got pulled aside by jef to see if i could take nora to the airport--see? i knew there was a reason i had a car. so i missed the beginning of the plenary which i think was the two of them interviewing each other but also adrienne's sister asking some questions. and then i missed the beginning of the debriefing session to get directions from roosevelt to o'hare (well to 90/94, really, since congress was a mess due to construction), but made it to some of that.
then headed out to o'hare with nora (and ian working in the back seat, of course). got her there in plenty of time, then home and ian finished his deliverable, and all was well.
another great con--congratulations to everyone who helped to make it so fantastic!
(edited to pull out the bit about supporting nora's book at the hugos if you are able and so inclined, from behind the cut tags.)