Vote Mark Oshiro for Best Fan Writer Hugo 2013!
Mark Oshiro deserves the Best Fan Writer Hugo. I stand by everything I said in my original recommendation, and I highly recommend you visit Mark’s own post on the subject, whose comments include links to even more eligible posts.
I think Mark's work speaks for itself, and it's filled a niche that SFF fandom didn't even know it needed. Neil Gaiman, Mere Smith, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, Tamora Pierce, John Scalzi, N.K. Jemisin, Sarah Rees Brennan, and others have all gotten to witness live, real-time reactions to their work from a single unprepared audience member. Reading Mark's posts is like getting to read your own book from inside your prospective reader's head.
But I wanted to put in an additional word about the community that he has created in the last few years. Mark's sites are the place to go for intelligent and hilarious discussion of genre works and non-genre works alike. Various members of the community probably deserve Hugo nominations of their own. Mark inspires us to read and think about books in new ways and relate them to our own personal experiences, as he does. If the Hugos are the SFF fandom's way of recognizing the people who have contributed most significantly to SFF fandom, then Mark is incredibly deserving for the mark he has made on our lives.
But don’t take my word for it:
I endorse Mark as the best fan writer because his is the first site in many years to actually get me commenting and engaging with him and the wonderful community that exists because of him. His reviews are inspiring and thought-provoking and I can't get enough. So everyone should vote for him because he's the best, pretty much.
-Jenskiss
Mark's writing has moved me to tears on more than one occasion, given me new insight into some of my favorite works, and introduced me to new favorites. Please give him your consideration for this award.
-porcupinegirl
I've gotten to relive things I loved and look at them with fresh eyes. I've gotten to share amazing experiences with him and everyone here. I've been introduced to so many lovely and now beloved by me works of fiction because of his sites, and made so many friends I cherish. I've been inspired, moved, amused, and always entertained. I love it here, and as I said above, none of it would be possible without Mark. He's done something truly fantastic here that I've never seen anywhere else. Vote Mark for Best Fan Writer!
-arctic_hare
Why did I start reading Mark Reads? Because my very best friend now reads because of him.
-TardisRose
So beyond being an entertaining and engaging writer and a pretty great dude, Mark creates readers, and I'm proud to be one of them.
-nanceoir
Let me tell you why I think you should vote for Mark: he makes you think. And I don't just mean once, I mean over and over again, he will make you re-examine your opinions and experiences and change the way you look at both the fiction you love, and the world you live in. And if Mark doesn't do it himself, then the community he's built will.
What I love about Mark's writing, which I first discovered when he was reviewing the Harry Potter series, is that he opens up about the way fiction relates to our own personal experiences. Watching fictional characters go through things we've gone through ourselves has a very real effect on us and Mark never shies away from talking about the realities of that. I guess what I'm saying is that he uses fiction to deal with truth and I think a lot of us do that, too.
-guest_age
There are plenty of fans who write brilliant, insightful meta, but there are so few places where those fans can gather to trade and debate ideas in such a respectful manner. Plus, Mark's endless enthusiasm for stories that shows through all his writing from the silliest, gif filled lists to the serious criticisms of difficult social topics reminds me why I love stories and being a fan of stories.
-shyfully
Mark is one of the most delightful and deserving people I ever met. Also creative, intelligent, insightful, funny, and kind-hearted. He really knows his shit when it comes to pop culture, inclusivity and social justice. I have been following his blogs for three and a half years now, and his posts are frequently the highlight of my day (sometimes I rearrange my sleep schedule in order to be awake when certain posts go up). I have learned a lot from Mark, and in some ways, I feel that I am a better person for the time I have spent here. He has made me see the things I love in new ways by looking at them through different eyes, and I could not appreciate this experience more.
Apart from everything else, he has managed to create one of the safest and most welcoming spaces I have ever encountered on the internet. Many of his followers feel able to post deeply personal stories in the comments here without fear of attack or mockery. A sense of mutual support and community permeates these blogs. When it comes to the virtual world, this is my home -- the place I spend the most time -- and these are my friends, and I have Mark to thank for that.
In summation: GIVE THIS MAN A HUGO!
-Pica Scribit
I found the greatest thing ever: a huge community of people enthusiastically discussing the show episode-by-episode, centered around this passionate, well-spoken guy whose reviews ranged from fun, flailing lists of everything he loved about an episode to incredibly heartfelt explanations as to why he reacted certain ways to things that I barely gave second thought to. I can honestly say that his perspective - as well as those of many others here - has made me a better person.
-MoElskerDeg
BASICALLY I LOVE MARK AND I LOVE HIS REVIEWS AND VIDEOS AND I LOVE THE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT AND I LOVE THE INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY AND I LOVE ALL THE OTHER MODS TOO and probably reading and contributing to this website is the best thing in my life right now and no I'm not exaggerating.
-Deanna
I think Mark's work speaks for itself, and it's filled a niche that SFF fandom didn't even know it needed. Neil Gaiman, Mere Smith, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant, Tamora Pierce, John Scalzi, N.K. Jemisin, Sarah Rees Brennan, and others have all gotten to witness live, real-time reactions to their work from a single unprepared audience member. Reading Mark's posts is like getting to read your own book from inside your prospective reader's head.
But I wanted to put in an additional word about the community that he has created in the last few years. Mark's sites are the place to go for intelligent and hilarious discussion of genre works and non-genre works alike. Various members of the community probably deserve Hugo nominations of their own. Mark inspires us to read and think about books in new ways and relate them to our own personal experiences, as he does. If the Hugos are the SFF fandom's way of recognizing the people who have contributed most significantly to SFF fandom, then Mark is incredibly deserving for the mark he has made on our lives.
But don’t take my word for it:
I endorse Mark as the best fan writer because his is the first site in many years to actually get me commenting and engaging with him and the wonderful community that exists because of him. His reviews are inspiring and thought-provoking and I can't get enough. So everyone should vote for him because he's the best, pretty much.
-Jenskiss
Mark's writing has moved me to tears on more than one occasion, given me new insight into some of my favorite works, and introduced me to new favorites. Please give him your consideration for this award.
-porcupinegirl
I've gotten to relive things I loved and look at them with fresh eyes. I've gotten to share amazing experiences with him and everyone here. I've been introduced to so many lovely and now beloved by me works of fiction because of his sites, and made so many friends I cherish. I've been inspired, moved, amused, and always entertained. I love it here, and as I said above, none of it would be possible without Mark. He's done something truly fantastic here that I've never seen anywhere else. Vote Mark for Best Fan Writer!
-arctic_hare
Why did I start reading Mark Reads? Because my very best friend now reads because of him.
-TardisRose
So beyond being an entertaining and engaging writer and a pretty great dude, Mark creates readers, and I'm proud to be one of them.
-nanceoir
Let me tell you why I think you should vote for Mark: he makes you think. And I don't just mean once, I mean over and over again, he will make you re-examine your opinions and experiences and change the way you look at both the fiction you love, and the world you live in. And if Mark doesn't do it himself, then the community he's built will.
What I love about Mark's writing, which I first discovered when he was reviewing the Harry Potter series, is that he opens up about the way fiction relates to our own personal experiences. Watching fictional characters go through things we've gone through ourselves has a very real effect on us and Mark never shies away from talking about the realities of that. I guess what I'm saying is that he uses fiction to deal with truth and I think a lot of us do that, too.
-guest_age
There are plenty of fans who write brilliant, insightful meta, but there are so few places where those fans can gather to trade and debate ideas in such a respectful manner. Plus, Mark's endless enthusiasm for stories that shows through all his writing from the silliest, gif filled lists to the serious criticisms of difficult social topics reminds me why I love stories and being a fan of stories.
-shyfully
Mark is one of the most delightful and deserving people I ever met. Also creative, intelligent, insightful, funny, and kind-hearted. He really knows his shit when it comes to pop culture, inclusivity and social justice. I have been following his blogs for three and a half years now, and his posts are frequently the highlight of my day (sometimes I rearrange my sleep schedule in order to be awake when certain posts go up). I have learned a lot from Mark, and in some ways, I feel that I am a better person for the time I have spent here. He has made me see the things I love in new ways by looking at them through different eyes, and I could not appreciate this experience more.
Apart from everything else, he has managed to create one of the safest and most welcoming spaces I have ever encountered on the internet. Many of his followers feel able to post deeply personal stories in the comments here without fear of attack or mockery. A sense of mutual support and community permeates these blogs. When it comes to the virtual world, this is my home -- the place I spend the most time -- and these are my friends, and I have Mark to thank for that.
In summation: GIVE THIS MAN A HUGO!
-Pica Scribit
I found the greatest thing ever: a huge community of people enthusiastically discussing the show episode-by-episode, centered around this passionate, well-spoken guy whose reviews ranged from fun, flailing lists of everything he loved about an episode to incredibly heartfelt explanations as to why he reacted certain ways to things that I barely gave second thought to. I can honestly say that his perspective - as well as those of many others here - has made me a better person.
-MoElskerDeg
BASICALLY I LOVE MARK AND I LOVE HIS REVIEWS AND VIDEOS AND I LOVE THE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT AND I LOVE THE INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY AND I LOVE ALL THE OTHER MODS TOO and probably reading and contributing to this website is the best thing in my life right now and no I'm not exaggerating.
-Deanna