Top 10 Posts for August 2014

Not a whole lot was going on here for most of August, but I did post a few new things, which appear in the following list.  Enjoy!

1. The Taxonomy of Genre: Science Fiction as Supergenre
2. Movie Review: Riddick (2013) (or, I'm Going to Mega Rant Now)
3. Top 10 Overused Fantasy Cliches
4. Top 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies Since 2010 (Thus Far)
5. Speculative Fiction 2014: Announcement and Call for Submissions!
6. Top 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Anime Movies
7. On LonCon and Thanks
8. 5 Don'ts of Panels (and Podcast Roundtables)
9. Top 10 Cats in Science Fiction and Fantasy
10. Retro Nostalgia: Legend (1985) and the Power of Innocence

Anonymous Comments = Off

A quick note for readers:  I ran a bit of an experiment with comments to see if turning off registration requirements (even with something like Open ID) would affect the activity on this blog.  Unfortunately, all that seemed to happen is that spammers got more comments into my moderation queue than real people with real things to say.  For that reason, I'm turning off anonymous comments.  It'll prevent my statistics from being skewed and it'll make my life easier, since I won't have to delete mountains of annoying spam comments from my inbox.

Hopefully, this won't be a problem for anyone.  You should be able to use any social media account to leave a comment here (via Open ID), which I imagine almost all of you have.

Anywhoodles.

Adventures in England: A Primer (Worldcon / LonCon3 Schedules and the Yorkshire Secession)

If you didn't know this already, I will be in the lovely country of England tomorrow morning.  There are two reasons for this.

First, I'm attending Worldcon / LonCon 3, partly because of the World SF Tour on The Skiffy and Fanty Show and partly because I happen to be nominated for a Hugo.

Second, I have been hard at work on the secession of Yorkshire from the United Kingdom with other like-minded individuals who believe in the necessity for the return of the Ormian Republic and its attending empire (the Yorkshire Empire, as it were).  I will be meeting with several leaders of the Yorkshire Secessionary Front and coordinating the process of land allocation and touristic public relations.

Only one of these things is true.  I'll let you guess.

In the event that the first is true, I should let you know that I may be on programming.  As such, my schedule would look like the following:

My CONvergence Schedule!

If you're curious what I'll be up to at CONvergence this year, you're in luck because I've just dropped a not-quite-full schedule over on the Skiffy and Fanty Show blog!  The schedule will be updated later w/ other happenings; for now, enjoy the huge list of panels, some of which I'm actually on!

Top 10 Posts for May 2014

Here they are:

1. Movie Review: Riddick (2013) (or, I'm Going to Mega Rant Now)
2. Link of the Week: "Bigotry, Cognitive Dissonance, and Submission Guidelines" by Charles A Tan
3. Top 10 Overused Fantasy Cliches
4. The Hugos in "Turmoil" and the Glee Crowd
5. Criticism Does Not Equal Bullying (or, What Bullying Means to Me)
6. Top 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies Since 2010 (Thus Far)
7. 5 Annoying Author Habits on Twitter
8. Top 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Anime Movies
9. Movie Review Rant : Catching Fire (2013)
10. Top 10 Cats in Science Fiction and Fantasy

I've switched to using what little data I can get for unique views to give a more accurate picture of things.

RIP: Jay Lake

If you haven't heard yet, Jay Lake passed away this morning.  Most of us who were paying attention to his struggle with cancer knew this day was coming, especially after his latest (experimental?) treatment resulted in his entrance into hospice care.  Regardless, learning of his passing still came as a shock to me, as I'm sure it did to those who knew him much better than myself.

I won't pretend that I was good friends with Jay or that I knew him really well.  What I will say is that I was enormously privileged to have met Jay a few times in person and to have interviewed him on The Skiffy and Fanty Show.  That interview is very personal for me in part because I am also a cancer survivor, and it was because of Jay's frank discussion of his struggles that I started to blog a little about my own cancer journey.  It was also one of the best interviews I've ever conducted, for which I give Jay all the credit.  He was always a joy to talk to.

In person, Jay was friendly, kind, and hilarious.  I had a handful of interactions with him (he even remembered me, which was cool) and even got to see a rough cut of his documentary about his cancer journey, Lakeside, at Worldcon last year.  It was a beautiful thing, even in rough form.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the room, which says a lot about the power of Lakeside.

Most people, however, will not have met Jay.  Most people won't have had any personal experiences with him or, as a small few will probably discuss this week, have been good friends.  Most people will remember Jay for his enormous body of writing.  In a way, he left behind a little piece of himself for all of us to remember.  We should enjoy that piece as much as we can because it is beautiful.

I'll miss you, Jay.

Mass Market Paperback Bingo: Pick a Book; I'll Read and Review It

The title says it all.  Since I have a really large collection of unread books, I figure I could have some fun by letting the public pick one from my shelves.  Below, you'll see two pictures from one shelf (front level; there is another level of books behind these).  You should be able to open the images to see the larger versions, which will make some of the titles and author names easier to read.

Worldcon Fundraiser Updatery: A Flash Milestone Perk

I only need to raise $150 more in my Worldcon fundraiser, and then I've got every penny I need to make my stay in London reasonable.  First, I want to thank everyone who has supported me in this endeavor thus far.  You are all amazingly awesome.  There are lots of Milestone Perks waiting to be fulfilled at the moment (some take longer than others because they involve recording stuff).  I'll get those fulfilled this summer (preferably this month, where possible).

Second, I have decided to make things a little...interesting.  Since $150 isn't that much money, and I want to get this done ASAP, I'm running a little last minute Milestone Perk addon:

If my Worldcon fundraiser finishes by Monday, May 27th, Mike Underwood and I will record our special readings of classic works of literature/philosophy as Kermit and Yoda (respectively) LIVE.  We may even stay in character the whole time.  We may even have a conversation as Kermit and Yoda.  We may even do it on video via Google+.  We may even wear homemade costumes.  (By "may" I mean "pretty much going to do it unless we can't for some reason").

Right now, it looks like I'm reading Nietzche's Thus Spake Zarathustra.  I'm not sure what Mike is reading yet, but I did see someone suggest The Candide.  Obviously, these will be excerpt readings, as Nietzche's book is so long that my voicebox would probably explode if I tried to do the whole thing in one go.

So if that's not incentive to donate $10 and convince your friends to do so, too, I don't know what is!

Now get to it.  You've got three-and-a-half days!

Top 10 Posts for April 2014

Here they are:

1. Movie Review: Riddick (2013) (or, I'm Going to Mega Rant Now)
2. A Cereal Metaphor for the SFF Community
3. Speculative Fiction 2014: Announcement and Call for Submissions!
4. Top 10 Overused Fantasy Cliches
5. Top 10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies Since 2010 (Thus Far)
6. Kim Stanley Robinson and Exposition (or, No More James Patterson, Please)
7. Movie Review Rant : Catching Fire (2013)
8. Adventures in Teaching Literature: David Henry Hwang and the Ethnic Debate
9. Top 10 Cats in Science Fiction and Fantasy
10. 2014 Hugo Nominee Ballot: The Full List + 1939 Retro-Hugo Nominees

An interesting mix, don't you think?

Speculative Fiction 2014: Announcement and Call for Submissions!

Update:  Submissions will close at 12 PM EST on January 2nd, 2015.  Get those submissions in ASAP!

Update 2:  A previous version of this article did not include a notice about payment for selected works.  That has been corrected below.

Speculative Fiction: The Best Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary is an anthology that celebrates online science fiction and fantasy non-fiction and its influence on the community. Each year, a collection of the anthology will be curated by rotating editors. Last year, Ana and Thea from The Book Smugglers created Speculative Fiction 2013.

This year, we're pleased to say that we -- me and Renay from Lady Business -- will be editors of Speculative Fiction 2014.

The first volume of Speculative Fiction, released in 2012, collected 52 pieces from authors, bloggers, and critics. The second volume, Speculative Fiction 2013, collects 53 pieces and will be released in April 2014 (details coming soon). All profits from the sales of Speculative Fiction will be donated to Room to Read. Each edition is published by Jurassic London, a small press run by Jared Shurin.

The 2013 edition contains an afterword written by us, which explains what we will be looking for as the conversation surrounding sf/f continues throughout 2014. As we edit, we will follow those stated guidelines:

• We will continue the work of previous editors in finding symmetry between long term, ongoing debates and original discussions spurred by new developments in genre culture, both in creative content and fan response.
• We will embrace the rich diversity of voices both from within SF fandom and beyond, with the recognition that important genre conversations are happening outside standard literary SF community culture and its platforms.
• We will do our best to strive for parity in gender, sexuality, race, and nationality in recognition that as a fandom, SF is stronger when it includes the perspectives that may lie outside U.S. and U.K. cultural narratives. 

With our goals in mind, we're happy to announce that we're open for submissions! Send us the best reviews, commentaries, and other non-fiction works using this form.

What we're looking for in 2014:

• We're looking for non-fiction reviews, essays, and criticism ("works") with speculative fiction at their core. This can include science fiction, fantasy, horror, and topics that fall under or align with those topics.
• We welcome works about all forms of media, including but not limited to: books; film; television; all forms of games from tabletop to games next-gen consoles; and comics and manga.
• The work must have a publication date between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014.
• Anyone is eligible for inclusion: authors, fans, bloggers, critics who blog, bloggers who are authors, etc.), and all identifications are welcome, from full legal names to fannish pseudonyms.
• Everyone is welcome to submit any link they find interesting even if they are not the author.
• There is no limit on nominations. If you see five relevant posts, we'll take them! If you see 50, we'll take those, too.
• We're aiming for pieces between 800 - 1500 words, but longer pieces are absolutely welcome.  Payment is $0.01 a word (up to $10) for non-exclusive reprint rights.
• Submitted works can be from anywhere in the world, although we do need an English translation for consideration.
• SPECIAL NOTE: we are very interested in receiving commentary on speculative fiction from the young adult community, media fandom (mainstream film/television), academia, and nonwestern fandoms, such as anime/manga, as well as content on a wide array of platforms, including tumblr and other nontraditional writing spaces.

And there you have it.  Submit away!

I'm a Hugo Award Nominee -- Holy Moly on a Stick!

If you didn't know already, then you're probably living in a hole, don't know what a Hugo Award is, or don't care.  Or maybe you're secretly plotting to keep me forever in obscurity.  *glare*

In any case, my podcast, The Skiffy and Fanty Show, is a finalist for the 2014 Hugo Awards in the Best Fancast category.  We're up there with a bunch of other amazing podcasts, too; there's something really cool about being in a category with Galactic Suburbia, The Writer and the Critic, and The Coode Street Podcast.  Heck, even SF Signal, who is the big boy (or girl) in town, is worthy of admiration for being a powerhouse in the sf/f podcast field.  Plus, there's Verity Podcast (Doctor Who FTW!) and Emma Newman's adorable Tea & Jeopardy.  If this isn't a varied list of cool podcasts, I don't know what is!

So my name is among a sea of wonderful names.  My crew is among a sea of wonderful crews.  My podcast is among a sea of wonderful podcasts.  It's a good day.

Fundraiser Updatery: 18 Days and Counting...

There are 18 days left in my Worldcon fundraiser for The Skiffy and Fanty Show.  And I'm $1552 short.  That's a lot to make up in less than a month, but it's still doable.  $87 a day will do it!  But that means I really need everyone's help on this.  A *lot* of help.

And on that subject, I want to thank all the folks who have helped out thus far:

• Fred Kiesche
• Scott Pohlenz
• Matthew Sheahan
• Louise Lowenspets (there are two dots on the last "o," but I can't figure out how to put it in there on my tablet -- sorry :( )
• Andrew Liptak
• Stina Leicht
• Maureen Kincaid Speller
• John Pitts
• Linda Nagata
• Mike Martinez
• Fabio Fernandes
• Rachael Acks
• David Annandale
• Sue Armitage
• Joe Monti
• Catherine Hill
• Amy Fredericks

Note:  I have only listed donations that were made public.  I would also like to thank all the folks who didn't want to be named.  You are equally as awesome for every little bit you've given me for this.

Note 2:  I also want to say an enormous thank you to Myke Cole, who offered to share his hotel room at Worldcon with me free of charge.  It's people like Myke and the folks above (and the unlisted folks) who make this community so wonderful:  giving up money or things or whatever to help someone out.  And that's not just for me.  This community has helped all kinds of people.  It's a great thing.

As of right now, I'm holding off on scheduling interviews and the like, but if it starts to look that the fundraiser will get close to the goal, I'll get all of that started.  My hope is to host walk-by sessions and interview as many international authors, editors, and so on I possibly can.  Likewise, it's possible I'll be on programming this year, which is pretty darn awesome!

In any case, this month, we're recording a Torture Cinema review of Highlander II at the end of the month with special guest Mike Martinez (who donated and was selected to pick the movie for the 3rd Milestone).  Other perks are already available and listed on the page.

And that's all the updates I've got at the moment.  If you can spare some cash, please help out.  Even $5 helps.

Anywhoodles.

2014 Hugo Nominees Incoming: Criteria and Notes

A lot of folks have been sharing their nominees.  I'm going to do the same, but woefully late, such that all the information I'll provide will be completely useless to you in the end.  After all, you won't have time to read any of the books I nominate.  Oh well!

In any case, I do have criteria and notes to preface these selections:

1. You may disagree with my selections, but I hope readers of this blog will understand that they are a reflection of a) what I was able to read/view/etc. from last year, and b) my personal taste.  There are enormous gaps in my reading.  However, if I missed a truly exceptional work, please share it with me!
2. I will only nominate works that I believe were "the best."  I don't care how popular a book was in 2013; if it is not as good as a book that sold 1/100th the number of copies, then it will not get a nomination.  I believe the Hugos are an award to celebrate the best, not the most popular.
3. Some of my sections will contain empty slots for various reasons, but the most obvious will be this:  I can only think of X number of things to nominate.  As I've noted above, I will only nominate works I consider to be "the best."  If I liked a work, but I don't think it's award worthy, then it's not getting a nomination.  In some cases, however, I may not have enough to nominate in a category.  As such, you're free to suggest something (there isn't much time, obviously, but I still appreciate the gesture).
   
   Some categories may be quite empty, such as fan artist.  Why?  Because I don't follow that particular field and haven't the foggiest what I should select anyway.  And I really don't have the time to go through the Internet looking, either...
4. There will be no pissing and moaning about what others are nominating in the upcoming posts on this subject.  I'm sure I disagree with what others have on their ballots, but I'm really not interested in pissing all over other people's personal tastes this week.  That's for later (not really :P).

And that's it, really.  Let the games begin!

Fundraiser Updatery

We're almost one month away from the deadline for my Worldcon fundraiser for The Skiffy and Fanty Show and the World SF Tour.  And we've got a long way to go before the thing is fully funded.  As of the writing of this post, we're $42 (ha!) $52 (aww) short of the 3rd Milestone and $1700ish from the goal.

And that means I really need your help.  If you're a reader of this blog, please consider donating a little bit to the fundraiser.  Even $5 goes a long way.  There are milestone perks, in case you're looking for more incentive than "I'm moderately amusing on Tuesdays."  Likewise, if you could spread the word, that would be amazing.  Noise is just as important, I'm told.

Now back to regular programming on WISB...

Note on Temporary Blog Silence of Doom

It is currently rather quiet around here.  The main reason is a time limitation issue:  I am trying to finish last minute arrangements for ICFA (the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts), where I am expected to present (on Makoto Shinkai's The Place Promised in Our Early Days) and where I intend to conduct interviews and the like for The Skiffy and Fanty Show.  On top of that, I'm working on PhD dissertation stuff, which I want to complete before heading off to ICFA.

So that's why it's quiet.  Things should resume again next week!

Call for Review Copies: World SF Authors and Creators (Books, Comics, etc.)

As you may know, my podcast, The Skiffy and Fanty Show, is hosting a year-long feature called the World SF Tour.  And because I'm dedicated to world sf in general, I want to do more than just post podcast episodes and reviews of foreign films for the "2010:  A SFF Film Odyssey" feature.

So this is a call for review copies.  I'm looking for books, movies, comics, and other forms of media that fulfill the following:

• They are works of speculative fiction, broadly defined (and I do mean broadly defined; the only thing I won't read is erotica, because I'm really not the right audience for it)
• They are works created by people from outside the United States (I will give special attention to works outside the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom)
• They are works which are professionally published (note:  this does not necessarily mean they must be published through traditional means) OR of professional quality (a subjective measure, I know)

I cannot guarantee I can read and review everything under the sun.  As such, this is what I'm offering:

• Reviews of 1-2 titles a month (depending on the medium; I can review more movies than books, for example)
• Guest post slots on my blog and The Skiffy and Fanty Show for anyone whose work I cannot review due to time restraints (so you can talk about your book, your writing, etc.)

That's it.  Spread the word!

#WorldSFTour Fundraiser Updatery: Free Reads and Moving Forward

First things first, I would like to thank everyone who has donated to this adventure so far.  It means a lot to have the support of folks following me around on the Internet.  So, thanks!

If you haven't supported the fundraiser yet, please consider doing so.  I really want to bring my podcast and the World SF Tour to Worldcon this year, in no small part because it will help me expand the project ten fold.  I won't lie:  Worldcon will be a lot of fun.  But it will also be about contributing to this field, which means a lot to me.

Now for the updates:

1. Not too long ago, the fundraiser reached the 1st Milestone, which meant one of the perks activated.  The 1st Milestone Perk involved an entry in the Encyclopedia Confictura, a fun little alternate history thing I've done for giggles.  This time, I let a donor pick the topic, which ended up being the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
   
   That perk is now live.  It's listed under C in this magic Google Doc of other examples!  I had a blast writing it, and folks seem to be enjoying it thus far.
   
2. The 2nd Milestone Perk also activated, which involves Paul Weimer writing a "Mining the Asteroid" column on a classic work of sf/f.  Everything for this fundraiser is donor selected, so a lucky individual selected The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers.  Paul's post isn't live yet, but it will be next week. :)
   
3. I've registered for Worldcon.  So, yeah.  At this point, I'm trying to raise travel expenses, which is the largest bulk of the cost (somewhere between $1500 and $1700).
   
4. We're now $232 (or thereabouts) from the 3rd Milestone.  For anyone who follows The Skiffy and Fanty Show, you'll know that we do two film-related subcasts:  Torture Cinema and Shoot the WISB.  The 3rd Milestone Perk will allow a lucky donor to pick someone for one of those subcasts.  That could really turn out to be hilarious.
   
   Oh, and if someone picks Waterworld, I'm sure Jen Zink will be in that episode...and she will defend it with her life!

And that's about it.  If you've got a little spare cash, please consider helping out.  Even $5 goes a long way.

Anywhoodles!

Another Week of Joy Commences Today

I've done this before.  Last night, I declared Friday the beginning of another Week of Joy, in which I will only discuss or talk about happy things, like books, movies, spaceships, magic wizard monkeys, and anything that should be, in principle, producers of happiness.

You are free to join me in whatever way appeals to you.

Around the Interwebs: An SFF Film Odyssey at Skiffy and Fanty + #WorldSFTour Fundraiser Updates

A couple things to let folks know about:

1) Remember when I said I would review or discuss every SF/F film released in 2010?  Well, the first post just went up, be because it's for a non-American film, it ended up on The Skiffy and Fanty Show blog:  "A (World) SFF Film Odyssey:  Mutant Girls Squad (2010) and Anime's Excesses."  Do go check it out when you get a chance.

I'm also going to start working on a post about Monsters (2010), which I'm going to review here, even though it clearly has an international scope in terms of its secondary characters and setting.

After that, I'll probably watch one of the animated children's flicks that came out that year.  Maybe Megamind (2010).

I'm also not sure where I'm going to compile all of this.  Maybe I'll just use the original post as a depository.  What do you think?

2) The fundraiser to bring the World SF Tour and The Skiffy and Fanty Show to Worldcon has received $115 in donations so far.  That's a good start, but I still need a lot of support for this.  If you've got $10 to spare and/or a willingness to share the heck out of this thing, I'd really appreciate it.

Also:  since we're at $115, that means the first milestone was reached.  I'm working on getting the topic for the Encyclopedia Confictura entry now; that will hopefully be up this week!

And that's that.  What have you all been up to?

Worldcon Fundraiser: Send the #WorldSFTour to London!

Folks on Twitter will have seen this already.  Over at The Skiffy and Fanty Show blog, I'm hosting a fundraiser to help bring the World SF Tour to Worldcon in London.  At last year's Worldcon, we interviewed quite a bunch of folks and released those episodes throughout 2013.  This year, we want to do the same thing, because London will contain a far more international audience, and I'd like to expand the reach of the tour as much as possible!

The fundraiser just started today.  You can support that fundraiser on this GoFundMe page.  As of this moment, we're nearly to the first milestone, which will mean a perk opens up.  And there are lots of other nifty S&F-related perks to become available as the donations rack up.  Other perks might be announced later.

If you're at all interested in World SF and want to see more content on S&F related to that theme, please support the fundraiser!