Hugo Award for Fan Writer Recommends

[deirdre]

Specifically, this list….

I just note the following:

1. It’s the BASFA (Bay Area Science Fiction Association) recommend list. I’m a BASFA member, though I rarely attend meetings. (I’m chronically ill, folks.)
2. Yes, I missed the specific recommend meetings because a) flu, b) flu, c) travel, d) travel.
3. I did, however, make an awards consideration post. Granted, earlier in the year.
4. The BASFA list includes people who’ve never lived in the Bay Area.
5. I wrote extensively about what’s inarguably the largest story in Bay Area fan politics (and the largest in fan politics) in the last 50 years, including new material that no one else had ever published.
6. And nobody, zero people, thought that was worthy of note?

My writing on the topic also led to the Breendoggle wiki getting put online.

I think it was important work, and I was honestly unable to do other substantive work for a month straight, it was that emotionally draining and exhausting. I did that because it would be churlish of me to print and run, and I felt more responsibility to the people who were having a very real hard time with the subject matter.

So I just wanted to say: I expected more. I don’t mean an award nomination, that’s not what I’m angry about.

I expected that people’s lives mattered.

I expected that the story of someone finally coming to terms with being abused by her mother—a famous science fiction writer—would be noteworthy.

And, lest someone see my stories and think I’m a pro writer, not a fan writer, the hosting overage costs from the MZB posts alone exceeded my writing income (under my own name) last year.

So Here’s My Fanwriter Hugo Recommend List

• Chris Starfire did the other original research on the topic, snagging a great interview with Mark Greyland.
• Mike Glyer at File 770, the only traditional fanwriter who spent a lot of time engaging with his own community on the subject
• Natalie Luhrs did some great writing over on Pretty Terrible, including this link post.
• Jim C. Hines wrote about MZB and many other subjects of interest.
• Me. Because reasons.

Who in Fanwriting Didn’t Write About Marion Zimmer Bradley

I also want to emphasize that in the following people’s fan writing posts or publications, none of them happened to include Marion Zimmer Bradley:

• Ric Bretschneider (that I could find)
• Chris Garcia
• Cheryl Morgan
• Chuck Serface mentions her only in the context of her writing.
• Steve Silver

Dave Langford had a brief mention.

But, while we’re on the subject of people who did/didn’t write about MZB: Vox Day covered it. I’m not linking to it, but he and I are on the same page in one respect, as I commented on one of his blogs:

The entire reason I posted about Marion Zimmer Bradley at all is that she did unconscionable things and enabled unconscionable things and Tor.com was whitewashing that. Full stop. […]

In summary: we may not agree about many things, but I do not support what MZB did to harm children or what MZB knowingly allowed Breen to do to harm children.

One of the things conservatives feel about the left is that we don’t have the moral backbone to call out our leaders. I’m not that person.

Nor do I think that everyone necessarily needs to blog about this, just that it’s notable that the BASFA platform happens to be so closely aligned with those ignoring the biggest story. Which: a quarter million hits and covered in The Guardian. That’s not minor.

Lest You Think It’s Unimportant

I was contacted by a mother who was trying to wrest her child out of a similarly difficult situation, and in a situation related to Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Happening. Right. Now.

I can’t help but feel this is why the rapists keep winning.

We don’t value people who talk about it. We don’t value people who help get stories out.

This isn’t about me. It’s about sweeping everything under the rug.

Look, I get it: I don’t like being Difficult Subject Deirdre. I value comedy more than drama. But some shit just needs to be said.

Originally published at deirdre.net. You can comment here or there.