(0) My brother, his wife, and I unexpectedly spent the day binge-watching The Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix, so I am staying over another night. Therefore this will be a short-short Scroll assembled on his Mac tablet. Looks like I have figured out what I need to do despite the unfamiliar software. (He uses the Brave browser – tell me, does my text always look so bleached out to you?)
(1) MORE MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE HUGO REPORT.
The New York Times — “Some Authors Were Left Out of Awards Held in China. Leaked Emails Show Why.” is paywalled. But this gift link will get you in – thanks to Susan.
What did the leaked emails reveal?
The exclusion of popular authors of Chinese descent led to speculation that the awards’ administrators had weeded out those whose political views might prove controversial in China. Those suspicions were confirmed recently, when emails leaked by Diane Lacey, a member of last year’s Hugo administration team, were published in a report by Chris M. Barkley, a science fiction fan and journalist, and Jason Sanford, a journalist and science fiction writer.
The email correspondence published in the report showed that Dave McCarty, one of the Hugo administrators, had advised other members to vet the finalists and “highlight anything of a sensitive political nature” in China, including works that focused “on China, Taiwan, Tibet or other topics that may be an issue in China.” Such works, he added, might not be safe to put on the ballot.
“This really just cut to the core of the awards,” Sanford said. “For a genre that believes so deeply in free speech to willingly take part in doing research on political issues of awards finalists, knowing that it’s going to be used to eliminate some of those finalists, it’s outrageous.”…
Salon – “Hugo Awards scandal: Why the prestigious sci-fi literary awards is under fire for censorship”
The Hill – Chris Barkley tells me, “The Hill is a conservative news site that’s KNOWN for its lightweight coverage on cultural issues. And here’s a prime example. I would not even bother posting this piece of fluff…” I disobeyed: “Neil Gaiman, Paul Weimer among writers excluded from Hugo Awards over fear of offending China”. (Besides, I’ll bet Paul likes the idea of being named in a headline along with Neil Gaiman, even though he said it annoys him that his name is misspelled in the URL)
(2) HOW HE MET MRS. WEIRD AL. [Item by Dann] Craig Ferguson recently hosted “Weird Al” Yankovic on his JOY podcast. (There’s also a full transcript at the link.) Within the wide-ranging discussion, Al revealed that he was introduced to his wife by Art Barnes.
Al was on the Doctor Demento Show when he met Art. They got on pretty well and Art invited Al to his place in the Hollywood hills.
Looking around the place, Al sees a ton of Lost in Space memorability. He thinks to himself that Art is really into Lost in Space. And there was a ton of Will Robinson/Billy Mumy collectibles. Art must have been a superfan!
Sort of.
Art Barnes was half of the musical team known as Barnes & Barnes. One of their most known songs was “Fish Heads”.
Of course, Art Barnes was actually Billy Mumy himself. That should make the whole superfan of Will Robinson thing a bit less creepy.
Billy set Al up on several blind dates. But one time, he told Al that he had to date this woman from 20th Century Fox. Billy told Al that Al had to marry her.
And that’s how things worked out.
The rest of the podcast was pretty good.
(3) MEMORY LANE.
February 17, 1912 — Andre Norton. (Died 2005.) I always think of Andre Norton with some fondness. She always write things that as an individual that I just liked. Warning: this is not complete listing by any stretch of the imagination.
The title of her first novel, The Prince Commands, being sundry adventures of Michael Karl, sometime crown prince & pretender to the throne of Morvania, could have easily been that of a fantasy novel or a mainstream swashbuckler novel. Well, it’s the latter — ninety years old this year, it’s still quite readable.
She was twice nominated for the Hugo Award, at Pacificon II for Witch World, a favorite of mind, and then again at NyCon 3 for her “Wizard’s World” novelette which appeared in the June 1967 issue of If.
Her first fantasy novel, Huon of The Horn, the 13th-century story of Huon, Duke of Bordeaux, and adds in Oberon, to create one delightful tale.
Her first SF novel, Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D, was published at the same time over seventy-five years ago. I’ve not read it, so opinions please. Star Rangers which followed I’ve read and I did like that novel.
After Gary Gygax inviting her to play Dungeons & Dragons in his Greyhawk world, she wrote two novels based in two setting, Quag Keep and Return to Quag Keep. They’re fun, not very serious, but definitely fun.
And than there Catseye in which a man finds work in a pet shop where there’s ex-spacer owner, and xeno-animals who might be stranger than he knows.
Her final novel that she actually wrote was the rather excellent Three Hands for Scorpio. Tor, which never passed after a chance to make another a dollar or two, or even a lot more, had Jean Rabe write two more crediting her as co-author, Dragon Mage and Taste of Magic.
No, I’ve not forgotten her Awards. She won an Ohioan, given for lterature by writers from Ohio and about Ohio, for Sword in Sheath, a Gandalf, Grandmaster of Fantasy; an Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction; a Nebula, a Grand Master Award; a World Fantasy Award, Special Convention Award; First Fandom Hall of Fame Award; a Workd Fantasy Award Award Award for Lifetime Achievement; and three Sir Julius Vogels with Lyn McConchie — Beast Master’s Circus, Beast Master’s Ark and The Duke’s Ballad.
I take my leave now. I need to see Catseye was ever made into audiobook as it’d make a delightful listening experience.
(4) COMICS SECTION.
- Arlo and Janis have crossover problems.
- Wallace the Brave demonstrates how easy it is to lapse into childhood obsessions.
- Carpe Diem has the woes of a second job.
(5) SIGNAL BOOST. New Zealand fans are far from alone in experiencing the problems described in “A message from the current committee of Continuity 2024” ay SFFANZ.
For the past three years a small but hardy bunch of fans have tried to revitalise conventions in New Zealand in the wake of the pandemic and CoNZealand. The former has made conventions difficult to host, and the latter made those who’d run events want to hide in a corner going wibble.
Sadly, that’s meant that a very small number of people, who are also members of the SFFANZ board, have been left holding the baby that is Continuity 2024. We’ve asked for assistance from fandom at large, and whilst a few volunteers put their hands up, they suddenly lost interest or ability to help when we had our first meeting. Now we who are left are running out of steam, and wondering if we have the spirit and time to continue. We want conventions in New Zealand to continue as we see value in them. We want to gather with friends to discuss our passion for the genre. But we can’t do it alone.
For the past three years we’ve hosted a revitalising fandom discussion, which has been robust, but every year the same thing happens. People want, want, want, but there’s no give, give, give.
At a recent fannish gathering, a number of fen asked what plans were for Continuity 2024, when bookings could be made etc. Not one person offered to put their hand up to help or run anything. It seemed to that people wanted to be entertained rather than to participate. Oh, and we have to make the event as long as possible (meaning we need to find more information/panels/events to entertain people) so that it makes it worthwhile to attend, otherwise they won’t. And, not unnaturally given the times, everyone expects that events will be both in person and online making the effort involved greater again.
There are many conflicting issues going on here, we realise. Fandom, as a group, is not getting any younger. We all have lives, and things we want to do, but unless more of us put in an effort to keep momentum in conventions alive, then SF cons in New Zealand will go the way of the dodo.
We do have some ideas, such as holding a SMOFcon South, a con-running event, alongside a day where we celebrate fandom in New Zealand, but this idea is in its infancy. We’ve got a date, a venue, ideas for guests, events, and of course the Sir Julius Vogel Awards to host. But we need ideas, fresh ones, to assist us to get this plan across the line. And we need more people to volunteer to make that happen.
We will be hosting a meeting on February 25 at 10am to discuss where we go from here with Continuity 2024. I invite you to register here for the zoho meeting. If we don’t get sufficient interest, we will be turning Continuity 2024 into a one-day event again, and that will be it. We won’t try again.
Fandom is what you put into it. It requires active engagement and participation to make it thrive and grow. This is where you come in, yes YOU.
We hope to see you on the 25th.
[Thanks to Chris Barkley, Cat Eldridge, SF Concatenation’s Jonathan Cowie, Elusis, JJ, Paul Weimer, Dann, Susan, Kathy Sullivan, Steven French, Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to File 770 contributing editor of the day OGH.]
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(1) Dave really did a lot to kill the Hugos for everyone else. He was ignoring all the rules, why?? What was he expecting to gain from this? (Yes, I’m angry. At him, not at Chengdu.)
P J Evans says Dave really did a lot to kill the Hugos for everyone else. He was ignoring all the rules, why?? What was he expecting to gain from this? (Yes, I’m angry. At him, not at Chengdu.)
Very good question.
Did anyone catch the news report that Uganda arrested a male there and plans on calling for him to be stoned to death if he’s found guilty of committing homosexual acts?
(3) Norton is a lifelong favorite of mine.
Yes, Dave has a lot to answer for. And clearly doesn’t care.
Uganda is reminding us why Kampala would be an even worse, more dangerous choice than Chengdu was.
(2) Fandom being given mainstream serious coverage, and the Hugos being treated as major literary awards. After all the decades of crap coverage “oh, look at the babe in the skimpy costume, and the big guy in the Klingon outfit, look at all the weirdos, back to you, newscaster”… this is mindboggling.
Birthday: Andre Norton, I love. My big ones of hers are Beast Master (kindly strangle the Hollywood moron who took the title and made nothing related out of it). Diversity? The hero is a Native American. And the alien remnants…
Enjoy your time together, Mike.
(1) Chris Barkley tells me, “The Hill is a conservative new site
Has… Barkley ever actually read The Hill?
Considering even the New York Times is giving column inches to the Hugos scandal now, perhaps we should rename the Streisand Effect the McCarty Effect?
“Catseye” was one of the first SF novels I bought for myself. It was a Puffin, so probably picked up age 12 when we were living overseas and I had very few English-language books. I also had Beast Master and Lord of Thunder; I think I picked up Moon of Three Rings and Zero Stone when we came back to the US, the next year.
So I imprinted on Norton’s Psychic Animals+Ancient Ruins IN SPACE formula, Witch World never made as much of an impression on me.
(3) Storm Over Warlock may be the first SF novel I ever read. I remember carving a wooden blaster and running around with it. Completely failed to notice that the main character is black.
Many of the books involve exploring underground, in places that are distinctly not nice.
Lis Carey says Uganda is reminding us why Kampala would be an even worse, more dangerous choice than Chengdu was.
I’m particularly concerned about the folks who think that First Worlders will be safe there because, well, they’re not from that country and that somehow gives them a protection that the citizens there don’t have. Bullshit. With the severe human rights abuses which Uganda most assuredly has, no one is safe, and I really do mean no one.
I’ve considered The Hill right wing since they let John Solomon run bogus investigative pieces for years that carried water for Trump and his cronies. If it’s more balanced than that I hadn’t noticed because Solomon destroyed so much of their credibility.
Growing up I read more than my share of Andre Norton — mostly the various Magic books she wrote for children, but also Forerunner Foray, which has always stuck with me. I didn’t discover the Witch World books until much later (simply because they weren’t on the local library shelves) and have yet to read very many of them.
I think we should consider what it was like to be one of the Western SMOFs leading Chengdu Worldcon. A lot of money was spent giving people like McCarty the VIP treatment, and when they were in China they were treated like they were a pretty big deal. Millions of dollars were being spent to put on an event of a magnitude no Worldcon organizers had ever experienced before. They got to be at the center of it all.
Did he tell himself that if he ran the Hugo Awards normally by the established ethical standards, without fear or favor to anyone, China might push him and other SMOFs out? He could have compromised himself because this was a party he couldn’t bear to miss.
(5)
I don’t think this is true, outside of a very self-referential subset. Or at least, it defines “fandom” as largely being made up of a continuity of a specific group of people, rather than of people engaged in fan activities.
There are more conventions, hosted in more places, celebrating more media than ever before. More people writing fan fiction. More creators and authors and reviewers. Heck, right now there’s probably more organized science-fiction cosplayers than there were organized fans total forty years ago. And it skews young
But the younger fans have different expectations and cultural norms. They generally aren’t fussed about “corporate” events. Having things be completely volunteer driven isn’t generally seen as sustainable or necessarily desirable.
One of the interesting things about the WorldCon/Hugo fallout has been seeing the reaction of con runners and leaders from other communities who are peering over the metaphorical fence with bemused horror. The furries in particular seem aghast. And that’s a group who knows conventions. They’ve basically spent the last twenty years speed-running how to build a community framework from scratch, through a very Darwinian process and unflinching community criticism.
They can’t understand how the literary sci-fi/fantasy fandom continues to exist at all, on an organizational level.
If Fandom insists that it only counts as “Fandom” if it’s organized around 1950’s-1970’s concepts of non-conformity it’s going to continue to be unable to attract anyone under 40 on an organizational level. Long term, one of two things will happen. Either a big enough group will put together a push to completely replace the WSFS constitution and structure with a modern framework, or eventually “Worldcon” will be a few dozen senior citizens who get together once a year.
Frankly, I would never assume that as a western person visiting I would be safe from the enforcement of a country’s laws. Yes, some countries (including China) don’t like the negative media attention that a westerner in prison in bad conditions or even being executed brings. Even Iran is somewhat reticent about executing people with western dual citizenship because that will reduce their chances of having trade embargos and restrictions lifted.
Other countries plainly don’t give a damn what your passport says, if you commit a crime in their country. See Singapore and Indnesia executing westerners for drug smuggling, which suddenly caused the rest of the world to be upset about those countries’ harsh drug laws that they didn’t give a damn about when the victims were Asians or Africans. Or also see the US sentencing foreign citizens to death and in at least two cases (two German brothers) executing them, without even letting them contact their embassies. Even if most of those people were probably guilty, they would not have been executed in their country of origin.
I have no idea into what category Uganda falls, but I also wouldn’t be keen on finding out.
0) Not familiar with the Brave browser text rendering, but historically Microsoft and Apple have had differing philosophies with on-screen font rendering. (sharpness vs accuracy)
Better now with high-DPI screens, but it was pretty noticeable when switching between systems.
On Safari for the Mac, the Scroll is using Helvetica Neue with a 300 weight. Looks fine to me.
(1) I’m not going to opine about whether The Hill is conservative or not, but there was a typo on someone’s part in calling it a “conservative new site.” That should be “news site,” not “new site”; The Hill was established in 1994.
(3) I read a post somewhere in the last couple of years in which the writer told the story of how his father, when he was in college in Central Florida in the 1970s, was called by his Aunt Alice to come play D&D with her and Gary Gygax in Orlando … Aunt Alice being Andre Norton, of course. Can anyone help me track down that post?
(3) the birthday notice lists 3 of the genre books that I first read, starting about age 10. Still have a copy of Catseye. Thanks, Andre Norton, for being my gateway writer.
Msb: How delightful to read a comment about enjoying books rather than an entire paragraph devoted to showing away about a one-letter typo.
(3) I remember reading all the Andre Norton books in my Junior High School library and wanting more. And here I am today.
@Cora Buhlert–I am certainly not saying China is a safe location for WorldCon or that Chengdu was a safe choice. I did not entirely relax until all the Western fans were out.
But yes, China, especially with what turned out to be an unexpectedly high-profile event from their perspective, does take into account likely Western media reaction in a way I don’t think Uganda does. This doesn’t make China safe; just somewhat less dangerous.
(3) I think Judgment on Janus was one of the very first books I took out when I got my library ticket, when I was 9, in 1968…
@Joshua K: the Norton D&D story is here https://twitter.com/schweizercomics/status/1115650517714206727
I loved The Last Planet when I was 12.
A link, in case people haven’t seen it to the SFWA post with a careful translation by Yilin.
https://bsky.app/profile/yilinwriter.bsky.social/post/3klnuw4bufn2z
It hurts to read the excitement and hope.
How can we remind the Chengdu members that they can nominate for Glasgow?
There could be a short list dominated by Chinese works.
Though I’d feel for the Glasgow admins having to do the disambiguation, it would be a satisfying turn of the wheel.
Like many others Andre Norton was a big part of my early SF reading. The two Janus novels particularly stick in my mind but there were so many.
I’m pretty sure there’s an Andre Norton interview on fanac.org from when she was guest of honor at Noreascon. The part about her cat chasing a bat around her bookcases is delightful.
(3) My first Andre Norton book was Star Ka’at.
Does anyone remember an online campaign (I think the one from 2004) where someone asked fans to send Andre Norton cards and letters because the ailing author was feeling depressed? I think the campaign was started by Sue Stewart.
News item from the Marble household: My bedroom has a floor!
1) At least they got my name right in the article if not the URL. But the Hill is rather skewed, politically. So it goes.
And aside from people who know me, my name seems to get mispronounced regularly. That, sadly, comes with the territory.
I’ve posted my thoughts on a Kampala Worldcon here: https://garymcgath.com/wp/human-rights-kampala-worldcon/
@Ryan H: “””I don’t think this is true, outside of a very self-referential subset. Or at least, it defines “fandom” as largely being made up of a continuity of a specific group of people, rather than of people engaged in fan activities.”””
I think for a lot of people who are in that specific group, including some file770 commentariat regulars, that’s exactly what it means. For example here : https://twitter.com/ErsatzCulture/status/1730394997722157566 (as seen in the concurrent “Cheryl Morgan, David McCarty resign” comments) which talks about “people who were fans of SF, but not part of fandom”.
(3) It would be hard to describe how much impact Andre Norton’s books had on my introduction to SF. Catseye, Judgement on Janus, Moon of Three Rings…
I think it bizarre that McCarty pruned the noms of Western candidates that might politically displease China AND apparently clipped away Chinese language nominees as well to make the list more Western. He thought he had the authority to set aside the votes to please both sides; it’s astounding how badly he managed to offend both.
Samantha Mills has a lovely and sad post about her Hugo win for Rabbit Test
“Rabbit Test” unwins the Hugo
The Right to Click tickboxes is the Right to be Filed
5) With X-Con and OdysseyCon long dead, and WisCon on at least a one-year hiatus, we’re putting together a one-day con in Milwaukee this fall called the Milwaukee Falcon, with ambitions of working our way up to a traditional three-day weekend con. A few of the “old fan and tired” element like myself are intent on being involved, but a lot of new blood is coming in too, many of whom understand our horror and distrust of commercialization and “sponsorship” arrangements.
Which is far better than “I Have No Tickbox and I Must Lesnerize”.
5) I wonder if it would help to pare down the events. It’s my impression that the main reason for people to go is to meet others not any of the formal programming. So cut back on the programming, have more easy to set up social time.
3) I found Andre Norton the same way I found H. Rider Haggard, through an objectively terrible movie (that I nevertheless still maintain fond memories of and occasionally revisit) made from one of their works. In Haggard’s case it was King Solomon’s Mines starring Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone and in Norton’s case it was Beastmaster starring Marc Singer and Tanya Roberts.
The only difference between Uganda and China’s treatment of their homosexual citizens is that Uganda has a lot less money to throw at First World countries to make them ignore said treatment in favor of business opportunities.
@Paul Weimer, if you wouldn’t mind saying, is it WEEmer or WYmer? I’ve heard “ei” in names pronounced both ways and I’d prefer to get it correct if possible.
My son was involved with furry convention conrunning for a few years, and he is aghast at some of the ways fandom handles conventions. We haven’t had the opportunity to discuss Chengdu but I am sure to be getting an earful when we do.
What I have noticed (prepandemic; I am one who is only doing virtual now due to high risk) is that the conventions that are thriving also are open to younger fans and have transitioned to younger leadership. The conventions look different because, well, they’re meeting the needs of a younger generation. That’s to be expected.
Fandom should not remain static.
Socializing v. programming at conventions:
There were (and hopefully still are) “relax-a-cons” which were set up primarily, if not entirely, just for socializing. No GOH, no huckster room or art show, just fans hanging out, maybe some ad hoc and informal discussion panels. I never went to one and wish I had done so. But I’m very shy in a roomful of strangers, and feared not knowing enough people to make it a fun thing to do.
Regular cons, though… When time and money permitted, I was a regular con goer from the 1970s through 2000s, mostly in the PNW area where I live and where there sometimes seemed to be a con every weekend. I’d see something like 95% of all the people I knew at them, and spent a LOT of time socializing. But I always went over the program and carefully marked the panels, workshops, and so on I wanted to attend. That was maybe about 50% of my activities. Huckster Room and Art Show were perennial, repeated visits as well.
Social media may have obviated many reasons for the programming: if you want to learn about and discuss, say, world-building, or costuming, or special effects, or even writing… you no longer need to go to a con to get a lot of input and argument. You no longer need to go to a con to hear what your favorite writer/movie maker/etc. has to say about it. They’re all over the place on the internet.
Cheryl was a valuable member of HAMC and was not asked to resign. In fact, I wish she hadn’t.
Mark has been a member of HAMC for several years, but doesn’t participate. If you check the minutes of the 2022 Worldcon, you will see he is the chair of the Formalization of the Long List Committee (“FOLLE”).
@Andrew (not Werdna): Thanks, that’s what I was looking for.
There’s also “For the World is Hollow and I have Les-ner-ized”
Joyce Reynolds-Ward wrote:
In whole-hearted agreement.
I would say that The Hill definitely leans right-wing, but it remains at least generally tethered to reality, since it wants to be taken seriously as the paper of record for, well, the Hill.
Kind of like how the WSJ News division has to remain tethered to reality because it wants to be taken seriously by rich people who want actual facts to start their morning (whereas the WSJ OpEd has no such constraints)
I truly admire Samantha Mills’ grace and class, as shown in her recent post
Along with Groff Conklin and Judy Merrill anthologies and Heinlein juveniles, Andre Norton novels got me thoroughly hooked on sf. Not only “Beast Master,” but also “Time Traders” (and others in that series) were the books I can remember. “Time Traders” also introduced me to some prehistory, including the Beaker People. (She also had me convinced that “Andre” was a woman’s name.)
Oh, yeah – “Time Traders”! To my elementary school mind, this seemed a terribly adult book, with characters who were not good or bad all the way through. Mind-opening!
@Jerry Kaufman: Same here – for the longest time, I thought Andre was traditionally a woman’s name.