My Favorite Things (Part 2)

Better late than never, right? I promised a list of some of my favorite fiction written in 2015. This post is too late to affect award nominations so rather than call out the stories which are on ballots (or likely to be so), I'm going to pick out some short fiction that received less attention but are dear to me.

I'll start with this story from Jason Kimble, which (full disclosure) was the first one that made me swoon as a submissions reader. The story is entirely science fiction and told by someone who's viewed by society as not all there. It was published on Escape Pod and of course podcast, as well. Have a look or listen here: Broken.

Next is story told mostly via tweets, which is a brilliant concept - one that I've tried out myself - and Henry Lien has executed it very well. This one is highly relatable and relevant science-fiction, featuring a plucky protagonist, dolphins, and...well, I won't give anything more away! Originally published by The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, it has been made available for free on Henry's website. Read it here: Bilingual. 

Love Letters to Things Lost and Gained: when I read this story by Sunny Moraine's in Uncanny Magazine last year, I was overwhelmed with envy. I wish I'd written this! I won't say anything more because much of its beauty comes from the discovery of what's happening.

Here is a story that arrived at year end, always a tough time to garner attention from (voting) readers. It's by A. Merc Rustad who I think is a brilliant storyteller and seems to love exploring post-human and non-binary gendered worlds as much as I do. It was published online by Lightspeed Magazine: Tomorrow When We See the Sun.

If you need to cheer yourself up or simply want a good laugh, check out Laura Pearlman's ode to Reddit, aliens, and radishes, published by Flash Fiction Online. I'm in awe of anyone who can write humor - especially humorous science fiction! - and I think this story is a great example of how to do it well. Read it here: I am Graalnak of the Vroon Empire, Destroyer of Galaxies, Supreme Overlord of the Planet Earth. Ask Me Anything.

Last but not least, a flash fiction piece by another wonderful writer, Rachael K. Jones. She published a lot of short stories last year, but this one was my personal favorite. It's a fast read with delicious prose so I will simply point you at where you can read and enjoy it for yourself: The Law of Conservation of Hair.

I want to note that this is not at all a comprehensive list! I happened to choose these highlights, but that doesn't mean I didn't love a whole passel of other stories. You can find many of those other stories (and more that I would've loved to read if only the day had more hours!) on the SFWA Nebula Reading List for 2015.

An Open Letter to Voters on the Political Left

I'm hearing that some of you would rather vote for Donald Trump than Hillary Clinton for president, and I'm deeply disturbed. I get that you're going to be upset if Bernie Sanders loses the primary. You're feeling the Bern. That's awesome. Bernie Sanders is an amazing person and has shown great moral fortitude in his behavior as a politician. Go ahead and be his champion for the primaries.

But if he loses, if Hillary Clinton is the Democrats' candidate in the general election, you won't vote for her? Why not? She is a product of the equal rights and civil liberties movements. She's a champion of women's rights and a living example of hard work to earn success. Even in the 2008 general election, she was considered to have a more liberal voting record than Barack Obama, and I'm pretty sure you were all happy to vote for him.

Donald Trump is a the son of wealthy, white parents, who was given every advantage and safety net from the day of his birth. He's not a maverick! Yes, he's outside the political system, but all that means is that he hasn't the foggiest idea of how to govern. We have no indication of what he stands for (other than money money money). And let's not even get into the other Republican candidates, all of whom have appalling voting records when it comes to liberal policy, especially for women's rights.

The Republican party is already threatening to stonewall President Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court. Do you not realize the magnitude of this in shaping decades of policy to come? If Hillary Clinton wins the presidency - and nominates a female justice - we have a chance to see near gender-parity on the highest bench in the nation. Have you seen what three women justices can do for a case that deeply affects women's rights? These women - Hillary Clinton included - have smashed through multiple glass ceilings to arrive, cut and bleeding, where they are today. They are going to carry these scars forward and think of them every time they have to rule on policy.

You're going to stand at the polls and say that you'd rather have "the Donald"? You'd rather see us go from a self-made, dark-skinned, ultra-dignified President to a rich, white-skinned, entitled man who wouldn't know dignity if it walked up to him with a badge. Really? And it's not because Hillary Clinton has a uterus, right? It's not because "there's just something about her that's annoying and unlikeable, kind of like your Mom when she bugs you about getting to the gym," right?

(Because if it is that, I'm not sure we can still be friends.)

Okay, so let's suppose you don't agree with a lot that Hillary Clinton stands for. She's hawkish. She pushed for welfare reform, and she's not after Wall Street. Fine. I can respect that you disagree with some of her policies, but if you don't vote for her in the general election, you're basically telling the rest of the country to go to hell because you didn't get the candidate of your dreams.

That's...well, frankly, that's childish. Petulant. And short-sighted. Because you didn't get the toy you wanted, you're going to smash every other toy. No. I can't believe this would happen. You are all better people than this. You're voting-aged adults. You can see past the primary to the future of the country that you live in, and you know that nobody ever gets exactly what they want.

So please, my Bern-feeling fellow liberals, when you cast your ballot in November, act your age.

A Few Of My Favorite Things (Part 1)

This is the first of a two-part list of my favorite things happening in the world of science fiction. In part two, I'll be posting a list of some of my favorite fiction from last year written by other people. This post is ALL ABOUT ME!

(Kidding...mostly.)

Okay, it's not all about *my* fiction, but it is about projects that I was lucky to be involved with in various ways, and that I'm really excited about.

1. First up, Artemis Rising 2, a showcase of short fiction authored by women and non-binary gendered persons. This was a joint effort across the Escape Artists podcasts (Escape Pod, Podcastle, and Pseuodpod). I was lucky to be the primary submissions reader for this special month of Escape Pod. We had lots of fantastic entries, and the first one is available now. We also have a gorgeous piece of artwork to go with it by the inimitable Galen Dara. 

2. Lightspeed Magazine's People of Color Destroy Science Fiction! This is the third in line of Lightspeed's excellent special issues, the first two highlighting, respectively, women and queers. The "destroy" is, of course, being used tongue in cheek to highlight certain negative attitudes that still linger in genre fiction. I wrote a personal essay for the kickstarter effort that will be appearing in the special issue, and I'll have a piece of flash fiction in there as well. I hope you'll consider supporting this project. The previous issues this series have featured some amazing writing and editing, and I'm sure this one will live up to the same high standards.

3. My first standalone book (a novella - aka a short novel) will be appearing from Tor.com Publishing in May of this year. Runtime is a near-future science fiction story, but the imprint covers a range of sub-genres from epic fantasy to steampunk to alternate history and more. I encourage you to check out some of the other books from this line - I am humbled and honored to be included in such great company!

4. My awards eligibility for 2015. For completeness: 2015 is my second year of eligibility for the John Campbell new writer award. My publications over the past two years total three pieces of fiction, two in Daily Science Fiction, and one in Nature. Two of those are from 2015 and are eligible for the Nebula and Hugo awards (you can find links here). I'm throwing this in here for completeness, and while I would love be nominated for anything (who wouldn't?), I can think of quite a few of my peers who are way more deserving, especially for the Campbell. Stay tuned for that in Part 2!