my 2015 Hugo nominations - Campbell

[psocoptera]

Snobbery time: I kinda think of the Campbell as an "expert level" category for nominating purposes. It's not *that* hard to decide to read an online mag or two (or the recommendations of someone who does), pick out a couple of stories you like, and nominate those. Coming up with plausible candidates for the Campbell on the other hand - when practically by definition they can't be anyone you've *heard of* before - that just seems much harder. I am still super impressed with myself for nominating Sofia Samatar last time. I really have not managed to do much relevant reading this year - I was hoping to read Monica Byrne's The Girl In The Road, which I know is a first novel, but I just haven't gotten around to it. (In part because I spent most of my fiction time for the past couple weeks writing instead of reading.) I looked up a bunch of authors who showed up more than once in my short fiction recommendations but didn't find anyone eligible.

So, this year I'm nominating Helene Wecker (The Golem And The Jinni) who I should also have nominated last year but didn't think to do. And I don't think I have anyone else.

No, wait! It has just occurred to me that the internet exists. Behold, a list of eligible authors! Hot damn! Cross-checking this list against my 2014 short fiction recs would be much easier if in addition to the internet I also knew how to use a computer, huh. Well, doing it manually and half-assedly, it would seem that JY Yang and Tahmeed Shafiq are also eligible and I really liked stories they wrote, so why not. Go me, I am a nominating rockstar.