2021 Hugo - other categories

[psocoptera]

PRO ARTIST:
Kuri Huang covers caught my eye this year.

File770 doesn't seem to have done a big roundup of eligible artists but I went through the recommendations on Renay's Spreadsheet and was struck by Sija Hong (who I also liked last year), Ashley Mackenzie, and Feifei Ruan. I think I like Alyssa Winans' newest stuff more than her packet samples last year? And it's always tempting to keep nominating Galen Dara in hopes that she'll win it some day.

ASTOUNDING:
A.K. Larkwood is eligible again. The Unspoken Name sequel came out in February and I haven't read it yet, but I'm excited to vote for her again based on the first one.

Shelley Parker-Chan is first-year eligible.

I went through the list at RSR looking for names I recognized from my short fiction reading, and came up with Isabel J. Kim (one of my favorite stories this year and two others I am also recommending, her website here). Might also nominate Blaze Forbes, who I thought did something very clever in his story for Strange Horizons.

SEMIPROZINE:
Always a fan of Strange Horizons. I did not read everything in khōréō or Translunar Travelers Lounge but khōréō published one of my favorite stories this year and I seem to be into what TTL is doing.

FAN ARTIST:
Obligatory disclaimer that nobody I nominate is ever actually a Hugo-eligible fanartist because they're not doing con brochures or displaying in con art shows. From the Renay spreadsheet, thelatestkate, who does encouraging Tumblr art cartoons, you've probably seen them if you're on Tumblr. Basically Successories for Gen Z but I feel like this should count as Art For Fandom. Also from the Renay spreadsheet, I'm not sure why Francesca Resta is a Fan rather than a Pro but her stuff is cool. Ladybusiness recommended Yutaan, whose amazing cut-paper art I've been following on Tumblr for a long time.

Comments

[jedusor]

I think I saw you liked "emet"? Lauren Ring is second-year eligible for the Astounding, and I personally think it says a lot about SFF biases against short fiction that she didn't make the ballot last year.

[psocoptera]

Ooh, good call, I do like Lauren Ring's stuff! I had strong mixed feelings about the kaiju story - there were things I really liked about it, but also ways it didn't quite hang together for me (which was a whole conversation in my head - did the protagonist feel weirdly passive as a deliberate choice, or just to make the story play out the way Ring wanted it to, hmm). But to be strategic (and a bit unkind) I definitely like Ring more than some of last year's first-year-eligibles who I would just as soon not see again, so, yeah. (Also I totally agree that I want to see nominees who are breaking out via short fiction and not just novels! I feel like there used to be more...)

[jedusor]

Huh. To me the passivity was the entire point of that piece. What did you perceive it as being about, if you read that element as conceivably unintentional?

[glynhogen]

Ooh, yes, as someone not doing the Hugo thing, I completely endorse other people doing the Hugo thing on behalf of Lauren Ring.