We’re 2019 Hugo Finalists!!! THANK YOU!
We really don’t know where to start. We’ve known for about two weeks now that was coming, but there was a small part that didn’t believe it. That instead believed it was some terrible hoax. Not that we don’t believe that The Skiffy and Fanty Show isn’t deserving of this, but rather that becoming finalists in 2014 was probably the one and only time it would ever happen. Yay for imposter syndrome! We have to say, it’s a relief to see the official official announcement and know it is true (though to be amongst such amazing finalists is still bewildering!!) But then we looked at our team and knew immediately that we should never have doubted, because our team is AMAZING and deserves every bit of this nomination:
Welcome to 2019: A Year of New Things (Podcastery, a Month of Joy, and Jen’s Delicious Tears)
2019! We’re finally here. Like you, we’re hoping it will be a good one. 2016 ended rough. 2017 was even worse. And 2018 was sort of like getting kicked in the teeth by the high school bully every single day. Whether you lost a loved one, your government lost its damn mind, or you tried desperately to keep your hopes up in yet another year of trashfires and horror, we know this last year has been just as tough on you as it has been on each of us. That’s why we tried to make 2018 a “Year of Hope.” Hopefully, our podcast was a little beacon of light in an otherwise dark abyss. Of course, 2018 wasn’t all bad. U.S.-Americans sent a message to the alt-right that y’all ain’t gonna keep this country for long. We got a new Star Wars movie (which Shaun says was absolutely kickass). There were some amazing books by old friends, new friends, and folks we haven’t met yet. Heck, 2019 was a year of phenomenal writing of all kinds. Plus, N.K. Jemisin won another Hugo Award (we’re temporarily renaming it the Jemisin is Awesomesauce Award). In a lot of ways, 2018 was a good year.
Announcement: Skiffy and Fanty 3.0 Begins Now!
A lot of things are happening around the Skiffy and Fanty compound. Big things. You’ve already heard about Stina Leicht joining the crew and the World SF Tour. Now it’s time to announce the next big step for the show: the 3.0 Upgrade. What is it? 3.0 is the next phase of The Skiffy and Fanty Show. It will involve a slightly revamped audio program and a complete content overhaul on the blog. We decided it was time to take this venture to the next level, and everyone who has contributed to this show in recent weeks jumped on board without much hesitation. When you have that many people enthusiastically jumping into the mixer, you just can’t ignore it! Here’s what you can expect from the podcast for the next few months (before the World SF Tour kicks off): 3-4 discussion/interview episodes of the podcast, including our Worldcon interviews and new interviews with Nick Mamatas, Emma Newman, Ann Leckie, Doug Lain, and more. The continuation of the Torture Cinema feature: September (Sharknado — recorded at Worldcon), October (The Gate — the Halloween Special), November (listener’s choice), and December (listener’s choice — the Christmas and Winter Holiday Special) 1-2 episodes of Shoot the WISB, featuring reviews of new movies and/or re-watches of movies (coming soon: The World’s End, the Riddick Trilogy, and a Babylon 5 re-watch) And here’s what you can expect from the blog: Almost daily posts, each one written by an S&F crew member. These will include discussions about recent SF/F-related events and reflections about genre fiction, geek parenting, the business world of SF/F, the wonders of horror, and much more. Our new “My Superpower” guest posts (Stina Leicht is the first victim)(authors are welcome to email us if they’d like to write one) A new monthly post: Recommend Reads (self-explanatory, I hope) A maybe, just maybe, a few more things! This is just the beginning for 3.0. Who is involved? The Skiffy and Fanty Crew’s contributions will be made by our regulars — Shaun Duke, Julia Rios, Paul Weimer, Jen Zink, and Adam Callaway — and by a whole bunch of new folks, including David Annandale, Stina Leicht, Mike R. Underwood, and Keffy Kehrli. Basically, Jen decided five people wasn’t enough for a single podcast, so she went ahead and added four more, bringing our total up to nine. We’re pretty sure it’ll turn out OK. How can you get involved? Join the Discussion! Leave a comment, email us your opinions about an episode, or share our stuff on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and wherever else you feel like. S&F is an open door. If you’ve got something to say, then say it. And if you want to help contribute to the show or the blog, let us know. Nothing like a crowd to make a blog and a show, wouldn’t you say? There may be more announcements in the future. For now, enjoy the beginning of what we hope will be a really good thing indeed!
