yonmei

12:04 am: Women who weren't shortlisted for a Hugo
One of our non-feminist readers read my post on Late Business at the Hugo Awards and decided to find out who would have been added to the shortlists had the Joanna Russ Amendment passed and been ratified before the 2000 Hugos. Their thought was: "I had wondered if the rule came with a built-in weakness, forcing Hugo Administrators to reach so far down the list that the stories would lack excellence, or have gotten trivial numbers of votes."

The writers who would have been shortlisted were: Eleanor Arnason, Kage Baker, Judith Berman, Claire Brialey, Lois McMaster Bujold, Nancy Kress (three times), Ellen Klages, Margo Lanagan, Evelyn Leeper, Ursula K. LeGuin, Elizabeth Malarette, Maureen McHugh, Vonda N. McIntyre, Cheryl Morgan, M. Ricker, J. K. Rowling (twice), and Jo Walton.

This reader adds, sedately "From this list I see that particular problem would not have been much of an issue."

I've added the specific stories, place on the top-15 list, and number of votes to my post at feministsf-blog.



Tags: bujold, harry potter, leguin, worldcon

07:25 pm: The Sarah Palin Meme: Free People Read Freely
In the US, it's Banned Books Week. This is the ALA's list for top 100 Banned/Challenged Books in 2000-2007. "Out of 3,869 challenges reported to or recorded by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, as compiled by the Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom does not claim comprehensiveness in recording challenges. Research suggests that for each challenge reported there are as many as four or five which go unreported."

And, in the US, the Republican nominee for Vice President is someone who actively tried to have books banned from her local public library: "While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla [1996–2002] she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day." - Letter About Palin

Usual rules:

If it's bold, I've read it.
If it's italicised, I've read part of it.
If it's underlined, I'd like to read it.
If it's strikethrough, I don't want to read it - but feel strongly that my dislike doesn't mean other people shouldn't be able to make that decision for themselves.

( The ALA's 100 Most-Banned Books List 2000-2007 )

Tags: angry queer, big read, books are what i read, evil american politics, evil awful mondays, harry potter, imagine better, let's all be outcasts together, lists, meme, outcasts should stick together, powerful speech vs. powerless silence

12:14 pm: Hallowed Potter and the Deathly Harry: 21st July
Apparently the publishing phenomenon of the century is drawing to a close: on the evening of 20th July people will be queuing up outside bookshops, waiting for the tick past midnight to charge in, grab their copy, flip to the end, and find out if:

( 25 plot points for the last Harry Potter novel )

Do your own 25 plot points: we'll meet up after it's all over and compare them. ;-)

Tags: Pötterdämmerung, books are what i read, harry potter

11:25 pm: 10 flash fiction stories
As requested, following a longstanding tradition:

( Spacefall, Blake's 7 )

( Foreverdirt, West Wing/Star Trek/Drop the Dead Donkey )

( Nerdcakes, Star Trek )

( Shoshanna, Highlander/Next Gen )

( Derryderrydown, Professionals )

( Whatho, M*A*S*H )

( Angelofthenorth, Harry Potter )

( Melata_fic, Discworld )

( Thette, Buffy the Vampire Slayer )

( Coyotegoth, Harry Potter )

( Bugshaw, hamster )

Tags: bible, blake's 7, christmas day stories, discworld, flashfic, harry potter, m*a*s*h, professionals, star trek, west wing, write write write, yuletide

11:24 pm: 10 flash fiction stories
As requested. A very different range from last year.

( Sinsense, Harry Potter )

( PhoenixW, Harry Potter )

( Daegaer, Good Omens )

( CoyoteGoth, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen )

( Kickair8p, Due South )

( RedStarRobot, Blake's 7 )

( DarkLily, Sherlock Holmes )

( AngeloftheNorth, Merchant of Venice )

( HFNuala, Earthsea )

Tags: bible, blake's 7, christmas day stories, due south, films, flashfic, harry potter, leguin, shakespeare, write write write, yuletide

10:45 pm: What kind of parents...
...name their child Grumpy?

Tags: books are what i read, harry potter

10:51 pm: Prisoner of Azkaban
Slightly disturbing evening (I was beginning to wonder if blue_monday, brandnewgun, and N, were going to show up at all, but they did: and then I got a disturbing phone call just as I'd got the food on the table) but the film made up for it all.

( spoilers, spoilers, spoilers )

Tags: harry potter