Round-up of Awards Posts by F&SF Writers, Editors, and Publishers for 2021

Hello! While most years I compile a page of award eligibility posts, this year I’m going to be on the road in November, and adding that responsiblity to everything else I’m doing that month seems a little crazypants. So if you’ve got an award eligibility post, I invite (and encourage) you to drop a link to it in the comments here!

I had no novels published in 2022 myself, but I’d certainly love it if you’d check out my short story, “The Woman Who Wanted to be Trees,” which appeared in Slate Magazine, and consider recommending it for Hugo or Nebula Award reading.

Hello! I have only a scattering of stuff this year (but 2021 is going to be a doozy, I can tell you that right now, because at least two novels, a novelette, appearances in BCS and Mag of F&SF, co-editing an anthology, a non-fiction project, and some other stuff are all coming up, wheeeee!)

Anyhow. When you are reading for awards, here’s what I published in 2020. But if you want a huge batch of them, what you should really do is consult the big post of F&SF awards eligibility 2020 posts that is here — and if you’ve got something that should be on there, let me know.

My favorite story of the year, which appeared in Daily Science Fiction, is “I Decline,” a short story which grew out of a writing prompt, write a complaint letter about an abstract concept. If you’re a SFWA member, I hope you’ll consider adding it to your recommended reading suggestions. Similarly, if you’re reading for the Hugos or Eugie Foster awards, I hope you’ll consider it when nominating. If you’d prefer to listen to it in audio form, I gotcha!.

“Because It Is Bitter” is an alternative-history novella, part of the AND THE LAST TRUMP SHALL SOUND project I did with Harry Turtledove and James Morrow. Want to buy it at Powell’s? Here’s the link.

I wish there were flash fiction awards, both because I appreciate the hell out of well-done flash, but also because I produced a number of good ones this year. Beside the earlier mentioned “I Decline,” the piece I did, At the End of the Song, A Ghost is Waiting, which appeared in Three-Lobed Burning Eye, is another nicely done piece.

“How Joyful the Work” is a clockpunk re-centering of the Odyssey on those left behind with a touch of lesbian romance, written for Predators in Petticoats.

Red Boots Blues is a cyberpunk mash-up of “The Red Shoes” and “The Girl who Trod on a Loaf,” done for the UPON A ONCE TIME anthology from Air & Nothingness Press. Also fun to write, and I let myself loose with poetic language sometimes. AAN does beautiful books and I picked up some to give as presents this year. Here’s a reading of that for you:

Wayne and I wrote a story together, “Stand and Deliver,” which appeared in Dark Matter Magazine. We wrote it while on a road trip together, and I hope we’ll do more in the future, because he’s fun to write with!

Patreon stories primarily were installments of serial novella Baby Driver, a #hopepulp focused on Pat Savage, cousin of Doc Savage, and her crew of five bad-ass women, but there were a number of flash pieces, snippets, and roughs from playing writing games.

I am part of a podcast this year! In 2020 we kicked off hopepunk-centered If This Goes On (Don’t Panic), cohosted by Alan Bailey, Diane Morrison, Rachel Renee, and myself. I can take very little credit for this project, but great pride in being associated with it, and we’ve had some awesome episodes over the course of our first year.