Fabulous news, Space Unicorns! The 2021 Aurora Awards finalists have been announced, and two Uncanny Magazine pieces are on the final ballot! “The Death of the Gods” by Leah Bobet is a finalist for the Best Poem/Song Aurora Award,  and “So You Want to Be a Honeypot” by Kelly Robson is a finalist for the Best Short Story Aurora Award! Congratulations to Leah, Kelly, and to all of the phenomenal finalists!

From the Aurora Awards website:

This ballot is for works done in 2020 by Canadians.  The Aurora Awards are nominated by members of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.  The top five nominated works were selected.  Additional works were included where there was a tie for fifth place.  An online awards ceremony will be held on Oct 16, 2021 hosted by Can-Con (http://can-con.org/).  Voting will being on July 31, 2021 and close at 11:59 pm EDT on September 4, 2021.  NOTE: Due to Covid-19, works normally in Fan Organizational are in the Fan Related Work category.  

Coming May 4, THE FORTIETH ISSUE OF THE HUGO AWARD-WINNING UNCANNY MAGAZINE!!

All of the content will be available in the eBook version on the day of release.

The free online content will be released in 2 stages- half on day of release and half on June 1.

Don’t forget eBook Subscriptions to Uncanny Magazine are available from Weightless Books and Amazon Kindle, and you can support us on our Patreon!

Uncanny Magazine Issue 40 Table of Contents:

Cover:
With Her Familiars on Mars by Galen Dara

Editorials:
“The Uncanny Valley” by Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas
“Imagining Futures: Imagination, Ltd.” by Elsa Sjunneson

Fiction:
“Unseelie Brothers, Ltd.” by Fran Wilde (5/4)
“Proof by Induction” by José Pablo Iriarte (5/4)
“Thirteen of the Secrets in My Purse” by Rachel Swirsky (5/4)

“How the Girls Came Home” by Eugenia Triantafyllou (6/1)
“The Hungry Ones” by Emma Törzs (6/1)
“Heart Shine” by Shveta Thakrar (6/1)

Reprint:
“River, Clap Your Hands” by Sheree Renée Thomas (6/1)

Essays:
“A Love Letter to Libraries” by E. Lily Yu (5/4)
“Babylon 5 and Antifascism” by Andrew Liptak (5/4)

“The Protagonist Problem” by Ada Palmer and Jo Walton (6/1)
“More Than Meets the Eye: Transformers as Trans Fantasy” by C. J. Linton (6/1)

Poetry:
“Self Portrait As a Printing Press” by Nnadi Samuel (5/4)
“Paqtasultieg” by Tiffany Morris (5/4)

“Mona Lisa’s Abecedarian to Leonardo da Vinci” by Abu Bakr Sadiq (6/1)
“Collection” by Vivian Li (6/1)

Interviews:
José Pablo Iriarte interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (5/4)

Shveta Thakrar interviewed by Caroline M. Yoachim (6/1)

Podcasts:

Episode 40A (5/4): Editors’ Introduction, “Unseelie Brothers, Ltd.” by Fran Wilde, as read by Erika Ensign, “Paqtasultieg” by Tiffany Morris, as read by Matt Peters, and Lynne M. Thomas interviewing Fran Wilde.

Fabulous news, Space Unicorns! Three Uncanny Magazine stories, 2 poems, and an essay are 2021 Ignyte Award finalists! “The Inaccessibility of Heaven” by Aliette de Bodard a finalist for a Best Novelette Ignyte Award, “My Country Is a Ghost” by Eugenia Triantafyllou is a finalist for a Best Short Story Ignyte Award, “You Perfect, Broken Thing” by C.L. Clark is a finalist for a Best Short Story Ignyte Award, “Fin” by Terese Mason Pierre is a finalist for a Best in Speculative Poetry Ignyte Award, “Hungry Ghost” by Millie Ho is a finalist for a Best in Speculative Poetry Ignyte Award, and “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Excellence” by Nibedita Sen is a finalist for a Best in Creative Nonfiction Ignyte Award! Congratulations to everyone!!!

Plus, congratulations to former Uncanny Magazine Managing/Nonfiction Editor Michi Trota! Michi is a finalist for The Ember Award for unsung contributions to genre!

It is a fabulous ballot! Congratulations to all of the finalists!

From the Ignyte Award website:

The short list is derived from 15 BIPOC+ voters made up of FIYAHCON staff and previous award winners, of varying genders, sexualities, cultures, disabilities, and locations throughout the world. They are referred to as the Ignyte Awards Committee. Committee members were not permitted to nominate their own works or works of which they were a part. The Committee was not limited to selections authored or otherwise created by BIPOC. Public voting on the shortlist does not permit write-in nominations. Each year, we ask one year’s winners to be part of the subsequent year’s committee to ensure fresh perspectives and to help prevent repeated nominations of the same popular authors as recognized in many other genre awards.

Voting is now open to the public through May 21st at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Click here to vote.

Inquiries can be forwarded to director(at)theconvention.fiyahlitmag.com.

PHENOMENAL news, Space Unicorns! Four Uncanny Magazine stories are finalists for the prestigious Hugo Award! “Burn or The Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super” by A. T. Greenblatt is a finalist for Best Novelette, “The Inaccessibility of Heaven” by Aliette de Bodard is a finalist for Best Novelette, “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Rae Carson is a finalist for Best Short Story, and “Metal Like Blood in the Dark” by T. Kingfisher is a finalist for Best Short Story! Congratulations to everybody!

Even more wonderful news! Uncanny Magazine (Publishers/Editors-in-Chief Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, Managing Editor Chimedum Ohaegbu, Nonfiction Editor Elsa Sjunneson, and Podcast Producers Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky) is once again a finalist for Best Semiprozine!

Finally, Nonfiction Editor Elsa Sjunneson is a finalist for Best Fan Writer! Congratulations, Elsa!

It is an amazing list of Hugo Award finalists, many of whom are Uncanny authors and friends. CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYBODY!!! Thank you to everyone who nominated these works, and to the hard-working DisCon III staff. We are honored, ecstatic, and overwhelmed.

Below is the Hugo Award Press Releases from DisCon III 2021:

WASHINGTON, DC, USA – APRIL 13, 2021  –  DisCon III, the 79^th World Science Fiction Convention, is honored to announce the finalists for the 2021 Hugo Awards, Astounding Award for Best New Writer, and Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book.

There were 1249 valid nominating ballots (1246 electronic and 3 paper) received and counted from the members of the 2020 and 2021 World Science Fiction Conventions for the 2021 Hugo Awards. Voting on the final ballot will open later in April with a unique opportunity this year for voters to have more time as voting will close on November 19, 2021.

The Hugo Awards are the premier award in the science fiction genre, honoring science fiction literature, media, and the genre’s fans. The Hugo Awards were first presented at the 1953 World Science Fiction Convention in Philadelphia (Philcon II). They have continued to honor science fiction and fantasy notables for more than 60 years.

A video announcing all the finalists and hosted by Malka Older and Sheree Renée Thomas, hosts of the Hugo Award Ceremony to be held in December 2021 by DisCon III, is available to watch on DisCon III’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/worldcon2021.

Only DisCon III members will be able to vote on the final ballot and choose the winners for the 2021 Awards. If you are not already a member, please go to our website www.discon3.org to register as at least a supporting member to participate in the Hugo Awards.

The 2021 Hugo Award base will be designed by Sebastian Martorana. Examples of his work can be found on his website: https://sebastianworks.com. The 2021 Lodestar Award will once again be designed by Sara Felix, president of the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists and designer of fabulous tiaras.

More information about the Hugo Awards is available at https://discon3.org/whats-on/hugo-awards-wsfs/hugo-awards/

Any questions about the Hugo Awards process should be directed to [email protected].

List of Hugo Finalists:

Best Novel

Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Gallery / Saga Press / Solaris)

The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)

Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tor.com)

Network Effect, Martha Wells (Tor.com)

Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury)

The Relentless Moon, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books / Solaris)

Best Novella

Come Tumbling Down, Seanan McGuire (Tor.com)

The Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo (Tor.com)

Finna, Nino Cipri (Tor.com)

Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark (Tor.com)

Riot Baby, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor.com)

Upright Women Wanted, Sarah Gailey (Tor.com)

Best Novelette

“Burn, or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super”, A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny Magazine, May/June 2020)

“Helicopter Story”, Isabel Fall (Clarkesworld, January 2020)

“The Inaccessibility of Heaven”, Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine, July/August 2020)

“Monster”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld, January 2020)

“The Pill”, Meg Elison (from Big Girl (PM Press))

“Two Truths and a Lie”, Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com)

Best Short Story

“Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse”, Rae Carson (Uncanny Magazine, January/February 2020)

“A Guide for Working Breeds”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, ed. Jonathan Strahan (Solaris))

“Little Free Library”, Naomi Kritzer (Tor.com)

“The Mermaid Astronaut”, Yoon Ha Lee (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2020)

“Metal Like Blood in the Dark”, T. Kingfisher (Uncanny Magazine, September/October 2020)

“Open House on Haunted Hill”, John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots – 2020, ed. David Steffen)

Best Series

The Daevabad Trilogy, S.A. Chakraborty (Harper Voyager)

The Interdependency, John Scalzi (Tor Books)

The Lady Astronaut Universe, Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor Books/Audible/Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction/Solaris)

The Murderbot Diaries, Martha Wells (Tor.com)

October Daye, Seanan McGuire (DAW)

The Poppy War, R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager)

Best Related Work

Beowulf: A New Translation, Maria Dahvana Headley (FSG)

CoNZealand Fringe, Claire Rousseau, C, Cassie Hart, Adri Joy, Marguerite Kenner, Cheryl Morgan, Alasdair Stuart

FIYAHCON, L.D. Lewis–Director, Brent Lambert–Senior Programming Coordinator, Iori Kusano–FIYAHCON Fringe Co-Director, Vida Cruz–FIYAHCON Fringe Co-Director, and the Incredible FIYAHCON team

“George R.R. Martin Can Fuck Off Into the Sun, Or: The 2020 Hugo Awards Ceremony (Rageblog Edition)”, Natalie Luhrs (Pretty Terrible, August 2020)

A Handful of Earth, A Handful of Sky: The World of Octavia E. Butler, Lynell George (Angel City Press)

The Last Bronycon: a fandom autopsy, Jenny Nicholson (YouTube)

Best Graphic Story or Comic

DIE, Volume 2: Split the Party, written by Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans, letters by Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)

Ghost-Spider vol. 1: Dog Days Are Over, Author: Seanan McGuire, Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa and Rosi Kämpe (Marvel)

Invisible Kingdom, vol 2: Edge of Everything, Author: G. Willow Wilson, Artist: Christian Ward (Dark Horse Comics)

Monstress, vol. 5: Warchild, Author: Marjorie Liu, Artist: Sana Takeda (Image Comics)

Once & Future vol. 1: The King Is Undead, written by Kieron Gillen, iIllustrated by Dan Mora, colored by Tamra Bonvillain, lettered by Ed Dukeshire (BOOM! Studios)

Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, written by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings (Harry N. Abrams)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, written by Christina Hodson, directed by Cathy Yan (Warner Bros.)

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, written by Will Ferrell, Andrew Steele, directed by David Dobkin (European Broadcasting Union/Netflix)

The Old Guard, written by Greg Rucka, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Netflix / Skydance Media)

Palm Springs, written by Andy Siara, directed by Max Barbakow (Limelight / Sun Entertainment Culture / The Lonely Island / Culmination Productions / Neon / Hulu / Amazon Prime)

Soul, screenplay by Pete Docter, Mike Jones and Kemp Powers, directed by Pete Docter, co-directed by Kemp Powers, produced by Dana Murray (Pixar Animation Studios/ Walt Disney Pictures)

Tenet, written and directed by Christopher Nolan (Warner Bros./Syncopy)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Doctor Who, “Fugitive of the Judoon”, written by Vinay Patel and Chris Chibnall, directed by Nida Manzoor (BBC)

The Expanse, “Gaugamela”, written by Dan Nowak, directed by Nick Gomez (Alcon Entertainment / Alcon Television Group / Amazon Studios / Hivemind / Just So)

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, “Heart” (parts 1 and 2), written by Josie Campbell and Noelle Stevenson, directed by Jen Bennett and Kiki Manrique (DreamWorks Animation Television / Netflix)

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 13: The Jedi”, written and directed by Dave Filoni (Golem Creations / Lucasfilm / Disney+)

The Mandalorian, “Chapter 16: The Rescue”, written by Jon Favreau, directed by Peyton Reed (Golem Creations / Lucasfilm / Disney+)

The Good Place, “Whenever You’re Ready”, written and directed by Michael Schur (Fremulon / 3 Arts Entertainment / Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group)

Best Editor, Short Form

Neil Clarke

Ellen Datlow

C.C. Finlay

Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya

Jonathan Strahan

Sheila Williams

Best Editor, Long Form

Nivia Evans

Sheila E. Gilbert

Sarah Guan

Brit Hvide

Diana M. Pho

Navah Wolfe

Best Professional Artist

Tommy Arnold

Rovina Cai

Galen Dara

Maurizio Manzieri

John Picacio

Alyssa Winans

Best Semiprozine

Beneath Ceaseless Skies, ed. Scott H. Andrews

Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya, assistant editor Benjamin C. Kinney, hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart, audio producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht and the entire Escape Pod team.

FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, publisher Troy L. Wiggins, executive editor DaVaun Sanders, managing editor Eboni Dunbar, poetry editor Brandon O’Brien, reviews and social media Brent Lambert,  art director L. D. Lewis, and the FIYAH Team.

PodCastle, editors, C.L. Clark and Jen R. Albert, assistant editor and host, Setsu Uzumé, producer Peter Adrian Behravesh, and the entire PodCastle team.

Uncanny Magazine, editors in chief: Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas, managing editor: Chimedum Ohaegbu, non-fiction editor:  Elsa Sjunneson, podcast producers: Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky

Strange Horizons, Vanessa Aguirre, Joseph Aitken, Rachel Ayers, M H Ayinde, Tierney Bailey, Scott Beggs, Drew Matthew Beyer, Gautam Bhatia, S. K. Campbell, Zhui Ning Chang, Tania Chen, Joyce Chng, Liz Christman, Linda H. Codega, Kristian Wilson Colyard, Yelena Crane, Bruhad Dave, Sarah Davidson, Tahlia Day, Arinn Dembo, Nathaniel Eakman, Belen Edwards, George Tom Elavathingal, Rebecca Evans, Ciro Faienza, Courtney Floyd, Lila Garrott, Colette Grecco, Guananí Gómez-Van Cortright, Julia Gunnison, Dan Hartland, Sydney Hilton, Angela Hinck, Stephen Ira, Amanda Jean, Ai Jiang, Sean Joyce-Farley, Erika Kanda, Anna Krepinsky, Kat Kourbeti, Clayton Kroh, Maureen Kincaid Speller, Catherine Krahe, Natasha Leullier, A.Z. Louise, Dante Luiz, Gui Machiavelli, Cameron Mack, Samantha Manaktola, Marisa Manuel, Jean McConnell, Heather McDougal, Maria Morabe, Amelia Moriarty, Emory Noakes, Sara Noakes, Aidan Oatway, AJ Odasso, Joel Oliver-Cormier, Kristina Palmer, Karintha Parker, Anjali Patel, Vanessa Rose Phin, Nicasio Reed, Belicia Rhea, Endria Richardson, Natalie Ritter, Abbey Schlanz, Clark Seanor, Elijah Rain Smith, Hebe Stanton, Melody Steiner, Romie Stott, Yejin Suh, Kwan-Ann Tan, Luke Tolvaj, Ben Tyrrell, Renee Van Siclen, Kathryn Weaver, Liza Wemakor, Aigner Loren Wilson, E.M. Wright, Vicki Xu, Fred G. Yost, staff members who prefer not to be named, and guest editor Libia Brenda with guest first reader Raquel González-Franco Alva for the Mexicanx special issue

Best Fanzine

The Full Lid, written by Alasdair Stuart, edited by Marguerite Kenner

Journey Planet, edited by Michael Carroll, John Coxon, Sara Felix, Ann Gry, Sarah Gulde, Alissa McKersie, Errick Nunnally, Pádraig Ó Méalóid, Chuck Serface, Steven H Silver, Paul Trimble, Erin Underwood, James Bacon, and Chris Garcia.

Lady Business, editors. Ira, Jodie, KJ, Renay, and Susan.

nerds of a feather, flock together, ed. Adri Joy, Joe Sherry, The G, and Vance Kotrla

Quick Sip Reviews, editor, Charles Payseur

Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, ed. Amanda Wakaruk and Olav Rokne

Best Fancast

Be The Serpent, presented by Alexandra Rowland, Freya Marske and Jennifer Mace

Claire Rousseau’s YouTube channel, produced by Claire Rousseau

The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan and Gary K. Wolfe, Jonathan Strahan, producer

Kalanadi, produced and presented by Rachel

The Skiffy and Fanty Show, produced by Shaun Duke and Jen Zink, presented by Shaun Duke, Jen Zink, Alex Acks, Paul Weimer, and David Annandale.

Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Rowenna Miller, Marshall Ryan Maresca and Cass Morris

Best Fan Writer

Cora Buhlert

Charles Payseur

Jason Sanford

Elsa Sjunneson

Alasdair Stuart

Paul Weimer

Best Fan Artist

Iain J. Clark

Cyan Daly

Sara Felix

Grace P. Fong

Maya Hahto

Laya Rose

Best Video Game

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Publisher and Developer: Nintendo)

Blaseball (Publisher and Developer: The Game Band)

Final Fantasy VII Remake (Publisher Square Enix)

Hades (Publisher and Developer: Supergiant Games)

The Last of Us: Part II (Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Developer: Naughty Dog)

Spiritfarer (Publisher and Developer: Thunder Lotus)

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas (Swoon Reads)

A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)

Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)

Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry/ Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)

Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet / Hot Key)

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)

Astounding Award for Best New Writer

Lindsay Ellis (1st year of eligibility)

Simon Jimenez (1st year of eligibility)

Micaiah Johnson (1st year of eligibility)

A.K. Larkwood (1st year of eligibility)

Jenn Lyons (2nd year of eligibility)

Emily Tesh (2nd year of eligibility)

—

DisCon III is the 79th Worldcon, and the third to be held in Washington, DC. Previous DC-based Worldcons were held in 1963 (DisCon I) and 1974 (DisCon II). DisCon III will be held at the Omni Shoreham Hotel from December 15-19, 2021.

DisCon III is sponsored by the Baltimore-Washington Area Worldcon Association, Inc. (BWAWA, Inc.), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Maryland.

@worldcon2021

Email: [email protected]

Outstanding news, Space Unicorns! FOUR Uncanny Magazine stories are finalists for the prestigious Nebula Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America! “Where You Linger” by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam is a finalist for Best Novelette, “Burn or The Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super” by A. T. Greenblatt is a finalist for Best Novelette, “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Rae Carson is a finalist for Best Short Story, and finally “My Country Is a Ghost” by Eugenia Triantafyllou is a finalist for Best Short Story!

Also, “Shadow Prisons” by Uncanny Magazine Interviewer Caroline M. Yoachim from The Dystopia Triptych is a finalist for Best Novelette!

Congratulations to Bonnie, A.T., Rae, Eugenia, and Caroline!

It is an amazing list of finalists, many of whom are Uncanny authors and friends. CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYBODY!!!

From the SFWA Nebula Award announcement:

March 15, 2021 – The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 56th Annual Nebula Awards®. The awards will be presented in a virtual ceremony on June 5, 2021, hosted by returning Toastmaster Aydrea Walden. 

SFWA is pleased to welcome back Aydrea for a second year. Walden has written for the series Yin Yang Yo! and created, written, and starred in the Webby-nominated series Black Girl in a Big Dress. She has worked in the animation department on the films The Croods, Home, and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Walden also performs, appearing in her one-woman show, The Oreo Experience: A Total Whitey Trapped in a Black Chick’s Body, the short film Sci-Fi 60, and an episode of The Mandalorian.

NOVEL

• Piranesi, Susanna Clarke (Bloomsbury US; Bloomsbury UK)
• The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US & UK)
• Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Jo Fletcher)
• The Midnight Bargain, C.L. Polk (Erewhon)
• Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga; Solaris)
• Network Effect, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)

NOVELLA

• “Tower of Mud and Straw”, Yaroslav Barsukov (Metaphorosis)
• Finna, Nino Cipri (Tordotcom)
• Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark (Tordotcom)
• “Ife-Iyoku, the Tale of Imadeyunuagbon”, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki (Dominion: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction from Africa and the African Diaspora, Aurelia Leo)
• The Four Profound Weaves, R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon)
• Riot Baby, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom)

NOVELETTE

• “Stepsister”, Leah Cypess (F&SF 5-6/20)
• “The Pill”, Meg Elison (Big Girl, PM Press)
• “Burn or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super”, A.T. Greenblatt (Uncanny 5-6/20)
• “Two Truths and a Lie”, Sarah Pinsker (Tor.com 6/17/20)
• “Where You Linger”, Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• “Shadow Prisons”, Caroline M. Yoachim (serialized in the Dystopia Triptych series as “The Shadow Prison Experiment”, “Shadow Prisons of the Mind”, and “The Shadow Prisoner’s Dilemma”, Broad Reach Publishing + Adamant Press)

SHORT STORY

• “Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse”, Rae Carson (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• “Advanced Word Problems in Portal Math”, Aimee Picchi (Daily Science Fiction 1/3/20)
• “A Guide for Working Breeds”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Made to Order: Robots and Revolution, Solaris)
• “The Eight-Thousanders”, Jason Sanford (Asimov’s 9-10/20)
• “My Country Is a Ghost”, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 1-2/20)
• “Open House on Haunted Hill”, John Wiswell (Diabolical Plots 6/15/20)

THE ANDRE NORTON NEBULA AWARD FOR MIDDLE GRADE AND YOUNG ADULT FICTION

• Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet)
• Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
• A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (Argyll)
• A Game of Fox & Squirrels, Jenn Reese (Holt)
• Star Daughter, Shveta Thakrar (HarperTeen)

GAME WRITING

• Blaseball, Stephen Bell, Joel Clark, Sam Rosenthal (The Game Band)
• Hades, Greg Kasavin (Supergiant) 
• Kentucky Route Zero, Jake Elliott (Cardboard Computer)
• The Luminous Underground, Phoebe Barton (Choice of Games)
• Scents & Semiosis, Sam Kabo Ashwell, Cat Manning, Caleb Wilson, Yoon Ha Lee (Self)
• Spiritfarer, Nicolas Guérin, Maxime Monast, Alex Tommi-Morin (Thunder Lotus Games)

THE RAY BRADBURY NEBULA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DRAMA PRESENTATION

• Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, Christina Hodson, Warner Bros. Pictures (Clubhouse Pictures/DC Entertainment/Kroll & Co. Entertainment/LuckyChap Entertainment)
• The Expanse: “Gaugamela”, Dan Nowak, Amazon Prime (Alcon Entertainment/Alcon Television Group/Amazon Studios/Hivemind/Just So)
• The Good Place: “Whenever You’re Ready”, Michael Schur, NBC (Fremulon/3 Arts Entertainment/Universal)
• Lovecraft Country, Season 1, Misha Green, Shannon Houston, Kevin Lau, Wes Taylor, Ihuoma Ofordire, Jonathan I. Kidd, Sonya Winton-Odamtten, HBO Max (Bad Robot/Monkeypaw Productions/Warner Bros.Television)
• The Mandalorian: “The Tragedy”, Jon Favreau, Disney+ (Golem Creations/Lucasfilm)
• The Old Guard, Greg Rucka, Netflix (Skydance Media/Denver and Delilah Productions/Marc Evans Productions)

The results of the final ballot will be announced at the 56th Annual Nebula Awards® ceremony during the 2021 Nebula Conference Online, June 4–6, 2021. Open to SFWA members and nonmembers alike, the annual Nebula Conference is taking place entirely online for a second year. 

For $125, registered participants will gain entry to professional development panels, virtual socializing spaces dubbed the “Airship Nebula,” mentorship opportunities, office hours with experts, an archive of the content, and access to ongoing educational events throughout the following year.

About the Nebula Awards® 

The Nebula Awards® are voted on and presented by Full, Associate, and Senior members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. Founded as the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1965 by Damon Knight, the organization began with a charter membership of 78 writers; it now has over 2,000 members, among them many of the leading writers of science fiction and fantasy.

Since 1965, the Nebula Awards® have been given each year for the best novel, novella, novelette, and short story eligible for that year’s award. The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction was added in 2005, followed by the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation in 2009, and the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing in 2018. An anthology including the winning pieces of short fiction and several runners-up is also published every year.

Space Unicorns! It is time to announce the TOP STORY in our Uncanny Magazine 2020 Favorite Fiction Reader Poll!
It is…. *drumroll*

The short story The Salt Witch by Martha Wells!

Congratulations, Martha Wells! A SNAZZY CERTIFICATE will soon be on the way!

The rest of the Top Five are:

2- the short story Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse by Rae Carson!

3- Is a tie!

The short story My Country Is a Ghost by Eugenia Triantafyllou!

The short story The Bottomless Martyr by John Wiswell!

4- Is a tie!

The short story The Sycamore and the Sybil by Alix E. Harrow!

The short story Metal Like Blood in the Dark by T. Kingfisher!

5- The novelette Burn or The Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super by A. T. Greenblatt!

We have some wonderful news, Space Unicorns! We’re adding a Podcast Reader!

Starting with Uncanny Magazine Podcast #38B, the new Podcast Reader will be…

Matt Peters!

Matt Peters is a passionate Chicago-based voice talent. Having amassed hundreds of hours behind the mic through podcasting, Matt trained with Acting Studio Chicago to improve his skill set. Since then, he’s lent his voice to hosting events, ad campaigns, and audiobook narration. Matt is now a proud member of the Uncanny Magazine family and is excited to share some of our favorite stories with you.

You will probably remember Matt as Michi Trota’s co-host on Uncanny TV! Matt will be joining Erika Ensign and Joy Piedmont in our rotation of regular podcast readers. Matt’s debut is already live as he reads “Femme and Sundance” by Christopher Caldwell!

FABULOUS NEWS, SPACE UNICORNS! HAPPIEST OF DAYS!!! TWELVE Uncanny Magazine stories are on the prestigious 2020 Locus Recommended Reading List! WE ARE SO THRILLED! Congratulations to all of the authors!

Best Novelette:
“The Inaccessibility of Heaven” by Aliette de Bodard
“Burn or the Episodic Life of Sam Wells as a Super” by A.T. Greenblatt

Best Short Story:
“Badass Moms in the Zombie Apocalypse” by Rae Carson
“Dresses Like White Elephants” by Meg Elison
“The Sycamore and the Sybil”  by Alix E. Harrow
“50 Things Every AI Working with Humans Should Know”  by Ken Liu
“The Ruby of the Summer King”  by Mari Ness
“The Nine Scents of Sorrow” by Jordan Taylor
“Georgie in the Sun” by Natalia Theodoridou
“Juvenilia”  by Lavie Tidhar
“High in the Clean Blue Air” by Emma Törzs
“My Country Is a Ghost”  by Eugenia Triantafyllou

This means you can vote for these stories in the 2021 Locus Poll and Survey which determines the Locus Awards! Voting is FREE TO ALL! Along with these stories, Uncanny Magazine is also eligible for a Locus Award in the Best Magazine or Fanzine category, and Lynne M. Thomas & Michael Damian Thomas are eligible in the Best Editor – Pro or Fan category! Vote for the things you liked, and you can even write in things that didn’t make the 2020 Locus Recommended Reading List! YOUR VOTE ALWAYS COUNTS!

And as long as you are in a voting mood, don’t forget to vote in the Uncanny Magazine Readers’ Favorite Stories Poll! It’s open until February 8, and the winning author gets a SNAZZY CERTIFICATE!

Shine on, Space Unicorns!