Letter of News: Hugo Voting and CoNZealand Schedule!
Dear Readers,
Incredible as it may seem, the year is more than half over, we’re running out of July, and CoNZealand — this year’s Worldcon, where the Hugos are awarded yearly — is happening next week!
First things first — the Hugo voting deadline is Wednesday, 22 July 2020 at 23:59 PDT (UTC-7)/Thursday, 23 July 2020 at 18:59 NZST (UTC+12). That’s approximately 34 hours from the time of writing this letter! If you’re a member of this year’s Worldcon, don’t forget to vote — and if you’ve already voted, check that you’ve received an email confirmation of your choices, because according to a CoNZealand newsletter
a bug in the Hugo voting interface that means a very small number of votes may not have been recorded. This mostly seems to happen when using the Safari browser on a Mac, but we have a couple of reports from other browser/device combinations
If you did NOT receive the email confirmation, please log back into the system and confirm that your votes have been recorded. If they have not, please try again using a different browser/device combination, preferably Chrome, as we have not had any reported problems from Chrome users.
If you continue to have problems or need further assistance, please contact hugohelp@conzealand.nz.
If you’re a member, you can also download the fillable PDF off the website after logging in and email it to hugo-ballot@conzealand.nz, but it has to be received by the same deadline.
This Is How You Lose the Time War is up for Best Novella, in absolutely stellar company — so go forth and vote your bliss! And if you’re not yet a CoNZealand member, you can still become so — buying a Supporting Membership will get you the Hugo Packet and allow you to vote for the Hugos (and site selection for Worldcon 2022), though it won’t give you access to the panels and such.
ConZealand Schedule
In other news, I’ve received my ConZealand schedule, which is going to require some special focus to read, since the con-runners are in New Zealand, I’m in Ottawa, and you’re all over the world. There’s a 16-hour time difference between EST and NZT, which of course means the actual day of the panel is different for me; this is disorienting, and also means that a sensible afternoon panel in New Zealand is at 11:00 PM for me the previous day. But what’s a convention without some wacky hours? It’s a kind of time travel, too.
Who, What, When and/or Where Inspired You?
NZT: 29 Jul 2020, Wednesday 13:00 - 13:50
EST: 28 Jul 2020, Tuesday 21:00 - 21:50
The age old question: What inspired the stories you come up with? A favorite spaceship toy from childhood? A walk into a creviced valley with birdsong echoes? Stars?
Kaaron Warren, Snezana Kanacki, Amal El-Mohtar, Amanda Bridgeman (M)
The World of Independent Board Games: Beyond D&D
NZT: 29 Jul 2020, Wednesday 15:00 - 15:50, Programme Room 4 (Webinar)
EST: 28 Jul 2020, Tuesday 23:00 - 23:50
Just about everyone has rolled a 12-sided die at one time or another, but there's a whole new world of indie games.
Ed Fortune (Starburst Magazine), Petrea Mitchell, Max Gladstone, Queenie Chan (M), Amal El-Mohtar
Collaborations: Nightmare or Dream Gig?
NZT: 30 Jul 2020, Thursday 11:00 - 11:50, Programme Room 4 (Webinar)
EST: 29 Jul 2020, Wednesday 19:00 - 19:50
The advantages and disadvantages of collaborations, different approaches to co-creation, getting started, how to select a partner, and how to stay friends!
Dr. Laura E Goodin, Amal El-Mohtar (M), Helen Stubbs, Luis F. Silva, Zena Shapter
Killing Your Own Grandparent: Time Travel in SF
NZT: 31 Jul 2020, Friday 14:00 - 14:50, Programme Room 2 (Webinar)
EST: 30 Jul 2020, Thursday 22:00 - 22:50
Time travel has been a popular subject in SF in all its forms. How is this tricky subject handled in a way to make it believable? Which popular time travel gimmicks or ideas work, and which seem silly?
Amal El-Mohtar, Janice Marcus (Journey Press) (M), Ms Elizabeth Knox, Gillian Polack
Kaffeklatsch: Amal El-Mohtar
NZT: 2 Aug 2020, Sunday 12:00 - 12:50, Kaffeklatch and Literary Beer Room
EST: 1 Aug 2020, Saturday 20:00 - 20:50
Come hang out with me for a chat! Kaffeklatches are small-group gatherings for us to hang out and talk, and I’ve loved every single one I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in. I won’t be drinking coffee at 8:00 PM in my evening, but depending on the weather I’ll either have a herbal tea or be mixing a cocktail. You have to sign up for this in advance, but the means of so doing aren’t quite ready yet. Keep an eye on the communication from the con, and be ready to reserve your spot!
That’s all for now! Take care, friends!
Member discussion