Welcome! It’s your friendly neighbourhood editor-in-spoons posting this week. Today I wanted to give a shout-out to the Spoonie Authors Network contributors who are on the ballot for the Prix Aurora Awards. This is a prestigious award for Canadian speculative fiction writing.

How exciting is this? Hint: super exciting.

So, let’s begin!

Best Young Adult Novel

And the SpAN nominees are…

Exit Plans for Teenage Freaks, by ’Nathan Burgoine – Cole finds himself at a local museum, which in itself isn’t a big deal, except he was inside his high school just a second ago—80 kms away. Could just thinking about the place have caused him to…teleport…there?

The Sign of Faust, by Éric Desmarais—Elizabeth Coderre solves mysteries in Baker City. Last semester she defied magic, wizards, and killer kittens. But once again, her life is in danger. How will she foil their plans this time? (This is the second book of the Baker City Mystery series.)

If you love YA fiction, do consider supporting these authors. Their books are fantastic!

Best Related Work

And the SpAN nominee is…

We Shall Be Monsters, edited by Derek Newman-Stille – This is a collection of stories that are influenced by or are retellings of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from 1818. It’s an enthralling anthology that invited authors to explore tales from the margins.

Calling all Frankenthusiasts! This book needs to be on your shelf. Oh, and full disclosure, my story, A Hilltop Gathering, is in this anthology, too. It was the first work I had published that featured a disabled protagonist. So, I’m thrilled the entire collection is nominated.

Best Fan Writing and Publication

And the SpAN nominees are…

Constructing the Future, by Derek Newman-Stille – Derek wrote a brilliant essay about disability/neurodiversity representation in science fiction for the also nominated anthology, Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction, Uncanny Magazine.

Travelling TARDIS, Jen Desmarais – This is such a fun-filled fan site where Jen takes photos of cosplayers posing with her famous crochet TARDIS and blogs about them. ‘Nathan Fréchette and I have had the pleasure several times, but this one will always be my fave. Party on!

And this TARDIS has also gone all over the world; hence, it travels! Visit the website for more about this crochet time machine!

Best Fan-related Work

And the SpAN nominee is…

Speculating Canada, Derek Newman-Stille – The website and associated radio show have boosted Canadian speculative fiction and its authors for years. It’s a wonderful digital humanities project, which has earned Derek eight Prix Aurora Awards so far!

I feel it’s really important that scifi-fantasy work is recognized as ‘legitimate’ writing in CanLit circles. Removing the boundaries between literary fiction and speculative fiction and learning what they each contribute is a good thing.

Okay, so, do we notice a pattern?

Yes, you’re not imagining it. Many of us believe Derek Newman-Stille is trying to win all the awards so they can build themself an ‘iron throne,’ or shall we say, the Aurora Throne? All kidding aside, a huge part of their career and activism is to promote speculative fiction and disability representation, so they’ve earned those nominations for sure!

To all the nominees, best of luck! I think you’re all winners already!

---

Cait Gordon is a disability advocate and the author of Life in the ’Cosm and The Stealth Lovers (Fall of 2019). When she’s not writing, Cait’s editing manuscripts and running The Spoonie Authors Network, a blog whose contributors manage disabilities and/or chronic conditions. She’s also teamed up with co-editor Talia C. Johnson on the Nothing Without Us anthology (Fall of 2019.)