John Coxon News Today

(1) INTERNATIONAL REACTION TO HUGO AWARDS CENSORSHIP REPORT. Chris M. Barkley and Jason Sanford’s report “The 2023 Hugo Awards: A Report on Censorship and Exclusion” (also available at Genre Grapevine and as an e-book epub file and as a PDF) has sparked the attention of mass media: . The Guardian: “Authors ‘excluded from Hugo awards over China concerns’”. In

More to see than slots and the Super Bowl in Sin City

(1) 2024 HUGO VOTING STALLED. The Glasgow 2024 Worldcon paused Hugo nomination voting on January 28, announcing in social media, “We are aware of an issue with nominations. We have taken that system offline as a precaution.” Their January 30 update said, “We committed to update you on the temporary pause of Hugo Award nominations.

FOCUS Wales has announced its first wave of live acts for 2024, including Spiritualized, The Mysterines and Benefits. 

(1) LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR. C. E. Murphy shares her views about what kind of revision request letters work best: “Process Post: on edit letters” at The Essential Kit. There was a discussion going on over on Bluesky about dealing with edit letters, and this truth came up: “Editors aren’t always right about the solutions,

The official ballot for the 2024 Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund race has been released. Fans have can vote online or by mail using a printable form; access both choices at the link. Ballots must reach the administrators by 11:59 p.m. British/Irish time (UTC+1; 3:59 p.m. Pacific, UTC-7) on Tuesday April 2, 2024. The two candidates are Vanessa Applegate

The official ballot for the 2024 Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund race has been released. Fans have can vote online or by mail using a printable form; access both choices at the link. Ballots must reach the administrators by 11:59 p.m. British/Irish time (UTC+1; 3:59 p.m. Pacific, UTC-7) on Tuesday April 2, 2024. The two candidates are Vanessa Applegate

Spiritualized reissue their fifth long player, "Amazing Grace," this month to commemorate its 20th anniversary, so founder member Jason Pierce talked us through the making of the record and also hinted that a new album maybe on the horizon.

(1) THE MUSIC OF HEAVY METAL. Maya St. Clair remembers “When Heavy Metal Magazine Made Playlists” at News from the Orb. When I worked at Heavy Metal magazine, people in my life inevitably assumed it was a publication about heavy metal music. My usual response was “not really,” and I’d describe how Heavy Metal was a comics magazine focused

(1) WHEN GRAVITY FAILS. [Item by Mike Kennedy.] Chuck Jones’ rules for Coyote cartoons said it works best when gravity is what defeats him. Instead, the change in management at Warner Bros seems to be what has claimed his long-awaited film. The mixed live/animated Coyote Vs. Acme is rumored to have been consigned to the dustbin, despite