So, I think I kind of got busy the past few months and completely forgot that the blog was a thing! News is regularly shared on Facebook and Twitter (RIP…) but I have definitely neglected this space.
What’s been happening? Well, first of all The Art of Being Human Kickstarter funded, reaching 275% of the initial target! Waaaay back in August 2022. Good grief, that’s nearly a YEAR ago! We very quickly progressed to fulfilment, with all ebook and physical rewards despatched by the end of October 2022.
We were stoked to see some love at Awards time, with Helen Viviene Fletcher’s story being shortlisted for New Zealand’s Sir Julius Vogel Awards, and we saw FIVE nominations for the Aurealis Awards – Best Anthology, Best Fantasy Novella and Best Horror Novella for “Among the Faded Woods” by Faith Mudge, Best Fantasy Novella for “The Ocean, the Lighthouse Keeper, and the Sunset” by Lee Cope, and with “The Icecutter’s Daughter” by Aiki Flinthart in Best Fantasy Short Story. It was a bittersweet pleasure when Aiki won the gong on the night, but we’re so proud to have been able to publish one of her last works.
That brings us up to the now, and the final round of Awards for the year are open with the Ditmars, to be presented at Conflux at the end of September, and which recognise excellence in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror by Australians. These ones are peer-nominated and voted, so if you have read and loved THE ART OF BEING HUMAN and are an eligbile person who nominates (anyone “active in fandom” can nominate, though voting is restricted to members of the Natcon past and present), we would be delighted and grateful to see our contributors recognised.
Eligible works are:
BEST NOVELLA/NOVELETTE
“The ocean, the lighthouse keeper and the sunset” by Lee Cope
“Among the faded woods” by Faith Mudge
BEST SHORT STORY
“Seeding trouble” by Kirstyn McDermott
“Greatheart” by Juliet Marillier
“The icecutter’s daughter” by Aiki Flinthart
“All dressed up for the death trade” by Tansy Rayner Roberts
“Neuro” by Ephiny Gale
“She is not in heaven” by Rivqa Rafael
“Birdsong” by Joanne Anderton
“Exposure” by Jason Nahrung
“The poet’s tale” by Suzanne J Willis
“Everything so slow and quiet” by Kaaron Warren
BEST COLLECTED WORK
The Art of Being Human, edited by Tehani Croft & Stephanie Lai
BEST ARTWORK
Cover for The Art of Being Human – Amanda Rainey
Of course, TAOBH was just one of hundreds of amazing Aussie publications in 2022 and you should nominate anything you loved! If you have trouble remembering what came out last year, check out the entry list for the 2022 Aurealis Awards as a guide.
Nominations close on Tuesday, 14th of August, 2023 and can be made
- online, via this form: https://ditmars.sf.org.au/nominations/nominations.html
- via email to nominations@ditmars.sf.org.au
FableCroft 