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Admin
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Location: Dallas, Texas |  So, the WoGF is back for the 4th year running! The rules are the same as last year as everyone seemed to like it that way. Ping us here when you join in and let everyone know what authors/books you're planning to read. If you've got any questions about the challenge you can post those here and some old salt will jump in to help you out.
Read on! |
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Extreme Veteran
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| HI! Thanks for doing this challenge again. I've been part of the challenge for the past three years and it's really helped me get to know many wonderful women authors new to me.
My question: is there a way for me to access my past challenges easily? |
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Admin
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Location: Dallas, Texas | Glad you're back for another round. You can see the old challenges on the main challenge page. Click the old logo at the bottom of the page and the old challenges will open up for you. |
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Extreme Veteran
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| I didn't look carefully enough did I?! Thanks! |
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Admin
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Location: Dallas, Texas | Dlw28 - 2016-01-02 10:09 PM I didn't look carefully enough did I?! Thanks! No problem. |
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| I have a question. "New to you" authors. Two things. One - if the author is totally new to you this year, can you read and review more than one book by that same author? (fFor instance, I have just discovered C.J. Cherryh and may read more than one book by her). Two - I have read quite a few of the great women in sci-fi: Octavia E. Butler, Lois McMaster Bujold, Ursula K. LeGuin, Joan D. Vinge, etc., at least once, but it has been many years since I have read them and I have never done a review for this site. If I am reading one of their books that I have never read before, does that count? Or not, because the author is not "new to me," even though the book is? Thanks! |
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Admin
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Location: Dallas, Texas | Sable Aradia - 2016-01-21 6:32 PM I have a question. "New to you" authors. Two things. One - if the author is totally new to you this year, can you read and review more than one book by that same author? (fFor instance, I have just discovered C.J. Cherryh and may read more than one book by her). Two - I have read quite a few of the great women in sci-fi: Octavia E. Butler, Lois McMaster Bujold, Ursula K. LeGuin, Joan D. Vinge, etc., at least once, but it has been many years since I have read them and I have never done a review for this site. If I am reading one of their books that I have never read before, does that count? Or not, because the author is not "new to me," even though the book is? Thanks! Well, the intent of the challenge is to get folks to try new women authors. If it was just "read 12 women" we'd end up with all the top women authors being read because that's what people would gravitate towards - tried and true favorites. We want to hear about the women outside of Butler, Le Guin, Bujold, Willis etc. Get some new names into the conversation if we can and move people outside their comfort zones a bit. The random author requirement is an additional spur. But, having said that, if you feel like some of those authors could be "new-to-you" again because you read them years ago and don't really remember them I say go for it. We don't need to get so hung up on rules that it's a chore. I don't think 2 books by the same author should count though - should still be 12 different authors. |
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Veteran
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| Administrator - 2016-01-21 5:08 PM
Well, the intent of the challenge is to get folks to try new women authors. Ifit was just "read 12women" we'd end up with all the top women authors being read because that's what people would gravitate towards - tried and true favorites. We want to hear aboutthe women outside of Butler, Le Guin, Bujold, Willis etc. Get some new names into the conversation if we can and move people outside their comfort zones a bit. The random author requirement is an additional spur. But, having said that, if you feel like some of those authorscould be "new-to-you" again because you read them years ago and don't really remember them I say go for it. We don't need to get sohung up on rulesthat it's a chore. I don't think 2 books by the same author should count though - should still be 12 different authors.
Okay, thank you for clarifying! |
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Uber User
Posts: 369
Location: Middle TN, USA | As a proud feminist, this challenge shames me each year by making me aware of how very few women authors I read each year. I would like to use the excuse that this is a male dominated genre, but again, the site clearly proves that is not the case. I have only read 26 books total by women authors and am going to struggle to complete 12 female genre authors this year. Now to be fair to myself, several of the short stories I am reading for the tor.com challenge are by women authors, but I'm not counting those. I also have a hate/hate relationship with fantasy, and for some reason women authors tend to slide I that direction. I really am pathetic in this category. Anyway I digress, I just finished Viper Wine by Hermione Eyre (That CAN NOT be her real name!) and it was incredibly good in a very different way. I recommend it if your looking for something interesting to read. |
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Veteran
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| Some time in the next little while I'm going to write an article for my blog about Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, and C.J. Cherryh; the triumvirate of forgotten women sci-fi writers. When you read their work you see how strongly all three of them influenced the genre; it was never the same after they got involved and we're all better off for it. But not only have modern readers most often never heard of them, but for such influential works they have a dearth of awards under their belts, even though all three were recognized as Grand Masters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_Knight_Memorial_Grand_Master_Award).
I found this great article in my Twitter feed that is pertinent to our challenge here, about mid-list women writers in sci-fi and their unique challenges: http://strangehorizons.com/non-fiction/columns/me-and-science-ficti...
And by the way, if you're looking to support would-be women sci-fi and fantasy writers, I made a post in the Member Projects forum about looking for beta readers.  |
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Admin
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Location: Dallas, Texas | Sable Aradia - 2016-11-14 6:38 PM But not only have modern readers most often never heard of them, but for such influential works they have a dearth of awards under their belts, even though all three were recognized as Grand Masters (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damon_Knight_Memorial_Grand_Master_Award). Or, you know, maybe here: Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
| I've done this challenge for several years in a row and am always delighted to be introduced to new-to-me women writers. Maybe next year there could be a RYO challenge of women grand masters as well? |
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Extreme Veteran
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| Thanks again for another great challenge! |
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Admin
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Location: Dallas, Texas | Dlw28 - 2016-11-28 8:28 PM I've done this challenge for several years in a row and am always delighted to be introduced to new-to-me women writers. Maybe next year there could be a RYO challenge of women grand masters as well? Glad you're enjoying the WoGF, it will definitely be back for 2017! There are not a whole lot of women grandmasters so that could be a little limiting for a challenge but its still doable if you want to create it. I say go for it! It will play well with other challenges so you'll get some takers for sure. |
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Extreme Veteran
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Location: Great Lakes, USA | I will second dlw28 - I love this challenge and have really enjoyed reading all the new women authors. I already have a list of books picked out for 2017 and am looking forward to reading them. |
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| Same here! I tried a whole bunch of brand new things and I've discovered so many authors I'm going to read again and again; Margaret Atwood, C.J. Cherryh, Ursula K. Le Guin and Andre Norton, to name but a few, all of whom I've been meaning to read and not quite gotten around to. I've also discovered some great one-offs (Fool's War, Brown Girl in the Ring, Becoming Alien and All the Birds in the Sky, for example) and an occasional stinker that I didn't enjoy (Sara Douglass and Jennifer Fallon; sorry to any fans of theirs, but they are definitely not my cup of tea.) This year I'm planning to read James Tiptree Jr. Robin Hobb and Ann Leckie (just off the top of my head.)
I'm in for Women Grand Masters, by the way. Maybe I'll go ahead and make that one myself, if you don't, Dlw28. There have been five, and they have all left us an amazing body of work, and I'm intending to chew into C.J. Cherryh's work anyway. You would have to allow re-reads though, so I could dig into my Anne McCaffrey books again. Thanks for this! |
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Extreme Veteran
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| Totally glad for you to make the grand master challenge and I'll be signing up right behind you! Thanks😊 |
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Admin
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Location: Dallas, Texas | Sable Aradia - 2017-01-01 10:56 AM I'm in for Women Grand Masters, by the way. Maybe I'll go ahead and make that one myself, if you don't, Dlw28. There have been five, and they have all left us an amazing body of work, and I'm intending to chew into C.J. Cherryh's work anyway. You would have to allow re-reads though, so I could dig into my Anne McCaffrey books again. Thanks for this! If you include the World Horror Convention Grandmasters and WFA Life Achievement Award in the challenge you'll have ~20 more women to choose from. |
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Veteran
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| Administrator - 2017-01-01 9:25 AM
Sable Aradia - 2017-01-01 10:56 AM I'm in for Women Grand Masters, by the way. Maybe I'll go ahead and make that one myself, if you don't, Dlw28. There have been five, and they have all left us an amazing body of work, and I'm intending to chew into C.J. Cherryh's work anyway. You would have to allow re-reads though, so I could dig into my Anne McCaffrey books again. Thanks for this! If you include the World Horror Convention Grandmasters and WFA Life Achievement Award in the challenge you'll have ~20 more women to choose from.
Good idea! In the works!
Also, I was wrong. Now there are six. They gave it to Jane Yolan just this year. Which I did not know until I saw it on the site here. That's why I love this place! 
Did you know that five women have received TWO out of these three possible lifetime achievement awards?! I'm calling them the Empresses of Speculative Fiction (Queens rule one nation; Empresses rule at least two). They are:
Ursula K. Le Guin
Tanith Lee
Andre Norton
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Jane Yolen
So I want to be them when I grow up, FYI.
Challenge will be up in a couple of hours; just gotta get the graphic done.
Edited by Sable Aradia 2017-01-01 3:10 PM
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Extreme Veteran
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| Your banner looks amazing!! Will you also be putting up the women in genre 2017 challenge? |
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Admin
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Location: Dallas, Texas | Dlw28 - 2017-01-02 11:24 AM Your banner looks amazing!! Will you also be putting up the women in genre 2017 challenge? I'm working on updating the challenge banners and creating the new logo for 2017 now and will set up the WoGF for 2017 shortly. I always forget how much there is to do to update the RYO at the first of every year. ;(
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| I am sure! And us eager beavers rushing you. Don't worry, I'll just add my books to the list once it is up. Thanks for all the hard work you do!
Dlw28 - Thanks for your compliments on the banner! 
Edited by Sable Aradia 2017-01-02 4:44 PM
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2016 Women of Genre Fiction Reading Challenge