Hugo Awards 2017 Finalists

The finalists for this year’s Hugo Awards have been announced. This year’s Hugos are naturally significant for us Finns since the awards will be given in Helsinki in August. But also for a second reason: two Finns are nominated for Hugos! Huge congratulations to Ninni Aalto and Vesa Lehtimäki (both nominated in the Best Fan Artist category)!

You can also watch the announcements on YouTube if you prefer that format.

More World to Worldcon

The members of this year’s Worldcon have voted. The votes have been counted, and the result is clear: Helsinki will host the 75th World Science Fiction Convention, on August 9–13, 2017.

The result will be officially announced (along with the convention’s name, membership rates, and the Guests of Honor) at the Saturday morning business meeting (8 PM Finnish time), but the vote count is not contested and there is no doubt about the result. Helsinki got 52 % of the first place votes, and therefore won the election in the first round.

The Helsinki bid was an amazing international effort of people all over the world who supported Helsinki and the idea that a convention called ‘Worldcon’—no matter how it got the name or how American it’s traditionally been—should travel around the world so that more sf lovers could participate. I was positively surprised at how many voters shared this view, rather than the traditional “I want a Worldcon I can drive to” one. I’m pretty sure this will be one of the most international Worldcons ever (and it is only the fourth time Worldcon will be held in a country whose main language isn’t English). Congratulations to the bid and especially the future Worldcon chairs Saija Aro, Crystal Huff, and Jukka Halme—you’re up to your necks in it now (although quite happily so, I’m sure)!

Worldcon is a wonderful event that always brings hundreds of authors and thousands of other sf fen together, and I’m glad many new people get to experience it in a couple of years. And when the opportunity rises (as it will), participate—Worldcon is a group effort. It's not a trade show to sell stuff to consumers, it’s what we all together make it to be. Worldcon is a convention for sf fen, organized and paid for by its members, so don’t miss this opportunity to take part in something unique!

How to Vote for a Worldcon

Want to help bring Worldcon to Helsinki? There’s still a year until the site selection voting takes place, but Crystal Huff has written instructions on how the voting process works. And now the instructions are also available in Finnish, courtesy of Sarianna Silvonen.

Tähtifantasia & Tähtivaeltaja Awards 2014

The Tähtifantasia Award is given annually to the best translated fantasy book published in Finnish during the previous year. This year’s award was announced at Finncon.

The winner of the award was the short story collection Kanelipuodit ja muita kertomuksia by Bruno Schulz, published by Basam Books. The collection includes all the short stories written by Schulz.

The jury commended the poetic, metaphorical language of Schulz that creates a wondrous reality where the living merges with the inanimate, dreams with consciousness, the mind with the outside reality. Humans are a part of the whole that is constantly changing. Schulz was mentioned to be a predecessor of the weird fiction born in the early 20th century, a style of fantasy that also comes close to horror and science fiction. His influence can be seen in the works of many new weird writers.

The award jury comprised critic Jukka Halme, critic Aleksi Kuutio, author and editor Anne Leinonen and the Risingshadow.net representative Osmo Määttä.

Another Helsinki Science Fiction Society award, the Tähtivaeltaja Award for best science fiction book published in Finnish last year, was announced earlier this year. The winner was Sokeanäkö (Blindsight) by Peter Watts, published in Finland by Gummerus.

The jury described the book as having fascinatingly strange and diverse characters, and wondrous scientific inventions. Sokeanäkö is masterfully constructed and offers startling visions about the significance of consciousness, the forming of identity, the structures of awareness, and the evolution of the human race.

The award jury was: critic Hannu Blommila, editor Toni Jerrman, critic Elli Leppä, and critic Antti Oikarinen.

Tähtivaeltaja Day 2014

The Tähtivaeltaja-päivä minicon took place in Helsinki yesterday. The venue was the familiar Dubrovnik lounge & lobby, “A public living room in the middle of Helsinki” which has hosted the con before, and is an excellent place for just this sort of an event.

My day started with a train trip with Shimo. We were joined by Sippo who also happened to be heading to Helsinki for the day. Many plans were hatched on the way, although Shimo didn’t quite promise to execute our ideas regarding Finncon, duel at dawn, and rubber chickens…

In Helsinki ran into Magdalena Hai who was also heading to the event, and went to grab a quick lunch before the programming started. We did lose Shimo for a while to the lure of second-hand bookshops, but in the end everyone got to Dubrovnik safely and in time.

Steampunk: Anne Leinonen, Magdalena Hai, Markus Harju, Shimo Suntila

…which was good, since the first item was a Finnish steampunk panel which both Shimo and Magdalena were on. The panel discussed the peculiarities of steampunk in Finnish context, and during the panel there was an idea from the audience about an anthology of “höyrypunkki” stories set during the Finnish civil war. I think it might have caught on and we haven’t seen the last of it.

If that project becomes a reality, there must of course be a sequel, set later in the times of the Soviet Union, handling the issues of Finland’s relations with the big neighbour in the steampunk world. The anthology should naturally be called “Höyrypunikki”.

(Just putting the pun back into Steampunk in Finnish here. Sorry.)

Hal Duncan interviewed by Toni Jerrman

The Guest of Honor of the event was the brilliant Hal Duncan. It was great to see him again after a couple of years. At his interview he was his usual talkative and bubbly self, and Toni had quite an easy task as an interview: not that many questions were needed during the hour of their talk.

A captive audience

My program item for the day was the small publisher panel I chaired. I think it went pretty well, and I hope at least some people in the audience were inspired to buy the books put out by the many fine small presses in Finland.

Books, zines, buttons, etc. were on sale

As these events often go, I missed quite a bit of the programming, due to sitting in the bar chatting with friends, going to dinner, chatting some more, etc. There were lots of interesting items, varying from Finnish Weird to shitty heroes; from moral panic caused by comics in the 1950s to why authors love writing; from a panel analyzing movies that don’t exist to dramatic readings to a hilarious quiz show. If you weren’t there, shame. You missed a lot. Also, Toni was awarded the Arimo Kaskelotti Foundation’s Enabling Stipend for Excellence at the event. Congrats, and totally deserved!

Why does the audience want their “heroes” to be shitheads?
Petri Hiltunen, Jukka Halme, Johanna Sinisalo, Jukka Laajarinne

Some things you just can’t escape…

Kristoffer Lawson’s presentation about the audiovisual gems of Doctor Who, and spinoffs and things inspired by it was quite popular. And the fan-made fake intro sequence for the upcoming season he showed was actually pretty impressive, so I’ll link it here as well:

Of course, in addition to the quality programming, the real reason to visit a fannish minicon is to meet all the friends old and new. There was plenty of opportunity for that here; people came and went but there was always someone to talk to. And that’s what really makes fandom worth it, isn’t it?

The event was small but excellently organized. Everything ran smoothly and I’m pretty sure all the attendees had fun. So a big thank you to the Helsinki Science Fiction Society and the people who made Tähtivaeltaja Day happen!

Linkage: Raija has also written a report of the event (in Finnish), and so have Katri Alatalo and “Salainen elämä”. Henry has taken lots of nice photos.

Steampunk Alice

Ryhmäteatteri will put up a steampunk Alice in Wonderland play next summer. The premiere is on June 18, and the play will stay in production until the end of August.

Diversity Talk Next Week

In Helsinki next week: South African author Suzanne van Rooyen is giving a talk called Diversity in Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. The talk examines why science fiction and fantasy is slow to evolve, why these genres are prone to white- and straight-washing, and why it is vital that young adult literature embrace diversity.

The event takes place in Arkadia International Bookshop next Tuesday, October 8, at 6 PM.

Guests Speak About Finncon

It’s always a pleasure to read what the guests of your convention have to say about the event, and the GoHs of this year’s Finncon have been very good in this regard; they have all written something about the convention (and have good things to say, which is of course also very nice of them). So go on and check out what Aliette de Bodard, Peter Watts, and J. Pekka Mäkelä had to say.

Other foreign guests have also chimed in: here are reports by Stefan Ekman, Caitlin Sweet, and Cheryl Morgan. And there are plenty of links on the Finncon site to other reports as well.

Speaking of GoH reports, Tricia Sullivan has also written a two-part report about Åcon 6 where she was a GoH this year: part 1, part 2. I’m very glad to see she also enjoyed her stay in Finland.

Awards at Finncon

Several awards were presented yesterday and today at Finncon.

The first prize in the short story competition organised by Finncon and Elisa Kirja went to Jenni Kauppinen for her story Jalokivihovi (“Jewel Court”). On second place was Neko Koski with Nuru-nu-kang and the third place was a tie between Mikko Arjanmaa’s Tapaus Jii (“Case Jay”) and Stina Maria Saari’s Pedot (“Beasts”).

The first prize in the Nova short story competition went to Anna Malinen for Siihen kaarna kasvakohon (“Let There Grow Bark”). On second place was Katri-Maija Karvonen with Salaperäinen kauppa (“A Mysterious Deal”) and on third Irina Seppänen with Odotussali (“Waiting Room”).

The Atorox Award for best Finnish sf short story published last year was given by the Turku Science Fiction Society. The winner is Anni Nupponen for her short story Joka ratasta pyörittää (“She Who Turns the Cog”), published in the anthology Steampunk! Koneita ja korsetteja. On second place was Wilhelmus Lyypekkiläisen kuolema (“The Death of Wilhelm of Lübeck”) by Jussi Katajala, and Kirjallinen liite kannevakuuskorvausanomukseen (“A written Addendum to the Request for Liability Insurance Compensation”) by Tero Niemi & Anne Salminen came third. Atorox is a popular award, voted by members of the Finnish fandom.

Tähtivaeltaja Short Story Competition 2013

The results of the Tähtivaeltaja short story competition were announced at Finncon today. The theme of the competition was “Tähtivaeltaja” (“Star Rover”), and the first price (400 €) went to Miikka Pörsti for his short story Raportti. Mikä johti operaatio Tähtivaeltajan epäonnistumiseen (“Report. What lead to the failure of Project Tähtivaeltaja”).

The jury commended the story, written in form of a report about an encounter with little green aliens that have arrived on Earth, on the format that is refreshingly different from a conventional short story. The tale of the destiny of an alien race on Earth contains humour but also works as an allegory without being too obvious about it.

In addition to the winner, the jury awarded two honorary mentions to Samuli Antila for his story Pelastaja (“Saviour”), and Jenni Kauppinen for Kemina Standing.

There were 83 submissions in total. The competition was organised by the Tähtivaeltaja zine and the Helsinki Science Fiction Society. In the preliminary jury were researcher Irma Hirsjärvi and writer Anne Leinonen, and in the jury editor Toni Jerrman, editor Jukka Halme, and writer Tiina Raevaara.

Towel Day

Saturday is International Towel Day, and you can celebrate it in sfnal company at least in Helsinki and Turku.

In Turku, your destination for Towel Day is Cosmic Comic Cafe where there will be theme-appropriate program from 6 PM onwards. At 6, there will be a "One Man Rush Hour", and starting at 9, you will be exposed to the worst poetry in the universe. At midnight those whose intestines haven't strangled them yet can participate in the creepiest laughter in the galaxy competition. For survivors, music until the prophet Zarquon (or the closing time) arrives.

In Helsinki, you can participate in the traditional Dirk Gently's Holistic Picnic which starts at the railway station (under the departing local trains sign) at 2 PM. Bring money, the Helsinki timetable, salted peanuts and a towel. The target of the picnic will be decided by flipism. More info: 050 534 7747/Vesa Sisättö.

I haven't heard of Towel Day–specific events in Tampere (please let me know if there are any!) but as a consolation sfnal activity on Saturday you can visit Suomalainen Kirjakauppa at 2 PM to hear Saara Henriksson talk about the ecological sf anthology Huomenna tuulet voimistuvat.

The Cosmonaut in Helsinki May 15

From Timo Vuorensola:

Premiere screening of The Cosmonaut + DJ Taphead. A science fiction themed evening celebrating the release of a modern indie scifi film The Cosmonaut, which tells a story of a cosmonaut who returns back to Earth after a successful mission, only to find out he’s the only living being on the planet.

This is the only possibility to see the film on big screen in Finland, so don’t miss this opportunity.

The evening will be topped with spaced out vibes provided by magnificent DJ Taphead.

Free entry

The event takes place in Kino Adams in Helsinki on May 15, starting at 7 PM. If you’re nearby, head over there!

More info on Facebook (FB account required).

Elizabeth Hand in Helsinki

Elizabeth Hand is dropping by for a quick visit in Helsinki next week. There will be an extra mafia (fandom pub night) at St Urho’s Pub on Monday, September 17, starting around 8 PM. Hand is a wonderful author and a very nice person, so if you have a chance, pop by to meet her there!

Ready Player Finland

Ernest Cline blogs about his trip to Finland.

I returned from trip my to Finland a few days ago, but I’m still recovering from jetlag and a significant hangover. The primary piece of wisdom I brought back from Finland is that Finnish science fiction fans love to drink even more than they love to talk about science fiction.

Worldcon Dreams in Public

A moment ago, Eemeli presented the Helsinki Worldcon bid in the Chicago Worldcon. Some people (mainly Kevin Standlee) tweeted during the Q&A session. See the story for a synopsis of what was said.

Update: Video from the business meeting with the presentation is now also online.

Worldcon Dreams

Apparently there is now a bid for a Worldcon in Helsinki in 2015. And it’s open for people who want to be pre-supporters (20 €) or friends of the bid (80 €).

Unlike the Wårldcon bid, this one isn’t a hoax but a real bid, although I don’t think anybody—not even Eemeli—really expects it to have any chance of winning. Maybe it will serve as an exercise for the future, though (I know there are at least a handful of people who really do want to organize a Worldcon in Finland, and a couple of them might even have some idea what that would really mean), or at least as a fun project.

At the moment, the bid committee consists of Eemeli Aro, Jukka Halme, and Kristoffer Lawson. Eemeli is currently at the Chicago Worldcon, so if you’re there and this interests you, I’m sure he’d be happy to discuss this further.

Making of Iron Sky

The Helsinki Art Museum will feature an exhibition of the Making of Iron Sky (September 28 to January 20):

The exhibition showcases material from the making of the film, from costumes to storyboards to scale models. Production: Helsinki Art Museum and Blind Spot Pictures

(via Enhörningen)

Ernest Cline Visits Finland

Ernest Cline, the author of the excellent Ready Player One, will visit Helsinki in the beginning of September. There will be an extra pub meeting at St. Urho’s Pub on Tuesday, September 4 where fen have a chance to meet with the author from around 7 PM.

The Finnish translation of Ready Player One has just come out, translated by J. Pekka Mäkelä. The book is an excellently entertaining read, especially if you grew up in the 80s or have an interest in either pop culture or computer games. (I don’t care much for games, but was completely hooked by the book and enjoyed it very much). Highly recommended!

Dirk Gently's Holistic Picnic

The traditional Dirk Gently’s Holistic Picnic takes place next Saturday (August 18). The gathering is at the Helsinki railway station, under the departing local trains sign, at 2 PM. Free attendance; you’ll need some money, the Helsinki trains timetable, and salted peanuts. The destination will be determined using the Helsinki maps in the phone book and flipping a coin. For more information, contact Vesa Sisättö, tel. 050 534 7747.

050 534 7747

Peter Watts to Finland in 2013

Next year’s Finncon in Helsinki has added the acclaimed Canadian author Peter Watts to its Guests of Honor.

Peter Watts has won, among others, the Hugo and Shirley Jackson awards. His novel Blindsight will be published in Finnish in 2013.