Hello! A couple of things - 1) We launched a website! It's a work in progress, but please check it out at https://www.hugogirlpodcast.com/ 2) The deadline to purchase a membership so that you can nominate for the 2022 Hugo Awards is TOMORROW (January 31, 2022). We were just a few nominations short of making it onto last year's ballot, so we would love your support. All levels of memberships are available for purchase on the Chicon website. A $50 supporting membership will allow you to nominate now and vote once the final ballot is released.

In honor of the recent Moby-Dick Marathon, it's time for a special episode on one of our favorite books of all time. Have you ever wondered if Moby-Dick was Star Wars or Lord of the Rings? It's time to find out! Your ship's captain for this special episode is Haley! More about the Moby-Dick Marathon: https://www.whalingmuseum.org/program/moby-dick-marathon-2022/ Theme music courtesy of Alexander Nakarada - The Wellerman - Royalty Free Cinematic Version DOWNLOAD ► http://bit.ly/34TXdyG - More than 370 non-copyrighted pieces can be found on my website BANDCAMP ► http://bit.ly/2PgL0xi - Purchase royalty free music in high quality .wav. SPOTIFY ► https://spoti.fi/35TIFPe - A lot of my pieces are on Spotify!

This month we read 2012 Hugo nominee for best novel, Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey. Spoiler alert for how many times you can deride sex workers in one novel! Despite that, we all basically liked this book, we promise. Your DM for this episode is Haley! Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss  

Kevin and Lori went to Worldcon in Washington, DC! It was fun! We'll tell you a little bit about the con itself, plus lots about dogs and food and meeting new friends. We were very excited to find out after the Hugo Awards that we were on the long list for best fancast! We were only a few nominations away from the ballot. If you'd like to nominate us this year, be sure to grab your Worldcon 2022 membership by the deadline, January 31. You can purchase a membership online at https://chicon.org/. For a thorough and nuanced discussion of the sponsorship and site selection issues, check out this free Patreon post by Hugo-nominated fan writer Paul Weimer: https://www.patreon.com/posts/60266480 Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

In this special episode, we learn all of physics, courtesy of amazing physicist Emily Duden! Hear the answers to burning questions like "would a flashlight be useless for a person traveling at the speed of light" and "will I stay young forever if I just never leave an airplane" and "is Interstellar a bunch of foolishness?" Also, relativity! And gravity! And did you know that anything can be a clock?! Yay, science! Check out our Instagram to see a couple of helpful diagrams that Emily used to teach us three hapless English majors about relativity. If you enjoy this episode, please consider supporting classroom access to scientists by making a donation to Skype a Scientist at https://www.skypeascientist.com/ or Venmo @skypeascientist.

What’s not to love about 800 years of a straight man’s discomfited rumination on “homolife?” This month we read Joe Haldeman's military sci-fi classic, The Forever War. Your DM for this episode is Lori! Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss TW/CW: homophobia, compulsory sex Links: https://www.reddit.com/r/sciencefiction/comments/31n046/im_joe_haldeman_author_of_the_forever_war_ama/ https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2011/apr/14/back-to-the-hugos-joe-haldeman

This month we discussed Isaac Asimov's groundbreaking novel about various pairs of dudes scheming in rooms for over a century. Your DM for Foundation is Amy! CW/TW: sexual harassment/assault at cons (especially by Asimov) Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links https://twitter.com/petersagal/status/1176115797107838976?lang=ca https://gizmodo.com/dont-look-away-fighting-sexual-harassment-in-the-scifi-1785704207 https://www.tor.com/2021/10/06/asimovs-foundation-and-finding-hope-in-crisis/

We discussed Denis Villeneuve's new movie adaptation of Dune. We liked it a lot! Recommended reading: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/10/28/dune-muslim-influences-erased/ Recommended listening:  https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/10/25/the-middle-geeks-episode-31-dune-review/ Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss  

It's our Halloween Spooktacular! This month for spooky season we read and discussed Retro Hugo nominee The Uninvited by Dorothy Macardle. Published in 1941 under the dubious title Uneasy Freehold, this book is chock full of our favorite things: ghosts, breakfasts, lesbians, and a nice orange cat. It has a great twist so we REALLY hope you'll read it. Be warned: spoilers and spirits abound! Your super spooky DM for this episode is Haley! The House - Vivek Abhishek https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Do5iRAhbtg Irish Times article about our author, who was "no ideal woman:" https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/dorothy-macardle-de-valera-s-friend-no-exemplar-of-his-ideal-woman-1.4084223

This month we discussed The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu (translated by Ken Liu), winner of the 2015 Hugo Award for best novel. Did you know that we are in fact three bodies? And by the end of this episode, we are also self-taught physicists. Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links:https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/06/24/liu-cixins-war-of-the-worlds

This is a short book so detours abound, but we did (mostly) love that Murderbot! After almost a year and a half of a whole pandemic, who can't identify with wanting to shut your helmet faceplate and feed thousands of hours of TV directly into your brain? Murderbot is all of us. Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links: NPR review: https://www.npr.org/2019/01/27/688354123/sulky-cynical-murderbot-is-one-of-sci-fis-most-human-characters NK Jemisin's blog: https://nkjemisin.com/2010/05/dont-put-my-book-in-the-african-american-section/  

It's time to eat! Join us as we eat and discuss delicious dishes inspired by The Witcher, The Broken Earth Trilogy, The Legacy of Orïsha, and Lord of the Rings from Cooking for Wizards, Warriors and Dragons, by Thea James and Isabel Minunni. Be forewarned, there's plenty of chewing because this food was good! We are allowed to share a handful of recipes, so send us an email or reach out on social if anything piques your interest! Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

This minisode we open and peruse Cooking for Wizards, Warriors and Dragons, a fantasy-inspired collection of recipes, created by Hugo Award winner and co-founder of The Book Smugglers, Thea James, and chef Isabel Minunni. The book also includes forty beautiful illustrations by artist Tim Foley. Listen as we...read the table of contents and talk about lactose intolerance and flossing. It's cuter than it sounds, we promise! This Minisode Part 1 is us going through recipes to select which ones we want to cook. Part 2 will be the actual tasting and review. We are allowed to share up to 8 recipes from the book, so if anything sounds super delicious to you, let us know and we'll try to hook you up with the recipe!

This month we read The City and the City by China Miéville, which was...fine? Maybe goodish? Is it "New Weird," or is it just weird? We don't know. But we do know that Mare of Easttown would have cracked this case with half as many commas as Inspector Borlú. Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

In honor of her birthday, please enjoy this reading of Haley's middle school Star Wars fanfiction. There are twins, a quest, an evil guy who definitely isn't just the Emperor, an underwater eatery, 35 minutes of nonstop giggling, cameos by Kevin - you name it, we've got it! This episode is dedicated to our nice friend Juan, who appreciates our giggling. Read along with us and view the author's original cover art here: https://haleyzapal.com/2015/04/16/the-nerantel-gem-or-middle-school-haley-shines-bright-like-a-diamond/

Episode 29 is here, and now with 50% more podcast! This month we read Hyperion by Dan Simmons, winner of the 1990 Hugo for best novel, and we took a whopping hour and a half to discuss it. This is a very good book, rife with problems and problematics, and a HEAPING helping of boob talk.  CW/TW: sexualization of underage girls Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

This month we read A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine, winner of the 2020 Hugo for best novel! This was a fun, steampunky romp. Don't forget to tweet us your Teixcalaanli name! CW/TW: brief discussion of death by suicide at 41:20-43:00. Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links: https://www.npr.org/2019/04/07/710356506/questions-for-arkady-martine-author-of-a-memory-called-empire Random number generator: https://www.google.com/search?q=random+number Random noun generator: https://randomwordgenerator.com/noun.php 

This month we went back into the bunner tuggles as we discussed Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

BIG NEWS! We're jumping on the true crime train. For our inaugural episode, we discussed the sensational jewelry heist of approximately 3,070 years ago, popularly known as The Lord of the Rings. These events were originally covered by true crime reporter JRR Tolkein in the 1950s. Music: Sir Fireheart by Ean Grimm https://youtu.be/8DCvn484bXw?t=1146 Links: Cinema Therapy: Aragorn vs. Toxic Masculinity https://youtu.be/pv_KAnY5XNQ

This month we discussed Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey. We didn’t like it. CW: rape, intimate partner violence Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links: http://corabuhlert.com/2021/01/20/fanzine-spotlight-nerds-of-a-feather-flock-together/ http://corabuhlert.com/2021/02/24/fancast-spotlight-hugo-girl/

Hitch a ride on the nearest vehimal and join us for the conclusion of NK Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy! It's been a wild ride, and everyone is either dead or turned to stone or both. CW: everyone’s dead or dying; medieval torture mastectomy (you read that correctly) Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links: https://www.npr.org/2017/08/19/542469223/in-the-stone-sky-some-worlds-need-to-burn http://corabuhlert.com/2021/01/22/fanzine-spotlight-hugo-book-club-blog/  http://hugoclub.blogspot.com/

WE WERE KIND OF CONFUSED BUT MOSTLY LIKED THIS BOOK AND ALSO GEORGIA IS BLUE!! IT'S BLUUUUUUUE!   Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

For this supersized super special episode, we were joined by Ginger Lee Thomason, who is currently writing her thesis on food in fiction and knows every snack in the book! Join us as we geek out over everything from lembas to roach jello to seared krayt dragon. Sound quality is always a crapshoot when recording remotely, so this time around, Lori and Haley are coming to you from the bottom of a well - sorry! Find Ginger at https://gingerleethomason.com/ and @wordsofginger on Twitter.

This month we discussed the 2015 Hugo winner for best novel, The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin.  There's a lot going on in this book, so our plot summary is longish. If you don't need a plot summary you can skip 5:48-14:35. CW/TW: LANGUAGE and sexual content that you REALLY probably do not want your kids to hear in the car and chant over and over during Zoom school, but if that does happen please tell us because that sounds funny. Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Links: https://whatever.scalzi.com/2015/08/06/the-big-idea-n-k-jemisin-4/ http://nkjemisin.com/2015/08/creating-races/

We're taking a break from recording this month, so we're releasing the crossover episode we recorded back in January of 2020 with Seth Heasley, creator and host of the Hugos There podcast. This book is wild - all of humanity (and humanoid...ity??) is dead and in a bizarre, harsh afterlife. Actually now that I write that out, it feels familiar. Is 2020 just Riverworld?? CW/TW: suicide, sexual assault, slavery, antisemitism, racism, Nazis, sexism Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

It's our Halloween Spooptacular! In honor of Spooptober, we bring you a special episode on Fritz Leiber's 1944 retro Hugo winner for best novel, Conjure Wife. Big thanks to Seth (@hugospodcast)  for suggesting this 180-page Misogynist Moment, which asks (over and over and over) if witchcraft might be real. Warning: major digressions ahead. Topics include Elvira and whether or not spit is water.  Music by Eon:  https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss Article about the many covers of Conjure Wife: https://www.blackgate.com/2014/02/15/lust-women-and-the-devil-seven-decades-of-fritz-leibers-conjure-wife/

This month we discussed A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter H. Miller, winner of the 1961 Hugo Award for best novel. It has lots of men, lots of death, and almost no women - and we all loved it! We loved it so much, we forgot about our Boob Talk segment, but there are no boobs in this book anyway.  CW: discussion of the author's death by suicide Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss New Yorker article: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/science-fiction-classic-still-smolders

Welcome to our inaugural Hugo Babygirl episode! These are shorter episodes (hence the "baby") where we read and discuss Hugo Award-winning short fiction (and other stuff if we feel like it). For this episode we read Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse, which won the Hugo Award for best short story in 2018. Spoiler: we all thought it was excellent. Apologies for some weird audio in this one. The results of recording remotely are always a surprise! Read the story via Apex Magazine: https://apex-magazine.com/welcome-to-your-authentic-indian-experience/ Or listen to LeVar Burton read it to you on your favorite podcast app or at http://www.levarburtonpodcast.com/  

To borrow a term from our friend Seth at the Hugos There podcast, this was a comfort read chosen by Haley. As far as we know, it won no awards, but it is composed of many words printed on paper and is definitely a book. Plus, there are Force witches! We also announce our fundraiser/book drive in support of the Women's Prison Book Project (https://wpbp.org/). Details are on our social media. The short version is if you donate money to them or ship them items off their Amazon wish list and email us the receipt, you'll be entered to win some sweet HG merch! Deadline is 8PM EST on 9/18/2020. Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss 

This month we bring you a supersized episode for a supersized book. We read (and read and read) the 2004 winner for Best Novel, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. We also recorded the day after the Hugo Awards, so we discussed that for a while. If you'd prefer to skip straight to the book talk, start at 14:15. CW: Discussion of Clarke's antiquated racial language at 48:20-49:30  Amy's links: The SF Site: An Interview With Susanna Clarke (Steven H. Silver) Strange Horizons - The Fantasy of Talking Back: Susanna Clarke's Historical Present in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Elizabeth Hoiem) Introduction to the Caribbean Books of Magic, Second Edition (Jennifer Oksana) Music by Eon: https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss  

This month we discuss Ancillary Justice, winner of the 2014 Hugo for best novel, and the first book in Ann Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy. It's got sentient ships, zombie soldiers, tons of tea, and no he/him pronouns, which threatens a lot of men on Goodreads, apparently! We were also thrilled to have special guest Colette Fozard, co-chair of DisCon III, the 79th World Science Fiction Convention, join us for this episode! Find out more about the 2021 convention in Washington, DC here: https://discon3.org/ or @worldcon2021 on social. Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

This episode we discussed The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal (Lori's new bff). We had no complaints, and we digressed often. This one was great fun! CW: sexism, racism, anxiety, brief reference to suicide attempt

TW/CW: racial violence, police violence A few days ago we learned about the Podcast Blackout, started by Cult 45 Podcast. In solidarity, we are not releasing our planned episode today. Instead, we are sharing some thoughts on how to be a better white ally, and speaking the names of 100 black victims of police violence. Black lives matter. Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh Rachel Cargle on Instagram Rachel Cargle's The Great Unlearn on Instagram Fair Fight

On day 5,000 of shelter-in-place, we discussed The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for best novel in 2010. We would have voted differently.  CW: rape, rape, and more rape, sexual slavery, colonialism Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

This month your podcasters discuss Bloodchild by Octavia Butler, winner of the 1985 Hugo Award for best novelette, and a boatload of other awards. We also make a special announcement at the top of the episode. CW: forced pregnancy/birth, colonialism, giant insects Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

We got together (remotely!) to responsibly record a pandemic special for these weird times. We discuss Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2015 winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award and the Toronto Book Award), elephants, and why you should stay inside! CW: mention of rape/sexual assault   Music by Eon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVbvE0PJyss

In this month's episode, we revisit Ender Wiggin, perennial Mary Sue, 20-ish (but also 3,000-ish) years after the events of Ender's Game. Ender is thirty(-five), flirty, and thriving in his career as an intergalactic funeral director. But drama abounds when Ender gets caught in a love rhombus with an adolescent AI, a troubled teen on a faraway planet, and his own sister. Will Starfleet blow up an innocent planet? Has Haley learned how to say Valentine? Listen to find out!

February's selection is Philip K. Dick's Man in the High Castle. You've probably seen the Amazon TV series, which is based loosely on this novel.     Ever wonder what would have happened if Germany and Japan had won World War II? You can kind of find out in this novel, in between lengthy discussions about the state of American antiques, Colorado shopping trips, and awkward dinner parties. 

Happy 2020! This episode, your three favorite space witches tackled Frank Herbert's magnum opus — Dune! This book has everything: jedi ladies, poop suits, misogyny, and a main character from the year 10,191 named JESSICA.      Show notes: Frank Herbert interviewed by W. McNelly in 1969

This one was a classic, y'all! December's selection was Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama — a meditation on the power of awe, ancient alien life, gravity-defying space boobs,  genetically engineered monkeys masquerading as house elves, and more.

Presenting our very first minisode! We had forgotten a few things and had some extra news to share, so voila! Salient points include: -follow-up snake research -our Robert J. Sawyer mail correspondence -a shout-out to Hugos There, our counterpart podcast Enjoy!

It's here! The day everyone who doesn't read a lot of obscure sci-fi has waited for! Your favorite space crones read J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire.  Listen as we delve into our Hogwarts houses, patroni, and wand types. We'll also get into some incredible tangents about magical contracts, house elf legal statuses, and why Haley thought Nagini had boobs. 

This month, we read Robert J. Sawyer's Hominids, the first in his Neanderthal Parallax series. (CW: discussion of sexual violence from an early scene in the novel.)  This book is a wild ride — it asks the question "what if Neanderthals became the dominant human species?" that no one ever asked. Neanderthals are all bisexual, take care of the environment, and don't eat any grains. Also, it's unclear if the author has ever met a real-life woman based on some of his characterizations, which we unpack with a hearty laugh.    Show notes: https://www.sfwriter.com/hoforde.htm http://www.sfra.org/resources/sfra-review/258.pdf http://www.sfreviews.net/hominids.html https://www.vox.com/2015/5/26/8661537/sally-ride-tampons

Howdy fair Hugonauts! This week, we dove into the sci-fi classic "The Left Hand of Darkness" by reigning queen of the genre Ursula K. Leguin. This book won both the Hugo AND Nebula award in 1970, proving that Ms. Leguin is, indeed, the GOAT.    Be sure to look out for diversions into horses and hardtack and Arctic expeditions, oh my!

Our August selection was Neil Gaiman's "American Gods." This book has everything: numerous strange classifications of boobs, trickster gods, overwhelmingly polite midwestern courtesy, and coin tricks.    Show Notes: https://www.vulture.com/2014/07/neil-gaiman-american-gods-adaptation-starz-bad-idea.html http://theangryblackwoman.com/2009/11/04/the-appropriateness-of-appropriation/ https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/american-gods-review-starz/

Welcome to Episode 3 of Hugo, Girl! This week we discuss Alfred Bester's "The Demolished Man," the inaugural Hugo winner from 1953. We also reveal our Hogwarts houses, too.   Notes:   Great review of TDM and "The Science Fiction Project" elsewhere on this blog is otherwise a delight:   http://lovehistory.net/blog/2012/07/21/the-demolished-man-by-alfred-bester-1953/    Howard Chaykin (artist):   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Chaykin   Link to our book edition:   http://www.ibooksinc.com/pages/book.php