Speculative Fiction Links of the Week for May 1, 2015

And here is our weekly round-up of interesting links about speculative fiction from around the web, this time in a special Mayday edition:

Speculative fiction in general:

• The New Yorker profiles Gene Wolfe. 
• At Black Gate, M. Harold Page remembers Edmond Hamilton.
• Andrew Liptak profiles Douglas Adams.
• Andrew Liptak also takes a look back at science fiction's culture wars.
• The G. discusses political messages in science fiction and fantasy.
• Eleanor Arnason discusses SFF and literary writing.
• Liz Gloyn discusses classical reception and science fiction.
• At Strange Horizons, Joyce Chng, David Anthony Durham, Kari Sperring and Vanessa Rose Phin discuss representing marginalised voices in historical fiction and fantasy.
• KS Augustin talks about diversity in SFF and the fear of writers of getting things wrong. 
• Karina Sumner-Smith takes on the fact that some men refuse to read books by women.
• Sherwood Smith discusses women writing space opera. 
• Gareth L. Powell explains why he writes space opera. 
• Deborah A. Bailey explains why kick-ass heroines and love don't need to be mutually exclusive.
• Judith Tarr talks about fantasy and science fiction and the shifting boundaries between both genres.
• Fantasy Faction discusses fantasy short fiction.
• At the Galaxy Express, Alisha Rai shares her top three post-apocalyptic romances.
• Wood Turtle discusses Muslim Steampunk. 
• David Wisehart analyses character arcs in Maleficent. 
• Joseph Tavano explains why Padme did not die of a broken heart at the end of Revenge of the Sith. 
• Gareth L. Powell explains what Star Wars means to him.
• Shaun Duke shares some lesser known western Cold War related SFF movies.
• Ian Sales shares some lesser known East European Cold War related SFF movies.
• Petra Halbur discusses Daredevil and how to do angsty superheroes right.
  

Awards:

• The winners of the 2015 Edgar Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2015 EFSF Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2015 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2015 Prometheus Awards have been announced. 
• Electronic voting for the 2015 Hugo Awards is now open. 

Hugo Controversy:

• Edward Schubert, Hugo nominee for best editor short form, withdraws himself from consideration. 
• At Vox, Todd VanDerWerff has another summary of the Hugo controversy. 
• Rjurik Davidson views the Hugo controversy as part of a larger culture war.
• Jim C. Hines points out that the Us vs. Them dichotomy of the Hugo debate is harmful to the genre.
• George R.R. Martin calls out the increasingly violent rhetoric of the Hugo debate. 
• George R.R. Martin also about some of the Hugo categories and how to use No Award.
• Shaun Duke complains about the anti-intellectual undertones in this year's Hugo debate. 
• Obsidian Wings discusses the variety of literary pleasures in reference to this year's Hugo debate. 
• Dana Korra'ti is annoyed that some people seem to want warning labels on books containing LGBT characters and other content they do not approve of. 
• Fontfolly considers these remarks in the larger context of prejudice against LGBT people.
• Dana Korra'ti also has a screencap of John Ringo trying and failing to understand what he terms Social Justice Warrior thought on Facebook.
• C.P.D. Harris discusses possible economic motives behind this year's Hugo campaign. 
• Marion of Deeds & Words points out that even the cost of a Worldcon supporting membership can be prohibitive for many people.
• Martin Wisse explains how entitlement issues are at the bottom of the Hugo uproar. 
• John Scalzi refutes some of the conspiracy theories surrounding the Hugo Awards. 
• John Scalzi also points out how silly it is to assume that Redshirts only won a Hugo because of political correctness.
• Eleanor Arnason points out that getting nominated for a Hugo early in one's career is actually quite rare. 
• Lyda Morehouse points out that everybody feels unwelcome and left out at Worldcon at times, regardless of politics.
• Jason Sanford wonders whether the puppies are all bark and no bite.
• J. Michael Straczynski calls for cancelling the 2015 Hugos.
• Bob Mayer wonders who gives a shit about the Hugos.
• Eric Flint points out that some of the most popular and bestselling SFF writers working today have never been nominated for a Hugo or Nebula Award, because they write paranormal romance.
• Barth Anderson points out that the champions of conservative SFF have missed an obvious contender: The Walking Dead.
• Adam Troy Castro responds to the Hugo debate with a military SF parody. 
• Mike Glyer at File 770 has unearthed the first ever call for Hugo bloc voting during the very first Hugo Awards in 1953. 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Dean Wesley Smith discusses the stages of a fiction writer.
• Percival Constantine explains that writers write, while wannabes make excuses. 
• Sherry Soule explains that being an indie author is tough.
• Roz Morris shares some tips on plot with Joanna Penn. 
• SwoonWorthy Book Covers shares 15 tips for creating awesome book titles. 
• Joanna Penn discusses changing book titles and covers. 
• Amy Shojai discusses cover shaming sites.
• James L. Sutter talks about writing media tie-ins.
• Chuck Wendig rates self-promotion tactics for writers.

Interviews:

• Paul Weimer interviews Stephanie Saulter. 
• Paul Weimer also interviews Michael J. Martinez.
• Larry Ketchersid interviews Brian Catling.

Reviews:

• Nina Allan reviews the 2015 Arthur C. Clarke Award nominees. 
• James Nicholl reviews The Android's Dream by John Scalzi. 
• Reading SFF reviews Dust by Hugh Howey.
• Steve Vernon reviews Spooky Stacks, a collection of four horror novellas.  
• Elena Linville reviews Cupcakes, Trinkets and Other Deadly Magic by Meghan Ciana Doidge. 
• Paul Weimer reviews Of Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal. 
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews the anthology The Dragon Chronicles, edited by Ellen Campbell.
• Paul Levinson reviews episode 1.12 of Outlander.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Clockwork Phoenix No. 5, an anthology edited by Mike Allen, is looking for funding.
• The comic anthology Broken Frontier is looking for backers.
• Another Dimension Magazine is looking for funding.
• Fangirl, a graphic novel by Tom Stillwell, is looking for funding.
• God is an Iron, a Canadian stage adaptation of Spider Robinson's epoynmous short story, needs some help to finance a performance of the play at Sasquan, the Spokane Worldcon.   

Con reports:

• File 770 has a summary of a controversy that errupted at RavenCon in Richmond, VA.
• Robert Dahlen shares his experiences at the Big Wow convention in San José, California. 
• Tony Keen reports on the academic conference "The Once and Future Antiquity: Classical Traditions in Science Fiction and Fantasy" held at the Puget Sound University in Washington state.
• Jack Robins, one of the few surviving members of the first ever Worldcon in 1939, recounts his experiences.

Science and technology:

• Has NASA accidentally created a warp field?
• NASA has launched a new project searching for alien life. 
• Jeff Bezos' company Blue Origin has launched its spacecraft New Shepard.
• The science behind The Avengers. 

Free online fiction:

• "Ambiguity Machines: An Examination" by Vandana Singh at Tor.com
• "Going After Bobo" by Susan Palwick at Clarkesworld.
• Chapter 8 of The Pirate's Grand Plan by K.S. Augustin. 
• Chapter 23 of Dragon Physician by Joyce Chng.
• "I Just Called To Say I'm Grounded", part 49 of Musketeer Space by Tansy Rayner-Roberts.
• Chapter 3 of "The Ballad of the Bad Lass", part 85 of The Descendants by Landon Porter.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.
• Watch a trailer for The Visit.
• Superman and Batman discuss the trailers for Superman vs. Batman and Star Wars.
• Sesame Street parodies the Avengers with Aveggies: Age of Bon Bon.