Several folks have asked for the text to my acceptance speech, so here is the transcript. My speech was pre-recorded at the request of CoNZealand. Many thanks to Uncanny Magazine Podcast producers Steven Schapansky and Erika Ensign for seamlessly cutting the acceptance speeches of our team into a single video!
Transcript:
Thank you to everyone who voted for and has supported Uncanny! It’s an honor to share this category with the teams behind Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, Fireside, FIYAH, and Strange Horizons, who are all doing stellar and inspiring work in SF/F. This Hugo Award is especially meaningful because 2019 was my last year of eligibility as part of Uncanny’s staff. I can’t express how grateful I am to have this award as an end cap to my time with Uncanny.
To all my 2019 Uncanny teammates, thank you for everything. I’m so proud of the work that we did together, and thankful to have contributed to such an amazing publication and community alongside you all. I’m especially excited to see how Chimie is now making the role of Managing Editor her own, and am so lucky to have gotten the chance to know her while we were on staff together.
Being Uncanny’s Managing and Nonfiction Editor was life changing, and while I took many lessons from my time on staff, the most meaningful one to me is this: when you have the means to widen the doorway & bring others up with you, especially if you have power and privilege: DO IT. We have a responsibility to be aware of the power we have and how we choose to use it because those choices can change everything. Keep choosing wisely, Space Unicorns. I will always believe in you. Thank you so much.
My portion of the speech begins at 2:43, but please listen to Chimie’s speech preceding mine. She’s part of the future of SF/F and her speech is important.
Thank you again, everyone.