Well, time for my first thread here on BlueSky, and I'm pissed off. I've been catching up on the situation with F&SF and Sheree Thomas. I'm slow because I'm not on FB anymore, where apparently the bulk of the convo is happening, and I'm barely on Twitter. Anyway. - ThreadSky

nkjemisin.bsky.social • 556 days ago

Well, time for my first thread here on BlueSky, and I'm pissed off. I've been catching up on the situation with F&SF and Sheree Thomas. I'm slow because I'm not on FB anymore, where apparently the bulk of the convo is happening, and I'm barely on Twitter. Anyway.

Comments

ceciliatan.com•556 days ago

Welcome to bluesky, and I wish it wasn't sff biz f*ckery bringing you here, but so be it. Thanks for this. (I've seen some other weirdness about F&SF leaving stories hanging waiting for contract for a year or more after acceptance, too.)

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

Yeah, that's affiliated with the not-paying-people thing. I just summarized it for brevity, but basically F&SF has a backlog of accepted stories -- too many. And they haven't been sending out contracts or pay (they pay on acceptance apparently).

carolt.bsky.social•556 days ago

I am happy to see you here. I met you briefly several years ago in SC and am a big fan.

squigbrain.bsky.social•556 days ago

I grew up reading dad's Asimovs,Analogs, and F&SFs, sad to hear how it's trended the last few decades.

spiderbird.bsky.social•556 days ago

I don’t think anyone is on Twitter these days.

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

tl;dr: F&SF accepted a story by a writer who turns out to have been in a UK n*zi org. I never heard of the guy, but folks who have alerted F&SF. Thomas expressed concern about ethics, as an editor should. Publisher Gordon Van Gelder (GVG) has said nothing publicly. People are now big mad at Thomas.

keithchaffee.bsky.social•556 days ago

Thank you for this summary. There's been so much discussion here of something happening, but it all assumed that everyone already knew the basics, which made it all too cryptic for those of us who didn't to figure out what they were talking about.

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

Yeah, that's also why it took me a while to figure out wtf was going on.

fidelioscabinet.bsky.social•556 days ago

This is something that keeps nagging at me. She’s the editor—where’s the publisher? If he’s her boss, shouldn’t he provide backup and cover?

brigid.bsky.social•556 days ago

https://bsky.app/profile/ccfinlay.bsky.social/post/3k5qooygc7w2v C. C. Finlay has posted about this being an ongoing problem, dating to when he was an editor as well (if not before?).

watsonneith.bsky.social•555 days ago

One of the things that's making me disproportionately livid about this (it's a small detail to be hung up on in the overall issue) is that she's not even on the website masthead! It was never updated after she replaced Finlay. That is just the most absolute minimum and she isn't even getting that.

fidelioscabinet.bsky.social•555 days ago

Yeah. That’s just tacky.

fidelioscabinet.bsky.social•556 days ago

I read that. Ugh.

jnaerae.bsky.social•552 days ago

I have Finlay in my friends on FB, and I saw his post. Learning he left because of no support and undermining from those above him show the powers that be there want to maintain their Good ol' boys club. What he divulged to his own detriment makes me want to avoid SF&F all together.

brigid.bsky.social•551 days ago

I've seen him be encouraging over and over and over to so many people and that was despite his boss and not because of and that speaks so much to the institution that is SFF.

That said there are SO MANY diverse voices that are worth seeking out, that are worth the investment.

babewiththepower.bsky.social•556 days ago

Thanks for the whole thread and laying it out. I'd seen some of it, but I hadn't felt like digging into yet another racist getting "the benefit of the doubt" while a POC gets screwed.

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

Not GVG, note. Thomas.

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

Personal aside: when I write short fiction, I do not submit to F&SF. I think the last time I tried was in the mid-00s. Some of this is simple numbers; short fiction doesn't make much $ so I usually aim for reach instead -- online venues get more eyeballs and more awards consideration (IMO).

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

Some of it was taste. I subscribed to F&SF briefly in the early 00s, when I was teaching myself to write shorts. I dropped the sub after a year because most of the stories just felt... old. Super white middle American male vibe. We were moving into the 21st century, but F&SF felt very 1960s.

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

Then throughout the 00s, I watched F&SF try to update itself and just... fail. Again and again. New editors with fresh acquiring eyes helped a little, but when readers complained about bias, F&SF responded with... no change. (Slushbomb most notably, but there were other incidents.)

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

So I started sending my manuscripts elsewhere. Clearly F&SF wanted to keep only its existing audience and not grow or change. I was aiming for bigger and broader. Easy choice. (Seems to have worked out.)

myownpetard.bsky.social•556 days ago

sjdjandkdjajrnglflswlk

allysonb.bsky.social•556 days ago

Not just in the 70's. 2009 Riley. 'Having first met Andrew over thirty years ago, I can't think of anyone better to be the first BNP MEP. He has worked hard as a British nationalist for more years than I care to remember. He will be a glowing credit to the BNP. Well done!'

nkjemisin.bsky.social•556 days ago

Hi, I don't know what any of this is referring to. Please clarify? I assume "2009 Riley" refers to the fascist author, but who is Andrew?

allysonb.bsky.social•556 days ago

I'm sorry. He is Andrew Brons and has a wiki entry. He is a lifelong friend of Riley.

allysonb.bsky.social•556 days ago

I'm sorry. I'm new to this site. Andrew Brons. He has a wiki entry. Long life friend of Riley.

sffcorgi.bsky.social•556 days ago

I had a lovely [/ironic] social media punching match with a BNP member once; he never did answer my question about how 'British' was to be defined. I probably knew his island's ancient ethnic history better than he did, too. Gits.

adamchristopher.me•555 days ago

If Thomas is the editor, why can't they reject the accepted story? Expressing concern about ethics is kinda weak.

nkjemisin.bsky.social•555 days ago

She expressed concern about the ethics of breaking a contract. IDK why, but the kinds of people who've been trying to get her fired since she started are the sort to make a fuss about ethics. Could be she was just preparing her argument (speculation).

nkjemisin.bsky.social•555 days ago

And yeah, I'd have just chucked him. But I didn't choose to reform a notoriously regressive mag (many of whose readers want her gone), and I don't care if F&SF goes under. I'm also not facing a choice that could put me in the sights of a terrorist org. Thinking is not weak under those circs.

cornellwriter.bsky.social•555 days ago

Thank you for this thread.

timlees.bsky.social•556 days ago

Thanks for that. Good, considered response, and puts everything in perspective.

ljreign.bsky.social•550 days ago

This is wild. I heard about her joining the team and had planned to send in my first lil story there. They're leaving her out to dry AND not paying people in an orderly fashion? Absolutely not.

nurseferatu.bsky.social•556 days ago

Thanks for clarifying and the perspective!

deannahoak.bsky.social•556 days ago

Really good thread.

andreahairston.bsky.social•553 days ago

I'm not on Twitter and not on Facebook much, glad to be here and reading this!

archane.bsky.social•556 days ago

Thank you for this thread.

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