Oh, and I pretty much agree with her on this. Not on every fine point, but on the broad details. But then, I'm finding that I pretty much generally agree with her take on things, from our recent conversation on slut economies to her reading of the Touched By Venom story, to this current imbroglio. Liz and I, we are kindred spirits.
For just one of the points of contention in this kerfuffle, here's a statement, from a conversation I had with David Levine this weekend, while walking around the lovely Capitol building in Madison. When I read for an award like the Tiptree, I do not consider literary quality. For me, it is not a relevant element to the question at hand, except inasmuch as the skills of the writer *may* enhance or detract from the author's ability to explore and expand aspects of gender in the text. I would strongly prefer to award a very badly-written story that managed to communicate amazing ideas about gender, over a gorgeously-written story communicating slightly less amazing ideas about gender.
Other jurors may feel very differently. YMMV.
A-yup.
(… slut economies?)
P.S. It was nice to meet you!
Writers especially seem to view all awards through the lens of the big generics. Me, I think there were probably several better-written books that came out around the same time as Moby-Dick, but it’s still for good reason that that’s the one we remember.
David, I have no idea what you mean by ‘big generics.’ Am I just slow this morning?