The Sanity Project

Sergey Lukianenko and the Chengdu Worldcon

This entry was posted in Commentary News and tagged China fandom Russia science fiction Ukraine on by

One of the guests at the 2023 Chengdu World Science Fiction Convention, Sergey Lukianenko, has attracted negative attention for his public support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He is echoing the Putin line, smearing Ukrainians as “Nazis.” There have been calls to rescind his invitation.

From what I can tell, Lukianenko is a despicable person. His activity goes far beyond Cixin Liu’s excuses for China’s treatment of the Uyghurs. Cixin was just answering a question; Lukianenko is actively praising Putin’s brutal actions.

However, I don’t like the idea of withdrawing speakers’ invitations when their views are unpopular. I’d rather view his presence on the guest list as a symptom, a concrete example of what holding a Worldcon in China means. At a convention in any semi-free country, it would be great fun to have him speak before an audience and face merciless question after question about the invasion of Ukraine. I absolutely wouldn’t want him shouted down; that’s a confession of fear that people will hear what the speaker has to say. But having him face a fannish inquisition in the Q&A — I relish the thought.
(more…)

Authors condemn China as host of Worldcon

This entry was posted in News and tagged China science fiction on by

Over 80 speculative fiction authors have signed an open letter opposing China’s hosting of the 2023 World Science Fiction Convention in Chengdu. Prominent authors include Angie Thomas, N.K. Jemisin, G. Willow Wilson, S.A. Chakraborty, Zoraida Córdova, Tochi Onyebuchi, Ausma Zehanat Khan, Jeannette Ng, Tracy Deonn, Roseanne Brown, Usman T. Malik, and Tahir Hamut Izgil. The letter was spearheaded by Muslim writers concerned about the Chinese government’s treatment of Uyghurs. Sarah Mughal Rana, one of the people who created the letter, is quoted as saying, “At the very least, I hope for a boycott and for people to be educated on these matters so they do not gaslight and shutdown Muslim voices again. The last discussion about Chengdu’s bid, Muslims were gaslit and accused of being racist, and Western-centric.”

To gaslight is to manipulate people to make them doubt their sanity. I don’t know what the gaslighting consists of, but I’ve discussed the bogus accusations of racism in previous posts.

Read an Ebook Week Sale: The Magic Battery

This entry was posted in My writing and tagged books fantasy fiction magic battery on by

Magic Battery coverThis week I’m participating in Smashwords’ Read an Ebook Week Sale, with 50% off the price of The Magic Battery. Many Smashwords authors are participating in this sale, so you’ll be able to stock up on other interesting books while you’re they’re. The sale runs from March 6 through 12, ending at 11:59 PM Pacific time. The discount applies only if you buy through Smashwords. While Smashwords isn’t as well-known as Kindle, it treats its authors and customers well, and it’s been my preferred publishing gateway for years.

You don’t need any coupons. You should be able to go there and get the $1.49 price. If you run into any problems, please let me know in the comments.

Writing about Ukraine

This entry was posted in Writer ethics Writing and tagged Russia Ukraine writing on by

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has us all very concerned, and anyone who writes about it for publication needs to write responsibly. Here are a few thoughts on the subject. I’m addressing writers in the USA; most of it applies everywhere, but I’m writing with Americans in mind.

Beyond assuming that you agree the invasion is outrageous, I’m not saying what position you should take. (If you don’t think it’s outrageous, you aren’t in my target audience.) These are general points regardless of what you think people should do.
(more…)