I’m not sure if I’m in my first year of eligibility, though I am listed on the website! I open a terrible can of worms with Cracked Leather as it is a fairly interstitial piece. I’ve checked in with the moderators to make sure I fit, but I have not yet heard back from them. Lets focus on some other folks.

It is a pleasure to know some of the talented people who are eligible for nomination. These are the folks I know who are in their second year:

• Ken Schenyer - I must confess I love this guy like a brother. We did Clarion together and he was one of the smartest and most caring of us all. As a housemate he also got to experience me at my maddest states of sleep deprivation. Of all the bad luck most of his work is in unusual publications or coming out in 2010. He writes of what a Clarion short-listing would mean to him as well as ways to read more of his work. He writes with sensitivity, complexity and elegance.
• Camille Alexa – Funky, spunky, woman with attitude and writing to boot. Putting STUFF in fiction.
• Felicity Shoulders – Is also cursed by writing that is in print but you can’t check out online. Oh no melon! She is however a fabulous, insightful lass and lapsed paleontologist.
• Doselle Young – Comics creator and all around nice guy. He rescued me in LA after we’d only known each other for a few days and took these photos while feeding me good Mexican food.
• Ian McHugh – some Aussie writer dude ;-). I met him at Worldcon very briefly in 2008, he was constantly running away to hang out with his Clarion Buddies. Pffft, who’d want to do that?… (Clarion people at WFC’09, we traveled like this ALL THE TIME)

Those are the folks I know (have I missed anyone? am I bad person?). I’m going to to try to read a sampling from as many nominees as I can. I think we get five votes. Who do you know? Who do you recommend?

If you’re eligible for a Campbell Award and not listed let the Campbell crew know.

If you’re already an eligible voter, the online nomination ballot, which must be completed by March 13, is here:

www.aussiecon4.org.au/hugoawards/nominations.php

If you’d like to buy a supporting membership to be eligible to vote, the membership signup, which must be completed by January 31, is here:
www.aussiecon4.org.au/index.php?page=37

I enjoyed the company of everyone at the convention and it was lovely to feel part of such a nice community.

edit: In the late night joy of blogging I mooshed two blog posts together, I’ve removed the philosophical bit that was here and will shape it into a separate post down the track

Conflux 5 Photo links – this will be updated as further links come my way.

So far I’ve found photos at the Voyager blog

As well as Cat Sparks’ perennial fabulousness Conflux 08

A few photos as part of a blog from a wonderful convention organiser

A post that contains Gillian facing the cream pie and here’s some more speakeasy shots (and a bit of the voices launch)

The NewYork speakeasy dinner proving to be the most popular place to take photographs

An excellent selection of blogging links from another excellent convention organiser. And this selection of blogging links as well

Closing Ceremony