Contents May Vary: 2021 Writers and Illustrators of the Future Awards

Episode 52: 2021 Writers and Illustrators of the Future Awards

In October 2021, I attended the ceremony for both the 2020 and 2021 Writers and Illustrators of the Future Award. I did a write-up of the event, which you can read here. However, there were some great pieces I got via audio that didn’t transfer well to the written word, so I wanted to do an extended edition. It also includes some snippets from the ceremony itself, which you can watch in its entirety here. So, consider this a ‘behind the scenes’ extra for the Awards.

Basic Show Notes:

• Running time is 48 minutes, 33 seconds.
• The interviews and ceremony were recorded on October 22, 2021.
• General notes from the interviews:
  • I ask the writers whether they are plotters or pantsers. If you’re not familiar with this concept, here’s a good article describing them.
  • Writer John M. Campbell can be found on his website.
  • Writer Brittany Rainsdon can be found on her website as well as on Facebook. We also get an excerpt from her emotional acceptance speech.
  • Writer Leah Ning can be found on her website as well as on Twitter. I included a bit of advice she gave in her acceptance speech.
  • Zack Be can be found on his website, which also has links to his Facebook and Twitter accounts.
  • Storm Humbert can be found on his website, which has links to his Facebook and Twitter accounts.
  • You can see the art of Irmak Çavun, who goes by Max, on this Instagram account.
  • He doesn’t mention it in his interview, but writing judge S.M. Stirling can be found on his website.
  • Writing judge Larry Niven also didn’t mention that he has a website.
  • Writing judge Jody Lynn Nye was the subject of episode 50 of the podcast, so go listen to that one if you want to know more about her.
  • Illustrator judge Echo Chernick can be found on her main website or her illustration portfolio website. You can also find her on Instagram. She also mentions her Patreon.
  • Illustrator judge Bea Jackson can be found on her website.
  • Illustrator judges Dan do Santos and Tom Wood were interviewed together. Dan can be found on his website, and he also mentions the blog he contributes to. Tom talks about his fantasy art website and his advertising commercial artwork site.
  • Illustrator judge Laura Freas Beraha mentions the website of her husband, Frank Kelly Freas.
  • I also quote from the ceremony. You can watch the whole thing on YouTube. I include part of the keynote speech from Toni Weisskopf, publisher of Baen Books.
• The mid-show plug is from author Kevin J. Anderson, who I not only have interviewed at the 2019 Writers & Illustrators of the Future Awards, but I interviewed one on one in episode 28.
• Theme music is “Schoolyard Haze”, by Jari Pitkanen, available via the Free Music Archive.
• Interested in hearing other episodes or learning where all you can hear (and rate) the podcast? Check out the main podcast page.