The Strange Games Festival 2025
Aug. 28th, 2025 08:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chrisElectromagnetic Field, a camping festival with a focus towards makers and hackers, was the highlight of my summer 2024, as previously described at length. I'm not sure how I found out about the Strange Games Festival in lateish April, but I know that when I did, I thought "that might be a bit like a cross between Electromagnetic Field and a games convention, that could be spectacular". Now crossing two things I like may not result in the best of both worlds - a notorious vegetable curry, heavy on cabbage, still gets referenced almost three decades after the fact as demonstration of this - but it's surely a good starting-point.
I am also famously not outdoors-y at all, but the fact that there was a pre-pitched glamping option made the event rather more appealing. Accordingly, I put the word around, found a couple of other friends (Weaver and David) who were interested in going, and we all went over the past long weekend. Very happily, the Strange Games Fesival is very likely to be the highlight of my summer 2025... and at least one of my friends considered it, and the thoughts it raised, to be their highlight of a longer time period still.
The festival has been running for approaching ten years. It started as an event for a group of Werewolf (aka Mafia, etc.) players to meet to play around a camp fire and camp overnight, but it has grown over time, gained its wonderful branding and moved around a little over the years as it has outgrown its roots. Crucial to its ethos is a clear statement that "We don’t tolerate any discrimination, and the Festival particularly aims to be a safe and welcoming space for members of the LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent communities". This is a lofty and worthwhile ambition, and one that it appeared to me (from my point of privilege, so I note I'm not the best-placed to judge) to live up to its goal very successfully. If the combination of that ethos and "a camping festival themed around games" appeals, and if you can live with the realities of a camping festival, the event is very highly recommended indeed.
( And this is why... )
It's easy for me to find two big reasons to get very excited about the Strange Games Festival as a movement. One is the vibe, the other is the potential. The Strange Games Festival movement is taking off; in previous years it was a single annual event, this year it has grown to be one festival plus an additional campout which is a little smaller and without big organised events, next year will celebrate a tenth anniversary and there will probably be one festival plus two campouts, one away in Bristol. So if the movement is not rooted to the spot, how far might it go? Bushy Wood is a very happy home, but could there be an even bigger, better one somewhere else, now that discussions in terms of "as well as" rather than "instead of" are on the table?
Dreaming bigger still, what could a Strange Games Festival with not five hundred but, say, three thousand people look like? If it looks at all like Electromagnetic Field, from which I got so much, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? (Some might dream yet bigger still, to the UK Games Expo, to Gen Con, to Glastonbury. That's an order of magnitude or two too big for even me... for now.) Maybe Strange Games Festival people might also like Electromagnetic Field; maybe Electromagnetic Field people might also like Strange Games Festival. I would feel comfortable saying that there are all sorts of cool camping festivals out there and you might like more of them than you knew about. I'm prepared to believe there could be others that I don't yet know about that I might like, in the same way.
Many, many thanks to everyone who worked with such dedication, expertise and talent to put on such a good event, whether running a game, volunteering or organising the whole show. How far you have already come, how late I am to the party, and how appealing it is to contribute in the future to something bigger and better still. If you can measure the effect that an event has by the number of smiles it raises, the Strange Games Festival scores a critical hit.
I am also famously not outdoors-y at all, but the fact that there was a pre-pitched glamping option made the event rather more appealing. Accordingly, I put the word around, found a couple of other friends (Weaver and David) who were interested in going, and we all went over the past long weekend. Very happily, the Strange Games Fesival is very likely to be the highlight of my summer 2025... and at least one of my friends considered it, and the thoughts it raised, to be their highlight of a longer time period still.
The festival has been running for approaching ten years. It started as an event for a group of Werewolf (aka Mafia, etc.) players to meet to play around a camp fire and camp overnight, but it has grown over time, gained its wonderful branding and moved around a little over the years as it has outgrown its roots. Crucial to its ethos is a clear statement that "We don’t tolerate any discrimination, and the Festival particularly aims to be a safe and welcoming space for members of the LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent communities". This is a lofty and worthwhile ambition, and one that it appeared to me (from my point of privilege, so I note I'm not the best-placed to judge) to live up to its goal very successfully. If the combination of that ethos and "a camping festival themed around games" appeals, and if you can live with the realities of a camping festival, the event is very highly recommended indeed.
( And this is why... )
It's easy for me to find two big reasons to get very excited about the Strange Games Festival as a movement. One is the vibe, the other is the potential. The Strange Games Festival movement is taking off; in previous years it was a single annual event, this year it has grown to be one festival plus an additional campout which is a little smaller and without big organised events, next year will celebrate a tenth anniversary and there will probably be one festival plus two campouts, one away in Bristol. So if the movement is not rooted to the spot, how far might it go? Bushy Wood is a very happy home, but could there be an even bigger, better one somewhere else, now that discussions in terms of "as well as" rather than "instead of" are on the table?
Dreaming bigger still, what could a Strange Games Festival with not five hundred but, say, three thousand people look like? If it looks at all like Electromagnetic Field, from which I got so much, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? (Some might dream yet bigger still, to the UK Games Expo, to Gen Con, to Glastonbury. That's an order of magnitude or two too big for even me... for now.) Maybe Strange Games Festival people might also like Electromagnetic Field; maybe Electromagnetic Field people might also like Strange Games Festival. I would feel comfortable saying that there are all sorts of cool camping festivals out there and you might like more of them than you knew about. I'm prepared to believe there could be others that I don't yet know about that I might like, in the same way.
Many, many thanks to everyone who worked with such dedication, expertise and talent to put on such a good event, whether running a game, volunteering or organising the whole show. How far you have already come, how late I am to the party, and how appealing it is to contribute in the future to something bigger and better still. If you can measure the effect that an event has by the number of smiles it raises, the Strange Games Festival scores a critical hit.
The Incandescent, by Emily Tesh
Aug. 28th, 2025 05:48 pmswaldmanIt wasn't until I finished this book that I realised that it's the same author as Some Desperate Glory. It's very different, but knowing that it was written by the same person I can start to see similarities.
It's a magical school. We've had lots of them already. It's an ancient(ish) magical school in England, in what appears to be a parallel world where magic is normal and acknoweldged and something that you can do a GCSE in. It's yet another magical school, but this time it is written from the perspective of the deputy head. The author is a teacher, writing what she knows, and this shows. She gets it. The best way I can think to describe the tone of the narrative is, paraphrasing slightly,
"No, your squad of demon hunters can't take these children to a place of safety. You don't have DBS checks! In fact you haven't even shown me ID".
There's a good plot, and it was a quick and intense read for me. Beyond that it's about identity. Specifically, identity for a middle-aged woman who has given her life to her job, has excelled, and isn't sure what else is left. It's about trauma, self-awareness, responsiblity, and hubris.
Highly recommended, and special thanks tosfred who recommended it to me.
Tesh has now done great MilSF (or possibly anti-MilSF?), and excellent fantasy. I'm excited to see what she'll turn her hand to next.
It's a magical school. We've had lots of them already. It's an ancient(ish) magical school in England, in what appears to be a parallel world where magic is normal and acknoweldged and something that you can do a GCSE in. It's yet another magical school, but this time it is written from the perspective of the deputy head. The author is a teacher, writing what she knows, and this shows. She gets it. The best way I can think to describe the tone of the narrative is, paraphrasing slightly,
"No, your squad of demon hunters can't take these children to a place of safety. You don't have DBS checks! In fact you haven't even shown me ID".
There's a good plot, and it was a quick and intense read for me. Beyond that it's about identity. Specifically, identity for a middle-aged woman who has given her life to her job, has excelled, and isn't sure what else is left. It's about trauma, self-awareness, responsiblity, and hubris.
Highly recommended, and special thanks to
sfred who recommended it to me.Tesh has now done great MilSF (or possibly anti-MilSF?), and excellent fantasy. I'm excited to see what she'll turn her hand to next.
Beinoni by Mari Lowe (2025)
Aug. 24th, 2025 09:45 pmlannamichaelsSummary: Ezra Safran, age 12, is supposed to fight the manifestation of evil in the world when he turns 13. Unfortunately, evil is manifesting in the world and it's not even his bar mitzvah yet. And is fighting the manifestation of evil and vanquishing it really the right thing to do? A mid-grade book.
( Read more... )
oh you need fluff, fluff, fluff // to make a fluffernutter
Aug. 24th, 2025 09:13 amursamajorThe algorithm sent me this ATK recipe (paywalled, but linked for posterity, and pretty easy to extrapolate the basic idea) for a peanut butter chocolate quesadilla yesterday, and my instant reaction as a Massachusetts expat: "But where's the Marshmallow Fluff?! How can it be a Fluffernutter quesadilla without the Fluff? This is all Jarrett Barrios' fault, isn't it!"
Though of course, out here on the West Coast, getting ahold of actual Fluff is more difficult; when supermarkets have jarred marshmallow product, it's usually Kraft's Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme, which is more liquidy. ... hold on, I can get a two-pack of Marshmallow Fluff from my local Cost Plus?! As in the same Cost Plus where my mom used to buy us Botan candy to keep us occupied while she looked at household decor? ROFL.
Of course I ended up down the merch wormhole with my search results; I'd rather have it as a long-sleeve tee, but I love the logo on this What the Fluff sweatshirt from the Fluff Festival. 20th annual this year! Pairs well with this Ice Cream Weather hoodie from Gracie's just across the square that I've been meaning to pick up for years now. As well as my What a Cluster! tee. And now I want Goo Goo Clusters and Marshmallow Fluff. At least Moon Pies have made their way to the Bay? I can get those at my local CVS sometimes now.
Cherry on top of all this internet wormholing: while trying to figure out if Fluff was sold in any grocery stores local to me (besides Walmart, ugh), I stumbled across their recipe section, and amusingly enough, one of their most popular recipes is Lynne's Cheesecake. I swear I didn't submit it - the recipe looks like a New York cheesecake recipe, and I strongly prefer my cheesecakes burnt Basque or Japanese cotton style. But now I'm thinking, maybe I should tackle a burnt Basque Fluff cheesecake. Though admittedly, on my cheesecake back burner, I also want to make a cheesecake with Poppy Bagels' truffle schmear, Wikipedia has just informed me of the existence of a smoked salmon cheesecake, and Kat Lieu just posted a SPAM Basque cheesecake. Time to reup our Lactaid stock!
And now, of course, I'm earwormed with the old-timey Fluffernutter jingle.
(Yeah, I know, an original Fluffernutter has no chocolate, but sprinkling some chocolate chips on top of one side and melting before assembly is pretty standard. Though IME hagelslag or vlokken work better, and of course you can also get hagelslag at Cost Plus, 😂.)
Though of course, out here on the West Coast, getting ahold of actual Fluff is more difficult; when supermarkets have jarred marshmallow product, it's usually Kraft's Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme, which is more liquidy. ... hold on, I can get a two-pack of Marshmallow Fluff from my local Cost Plus?! As in the same Cost Plus where my mom used to buy us Botan candy to keep us occupied while she looked at household decor? ROFL.
Of course I ended up down the merch wormhole with my search results; I'd rather have it as a long-sleeve tee, but I love the logo on this What the Fluff sweatshirt from the Fluff Festival. 20th annual this year! Pairs well with this Ice Cream Weather hoodie from Gracie's just across the square that I've been meaning to pick up for years now. As well as my What a Cluster! tee. And now I want Goo Goo Clusters and Marshmallow Fluff. At least Moon Pies have made their way to the Bay? I can get those at my local CVS sometimes now.
Cherry on top of all this internet wormholing: while trying to figure out if Fluff was sold in any grocery stores local to me (besides Walmart, ugh), I stumbled across their recipe section, and amusingly enough, one of their most popular recipes is Lynne's Cheesecake. I swear I didn't submit it - the recipe looks like a New York cheesecake recipe, and I strongly prefer my cheesecakes burnt Basque or Japanese cotton style. But now I'm thinking, maybe I should tackle a burnt Basque Fluff cheesecake. Though admittedly, on my cheesecake back burner, I also want to make a cheesecake with Poppy Bagels' truffle schmear, Wikipedia has just informed me of the existence of a smoked salmon cheesecake, and Kat Lieu just posted a SPAM Basque cheesecake. Time to reup our Lactaid stock!
And now, of course, I'm earwormed with the old-timey Fluffernutter jingle.
(Yeah, I know, an original Fluffernutter has no chocolate, but sprinkling some chocolate chips on top of one side and melting before assembly is pretty standard. Though IME hagelslag or vlokken work better, and of course you can also get hagelslag at Cost Plus, 😂.)
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yaros
Aug. 24th, 2025 01:23 pmswaldmanI enjoyed the first two books of this series. I didn't think they were especially good, in a sense, but they were gripping and enjoyable.
This one flipped over to "ugh, no". I forced myself to finish it, but will not be looking out for the next installment. This series, like many others, has handled the need for escalation between volumes by increasing the scale and raising the stakes. We started off with one young woman's survival, and now we're dealing with world politics. But this simply isn't handled well.
(spoilers follow)
( Spoilers )
Bleh.
Various Goodbyes
Aug. 23rd, 2025 01:40 pmyourlibrarian1) Finally saw the last episode of Vera and the Farewell Pet documentary extra about the series. Interesting that the show has been so successful in so many countries. I will miss seeing new stories and it's particularly unfortunate that the last season was only 2 episodes. But I'm glad it had a long run and was satisfied with how it left off.
2) When I went to cancel Britbox earlier this week, they offered me a free month to continue. So why not? As a result I had more time to get through House of Elliot and finished S3. They clearly expected to go onto another season, which is unfortunate because without the final scenes they could have wrapped the story up fairly well. ( Read more... )
3) I also forged ahead up to season 19 of Silent Witness. ( Read more... )
4) I can't say I miss mass market paperbacks, largely because I read e-books and their costs have risen considerably. But their decline does upset some for a variety of reasons. I definitely think it's a shame they've been replaced by paperback copies in a hardback size, due to storage space, cost, and reduced titles. ( Read more... )
5) Some more trip photos at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
common_nature, these at Agate Beach and nearby areas. Also a lack of whales.
2) When I went to cancel Britbox earlier this week, they offered me a free month to continue. So why not? As a result I had more time to get through House of Elliot and finished S3. They clearly expected to go onto another season, which is unfortunate because without the final scenes they could have wrapped the story up fairly well. ( Read more... )
3) I also forged ahead up to season 19 of Silent Witness. ( Read more... )
4) I can't say I miss mass market paperbacks, largely because I read e-books and their costs have risen considerably. But their decline does upset some for a variety of reasons. I definitely think it's a shame they've been replaced by paperback copies in a hardback size, due to storage space, cost, and reduced titles. ( Read more... )
5) Some more trip photos at
common_nature, these at Agate Beach and nearby areas. Also a lack of whales.Poll #33521 Kudos Footer-536
This poll is anonymous.
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 7
Want to leave a Kudos?
the moon sometimes looks like a C, but you can't eat that!
Aug. 22nd, 2025 05:39 pmursamajorI did not end up making a dessert for choir this week that magically used any portion of our eleven cups of plum jam in the fridge. I made chocolate chip cookies, and they disappeared like magic (the only empty container on the snack table when I went to clean up after break!) and I got multiple compliments on them *preens*.
It was my usual recipe, doubled because I used the oversized 20 oz Ghirardelli bag of semisweet chips, and then I went through my spice cabinet and pulled out baharat and rosewater. Though I've made a couple of adjustments over the years, and didn't actually write them down online, so here, have my ( go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. )
Ugh, I need a new chocolate icon, FJKR.
That being said, I went by Market Hall this morning since the internet said they were my local carrier for the See's Candy x McConnell's Ice Cream collab - they didn't have all the flavors, but they did have Coffee + Molasses Chips, so that got promptly plopped into my bike basket.
But while I was there, I also perused the other things they had available, and the regular old standard size 12 oz bag of Guittard semisweet chocolate chips was SIXTEEN GODDAMNED DOLLARS I HATE THIS TIMELINE.
Even checking online right now - Berkeley Bowl is claiming $12.39/bag, Guittard direct says $11.99/bag, and I am wondering how many bags of the semisweet I can order via my farmshare at $7.49/bag before they cut me off. Ghirardelli is still available at Berkeley Bowl for $8.79/bag, but I'm wondering for how much longer - before this summer, both of these were pretty close price matches, maybe 50c/bag difference and not always consistently in the same direction depending on what supermarket I was at? This feels like when vanilla prices exponentially spiked a few years ago and my $50 of vanilla backstock was suddenly worth $300.
... the farmshare website dropdown goes to 20 items. I'm not sure I want to be talked out of this. (I will probably buy at least 4, I am literally down to my last bag of chocolate chips and I usually have half a dozen bags on hand at any given time.)
It was my usual recipe, doubled because I used the oversized 20 oz Ghirardelli bag of semisweet chips, and then I went through my spice cabinet and pulled out baharat and rosewater. Though I've made a couple of adjustments over the years, and didn't actually write them down online, so here, have my ( go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. )
Ugh, I need a new chocolate icon, FJKR.
That being said, I went by Market Hall this morning since the internet said they were my local carrier for the See's Candy x McConnell's Ice Cream collab - they didn't have all the flavors, but they did have Coffee + Molasses Chips, so that got promptly plopped into my bike basket.
But while I was there, I also perused the other things they had available, and the regular old standard size 12 oz bag of Guittard semisweet chocolate chips was SIXTEEN GODDAMNED DOLLARS I HATE THIS TIMELINE.
Even checking online right now - Berkeley Bowl is claiming $12.39/bag, Guittard direct says $11.99/bag, and I am wondering how many bags of the semisweet I can order via my farmshare at $7.49/bag before they cut me off. Ghirardelli is still available at Berkeley Bowl for $8.79/bag, but I'm wondering for how much longer - before this summer, both of these were pretty close price matches, maybe 50c/bag difference and not always consistently in the same direction depending on what supermarket I was at? This feels like when vanilla prices exponentially spiked a few years ago and my $50 of vanilla backstock was suddenly worth $300.
... the farmshare website dropdown goes to 20 items. I'm not sure I want to be talked out of this. (I will probably buy at least 4, I am literally down to my last bag of chocolate chips and I usually have half a dozen bags on hand at any given time.)
PSA: The Middleman
Aug. 22nd, 2025 09:33 pmtrobadoraRemember The Middleman?
Viamuccamukk:
Via
muccamukk:Javier Grillo-Marxuach (on BlueSky): hey everyone, wanna watch my tv show “the middleman”I have such fond memories of that show. And it's now freely available online Archive.org!
on streaming with no added charges?
fic: The sort of beauty that's called human (Will/Bran, G for now, 4/?)
Aug. 22nd, 2025 02:05 pmlotesseThe sort of beauty that's called human (4705 words) by lotesse
Chapters: 4/?
Fandom: Dark Is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Bran Davies/Will Stanton
Characters: Bran Davies, Will Stanton (Dark is Rising), Owen Davies, Herne the Hunter (Dark is Rising)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Loss of Parent(s), Immortality
Series: Part 4 of Wherein was bound a child
Summary:
Chapters: 4/?
Fandom: Dark Is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Bran Davies/Will Stanton
Characters: Bran Davies, Will Stanton (Dark is Rising), Owen Davies, Herne the Hunter (Dark is Rising)
Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Loss of Parent(s), Immortality
Series: Part 4 of Wherein was bound a child
Summary:
“We have to go,” Bran said, his voice coming out hoarser than he’d expected. “Rhys called. Trouble with my da. A stroke.”
No more needed to be said aloud. They were going back to Wales.
thought i'd try one of these
Aug. 22nd, 2025 09:16 ammercuriosthe following are this week's questions from thefridayfive
1. Have you ever stayed in a hostel? If so, where? Did you like it?
i have! i've stayed in hostels both here (when i worked in torres de paine, i had to stay somewhere in puerto natales) and in the states (the first time i stayed in one in south lake tahoe which i loved, one in san francisco; and the second time i stayed in one in los angeles when i visited for a week)
corner hostel in puerto natales - because of WHEN i went, i mainly saw people coming in to work in the park, but other times i did see people on their full trekking gear coming from different parts of the work. had a french roommate with whom we bonded just because another roommate snored ALL night and it was impossible to sleep. it was kind of funny though lol.
mellow mountain hostel in south lake tahoe - this one holds a special place in my hear because it was where i went to live the first time i travelled to tahoe, after my original accomodation fell through. met a lot of awesome people there, and had the same roommates the entire time, which was also great. sadly the next year we couldn't stay there because they got picky with the long stays, WHICH WAS VERY LAME OF THEM. i still love them, take me back.
the urban hotel in san francisco - well this one was actually booked by one of the friends i went to san francisco with, and had no idea it was a hotel. this place is NOT a hotel lmao. it was great though, because we only paid for two and there were three of us hehehe. only one bed in the room but at least the rooms were private. bathroom wasn't. and we were right in front of the chinatown gate.
melrose hostel in los angeles - couldn't find a link to this one, i stayed here with a friend in los angeles the last time i was in the states. it was fun! only-women room, the terrace was great, you couldn't smoke there but it always smelled like weed, amazing. the only thing was the long-ass stair to get there (the entrance was street level but the front desk and rooms were in the second floor lmao and i was carrying TWO big-ass suitcases.
UNHONORABLE MENTION to the banana bungalows hostel in los angeles, in hollywood boulevard (FIRST RED FLAG) - i stayed here for just one night while waiting for my friend and ended up switching to melrose. i hadn't even checked in and a girl came out running because someone had left with her bag, which was supposed to be in custody?????? i-
then some lady staying in the same room as me kept turning on the ac everytime i turned it off lmao bitch. i didn't even shower there and left the next day. honestly it was probably not a great idea to look for something that close to the walk of fame (which is not even that great! but i literally forgot that while i was looking for places to stay, my brain was only thinking 'cheap'). the website makes it seem like a great party type of place and it's not even my vibe, i have no idea what i was thinking okay
( rest of the questions under the cut )
thefridayfive 1. Have you ever stayed in a hostel? If so, where? Did you like it?
i have! i've stayed in hostels both here (when i worked in torres de paine, i had to stay somewhere in puerto natales) and in the states (the first time i stayed in one in south lake tahoe which i loved, one in san francisco; and the second time i stayed in one in los angeles when i visited for a week)
corner hostel in puerto natales - because of WHEN i went, i mainly saw people coming in to work in the park, but other times i did see people on their full trekking gear coming from different parts of the work. had a french roommate with whom we bonded just because another roommate snored ALL night and it was impossible to sleep. it was kind of funny though lol.
mellow mountain hostel in south lake tahoe - this one holds a special place in my hear because it was where i went to live the first time i travelled to tahoe, after my original accomodation fell through. met a lot of awesome people there, and had the same roommates the entire time, which was also great. sadly the next year we couldn't stay there because they got picky with the long stays, WHICH WAS VERY LAME OF THEM. i still love them, take me back.
the urban hotel in san francisco - well this one was actually booked by one of the friends i went to san francisco with, and had no idea it was a hotel. this place is NOT a hotel lmao. it was great though, because we only paid for two and there were three of us hehehe. only one bed in the room but at least the rooms were private. bathroom wasn't. and we were right in front of the chinatown gate.
melrose hostel in los angeles - couldn't find a link to this one, i stayed here with a friend in los angeles the last time i was in the states. it was fun! only-women room, the terrace was great, you couldn't smoke there but it always smelled like weed, amazing. the only thing was the long-ass stair to get there (the entrance was street level but the front desk and rooms were in the second floor lmao and i was carrying TWO big-ass suitcases.
UNHONORABLE MENTION to the banana bungalows hostel in los angeles, in hollywood boulevard (FIRST RED FLAG) - i stayed here for just one night while waiting for my friend and ended up switching to melrose. i hadn't even checked in and a girl came out running because someone had left with her bag, which was supposed to be in custody?????? i-
then some lady staying in the same room as me kept turning on the ac everytime i turned it off lmao bitch. i didn't even shower there and left the next day. honestly it was probably not a great idea to look for something that close to the walk of fame (which is not even that great! but i literally forgot that while i was looking for places to stay, my brain was only thinking 'cheap'). the website makes it seem like a great party type of place and it's not even my vibe, i have no idea what i was thinking okay
( rest of the questions under the cut )
The Polari Prize 2025
Aug. 22nd, 2025 01:43 amchrisYou may recall that my late husband, Emerson Milford Dickson, was a judge for the first children's and YA prize at the Polari Prize awards, which are UK literary prizes for LGBTQ+ literature, in 2022; I mentioned that he took joy and pride in having been one in the memorial service speech I wrote about him at the time.
You may also be aware that the longlist for one of this year's Polari Prize awards included a nomination for a work by somebody overtly transphobic with a long history of hateful outbursts, among other things. As a result of this, many nominees for this year's awards, as well as some of the judges, have withdrawn, and it has widely been published that the awards this year have been cancelled.
I don't know if Emerson might have been asked to judge the counterpart children's and YA prize in 2024 or to remain involved onwards. I do know that, whether or not he had, Emerson would have been incensed by that inclusion in the longlist, and he would have been extremely vocal about it, absolutely lending his support to those judges who withdrew at the very least. As much as I and many others miss him, there have been many developments over the last couple of years that I am (and I know many others are) glad he has not had to live through. He would have felt particularly disappointed and betrayed by the Polari Prize, though.
The statement put out on behalf of the awards says that "Polari is not and has never been a trans exclusionary organisation. These are not our values and we condemn all forms of transphobia." This is difficult, at best, to reconcile with its longlisting decision, or with some of the actions of - and voices followed by - the Prize's founder. The slow and equivocal nature of the response by the Prize also does not offer reassurance. If the awards continue and if they continue to condemn all forms of transphobia, they cannot offer a platform to the repeatedly, openly and vocally transphobic.
I do not expect this to contribute to the public discussion; it can only be a drop in the wave. However, it would not be in keeping with my sacred memory of Emerson, and those who loved him, not to say anything at all.
You may also be aware that the longlist for one of this year's Polari Prize awards included a nomination for a work by somebody overtly transphobic with a long history of hateful outbursts, among other things. As a result of this, many nominees for this year's awards, as well as some of the judges, have withdrawn, and it has widely been published that the awards this year have been cancelled.
I don't know if Emerson might have been asked to judge the counterpart children's and YA prize in 2024 or to remain involved onwards. I do know that, whether or not he had, Emerson would have been incensed by that inclusion in the longlist, and he would have been extremely vocal about it, absolutely lending his support to those judges who withdrew at the very least. As much as I and many others miss him, there have been many developments over the last couple of years that I am (and I know many others are) glad he has not had to live through. He would have felt particularly disappointed and betrayed by the Polari Prize, though.
The statement put out on behalf of the awards says that "Polari is not and has never been a trans exclusionary organisation. These are not our values and we condemn all forms of transphobia." This is difficult, at best, to reconcile with its longlisting decision, or with some of the actions of - and voices followed by - the Prize's founder. The slow and equivocal nature of the response by the Prize also does not offer reassurance. If the awards continue and if they continue to condemn all forms of transphobia, they cannot offer a platform to the repeatedly, openly and vocally transphobic.
I do not expect this to contribute to the public discussion; it can only be a drop in the wave. However, it would not be in keeping with my sacred memory of Emerson, and those who loved him, not to say anything at all.
