Last night, the Science Fiction Writers of America hosted an event to honor the #nebulas2020 nominees. Here's a quick thread explaining why it was such an amazing experience to be a part of! Tl;dr: the focus was on how great all the nominees are, instead of who ultimately wins!

First off, @sfwa gave nominees, organizers, and attendees HOURS together to socialize. They had a bartender helping folks make drinks from stuff they had at home, a dress-up party, and a beautifully orchestrated zoom that let people gather in intimate breakout rooms

It's the best execution of a virtual party I've experienced to date—I met new people, hung out with friends, and could break off like a moody edgelord, just like I do at in-person parties :)

And the event itself! Ye gods. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the actors' performances of the nominated works. This was NOT an easy acting task. Each work was so wildly different from the next, the actors should have been wearing neck-braces to protect them from the whiplash!

But they didn't just pull it off. The actors were extraordinary. I was watching how they rolled their eyes and danced with their eyebrows, interpreting the texts with their whole faces, their whole bodies. They were wholly committed, and I am so grateful to them

(Also, the actor who performed my story wielded the rubber chicken I sent him SO PERFECTLY that I owe him a Chewbacca-like life debt. You have my laser crossbow forever, sir!)

And of course, the only reason those actors could deliver such superb performances is because they were given the venue to do so. #sfwa did SUCH an extraordinary job making this exceedingly complicated event go off so seamlessly and delightfully

I know, besides being an award-winning writer, @MaryRobinette is a trained actor: but that was no guarantee that she would be an ideal MC, as well as being its central organizer. But folks, she was "effortlessly" great (in quotes because "effortless" is a helluva lot of work!)

And I know she would be the first to say that a HUGE number of #sfwa board members and volunteers came together to make the event possible. So count me as the second to say it. EVERYONE was delightful and wonderful.

This virtual event would not have happened without the current COVID crisis. But I feel like a lot has been learned about incorporating the power of virtual distribution to enhance conferences.

Specifically, I suggest that we ALWAYS honor nominees in this way.

This separate event, a week before the awards ceremony, did the most important thing: it emphasized how great ALL OF THIS WORK IS.

And folks, it really is. I LOVED hearing the nominees' work. The event made me feel honored and amazed to be including with this august group

(Also, I volunteered to play all of the nominated games next year on Twitch, so that the games could be showcased even more: so if you want me, @sfwa, call me! But the trailers were an excellent solution for last night.)

Thank you everyone at @sfwa who made last night possible. I'm proud to be a member and a nominee, and a participant in the @NebulaWeekend this weekend!