Share Tweet Share Email

Lynne Thomas finalist for two Hugo Awards

April 13, 2017

Lynne Thomas

Lynne Thomas, head of Rare Books and Distinctive Collections for NIU Libraries, is a finalist once again for two World Science Fiction Society Hugo Awards, the most prominent recognition for excellence in science fiction and fantasy work. These most recent nominations make Thomas an 11-time finalist across several categories, with four previous wins.

The Hugo awards are voted on by a group of individuals who have chosen to participate in voting, making receiving a nomination much more significant because it means the award is a direct recognition from the science fiction and fantasy community. The winners will be announced on Friday, August 11, at the Hugo Awards Ceremony in Helsinki, Finland.

Thomas is a finalist in the categories of “Best Semiprozine” and “Best Editor, Short Form.” She won in the “Best Semiprozine” category last year. This is the first time she’s been a finalist in the “Best Editor, Short Form” category.

Thomas said it is both overwhelming and humbling to be recognized so consistently.

“Oddly enough, I didn’t read much science fiction as a kid, A Wrinkle in Time aside,” she said. “My engagement with this community, and this literature, really began when I started at NIU in 2004 and began working in our science fiction collections.”

The work she is nominated for is published in Uncanny Magazine, which is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine featuring fiction and poetry, prose and nonfiction. Thomas is co-editor and publisher of the magazine, which has contributors ranging from the award-winning leading voices of the field to emerging talents.

She also moderated the Hugo-Award winning SF Squeecast and contributes to the Verity! PodcastThomas said most of her projects are collaborative in nature, which has helped her to be so prolific.

“My husband Michael has been the most consistent partner in crime, but I have also had the honor of working with some excellent co-editors, and all of the podcasts are a team effort, too,” she said. “That means that when I need to tag out and ask a colleague to step up for a bit, that’s possible in both directions.”