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kate_nepveuAfter the GoH interviews, I had a lovely evening talking with people about books. My usual practice is to only look at the news once a day, in the morning (and often not at all on weekends), and the same for the social media sites that don't let me fully silo off political news. So I had a bit of a weird morning Sunday morning!
Nevertheless I got my notes together for my panels later in the day, packed, and went to this panel, which I'd promised forestofglory notes on.
Defining and Appreciating Cozy SFF
At the blog Lady Business, forestofglory argues that cozy SFF "generally has small stakes," "focuses on community-building," and "honors the importance of domestic labor and other undervalued jobs." She also argues that its main failure mode is "insularity": failing to ground a story by situating it within a larger context, or failing to recognize the implications of its background worldbuilding. Panelists will explore how this framework illuminates cozy SFF's appeal, scope, and relationships to other subgenres.
Caitlin Rozakis, John Wiswell, Natalie Luhrs, Steven Popkes, Victoria Janssen (moderator)
Victoria: will mostly focus on some newer things that readers have decided are cozy SFF, because figured most of you are here for recommendations audience: yes Steven: vast majority of own work is cozy SF but don't like word cozy Victoria: call own recent works cozy space opera, starts with end of war and escape to utopia, get assigned to therapists, that kind of thing Natalie: headed up RT Book Reviews SF section for several years Caitlin: debut novel Dreadful came out little over month ago, fantasy farce; not originally conceived of as cozy, getting slotted into, having interesting feels about John: also debut novel in same timeframe, Someone You Can Build a Nest In. chapter 1, flesh eating monster eats man to death, everyone calls it cozy (monster finds girlfriend, tries not to blow it) Natalie: trust you not to do anything really terrible, like kill dog John: her pet is a bear Caitlin: and nothing bad happens to Victoria: what makes cozy? small stakes, not always true; community building, ditto; domestic labor & unvalued jobs, my favorite aspect but also ditto Caitlin: impression under is that coming out of cozy mystery, in which people totally die but it's secondary Natalie: but in a really non-threatening way Caitlin: first victim, head first into industrial ice cream maker; three more people choke on sprinkles; at the end, there's recipes Victoria: actually think cozy mystery is about justice therefore restoration of status quo, but cozy SFF is often about upending of status quo (edit) Natalie: posit that cozy is more vibe than genre panel: yes John: think where diverge from mystery is that mystery has had time to calcify into conventions, maybe in 10-15 years speculative fiction will. think one wonderful thing about being in a vibes space is what get into in panel description, different kinds of points of stories can be centered, e.g. not violence as center or what principally defines characters. one of reasons that Legends & Lattes blew up, desire to have quieter life and see how it works Caitlin: vibes include sense of safety not for just characters but for reader, not going to be deeply upsetting. tone will be such that will not be gut-punched. hence popularity given stress of current times (me: see the reader contract inherent in the romance genre) Victoria: asks Steven why works are called cozy Steven: don't like cozy because implies comfort to reader, like idea of small stakes character-level. don't know ever called cozy but meets definition, violence is not endgame. Smilodon Country main character is attempting to find different way after growing up in violent gang, doesn't know what that looks like. don't find that comforting but thrust is to move away and redeem self in one's own eyes. maybe missing something about definition, preselects works like to read against being comforted Victoria: making better life, hope at end of tunnel, are books I find cozy Natalie: or changing stressful circumstance in your life, doesn't have to be violence. John: if don't like cozy, can always call moist sf someone: moist horror Caitlin: there is also rain of viscera in mine! but tone really sets a lot, played for laughs John: character sensibility has huge thing to with coziness, also horror (ho-hum, another day at slaughterhouse) Caitlin: just finished Liberty's Daughter, Naomi Kritzer, not cozy, excellent. at one point reality TV producer asks, what's the difference between tragedy and comedy? someone says: what happens to me versus what happens to you. producer: no, it's what music you play over it. Caitlin con't: cozy has focus on simplicity, old-timey small business John: Naomi Kritzer is great recommendation for short stories; "Year without Sunshine" almost cozy apocalypse Natalie: also makes lists of annual gifts for people you don't like Natalie con't: wanted to bring up Becky Chambers, Monk and Robot series, incredibly deep worldbuilding, people are living in sustainable way, recycling, bartering between little towns; tea monk meets robot who noped out of humans; very gentle, slow, thoughtful, kind Caitlin: doesn't mean not challenging or have profound things to say Natalie: monk trying to figure out what want in life, but very meditative. beautiful Victoria: recommendations time! Natalie: Katharine Addison, Goblin Emperor and two other books in that world, though content note, second contains disabling event Caitlin: Goblin Emperor interesting because like a lot of cozy works, take a different direction that used to John: Delicious in Dungeon, anime and manga (I got to tell him that the manga was complete) Steven: Heavenly Delusion anime on Max; stays with feeling of comfort, progressively weirder Caitlin: Olivia Atwater, Small Miracles, basically Good Omens fanfic with serial numbers lightly filed off; also Half a Soul, Regency fairy thing Victoria: Victoria Goddard, Hands of the Emperor, extremely immersive Caitlin: Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, Legends & Lattes, how much is coming out of coffee shop AU? Victoria: Celia Lake, historical romance with magic; lot of good disability representation and also lots of different kinds of representation Caitlin: think sense of inclusivity is starting become one of the tropes Victoria: "even I am safe" John: like to see that we belong in an uncontested way, at least some of the time John con't: one of fave developments is seeing commercial writers responding to fanfic because many have read and part of community: Isaac Feldman's Dead Collections, trans vampire nerd is fanfic reader, meets woman who is fanfic writer Caitlin: TJ Klune's Lightning-Struck Heart, older one, can't honestly say good (edit:) but is FABULOUS, just bonkers. House in the Cerulean Sea now has a sequel, which is better but less cracky (though situation is compared to residential schools, so be aware) Victoria: Sarah Beth Durst, The Spellshop, just came out: author says wanted to be like a warm hug Victoria con't: forthcoming August, Full Moon Coffee House, Mai Mochizuki; is coffeehouse story but very philosophical; sequential characters with problems where servers, who are talking cats, help; each turn out to be connected; a bit static feeling but in a good way Steven: kind of like Miyazaki movie waiting to happen John: it's okay if it's not everybody's cup of tea! everyone groans Caitlin: mentioned domesticity, but also fantasy of simplicity of small business (discussion about ways in which that is a fantasy elided for sake of my hands) question: what kind of cozy new trope would you like to see that isn't there yet Natalie: disability representation for rare diseases, as survivor of one, changed but still alive Caitlin: Courtney Smyth, The Undetectables, should read, lot of plot about person who doesn't have spoons to do the magic most days Natalie: also fat rep John: me! I'm the fat rep John con't: not nearly veterans affairs in these stories, care for characters after big events Natalie: oh okay with VA and not building permits (going back to small business discussion) question: cozy + cosmic horror? people point at John question: large v small stakes, but small stakes can also make sob uncontrollably: if they do, still count as cozy? Caitlin: would say no, good valid important but not cozy John: when have cozy as a vibe, some will sob and some not; sometimes there's catharsis and crying out of affirming and reassurance, which can be cozy question: overused trope yet? (edit) someone: cat-themed may be getting a bit much Caitlin: also coffeeshop AUs. definitely failure modes as mentioned, not wrestling with implications, drifting too far into tradwife aesthetic back to recommendations: Natalie: Murderbot comforting and almost cozy Victoria: also because enslaved person who becomes free and what that means and how to live Natalie: T. Kingfisher romances (which are also cozy horror) And that's all. panel notes
+1 (thumbs-up, I see you, etc.)?
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Date: 2024-07-16 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-07-17 11:59 am (UTC)oh no, it was a welcome thing to be occupying my mind!
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Date: 2024-07-30 11:31 pm (UTC)