Continuing Discussions of Helix

[ysabetwordsmith]

nojojojo has an analysis of racism regarding women of color, sparked by William Sanders' message to yhlee.

This is what Sanders said about yhlee's story "The Shadow Postulates."

timeshark has some useful advice on "How Not to Manage a PR Disaster."

So far, I see at least two good things coming out of this fiasco:

1) A lot of people are discussing racism, writers of color in F&SF, and character ethnicity in F&SF. Many of those discussions are reasoned rather than just name-calling in one direction or the other. While I regret the impetus for the discussions, I'm glad to see them. They're putting often invisible writers and stories into the spotlight, and helping people who are interested in these topics identify each other. This includes writers talking about upcoming publications by and/or about people of color, which are probably attracting more eagerly-waiting-readers who might otherwise have missed out.

2) People are also discussing what does and does not constitute professional behavior for editors and writers. Many of those discussions contain excellent advice and insights. "If you can't lower the price, raise the profit."