2011 Pegasus Awards.: seanan

2011 Pegasus Awards.

This past weekend, I was in Ohio for OVFF (the Ohio Valley Filk Festival). I go as often as I can, usually every year, and I always have a wonderful time. This year, I was honored to be represented twice on the 2011 Pegasus Ballot, once for "Best Bad-Ass Song," for "Evil Laugh," and once for Best Song, for "Wicked Girls." My beloved Amy McNally, meanwhile, was on the ballot in the "Best Performer" category. It was an exciting year.

It was also a brutally hard ballot. Voting for the Pegasus Awards is never easy, but it's usually a little easier on my heart than this. There was absolutely nothing bad on that ballot, and nothing that I could even really say "well, that's perceptibly weaker than the things around it" about. It was all amazing. The only thing I was sure of was that I couldn't predict the results; the only result I was really praying to the Great Pumpkin for was in the Best Performer category, where I desperately wanted Amy to win.

Best Romantic Song was the first announced, and went to "As I Am" by Heather Dale. We all clapped and cheered, and laughed at her pole-axed acceptance. Best Bad-Ass Song was the second announced, and went to...me. And my dinosaurs. I sort of staggered to the front, blinked a lot, said dinosaurs were cool, and went away. My table clapped and cheered. Best Writer/Composer, S.J. Tucker.

And then...Best Performer, Amy McNally. My table, which had, again, clapped politely when I won, EXPLODED. Literally. Screaming, shouting, applause. Amy wasn't able to attend this year, so Brooke, Vixy, and I went up, announced that we were Amy's Angels, and accepted the SHIT out of that award.

I am so proud of her.

Best Classic Filk Song went to "The Phoenix" by Julia Ecklar. More clapping and cheering. And then Best Song...

Best Song went to "Wicked Girls." Oh, my heart.

I have coveted that award. I won't pretend that I haven't. I've wanted it, very badly, from the day I understood what it was. It is the ultimate "you are an awesome songwriter and you have written an awesome song" of filk, and I wanted it. I did not cry, but only, really, because I was still in shock and full of delight over Amy's win. We are wicked. We are fair. We can all of us save ourselves.

The winners for 2011:

Best Filk Song: "Wicked Girls" by Seanan McGuire
Best Classic Filk Song: "The Phoenix" by Julia Ecklar
Best Performer: Amy McNally
Best Writer/Composer: S. J. Tucker
Best Badass Song: "Evil Laugh" by Seanan McGuire
Best Romantic Song: "As I Am" by Heather Dale

Some interesting facts:

This is the first time the entire Pegasus slate has been won by women. No co-writers were harmed in the granting of these awards. Go team Wicked Girls!

Amy McNally's win marks the first time someone who is primarily an instrumentalist has been awarded Best Performer. So well-deserved.

Julia Ecklar won the John W. Campbell Award in 1991. I won it in 2010. This is the first time, ever, that both Best Filk Song and Best Classic Filk Song have been won by professional authors.

It was a very good year. Thank you to everyone who voted, and thank you to everyone who believed that we could fly.

Oh, and Amy? Congratulations, sweetheart.

shaharazad

October 26 2011, 17:15:56 UTC 5 years ago

New comment

Congratulations!

seanan_mcguire

October 26 2011, 17:29:47 UTC 5 years ago

Thank you!

dornbeast

October 26 2011, 17:16:53 UTC 5 years ago

And congratulations to you.

Here, have some Black Death links. It's a little technical for me, but I think they're saying that Yersinia Pestis might have been visibly different in the Middle Ages as far as time from visible infection to death goes, and they're trying to figure out whether or not they're right.

October 26 2011, 17:29:56 UTC 5 years ago

Ah, sweet virology.

groblek

October 26 2011, 17:18:36 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations! You so earned that award, as did Amy. She's an amazing fiddler and I'll consider myself lucky if I ever manage to play the instrument half as well as she does. And Wicked Girls is an amazing song. I feel like I should say more, but I can't find the words. Just wow.

October 26 2011, 17:30:02 UTC 5 years ago

Thank you, honey.

anderyn

October 26 2011, 17:36:17 UTC 5 years ago

Congrats!

I'm very pleased to hear of your win and that of Julia Ecklar.

I haven't heard your friend Amy, so I will have to find a CD and rectify that soonest -- I assume she does have one? (Hopes she does, because it's cool to find new artists.)

vixyish

October 26 2011, 17:40:07 UTC 5 years ago

If you have the Wicked Girls album, you've heard Amy already-- she's the fiddler fiddling awesomeness all over that album! :)

5 years ago

catsittingstill

October 26 2011, 17:38:41 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations!

All the wins were well deserved, in my opinion.

October 26 2011, 17:44:47 UTC 5 years ago

Thank you!

It was great to see you.

filkferengi

ceitfianna

October 26 2011, 17:50:43 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations! Wicked Girls is an amazing song and CD, it's powerful and inspiring.

October 26 2011, 19:03:12 UTC 5 years ago

Thank you.

filkpiper

October 26 2011, 18:09:13 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations to both you and Amy. Pictures to follow.

October 26 2011, 19:03:22 UTC 5 years ago

tuftears

October 26 2011, 18:48:38 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations! ^_^

October 26 2011, 19:03:28 UTC 5 years ago

Yay. :)

liddle_oldman

October 26 2011, 18:48:55 UTC 5 years ago

Congratufrackinglations!

October 26 2011, 19:03:35 UTC 5 years ago

YAY.

beccastareyes

October 26 2011, 18:56:42 UTC 5 years ago

Congrats! You deserve it.

(It does remind me I need to branch out in my filksinging collection, since I don't know most of those names...)

October 26 2011, 19:04:18 UTC 5 years ago

They're awesome. Look for Heather Dale's Road to Santiago and Julia Ecklar's Divine Intervention, for a start.

sweetmusic_27

October 26 2011, 19:00:58 UTC 5 years ago

I am wearing my Wicked Girls shirt for the first time today. I hadn't noticed the all-girl-ass-kickin' ballot yet either, but damn, go us Wicked Girls. ♥

♥ And hearts to my Angels, too! (I expect pictures from the photoshoot with the wind-fans and the guns and everything.)

And I'm just going to be over here pretending I'm not looking at other people's comments on this post and squeeing my little fiddler heart out.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

October 26 2011, 19:04:49 UTC 5 years ago

You're that awesome, dolly.

Now be on IM, I miss you.

artbeco

pameladean

October 26 2011, 19:27:28 UTC 5 years ago

Oh, that's splendid! I love "Wicked Girls" so much.

P.

October 26 2011, 19:30:05 UTC 5 years ago

I'm really happy. :)

melchar

October 26 2011, 19:52:57 UTC 5 years ago

So freaking cool! Congratulations! And more congratulations with extra awesome! Even 'pro'-gratulations [so you get 'pro' & 'con' -gratulations]

October 27 2011, 14:11:46 UTC 5 years ago

Hee. :)

vettecat

October 26 2011, 21:05:19 UTC 5 years ago

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

October 27 2011, 14:11:57 UTC 5 years ago

I have the glee.

:)

maverick_weirdo

October 26 2011, 21:09:33 UTC 5 years ago

Double congratulations on the two wins.

This was my first year sending in a ballot in advance instead of voting after the concert, it didn't make it any easier.

Re: :)

October 27 2011, 14:13:00 UTC 5 years ago

Honestly! I sent my ballot in advance, too (it seems kinder), and it was killer.

ravnsdaughter

October 26 2011, 21:27:25 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations! That is so awesome, and you all deserve it so much.

And that pic of you in your Wicked Girls shirt totally rocks. I can hardly wait until mine arrives. :)

October 27 2011, 14:13:14 UTC 5 years ago

I'm getting 'em packed and out the door!

it_aint_easy

October 26 2011, 23:27:34 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations, O Seanan, my Seanan.

And you go on and let it go right to your head. :{)}

October 27 2011, 14:13:22 UTC 5 years ago

You're so sweet. ;)

saoba

October 27 2011, 00:36:50 UTC 5 years ago

I am SO glad for all of you.

Wicked Girls makes me tear up every. damn. time.

October 27 2011, 14:13:56 UTC 5 years ago

yellowblackhaze

October 27 2011, 00:41:25 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations on the double win. I only discovered your music this year, but it's been a great discovery and both I and my wife listen to you a lot now.

October 27 2011, 14:14:08 UTC 5 years ago

That makes me happy. :)

avahgdu

October 27 2011, 00:43:42 UTC 5 years ago

Horsetamer's Daughter lady n you share an award. Were you even born in 1985? LOL
Awesome. Congrats

October 27 2011, 14:14:18 UTC 5 years ago

I was seven!

vincentursus

October 27 2011, 01:03:30 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations!

Well deserved, the winning songs are favorites of mine.

Especially 'Evil Laugh.' That one always makes me smile.

October 27 2011, 14:14:27 UTC 5 years ago

bookblather

October 27 2011, 01:13:13 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations to you! Congratulations to everyone! Wicked Girls so deserved it.

October 27 2011, 14:14:37 UTC 5 years ago

I'm really thrilled.

gorgeousgary

October 27 2011, 01:58:44 UTC 5 years ago

Congratulations, to you and all the winners!

October 27 2011, 14:14:46 UTC 5 years ago

drcpunk

October 27 2011, 03:59:10 UTC 5 years ago

It was a good Pegasus years. And, while I wasn't at the Interfilk Auction, I understand that a certain item you put on the table went for the Most Money Ever at an Interfilk Auction.