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An Honor to Be Nominated

37:55 recording · EN · 2 speakers

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Brief overview

An overlooked indie terraformer hijacks a rigged awards show, turning humiliation into a case for weird art.

  1. Recognition rarely reaches work outside the systemKlemk's independent, volunteer-built Earth was never a contender against studio-made, focus-grouped worlds like Folotoro.
  2. A nomination can be a trap, not a complimentLomitar admits he bought the minimum nominations so Klemk would show up and take a job offer.
  3. Strange work is worth making anywayKlemk tells the ballroom to be weird and do something only you can do, because a reaction means someone cares.
Executive Summary AI
  • Escape Pod episode 1034, hosted by Merle Lafferty, presents "An Honor to be Nominated" by Jacob Sinemeyer, an English teacher and speculative fiction author based in Perth, Western Australia, narrated by Eli Hirschman.0:52
  • In the story, Klemk Utha arrives unnoticed at the Planetary Terraforming Awards for the 346 billionth galactic cycle, nominated for his obscure planet Earth among 6,000 nominees, seated seventy rows back beside the aquatics' tank.4:23
  • His former partner Lomitar, now Fieldstar Productions' favourite for his focus-grouped world Folotoro, admits he pulled strings with Berglund to scrape up the minimum nominations just to lure Klemk there and offer him a job.15:51
  • The Board, short a presenter after Pirkenstrub was savaged by his own quetzadillo, drags a drunk Klemk onstage to hand Lomitar the Most Innovative Planet Award; Klemk instead announces his own name and Earth, preaches making strange, niche work, and leaps off the stage as the Kifuk close in.26:06
  • Afterwards Lafferty reflects on awards season, the Hugo scandals of the last twelve years, Chris M. Barkley suing for his trophy, and closes with Jack Benny's line about not deserving the award or his arthritis.32:51
Key Quote
“What's your world called? Earth. They blinked. Never heard of it.”
— Eli Hirschman8:01
Key Quote
“I pulled some strings, asked Berglund to send out some side blasts to a few of the more heavily populated hive mind dimensions, enough to scrape up the minimum number of nominations to score you an invite.”
— Eli Hirschman15:51
Key Quote
“Klemk Utha, he said. Earth! He was suddenly, painfully, appallingly sober.”
— Eli Hirschman26:32