In my presentation of the Best Poem category at the 2025 Hugo Awards at Seattle Worldcon, I hoped to remind people of the long road that poetry has carved for the speculative genres, not only as one of the initial sources of our most revered epics as examples of genre fiction, but therefore as one of the oldest and most enduring forms of storytelling craft in human history. I had hoped in doing so — and in delivering a cheeky challenge to the Worldcons to come — to reiterate how important it is as a fandom to continue valuing poetry as a part of the legacy of our genre.
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| Writer, poet, artist and game designer Brandon O'Brien, who was the Poet Laureate at last year's Worldcon. (Image via the author's Bluesky) |
So imagine my absolute glee when I have learned — just the same as many of you — that LACon in 2026 will also have a Best Poem category at the Hugos! Following Marie Brennan’s historic win in the same category for ‘A War of Words’, I am beyond excited that we keep this trend going of supporting and rewarding poetry as a part of this great genre into the future.
As we wait for the LAcon Business Meeting to potentially ratify a permanent space for this category in the awards going forward, this decision not only gives us even more data about the viability of the category, but makes 2026 an especially bumper year for speculative verse, as SFWA will be hosting a similar category for the very first time in that year's Nebula Awards thanks to the stalwart work of their Poetry Committee. My sincere hope is not only that the community of readers becomes even more invested in reading and discovering speculative poetry, but that this year is the one that shapes a more committed presence for speculative verse in the imagination of science fiction and fantasy both in fandom and in the mainstream.
I'm even more excited as a result to hear that LAcon has also announced Terese Mason Pierre as one of their Special Guests! Terese is a phenomenal poet and editor, and an outstanding champion of the form. The convention is beyond fortunate to have someone as curious, as creative, and as thoughtful as her present and waving the flag of speculative verse next year in Anaheim.
Having heard Terese both read from her own work and speak on the craft of verse in panels, I can say without a doubt that she is exactly the voice for the art form that the convention will benefit from: a confident and critical voice in her own right, incredibly excited about the work of her contemporaries, and infinitely knowledgeable about what poetry has done and can still accomplish in this genre.
What fills me with the most joy, of course, is watching the response to this news elsewhere. Seeing fandom continue to show excitement for Worldcon as an institution valuing speculative poetry is infinitely heartening. I'm grateful that Los Angeles Worldcon has offered this opportunity for yet another year, I'm excited to see what wonderful spaces for reading and discussion will come to bear as a result, and I hope that it continues to be a positive sign of the public appreciation of verse in science fiction and fantasy, today and well beyond.
Per penna ad astra,
Brandon O'Brien
