I had a wonderful weekend at Capclave. I did a reading and took part in two well-received panels, moderating one of them. I was originally going to participate in a third panel until a certain British knight decided to pop by.

To the surprise of us all, Sir Terry Pratchett made a last-minute visit to the con, as the final appearance in his U.S. tour for Snuff. In fact, his appearance was so final I believe he and his assistant Rob Wilkins headed off to the airport (and the UK) immediately after their noon Q&A.

As far as I’m concerned, it was the highlight of the con. I’d give up any number of opportunities to pontificate in exchange for a chance to hear Pratchett. And as those of you who know me already know, without me having to say it—I was in the front row with my Flip balanced on one knee.

Here, for those who couldn’t make it to Capclave—and for those who could, but would like to relive the lovely hour—is video from the event.

Or at least that’s what Jim C. Hines had to say in his piece over at Genreville titled “And the Award Shall be Known as … The Dangerfield.”

While I agree that writers such as Terry Pratchett deserve more love, I squirmed a bit at the passage in which Hines put forth the premise that the reason science fiction ignores the funny when it comes to awards is because “deep down we’re still that awkward genre trying to work up the courage to ask Romance out on a date, and hoping the Mystery and Thriller jocks don’t stuff us into our locker.”

A funny line, but I don’t buy the premise, so to me it came off sounding like something I’d expect out of the misguided Michael Itzkoff. After all, the Oscars also slight comedy, but no one claims that’s because Hollywood has a lack of self-esteem.

I think the reasons are far more complex. Humor isn’t forced to sit at the children’s table because science fiction is ashamed of it. Instead, I think it’s because most people underestimate comedy, thinking it easier than more serious writing, when in fact, humor is perhaps far more fragile and delicate, and an argument could be made that it’s even more difficult to pull off. Competently written serious narratives can sometimes squeak by even when a passage is slightly off, but nothing bombs as badly as a bad joke.

So, yes, Terry Pratchett deserves all the awards he can get. But the fact that he doesn’t have a groaning shelf of trophies has nothing to do with our shame.