Cynthia McQuillin was a filk singer and writer as well as an author and artist. She lived in the San Francisco Bay area. Her songs touched the usual filk topics of science fiction, fantasy, and cats, but also feminism, love, and Sizeism.

Her life partner and frequent musical collaborator was the filk singer James Robinson

James Robinson (filk musician)

Dr. James Robinson is an American filk music songwriter and performer whose songs focus on scientific themes, particularly paleontology....

, who was then known as Dr. Jane Robinson. McQuillin reportedly said, upon meeting James for the first time, "At last I get to meet the man I fell in love with!"

Discography

• Crystal Singer - 1981
• Crystal Vision (with Phillip Wayne)
• Singer in the Shadow - 1983
• Shadow Spun - 1986
• Dark Moon Circle - 1987
• Moon Shadows - 1989, reissued by Shadowsinger Records
• Dreams of Fortune - 1991, reissued by Shadowsinger Records
• Midlife Crisis - performed by Midlife Crisis: Cynthia McQuillin and Dr. Jane Robinson
• Bedlam Cats - 1992 - performed by Midlife Crisis, plus Margaret Davis, Kristoph Klover, Patrick McKenna, and Sharon Williams
• Uncharted Stars - 1993
• This Heavy Heart - 1994
• Witch's Dance - 1998

Pegasus Awards

• 1999 Best Writer/Composer
• 2006 Best Writer/Composer (awarded posthumously)

Pegasus Nominations

• 1987 Best Filk Song, "Crimson and Crystal"
• 1988 Best Writer/Composer
• 1989 Best Writer/Composer
• 1991 Best War/Vengeance Song, "The Tyrant's Tale"
• 1992 Best Writer/Composer
• 1993 Best Filk Song, "I Would Walk With You"
• 1993 Best Writer/Composer
• 1996 Best Filk Song, "Black Davie's Ride"
• 1997 Best Writer/Composer
• 1997 Best Sorcery Song, "Crimson and Crystal"
• 1999 (w/ Jordin Kare
  Jordin Kare
  Jordin Kare is a physicist and aerospace engineer known for his research on laser propulsion. In particular, he was responsible for Mockingbird, a conceptual design for an extremely small reusable launch vehicle, and was involved in the Clementine lunar mapping mission.Kare is also known as...
  
  ) Best Fool Song, "Fool to Feed the Drive"
• 2004 Best Classic Filk Song, "Black Davie's Ride"
• 2006 Best Writer/Composer
• 2007 Best Classic Filk Song, "Black Davie's Ride"
• 2008 Best Tragedy Song, "Black Davie's Ride"