Nisi Shawl
Encyclopedia
Nisi Shawl is an African-American writer and journalist. She is best known as a writer of science fiction
and fantasy
short stories.
, Semiotext(e)
and numerous other magazines and anthologies.
Among the writers who influence her work, she has named Colette
and Raymond Chandler
.
Shawl is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and a 1992 graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. She is a board member of Clarion West and one of the founders of the Carl Brandon Society
. Her stories have been shortlisted for the Theodore Sturgeon Award
, the Gaylactic Spectrum Award
, and the Carl Brandon Society
Parallax Award, and Writing the Other received special mention for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award
. In 2008, she won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for Filter House. In 2009 her novella
"Good Boy" was nominated for a World Fantasy Award
.
In 2009, she donated her archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University
.
In 2011 she was the professional Guest of Honor at WisCon
35.
. She started attending the Residential College of the University of Michigan
in 1971 at the age of 16, but did not graduate. She lives in Seattle, Washington, where she reviews books for the Seattle Times as a freelance contributor.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
short stories.
Work
Shawl is the co-author (with Cynthia Ward) of Writing the Other: Bridging Cultural Differences for Successful Fiction, a book derived from the authors' workshop of the same name, in which participants explore techniques to help them write credible characters outside their own cultural experience. Her short stories have appeared in Asimov's SF Magazine, the Infinite Matrix, Strange HorizonsStrange Horizons
Strange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry in every issue....
, Semiotext(e)
Semiotext(e)
Semiotext is an American independent publisher. It is widely credited for having introduced so-called "French Theory" to North America through its magazine issues and Foreign Agents series. In 2000, the MIT Press began distributing Semiotext, taking it over from the anarchist publishing collective...
and numerous other magazines and anthologies.
Among the writers who influence her work, she has named Colette
Colette
Colette was the surname of the French novelist and performer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette . She is best known for her novel Gigi, upon which Lerner and Loewe based the stage and film musical comedies of the same title.-Early life and marriage:Colette was born to retired military officer Jules-Joseph...
and Raymond Chandler
Raymond Chandler
Raymond Thornton Chandler was an American novelist and screenwriter.In 1932, at age forty-five, Raymond Chandler decided to become a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in...
.
Shawl is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America and a 1992 graduate of the Clarion West Writers Workshop. She is a board member of Clarion West and one of the founders of the Carl Brandon Society
Carl Brandon Society
The Carl Brandon Society is a group originating within the science fiction community "dedicated to addressing the representation of people of color in the fantastical genres such as science fiction, fantasy and horror.....
. Her stories have been shortlisted for the Theodore Sturgeon Award
Theodore Sturgeon Award
The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is given each year for the best science fiction short story of the year and is the short fiction counterpart of the Campbell award , published in English....
, the Gaylactic Spectrum Award
Gaylactic Spectrum Awards
The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are given to works of science fiction, fantasy and horror that explore LGBT topics in a positive way. Established in 1998, the awards were initially presented by the Gaylactic Network, with awards first awarded in 1999. In 2002 the awards were given their own...
, and the Carl Brandon Society
Carl Brandon Society
The Carl Brandon Society is a group originating within the science fiction community "dedicated to addressing the representation of people of color in the fantastical genres such as science fiction, fantasy and horror.....
Parallax Award, and Writing the Other received special mention for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award
James Tiptree, Jr. Award
The James Tiptree, Jr. Award is an annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February of 1991 by science fiction authors Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler, subsequent to a discussion at WisCon.- Background...
. In 2008, she won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for Filter House. In 2009 her novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
"Good Boy" was nominated for a World Fantasy Award
World Fantasy Award
The World Fantasy Awards are annual, international awards given to authors and artists who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy...
.
In 2009, she donated her archive to the department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
.
In 2011 she was the professional Guest of Honor at WisCon
WisCon
Wiscon or WisCon, the Wisconsin Science Fiction Convention, is often called the world's leading feminist-oriented science fiction convention and conference. It was first held in Madison, Wisconsin in February 1977, and is held annually throughout the four day weekend of Memorial Day...
35.
Personal life
Shawl was born in Kalamazoo, MichiganKalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
. She started attending the Residential College of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1971 at the age of 16, but did not graduate. She lives in Seattle, Washington, where she reviews books for the Seattle Times as a freelance contributor.
Fiction
- "I Was a Teenage Genetic Engineer," Semiotext(e) SF, NY, NY, April, 1989, Columbia University.
- "The Rainses'," Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, April, 1995.
- "The Rainses'," Isaac Asimov's Ghosts, NY, NY, August, 1995, Ace.
- "The Pragmatical Princess," Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, January, 1999.
- "At the Huts of Ajala," Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora, NY, NY, July, 2000, Warner Books.
- "Shiomah's Land," Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, March, 2001.
- "Vapors," Wet: More Aqua Erotica, Mary Anne MohanrajMary Anne MohanrajMary Anne Amirthi Mohanraj is an American writer, editor, and academic of Sri Lankan birth.- Background :Mohanraj was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka but moved to the United States at the age of two and grew up in New Britain, Connecticut. She attended Miss Porter's School and the University of...
(editor), Three Rivers Press, NY, NY. - "Deep End," So Long Been DreamingSo Long Been DreamingSo Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy is an anthology of short stories edited by the writer Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan. Hopkinson provides the introduction, although it is usually misattributed to Samuel R...
: Postcolonial Science Fiction and Fantasy, edited by Nalo HopkinsonNalo HopkinsonNalo Hopkinson is a Jamaican science fiction and fantasy writer and editor who lives in Canada. Her novels and short stories such as those in her collection Skin Folk often draw on Caribbean history and language, and its traditions of oral and written storytelling.Hopkinson has...
and Uppinder Mehan, 2004, Arsenal Pulp PressArsenal Pulp PressArsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian independent book publishing company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company publishes a broad range of titles in both fiction and non-fiction, and is noted for founding the annual Three-Day Novel Contest .Authors who have been published by Arsenal Pulp ...
, Vancouver, BC, Canada. - "Maggies," Dark Matter: Reading the Bones, edited by Sheree R. Thomas, 2004, NY: Warner Books.
- "Matched," The Infinite Matrix. (Excerpt from the novel The Blazing World, co-sponsored by the Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.) May 2005.
- "Cruel Sistah," Asimov's SF Magazine, October/November 2005; Year's Best Fantasy & Horror #19, St. Martin's Press, NY, NY, August 2006.
Non-fiction
- Writing the Other: A Practical Guide, with co-author Cynthia Ward, Aqueduct PressAqueduct PressAqueduct Press is a publisher based in Seattle, Washington, United States which publishes material which features a feminist viewpoint.-History:...
, Seattle, WA, December 2005. - "To Jack Kerouac, to Make Much of Space and Time," Talking Back: Epistolary Fantasies, L. Timmel DuchampL. Timmel DuchampL. Timmel Duchamp is an American author of science fiction. She is also an editor for Aqueduct Press.Duchamp is often grouped together with Kelly Link and other contemporary women authors who use genres like fantasy, horror, and science fiction to explore themes of feminism and gender politics...
(editor), Aqueduct Press, Seattle, WA, March, 2006.
External links
- "A Review of Writing the Other" at Compulsive Reader
- "A review of Writing the Other" at Strange HorizonsStrange HorizonsStrange Horizons is an online speculative fiction magazine. It also features speculative poetry in every issue....
- "Transracial Writing for the Sincere," article by Nisi Shawl, at Speculations