Caitlín Rebekah Kiernan (born 26 May 1964) is an Irish-born American published paleontologist and author of science fiction and

dark fantasy Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...

works, including 10 novels, series of comic books, and more than 250 published short stories, novellas, and vignettes. Kiernan is a two-time recipient of both the World Fantasy and Bram Stoker awards.

Early life

Kiernan was born in 1964 in

Skerries A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to: Geography Northern Ireland * Skerries, County Armagh, a townland in County Armagh * Skerry, County Antrim, a ...

, County Dublin, Ireland. After the death of their father, Kiernan moved to the United States as a young child with their mother Susan Ramey Cleveland and younger sister Mary Angela (Máire Aingeal). Much of their childhood was spent in the small town of

Leeds, Alabama Leeds is a tri-county municipality located in Jefferson, St. Clair, and Shelby counties in the State of Alabama and is an eastern suburb of Birmingham. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 12,324. Leeds was founded in 1877, ...

, and early interests included

herpetology Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

, paleontology, and fiction writing. As a teenager, Kiernan lived in Trussville, Alabama, and, in high school, began doing volunteer work at the Red Mountain Museum in Birmingham, Alabama and spending summers on their first

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and paleontological digs. Kiernan attended college at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham-Southern College, and the University of Colorado at Boulder, studying geology and vertebrate paleontology, and held both museum and teaching positions before finally turning to fiction-writing in 1992.

Career

Paleontology

In 1984, Kiernan co-founded the Birmingham Paleontological Society. In 1988, they co-authored a paper describing the new genus and species of mosasaur, ''

Selmasaurus ''Selmasaurus'' is an extinct genus of marine lizard belonging to the mosasaur family. It is classified as part of the Plioplatecarpinae subfamily alongside genera like '' Angolasaurus'' and ''Platecarpus''. Two species are known, ''S. russelli'' ...

russelli''. More recent papers include one on the biostratigraphy of Alabama mosasaurs, published in the '' Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'' (2002) and "First record of a velociraptorine theropod ( Tetanurae, Dromaeosauridae) from the Eastern Gulf Coastal United States" (2004). As of 2019, Kiernan is a research associate and fossil preparator at

McWane Science Center The McWane Science Center (formerly known as the McWane Center) is a science museum and research archive located in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, United States. The state-of-the-art hands-on science center, aquarium, and 280-seat IMAX Dome Theater ...

in Birmingham, Alabama, again studying mosasaurs, as well as Cretaceous turtles. In 2020, they coauthored on a paper describing a new large fossil sea turtle, ''Asmodochelys parhami'', from the

Demopolis Chalk The Demopolis Chalk is a geological formation in North America, within the U.S. states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The chalk was formed by pelagic sediments deposited along the eastern edge of the Mississippi embayment during the midd ...

of Alabama. In 2021, Kiernan also joined the staff of the University of Alabama Museum, Department of Research and Collections, as a Research Associate in Vertebrate Paleontology. In 2022, they coauthored the description of a new giant freshwater turtle from the Late Cretaceous

Mooreville Chalk The Mooreville Chalk is a geological formation in North America, within the U.S. states of Alabama and Mississippi, which were part of the subcontinent of Appalachia. The strata date back to the early Santonian to the early Campanian stage of ...

of Alabama, ''Appalachemys ebersolei,'' a previously unknown macrobaenid with a shell more than 80 cm.in length. Kiernan has been a member of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology since 1984 and is a member of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. At various times, they have been a member of the Alabama Academy of Science, the Paleontological Society, Sigma Xi, the Society of Sedimentary Geology, and the

Paleontological Research Institution The Paleontological Research Institution, or PRI, is a paleontological organization in Ithaca, New York, with a mission including both research and education. PRI is affiliated with Cornell University, houses one of the largest fossil collecti ...

Novels, short fiction, and comics

Kiernan's first novel, ''The Five of Cups'', was written between June 1992 and early 1993, though it was not published until 2003. Their first published short story was "Persephone", a dark science fiction tale released in 1995. Their first published novel, ''Silk'', was released in 1998. Kiernan's short fiction was selected for '' Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'' series, ''The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror'', and ''The Year's Best Science Fiction'', and their short stories have been collected in several volumes (see Bibliography). To date, Kiernan's work has been translated into German, Italian, Chinese, French, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese, Finnish, Czech, Polish, Russian, Korean, and Japanese. Kiernan was approached by writer

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

and editors at Vertigo Comics to write for '' The Dreaming'', a spin-off from Gaiman's ''

The Sandman The Sandman is a mythical character in European folklore who puts people to sleep and encourages and inspires beautiful dreams by sprinkling magical sand onto their eyes. Representation in traditional folklore The Sandman is a traditional charact ...

'', and did so from 1996 until its conclusion in 2001, focusing on both pre-existing characters (the Corinthian, Cain and Abel, Lucien, Nuala, Morpheus, Thessaly, etc.) and creating new characters (Echo, Maddy, the white dream raven Tethys, etc.). They wrote the

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

for the 2007 ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

'' film (scripted by Gaiman and Roger Avary). Kiernan later scripted ''Alabaster: Wolves'' (2012) for Dark Horse Comics, continuing with ''Alabaster: Grimmer Tales'' (2013) and ''Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird'' (2014).

Film and screenwriting

Josh Boone's Mid-World Productions has optioned both ''The Red Tree'' and ''The Drowning Girl'' to develop into feature films. Kiernan is writing the screenplay for ''The Red Tree'', and Boone will be writing ''The Drowning Girl''. Kiernan stated, "A few people have asked questions about the films and preserving the queerness of the novels. This is something you do not have to worry about. Also, though no details can be released yet and nothing is certain, the hope is that we can cast a transgender actress as Abalyn Armitage."

Style and genre

Kiernan's blog states: Much of Kiernan's earlier work, such as ''Silk'', is set among or alludes to the aesthetics of the

goth A Goth is a member of the Goths, a group of East Germanic tribes. Two major political entities of the Goths were: *Visigoths, prominent in Spanish history *Ostrogoths, prominent in Italian history Goth or Goths may also refer to: * Goth (surname) ...

and punk rock subcultures, elements which are generally absent in their later novels. Kiernan has also stated, regarding the role of plot in creative writing: "anyone can come up with the artifice/conceit of a 'good story.' Story bores me. Which is why critics complain it's the weakest aspect of my work. Because that's essentially purposeful. I have no real interest in plot. Atmosphere, mood, language, character, theme, etc., that's the stuff that fascinates me. ''Ulysses'' should have freed writers from plot." In his review of ''The Red Tree'', H. P. Lovecraft scholar

S. T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary criticis ...

writes: "Kiernan already ranks with the most distinctive stylists in our field – Edgar Allan Poe,

Lord Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957, usually Lord Dunsany) was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. Over 90 volumes of fiction, essays, poems and plays appeared in his lifetime.Lanham, M ...

Thomas Ligotti Thomas Ligotti (born July 9, 1953) is an American horror writer. His writings are rooted in several literary genres – most prominently weird fiction – and have been described by critics as works of ''philosophical'' horror, often formed into ...

. With Ligotti's regrettable retreat into fictional silence, hers is now the voice of weird fiction." In their introduction to ''The Weird'', Ann and

Jeff VanderMeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Trilogy. The tr ...

write that Kiernan has "become perhaps the best weird writer of her generation."

Music

In 1996 and 1997, Kiernan fronted an Athens, Georgia-based "

-folk-blues band", Death's Little Sister, named for Neil Gaiman's character

Delirium Delirium (also known as acute confusional state) is an organically caused decline from a previous baseline of mental function that develops over a short period of time, typically hours to days. Delirium is a syndrome encompassing disturbances in ...

. They were the band's vocalist and lyricist, and the group enjoyed some success on local college radio and played shows in Athens and Atlanta. Other members included Barry Dillard (guitars), Michael Graves (bass), and Shelly Ross (keyboards). Kiernan left the band in February 1997 because of their increased responsibilities writing for DC Comics and because ''Silk'' had recently sold. They were briefly involved in Crimson Stain Mystery, a studio project, two years later, which produced one EP to accompany a special limited edition of ''Silk'', illustrated by Clive Barker (Gauntlet Press, 2000).

Publishing

In December 2005, Kiernan began publishing the monthly ''Sirenia Digest'' (otherwise known as MerViSS) consisting of vignettes and short stories: "The MerViSS Project is a continuation of Kiernan's exploration of the fusion of erotic literature with elements of dark fantasy and science fiction, creating brief, dreamlike fictions." It is illustrated by Vince Locke. The digest includes the occasional collaboration with Sonya Taaffe.

Personal life

In their twenties, Kiernan identified as transgender and transitioned to female, further identifying as lesbian. In 2020, Kiernan stated, "I no longer consider myself transgender (or transsexual). I would say that I'm gender fluid, if I had to say anything", explaining that this was not a recognized option in the 1980s. They added that male or female pronouns do not offend them, but prefer "they, them, and their". Kiernan identifies as an atheist. Politically, they have described themself as a Classical liberal. Kiernan lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with photographer and doll maker Kathryn A. Pollnac.

Awards

Won

* International Horror Guild Award, Best First Novel 1998 (''Silk'') *Barnes and Noble Maiden Voyage Award, Best First Novel 1998 (''Silk'') *International Horror Guild Award, Best Novel 2001 (''Threshold'') *International Horror Guild Award, Best Short Story 2001 ("Onion") *International Horror Guild Award, Best Mid-Length Fiction 2005 ("La Peau Verte") *

James Tiptree, Jr. Award The Otherwise Award, formerly known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science f ...

Honoree, 2010 ("Galápagos") *

Winner, 2012 ('' The Drowning Girl: A Memoir'') * Bram Stoker Award, Best Novel 2012 (''The Drowning Girl: A Memoir'') *Bram Stoker Award, Best Graphic Novel 2013 (''Alabaster: Wolves'') *

Locus Award for Best Short Story The Locus Award for Best Short Story is one of a series of Locus Awards given every year by ''Locus Magazine''. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. Originally known as the Locus Award for Best Sho ...

2014, (" The Road of Needles") *

World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction The World Fantasy Awards are given each year by the World Fantasy Convention for the best fantasy fiction published in English during the previous calendar year. The awards have been described by book critics such as ''The Guardian'' as a "presti ...

2014, ("The Prayer of Ninety Cats") *World Fantasy Award, Best Collection 2014, (''The Ape's Wife and Other Stories'')

Nominated (partial list)

* Bram Stoker Award 1995, Best Short Story ("Persephone") *Bram Stoker Award, Best First Novel 1998 (''Silk'') * British Fantasy Award, Best First Novel 1998 (''Silk'') * Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Award, Best Graphic Novel 1998 (''The Girl Who Would Be Death'') *International Horror Guild Award, Best Collection (''Tales of Pain and Wonder'') *Bram Stoker Award, Best Graphic Novel 2001 (''The Dreaming'' No. 56, "The First Adventure of Miss Caterina Poe") *International Horror Guild Award, Best Graphic Novel 2001 (''The Dreaming'' No. 56, "The First Adventure of Miss Caterina Poe") *International Horror Guild Award, Best Short Form 2002 ("The Road of Pins") *International Horror Guild Award, Best Collection 2005 (''To Charles Fort, With Love'') * World Fantasy Award 2006, Best Collection 2005 (''To Charles Fort, With Love'') *World Fantasy Award 2006, Best Short Fiction 2005 ("La Peau Verte") *International Horror Guild Award, Best Mid-Length Fiction 2006 ("Bainbridge") *Locus Award 2010 (40th Annual), Best Fantasy Novel (''The Red Tree'') *Locus Award 2010 (40th Annual), Best Collection (''A is for Alien'') * Shirley Jackson Award (3rd Annual, 2010), Best Novel (''The Red Tree'') *World Fantasy Award 2010, Best Novel (''The Red Tree'') *Shirley Jackson Award (4th Annual, 2011), Best Short Story ("As Red as Red") *World Fantasy Award 2011, Best Collection 2010 (''The Ammonite Violin & Others'') *Bram Stoker Award 2011, Best Collection (''Two Worlds and in Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan, Volume 1'') *Bram Stoker Award 2011, Best Long Fiction ("The Collier's Venus

893 __FORCETOC__ Year 893 ( DCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Vladimir, ruler (''khan'') of the Bulgarian Empire, is dethroned by his fat ...

) * Locus Award 2012, Best Collection (''Two Worlds and in Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan, Volume 1'') * World Fantasy Award 2012, Best Collection (''Two Worlds and in Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan, Volume 1'') *

Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of profe ...

2012, Best Novel (''The Drowning Girl: A Memoir'') * British Fantasy Award 2012, Best Fantasy Novel (''The Drowning Girl: A Memoir'') * World Fantasy Award 2012, Best Novel (''The Drowning Girl: A Memoir'') * Mythopoeic Award 2012, Adult Literature (''The Drowning Girl: A Memoir'') * Shirley Jackson Award 2012, Best Novel (''The Drowning Girl: A Memoir'') * Bram Stoker Award 2013, Fiction Collection (''The Ape's Wife and Other Stories'') * World Fantasy Award 2014, Best Novella (''Black Helicopters'') * World Fantasy Award 2014, Best Short Story ("The Prayer of Ninety Cats") * World Fantasy Award 2014, Best Collection (''The Ape's Wife and Other Stories'') * Bram Stoker Award 2017, Long Fiction (''Agents of Dreamland'') * Locus Award 2018, Best Novella (''Agents of Dreamland'') * Locus Award 2019, Best Collection (''The Dinosaur Tourist'') * Locus Award 2019, Best Novella (''Black Helicopters'') * Locus Award 2020, Best Collection (''The Very Best of Caitlín R. Kiernan'')

Bibliography

Novels

* (1999, Gauntlet Press) *''Threshold'' (2001, Penguin-Putnam) * * * * *''Beowulf'' (2007; HarperCollins; novelisation of 2007 film) *''The Red Tree'' (2009; Penguin-Putnam) *'' The Drowning Girl: A Memoir'' (March 2012; Penguin-Putnam) *''Blood Oranges'' (writing as Kathleen Tierney; February 2013, Penguin-Putnam) * ''Red Delicious'' (writing as Kathleen Tierney; 2014, Penguin-Putnam) * ''Cherry Bomb'' (writing as Kathleen Tierney; 2015, Penguin-Putnam) * ''Agents of Dreamland'' (2017; Tor) * ''Black Helicopters'' (2018; Tor) * '' La Belle Fleur Sauvage'' (2020; Dark Regions Press) * '' The Tindalos Asset'' (2020; Tor)

Short fiction collections

*''

Tales of Pain and Wonder ''Tales of Pain and Wonder'' is Caitlín R. Kiernan's first short story collection. The stories are interconnected to varying degrees, and a number of Kiernan's characters reappear throughout the book, particularly Jimmy DeSade and Salmagundi D ...

'' (2000, Gauntlet Press; 2002, Meisha Merlin; 2008, Subterranean Press; 2016, PS Publishing) *'' Wrong Things'' (with

Poppy Z. Brite Billy Martin (born May 25, 1967), formerly Poppy Z. Brite, is an American author. He initially achieved fame in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s by publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections. He i ...

; 2001; Subterranean Press) *''

From Weird and Distant Shores ''From Weird and Distant Shores'' is fantasist Caitlin R. Kiernan's second solo short-story collection, released by Subterranean Press in 2002. As with her first collection, ''Tales of Pain and Wonder'', interior illustrations were supplied by ...

'' (2002 & 2022; Subterranean Press) *'' To Charles Fort, With Love'' (2005; Subterranean Press; 2018, PS Publishing) *'' Alabaster'' (2006; Subterranean Press; illustrated by Ted Naifeh; reissued by Dark Horse Comics, February 2014, as ''Alabaster: Pale Horse'') *'' A is for Alien'' (2009; Subterranean Press; illustrated by Vince Locke; 2015, PS Publishing) *'' The Ammonite Violin & Others'' (2010; Subterranean Press; 2018, PS Publishing) *''Two Worlds and in Between: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan (Volume One)'' (2011; Subterranean Press) *''Confessions of a Five-Chambered Heart'' (2012; Subterranean Press) *''The Ape's Wife and Other Stories'' (2013; Subterranean Press) *''Beneath an Oil-Dark Sea: The Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan (Volume Two)'' (2015; Subterranean Press) *''Dear Sweet Filthy World'' (2017; Subterranean Press) *''Houses Under the Sea: Mythos Tales'' (2018;

Centipede Press Centipede Press is an American independent book and periodical publisher focusing on horror, weird tales, crime narratives, science fiction, gothic novels, fantasy art, and studies of literature, music and film. Its earliest imprints were Cocytus ...

; reissued by Subterranean Press, September 2019) *''The Dinosaur Tourist'' (2018; Subterranean Press) *''The Very Best of Caitlín R. Kiernan'' (2019; Tachyon Publications) *''A Little Yellow Book of Fever Dreams'' (2019; Borderlands Press) *''Comes a Pale Rider'' (2020; Subterranean Press) *''Vile Affections'' (2021; Subterranean Press) *''The Variegated Alphabet'' (2021; Subterranean Press) *''Bradbury Weather'' (forthcoming from Subterranean Press in 2023)

Notes

External links

* * *
Traveling Through Dreams: ''Sequential Tart'' interview with Caitlín R. Kiernan
(February 1999)

(April 2000)

(October 2001) * (originally published December 2006)
Caitlín R. Kiernan, Atlanta Dark Fantasy Novelist
(January 2007)
Finding the Language I Need: A Conversation with Caitlín R. Kiernan
at Clarkesworld Magazine (June 2010)
A Pale Rider Approaches: Interview with Caitlin R. Kiernan
at

The Morton Report Andrew David Morton (born 1953) is an English journalist and writer who has published biographies of royal figures such as Diana, Princess of Wales, and celebrity subjects including Tom Cruise, Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Monica Lewinsky; seve ...

(5 April 2012) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiernan, Caitlin R. 1964 births Living people People from Skerries, Dublin Irish emigrants to the United States People from Leeds, Alabama University of Alabama at Birmingham alumni University of Colorado Boulder alumni American paleontologists American fantasy writers American science fiction writers American horror writers American comics writers American rock singers Dark fantasy writers LGBT people from Alabama LGBT people from Rhode Island American LGBT novelists LGBT comics creators 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American bloggers World Fantasy Award-winning writers Transgender non-binary people 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American singers Weird fiction writers 21st-century American LGBT people American atheists Vertebrate paleontologists American non-binary writers