Christopher Barzak (born July 21, 1975) is an

American author American literature is literature written or produced in the United States of America and in the colonies that preceded it. The American literary tradition thus is part of the broader tradition of English-language literature, but also inc ...

. He has published many short stories, beginning with "A Mad Tea Party" in ''

Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet ''Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet'' (''LCRW'') is a twice-yearly small press zine published by Small Beer Press, edited by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link. It contains an eclectic mix of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, with an emphasis on speculativ ...

'' in 1999. In 2007 he published his

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, '' One for Sorrow'', which won the 2008

Crawford Award :::''See also'' Crawford Medal The IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (short: Crawford award) is a literary award given to a writer whose first fantasy book was published during the preceding 18 months. It's one of several awards presented by ...

, and was a nominee for the 2008 Great Lakes Book Award as well as

Logo TV Logo TV (often shortened to Logo, and stylized as Logo.) is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Media Networks, a division of Paramount Global. Launched in 2005, Logo was originally dedicated to lifestyle and entertainment progra ...

NewNowNext Awards The NewNowNext-Awards is an American annual entertainment awards show, presented by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-themed channel Logo TV. Launched in 2008, awards are presented both for LGBT-specific and general interest achievements i ...

. His second novel, ''The Love We Share Without Knowing'', was a 2008

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 ...

finalist and a 2009

Nebula Awards 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 ...

finalist for Best Novel. His first full-length short story collection, ''Before and Afterlives'', was the recipient of the

Shirley Jackson Award The Shirley Jackson Awards are literary awards named after Shirley Jackson in recognition of her legacy in writing. These awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and the dark fantastic are presented ...

for Best Single-Author Collection in 2013.

Biography

Barzak grew up in

Kinsman, Ohio Kinsman (also known as Kinsman Center) is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Kinsman Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, Kinsman Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. The p ...

and went to university in nearby

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

. He has worked as a teacher of English outside of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, in both primary and middle schools. His experiences over two years abroad in Japan led him to write his second novel, ''The Love We Share Without Knowing''. Barzak also holds an MFA in

Creative Writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

from

Chatham University Chatham University is a private university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally founded as a women's college, it began enrolling men in undergraduate programs in 2015. It enrolls about 2,110 students, including 1,002 undergraduate students an ...

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He currently teaches fiction writing at

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergraduate colleges an ...

, in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

. His first novel, ''One for Sorrow'', was made into the feature film ''

Jamie Marks is Dead ''Jamie Marks Is Dead'' is a 2014 American supernatural horror drama film directed by Carter Smith, and starring Cameron Monaghan, Liv Tyler, Judy Greer, Morgan Saylor, Noah Silver and Madisen Beaty. Its plot follows a high school athlete who is ...

'' by the director,

Carter Smith Carter Smith (born September 6, 1971) is an American filmmaker and fashion photographer. He is best known for directing the films '' The Ruins'' (2008) and ''Jamie Marks Is Dead'' (2014). Life and career A native of Bowdoinham, Maine, Smith moved ...

, for Verisimilitude Films, starring Liv Tyler, Judy Greer, Cameron Monaghan, Noah Silver, and Morgan Saylor. The film debuted at the 2014

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. The film had a limited release by Gravitas Ventures in the United States on August 29, 2014 and is now available on demand or on DVD. His third novel, ''Wonders of the Invisible World'', was published on September 8, 2015 and won a Stonewall Honor Award from the American Library Association in January, 2016.

Personal life

In October 2017, Barzak was arrested for assaulting his husband, however, in May 2018 the alleged victim confessed in court that he was under the influence at the time and that the charges should be dropped. In an earlier sentencing hearing Barzak pleaded guilty and agreed to attend counseling.

Bibliography

Novels

*'' One for Sorrow'', New York: Bantam,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. *'' The Love We Share Without Knowing'', New York: Bantam,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. *''Wonders of the Invisible World'', New York:

Alfred A. Knopf Books Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

. *''The Gone Away Place'', New York: Alfred A Knopf Books,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Short story collections

*'' Birds and Birthdays'', Seattle, WA:

Aqueduct Press Aqueduct Press is a publisher based in Seattle, Washington, United States that publishes material featuring a feminist viewpoint. History Aqueduct Press was founded in 2004 by L. Timmel Duchamp. The company has focused on publishing speculati ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. *'' Before and Afterlives'', Maple Shade, NJ:

Lethe Press Lethe Press is an American book publishing company based in Maple Shade, New Jersey.2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Selected stories (award winners or finalists)

*"The Other Angelas", 2004

finalist *"The Language of Moths", 2006

Locus Awards The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

and 2007

finalist for Best Novelette *"Map of Seventeen", 2010

and 2011

finalist for Best Novelette *"Smoke City", 2012

finalist for Best Short Story *"Invisible Men", 2013

Million Writers Award Million Writers Award was a short story literary award presented annually by storySouth. It honored the best online short stories. The award was structured to be egalitarian allowing for anyone to nominate a story including readers, authors, editor ...

finalist *"Paranormal Romance", 2014

and

finalist for Best Novelette

As editor

* *
Interfictions Online
' (with Meghan McCarron and Sofia Samatar). Interstitial Arts Foundation, 2013 to 2016.

References

External links

Christopher Barzak's Blog

at

Locus Online ''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barzak, Christopher 1975 births 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists Chatham University alumni American LGBT novelists Living people American male short story writers Writers from Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown State University faculty 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Ohio People from Kinsman, Ohio 21st-century American LGBT people