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Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born December 31, 1945), commonly known as Connie Willis, is an American
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
and fantasy writer. She has won eleven
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...
s and seven Nebula Awards for particular works—more major SF awards than any other writer—most recently the "Best Novel" Hugo and Nebula Awards for ''
Blackout/All Clear ''Blackout'' and ''All Clear'' are the two volumes that constitute a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Connie Willis. ''Blackout'' was published February 2, 2010 by Spectra. The second part, the conclusion ''All Clear'', was releas ...
'' (2010). She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2009 and the
Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy Fantas ...
named her its 28th
SFWA Grand Master The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is a lifetime honor presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to no more than one living writer of fantasy or science fiction. It was inaugurated in 1975 when Robe ...
in 2011. Several of her works feature time travel by history students at the future University of Oxford—sometimes called the Time Travel series. They are the short story " Fire Watch" (1982, also in several anthologies and the 1985 collection of the same name), the novels ''
Doomsday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' and ''
To Say Nothing of the Dog ''To Say Nothing of the Dog'': ''or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last'' is a 1997 comic science fiction novel by Connie Willis. It used the same setting, including time-traveling historians, which Willis explored in '' Fire Watch'' ...
'' (1992 and 1997), and the two-part novel ''
Blackout/All Clear ''Blackout'' and ''All Clear'' are the two volumes that constitute a 2010 science fiction novel by American author Connie Willis. ''Blackout'' was published February 2, 2010 by Spectra. The second part, the conclusion ''All Clear'', was releas ...
'' (2010). All four won the annual
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...
, and ''Doomsday Book'' and ''Blackout/All Clear'' won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, making her the first author to win Hugo awards for all books in a series.


Personal life

Willis is a 1967 graduate of Colorado State College, now the
University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially changed ...
, where she completed degrees in English and Elementary Education. She lives in
Greeley, Colorado Greeley is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,795 at the 2020 United States Census, an increase of 17.12% since the 201 ...
, with her husband Courtney Willis, a former professor of physics at the University of Northern Colorado. They have one daughter, Cordelia. In a 1996 interview Willis said, "I sing soprano in a Congregationalist church choir. It is my belief that everything you need to know about the world can be learned in a church choir."


Career

Willis's first published story was "The Secret of Santa Titicaca" in ''
Worlds of Fantasy ''Worlds of Fantasy'' was an American science fiction magazine published from 1968 to 1971 for a total of four issues. Lester del Rey edited the first two issues; the last two were edited by Ejler Jakobsson. It was intended as a fantasy companion ...
'', Winter 1970 (December). At least seven stories followed (1978–81) before her debut novel, ''Water Witch'' by Willis and Cynthia Felice, published by
Ace Books Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn. It began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns, and soon branched out into other genres, publishing its first scienc ...
in 1982. After receiving a
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
grant that year, she left her teaching job and became a full-time writer. Scholar Gary K. Wolfe has written, "Willis, the erstwhile stand-up superstar of SF conventions—having her as your MC is like getting
Billy Crystal William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...
back as host of the Oscars—and the author of some of the field's funniest stories, is a woman of considerably greater complexity and gravity than her personal popularity reflects, and for all her facility at screwball comedy knock-offs and snappy parody, she wants us to know that she's a writer of some gravity as well." Willis is known for writing "romantic 'screwball' comedy in the manner of 1940s Hollywood movies." Much of Willis's writing explores the social sciences. She often weaves technology into her stories in order to prompt readers to question what impact it has on the world. For instance, '' Lincoln's Dreams'' plumbs not just the psychology of dreams, but also their role as indicators of disease. The story portrays a young man's unrequited love for a young woman who might or might not be experiencing reincarnation or precognition, and whose outlook verges on suicidal. Similarly, ''
Bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...
'' is almost exclusively concerned with human psychology. Other Willis stories explore the so-called "hard" sciences, following in the classic science fiction tradition. "The Sidon in the Mirror" harks back to the interplanetary and interstellar romanticism of the 1930s and 1940s. "Samaritan" is another take on the theme of Robert A. Heinlein's " Jerry Was a Man", while "Blued Moon" is similarly reminiscent of Heinlein's " The Year of the Jackpot".


2006 Hugo Awards ceremony

At the 2006 Hugo Awards ceremony, Willis presented writer
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'', ...
with a special committee award. When Ellison got to the podium, Willis asked him "Are you going to be good?" When she asked the question a second time, Ellison put the microphone in his mouth, to the crowd's laughter. He then momentarily put his hand on her left breast. Ellison subsequently complained that Willis refused to acknowledge his apology.


Awards


Novels

Other awards: * '' Lincoln's Dreams'' (1987) won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. * ''
Doomsday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' (1992) was nominated for the
Arthur C. Clarke Award The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award i ...
and the
BSFA Award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...
. * '' Passage'' (2001) received an
Arthur C. Clarke Award The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award i ...
nomination.


Novellas

"Chance" (1986) and "The Winds of Marble Arch" (1999) were nominated for the World Fantasy Award.


Novelettes


Short stories


Lifetime achievement

Willis was presented with the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award at the Nebula Awards banquet in May 2012.


Bibliography


Novels and novellas

* '' Water Witch'' (1982) – with Cynthia Felice * '' Lincoln's Dreams'' (1987) – John W. Campbell Memorial Award winner, Locus Fantasy Award nominee, 1988 * ''Light Raid'' (1989) – with Cynthia Felice * ''
Doomsday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
'' (Oxford time travel series, 1992) – Nebula Award winner, BSFA Award nominee, 1992; Hugo and Locus SF Awards winner, Clarke Award nominee, 1993 * '' Remake'' (1995) –
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier ...
nominee, 1996 * '' Uncharted Territory'' (1994) * ''
Bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...
'' (1996) – Nebula Award nominee, 1997 * ''Promised Land'' (1997) – with Cynthia Felice * ''
To Say Nothing of the Dog ''To Say Nothing of the Dog'': ''or, How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last'' is a 1997 comic science fiction novel by Connie Willis. It used the same setting, including time-traveling historians, which Willis explored in '' Fire Watch'' ...
'' (Oxford time travel series, 1998) – Hugo and Locus SF Awards winner, 1999; Nebula Award nominee, 1998 * '' Passage'' (2001) – Locus SF Award winner, Hugo and Clarke Awards nominee, 2002; Nebula Award nominee, 2001 * ''Inside Job'' (2005) * ''D.A.'' (2007) * '' All Seated on the Ground'' (2007) * '' Blackout'' (Oxford time travel series, 2010) – Hugo,
Nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming region ...
, and Locus SF Awards, 2011 winner * '' All Clear'' (Oxford time travel series, 2010) – Hugo,
Nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming region ...
, and Locus SF Awards, 2011 winner * ''All About Emily'' (2011) * ''
Crosstalk In electronics, crosstalk is any phenomenon by which a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an undesired effect in another circuit or channel. Crosstalk is usually caused by undesired capacitive, ind ...
'' (2016) *''I Met a Traveler in an Antique Land'' (2018) * ''Take a Look at the Five and Ten'' (2020)


Short story collections

* '' Fire Watch'' (Oxford time travel series, 1984), whose title story won the 1982 Hugo and Nebula Awards * '' Impossible Things'' (1993) – contains three Nebula Award winners, two of which also won Hugo Awards * ''Futures Imperfect'' (1996) –
omnibus edition An omnibus edition or omnibus is a creative work containing one or more works by the same or, more rarely, different authors. Commonly two or more components have been previously published as books but a collection of shorter works, or shorter wor ...
of '' Uncharted Territory'', '' Remake'' and ''
Bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...
''. * ''Even the Queen: And Other Short Stories'' (1998) – sound recording of five stories read by Connie Willis including "Even the Queen", "Death on the Nile", and "At the Rialto" * * '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' (2007) * '' Time is the Fire: The Best of Connie Willis'' The Hugo and Nebula award-winning short fiction (2013). * ''A Lot Like Christmas: Stories'' (2017) – Omnibus edition combining ''Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'', several additional short stories, and the novellas ''All About Emily'' and ''All Seated On The Ground''. * ''Terra Incognita'' (2018) – Collected edition of ''Uncharted Territory'', ''Remake'', and ''D.A.''.


Short stories

* "Samaritan" (1978) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "Capra Corn" (1978) – Collected in the "Limited/Lettered Editions" of '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "Daisy, in the Sun" (1979) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' * "And Come from Miles Around" (1979) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' * "The Child Who Cries for the Moon" (1981) – Collected in ''A Spadeful of Spacetime'' * "Distress Call" (1981) – Published separately by Roadkill Press and collected in two anthologies * " A Letter from the Clearys" (1982) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' and ''The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories'' * " Fire Watch" (1982) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' and ''The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories'' * "Service For the Burial of the Dead" (1982) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "Lost and Found" (1982) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' * "The Father of the Bride" (1982) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' * "Mail Order Clone" (1982) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' * "And Also Much Cattle" (1982) * "The Sidon in the Mirror" (1983) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' * "A Little Moonshine" (1983) * "Blued Moon" (1984) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "Cash Crop" (1984) – Collected in '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "Substitution Trick" (1985) – Collected in the "Limited/Lettered Editions" of '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "The Curse of Kings" (1985) – Collected in '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "All My Darling Daughters" (1985) – Collected in '' Fire Watch'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "And Who Would Pity a Swan?" (1985) * "With Friends Like These" (1985) * "Chance" (1986) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'', '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'', and Gardner Dozois' ''Modern Classics of Science Fiction'' * "Spice Pogrom" (1986) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'' * "The Pony" (1986) – Collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'' * "Winter's Tale" (1987) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'' * "Schwarzschild Radius" (1987) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'' * "Circus Story" (1987) * "Lord of Hosts" (1987) * "Ado" (1988) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "
The Last of the Winnebagos "The Last of the Winnebagos" is a short story written by American writer Connie Willis. It was first published in ''Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine'' in 1988, and reprinted in the short story collections '' Impossible Things'' (1994) and ''The ...
" (1988) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' and ''The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories'' * "Dilemma" (1989) * "Time Out" (1989) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'' * "At the Rialto" (1989) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'', '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' and "Even the Queen: And Other Short Stories" (1998) recording and ''The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories'' * "Cibola" (1990) * "Miracle" (1991) – Collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'' * "Jack" (1991) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "In the Late Cretaceous" (1991) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * " Even the Queen" (1992) – Collected in '' Impossible Things'', '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' and "Even the Queen: And Other Short Stories" (1998) recording and ''The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories'' * "Inn" (1993) – Collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "Close Encounter" (1993) * "Death on the Nile" (1993) – Collected in "Even the Queen: And Other Short Stories" (1998) recording and ''The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories'' * "A New Theory Explaining the Unpredictability of Forecasting the Weather" (1993) * "Why the World Didn't End Last Tuesday" (1994) * "Adaptation" (1994) – Collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'' * "The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson's Poems: A Wellsian Perspective" (1996) – Collected in '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' and ''The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories'' * "In Coppelius's Toyshop" (1996) – Collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'' * "Nonstop to Portales" (1996) – Collected in '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "Newsletter" (1997) – Collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "Cat's paw" (1999) – Collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'' * "Epiphany" (1999) – Collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories'' and '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "The Winds of Marble Arch" (1999) – Collected in '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' and ''The Best of Connie Willis: Award-Winning Stories'' * "deck.halls@boughs/holly" (2001) * "Just Like the Ones We Used to Know" (2003) – Collected in '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "New Hat" (2008) * "Now Showing" (2014) – Collected in ''
Rogues A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior. Rogue or rogues may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * Rogue Arts, a film production company * Rogue Entertainment, a software com ...
'' * "I Met a Traveller in an Antique Land" (2017)


Other

* ''Roswell, Vegas, and Area 51: Travels with Courtney'' (2002)


Essays

* "On Ghost Stories" (1991) * "Foreword" (1998) * "Introduction" (1999) * "The Nebula Award for Best Novel" (1999) * "The 1997 Author Emeritus: Nelson Bond" (1999) * "The Grand Master Award: Poul Anderson" (1999) * "A Few Last Words to Put It All in Perspective" (1999) * Bibliography, including a list of all of her SF short stories and "confessions" stories, collected in the "Limited/Lettered Editions" of '' The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories: A Connie Willis Compendium'' * "A Final Word"; "Twelve Terrific Things to Read..." (Christmas stories); "And Twelve to Watch" (Christmas movies); all collected in '' Miracle and Other Christmas Stories''


Edited

* '' Nebula Awards 33'' (1999) * ''The New Hugo Winners Volume III'' (1994)


Notes


References


External links


Connie Willis Special Collection at the University of Northern Colorado

Connie Willis's blog
* *

at 2004 National Book Festival
Interview from 2000
by ActuSF (in French) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Connie 1945 births Living people American science fiction writers Hugo Award-winning writers Nebula Award winners Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees SFWA Grand Masters Women science fiction and fantasy writers Postmodern writers American Congregationalists Writers from Denver 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers American women novelists Novelists from Colorado