Dawn Atkins (born February 13, 1962) is an American writer of

nonfiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

and

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...

, as well as an activist and educator.

Professional biography

Atkins founded ''Shadows Of...'', a science fiction and fantasy magazine which ran from 1979 to 1982. Atkins worked part-time at ''The Moore Monitor'' (1980–1981). Work in all these areas earned Atkins a journalism scholarship to the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...

. After starting OU, she also worked for ''

The Norman Transcript ''The Norman Transcript'' is a daily newspaper published in Norman, Oklahoma, United States, covering Cleveland and McClain counties, in the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. The newspaper is the ...

'' (1981–1982). In 1984, Atkins left school to accept a full-time position as Managing Editor at ''

Locus Magazine ''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 (genre ...

'' (The Magazine Of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field). While there, Atkins redesigned the magazine and earned a

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 a ...

(1985). Atkins left ''Locus'' and returned to college in 1986, completing Bachelor of Arts (double major) in Professional Writing and Anthropology from the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California syste ...

(1989), while also working part-time as both a writing instructor at UCSC and a journalist with several local publications, including popular weekly newspaper, ''The Sun''. Atkins is the daughter of feminist activist, Mary E. Atkins, and with her mother had been a member of several activist organizations in both Oklahoma and California, including the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

. Atkins and her mother were part of a movement to raise awareness of body image issues such as appearance discrimination and eating disorders. In 1988, their work led to NOW officially recognizing the need to address body image issues. Atkins' activism on anti-discrimination led to several years as founder and chair (1989–1994) of a body image education organization, the Body Image Task Force. Atkins was also one of the co-authors and primary organizers behind the Santa Cruz City Anti-Discrimination Ordinance (1992), which added "sexual orientation, gender, height, weight and physical appearance" to the protected categories and became a model for other anti-discrimination laws in other cities. In 1994, Atkins was accepted to the doctoral program in Anthropology at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

. Atkins completed a master's degree in Anthropology in 1996. Atkins was guest editor of special editions of the ''Journal of Lesbian Studies'', ''

Journal of Bisexuality The ''Journal of Bisexuality'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by the Taylor & Francis Group under the Routledge imprint. It is the official journal of the American Institute of Bisexuality. It covers a wide range of topics ...

'' and ''International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies''. Atkins was working on a dissertation for the doctoral program when traumatic injury prevented completing the program. While recovering from the injury, Atkins spent several years as owner of an on-line used and rare book store before returning to writing. Atkins' injury developed into a chronic pain disorder (

fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia (FM) is a medical condition defined by the presence of chronic widespread pain, fatigue, waking unrefreshed, cognitive symptoms, lower abdominal pain or cramps, and depression. Other symptoms include insomnia and a general hyp ...

) which prohibited a return to anthropology or journalism. Atkins writes and edits fiction and has published several novels under pen names, including D.M. Atkins.

Personal life

Atkins has also been active in

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

and

Neopaganism Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various Paganism, historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of No ...

. She was a leader of Pagan organizations in both Santa Cruz and Iowa City, teaching introductory classes, leading public rituals and events. She was one of the founders and leaders of the Iowa Pagan Access Network (1995–1998).

Works

* ** Reviewed * Atkins, Dawn (1999). ''Lesbian Sex Scandals: Sexual Practices, Politics and Identities''.

Haworth Press Haworth Press was a publisher of scholarly, academic and trade books, and approximately 200 peer-reviewed academic journals. It was founded in 1978 by the publishing industry executives Bill Cohen and Patrick Mcloughlin. The name was taken from ...

. * Atkins, Dawn (2002). ''Bisexual Women in the Twenty-First Century''.

. * Atkins, D.M. and Chris Taylor (2009). ''Faewolf''.

Circlet Press Circlet Press is a publishing house in Cambridge, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It was founded by Cecilia Tan, who is also its manager. It specializes in science fiction erotica, a once uncommon genre, and its publications often feature BDS ...

. * Atkins, D.M. (2015). ''Crossed Rose''. Fantastic Fiction Publishing.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atkins, Dawn 1962 births Living people American anthropologists American fiction writers American magazine editors American women non-fiction writers American science fiction writers American Wiccans American women journalists American LGBT journalists American LGBT novelists Bisexual women writers Bisexual journalists Bisexual novelists Cultural anthropologists Women erotica writers Feminist studies scholars American feminist writers Hugo Award-winning editors Postmodern feminists 21st-century pseudonymous writers Pseudonymous women writers University of California, Santa Cruz alumni University of Iowa alumni American women anthropologists Women science fiction and fantasy writers American women novelists Wiccan novelists American women magazine editors Wiccan feminists American bisexual women American bisexual writers