Ellen Klages (, ; born 1954) is an American science,

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 unive ...

and

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

writer who lives in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. Her novelette "Basement Magic" won the 2005

Nebula Award for Best Novelette The Nebula Award for Best Novelette is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) to a science fiction or fantasy Novella#Versus novelette, novelette. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novele ...

. She had previously been nominated for

Hugo Hugo or HUGO may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hugo'' (film), a 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese * Hugo Award, a science fiction and fantasy award named after Hugo Gernsback * Hugo (franchise), a children's media franchise based on ...

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 regio ...

, and

Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...

awards. Her first (non-genre) novel, ''The Green Glass Sea'', was published by Viking Children's Books in 2006. It won the 2007

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an annual American children's book award that recognizes historical fiction. It was established in 1982 by Scott O'Dell, author of ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' and 25 other children's books, in ho ...

. ''Portable Childhoods'', a collection of her short fiction published by

Tachyon Publications Tachyon Publications is an independent press specializing in science fiction and fantasy books. Founded in San Francisco in 1995 by Jacob Weisman, Tachyon books have tended toward high-end literary works, short story collections, and anthologies ...

, was named a 2008

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...

Finalist. ''White Sands, Red Menace'', the sequel to ''The Green Glass Sea'', was published in Fall 2008. In 2010 her short story "Singing on a Star" was nominated for a

. In 2018 her novella ''

Passing Strange ''Passing Strange'' is a comedy-drama rock musical about a young African American's artistic journey of self-discovery, with strong elements of philosophical existentialism, metafiction (especially self-referential humor), and the artistic jou ...

'' was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature.

Biography

Ellen Janeway Klages was born in Columbus, Ohio on July 9, 1954, and now lives in San Francisco. She holds a degree in philosophy from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. In 1992, she began working at the San Francisco

Exploratorium The Exploratorium is a museum of science, technology, and arts in San Francisco, California. Characterized as "a mad scientist's penny arcade, a scientific funhouse, and an experimental laboratory all rolled into one", the participatory natur ...

, where she was selected to co-author a children's science activity book with science fiction author Pat Murphy. Murphy encouraged Klages to write her own stories as well. Her first novelette, "Time Gypsy", was published in 1999 and was a finalist for the

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 ...

and

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 ...

. She was also nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2000. Besides her writing, she also graduated from the Second City Conservatory, the Clarion South Workshop, and has served on the Motherboard of the

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 ...

for twenty years. Klages is also known for doing stand-up comedy and other performances as an auctioneer annually at

WisCon WisCon or Wiscon, a Wisconsin science fiction convention, is the oldest, and often called the world's leading, feminist science fiction convention and conference. It was first held in Madison, Wisconsin in February 1977, after a group of fans att ...

. The WisCon Tiptree Auction is a fundraiser for the James Tiptree, Jr. Award; Klages also serves on the Board for the award. "At past Tiptree auctions, auctioneer/comedian Ellen Klages has auctioned off her own hair, Mary Doria Russell's brassiere, a hand-knitted uterus, a kangaroo-scrotum purse, a cherry pie, and a Xena lawn butt." Klages was a Guest of Honor at Wiscon 33.

Bibliography

Science fiction and fantasy

Collections

* ''Portable Childhoods'', short fiction collection (

, 2007) **"Basement Magic" (2003 novelette) **"Intelligent Design" (2005 short story) **"The Green Glass Sea" (2004 short story) **"Clip Art" (2007 short story) **"Triangle" (2001 short story) **"The Feed Bag" (2003 poem) **"Flying Over Water" (2000 short story) **"Möbius, Stripped of a Muse" (2007 short story) **"Time Gypsy" (1998 novelette) **"Be Prepared" (2002 short fiction) **"Travel Agency" (2002 short story) **"A Taste of Summer" (2002 short story) **"Ringing Up Baby" (2006 short story) **"Guys Day Out" (2005 short story) **"Portable Childhoods" (2007 novelette) **"In the House of the Seven Librarians" (2006 novelette) *''Wicked Wonders'', short fiction collection (Tachyon Publications, 2017) ** Introduction by Karen Joy Fowler ** The Education of a Witch ** Amicae Aeternum ** Mrs. Zeno's Paradox ** Singing on a Star ** Hey, Presto ** Echoes of Aurora ** Friday Night at St. Cecilia's ** Caligo Lane ** Goodnight Moons ** Gone to the Library ** Household Management ** Sponda the Suet Girl and the Secret of the French Pearl ** Woodsmoke ** The Scary Ham ** Afterword: Why I Write Short Fiction

Novellas

* ''Passing Strange'' (Tor.com, 2017). (Nominated Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature)

Novelettes

* "Time Gypsy", ''Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction'', edited by

Nicola Griffith Nicola Griffith (; born 30 September 1960) is a British-American novelist, essayist, and teacher. She has won the Washington State Book Award, Nebula Award, James Tiptree, Jr. Award, World Fantasy Award and six Lambda Literary Awards. Persona ...

and Stephen Pagel (Overlook Press, 1999) (Nebula Award Finalist; Hugo Award Finalist) * "Basement Magic", ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'', May 2003 (2005 Nebula Award winner) * "In the House of the Seven Librarians", ''Firebirds Rising'', edited by

Sharyn November Sharyn November is an American writer and an editor of books for children and teenagers. Until March 2016 she was Senior Editor for Viking Press, Viking Children's Books and Editorial Director of Firebird Books, which is a mainly paperback (repri ...

(Viking, April, 2006)

Short stories

* "Flying Over Water", ''Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet #7'' (October, 2000) (Nebula Award Finalist) * "Triangle", ''Bending the Landscape: Horror'', edited by

and Stephen Pagel (Overlook Press, 2001) (Spectrum Award Finalist) * "Travel Agency", ''Strange Horizons'' (February 2002) * "A Taste of Summer", ''Black Gate #3'' (Winter, 2002) * "Be Prepared", ''The Infinite Matrix'' (Sept, 2002) * "Green Glass Sea", ''Strange Horizons'' (September, 2004) * "Intelligent Design", ''Strange Horizons'' (December 2005) * "Guys Day Out", ''Sci Fiction'' (April 2005) * "Ringing Up Baby", ''Nature'' (April, 2006) * "Friday Night at St. Cecilia's", ''The Coyote Road'', edited by

Ellen Datlow Ellen Datlow (born December 31, 1949) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and horror editor and anthologist. She is a winner of the World Fantasy Award and the Bram Stoker Award (Horror Writers Association). Career Datlow began her career ...

and

Terri Windling Terri Windling (born December 3, 1958 in Fort Dix, New Jersey) is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram Stoke ...

(Viking Juvenile, 2007) * "Mrs. Zeno's Paradox", ''Eclipse One'', edited by

Jonathan Strahan Jonathan Strahan (born 1964, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is an editor and publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His family moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1968, and he graduated from the University of Western Australia with a ...

(Night Shade Books, Oct 2007) * "Echoes of Aurora", ''What Remains'', with

Geoff Ryman Geoffrey Charles Ryman (born 1951) is a Canadian writer of science fiction, fantasy, slipstream and historical fiction. Biography Ryman was born in Canada and moved to the United States at age 11. He earned degrees in History and English at UCLA ...

(Aqueduct Press, 2009), ''The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Four'', edited by Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books, Mar 2010) * "Singing on a Star", ''Firebirds Soaring'', edited by

(Viking, 2009). (World Fantasy Award Nominee for Best Short Story 2010) * "A Practical Girl", ''Eclipse Three: New Science Fiction and Fantasy'', edited by Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books, Oct 2009) * "Goodnight Moons", ''Life on Mars: Tales from the New Frontier'', ed. Jonathan Strahan (Viking, April 2011); ''The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume Six'', ed. Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books, Mar 2012) * "The Education of a Witch", ''Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron'', ed. Jonathan Strahan (Random House, Aug 2012) * "Amicae Aeternum", ''

Reach for Infinity ''Reach for Infinity'' is a 2014 science fiction anthology edited by Jonathan Strahan. In 2015, it was nominated for a Locus Award for Best Anthology, an Aurealis Award for Best Anthology and the Philip K. Dick Award. Contents * "Introduction" ...

'', ed. Jonathan Strahan (2014)

Historical fiction

* ''The Green Glass Sea'' (Viking Children's Books, 2006). (Winner

2007) *''White Sands, Red Menace'' (Viking Children's Books, 2008) * ''Out of Left Field'' (Viking Children's Books, 2018)

Non-fiction

* ''Harbin Hot Springs: Healing Waters, Sacred Land'' (HS Publishing, Inc., 1991) * ''The Science Explorer: The Best Family Activities and Experiments from the World's Favorite Hands-On Science Museum'', with Pat Murphy, Linda Shore (Henry Holt & Co., 1996) * ''The Science Explorer Out and About: Fantastic Science Experiments Your Family Can Do Anywhere'', with Pat Murphy, Linda Shore (Henry Holt & Co., 1997) * ''Exploratorium: A Year of Discoveries'' (Chronicle Books, 1997) * ''The Brain Explorer: Puzzles, Riddles, Illusions, and other Mental Adventures'', with Pat Murphy, Linda Shore and Pearl Tesler (Henry Holt & Co., 1999)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Klages, Ellen 1954 births American science fiction writers American historical novelists Nebula Award winners World Fantasy Award-winning writers University of Michigan alumni Writers from the San Francisco Bay Area 21st-century American novelists American women short story writers American women novelists Living people Women science fiction and fantasy writers 21st-century American women writers Writers from Columbus, Ohio 21st-century American short story writers Novelists from Ohio