Greer Ilene Gilman is an American author of

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

stories.

Biography

She was educated at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

and the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where she studied on a

Vida Dutton Scudder Julia Vida Dutton Scudder (1861–1954) was an American educator, writer, and welfare activist in the social gospel movement. Early life She was born in Madurai, India, on December 15, 1861, the only child of David Coit Scudder (of the Scudder ...

Fellowship. Her stories are noted for their dense prose style, which is strongly focused on native English roots, sometimes reminiscent of

Gerard Manley Hopkins Gerard Manley Hopkins (28 July 1844 – 8 June 1889) was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame placed him among leading Victorian poets. His prosody – notably his concept of sprung rhythm – established him as an innovato ...

. Her characteristic themes are drawn from a mixture of North English and Scottish

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s and seasonal rituals, which she uses to create a complex mythology centered on the seasons and constellations of her fictional world of Cloud. Her novel '' Moonwise'', in which two women travel in a world they have created, won the

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 ...

for 1991. Her collection of three stories, '' Cloud & Ashes: Three Winter's Tales'' won the

Tiptree 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 ...

in 2009, and has been shortlisted for the

Mythopoeic Award The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given annually for outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas. Established by the Mythopoeic Society in 1971, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awa ...

in 2010. Both are published by

Small Beer Press Small Beer Press is a publisher of fantasy and literary fiction, based in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was founded by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link in 2000 and publishes novels, collections, and anthologies. It also publishes the zine ''Lady Churc ...

. The novella "A Crowd of Bone" published in ''Trampoline: an anthology'' won the 2004

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

. Her work has also been published in ''

Salon Fantastique ''Salon Fantastique: Fifteen Original Tales of Fantasy'' is a fantasy short story anthology edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. Contents *''La Fée Verte'' by Delia Sherman *''Dust Devil on a Quiet Street'' by Richard Bowes *''To Measure ...

'', ''The Faces of Fantasy'', and ''Mythic Delirium''. Her essay, "Girl, Implicated: The Child in the Labyrinth in the Fantastic" appeared in the ''Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts'', vol.19 no. 2. Her chapter on "The Languages of the Fantastic" appears in the ''Cambridge Companion to Fantasy Literature''.About Greer Gilman
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References

External links

by Greer Gilman, from the ''Trampoline'' anthology * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilman, Greer 20th-century American novelists American fantasy writers American women short story writers American women novelists Living people Women science fiction and fantasy writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American short story writers 1951 births 21st-century American women Wellesley College alumni