Andy Duncan (born 21 September 1964) 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 uni ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving 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 literature and d ...

writer whose work frequently deals with Southern U.S. themes.

Biography

Duncan was born in Batesburg, South Carolina and graduated from high school from W.W. Wyman King Academy. He earned a degree in journalism from the University of South Carolina and worked for seven years at the ''

Greensboro News & Record The ''News & Record'' is an American, English language newspaper with the largest circulation serving Guilford County, North Carolina, and the surrounding region. It is based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and produces local sections for Greensb ...

''. His novelette "Close Encounters" won the 2012

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 novelette. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novelette if it is between 7,50 ...

. His novelette "An Agent of Utopia" was a finalist for the 2018 Nebula Award. Duncan earned an M.A. in creative writing (fiction) from North Carolina State University and an M.F.A. in fiction writing from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

. He also attended

Clarion West Writers Workshop Clarion West Writers Workshop is an intensive six-week program for writers preparing for professional careers in science fiction and fantasy. It runs annually from late June through the end of July. The workshop is limited to 18 students per year. ...

in 1994. In Fall 2008, he was hired as an Assistant Professor of English at

Frostburg State University Frostburg State University (FSU) is a public university in Frostburg, Maryland. The university is the only four-year institution of the University System of Maryland west of the Baltimore-Washington passageway in the state's Appalachian highlan ...

in Frostburg, MD. His fiction has appeared in a number of venues, including ''

Asimov's Science Fiction ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy named after science fiction author Isaac Asimov. It is currently published by Penny Publications. From January 2017, the publicatio ...

'', ''

Realms of Fantasy ''Realms of Fantasy'' was a professional bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Sovereign Media, then Tir Na Nog Press, and Damnation Books, which specialized in fantasy fiction (including some horror), related nonfiction (wit ...

'', ''

Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, pri ...

'', '' SciFiction'', and ''

Escape Pod An escape pod, escape capsule, life capsule, or lifepod is a capsule or craft, usually only big enough for one person, used to escape from a vessel in an emergency. An escape ship is a larger, more complete craft also used for the same purpose ...

''. He has also published poetry, essays, and reviews.

Personal life

Duncan currently lives with his wife Sydney in

Frostburg, Maryland Frostburg is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and is at the head of the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located west of Cumberland, the town is one of the first cities ...

along with a 17 year old dog Lily, and cats Bella and Hilary.

Bibliography

Novels

* '' The Night Cache'' (stand-alone novella), 2009,

PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.PS Publishing PS Publishing is an independent book publisher based in Hornsea, UK. Background PS Publishing was founded in 1999 by Peter Crowther.Beluthahatchie and Other Stories'',

Golden Gryphon Press Golden Gryphon Press was an independent publishing company, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, dark fantasy and cross-genre novels. It was founded in 1996 by Jim Turner, former editor at Arkham House, and was operated by his brother Gary ...

, 2000 ()

Edited works

* '' Crossroads: Tales of the Southern Literary Fantastic'' (with F. Brett Cox),

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...

, 2004 ()

Nonfiction

* '' Alabama Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff'',

Globe Pequot Globe Pequot is a book publisher and distributor of outdoor recreation and leisure titles that publishes 500 new titles. Globe Pequot was acquired by Morris Communications Morris Communications, headquartered in Augusta, Georgia, is a privat ...

, 2005 ()

Professional activities

In October 2022, Andy Duncan was a guest on the Maryland State Library Agency Podcast in the Episode titled 'Spooky Maryland Stories with Andy Duncan.' He was a senior editor at '' Overdrive'', a magazine for

truck drivers A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

, from 2003 to 2008. Duncan was an instructor at

Clarion Workshop Clarion is a six-week workshop for aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers. Originally an outgrowth of Damon Knight's and Kate Wilhelm's Milford Writers' Conference, held at their home in Milford, Pennsylvania, United States, it was founded i ...

in 2004 and at Clarion West in 2005. He has frequently given readings and spoken on panels at such venues as the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, held each spring in Florida. Duncan starred as the main character, Counter, in a live dramatization of Jeanne Beckwith's one-act play ''The Back Room'', performed with award-winning authors

John Kessel John Joseph Vincent Kessel (born September 24, 1950) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. He is a prolific short story writer, and the author of four solo novels, '' Good News From Outer Space'' (1989), ''Corrupting Dr. Nice'' ...

and

James Morrow James Morrow (born March 17, 1947) is an American novelist and short-story writer known for filtering large philosophical and theological questions through his satiric sensibility. Most of Morrow's oeuvre has been published as science fiction ...

, author and scholar Dr. F. Brett Cox, writer and critic Fiona Kelleghan, Sydney Sowers, and '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' expert Dr. Rhonda V. Wilcox. The play was presented at the 17th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, March 19, 1999.

Awards

He has won the

Theodore Sturgeon Award The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is an annual literary award presented by the Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust and the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best short science fiction stor ...

. and three

World Fantasy Award 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 ann ...

s, and has been nominated for Hugo, Nebula Award and

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 a ...

. ''The Night Cache'' was nominated in the Best Novella category for a 2010 World Fantasy Award. He won the 2012

for "Close Encounters" featured in ''The Pottawatomie Giant and Other Stories''. His novelette "An Agent of Utopia" was also a finalist for the 2018 Nebula Award.

References

External links

Official blog

Duncan's personal website

Complete bibliography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duncan, Andy 1964 births Living people 21st-century American short story writers American fantasy writers American male short story writers American science fiction writers People from Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina Nebula Award winners World Fantasy Award-winning writers People from Frostburg, Maryland 21st-century American male writers 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers Writers from South Carolina Writers from Maryland North Carolina State University alumni University of Alabama alumni University of South Carolina alumni Frostburg State University faculty