Constance Elaine Trimmer Willis (born December 31, 1945), commonly known as Connie Willis, is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works—more major SF awards than any other writer[2]—most recently the "Best Novel" Hugo and Nebula Awards for Blackout/All Clear (2010).[3] She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2009[4][5] and the Science Fiction Writers of America named her its 28th SFWA Grand Master in 2011.[6]
Several of her works feature time travel by history students at a faculty of the future University of Oxford—sometimes called the Time Travel series.[7] They are the short story "Fire Watch" (1982, also in several anthologies and the 1985 collection of the same name), the novels Doomsday Book and science fiction and fantasy writer. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards for particular works—more major SF awards than any other writer[2]—most recently the "Best Novel" Hugo and Nebula Awards for Blackout/All Clear (2010).[3] She was inducted by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2009[4][5] and the Science Fiction Writers of America named her its 28th SFWA Grand Master in 2011.[6]
Several of her works feature time travel by history students at a faculty of the future University of Oxford—sometimes called the Time Travel series.[7] They are the short story "Fire Watch" (1982, also in several anthologies and the 1985 collection of the same name), the novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog (1992 and 1997), as well as the two-part novel Blackout/All Clear (2010).[7] All four won the annual Hugo Award but Doomsday Book and Blackout/All Clear won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.[3]
Contents
- 1 Early life
- 2 Career
- 3 Religious beliefs
- 4 Awards
- 5 Bibliography
- 5.1 Novels and novellas
- 5.2 Short story collections
- 5.3 Short stories
- 5.4 Other
- 5.5 Essays
- time travel by history students at a faculty of the future University of Oxford—sometimes called the Time Travel series.[7] They are the short story "Fire Watch" (1982, also in several anthologies and the 1985 collection of the same name), the novels Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog (1992 and 1997), as well as the two-part novel Blackout/All Clear (2010).[7] All four won the annual Hugo Award but Doomsday Book and Blackout/All Clear won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.[3]
Willis is a 1967 graduate of Colorado State College, now the University of Northern Colorado, where she completed degrees in English and Elementary Education.[8][9] She lives in Greeley, Colorado, with her husband Courtney Willis, a former professor of physics at the University of Northern Colorado. They have one daughter, Cordelia.[citation needed]
Career
Connie Willis at Clarion West, 1998Willis's first published story was "The Secret of Santa Titicaca" in Worlds of Fantasy, Winter 1970 (December).[10] At least seven stories followed (1978–81) before her debut novel, Water Witch by Willis and Cynthia Felice, published by Ace Books in 1982.[10] After receiving a National Endowment for the Arts grant that year, she left her teaching job and became a full-time writer.[11]
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 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."[12]
Willis is known for writing "romantic 'screwball' comedy in the manner of 1940s Hollywood movies."[13]
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 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".
Worlds of Fantasy, Winter 1970 (December).[10] At least seven stories followed (1978–81) before her debut novel, Water Witch by Willis and Cynthia Felice, published by Ace Books in 1982.[10] After receiving a National Endowment for the Arts grant that year, she left her teaching job and became a full-time writer.[11]
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 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."[12]
Willis is known for writing "romantic 'screwball' comedy in the manner of 1940s Hollywood movies."[13]
Much of Willis's writing explores the social sciences. She often weaves technology into her stories in order to prompt readers t
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 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."[12]
Willis is known for writing "romantic 'screwball' comedy in the manner of 1940s Hollywood movies."[13]
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 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".
At the 2006 Hugo Awards ceremony, Willis presented writer Harlan Ellison 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.[14][15][16] Ellison subsequently complained that Willis refused to acknowledge his apology.[14]
Religious beliefs
Willis is a Christian
Willis is a Christian. In 1996, Willis wrote, "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."[17]
Awards
Wins
- Fire Watch : novelette : 1983
- The Last of the Winnebagos : novella : 1989
- Doomsday Book : novel : 1993[18]
- Even the Queen : short story : 1993
- Death on the Nile : short story : 1994
- The Soul Selects Her Own Society: Invasion and Repulsion: A Chronological Reinterpretation of Two of Emily Dickinson's Poems: A Wellsian Perspective : short story : 1997
- To Say Nothing of the Dog : novel : 1999[19]
- The Winds of Marble Arch : novella : 2000
- Inside Job : novella : 2006
- All Seated on the Ground : novella : 2008
- Blackout/All Clear : novel (published in two parts): 2011[20]
Nominations
- Daisy, In the Sun : short story : 1980
- T
Nominations
- Daisy, In the Sun : short story : 1980
- The Sidon in the Mirror : novelette : 1984
- Blued Moon : novelette : 1985
- Spice Pogrom : novella : 1987
- At the Rialto : novelette : 1990
- Time-Out : novella : 1990
- Cibola : short story : 1991
- In the Late Cretaceous : short story : 1992
- Jack : novella : 1992
- Miracle : novelette : 1992
- Remake : novel : 1996[21]
- Passage : novel : 2002[22]
- Just Like the Ones We Used to Know : novella : 2004
Nebula Awards
Wins
- Fire Watch : novelette : 1983
- A Letter from the Clearys : short story : 1983
- Wins
- Fire Watch : novelette : 1983
- A Letter from the Clearys : short story : 1983
- The Last of the Winnebagos : novella : 1988
- At the Rialto : novelette : 1990
- Doomsday Book : novel : 1993[18]
- Even the Queen : short story : 1993
- Blackout/All Clear : novel : 2010[23]
Nominations
- The Sidon in the Mirror : novelette : 1984
- Schwarzschild Radius : novelette : 1988
- Jack : novella : 1992
- Death on the Nile : novelette
Nominations
- The Sidon in the Mirror : novelette : 1984
- Schwarzschild Radius : novelette : 1988
- Jack : novella : 1992
- Death on the Nile : novelette : 1994
- Bellwether : novel : 1998
- To Say Nothing of the Dog : novel : 1999[19]
- Passage : novel : 2002[22]
- Just Like the Ones We Used to Know : novella : 2005
Locus Awards
Nominations
- Doomsday Book: SF novel: 1993[18]
- Doomsday Book: SF novel: 1993[18]
- Passage: SF novel: 2001[24]
World Fantasy Awards
- Chance : novella : 1987
- The Winds of Marble Arch : novella : 2000
John W. Campbell Memorial Award
Win
- Lincoln's Dreams: 1988[25]
Briti
Win
- Lincoln's Dreams: 1988[25]
British Science Fiction Association Award
|1=(help)See also
References
- ^ Sawyer, Robert J. (April 29, 2008). "The Savage Humanists". Robert J. Sawyer. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
Meet the Savage Humanists: the hottest science-fiction writers working today. They use SF's unique powers to comment on the human condition in mordantly funny, satiric stories... In these pages, you'll find the top names in the SF field: including...Connie Willis (The Doomsday Book)...
- ^ Merrick, Helen. "Nebula Awards Interview: Connie Willis". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ a b "sfadb : Connie Willis Awards". www.sfadb.com. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ^ "EMP|SFM Announces its 2009 Science Fiction Hall of Fame Inductions". empsfm.org. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
- ^ Strock, Ian Randal (April 6, 2009). "2009's Science Fiction Hall of Fame Inductees". sfscope.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
- ^ a b "Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Archived from the original on July 1, 2011. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ a b "Time Travel – Series Bibliography". www.isfdb.org. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ UNC Writers' Conference Features Internationally Renowned Sci Fi Author, retrieved October 11, 2015
- ^ "University Archives: RG18 ALUMNI". University of Northern Colorado: University Archives. January 27, 2002. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. Retrieved June 6, 2009.
- ^ a b "Connie Willis – Summary Bibliography". www.isfdb.org. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ "Connie Willis: The Facts of Death", Locus, January 2003, p. 7.
- ^ Wolfe, Gary K. (March 2001). "Passage". Locus. Oakland, California: Charles N. Brown. 46 (3, issue 482): 21. ISSN 0047-4959. OCLC 610386221.
- ^ Kathryn Cramer (2006). Hartwell, David G. (ed.). Year's Best Fantasy 6. Tachyon Publications. ISBN 1-892391-37-6.
- ^ a b "Sci-Fi Awards Show Marred By Boorish Groping". August 30, 2006. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- ^ Larry Sanderson (July 9, 2011). "Hugo Awards – Harlan and Connie – 2006". YouTube.
- ^ "Don't Let Harlan Ellison Hear This". Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- ^ "Connie Willis answers your questions". scifi.com/sfw. Archived from the original on June 16, 2005. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "1993 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
- ^ a b c d "1999 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
- ^ 2011 Hugo and Campbell Awards Winners. Locus. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
- ^ a b "1996 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
- ^ a b c "2002 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
- ^ "2010 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ^ a b c "2001 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
- ^ a b c "1988 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
- ^ "1992 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
- ^ "1997 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
- ^ "1998 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved May 5, 2009.
