Doris Piserchia (born Doris Summers, October 11, 1928 – September 15, 2021) was an American science fiction writer who was born and raised in Fairmont,

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

. She served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1950 to 1954 and after that took courses toward a Master's degree in

educational psychology Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences in ...

. She did not begin publishing until 1966. Her stories have an interest in aliens and have been termed "darkly comic" by admirers. Despite her military experience, age, and preference for older SF, she is often associated with the New Wave. Related to that she has a story in ''

The Last Dangerous Visions ''The Last Dangerous Visions'' is an unpublished speculative fiction anthology intended to follow '' Dangerous Visions'' (1967) and '' Again, Dangerous Visions'' (1972). Like its predecessors, it was edited by American author Harlan Ellison, ...

''. She has also been of interest to those in

Feminist science fiction Feminist science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction (abbreviated "SF") focused on theories that include feminist themes including but not limited to gender inequality, sexuality, race, economics, reproduction, and environment. Feminist SF ...

. She did not publish any work after 1983,Clute and Nicholls 1995, p. 934. shortly before her adult daughter died suddenly, leaving her with a three-year-old granddaughter to raise. Piserchia died September 15, 2021, at the age of 92.

Bibliography

*''Mr. Justice'' (1973) *''Star Rider'' (1974) *''A Billion Days of Earth'' (1976) *''Earthchild'' (1977) *''Spaceling'' (1978) *''The Spinner'' (1980) *''The Fluger'' (1980) *''Doomtime'' (1981) *''Earth in Twilight'' (1981) *''Blood County'' (1982) s by Curt Selby *''I, Zombie'' (1982) s by Curt Selby *''The Dimensioneers'' (1982) *''The Deadly Sky'' (1983)

References

Sources

* Clute, John and Peter Nicholls (eds.). ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...

''. New York: St Martin's Griffin, 1995. .

External links

Biographical sketch from the Doris Piserchia website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Piserchia, Doris 1928 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American novelists American science fiction writers American women novelists People from Fairmont, West Virginia Novelists from West Virginia American women science fiction and fantasy writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women