Steve Berman is an American editor,

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and short story writer. He writes in the field of

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...

Early life and education

Berman was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, and raised in

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

. Berman says he realized in junior high school he was gay. He attended

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, where he earning a bachelor's degree in English Literature. He then studied history at

Rutgers University–Camden Rutgers University–Camden is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. It is located in Camden, New Jersey. Founded in 1926 as the South Jersey Law ...

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, where he obtained a master's degree in Liberal Studies in 2006.

Career

He began his publishing career working in pharmaceutical and medical publishing, then worked as a senior book buyer for wholesaler Bookazine, and served in the marketing department of a small Jewish press. He spent a decade as an employee engagement survey analyst for a

human resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...

consulting firm in

Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a Township (New Jersey), township within Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As a suburb of Philadelphia, the township is part of the South Jersey and Delaware Valley regions. Cherry Hill ...

. Berman attended the

Clarion Workshop The Clarion Workshop is an American six-week workshop for aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers. Originally an outgrowth of Damon Knight's and Kate Wilhelm's Milford Writer's Workshop, Milford Writer's Conference, held at their home in Milfo ...

in 2006, the last year that workshop was held in

East Lansing, Michigan East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 47,741. The city is located immediate ...

. Though raised

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, Berman wavers between Jewish secularism and

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...

. Berman is a former member of

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whi ...

(SFWA) and a lifetime member of the RPGA. His short fiction is mainly dark fantasy, horror, urban fantasy, and weird

autofiction Autofiction is, in literary criticism, a form of fictionalized autobiography. Definition In autofiction, an author may decide to recount their life in the Third-person narrative, third person, to modify significant details and characters, use in ...

. He has spoken online and at convention panels on the history of LGBT-inclusive speculative fiction and on LGBT young adult topics. In 2001, Berman founded Lethe Press. The first few titles included his first short story collection, ''Trysts'', and several books in the public domain. In 2004, he met author Toby Johnson and offered to reprint Johnson's book, ''Gay Spirituality''. Lethe Press regularly publishes title of LGBT speculative fiction. Several of his urban fantasy stories are set in the Fallen Area. In June 2009, he launched the quarterly publication, ''Icarus, the Magazine of Gay Speculative Fiction'', which ended in October 2013. In August 2017, Berman moved to

Western Massachusetts Western Massachusetts, known colloquially as "western Mass," is a region in Massachusetts, one of the six U.S. states that make up the New England region of the United States. Western Massachusetts has diverse topography; 22 colleges and univ ...

Awards and honors

Berman has been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award, the Golden Crown Literary Award, a seven-time finalist for the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards, and five-time finalist (as editor) for the

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary Foundation, Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ+ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ+ literatur ...

in various categories. He won the latter in 2018 for ''His Seed''. His first novel, ''Vintage: A Ghost Story'' released in 2007 and was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award.

As editor

*''Charmed Lives: Gay Spirit in Storytelling'' (co-edited with Toby Johnson) (2006). The inaugural title in the White Crane Wisdom Series, this anthology of inspirational essays and short fiction for gay men was a finalist for a

. *''So Fey: Queer Fairy Fiction'' (2007, Reprinted 2009). This is an anthology of

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

short fiction dealing with faeries was a finalist for the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards and the Golden Crown Literary Awards. *''Magic in the Mirrorstone'' (2008). This is an anthology of

young adult fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

, all stories dealing with magic. *''Best Gay Stories'' (2008–10, 2013-6). An annual anthology reprinting quality short fiction and essays that have gay themes. Canadian author Peter Dube took over editorial duties for the 2011 and 2012 volumes. *''Wilde Stories'' (2008–18). An annual anthology offers reprints of the prior year's best works of speculative and interstitial fiction with gay characters and themes - the 2008 and 2010 editions were finalists for a

. *''Speaking Out'' (2011). A young adult anthology of inspirational short fiction aimed at LGBT teens. *''Boys of Summer'' (2012). A young adult anthology of summer-themed short fiction aimed at gay teens. *''Heiresses of Russ'' (2011–16). An annual anthology of

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

-themed speculative fiction (each volume is co-edited with a different female editor) named in honor after

Joanna Russ Joanna Russ (February 22, 1937 – April 29, 2011) was an American writer, academic and feminist. She is the author of a number of works of science fiction, fantasy and feminist literary criticism such as '' How to Suppress Women's Writing'', as ...

. The 2012 volume was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and the Golden Crown Literary Award. *''The Touch of the Sea'' (2012). An anthology of gay-themed fantastical stories involving the sea and maritime folklore. *''Bad Seeds: Evil Progeny'' (2013). A horror anthology of stories about evil children from Prime Books. *''Where Thy Dark Eye Glances: Queering

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

'' (2013). A dark fantasy anthology that remixes the oeuvre of Poe through a queer perspective. A finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award. *''Zombies: Shambling Through the Ages'' (2013). An anthology of historical stories featuring

ghoul In folklore, a ghoul (from , ') is a demon-like being or monstrous humanoid, often associated with graveyards and the consumption of human flesh. In the legends or tales in which they appear, a ghoul is far more ill-mannered and foul than go ...

s and

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

s from Prime Books. *''Shades of Blue & Gray: Civil War Ghost Stories'' (2013). An anthology of ghost stories set during or based on the consequences of the American Civil War. *''Suffered From the Night: Queering

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

'' (2013). A dark fantasy and horror anthology that offers new gay-themed stories about characters from the most famous

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

novel of all time. *''Handsome Devil: Stories of Sin and Seduction'' (2014). An anthology of

incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...

-themed horror and dark fantasy tales from Prime Books. *''Daughters of Frankenstein: Lesbian

Mad Scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...

s'' (2015). A science-fiction lesbian-themed anthology, a finalist for the Golden Crown Literary Award. *''His Seed'' (2017). Winner for the Lambda Literary Award. *''Burly Tales'' (2021). An anthology of fairy-tale retellings for hirsute gay men. *''Brute'' (2023). An anthology of stories that address the intersectionality of masculinity, violence, and the unnatural.

References

External links

Steve Berman website20 Questions with Steve Berman (Interview)

Norton Award InterviewInterview with Steve Berman on Tor.com
*
Steve Berman
at RPGgeek

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Steve 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists American agnostics American fantasy writers American male novelists American male short story writers American short story writers American gay writers Jewish agnostics Jewish American novelists Lambda Literary Award winners Gay Jews American LGBTQ novelists LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania Living people American role-playing designers Rutgers University alumni Tulane University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Jewish American non-fiction writers