Nancy Kress

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Nancy Kress is the author of twenty-three books: eleven SF novels, three fantasy novels, two thrillers, three collections of short stories, one YA novel, and three books on writing fiction. She is perhaps best known for the “Sleepless” trilogy that began with BEGGARS IN SPAIN. The novel was based on a Nebula- and Hugo-winning novella of the same name; the series then continued with BEGGARS AND CHOOSERS and BEGGARS RIDE. The trilogy explores questions of genetic engineering, social structure, and what society’s “haves” owe its “have-nots.” In 1996 Kress temporarily switched genres to write OATHS AND MIRACLES (Forge, 1996), a thriller about Mafia penetration of the biotech industry. This was followed in 1998 by STINGER (Forge/Tor), about the introduction of a genetically-engineered and very nasty form of malaria into Maryland. Her most recent books are NOTHING HUMAN (Golden Gryphon Press, 2003), which concerns the long-term consequences of global warming, and the “duology” CROSSFIRE and CRUCIBLE (Tor, 2003. 2004).

Kress’s short fiction, much of which concerns the consequences of genetic engineering, has appeared in all the usual places. She has won three Nebulas: in 1985 for “Out Of All Them Bright Stars,” in 1991 for the novella version of “Beggars In Spain” (which also won a Hugo), and in 1998 for “The Flowers of Aulit Prison.” Her novel PROBABILITY SPACE won the 2003 John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Her work has been translated into Swedish, French, Italian, Greek, German, Spanish, Hebrew, Portuguese, Polish, Croatian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. Also, in a development more startling to the author than anything else, into Klingon.

In addition to writing fiction, Kress regularly teaches at various places, including Clarions East (University of Michigan) and West (Seattle). She is also the long-time “Fiction” columnist for Writers Digest magazine.