Sam J. Miller
| Sam J. Miller | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Genre | Science fiction, fantasy |
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Sam J. Miller is an award-winning science fiction, fantasy and horror short fiction author whose stories have appeared in publications such as Clarkesworld, Asimov's Science Fiction, and Lightspeed, along with over fifteen "year's best" story collections. A finalist for multiple Nebula Awards along with the World Fantasy and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Awards, he won the 2013 Shirley Jackson Award for his short story "57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides."
Life
Sam J. Miller grew up in Hudson, New York, where his family ran a butcher shop.[1] He currently lives in New York City, where he works as a community organizer for a homeless organization.[2][3]
Writing
Miller studied writing as part at the 2012 Clarion Workshop under authors Holly Black, Cassandra Clare[4] and Ted Chiang.[5]
Miller began regularly publishing his short stories in 2013 with "57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides" in Nightmare Magazine. The story later won the 2013 Shirley Jackson Award for best short fiction.[6] His other stories have been published in magazines such as Clarkesworld, Asimov's Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, and Lightspeed. His stories have been reprinted in over fifteen "year's best" story collections and have been a finalist for multiple Nebula Awards along with the World Fantasy and Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Awards.
Miller states that he writes "speculative fiction because that's how the world looks to me. Life is magic. Human society is horror. The world is science fiction."[7] While Miller deals with politics in his work as a community organizer, he says that "arguing a political point is a pretty good way to kill a story. But I do think it's possible to explore in fiction the issues that are important to us. That's the writing that excites me the most."[8]
Miller's prose has been called "evocative,"[9] "disturbing"[10] and "grim stuff, but compelling."[11]
Miller's young adult novel The Art of Starving was released by HarperCollins in July of 2017.[12] The novel is about a gay, bullied teenage boy who believes that extreme hunger awakens supernatural abilities and is rooted in Miller's own experience with an adolescent eating disorder.[13]
Awards
- "57 Reasons for the Slate Quarry Suicides" (short story in Nightmare Magazine, December 2013) won the 2013 Shirley Jackson Award for best short fiction.[14]
- "We Are the Cloud" (novelette in Lightspeed, August 2014) was a finalist for the 2014 Nebula Award[15] and the 2015 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award.[16]
- "When Your Child Strays from God" (short story in Clarkesworld, July 2015) was a finalist for the 2015 Nebula Award.[17]
- "The Heat of Us: Notes Toward an Oral History" (short story in Clarkesworld, July 2015) was a finalist for the 2016 World Fantasy Award for best short fiction.[18]
- "Things with Beards" (short story in Clarkesworld, June 2016) was a finalist for the 2016 Nebula Award.[19]
References
- ↑ "Shimmer #20 Interview: Sam J. Miller" Shimmer Magzine, Issue 20, accessed March 5, 2017.
- ↑ "Spotlight on: Sam J. Miller, Writer" Locus Magazine, August 12, 2016.
- ↑ "Shimmer #20 Interview: Sam J. Miller" Shimmer Magzine, Issue 20, accessed March 5, 2017.
- ↑ "Spotlight on: Sam J. Miller, Writer" Locus Magazine, August 12, 2016.
- ↑ "Interview: Ted Chiang" by Adam Israel, Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers’ Workshop, February 7, 2012, accessed march 9, 2017.
- ↑ "2013 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners" Locus Magazine, July 13, 2014.
- ↑ "Spotlight on: Sam J. Miller, Writer" Locus Magazine, August 12, 2016.
- ↑ "Author Spotlight: Sam J. Miller" by Erika Holt, Nightmare Magazine, Issue 15, December 2013.
- ↑ "Lois Tilton reviews Short fiction, early September" by Lois Tilton, Locus Magazine, Sept. 10, 2014.
- ↑ "Review of Queering SFF: Wilde Stories 2014, Edited by Steve Berman" by Brit Mandelo, Tor.com, July 22, 2014
- ↑ Gardnerspace: A Short Fiction Column" by Gardner Dozois, Locus Magazine, November 2015, page 13.
- ↑ "The Art of Starving by Sam. J. Miller," HarperCollins website, accessed March 5, 2017.
- ↑ "#MHYALit: Better Is Not a Place" by Sam J. Miller, School Library Journal, March 2, 2017.
- ↑ "2013 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners" Locus Magazine, July 13, 2014.
- ↑ "2014 Nebula Awards Winners" Locus Magazine, June 6, 2015.
- ↑ "2015 Campbell and Sturgeon Awards Finalists" Locus Magazine, May 11, 2015.
- ↑ "2015 Nebula Awards Ballot" Locus Magazine, February 21, 2016.
- ↑ Award summary for Sam J. Miller, ISFDB, accessed March 5, 2017.
- ↑ "This year's Nebula Award nominees are incredibly diverse — read some online" by Andrew Liptak, The Verge, February 20, 2016.