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Alice Bradley Sheldon, better known as James Tiptree Jr. (born Alice Hastings Bradley; August 24, 1915 – May 19, 1987), was an American
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
and
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
author. It was not publicly known until 1977 that James Tiptree Jr. was a
pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
of a woman, which she used from 1967 until her death. From 1974 to 1985, she also occasionally used the pen name Raccoona Sheldon. Tiptree was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2012. Tiptree's debut story collection, '' Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home'', was published in 1973 and her first novel, ''
Up the Walls of the World ''Up the Walls of the World'' is a 1978 science fiction novel by American author Alice Sheldon, who wrote under the pen name of James Tiptree, Jr. It was the first novel she published, having until then worked and built a reputation only in the ...
'', was published in 1978. Her other works include the 1973 novelette " The Women Men Don't See", the 1974 novella " The Girl Who Was Plugged In", the 1976 novella " Houston, Houston, Do You Read?", the 1985 novel '' Brightness Falls from the Air'', and the 1974 short story "Her Smoke Rose Up Forever".


Early life, family and education

Alice Hastings Bradley came from a family in the intellectual enclave of Hyde Park, a university neighborhood in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. Her father was Herbert Edwin Bradley, a lawyer and naturalist, and her mother was Mary Hastings Bradley, a prolific writer of fiction and travel books. From an early age she traveled with her parents, and in 1921–22, the family made their first trip to
central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...
. During these trips, she played the role of the "perfect daughter, willing to be carried across Africa like a parcel, always neatly dressed and well behaved, a credit to her mother." This later contributed to her short story, "The Women Men Don't See." She is the title character in two non-fiction accounts by her mother of their travels: ''Alice in Jungleland'' (1927) and ''Alice in Elephantland'' (1929). These were both travel books for children which included photos of young Alice visiting parts of Africa not yet fully discovered by Westerners. The illustrated cover of ''Alice in Jungleland'' is credited to Alice Hastings Bradley. Between trips to Africa, Bradley attended school in Chicago. At the age of ten, she went to the
University of Chicago Laboratory Schools The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (also known as Lab, Lab Schools, or U-High, abbreviated UCLS) is a private, co-educational, day pre-school and K-12 school affiliated with the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Almost half ...
, which was an experimental teaching workshop with small classes and loose structure. When she was fourteen, she was sent to
finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's ...
in
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in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, before returning to the US to attend
boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...
in
Tarrytown Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on th ...
in New York.


Adulthood and early career: 1934–1967

Bradley was encouraged by her mother to seek a career, but her mother also hoped that she would get married and settle down. In 1934, at age 19, she met William (Bill) Davey and eloped to marry him. She dropped out of
Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College (SLC) is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York, United States. Founded as a Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in 1926, Sarah Lawrence College has been coeducational ...
, which did not allow married students to attend. They moved to
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...
, where they took classes and Davey encouraged her to pursue art. The marriage was not a success; he was an
alcoholic Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World Hea ...
and irresponsible with money and she disliked keeping house. The couple
divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganising of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the M ...
d in 1940. Later on, she became a graphic artist, a painter, and—still under the name "Alice Bradley Davey"—an art critic for the '' Chicago Sun'' between 1941 and 1942. After the divorce, Bradley joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps where she became a supply officer. In 1942 she joined the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
and worked in the Army Air Forces photo-intelligence group. She later was promoted to
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
, a high rank for women at the time. In the army, she "felt she was among free women for the first time." As an intelligence officer, she became an expert in reading aerial intelligence photographs. In 1945, at the close of the war, while she was on assignment in Paris, she married her second husband, Huntington D. Sheldon, known as "Ting." She was discharged from the military in 1946, at which time she set up a
small business Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have a small number of employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being ...
in partnership with her husband. The same year, a non-fiction piece about Polish refugees working in Germany (entitled "The Lucky Ones") was published in the November 16, 1946 issue of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', and credited to "Alice Bradley" in the magazine. In 1952 she and her husband were invited to join the CIA, which she accepted. At the CIA, she worked as an intelligence officer, but she did not enjoy the work. She resigned her position in 1955 and returned to college. She studied for her bachelor of arts degree at
American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...
(1957–1959). She received a doctorate from
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
in
Experimental Psychology Experimental psychology is the work done by those who apply Experiment, experimental methods to psychological study and the underlying processes. Experimental psychologists employ Research participant, human participants and Animal testing, anim ...
in 1967. She wrote her doctoral dissertation on the responses of animals to novel stimuli in differing environments. During this time, she wrote and submitted a few science fiction stories under the name James Tiptree Jr., in order to protect her academic reputation.


Art career

Bradley began illustrating when she was nine years old, contributing to her mother's book, ''Alice in Elephantland'', a children's book about the family's second trip to Africa, appearing in it as herself. She later had an exhibit of her drawings of Africa at the Chicago Gallery, arranged by her parents. Although she illustrated several of her mother's books, she only sold one illustration during her lifetime, in 1931, to ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'', with help from Harold Ober, a New York agent who worked with her mother. The illustration, of a horse rearing and throwing off its rider, sold for ten dollars. In 1936, Bradley participated in a group show at the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
, to which she had connections through her family, featuring new American work. This was an important step forward for her painting career. During this time she also took private art lessons from
John Sloan John French Sloan (August 2, 1871 – September 7, 1951) was an American painter and etcher. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Ashcan school of American art. He was also a member of the group known as The Eight (Ashcan School), T ...
. Bradley disliked prudery in painting. While examining an anatomy book for an art class, she noticed that the genitals were blurred, so she restored the genitals of the figures with a pencil. In 1939, her nude self-portrait titled ''Portrait in the Country'' was accepted for the "All-American" biennial show at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C., where it was displayed for six weeks. While these two shows were considered big breaks, she disparaged these accomplishments, saying that "only second rate painters sold" and she preferred to keep her works at home. By 1940, Bradley felt she had mastered all the techniques she needed and was ready to choose her subject matter. However, she began to doubt whether she should paint. She kept working at her painting techniques, fascinated with the questions of form, and read books on aesthetics in order to know what scientifically made a painting "good." She stopped painting in 1941. As she was in need of a way to support herself, her parents helped her find a job as an art critic for the ''Chicago Sun''.


Science fiction career: 1967–1987

Bradley discovered
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
in 1924, when she read her first issue of ''
Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, printe ...
,'' but she didn't write any herself until years later. Unsure what to do with her new degrees and her new/old careers, she began to write science fiction. She adopted the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
of James Tiptree Jr. in 1967. The name "Tiptree" came from a branded jar of marmalade, and the "Jr." was her husband's idea. In an interview, she said: "A male name seemed like good camouflage. I had the feeling that a man would slip by less observed. I've had too many experiences in my life of being the first woman in some damned occupation." She also made the choice to start writing science fiction she, herself, was interested in and "was surprised to find that her stories were immediately accepted for publication and quickly became popular." Her first published short story was "Birth of a Salesman" in the March 1968 issue of '' Analog Science Fact & Fiction'', edited by
John W. Campbell John Wood Campbell Jr. (June 8, 1910 – July 11, 1971) was an American science fiction writer and editor. He was editor of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' (later called ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'') from late 1937 until his death and wa ...
. Three more followed that year in '' If'' and '' Fantastic''. Other pen names that she used included "Alice Hastings Bradley", "Major Alice Davey", "Alli B. Sheldon", "Dr. Alice B. Sheldon", and "Raccoona Sheldon". Writing under the pseudonym Raccoona, she was not very successful getting published until her other alter ego, Tiptree, wrote to publishers to intervene. The pseudonym was successfully maintained until late 1977, partly because, although "Tiptree" was widely known to be a pseudonym, it was generally understood that its use was intended to protect the professional reputation of an intelligence community official. Readers, editors and correspondents were permitted to assume gender, and generally, but not invariably, they assumed "male". There was speculation, based partially on the themes in her stories, that Tiptree might be female. In 1975, in the introduction to '' Warm Worlds and Otherwise,'' a collection of Tiptree's short stories,
Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is a prolific American science fiction author and editor. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo Award, Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a SFWA Grand ...
wrote: " has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree's writing." Silverberg also likened Tiptree's writing to
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...
's, arguing there was a "prevailing masculinity about both of them—that preoccupation with questions of courage, with absolute values, with the mysteries and passions of life and death as revealed by extreme physical tests, by pain and suffering and loss.""Tiptree" never made any public appearances, but she did correspond regularly with fans and other science fiction authors through the mail. When asked for biographical details, Tiptree/Sheldon was forthcoming in everything but her gender. According to her biographer, Julie Phillips, "No one had ever seen or spoken to the owner of this voice. He wrote letters, warm, frank, funny letters, to other writers, editors, and science fiction fans". In her letters to fellow writers such as
Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin ( ; Kroeber; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author. She is best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the ''Earthsea'' fantas ...
and
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 ...
, she would present herself as a feminist man; however, Sheldon did not present herself as male in person. Writing was a way to escape a male-dominated society, themes Tiptree explored in the short stories later collected in ''Her Smoke Rose Up Forever''. One story in particular offers an excellent illustration of these themes. " Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" follows a group of astronauts who discover a future Earth whose male population has been wiped out; the remaining females have learned to get along just fine in their absence. In 1976, "Tiptree" mentioned in a letter that "his" mother, also a writer, had died in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
—details that led inquiring fans to find the
obituary An obituary (wikt:obit#Etymology 2, obit for short) is an Article (publishing), article about a recently death, deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as Article (publishing), news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on p ...
, with its reference to Alice Sheldon; soon all was revealed. Once the initial shock was over, Sheldon wrote to Le Guin, one of her closest friends, confessing her identity. She wrote, "I never wrote you anything but the exact truth, there was no calculation or intent to deceive, other than the signature which over 8 years became just another nickname; everything else is just plain me. The thing is, I am a 61-year-old woman named Alice Sheldon—nickname Alli—solitary by nature but married for 37 years to a very nice man considerably older untington was 12 years her senior who doesn't read my stuff but is glad I like writing". After Sheldon's identity was revealed, several prominent science fiction writers suffered some embarrassment.
Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is a prolific American science fiction author and editor. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo Award, Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a SFWA Grand ...
, who had argued that Tiptree could not be a woman from the evidence of her stories, added a postscript to his introduction to the second edition of Tiptree's ''Warm Worlds and Otherwise'', published in 1979.
Harlan Ellison Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave science fiction, New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. His published wo ...
had introduced Tiptree's story in the anthology '' Again, Dangerous Visions'' with the opinion that " ate Wilhelm is the woman to beat this year, but Tiptree is the man". Only then did she complete her first full-length novel, ''
Up the Walls of the World ''Up the Walls of the World'' is a 1978 science fiction novel by American author Alice Sheldon, who wrote under the pen name of James Tiptree, Jr. It was the first novel she published, having until then worked and built a reputation only in the ...
'', which was a Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club selection. Before that she had worked on and built a reputation only in the field of short stories.


Themes

A constant theme in Sheldon's work is gender; she was influenced by the rise of
second-wave feminism Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. It occurred ...
. A strong example is "The Women Men Don't See" (1973), where Sheldon, as in most of her stories, devises a convincing male point of view. We see the two women in the story (Ruth Parsons and her daughter) through the eyes of Don Fenton, who assesses them critically as possible sexual partners and is also concerned to protect them. He is confused when Ruth shows courage and common sense, failing to "fulfill stereotypical female roles," according to Anne Cranny-Francis. Ruth tries to explain the alienation of women in general and herself in particular, but to Fenton it seems nonsense. The Parsons' decision to leave Earth on an alien spaceship jars him into, if not understanding, at least remembering Ruth's words. The title of the short story itself reflects the idea that women are invisible during Sheldon's time. As Cranny-Francis states, "'The Women Men Don't See' is an outstanding example … of the subversive use of genre fiction to produce an unconventional discursive position, the feminist subject."Cranny-Francis, Anne. ''Feminist Fiction''. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1990. pp. 30, 38.


Death and legacy

Sheldon continued writing under the Tiptree pen name for another decade. In the last years of her life, she suffered from depression and heart trouble, while her husband began to lose his eyesight, becoming almost completely blind in 1986. In 1976, then 61-year-old Sheldon wrote to Silverberg expressing her desire to end her own life while she was still able-bodied and active; she said that she was reluctant to act upon this intention, as she did not want to leave her husband behind and could not bring herself to kill him. Later, she suggested to her husband that they make a suicide pact when their health began to fail. On July 21, 1977, she wrote in her diary: "Ting agreed to consider suicide in 4–5 years". Ten years later, on May 19, 1987, Sheldon shot her husband and then herself; she telephoned her attorney after the first shooting to announce her actions. They were found dead, hand-in-hand in bed, in their Virginia home. According to biographer Julie Phillips, the suicide note Sheldon left was written in September 1979 and saved until needed. Although the circumstances surrounding the Sheldons' deaths are not clear enough to rule out caregiver
murder–suicide A murder–suicide is an act where an individual intentionally kills one or more people before killing themselves. The combination of murder and suicide can take various forms: * Suicide after or during murder inflicted on others ** Suicide af ...
(in that perhaps her husband was not ready to die), testimony of those closest to them suggests a suicide pact.


Sexual orientation

Sheldon was attracted to women throughout her life and described herself as a lesbian in the years before her death. In 1980 she wrote to
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 ...
and stated "I am a Lesbian ..I some men a lot, but from the start, before I knew anything it was always girls and women who lit me up". Sheldon had affairs with men and "passionate crushes" on women during her first marriage, and later remarked "the 2 or 3 great loves of my life were girls".


James Tiptree Jr. Award

The
James Tiptree Jr. Award The Otherwise Award, originally known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science ...
, honoring works of science fiction and fantasy that expand or explore the understanding of gender, was created by authors
Karen Joy Fowler Karen Joy Fowler is an American author of science fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. Her work often centers on the 19th century, nineteenth century, the Woman, lives of women, and social alienation. She is best known as the author of the b ...
and Pat Murphy in February 1991. Works of fiction such as ''Half Life'' by Shelley Jackson and ''Light'' by M. John Harrison have received the award. Due to controversy over the circumstances of her and her husband's deaths, the name of the award was changed to the Otherwise Award in 2019.


Works


Short story collections

* '' Ten Thousand Light-Years from Home'' (1973) * '' Warm Worlds and Otherwise'' (1975) * '' Star Songs of an Old Primate'' (1978) * '' Out of the Everywhere and Other Extraordinary Visions'' (1981) * '' Byte Beautiful: Eight Science Fiction Stories'' (1985) * '' The Starry Rift'' (1986) (linked stories) * '' Tales of the Quintana Roo'' (1986) (linked stories) * '' Crown of Stars'' (1988) * '' Her Smoke Rose Up Forever'' (omnibus collection) (1990) * '' The Voice That Murmurs in the Darkness'' (omnibus collection) (2023) The abbreviation(s) after each title indicate its appearance in one or more of the following collections: * 1968 ** "The Mother Ship" (later retitled "Mamma Come Home") (novelette): ''LYFH'' ** "Pupa Knows Best" (later retitled "Help"; novelette): ''LYFH'' ** "Birth of a Salesman" (short story): ''LYFH'' ** "Fault" (short story): ''WWO, VNM'' ** "Happiness Is a Warm Spaceship" (short story): ''MM'' ** "Please Don't Play With the Time Machine" (very short story): ''MM'' ** "A Day Like Any Other' (very short story): ''MM'' * 1969 ** "Beam Us Home" (short story): ''LYFH, BB, VNM'' ** "The Last Flight of Doctor Ain" (short story): ''WWO, SRU'' ** "Your Haploid Heart" (novelette): ''SSOP'' ** "The Snows Are Melted, The Snows Are Gone" (novelette): ''LYFH, VNM'' ** "Parimutuel Planet" (later retitled "Faithful to Thee, Terra, in Our Fashion") (novelette): ''LYFH'' * 1970 ** "The Man Doors Said Hello To" (short story): ''LYFH, VNM'' ** "I'm Too Big But I Love to Play" (novelette): ''LYFH'' ** "The Nightblooming Saurian" (short story): ''WWO'' ** "Last Night and Every Night" (short story): ''CS'' * 1971 ** "The Peacefulness of Vivyan" (short story): ''LYFH, BB'' ** "I'll Be Waiting for You When the Swimming Pool Is Empty" (short story): ''LYFH, BB'' ** "And So On, and So On" (short story): ''SSOP, SRU'' ** "Mother in the Sky with Diamonds" (novelette): ''LYFH'' * 1972 ** "The Man Who Walked Home" (short story): ''LYFH, BB, SRU'' ** "And I Have Come Upon This Place by Lost Ways" (novelette): ''WWO, SRU'' ** " And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side" (short story): ''LYFH, SRU'' ** ''On the Last Afternoon'' (novella): ''WWO, SRU'' ** "Painwise" (novelette): ''LYFH'' ** "Forever to a Hudson Bay Blanket" (short story): ''LYFH'' ** "Filomena & Greg & Rikki-Tikki & Barlow & the Alien" (later retitled "All the Kinds of Yes") (novelette): ''WWO, VNM'' ** "The Milk of Paradise" (short story): ''WWO'' ** "Amberjack" (short story): ''WWO'' ** "Through a Lass Darkly" (short story): ''WWO'' ** "The Trouble Is Not in Your Set" (short story): ''MM'' (previously unpublished) ** "Press Until the Bleeding Stops" (short story): ''MM'' * 1973 ** " Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death" (short story): ''WWO, BB, SRU'' ** " The Women Men Don't See" (novelette): ''WWO, SRU'' ** " The Girl Who Was Plugged In" (novelette): ''WWO, SRU'' * 1974 ** "Her Smoke Rose Up Forever" (novelette): ''SSOP, SRU'' ** "Angel Fix" (novelette, under the name "Raccoona Sheldon"): ''OE'' * 1975 ** '' A Momentary Taste of Being'' (novella): ''SSOP, SRU'' * 1976 ** "Your Faces, O My Sisters! Your Faces Filled of Light!" (short story, under the name Raccoona Sheldon): ''OE, BB, SRU'' ** "Beaver Tears" (short story, under the name Raccoona Sheldon): ''OE'' ** "She Waits for All Men Born" (short story): ''SSOP, SRU'' ** '' Houston, Houston, Do You Read?'' (novella): ''SSOP, SRU'' (Hugo award winner; Nebula award winner) ** "The Psychologist Who Wouldn't Do Awful Things to Rats" (novelette): ''SSOP, VNM'' * 1977 ** " The Screwfly Solution" (novelette, under the name Raccoona Sheldon): ''OE, SRU'' ** "Time-Sharing Angel" (short story): ''OE, VNM'' * 1978 ** "We Who Stole the Dream" (novelette): ''OE, SRU'' * 1980 ** ''Slow Music'' (novella): ''OE, SRU'' ** "A Source of Innocent Merriment" (short story): ''OE'' * 1981 ** "Excursion Fare" (novelette): ''BB, VNM'' ** "Lirios: A Tale of the Quintana Roo" (later retitled "What Came Ashore at Lirios") (novelette): ''QR, VNM'' ** "Out of the Everywhere" (novelette): ''OE, VNM'' ** ''With Delicate Mad Hands'' (novella): ''OE, BB, SRU'' * 1982 ** "The Boy Who Waterskied to Forever" (short story): ''QR'' * 1983 ** "Beyond the Dead Reef" (novelette): ''QR'' * 1985 ** "Morality Meat" (novelette, under the name Racoona Sheldon): ''CS'' ** ''The Only Neat Thing to Do'' (novella): ''SR, VNM'' ** "All This and Heaven Too" (novelette): ''CS'' ** "Trey of Hearts" (short story): ''MM'' (previously unpublished) * 1986 ** "Our Resident Djinn" (short story): ''CS'' ** "In the Great Central Library of Deneb University" (short story): ''SR'' ** ''Good Night, Sweethearts'' (novella): ''SR'' ** ''Collision'' (novella): ''SR'' ** ''The Color of Neanderthal Eyes'' (novella): ''MM'' * 1987 ** "Second Going" (novelette): ''CS'' ** "Yanqui Doodle" (novelette): ''CS, VNM'' ** "In Midst of Life" (novelette): ''CS, VNM'' * 1988 ** "Come Live with Me" (novelette): ''CS'' ** ''Backward, Turn Backward'' (novella): ''CS'' ** "The Earth Doth Like a Snake Renew" (novellette): ''CS'' ritten in 1973


Novels

* ''
Up the Walls of the World ''Up the Walls of the World'' is a 1978 science fiction novel by American author Alice Sheldon, who wrote under the pen name of James Tiptree, Jr. It was the first novel she published, having until then worked and built a reputation only in the ...
'' (1978) * '' Brightness Falls from the Air'' (1985)


Other collections

* ''Neat Sheets: The Poetry of James Tiptree Jr.'' ( Tachyon Publications, 1996) * '' Meet Me at Infinity'' (a collection of previously uncollected and unpublished fiction, essays and other non-fiction, with much biographical information, edited by Tiptree's friend Jeffrey D. Smith) (2000)


Adaptations

* "The Man Who Walked Home" (1977):
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
adaptation in Canadian underground comic
Andromeda

No. 1
September; Silver Snail Comics, Ltd.; Toronto; pp. 6–28. Pencils by John Allison, inks by Tony Meers. * "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" (1990): radio drama for the
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
series ''Sci-Fi Radio''. Originally aired as two half-hour shows, February 4 and 11. * "Yanqui Doodle" (1990): half-hour radio drama for the
National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
series ''Sci-Fi Radio''. Aired March 18. * ''Weird Romance'' (1992):
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
by
Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer and conductor. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Alan Menken, numerous accolades including winning eight Academy Awards, a Tony Awards, Tony ...
. Act 1 is based on " The Girl Who Was Plugged In". * "The Girl Who Was Plugged In" (1998):
television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
: episode 5 of the series '' Welcome to Paradox'' * ''The Screwfly Solution'' (2006):
television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...
: season 2, episode 7 of the series '' Masters of Horror'' * ''Xenophilia'' (2011): based on the lives and works of Tiptree and Connie Converse; arranged and choreographed by Maia Ramnath; produced by the aerial dance and theater troupe Constellation Moving Company, performed at the Theater for the New City, presented November 10–13, 2011. Reviewer Jen Gunnels writes, "The performance juxtaposed some of Tiptree's short stories with Converse's songs, mixing in biographical elements of both women while kinesthetically exploring both through dance and aerial work on trapeze, lyra (an aerial ring), and silks (two lengths of fabric which the artist manipulates to perform aerial acrobatics). The result was elegant, eerie, and deeply moving."


Awards and honors

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted Tiptree in 2012. She also won several annual awards for particular works of fiction (typically the preceding calendar year's best): *
Hugo Award The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by th ...
s: 1974 novella, ''The Girl Who Was Plugged In''; 1977 novella, ''Houston, Houston, Do You Read?'' *
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of pr ...
s: 1973 short story, "Love Is the Plan the Plan Is Death"; 1976 novella, ''Houston, Houston, Do You Read?''; 1977 novelette, "The Screwfly Solution" (published as by Raccoona Sheldon) *
World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
: 1987 collection, ''Tales of the Quintana Roo'' *
Locus Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. Originally a poll ...
: 1984 short story, "Beyond the Dead Reef"; 1986 novella, ''The Only Neat Thing to Do'' * ''Science Fiction Chronicle'' Award: 1986 novella, ''The Only Neat Thing to Do'' * Jupiter Award: 1977 novella, ''Houston, Houston, Do You Read?''
Japanese-language is the principal language of the Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese diaspora worldwide. ...
translations of her fiction also won two Hayakawa Awards and three
Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Nihon SF Taikai, Japan Science Fic ...
s as the year's best under changing designations (foreign, overseas, translated). The awards are voted by magazine readers and annual convention participants respectively: * ''Hayakawa's S-F Magazine'' Reader's Award, short fiction: 1993, "With Delicate Mad Hands" (1981); 1997, "Come Live with Me" (1988) * Seiun Award, short and long fiction: 1988, "The Only Neat Thing to Do" (1985); 2000, "Out of the Everywhere" (1981); 2008, ''Brightness Falls from the Air'' (1985)


See also

* Akeley-Derscheid Expedition


References


Citations


General and cited bibliography

* Cranny-Francis, Anne. ''Feminist Fiction''. New York:
St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building (New York City), Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishe ...
, 1990. * Elms, A.C. "Painwise in space: The psychology of isolation in Cordwainer Smith and James Tiptree Jr." in G. Westfahl (Ed.), ''Space and Beyond: The Frontier Theme in Science Fiction''. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000. . * Fowler, Karen Joy with Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin and Jeffrey D. Smith (eds.). ''The James Tiptree Award Anthology 1: Sex, the Future, and Chocolate Chip Cookies''. San Francisco, CA: Tachyon Publications, 2004. . * Fowler, Karen Joy with Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin and Jeffrey D. Smith (eds.). ''The James Tiptree Award Anthology 2''. San Francisco, CA: Tachyon Publications, 2005. . * Fowler, Karen Joy with Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin and Jeffrey D. Smith (eds.). ''The James Tiptree Award Anthology 3: Subversive Stories about Sex and Gender''. San Francisco, CA: Tachyon Publications, 2007. . * * Notkin, Debbie and The Secret Feminist Cabal (eds.). ''Flying Cups and Saucers: Gender Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy''. Covina, CA: Edgewood Press, 1998 (2nd edition Lulu.com, 2008). . * Phillips, Julie. "Dear Starbear: Letters Between Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree Jr." ''
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy and science-fiction magazine, first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence E. Spivak, Lawrence Spiv ...
'', September 2006. * A thorough biography, with insight into Sheldon's life and work. Extensive quotation from her correspondence, journals, and other papers.
Times Literary Supplement ''The Times Literary Supplement'' (''TLS'') is a weekly literary review published in London by News UK, a subsidiary of News Corp. History The ''TLS'' first appeared in 1902 as a supplement to ''The Times'' but became a separate publication ...
revie
The Times & The Sunday Times
* Phillips, Julie
"James Tiptree Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon"
(jamestiptreejr.com).: the biographer's website dedicated to Tiptree/Sheldon


External links

; References *
James Tiptree Jr. World Wide Website
(unofficial, archived March 3, 2016)
Alice B. Sheldon, pen name James Tiptree, Jr., papers
at the University of Oregon

* ttp://jamestiptreejr.com/ Website for Julie Phillips's biography of Tiptree ; Online fiction * Text of the short story * Text of the short story * Text of the short story * Text of the short story * Text of the short story
"Two Stories by James Tiptree, Jr.: The Last Flight of Doctor Ain and The Screwfly Solution"
PDF file containing both short stories * ; Online radio *
Houston, Houston, Do You Read?
(Selection 17) from the NPR series ''Sci-Fi Radio'' (20 & 21), February 4 & 11, 1990 (55:32) *
Yanqui Doodle
(Selection 21) from the NPR series ''Sci-Fi Radio'' (26), March 18, 1990 (27:49) {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiptree, James Jr. 1915 births 1987 deaths 1987 suicides 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers American feminist writers American lesbian writers American LGBTQ military personnel American LGBTQ novelists American military personnel who died by suicide American science fiction writers American University alumni American women novelists American women short story writers Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni Feminist science fiction Hugo Award–winning writers LGBTQ people from Illinois LGBTQ people from Virginia Mariticides Military personnel from Chicago Murder–suicides in Virginia Nebula Award winners Novelists from Chicago American postmodern writers Pseudonymous women writers Sarah Lawrence College alumni Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees Suicides by firearm in Virginia United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Women's Army Corps soldiers American women science fiction and fantasy writers World Fantasy Award–winning writers