Ellen Kushner (born October 6, 1955) is an American writer of

fantasy novels Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...

. From 1996 until 2010, she was the host of the radio program '' Sound & Spirit'', produced by WGBH in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and distributed by

Public Radio International Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programm ...

Background and personal life

Kushner was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, Ohio. She attended

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh: ) is a women's liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Founded as a Quaker institution in 1885, Bryn Mawr is one of the Seven Sister colleges, a group of elite, historically women's colleges in the United St ...

and graduated from

Barnard College Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...

. She lives in New York City with her wife and sometime collaborator,

Delia Sherman Cordelia Caroline Sherman (born 1951, Tokyo, Japan), known professionally as Delia Sherman, is an American fantasy writer and editor. Her novel ''The Porcelain Dove'' won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. Background Sherman attended The Chapin Scho ...

. They held a wedding in 1996 and were legally married in Boston in 2004. Kushner identifies as bisexual.

Career

Kushner's first books were five

Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...

gamebook A gamebook is a work of printed fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices. The narrative branches along various paths, typically through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages. Each narrative typically does not ...

s. During that period, she published her first

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

, '' Swordspoint'' in 1987. A sequel set 18 years after ''Swordspoint'', called ''The Privilege of the Sword'', was published in July 2006, with a first hardcover edition published in late August 2006 by

Small Beer Press Small Beer Press is a publisher of fantasy and literary fiction, based in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was founded by Gavin Grant and Kelly Link in 2000 and publishes novels, collections, and anthologies. It also publishes the zine ''Lady Churc ...

. ''The Fall of the Kings'' (2002) (co-authored by Sherman) is set 40 years after ''Swordspoint.'' All three books are considered

mannerpunk The fantasy of manners is a subgenre of fantasy literature that also partakes of the nature of a comedy of manners (though it is not necessarily humorous). Such works generally take place in an urban setting and within the confines of a fairly ela ...

novels, and take place in a nameless imaginary capital city and its raffish district of Riverside, where swordsmen-for-hire ply their trade. From 2011 to 2014

audiobook An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements. Spoken audio has been available in sc ...

versions of all three novels were produced under the label of

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

Presents. The ''Swordspoint'' adaptation won the 2013

Audie Award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...

for Best Audio Drama, an Earphones Award from '' AudioFile'', and the 2013 Communicator Award: Gold Award of Excellence (Audio). The adaptation of ''The Fall of the Kings'' won the 2014 Wilbur Award. Kushner's second novel, ''Thomas the Rhymer'', won the

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...

and the

Mythopoeic Award The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given annually for outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas. Established by the Mythopoeic Society in 1971, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awa ...

in 1991. She has also published short stories and poetry in various anthologies, including

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror ''Year's Best Fantasy and Horror'' was a reprint anthology published annually by St. Martin's Press from 1987 to 2008. In addition to the short stories, supplemented by a list of honorable mentions, each edition included a number of retrospective ...

and

The Borderland Series The ''Borderland'' series of urban fantasy novels and stories were created for teenage readers by author Terri Windling. Most of the series is set in Bordertown, a dystopian city near the border between "the Elflands" and "The World". The series ...

urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy which places imaginary and unreal elements in an approximation of a contemporary urban setting. The combination provides the writer with quixotic plot-drivers, unusual character traits, and a platform for c ...

anthologies for teenage readers. In 1987, Kushner relocated from New York to Boston, and began working as a presenter in radio. She worked with public radio station WBGH-FM, first hosting its all-night radio program "Night Air". In 1989 she hosted the ''Nakamichi International Music Series'' for American Public Radio (now

), and later produced three Jewish holiday specials with APR, ''Festival of Liberation: the Passover Story in World Music'', ''The Door is Open: a Jewish High Holiday Meditation'', and ''Beyond 1492''. Beginning in 1996, Kushner wrote, programmed and hosted the series "Sound & Spirit", produced by WGBH/PRI. "Sound & Spirit" was an hour-long weekly series "exploring the human spirit through music and ideas." Episodes featured folk, classical, and world music, with a wide variety of special guests including

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

drummer

Mickey Hart Mickey Hart (born Michael Steven Hartman, September 11, 1943) is an American percussionist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 until February 19 ...

, religious historian

Elaine Pagels Elaine Pagels, née Hiesey (born February 13, 1943), is an American historian of religion. She is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University. Pagels has conducted extensive research into early Christianity and Gnost ...

, and writer

. "Sound & Spirit" remained on the air until 2010. In 2002, she released a CD of her story ''The Golden Dreydl: A Klezmer Nutcracker,'' which uses music from Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

'' to tell a

Hanukkah or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem) , nickname = , observedby = Jews , begins = 25 Kislev , ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet , celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...

story. The music on the CD is performed by Shirim Klezmer Orchestra. ''The Golden Dreydl'' won a Gracie Award from

American Women in Radio and Television The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) is a nonprofit organization created by women in 1951 that works to support women in the media in the United States. About The mission of the organization is to "advance the impact of women in broadcasting a ...

. A live theater version of ''The Golden Dreydl'' was performed in 2008 and 2009 at Vital Theater in New York City, written by Kushner (who played "Tante Miriam" in the 2008 production) and directed by Linda Ames Key. In 2007, Kushner, along with Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom, scripted the musical audio drama ''The Witches of Lublin'' for public radio. Based on the history of Jewish women who were klezmer musicians in 18th Century Europe, ''The Witches of Lublin'' premiered on radio stations nationwide in April 2011 with performances by Tovah Feldshuh and Simon Jones. It won the 2012 Wilbur Award for Best Single Program, Radio; the 2012 Grace Allen Award for Best Director, and the 2012 Gabriel Award: Arts, Local Release, Radio. In 2011 she co-edited (with

Holly Black Holly Black (''née'' Riggenbach; born November 10, 1971) is an American writer and editor best known for her children's and young adult fiction. Her most recent work is the ''New York Times'' bestselling young adult ''Folk of the Air'' series. ...

) ''Welcome to Bordertown,'' an anthology of new stories from

Terri Windling Terri Windling (born December 3, 1958 in Fort Dix, New Jersey) is an American editor, artist, essayist, and the author of books for both children and adults. She has won nine World Fantasy Awards, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Bram S ...

's seminal shared-world series. In an audiobook adaptation

read his own work, set to an original score by

Boiled in Lead Boiled in Lead is a rock/world-music band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and founded in 1983. Tim Walters of ''MusicHound Folk'' called the group "the most important folk-rock band to appear since the 1970s." Influential record producer and mu ...

's Drew Miller. In 2015, Kushner created ''Tremontaine'', a serialized prequel to ''Swordspoint'', for the Serial Box platform. The series ran for four seasons. With Sherman and others, she is actively involved in the

interstitial art Interstitial art is any work of art whose basic nature falls between, rather than within, the familiar boundaries of accepted genres or media, thus making the work difficult to categorize or describe within a single artistic discipline. The concep ...

movement. She is the co-founder and past president of the Interstitial Arts Foundation. She is also a member of the

Endicott Studio Endicott Studio (also known as the Endicott Studio for Mythic Arts) was a nonprofit organization, based in the United States and United Kingdom, that is dedicated to literary, visual, and performance arts inspired by myth, folklore, fairy tales ...

and has taught classes and seminars as part of Hollins University's MFA program; the Odyssey Writing Workshop; and the Clarion Writers' Workshop.

Published works

Riverside

* '' Swordspoint'' (1987) – * '' The Fall of the Kings'' (with Delia Sherman) (2002) – * ''

The Privilege of the Sword ''The Privilege of the Sword'' is a fantasy novel by American author Ellen Kushner. First published in 2006 by Bantam Spectra, the novel won the 2007 Locus Award and was nominated for both the Nebula Award for Best Novel and the Gaylactic Spectru ...

'' (2006) –

Standalone novels

* ''

Thomas the Rhymer Sir Thomas de Ercildoun, better remembered as Thomas the Rhymer (fl. c. 1220 – 1298), also known as Thomas Learmont or True Thomas, was a Scottish laird and reputed prophet from Earlston (then called "Erceldoune") in the Borders. Thomas ...

'' (1990) – * ''St. Nicholas and the Valley Beyond: A Christmas Legend'' (1994) –

Choose Your Own Adventure ''Choose Your Own Adventure'' is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actio ...
books

* 47. '' Outlaws of Sherwood Forest'' (August, 1985) – * 56. ''

The Enchanted Kingdom ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (May, 1986) – * 58. '' Statue of Liberty Adventure'' (July, 1986) – * 63. '' Mystery of the Secret Room'' (December, 1986) – * 86. ''

Knights of the Round Table The Knights of the Round Table ( cy, Marchogion y Ford Gron, kw, Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, br, Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the knights of the fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain. First appearing in lit ...

'' (December, 1988) –

Chapbook form

* ''The Golden Dreydl'' (2007) – ** ''The Golden Dreidel'' (2021) – * ''The Man with the Knives'' (2010), with Thomas Canty –

Short fiction

Anthologies edited

* ''Basilisk'' (1980) – * ''

The Horns of Elfland ''The Horns of Elfland'' is a 1997 fantasy fiction, fantasy anthology edited by Ellen Kushner, Delia Sherman and Donald G. Keller. Background ''The Horns of Elfland'' was first published in April 1997 by Roc Books in paperback format. It was a no ...

'', with

and

Donald G. Keller Donald G. Keller (born 1951) is a science fiction and fantasy editor and critic. He was the co-founder of Serconia Press and was Managing Editor and a frequent contributor to ''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' (1990-1995), where his semin ...

(1997) – * '' Welcome to Bordertown (New Stories and Poems of the Borderlands)'', with

(2011) –

Awards

Major awards

Locus awards (poll)

Other awards

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kushner, Ellen 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American radio personalities American women novelists Barnard College alumni Bisexual writers Bryn Mawr College alumni Choose Your Own Adventure writers Living people Writers from New York City Women science fiction and fantasy writers World Fantasy Award-winning writers Writers from Washington, D.C. American LGBT novelists 1955 births 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Writers from Cleveland Novelists from New York (state) Novelists from Ohio LGBT people from Ohio LGBT people from Washington, D.C. Women speculative fiction editors