Jason Sanford is an American science fiction author whose 2022 novel ''Plague Birds'' was a finalist for the

Nebula A nebula (; or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral, or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the Pillars of Creation in ...

and Philip K. Dick Awards.Acquisition: PLAGUE BIRDS by Jason Sanford
, Apex Books, December 22, 2020. He's also known for his short fiction, which has been published in '' Interzone,

Asimov's Science Fiction ''Asimov's Science Fiction'' is an American science fiction magazine edited by Sheila Williams and published by Dell Magazines, which is owned by Penny Press. It was launched as a quarterly by Davis Publications in 1977, after obtaining Isaac ...

Analog Science Fiction and Fact ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William Cla ...

, Year's Best SF 14'', ''

InterGalactic Medicine Show ''InterGalactic Medicine Show'' (sometimes shortened to ''IGMS'') was an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It was founded in 2005 by multiple award-winning author Orson Scott Card and was edited by Edmund R. Schubert from 20 ...

'' and other magazines and anthologies. Sanford is a three-time winner of the ''Interzone'' Readers' Poll and a multiple finalist for the

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 ...

in the short fiction categories of

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most novelettes and short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) ...

, novelette, and

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

.Jason Sanford Past Nominations and Wins
The Nebula Awards, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, June 16, 2021. ''Interzone'' published a special issue on his fiction in 2010. He is also a multiple finalist for the

Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer The Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer is the Hugo Award given each year for writers of works related to science fiction or fantasy which appeared in low- or non-paying publications such as semiprozines or fanzines or in generally available electroni ...

. His fiction has been reprinted into a number of languages, including Czech, French, Russian, and Chinese. He also founded the literary magazine '' storySouth'' and ran their annual Million Writers Award for best online short stories.

Life

Sanford was born in Alabama and raised outside of Wetumpka. He attended

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

, where he studied

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

."An Interview with Jason Sanford"
by John Coyne, Peace Corps Writers, July 2007, accessed Feb. 20, 2010. After college Sanford served for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, where he taught English in a junior high school. He also met his wife, a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer, while in Thailand. After the Peace Corps they moved to

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, where Sanford worked as an editor.

Editing career

In 2001 Sanford, along with poet Jake Adam York, founded the literary magazine '' storySouth'', which focuses on literature from the "New South." storySouth "About Us" page
accessed Feb. 20, 2010. One of the early journals of the online literature movement, works published in ''storySouth'' have been reprinted in anthologies such as ''Best American Poetry 2008, Best of the Web 2008'', and ''e2ink: The Best of the Online Journals'', and have won a number of awards and honors. Sanford served as the fiction and nonfiction editor, while York served as poetry editor. Both editors were heavily involved in the debate around the alleged

plagiarism Plagiarism is the representation of another person's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one's own original work.From the 1995 ''Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Random House Compact Unabridged Dictionary'': use or close ...

of Southern author Brad Vice, with Sanford defending Vice's work and his essays on the affair being mentioned in the subsequent press coverage. Sanford turned over publication of ''storySouth'' to Spring Garden Press in 2009 and now serves as Editor Emeritus for the journal. In 2004, Sanford started the ''storySouth'' Million Writers Award, which highlighted each year's best online short stories. In 2012 he edited two anthologies of stories from the Million Writers Award.

Writing career

Sanford is best known as a science fiction author, although he also writes fantasy and has been published in other literary genres. His fiction has been described as "new weird SF", and compared to both the anime of

Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli and serves as honorary chairman. Throughout his career, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and creator of Anime, Japanese ani ...

and the early writings of

Brian Aldiss Brian Wilson Aldiss (; 18 August 1925 – 19 August 2017) was an English writer, artist and anthology editor, best known for science fiction novels and short stories. His byline reads either Brian W. Aldiss or simply Brian Aldiss, except for oc ...

. Sanford has described his writings and those of others as part of an emergent storytelling form called SciFi Strange, "which sets high literary standards, experiments with style, is infused with a sense of wonder, takes the idea of diverse sexuality for granted, focuses on human values and needs and explores the boundaries of reality and experience through philosophical speculation."Confronting the Unfamiliar: Interview with Jason Sanford" by Andy Hedgecock, Interzone 231, page 48. Sanford's science fiction and fantasy has been published in '' Interzone,

, Year's Best SF 14,

, Tales of the Unanticipated'', and other magazines and anthologies. His non-genre works have been published in ''The Mississippi Review'', ''Diagram'', ''Pindeldyboz'', and other places. He is a three-time winner of the Interzone Readers' Pollhttp://ttapress.com/846/2009-readers-poll-results/0/4/2009 Interzone Readers' Poll, Interzone, May 7, 2010. and a three-time finalist for the Nebula Awards. He has also received a Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship and been nominated for the

BSFA Award The BSFA Awards are literary awards presented annually since 1970 by the British Science Fiction Association (BSFA) to honour works in the genre of science fiction. Nominees and winners are chosen based on a vote of BSFA members. More recently, m ...

, the

British Fantasy Award The British Fantasy Awards (BFA) are awarded annually by the British Fantasy Society (BFS), first in 1976. Prior to that they were known as The August Derleth Fantasy Awards (see August Derleth Award). First awarded in 1972 (to ''The Knight of ...

, and the

Pushcart Prize The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...

. SF critic and reviewer Patrick Wolohan named Sanford to his list of 25 authors worth watching in 2010 and beyond. His critical essays and book reviews have been published in ''

The New York Review of Science Fiction ''The New York Review of Science Fiction'' is a monthly literary magazine of science fiction that was established in 1988. It includes works of science fiction criticism, essays, and in-depth critical reviews of new works of fiction and scholarsh ...

'', ''The Pedestal Magazine'', and ''The Fix Short Fiction Review''. Among Sanford's more influential essays is "Who Wears Short Shorts? Micro Stories and MFA Disgust", which ripped both the claimed incestuous nature of

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

programs and

flash fiction Flash fiction is a brief fictional narrative that still offers character and plot development. Identified varieties, many of them defined by word count, include the For sale: baby shoes, never worn, six-word story; the 280-character story (also kn ...

. The essay prompted a large amount of online discussion on the merits of Sanford's claims. Apex Publications released Sanford's first novel ''Plague Birds'' in 2022. The novel was selected as a finalist for both the

Nebula Award for Best Novel The Nebula Award for Best Novel is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novels. A work of fiction is considered a novel by the organization if it is 40,000 words or longer; ...

and Philip K. Dick Awards. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' called ''Plague Birds'' "something like The Wizard of Oz as retold by A.E. van Vogt."

Maurice Broaddus Maurice Broaddus is an American author who has published fiction across a number of genres including young adult, horror, fantasy and science fiction. Among his books are ''The Knights of Breton Court'' urban fantasy trilogy from Angry Robot, t ...

called the novel "a perfect blend of sf and fantasy weaving memory, loss, technology, and family into a wholly unique tapestry that left me turning the pages just to see what he would do next."

Bibliography

Novels

* ''Plague Birds'', Apex Books, 2022.

Short fiction

Collections

* ''Never Never Stories'' - Short story collection, Spotlight Publishing, 2011.

Anthologies (edited)

* ''Million Writers Award: The Best Online Science Fiction and Fantasy'' - (edited), anthology of short fiction, Spotlight Publishing, 2012. * ''Million Writers Award: The Best New Online Voices'' - (edited), anthology of short fiction, Spotlight Publishing, 2012. Spotlight Publishing website
, accessed March 20, 2012.

List of stories

* "Sublimation Angels" (published in Interzone). Finalist, Nebula Award for Best Novella, 2009. * "Blood Grains Speak Through Memories" (published by

Beneath Ceaseless Skies ''Beneath Ceaseless Skies'' (''BCS'') is a fantasy adventure online magazine published in the United States by Firkin Press. History ''Beneath Ceaseless Skies'' first issue was released on October 9, 2008 featuring stories by Chris Willrich an ...

). Finalist, Nebula Award for Best Novelette, 2016. * "The Eight-Thousanders" (published in

). Finalist, Nebula Award for Best Short Story, 2020.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanford, Jason Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male novelists American male short story writers American science fiction writers Asimov's Science Fiction people Auburn University alumni People from Wetumpka, Alabama American science fiction critics Novelists from Alabama American male non-fiction writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American short story writers 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers