Jennifer Stevenson (born October 6, 1955, in

Waukegan, Illinois ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

) is a Chicago-based American fantasy and romance author who mixes

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

with magical realist, regional (usually Chicago-set),

working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...

, and sex-positive storytelling. She is an active member of the American feminist speculative fiction community.

Works

Stevenson has published both short stories and several novel series, most of them blending

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 ...

with other popular storytelling genres. Her debut novel, ''Trash Sex Magic'' (published in 2004 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 A zi ...

), earned a place on science-fiction industry journal ''Locus'' magazine's short list for its First Fantasy Short Novel Award in 2005, and on the

Science Fiction Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA ( or ) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. Whil ...

's long list for its

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 of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of prof ...

in both 2005 and 2006. ''Trash Sex Magic'' was praised by American critic Jessica Crispin, founder of the literary-publishing newsblog ''Bookslut'', for its non-patronizing portrayal of poor characters and of the lives of lower-class Chicagoans. "What was the last book with main characters living in trailers below the poverty line who were not belittled or pitied by the author? Stevenson does not judge her characters, and that counts for a lot," Crispin wrote, noting Stevenson's refusal to use

classist Class discrimination, also known as classism, is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of social class A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the U ...

caricature in her depiction of the American underclass. Stevenson has created three series of fantasy novels, loosely set within the same universe: "Hinky Chicago" (

romantic fantasy Romantic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the chivalric romance genre. One of the key features of romantic fantasy involves the focus on relationships, social, ...

, featuring female heroes Jewel Heiss, a fraud cop/investigator, and Hel, an energy vampire); "Slacker Demons" (

paranormal romance Paranormal romance is a subgenre of both romantic fiction and speculative fiction. Paranormal romance focuses on romantic love and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the speculative fiction ...

, about retired gods now slumming it as

incubi An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in ...

); and the upcoming "Coed Demon Sluts" (

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

paired with "

women's fiction Women's fiction is an umbrella term for women centered books that focus on women's life experience that are marketed to female readers, and includes many mainstream novels or women's rights books. It is distinct from women's writing, which refers ...

", in ways that recovers the conventionally sexist, dark fantasy/

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction ** Korean horror, Korean horror fiction *Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing on ...

trope of the

succubus A succubus is a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious tradition, a succubus needs male semen to survive; repeated sexual activit ...

to explore female lives). Stevenson also writes "Backstage Boys," a non-magical novel series about the comic adventures of sexy

stagehand A stagehand is a person who works backstage or behind the scenes in theatres, film, television, or location performance. Their work include setting up the scenery, lights, sound, props, rigging, and special effects for a production. General ...

s, turning men who typically perform working-class labor and own union cards, into romantic leading characters.

Other contributions

Stevenson donated her personal papers to the SWFA's Science Fiction and Fantasy archives within the Rare Books and Special Collections section of the University Libraries o
Northern Illinois University
With speculative-fiction storytelling becoming legitimized by academic institutions and scholars, creating university-based centers for science-fiction studies, Northern Illinois University's collection signifies a growing number of American research-university libraries that archive print-literary (and new-media) works by science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other fantastic-genre writers, filmmakers, and artists. Stevenson's papers, dated from 2004 to 2010, reflect her story development process, including novel drafts, research and revision notes, and publishing-industry correspondence and critiques. Stevenson mentors published and new authors as part of her feminist writing pedagogy. A teacher of the art of writing erotic fiction, she created and frequently hosts a popular, sex-positive, reading series of science fiction/fantasy/fairytale

erotica Erotica is literature or art that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erotic art may use a ...

, "Smut and Nothing But", performed by various writers of fantastic literature, at speculative fiction conventions such as

WisCon WisCon or Wiscon, a Wisconsin science fiction convention, is the oldest, and often called the world's leading, feminist science fiction convention and conference. It was first held in Madison, Wisconsin in February 1977, after a group of fans att ...

and

ReaderCon Readercon is an annual science fiction convention, held every July in the Boston, Massachusetts area, in Burlington, Massachusetts. It was founded by Bob Colby and Eric Van in 1987 with the goal of focusing almost exclusively on science fiction/ ...

, as well as at the International Conference of the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA). At ICFA and other fantastic storytelling community venues, she frequently organizes panels on how the current state of the publishing industry might inform practical strategies for working writers. Additionally, she co-founded and belongs to the publishing

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...

of
Book View Cafe
alongside other science fiction/fantasy authors with traditional publishing experience, such as

Gregory Frost Gregory Frost (born May 13, 1951) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy, and directs a fiction writing workshop at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa. A g ...

Vonda McIntyre Vonda Neel McIntyre () was an American science fiction writer and biologist. Early life and education Vonda N. McIntyre was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of H. Neel and Vonda B. Keith McIntyre, who were born in Poland, Ohio. She s ...

Mary Anne Mohanraj Mary Anne Amirthi Mohanraj (born July 26, 1971) is an American writer, editor, and academic of Sri Lankan birth. Background Mohanraj was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka but moved to the United States at the age of two and grew up in New Britain, Co ...

, and Sarah Zettel. She is a regular contributor to the coop's "BVC Eats" blog of recipes and food-related advice. Stevenson also teaches writing workshops, including her "Finding Your Voice: Fan Mail From the Future" set of creative prompts, which she's also offered at different author venues.

Personal

Stevenson cites

P.G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brothe ...

, and

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comic fantasy, comical works. He is best known for his ''Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchet ...

as her influences. She has a bachelor's degree from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...

in English and Music, as well as double master's degrees in both General Counseling and Structural Family Theory fro
Southern Connecticut State University
Her non-writing skill sets include cooking, gardening, biking, speed skates, feminist ecological and spiritual practice, and the occasional feeding of crows.

References

External links

Jennifer Stevenson's websiteJennifer Steven's Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Jennifer Living people 1955 births People from Waukegan, Illinois 21st-century American novelists American women science fiction and fantasy writers American fantasy writers Novelists from Illinois American women novelists American romantic fiction writers American women romantic fiction writers American erotica writers 21st-century American women writers