Maurice Broaddus
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Maurice Broaddus is an American author who has published fiction across a number of genres including
young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...
, horror,
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, ...
and
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 ...
. Among his books are ''The Knights of Breton Court''
urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, placing supernatural elements in a contemporary urban area, urban-affected setting. The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes, quixotic plot-elements, and unusual charac ...
trilogy from Angry Robot, the
steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
novel ''Pimp My Airship'' from Apex Publications, and the young adult novel ''The Usual Suspects'' from HarperCollins. His Afrofuturist space trilogy ''Astra Black'' will be released by
Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles. History Tor was founded by Tom Doherty, ...
beginning in March, 2022.Meet the Man Behind Afrofuturist Steampunk
by Stephen Starr, OZY, January 8, 2020.
He has also published dozens of short stories in magazines such as ''
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 ...
'', '' Black Static'', ''
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 ...
'', and ''
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 ...
'' along with anthologies including ''Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda'', ''The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy'' and ''Sunspot Jungle''.


Life

Broaddus was born in
London, United Kingdom London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, but grew up in Indianapolis, United States. His mother is from
Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, where many of his relatives still live. Broaddus earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from
Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...
and worked for two decades as an environmental toxicologist. He was formerly the executive director of Cities of Refuge Ministries, which provides transitional housing and employment opportunities for people dealing with addiction, reentry, or homelessness. He currently works at the Oaks Academy Middle School as a teacher librarian and at the Kheprw Institute, a neighborhood association focusing on youth leadership development, community wealth building, and improving the lives of local residents.Meet The Afrofuturist Sci-Fi Writer Changing Indianapolis
by Lou Harry,
Indianapolis Monthly ''Indianapolis Monthly'' is a lifestyle magazine published in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. The magazine has some special publications and projects including Indiana Bride, Home, The Ticket, and Indiana Travel Guide. History Founded in 1977, the ...
, July 17, 2019.
He still resides in Indianapolis, where he lives with his wife and two sons.


Writing

Broaddus has published dozens of short stories and hundreds of essays (including as a columnist for the ''
Indianapolis Star Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County. Indianapolis is situated in the state's central till plain region along the west fork of ...
'' and as a reviewer for HollywoodJesus.com). His fiction has been published in magazines such as ''
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 ...
'', '' Cemetery Dance'', '' Fiyah Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction'', ''
Apex Magazine ''Apex Magazine'', also previously known as ''Apex Digest'', is an American Horror fiction magazine, horror and science fiction magazine. This subscription webzine, ''Apex Magazine'', contains short fiction, reviews, and interviews. It has been ...
'', '' Black Static'', ''
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 ...
'', Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and ''
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 ...
'', along with stories in original and reprint anthologies such as ''Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda'', ''The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy'' and ''Sunspot Jungle''. In 2010 Angry Robot published Broaddus’ urban fantasy novel ''King Maker'', a "retelling of the Arthurian mythos involving street gangs." The novel was called a "triumph" by ''SF Book Reviews'' and was followed up by two sequels, ''King's Justice'' and ''King’s War''. In 2012 Angry Robot published the trilogy in an omnibus edition entitled ''The Knights of Breton Court''. His steampunk novella ''Buffalo Soldier'' was released in 2017 by TorFighting on Arrival, Fighting for Survival: Buffalo Soldier by Maurice Broaddus
by Alex Brown,
Tor.com ''Reactor'', formerly ''Tor.com'', is an online science fiction and fantasy magazine published by Tor Books, a division of Macmillan Publishers. The magazine publishes articles, reviews, original short fiction, re-reads and commentary on specul ...
, April 25, 2017.
and was described by the
New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely rea ...
as an "exciting" story packed with "alternate American history, fantastic technology and father-son bonding." His short story collection ''The Voices of Martyrs'' was released in 2016 by Rosarium Publishing. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called the collection "evocative and moving" with "lush, descriptive prose (that) tantalizes all the senses."Starred review of The Voices of Martyrs by Maurice Broaddus
"
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 ...
, 01/02/2017.
In 2019 Broaddus sold his Afrofuturist space trilogy Astra Black to Tor. The first novel in the series, Sweep of Stars, was released in March 2022. His 2020 novella ''Sorcerers'' about a hip hop inspired sorcerer, is being adapted into a show by
AMC Networks AMC Networks Inc. is an American mass media and entertainment corporation headquartered in 11 Penn Plaza, New York City. The company owns and operates the AMC cable channel, BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, and We TV. It also owns the art ho ...
. Broaddus wrote the novella with "Otis Whitaker," a pseudonym for a collective of storytellers at NeoText, and illustrated by Jim Mahfood.


Editing

Broaddus has also edited and co-edited several well-received anthologies, including ''Dark Faith'' (alongside fellow editor Jerry Gordon), which focused on the intersection between horror and religious faith. He also co-edited the "People of Colo(u)r Destroy Fantasy" and "People of Colo(u)r Destroy Horror" special issues of ''Fantasy'' and ''Nightmare'' magazines. He also works as an editor at
Apex Magazine ''Apex Magazine'', also previously known as ''Apex Digest'', is an American Horror fiction magazine, horror and science fiction magazine. This subscription webzine, ''Apex Magazine'', contains short fiction, reviews, and interviews. It has been ...
. In late 2020 Broaddus guest edited a special issue of ''Fireside Magazine'' dealing with grief and loss. One of the essays selected by Broaddus was "Da Art of Speculatin'" by Regina N. Bradley, which discussed how hip-hop duo
Outkast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...
"blended Black Southern life of the past and present in their music to paint possibilities of their lives in the future."Publisher apologizes for 'auditory blackface': A minstrel-like performance of a Black woman's essay
by Lateshia Beachum, Washington Post, November 28, 2020.
Despite the first line of the essay identifying Bradley as a "southern Black woman who stands in the long shadow of the Civil Rights Movement," without the knowledge of BroaddusRegarding our audio recordings
by Pablo Defendini, Fireside Magazine, November 24, 2020.
the magazine's publisher released an audio version of the essay narrated by a white man "who spoke in an accent that listeners interpreted as something that would appear in a minstrel show."White Man Hired To Narrate Southern Black Woman Scholar's Essay Turns Brilliant Black Art Into Minstrel Show
by Kirsten West Savali,
Essence Magazine ''Essence'' (stylized in all caps) is an American monthly lifestyle magazine covering fashion, beauty, entertainment, and culture. First published in 1970, the magazine is written for African-American women. History Edward Lewis, Clarence O ...
, December 6, 2020.
The audio version was called "auditory blackface" and resulted in national media attention. The audio version was later deleted and the publisher apologized to Bradley and Broaddus.


Awards

Broaddus, along with co-editor Jerry Gordon, was a finalist for the 2010 Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology for ''Dark Faith'' and won the
Kitschies The Kitschies were British literary prizes presented annually from 2009 to 2024 for "the year's most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic" published in the United Kingdom. The awa ...
award for debut novel for ''King Maker''. He was also a finalist for the Black Quill Award. His novel ''Pimp My Airship'' won the 2020 genre award at the 2022 Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards, presented by
Indiana Humanities Indiana Humanities is a nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis that funds and produces public humanities programming throughout the state of Indiana. It is one of 56 humanities councils in the United States and is affiliated with the Natio ...
. Additionally, in 2024, Broaddus received two Indiana Author Awards for Best Middle Grade Novel titled ''Unfadeable'' and Genre Shortlist for ''Sweep of Stars.''


Bibliography


Novels

* ''Astra Black trilogy'' ** '' Sweep of Stars'' (Tor, March 2022) ** ''Breath of Oblivion'' (Tor, November 2024) * ''Pimp My Airship'' ( Apex Publications, 2019) * ''The Knights of Breton Court'' trilogy (reprinted in the omnibus edition ''The Knights of Breton Court,'' Angry Robot, 2012) **''King Maker'' (Angry Robot, 2010) **''King's Justice'' (Angry Robot, 2011) **''King's War'' (Angry Robot, 2011) **''Sweep of Stars'' (Macmillan Publishers, 2022)


Young adult novels

* ''Unfadeable'' (HarperCollins, April 2022) * ''The Usual Suspects'' (Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins, 2019)


Short story collections

* ''The Voice of Martyrs'' (Rosarium Publishing, 2016)


Anthologies

* ''Streets of Shadows'' (Alliteration Ink, 2014, edited with Jerry Gordon) * ''Dark Faith: Invocations'' (Apex Publications, 2012, edited with Jerry Gordon) * ''Dark Faith'' (Apex Publications, 2010, edited with Jerry Gordon)


Novellas

* ''Sorcerers'' (NeoText, 2020, written with "Otis Whitaker," a pseudonym for a collective of storytellers, and illustrated by Jim Mahfood) * ''Buffalo Soldier'' (Tor, 2017) * ''I Can Transform You'' (Apex Publications, 2013) * ''Bleed With Me'' (Delirium Books, 2011) * ''Devil's Marionette'' (Shroud Publishing, 2009) * ''Orgy of Souls'' (Apex Publications, 2008, co-authored with Wrath James White)


Selected short fiction

* "Babylon Systems" (
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 ...
, May/June 2021) * "Black Panther – Kindred Spirits" (Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda, Titan Books, March 2021) * "The Legacy of Alexandria" (Apex Magazine, November 2020) * "City of Refuge" (
Escape Pod ''Escape Pod'' is a science fiction podcast magazine produced by Escape Artists, Inc. It proclaims itself "the world's leading science fiction podcast". The present co-editors are Mur Lafferty and Valerie Valdes. While episodes are free, the ...
2020, reprinted in Lightspeed Magazine, August 2021) * "The Migration Suite: A Study in C Sharp Minor" (Uncanny Magazine, July/August 2019, reprinted in The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2020) * "El is a Spaceship Melody" ( Beneath Ceaseless Skies, February 2018) * "What the Mountain Wants" (w/ Nayad Monroe, Do Not Go Quietly, Apex Publication, 2018) * "The Valkyrie" (War Stories Anthology, Apex Books, 2014; reprinted in Starship Sofa, 2018) * "Vade Retro Satana" ( Fiyah Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction, Spring 2017; reprinted in Lightspeed Magazine, December 2018) * "The Ache of Home" (Uncanny Magazine, July–August 2017) * "At the Village Vanguard" ( Mothership Zeta, October 2016; reprinted in Escape Pod) * "Super Duper Fly" (Upside Down: Inverted Tropes in Storytelling, Apex Books, 2015; reprinted in Sunspot Jungle, Rosarium Publishing, 2018) * "The Kwanzaa Kid" (Naughty or Nice: A Holiday Anthology, Evil Girlfriend Media, 2015) * "Steppin' Razor" (''Asimov's Science Fiction'', February 2014) * "The Electric Spanking of the War Babies" (co-written with Kyle S. Johnson, Glitter & Mayhem, Apex Publications, 2013)Glitter & Mayhem is a glam rock space party terror anthology
by Ed Grabianowski,
io9 ''io9'' is a sub-blog of the technology blog ''Gizmodo'' that focuses on science fiction and fantasy pop culture, with former focuses on science, technology and futurism. It was created as a standalone blog in 2008 by editor Annalee Newitz under ...
, January 9, 2014.
* "Awaiting Redemption" (''Eulogies II: Tales From the Cellar'', edited by Christopher Jones, Nanci Kalanta, and Tony Tremblay, HW Press, 2013) * "A Soldier's Story" (''Vampires Don't Sparkle!'', edited by Michael West, Seventh Star Press, 2012) * "Being in the Shadow" (''Appalachian Undead'', edited by Jason Sizemore, Apex Publications, 2012) * "Rainfall" (''Cemetery Dance'', #65, 2011) * "Lost Son" (''Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology'' edited by Charles R. Saunders, Milton J. Davis, MVmedia, 2011) * "The Problem of Trystan" (''Hot and Steamy: Tales of Steampunk Romance'', edited by Jean Rabe and Martin H. Greenberg, DAW Books, 2011) * "I, Theodora" (''Beauty Has Her Way'', edited by Jennifer Brozek, Dark Quest Books, 2011) * "A Stone Cast into Stillness" (''Dark Futures'' edited by Jason Sizemore, Dark Quest Books, 2010; republished 2012) * "Hootchie Cootchie Man" (''Black Static'', Issue 14, December 2009-January 2010) * "Trouble Among the Yearlings" (''Harlan County Horrors'', edited by Mari Adkins, Apex Publications, 2009) * "Closer Than They Appear" (''Shroud 7: The Quarterly Journal of Dark Fiction and Art'', Autumn 2009) * "Pimp My Airship" (''Apex Magazine'', August 2009; reprinted in ''The Book of Apex: Volume 2 of Apex Magazine'', 2010) * "Rite of Passage" (''Space and Time'', Fall 2008) * "Broken Strand" (''Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest'', #12, 2008) * "Family Business" (''Weird Tales'', January–February 2006) * "Kali's Danse Macabre" (Honorable mention, 1996 Asimov's Undergraduate Award)


References


External links


Maurice Broaddus official website
*
In-depth feature article in Indianapolis Monthly about Maurice Broaddus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broaddus, Maurice Living people American science fiction writers Novelists from Indiana African-American novelists 21st-century American novelists American male novelists Asimov's Science Fiction people Speculative fiction writers of African descent 21st-century American male writers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American writers African-American male writers Afrofuturists