Michael Damian Thomas is an American magazine editor and

podcaster A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an episodic series of digital audio files that users can download to a personal device or stream to listen to at a time of their ...

. Thomas has won eight

Hugo Awards 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 t ...

, a

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 a

Parsec Award The Parsec Awards were a set of annual awards created to recognize excellence in science fiction podcasts and podcast novels. The awards were created by Mur Lafferty, Tracy Hickman and Michael R. Mennenga and awarded by FarPoint Media. They were ...

as co-publisher and co-editor-in-chief of ''

Uncanny Magazine ''Uncanny Magazine'' is an American science fiction magazine, science fiction and Fantasy fiction magazine, fantasy online magazine founded by publishing editors Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas. History First issued in 2014, the pu ...

'' with his wife,

Lynne M. Thomas Lynne M. Thomas is an American librarian, podcaster and editor. She has won eleven Hugo Awards for editing and podcasting in the science fiction genre. She is perhaps best known as the co-publisher and co-editor-in-chief of the Hugo Award-winning ...

. He has also been active as an advocate for disabled children in Illinois.

Early life

Thomas graduated from the

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, or IMSA, is a three-year residential public secondary education institution in Aurora, Illinois, United States, with an enrollment of approximately 650 students. Enrollment is generally offered to in ...

(IMSA), a public magnet school in

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in northeastern Illinois, United States. It is located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River west of Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, second-most populous city in Illinois, with a popul ...

, in 1992. In 2018, IMSA gave him the Alumni Titan Award, recognizing his contributions as "an enthusiastic and energetic champion who has invested significantly in the IMSA community". He graduated from

Parkland College Parkland College may refer to: * Parkland College (United States), an American community college in Champaign, Illinois * Parkland College (Canada), a post-secondary educational institution in Saskatchewan, Canada {{Hndis, Parkland College ...

in 1998, and worked on the Parkland literary journal.

Career

Thomas was managing editor at ''Apex Magazine'' from 2012 until 2013, and an associate editor at

Mad Norwegian Press Mad Norwegian Press is an American publisher of science-fiction guides and novels. The company has worked with authors such as Harlan Ellison, Peter David, Diana Gabaldon, Tanya Huff, Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear, Mary Robinette Kowal, Seanan McGui ...

. In 2014, he and Lynne M. Thomas began ''Uncanny Magazine'', as "a home for emotional, strongly written, experimental stories and provocative nonfiction" and poetry. He is co-host of the podcast of the same name, and has contributed to other podcasts, including the ''SF Squeecast'' with

Elizabeth Bear Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky (born September 22, 1971) is an American author who works primarily in speculative fiction genres, writing under the name Elizabeth Bear. She won the 2005 Astounding Award for Best New Writer, John W. Campbell Awar ...

Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. Other British television dramas f ...

Seanan McGuire Seanan McGuire (pronounced SHAWN-in; born January 5, 1978) is an American author and filker. McGuire is known for her urban fantasy novels. She uses the pseudonym Mira Grant to write science fiction/ horror and the pseudonym A. Deborah Baker to w ...

, and

Catherynne M. Valente Catherynne Morgan Valente (born May 5, 1979) is an American fiction writer, poet, and literary critic. For her speculative fiction novels she has won the annual James Tiptree, Jr. Award, Andre Norton Award, and Mythopoeic Award. Her short ficti ...

, and ''Down and Safe'', a '' Blake’s 7'' podcast with

Amal El-Mohtar Amal El-Mohtar (born 13 December 1984) is a Canadian poet and writer of speculative fiction. She is the editor of ''Goblin Fruit'' and reviews science fiction and fantasy books for the ''New York Times Book Review'' and is best known for the 2019 ...

Scott Lynch Scott Lynch (born April 2, 1978) is an American fantasy author, best known for the ''Gentleman Bastard Sequence'' series of novels. His first novel, ''The Lies of Locke Lamora'', was purchased by Orion Books in August 2004 and published in June 2 ...

, and L. M. Myles. Thomas has been the co-editor of several collections of stories and essays, including ''Glitter & Mayhem'' (2013 with John Klima and Lynne M. Thomas), and ''Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

by the

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

Fans Who Love It'' (2014, with Sigrid Ellis), and ''The Best of Uncanny'' (2019, with Lynne M. Thomas). Thomas has taken a particular interest in disability issues. He chaired the City of DeKalb Advisory Commission on Disabilities and the

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johann de Kalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama DeKalb County is a County (United States), county in the Northeast Alabama, northeastern part ...

Local Interagency Networking Council, and served on the planning committee of the Aicardi Syndrome Family Conference. In 2017, the Thomases and

Mary Robinette Kowal Mary Robinette Kowal (; born February 8, 1969) is an American author, translator, art director, and puppeteer. She has worked on puppetry for shows including The Jim Henson Company, Jim Henson Productions and the children's show ''LazyTown''. As a ...

crafted the "SF/F Convention Accessibility Pledge", a list of three basic accessibility requirements for signers' participation in conventions as participants, panelists, or guests. In 2018 and 2019, ''Uncanny Magazine'' published the theme issues ''Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction'' and ''Disabled People Destroy Fantasy'', exclusively featuring the works of disabled editors and authors.

Bibliography

* with Sigrid Ellis (editors), ''Queers Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of

by the

Fans Who Love It'' (Mad Norwegian Press, 2013). * with John Klima and

(editors), ''Glitter & Mayhem'' (

Apex Publications ''Apex Magazine'', also previously known as ''Apex Digest'', is an American horror and science fiction magazine. This subscription webzine, ''Apex Magazine'', contains short fiction, reviews, and interviews. It has been nominated for several a ...

, 2013). * with

and

, ''Harvest Season: An Anthology by the SF Squeecast'' (ISFiC Press, 2014). * with Lynne M. Thomas (editors), ''The Best of Uncanny'' (Subterranean Press, 2019).

Awards

Thomas has been nominated for multiple Hugo Awards between 2013 and 2020, for work on ''Apex Magazine'', ''Uncanny Magazine'', and the anthology ''Queers Dig Time Lords'' (2014). He has been nominated for the

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 ...

eight times, and for

Locus Awards The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus (magazine), Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. O ...

seven times. Awards won by Michael Damian Thomas include the following: * 2016

Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine The Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine is given each year to a periodical publication related to science fiction or fantasy that meets several criteria having to do with the number of issues published and who, if anyone, receives payment. The awar ...

: ''Uncanny Magazine'' (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Erika Ensign, and Steven Schapansky) * 2016

for Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast: ''The Uncanny Magazine Podcast'' (with Lynne M. Thomas, Erika Ensign,

, C. S. E. Cooney, Deborah Stanish, and Steven Schapansky) * 2017

: ''Uncanny Magazine'' (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota,

Julia Rios Julia Rios is an American writer, editor, podcaster, and narrator. Biography Born in the United States, Rios is partly of Mexican descent. They have won a number of awards for their work in Science Fiction and Fantasy and has even more nominati ...

, Erika Ensign, and Steven Schapansky) * 2018

: ''Uncanny Magazine'' (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Julia Rios, Erika Ensign, and Steven Schapansky). * 2018

Hugo Award for Best Editor Short Form The Hugo Award for Best Professional Editor is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The award is available for editors of magazines, ...

(with Lynne M. Thomas) * 2019

: ''Uncanny Magazine'' (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, and Dominik Parisien) * 2019

for Best Magazine / Periodical (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky, Elsa Sjunneson-Henry, and Dominik Parisien) * 2020

: ''Uncanny Magazine'' (with Lynne M. Thomas, Michi Trota, Chimedum Ohaegbu, Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky) * 2022

: ''Uncanny Magazine'' (with Lynne M. Thomas, Chimedum Ohaegbu, Elsa Sjunneson, Erika Ensign, Steven Schapansky) * 2023

: ''Uncanny Magazine'' (with Lynne M. Thomas, Chimedum Ohaegbu, Monte Lin, Meg Elison, Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky)

Personal life

Beginning in 2017, the Thomases lived in Urbana, Illinois with their daughter Caitlin, who has

Aicardi syndrome Aicardi syndrome is a rare genetic malformation syndrome characterized by the partial or complete absence of a key structure in the brain called the corpus callosum, the presence of retinal lacunes, and epileptic seizures in the form of infan ...

. Caitlin Thomas died in 2024, at the age of 21, at

Lurie Children's Hospital Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, formerly Children's Memorial Hospital and commonly known as Lurie Children's, is a nationally ranked pediatric acute care children's hospital located in Chicago, Illinois. The hospital has ...

References

External links

The Official Website of Michael Damian Thomas
(official website)
''Uncanny Magazine''
Thomas's current Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine
SF Squeecast
Thomas's podcast.
Down and Safe, a Blake’s 7 podcast
Thomas's other podcast. * Jason Sandford
"Interview with Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas of Uncanny Magazine"
(January 3, 2020), a blog interview with the Thomases {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Michael Damian American editors American science fiction editors Hugo Award–winning editors American podcasters People from Illinois Living people Year of birth missing (living people)