Mildred McElroy Clingerman (March 14, 1918 – February 26, 1997) was an American science fiction author. Clingerman was born Mildred McElroy in

Allen, Oklahoma Allen is a town in Hughes and Pontotoc counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 805 at the 2020 census. History The town was founded in 1883 by a group of white settlers who had arrived in Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory i ...

, and her family moved to

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, in 1929. She graduated from Tucson High School and attended the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. She married Stuart Clingerman in 1937. Most of her short stories were published in the 1950s in ''

The Magazine of 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 ...

'', edited by

Anthony Boucher William Anthony Parker White (August 21, 1911 – April 29, 1968), better known by his pen name Anthony Boucher (), was an American author, critic, and editor who wrote several classic mystery novels, short stories, science fiction, and radio dr ...

. Boucher included her story "The Wild Wood" in the seventh volume (1958) of ''The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction'' and dedicated the book to her, calling her the "most serendipitous of discoveries." Her science fiction was collected as ''A Cupful of Space'' in 1961. She also published in mainstream magazines like ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...

'' and ''

Collier's } ''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...

''. Her story "The Little Witch of Elm Street" appeared in ''

Woman's Home Companion ''Woman's Home Companion'' was an American monthly magazine, published from 1873 to 1957. It was highly successful, climbing to a circulation peak of more than four million during the 1930s and 1940s. The magazine, headquartered in Springfield, O ...

'' in 1956. Married women are portrayed in stories like “The Wild Wood” (January 1957 F&SF) or “A Red Heart and Blue Roses” (original to her collection); they suffer violations of body space, male intrusiveness, and the impostures of aliens. Her stories have also appeared in several anthologies, including literature textbooks for middle and high school students. A 2017 anthology
''The Clingerman Files''
includes all of her originally published stories. Clingerman was a collector of books of all kinds, especially those by and about

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...

, and of Victorian travel journals. She was a founder of the Tucson Writer's Club and served on the board of the Tucson Press Club. She was posthumously awarded the Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award in 2014.

Awards

2014 Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award

Selected works

“First Lesson” (''Collier’s Weekly'', June 1955) “Stickney and the Critic” (''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', February 1953) “Stair Trick” (''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', August 1952) “Minister Without Portfolio (''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', February 1952) “Letters From Laura” (''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', October 1954) “The Last Prophet” (''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', August 1955) ''A Cupful of Space'' (Ballantine, 1961) “Red Heart and Blue Roses” (''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'', May 1964) ''The Clingerman Files'' (2017)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clingerman, Mildred 1918 births 1997 deaths American science fiction writers American women short story writers Writers from Tucson, Arizona University of Arizona alumni University of Arizona faculty Novelists from Oklahoma American women science fiction and fantasy writers American women novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American short story writers Novelists from Arizona People from Allen, Oklahoma American women academics Tucson High School alumni