Nalo Hopkinson (born 20 December 1960) is a

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 ...

n-born Canadian

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...

writer and editor. Her novels – '' Brown Girl in the Ring'' (1998), '' Midnight Robber'' (2000), '' The Salt Roads'' (2003), ''The New Moon's Arms'' (2007) – and short stories such as those in her collection '' Skin Folk'' (2001) often draw on Caribbean history and

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

, and its traditions of

oral The word oral may refer to: Relating to the mouth * Relating to the mouth, the first portion of the alimentary canal that primarily receives food and liquid **Oral administration of medicines ** Oral examination (also known as an oral exam or ora ...

and written storytelling. Hopkinson has edited two fiction anthologies: '' Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction'' and '' Mojo: Conjure Stories''. She was the co-editor with Uppinder Mehan of the 2004 anthology '' So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Visions of the Future'', and with

Geoff Ryman Geoffrey Charles Ryman (born 1951) is a Canadian writer of science fiction, fantasy, slipstream and historical fiction. Ryman has written and published seven novels, including an early example of a hypertext novel, '' 253''. He has won multiple ...

co-edited ''Tesseracts 9''. Hopkinson defended

George Elliott Clarke George Elliott Clarke (born February 12, 1960) is a Canadian poet, playwright and literary critic who served as the Poet Laureate of Toronto from 2012 to 2015 and as the Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate in 2016-2017. Clarke's work addresse ...

's novel ''

Whylah Falls ''Whylah Falls'' is a long narrative poem (or " verse novel") by George Elliott Clarke, published in book form in 1990. As with much of Clarke's work, the poem is inspired by the history and culture of the Black Canadian community in Nova Scot ...

'' on the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

's '' Canada Reads 2002''. She was the curator of ''Six Impossible Things'', an audio series of Canadian fantastical fiction on

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent o ...

. As of 2021, she lives and teaches in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

. In 2020, Hopkinson was named the 37th Damon Knight Grand Master, in recognition of "lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy".

Early life and education

Nalo Hopkinson was born 20 December 1960 in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long spit (landform), sand spit which connects the town of Por ...

, to Freda and

Abdur Rahman Slade Hopkinson Abdhur Rahman Slade Hopkinson ( Slade Hopkinson; 1934 – 1993) was a Guyana-born poet, playwright, actor and teacher. Early life Slade Hopkinson was born in the town New Amsterdam, Guyana; his father was a barrister, and his mother, a nurse. Sla ...

. She grew up in

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger, more populous island of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the country. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is the southernmost island in ...

, and Canada.Hopkinson, Nalo. ''The Salt Roads''. New York: Warner Books, 2003. . She was raised in a literary environment; her mother was a library technician and her father a Guyanese poet, playwright and actor who also taught English and

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

.Mindy Farabee
"Nalo Hopkinson's science fiction and real-life family"
''Los Angeles Times'', 21 March 2013. By virtue of this upbringing, Hopkinson had access to writers such as Derek Walcott during her formative years, and could read

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut ( ; November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American author known for his Satire, satirical and darkly humorous novels. His published work includes fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and five nonfict ...

's works by the age of six. Hopkinson's writing is influenced by the fairy and folk tales she read at a young age, among which were the Afro-Caribbean stories about

Anansi Anansi or Ananse ( ; literally translates to ''spider'') is a character in Akan religion and folklore associated with stories, wisdom, knowledge, and trickery, most commonly depicted as a spider. Anansi is a character who reflects the culture ...

, as well as Western works including ''

Gulliver's Travels ''Gulliver's Travels'', originally titled ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'', is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clerg ...

'', the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

'', and the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'';"A Conversation With Nalo Hopkinson"
SF Site, 2000. she was also known to have read the works of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

around the time she was reading

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

.Donna Bailey Nurse
"Nalo Hopkinson: Brown girl in the ring"
, ''Quill & Quire'', 2003-11. Though she lived briefly in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

in the U.S. during her father's tenure at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, Hopkinson has said that the culture shock from her move to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

from Guyana at the age of 16 was something "to which he'sstill not fully reconciled". She lived in Toronto from 1977 to 2011, before moving to Riverside,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where she works as Professor of Creative Writing at

University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of Cali ...

. Hopkinson has a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, where she studied with her mentor and instructor,

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 ...

writer James Morrow. She has learning disabilities.

Career

Before working as a professor, Hopkinson held jobs in libraries, worked as a government culture research officer, and held the position of grants officer at the Toronto Arts Council. She has taught writing at various programs around the world, including stints as writer-in-residence at Clarion East, Clarion West and Clarion South. Publishing and writing was stopped for six years due to a serious illness that prevented her from working. Severe

anemia Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availabl ...

, caused by fibroids as well as a

vitamin D Vitamin D is a group of structurally related, fat-soluble compounds responsible for increasing intestinal absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate, along with numerous other biological functions. In humans, the most important compo ...

deficiency, led to financial difficulties and ultimately homelessness for two years prior to being hired by UC Riverside. In 2011, Hopkinson was hired as an associate professor in

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism at

. She became a full professor in 2014. As an author, Hopkinson often uses themes of Caribbean folklore,

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean or African Caribbean people are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern Afro-Caribbean people descend from the Indigenous peoples of Africa, Africans (primarily fr ...

culture, and

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

. She is historically conscious and uses knowledge from growing up in

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

communities in her writing, including the use of Creole and character backgrounds from Caribbean countries including

and

. In addition, Hopkinson consistently writes about subjects including race, class, and sexuality. Through her work, particularly in '' Midnight Robber'', Hopkinson addresses differences in cultures as well as social issues such as child and sexual abuse. Hopkinson has been a key speaker and guest of honor at multiple

science fiction conventions Science fiction conventions are gatherings of fans of the speculative fiction subgenre, science fiction. Historically, science fiction conventions had focused primarily on literature, but the purview of many extends to such other avenues of ex ...

. She is one of the founding members of the Carl Brandon Society and serves on the board. Hopkinson's favorite writers include

Samuel R. Delany Samuel R. "Chip" Delany (, ; born April 1, 1942) is an American writer and literary critic. His work includes fiction (especially science fiction), memoir, criticism, and essays on science fiction, literature, sexual orientation, sexuality, and ...

, Tobias Buckell, and Charles R. Saunders. In addition, inspiration for her novels often comes from songs or poems with

Christina Rossetti Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an English writer of romanticism, romantic, devotional and children's poems, including "Goblin Market" and "Remember". She also wrote the words of two Christmas carols well k ...

's poem "

Goblin Market ''Goblin Market'' is an 1862 Narrative poetry, narrative poem by Christina Rossetti. It tells the story of sisters Laura and Lizzie, who are tempted with fruit by goblin merchants. In a letter to her publisher, Rossetti claimed that the poem, w ...

" serving as the inspiration for '' Sister Mine''. Personal hobbies include

sewing Sewing is the craft of fastening pieces of textiles together using a sewing needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era. Before the invention of spinning yarn or weaving fabric, archaeo ...

cooking Cooking, also known as cookery or professionally as the culinary arts, is the art, science and craft of using heat to make food more palatable, digestible, nutritious, or Food safety, safe. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from ...

gardening Gardening is the process of growing plants for their vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, and appearances within a designated space. Gardens fulfill a wide assortment of purposes, notably the production of Aesthetics, aesthetically pleasing area ...

, and fabric design.Sofia Samatar (25 February 2013)
"'Write Your Heart Out': An Interview with Nalo Hopkinson"
, ''Strange Horizons''. Hopkinson designs fabrics based on historical photos and illustrations.

Awards and recognition

Hopkinson was the recipient of the 1999 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and the

Ontario Arts Council The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is a publicly funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to foster the creation and production of art for the benefit of all Ontarians. Based in Toronto, OAC was founded in 1963 by O ...

Foundation Award for Emerging Writers. '' Brown Girl in the Ring'' was nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award in 1998, and received the

Locus Award for Best First Novel The Locus Award for Best First Novel is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine '' Locus''. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year. The award for Best Fir ...

. In 2008, it was a finalist in

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Fre ...

, produced by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

. '' Midnight Robber'' was shortlisted for the James Tiptree Jr. Memorial Award in 2000 and nominated for the

Hugo Award for Best Novel The Hugo Award for Best Novel is one of the Hugo Awards given each year by the World Science Fiction Society for science fiction or fantasy stories published in, or translated to, English during the previous calendar year. The novel award is ava ...

in 2001. '' Skin Folk'' received 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 ...

and the Sunburst Award in 2003. '' The Salt Roads'' received the Gaylactic Spectrum Award for positive exploration of queer issues in

for 2004, presented at the 2005

Gaylaxicon Gaylaxicon is a recurring science fiction, fantasy and horror convention that focused on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender topics. It has taken in various locations in the United States and occasionally Canada, often on the East Coast. ...

. It was also nominated for the 2004

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; ...

. In 2008, ''The New Moon's Arms'' received the Aurora Award and the Sunburst Award, making her the first author to receive the Sunburst Award twice. This book was also nominated for the 2007 Nebula Award for Best Novel. In 2016, Hopkinson received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from

Anglia Ruskin University Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is a public research university in the region of East Anglia, United Kingdom. Its origins date back to the Cambridge School of Art (CSA), founded by William John Beamont, a Fellow of Trinity College at the Unive ...

. In 2020, she was named the 37th Damon Knight Grand Master by the

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

. In 2022, her ''Broad Dutty Water: A Sunken Story'' was awarded the

Theodore Sturgeon Award The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is an annual literary award presented by the Theodore Sturgeon Literary Trust and the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to the author of the best short science fiction story ...

Works

Novels

* '' Brown Girl in the Ring'' (1998) * '' Midnight Robber'' (2000) * '' The Salt Roads'' (2003) * ''The New Moon's Arms'' (2007) * ''The Chaos'' (2012) (

Young adult fiction Young adult literature (YA) is typically written for readers aged 12 to 18 and includes most of the themes found in adult fiction, such as family dysfunction, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality. It is characterized by simpler world build ...

) * ''Sister Mine'' (2013) * ''Blackheart Man'' (2024)

Collections

* '' Skin Folk'' (2001) * ''Report From Planet Midnight'' (2012) (short stories, interview and speech) * '' Falling in Love With Hominids'' (2015)

Anthologies

* '' Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction'' (2000) * '' Mojo: Conjure Stories'' (2003) * ''

So Long Been Dreaming ''So Long Been Dreaming: Postcolonial Science Fiction & Fantasy'' (2004) is an English language anthology of science fiction and fantasy short stories by African, Asian, South Asian, and Indigenous authors, as well as North American and British w ...

'' (2004) * ''Tesseracts Nine'' with Geoff Ryman (2005)

Short fiction (first publications only)

* "Slow Cold Chick" in anthology ''Northern Frights 5'' (1998) * "A Habit of Waste" in anthology ''Women of Other Worlds: Excursions through Science Fiction and Feminism'' (1999) * "Precious" in anthology ''Silver Birch, Blood Moon'' (1999) * "The Glass Bottle Trick" in anthology '' Whispers from the Cotton Tree Root: Caribbean Fabulist Fiction'' (2000) * "Greedy Choke Puppy" and "Ganger (Ball Lightning)" in anthology '' Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the African Diaspora'' * " Midnight Robber" (excerpt from novel) reprinted in ''Young Bloods: Stories from'' Exile ''1972–2001'' (2001) * "Delicious Monster" in anthology ''Queer Fear II'' (2002) * "Shift" in journal ''Conjunctions: the New Wave Fabulists''. * "Herbal" in ''The Bakkanthology'' * "Whose Upward Flight I Love" reprinted in ''African Voices'' * "The Smile on the Face" in anthology ''Girls Who Bite Back: Witches, Mutants, Slayers and Freaks'' (2004) * "Snow Day" in '' New Daughters of Africa'', edited by

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

(2019).

Comic book series

* ''The Sandman Universe: House of Whispers'' ( DC/Vertigo) (2018–2020)

References

External links

* *
Nalo Hopkinson
at ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (''SFE'') is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo Award, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus and BSFA Award, British SF Awards. Two print editions appea ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkinson, Nalo 1960 births Living people 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Jamaican LGBTQ people 20th-century Jamaican women writers 20th-century Jamaican writers 20th-century Jamaican novelists 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Jamaican LGBTQ people 21st-century Jamaican women writers 21st-century Jamaican writers 21st-century Jamaican novelists Afrofuturist writers Black Canadian LGBTQ people Black Canadian women novelists Black Canadian novelists Speculative fiction writers of African descent Canadian horror writers Canadian LGBTQ novelists Canadian people of Guyanese descent Canadian women novelists Fabulists Guyanese women novelists Inkpot Award winners Jamaican expatriates in Canada Jamaican expatriates in the United States Jamaican LGBTQ novelists Jamaican women novelists John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer winners Seton Hill University alumni SFWA Grand Masters Women anthologists Canadian women horror writers Canadian women science fiction and fantasy writers World Fantasy Award–winning writers Writers from Kingston, Jamaica Aurora Award–winning writers Black Canadian short story writers